Becoming the King of Bottom Fishing After Going All-In on A-Shares

At 9 p.m., when Lu Chenzhou returned to dormitory 302 after his workout, Zhang Yixing, Yang Cheng, and Xia Yaozong were all waiting for him.

"Shenzhou," Zhang Yixing was the first to speak, "those words you said have been spread."

Lu Chenzhou sat on the edge of the bed, his expression unchanged: "What did you say?"

Zhang Yixing's voice was a little urgent: "Electric vehicles are the future. Ten years from now, the cars on the street will be electric, not gasoline-powered."

The whole forum is talking about this now. Some people say you're crazy, others say you're a prophet.

Lu Chenzhou smiled: "So what do you think?"

Zhang Yixing was taken aback for a moment: "Me? I don't know, but I think what you said makes sense."

Yang Cheng interjected, "Shen Zhou, do you really believe electric cars can succeed?"

Lu Chenzhou looked at him: "You don't believe me?"

Yang Cheng was silent for a moment: "I don't know. In 2008, oil prices were falling, American car companies were going bankrupt, and everyone was saying that gasoline cars were going to die. Talking about electric cars at that time was indeed... a bit ahead of its time."

Lu Chenzhou nodded: "Being ahead of its time doesn't mean being wrong."

When the steam engine came out, everyone thought horse-drawn carriages were better.

When the electric lights came out, everyone thought the candles were brighter.

When something new comes out, most people don't believe it.

But there will always be someone who believes, someone who will stand up and say that this is the future when everyone else does not.

Xia Yaozong leaned against the headboard, lost in thought: "So you're that person?"

Lu Chenzhou shook his head: "I'm not a special person, I've just thought it through."

He looked out the window at the night sky: "Oil will become increasingly scarce, and the problem of carbon emissions will become increasingly serious."

We can't keep watching oil prices be strangled by others.

Electric vehicles are inevitable.

BYD is currently the company leading the world on this path.

He turned to the three people and said, "That's all. No inside information or special channels are needed. If you've thought it through, then buy it."

The room remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Yixing spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "Chen Zhou, do you know? When you said these things, you didn't look like a student."

Lu Chenzhou laughed: "Then what do I look like?"

"Like someone who...sees very far ahead."

The four of them looked at each other and laughed.

The euphoria following the Hong Kong stock market close on September 26 has not yet subsided, and the buzz surrounding it continues to grow on the Renmin University campus and throughout Beijing's financial circles.

Some are waiting to see Lu Chenzhou's Hong Kong stock holdings continue to surge, while others are waiting for negative news about BYD to break his account and force him to liquidate his position.

Some even speculated that this young man, who repeatedly went all-in with leverage, might still be hiding many secret cards.

But no one expected that this storm of public opinion surrounding Lu Chenzhou would explode completely in a way that no one could have foreseen during the weekend when the market was closed, directly pushing him to the peak of online discussion.

September 27, 2008, Saturday, 6:00 AM.

The sky in Beijing was not yet fully bright, and the Renmin University campus was still immersed in the tranquility of the weekend.

But in many parts of this country, in financial districts, the China World Trade Center, Central Hong Kong, Wall Street... countless people's phones exploded at the same time.

Reuters' news flash exploded like a nuclear bomb in the financial world:

BREAKING: Berkshire Hathaway acquires 10% stake in BYD, Warren Buffett bets on Chinese electric vehicle maker

Berkshire Hathaway invested HK$18 billion to subscribe for 2.25 million H shares of BYD at HK$8 per share, marking Buffett's significant investment in the Chinese electric vehicle company.

When the news reached dormitory 302 at Renmin University, Zhang Yixing was still asleep.

His phone vibrated incessantly, the screen lit up with a message from the chief, containing only six words:

"Watch the news, it's Buffett."

Zhang Yixing picked up his phone in a daze, glanced at it, and then jumped up as if he had been electrocuted.

He flipped to the financial news, his eyes widening and his mouth gaping open.

BYD, HK$8; Buffett, HK$18 billion.

These words swirled in his mind, as if someone were hammering his head repeatedly.

He recalled that yesterday Lu Chenzhou had sold all his CITIC Securities shares at 24.80 yuan and bought BYD shares at 8 Hong Kong dollars.

He recalled Lu Chenzhou's words: "Electric vehicles are the future" and "BYD's electric vehicles are already running in Shenzhen."

He remembered the message from the chief that had been delayed in being sent.

He picked up his phone and typed with trembling hands: "Chief, how much did Buffett pay for BYD?"

The chief replied instantly: "8 Hong Kong dollars."

Zhang Yixing stared at those three words, his breath caught in his throat.

HK$8, exactly the same as Lu Chenzhou's purchase price.

This is not a coincidence, it cannot be a coincidence.

He typed another line: "Lu Chenzhou also bought BYD for HK$8 yesterday, a day earlier than Buffett."

This time, the chief's "typing" status lasted for a very, very long time.

It went on for so long that Zhang Yixing thought the signal had been lost.

Then the message came; it was long, but only one sentence long:

"Yixing, your roommate is either the luckiest person in the world or the most far-sighted person in the world. I'm leaning towards the latter now."

Zhang Yixing put down his phone, sat on the bed, and gasped for breath.

He turned to look at Lu Chenzhou's bed; it was empty.

Lu Chenzhou had already gotten up and was probably going to train.

But Zhang Yixing knew that after this weekend, everything would be different.

Zhao Xianglong was awakened by his assistant's knocking on the door.

"Young Master! Young Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhao Xianglong opened the door, cursing, "What's all this howling about so early in the morning?"

The assistant's face was as white as paper, and he was holding a Nokia N95 with a financial news page on the screen.

"Buffett... Buffett bought BYD."

Zhao Xianglong was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway have purchased 2.25 million shares of BYD at HK$8 per share, for a total of HK$18 billion."

Zhao Xianglong snatched the phone and stared intently at the screen.

Berkshire Hathaway, BYD, HK$8, 2.25 million shares.

His fingers began to tremble.

Then he remembered that yesterday Lu Chenzhou had sold all his shares in CITIC Securities and bought BYD with all his funds at HK$8, a leverage of ten times.

He recalled how he spent 24.80 yuan to chase after Gao Xin, and stood on the mountaintop enjoying the breeze.

He recalled Lu Chenzhou's words: "Electric vehicles are the future" and "BYD's electric vehicles are already running in Shenzhen."

He thought it was nonsense.

But now, Buffett has shown him with HK$18 billion that it wasn't crazy talk, it was foresight.

Zhao Xianglong's voice trembled: "No...it's impossible..."

Why would Warren Buffett buy an electric car? Who bought electric cars in 2008?

Oil prices plummeted from $147 to $60, and the Big Three American automakers are on the verge of bankruptcy. How could Buffett...?

He couldn't continue.

The phone slipped from his hand, hit the ground, and shattered.

But he didn't bend down to pick it up.

He took two steps back, slumped onto the bed, and his face turned from white to green, then from green to gray.

Zhao Xianglong muttered to himself, "He knows...he knew all along."

The assistant stood at the door, not daring to breathe.

Zhao Xianglong suddenly looked up: "Does he have inside information? How could he possibly be a day ahead of Buffett?"

How could a student possibly buy in a day earlier than Buffett?

The assistant stammered, "Young Master, someone online said that Lu Chenzhou made a statement at the Science Park yesterday."

He said electric vehicles are the future, and that BYD's electric vehicles are already running in Shenzhen.

He said he wasn't gambling; he had seen things clearly.

Zhao Xianglong paused for a moment, then smiled.

His smile was bitter.

"He saw it clearly... he saw it clearly, but I didn't. Buffett saw it clearly too, only me... only me..."

He didn't continue.

He recalled the things he had said yesterday: "Electric vehicles are a joke" and "BYD is a junk stock."

He recalled standing at a high price of 24.80 yuan, laughing at the person who bought in at 8 yuan.

Who's the joke?

He closed his eyes, feeling as if something was blocking his chest.

The assistant asked cautiously, "Young Master... what about our CITIC Securities on Monday? Lu Chenzhou sold them on Friday, and we..."

Zhao Xianglong remained silent for a long time.

Then, in a hoarse voice, he said, "What can we do? Just wait to die."

He lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Yesterday, he still felt like a chosen one, the future hope of the Renmin University Finance Department.

Today, he felt like a clown jumping around.

Compared to Buffett's brilliance, his wealth and achievements are nothing.

In front of Lu Chenzhou's vision, he wasn't even a clown.

He was just an ordinary person who didn't see anything clearly.