Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

"I'm ready and can act at any time!"

Zheng Liang's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he stood up abruptly, staring intently at Lu Jiuge.

"Don't get too excited, we still have important business to attend to."

Lu Jiuge gestured for Zheng Liang to sit down and said:

"Now we're getting to the actual operational phase. We can't stay in the villa forever, and we don't have enough manpower."

"First, rent a private office. The location doesn't need to be too conspicuous, but it must be very private, avoiding all surveillance and informants."

Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Liang interrupted with a nod:

"No problem, I'll take care of it! I'll go check out the site this afternoon and make sure it's an absolutely safe place. Even if the Morgan Stanley people investigate, they won't be able to find us."

"Also, assemble a dedicated trading team."

Lu Jiuge added:

"A business worth 20 billion US dollars is far beyond what the two of us can handle."

"You need to quickly find suitable candidates, around fifty people, who must be absolutely reliable and have no connection with Wall Street investment banks or Morgan Stanley."

"clear!"

Zheng Liang readily agreed:

"Leave this to me. You just need to focus on the strategic planning!"

"Alright, get on it as soon as possible."

Lu Jiuge nodded in satisfaction:

"Be more efficient. I'll give you three days to get everything done in the office and with the team."

"Mission accomplished!"

Zheng Liang didn't dare to delay for a moment, so he answered, picked up his phone, and went out.

Lu Jiuge turned to look at the computer, swiping the page with her fingertips, continuing to delve into the underlying data of the US subprime mortgage crisis.

The next morning, Lu Jiuge had just finished communicating with Zheng Liang about the progress when her phone suddenly rang.

The screen displayed a local New York number. Lu Jiuge glanced at it and answered the phone:

"Feed?"

"Mr. Lu, it's me, Jonathan."

"Mr. Jonathan, why are you calling me all of a sudden?"

"If I hadn't made the call, I wouldn't have known that President Lu acted so quickly."

Jonathan chuckled lightly, his tone direct:

"I heard you went to the Wall Street trading center alone yesterday morning?"

Hearing this, Zheng Liang, who was sitting next to him, was shocked, but Lu Jiuge was not surprised. After all, this was the headquarters of Morgan Stanley Investment Bank, and their people were everywhere.

He pondered for a few seconds and then smiled:

"What else? Are you expecting me to just stay in the villa and we'll all be finished in the end?"

Jonathan was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to be so direct, and pressed on:

"Mr. Lu, what do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

Lu Jiuge spoke calmly:

"We are partners. You want to seize power within the Morgan family, and I want to break free from Morgan's control. We are in the same boat."

"If I don't make some preparations beforehand and accumulate some trump cards, how can I help you?"

"What do you have to fight against those old foxes in the family? You can't just go head-to-head with them empty-handed."

Upon hearing this, Jonathan on the other end of the phone fell silent.

He had to admit that Lu Jiuge was telling the truth.

After a long pause, Jonathan finally spoke, his tone full of doubt:

"Even if it's a plan, you should have told me so I would have a better idea."

"Your actions on your own are likely to cause problems and put me in a passive position."

"Tell you?"

Lu Jiuge chuckled softly, her tone carrying a hint of deeper meaning:

"It's too early to say this now. I haven't told anyone yet, and you already know that if we sit down together to discuss this, your position in the Morgan family will be threatened."

"Mr. Jonathan, you can rest assured that I will not do anything in vain. Everything I do is for the sake of our cooperation."

"Once I find the right opportunity and pinpoint the right direction, I'll let you know immediately, and then we'll reap the rewards together!"

Jonathan didn't speak immediately, but Lu Jiuge could hear his heavy breathing through the receiver.

After a moment's deliberation, Jonathan finally relented:

"Okay, I believe you this time."

"I'll handle things with the Morgan family for you; no one will bother you."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Jonathan."

Lu Jiuge spoke in a flat tone, without much formality.

"Remember, we are allies. We share the same fate, whether it is prosperity or adversity."

Jonathan tried a few more questions, but when he couldn't get any information out of him, he hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Liang immediately came over, looking nervous:

"The Morgan family knows where we are. Can Jonathan really keep things under control?"

Lu Jiuge's expression darkened, and her tone became firm:

"Jonathan has deep roots in the Morgan family. Since he dares to make such a promise, he has the ability to control the situation."

"But we can't rely on him entirely. We need to be extra cautious in our actions from now on. As long as the funds and team are not exposed, there won't be any major problems."

He stood up, stretched, and comforted them:

"Don't be too nervous. With Jonathan handling the pressure, we can focus on our work without worrying about being targeted by Morgan Stanley for the time being."

Zheng Liang was still feeling uneasy and dared not relax for a moment:

"I still need to keep an eye on it again and reinforce the security measures once more. There can't be the slightest mistake."

After saying that, he grabbed his coat and quickly went out the door.

For the next two days, Lu Jiuge didn't go out. She stayed in the villa all day, either looking through information on the subprime market or resting with her eyes closed, sorting out her trading strategy.

Even though Jonathan tried his best to suppress the news, the news that Lu Jiuge, an outsider to the entertainment industry, was trying to break into Wall Street to make investments still spread like wildfire.

Even though Jonathan tried his best to suppress the news, the news that Lu Jiuge, an outsider to the entertainment industry, was trying to break into Wall Street to make investments still spread like wildfire.

In an instant, Wall Street investment banking circles and industry rumors were filled with ridicule, doubt, and disdain for him.

On the morning of the third day, Zheng Liang didn't leave early like he had the previous two days. Instead, he sat in front of the computer and started cursing:

"These bastards! They all look down on you, how dare they talk to you like that!"

Lu Jiuge sat quietly to the side, looking at the documents, as if those sarcastic words had nothing to do with her.

He glanced at Zheng Liang, his tone indifferent:

"Why get angry? They're right. I come from the entertainment industry, and in their eyes, I'm just a financial novice. It's normal for me to be ridiculed."

"But they were clearly mocking and looking down on you, it's so frustrating!"

"It's good that you look down on them."

Lu Jiuge put down the documents in her hand, a faint smile appearing on her lips:

"That's exactly what we want—for them to look down on me. The more the Wall Street investment community acts this way, the better it is for our operations!"

Zheng Liang looked completely bewildered:

"I don't understand, what good does it do us to be mocked like this?"

"The benefits are enormous."

Lu Jiuge explained:

"Everyone thinks I'm going to lose, so they won't pay attention to our moves, and no one will notice where our funds are flowing."

Zheng Liang suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly:

"I get it! You were pretending to be clueless and ignorant to lower their guard!"

"Although the news came out of nowhere, it also turned out to be a lucky coincidence. It helped to divert attention from us. Everyone on Wall Street is busy laughing at me, so who will be watching our fund movements?"

After explaining, Lu Jiuge changed the subject and asked:

"How are things going with your office and team? I haven't seen you for the past couple of days, so I'm not sure about the progress."

"All done!"

Zheng Liang slapped his thigh, his voice filled with excitement:

"The office is rented. It's in an office building next to Wall Street. The location is secluded, with tight security, and it's on a separate floor. There will be no outside interference, which perfectly meets your requirements."

"I haven't been able to report to you these past two days because I've been busy receiving the team and arranging their food, lodging, and other logistical support."

Why do we need to solve the logistical problems?

Lu Jiuge frowned slightly and asked in surprise:

"Didn't you hire a local New York trader?"

Zheng Liang laughed boastfully:

"That's right. To prevent leaks within the team, I recruited fifty trading team members, all of whom are from Hong Kong and mainland China."

"I've had people repeatedly verify these people's backgrounds; they're absolutely reliable."

"This is the most appropriate course of action."

Lu Jiuge nodded in agreement:

"I didn't mention this suggestion before mainly because of the tight schedule. I didn't expect you to actually pull it off!"