The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

At 10 p.m. in Beijing, the sweltering heat had finally subsided somewhat.

The evening breeze, carrying the warm glow of the streetlights, gently brushed against the car window.

Lingyun drove his G-Wagon and first took Yanzi home.

Then, he gently turned the steering wheel and drove Leilei to her apartment building.

The car stopped, and Leilei hesitated for a moment before opening the car door, her eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.

"Thank you for bringing me back. I really had an eye-opening night."

Ling Yun looked at her and chuckled softly.

"Don't be so polite with me, go upstairs and have sweet dreams."

"You too, be careful, see you later."

Leilei said goodbye softly and turned to walk towards the building entrance.

After watching her enter the building, Ling Yun drove away and went home.

The next moment, Leilei suddenly pushed open the unit door and came out, watching the back of the G-Class quickly disappear into the distance.

Only after the G-Wagon's taillights disappeared from sight did she turn back to the building entrance and walk briskly upstairs.

As soon as he entered the door, his parents, who were waiting in the living room, caught him red-handed and began to interrogate him relentlessly.

Under her parents' intense gaze, she had no choice but to blush and recount everything she had seen and heard that evening.

As she explained, her parents listened in stunned silence, their excitement palpable.

Before she could finish speaking, her father suddenly slapped his thigh.

"That's wonderful! This kid is one in a million! He's young and wealthy but not arrogant, and he's incredibly considerate of his hometown—a truly filial son!"

"If you have the chance, invite him over for dinner. I'll cook for you and give him my feedback."

Leilei's ears turned red when she heard this, and she quickly got up.

"What? You invited them over for dinner? Don't get the wrong idea, we're just friends. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed!"

After saying that, she ran into the bedroom as if fleeing.

Her parents exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

They were extremely satisfied with Lingyun's personal and family situation.

The problem now is that Leilei and Lingyun have only known each other for a short time, so how can they take things to the next level? That's the key.

In the bedroom.

Leilei quickly finished washing up, changed into her nightgown, and lay down on the bed.

But how could she possibly sleep?

This night was destined to be long and turbulent because of the man who suddenly barged into their lives.

The swallows that returned home experienced the same fate and behaved the same way.

Everything that happened tonight, everything they heard and saw, had such a profound impact on them that they couldn't sleep all night.

As dawn dispels the darkness of night, a new week begins as scheduled.

At around 8:40 a.m., a brand-new S350 sped up and parked in the parking lot in front of the AVIC headquarters building.

Ling Yun opened the car door and got out, walking straight towards the headquarters building of AVIC.

Unlike the previous days, he was dressed more formally today, looking energetic, with a steady gait and full of vitality, like an elite person.

Seeing his completely new look, Secretary Zhou, who was waiting at the door, couldn't help but be a little surprised.

He quickly realized what was happening, his surprise turning into admiration, and he strode over to greet them.

Good morning, Lingyun.

"Good morning, Secretary Zhou."

Ling Yun greeted him with a smile and shook hands with Secretary Zhou.

Then they walked side by side into the AVIC headquarters building, chatting and laughing all the way to the elevator.

"I didn't expect you to arrive early. The roads must have been rough, right? I saw your car; it's impressive!"

As soon as Secretary Zhou finished speaking, Ling Yun smiled and echoed his words.

"That's right. Even though there are license plate restrictions these days, the number of cars on the road has actually increased. It's like everyone has brought their cars out."

"I was worried about traffic jams making my business difficult, so I left early. Luckily, the journey was smooth, and I wasn't late."

As they spoke, they entered the elevator.

Upon seeing Secretary Zhou arrive, all the AVIC employees and management in the elevator lobby nodded politely in greeting.

The handsome Ling Yun standing next to him naturally attracted a lot of attention.

This scene only ended when Secretary Zhou led Ling Yun into the elevator.

The next moment, everyone started discussing it curiously.

"Who's that handsome guy next to Secretary Zhou? He looks unfamiliar, but he's very charming!"

"You think he's so charming because of the Patek Philippe on his wrist, right? That watch is worth at least several million, isn't it attractive!"

"I noticed this handsome guy as soon as we were outside the gate. He was driving a top-of-the-line S350 worth 1.5 to 1.6 million yuan, so he's obviously very wealthy!"

Amidst the cacophony of voices, many of the female employees listened with shining eyes.

On the other side, Secretary Zhou led Ling Yun to the door of the general manager's office, knocked, and went inside.

At this moment, General Manager Kong was already in his office.

He was sitting behind his desk, his brows furrowed, staring at a document in his hand.

Seeing Ling Yun enter, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Good morning, Lingyun, sit down and chat for a while."

"Good morning, Mr. Kong."

Ling Yun nodded politely.

He then stepped forward, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Zhou Mi walked tacitly towards the reception area, preparing to make Ling Yun a cup of tea.

After settling down, President Kong looked Ling Yun up and down, and finally a smile appeared on his face.

"You seem to have had a good rest these days. You look radiant and full of energy. Young people should be full of vigor."

"Unlike me, because of your insightful analysis report, I've been getting a headache and have no peace these past two days from all the airline executives."

"You've worked hard."

Ling Yun appropriately expressed his concern and astutely grasped the key points.

"From what you're saying, it seems the airlines are unwilling to part ways with Goldman Sachs, which is why the CEOs are arguing so much?"

"That's right, it's all caused by vested interests."

Mr. Kong sighed, his face full of helplessness.

"Because of the continuous rise in international oil prices, airlines made some money through Goldman Sachs' hedging strategy and tasted the sweetness of success."

"For example, China Eastern Airlines had hedging profits of over 300 million yuan as of last Friday, which is a considerable profit. It should be noted that China Eastern Airlines' net profit for the entire year of 2018 was only 580 million yuan."

"I understand, it's like eating fatty meat that we can't bear to part with!"

Ling Yun smiled, then his tone suddenly turned serious.

"Didn't China Eastern Airlines see the sharp drop in international oil prices on Friday night? I checked international oil prices this morning, and they had plummeted to $126."

"Based on this latest price, China Eastern Airlines' hedging profit has shrunk to around 200 million yuan, and this is just the beginning; an even more dramatic plunge is yet to come."

"Of course they saw it, but everyone has a tendency to take chances."

Mr. Kong smiled wryly and then revealed the ulterior motives of each airline.

"If China Eastern Airlines abandons its hedging strategy now, it will not only lose the hedging profits of 200-300 million yuan, but also have to pay Goldman Sachs a huge default penalty of 16 billion yuan."

"Given such enormous profits and risks of loss, even knowing that this hedging strategy hides many fatal pitfalls, it is difficult for airlines to make the tough decision to cut their losses."

"Several airline executives and investment directors believe that the current drop in oil prices is only a short-term correction and will soon rise again, so it's not advisable to immediately abandon this hedging strategy."

"If we abandon this hedging strategy now, airlines will inevitably have to pay huge default penalties, resulting in staggering losses, and no one wants to take on this responsibility."

At this point, Mr. Kong's tone became even more helpless.

"Although China National Aviation Holding Company (CNAH) has a higher administrative level, it is not in a superior-subordinate relationship with the airlines and cannot directly issue orders to interfere with the airlines' operations."

"We can only offer suggestions and negotiate with the airlines to resolve this crisis. Only the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission can issue direct instructions..."

In a lengthy and detailed explanation, Mr. Kong elaborated on the predicament he, China National Aviation Holding Company (CNAH), and various airlines faced.

In short, airlines are reluctant to give up the lucrative business they've already secured, and even less willing to pay huge penalties for breach of contract.

They even fantasized about oil prices regaining their upward momentum, continuing to make huge profits using this hedging strategy full of deadly traps, while also locking in fuel costs for various airlines.

And so, things reached a stalemate.

China National Aviation Holding Company (CNAC) convened a three-day meeting with the heads of various airlines and their investment directors. They argued and debated every day, but no results were achieved.

Only Air China, with Mr. Kong as its chairman, began to seriously consider how to break free from Goldman Sachs' hedging strategy.

Lingyun could only scoff at the fantasies of airline executives and investment directors.

But he cannot make decisions for the airlines; he is not part of the aviation system and has no authority to do so.

Even Mr. Kong can't force a cow to drink water if it won't drink it!

After explaining the current situation, Mr. Kong's tone suddenly became serious.

"Xiao Ling, you are indeed the investment genius that Chairman Zhao spoke of, unparalleled. I have now witnessed your abilities!"

"The reason I called you here today is to have you give a good lesson to the CEOs and investment directors of various airlines, explaining the rules of international crude oil futures trading."

He paused, then continued:

"At 10 a.m., we will hold a final meeting with the CEOs and investment directors of various airlines to discuss whether to move away from Goldman Sachs' hedging strategy."

"I'll take you to the meeting and give you a chance to speak. Don't hold back then; give them a good talking-to and wake them up."

"Leaders from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission will also be attending this meeting. You must perform well; this is a very good opportunity."

Ling Yun's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

"No problem, I will do my best. Thank you for your care."

That kid, when he gets hairy, he's even smarter than a monkey!

Mr. Kong muttered a complaint to himself, a smile playing on his lips.

"Furthermore, your report mentioned how to remedy the situation should airlines incur huge losses due to this hedging strategy, but the details were vague!"

Ling Yun picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and confidently gave his response.

"The remedy is actually quite simple, as I mentioned before. The core idea is..."