The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Noise.

A deafening cacophony.

The largest multi-functional hall at the headquarters of Weiguang was temporarily transformed into a celebration banquet.

The champagne tower was piled high, reflecting a dazzling golden light under the lights.

"Respect to General Manager Lin! Respect to the glimmer of hope!"

Hundreds of wine glasses were raised at the same time, clinking together with a crisp sound.

The employees' faces were flushed with excitement as they looked at the young man standing on the stage with eyes filled with almost blind worship.

In this battle, Weiguang not only survived, but also swallowed the biggest piece of the pie that spilled over after the collapse of the P2P industry.

Back-end data shows that the accumulated funds in Weiguang Lingqiantong have exceeded 1500 billion yuan.

What does this mean?

This means that Microlight is no longer just a technology company; it has actually become an invisible giant with liquidity at the level of a bank that issues currency.

Lin Che held up his wine glass with a polite smile on his face, but his dark eyes did not reflect the lively atmosphere around him.

He took a sip of champagne.

The finest Dom Pérignon has a subtle rusty taste upon first sip.

"Mr. Lin, why don't you go dance?"

Xie Yu brought over the plate, his mouth stuffed full of Australian lobster.

Although this guy is worth over 100 million, he still can't shake off his typical tech-savvy eating habits.

"It's noisy."

Lin Che put down his wine glass and loosened his slightly tight tie. "Is this money too hot to handle?"

Xie Yu paused for a moment, then swallowed the meat in his mouth: "Hot? Why hot? This is all money that users voluntarily deposited, and we also have to pay reserve funds to the central bank. It's as compliant as it gets."

"Compliance..."

Lin Che pondered the word, his gaze passing through the crowd to the dark night sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. "In the financial world, compliance is just the bottom line. When you have a certain amount of money, it is no longer money, but power, and power is something to be wary of."

Just then, Lin Che's personal cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

It wasn't a short, brief message notification, but a continuous, long vibration with a certain oppressive feeling.

Lin Che took out his phone.

The screen did not display a name, only a landline number from Beijing starting with "66".

Upon seeing this string of numbers, Lin Che's previously somewhat languid body instantly tensed up.

The surrounding noise seemed to fade away in an instant, leaving only the vibrating metal brick in my hand.

He knew what this number range represented.

That was an inside agent in that red-walled compound on the side of Chang'an Avenue.

"I'm going to answer a phone call."

Lin Che patted Xie Yu on the shoulder and turned to walk towards the terrace outside the banquet hall.

The wind on the terrace was strong, dispersing the smell of alcohol from inside.

Lin Che took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and pressed the answer button.

"Hello."

Lin Che kept his voice and posture very low.

Even over the phone, even if the other person couldn't see him, he maintained the same level of respect one would show to someone in a superior position.

There was no immediate response on the other end of the phone.

There was only a slight electrical hum and the rustling of turning pages.

This silence lasted for a full ten seconds, like a silent psychological pressure.

Finally, an old but powerful voice rang out.

"Kobayashi."

The other person addressed him warmly, like an elder in the family addressing a younger person, "Was the celebration banquet tonight lively?"

Lin Che's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

The celebration banquet for Weiguang was held internally behind closed doors, and the media were not invited.

But the timing of the call was so precise, it was as if the other person was sitting in a corner of the banquet hall watching him.

"It was just a simple internal dinner. I hope the leaders won't laugh at us," Lin Che replied cautiously, trying to calm himself down.

"Hehe, don't be nervous."

The old man's voice was devoid of emotion. "Young man, it's only right to have a drink after winning a battle. You've done a good job these past few days. That one cut punctured the abscess, and although it was a bit bloody, at least the poison didn't reach your heart."

This is a qualitative assessment.

Lin Che breathed a slight sigh of relief.

His actions of "igniting P2P and establishing a safe haven" were approved by the authorities, who believed that he was helping the country defuse potential risks.

"It's all for the sake of maintaining financial stability. We've only done a little bit of insignificant auxiliary work," Lin Che said humbly.

"Hmm, that's a very high level of awareness."

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly changed its tone, becoming meaningful.

"However, Kobayashi, it's a good knife, but if you sharpen it too much, it can sometimes hurt your hand, don't you think?"

Lin Che's fingers tightened suddenly around his phone.

beat.

This is a blatant attack.

This time, Weiguang absorbed hundreds of billions of yuan in funds, which not only resolved social panic, but also turned itself into a behemoth capable of shaking the financial order.

In the eyes of regulators, this is both a tool for stability and a potential threat.

"The leader's words of advice are correct."

Lin Che immediately stated sincerely, "We are always a tool for construction, and the handle will always be in the hands of the state. We dare not and will never have any intention of overstepping our bounds."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The old man laughed, his laughter was hearty.

"It's good that you have the intention. Alright, I won't disturb your celebration any longer. By the way, some reports about long-term rental apartments have recently been sent to my desk. Capital is overheating... You can take a look at them when you have time."

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The phone hangs up.

Lin Che stood in the cold wind, holding his phone, and remained motionless for a long time.

The sounds of laughter and toasts still echoed from the banquet hall behind him, but Lin Che felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The last sentence.

That was the real core of the phone call.

"Long-term rental apartments...overheated capital..."

Lin Che muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the myriad lights of Beijing.

Under those dazzling lights are countless cubicles, and countless young people drifting in this city.

They had just dodged the phantom fire of P2P lending and thought that as long as they worked hard, they could settle down in this city.

But another, more covert and larger-scale harvest is quietly brewing.

Eggshell, Ziroom, Xiangyu... those capital firms that claim to "make young people live with more dignity" are frantically hoarding housing resources, raising rents, and using "rent loans," a more covert form of financial leverage, to package the future of young people into asset-backed securities (ABS) and cash out in the financial market.

In my past life, the winter of 2018 was not only a cold winter for P2P lending, but also the darkest moment for the collapse of long-term rental apartment companies.

Countless young people have been evicted from their homes by landlords, burdened with hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt, and left homeless.

The meaning of that phone call was clear: the higher-ups had noticed this trend, but couldn't take direct action yet; they needed a knife.

A knife that is sharp enough and obedient enough.

"I see……"

Lin Che put away his phone, a complex smile playing on his lips.

He thought he was the player, but in the face of a higher-dimensional power, he was just a useful piece.

But so what?

Since you want me to make a knife, then I will make the fastest knife in the world.

I win as long as the piece of cake I cut is big enough that even the player holding the chess pieces can't bear to throw me away.

The glass door behind me was pushed open.

Xie Yu poked his head out: "Boss, what are you daydreaming about? Everyone's waiting for you to cut the cake!"

Lin Che turned around, the seriousness on his face instantly disappearing, replaced by an impeccable confident smile.

"They're here."

He straightened his collar and strode into the golden light and shadow.

The dust has settled from the P2P battle.

But he knew that a new war—a war about housing, about young people, about the city's right to exist—had only just begun.

He walked up to the huge champagne tower and took the long knife handed to him by the waiter.

The blade gleamed, reflecting his ambitious face.

"Cut the cake."

Lin Che raised his knife and brought it down.