Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Jonathan tapped his fingers on the table, a hint of undisguised ambition flashing in his eyes. He didn't mince words and stated bluntly:

"Mr. Lu, you should know that a century-old conglomerate like Morgan has never been a monolithic entity, let alone a united one."

"My father's position in the family was already precarious, with too many rivals eyeing him."

"If I want to gain a foothold and have more say, I must produce solid results."

After saying that, he immediately extended an olive branch:

"Mr. Lu, you are one of the few investment geniuses I've ever met. Perhaps we could become business partners!"

Jonathan leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Lu Jiuge, his expectation in his eyes undisguised.

Lu Jiuge lowered her eyes, took a sip of red wine, and hesitated for a while before speaking:

"Mr. Jonathan has lofty ambitions, and naturally he will take the reins of Morgan in the future."

"It's just that Morgan is too large, and with my limited strength, I'm afraid I'm willing but unable to help you in any substantial way."

Seeing that Lu Jiuge wouldn't budge, Jonathan simply revealed his trump card:

"Mr. Lu, I'll help you break free from Morgan Stanley's control, and in return, I'll have you as a friend who can lend me a hand if necessary. How about it?"

Jonathan didn't press him for an immediate commitment, and Lu Jiuge understood without saying a word. She looked up at him, a smile playing on her lips.

"I think we'll become good friends, after all, we're both people who dare to gamble and are good at it."

Hearing this, Jonathan had already gotten Lu Jiuge's answer, so he didn't continue, smiling as he raised his glass:

"Mr. Lu, let's clink glasses. From now on, we're true friends."

"Cheers!"

Lu Jiuge raised her glass and clinked it against Jonathan's, then changed the subject, tentatively asking:

"By the way, Mr. Jonathan, I've recently become interested in the US subprime mortgage market, and it seems a bit off. What's your take on it?"

Upon hearing this, Jonathan replied firmly:

"The subprime market? It's just a small-scale fluctuation, nothing serious."

"Investment banks and financial experts across Wall Street unanimously agree that the market will definitely achieve a soft landing."

The so-called crisis is nothing but an exaggeration by outsiders; things will return to normal after a while, and it won't cause any real trouble.

"After all, the subprime market has been very stable for so many years, and it's unlikely that there will be any major problems."

Lu Jiuge understood in her heart, but on her face she showed a look of sudden realization and smiled in agreement:

"So that's how it is. It seems I was overthinking it. I thought there was a considerable risk involved."

Jonathan, oblivious to Lu Jiuge's probing intent, spoke with a firm tone:

"There's absolutely no need to worry; Wall Street's judgment is infallible."

Having already made up her mind, Lu Jiuge chatted with him for a while longer without showing any emotion, and after reiterating her willingness to side with Jonathan, she got up to say goodbye.

Zheng Liang smiled and looked curious as he saw Lu Jiuge get into the car.

"Ninth Brother, you seem to be in a good mood. Did you reach an agreement with that old fox? Did you find a breakthrough?"

Lu Jiuge shook her head:

"We haven't found a breakthrough yet, but we've obtained information that's more important than any solution."

"What news?"

Zheng Liang's eyes lit up, and he quickly pressed for more information.

"The entire Wall Street community is optimistic about the impending subprime crisis in the United States."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us."

Zheng Liang was completely confused and wanted to ask more, but he saw that Lu Jiuge had already taken out her phone, found a contact number, and dialed the number.

The call was answered quickly, and a fluent English voice came from the other end:

"Hello, this is the Davis Law Firm."

"I've hired Attorney Davis; I have a business relationship with him."

Lu Jiuge didn't waste any words and went straight to calling out the person.

"Please wait a moment."

A few seconds later, a deep, steady male voice rang out:

"I am Davis."

"I need to hire a firm to help me register two companies and apply for a New York financial investment license and a Hollywood entertainment business license."

Read the full text of Chapter 204, "Planting a Nail in the Morgan Family," for free. Link:

Lu Jiuge's tone was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Davis's tone softened upon hearing this, clearly indicating a loss of interest:

"For these basic tasks, just contact one of our specialists. I only handle risk control for large investments and don't deal with these kinds of minor matters."

"Mr. Davis, the size of this deal of mine is estimated to be two billion US dollars."

Lu Jiuge spoke calmly, directly stating the size, and Davis's tone suddenly became eager:

"My God! Such a huge order, why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"Don't even mention handling the license plate application; I'd gladly provide full one-on-one personalized service. We need to discuss this in person!"

"Boss, where are you? I'll come to see you in person right away, or you can come to my law firm!"

"It's inconvenient for me to come to your company."

Lu Jiuge rejected Davis's offer, thought for a moment, and then told him the location and license plate number:

"We'll meet in the car!"

Davis paused for a moment, understood Lu Jiuge's meaning, and decisively agreed:

"I arrived precisely twenty minutes later!"

After hanging up the phone, Lu Jiuge gestured to Zheng Liang to park the car in a secluded spot and wait for Davis in the car.

Within ten minutes, Davis arrived in a hurry. After getting into the car and introducing themselves, he began to probe:

"Mr. Lu, I've long admired you. It's said that Chinese merchants are shrewd, and seeing you today, I can confirm that the reputation is well-deserved."

"We only have a business relationship. Jonathan lent me this car for transportation."

In response, Lu Jiuge returned to the main topic:

"Davis, can you handle what I mentioned on the phone?"

"certainly!"

In response, Davis began his sales pitch:

"Although my company is called a law firm, its business scope is very broad, including investment..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jiuge interrupted him:

"Stop. If I didn't know your company, I wouldn't have come to you. So, just give me the answer."

Davis gave an awkward laugh and said:

"It can be processed. May I ask whose name should be used for the registration information? The license application requires the legal representative's information."

"You can handle these tasks; just don't use my skills!"

Davis, who had dealt with this kind of clandestine business for years, immediately understood:

"Understood, Mr. Lu. I will arrange the most reliable team to operate with complete confidentiality and absolutely no information will be leaked."

"Great. All subsequent information and process coordination will be communicated via encrypted email. I will send you the offshore account information, and the registration and license application fees will be transferred from there."

"No problem, I'll start the process right away and let you know as soon as there's any progress."

"Alright, that's all for today. Go back and prepare the contract. We'll start taking action after we sign it."

Davis didn't say anything more, got out of the car and left.

"What's the next step?"

After Davis got out of the car, Zheng Liang turned to Lu Jiuge and asked.

"Back to the villa, now we just wait for Davis to make his move."

After a pause, Lu Jiuge added:

"Zheng Liang, you'll be with me the whole time. My current position is too sensitive for me to show my face."

"If Morgan Stanley finds out, the obstacles to our plan succeeding will be too great."

Zheng Liang nodded and started the car to return to the villa arranged by Jonathan.

After returning to the villa, Lu Jiuge did not leave the house for the next two days. Zheng Liang and Davis handled all the communication and directed the operation by phone.

On the third day at noon, Zheng Liang returned to the villa with two licenses:

"Ninth Brother, it's all done. Both business licenses have been issued."

"The anonymous shareholding procedures have been completed without any trace of connection, and the initial construction of a covert capital channel has been completed."

Lu Jiuge took the two licenses, her fingertips lightly tracing the covers, a determined glint in her eyes, her tone ruthless:

"Very good. Next, we need to gather funds and wait for this subprime crisis to sweep in. Those arrogant Wall Street tycoons are going to suffer a good fall."