Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 422 The September Tsunami, the Fall of the Gods

September 2008.

The grand fireworks display at the Beijing Olympics had just faded, and the whole country was still immersed in the afterglow of the event's conclusion.

The country remained peaceful and stable, and people's lives continued in an orderly manner. No one could have imagined that in just one month, a global financial tsunami would sweep across the world from afar.

This storm was later known as the darkest September in the financial world.

It also belongs to the old Wall Street gods, the twilight of their lives.

As early as August, overseas financial markets were already rife with undercurrents and crises. Countless investment banks were experiencing ever-increasing paper losses, the stock market was in constant turmoil, and people in the capital circles were filled with anxiety.

Everyone knew something bad was going to happen, but no one dared to imagine that the collapse would come so quickly and so tragically.

On September 7, at 1 p.m. Washington time, Paulson held a press conference in which the U.S. government officially announced the takeover of the two major mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In Hong Kong, across the ocean, the calendar has turned to September 8th, at 1 a.m.

He Xiao called He Yuzhu's cell phone, her voice much louder than usual: "Dad, something's happened in the US. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been taken over by the government."

He Yuzhu's hand holding the phone didn't move: "I had my terminal open, I saw everything. Keep an eye on things these next few days, what about He Xin?"

"He asked me to tell you that the position is normal and the unrealized profit is increasing."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu's lips curled into a slight smile. This momentous event had arrived as expected; the script for Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy would no longer be subject to change.

As news of the US government's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac spread around the world, global financial markets were instantly shaken.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not ordinary small businesses. They control nearly half of the housing credit system in the United States, involving countless banks, funds, and capital institutions around the world.

The US government's forced takeover is tantamount to publicly announcing one thing.

The real estate financial system they built up over decades has collapsed and gone bankrupt, exposing all the previous false prosperity and credit leverage.

Overseas stock markets were the first to plunge, with indices plummeting. Countless small and medium-sized investment institutions were wiped out overnight, retail investors fled in a frenzy, and the market was gripped by panic.

Wall Street, which was once a place of extravagance and debauchery, instantly became a purgatory where everyone lived in fear.

Many people thought that the troubles at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might be the end of the crisis. But they didn't know that the real catastrophe was just beginning.

Time marched on, and September 15th arrived.

This day will be forever etched in the annals of world financial history, becoming a once-in-a-century dark day.

Lehman Brothers, a top giant that stood on Wall Street for a century and was once a shining star and a financial legend, has officially declared bankruptcy.

A 158-year-old financial empire collapsed and vanished into thin air.

This is the largest single bankruptcy case in human history.

After the news broke, global financial markets immediately triggered circuit breakers.

US stocks plummeted, European stocks crashed, and Asian stock markets across the globe plunged. Market liquidity froze, trading largely halted, and capital from all sides frantically fled the market.

Countless century-old investment banks, banks, and fund institutions were instantly dragged into the abyss.

On the same day, another top giant, Merrill Lynch, could not withstand the impact of the market crash and was forced to accept an emergency acquisition in order to survive.

Two titans who once reigned supreme on Wall Street.

One perished, the other was forced to sell himself to survive.

In just one day, half of Wall Street's old-world dominance crumbled.

Overseas media outlets flooded social media overnight with reports of despair and panic.

A century-old financial landscape was overturned in a single day.

Economists and financial magnates around the world were all stunned; no one could believe that the disaster would be so devastating.

No one could have imagined that the Western financial system, which had prospered for decades, was as fragile as a bubble, bursting at the slightest touch.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard house far away in Beijing, there is a study in the east wing.

He Yuzhu sat quietly in front of the computer screen, watching the real-time financial data from overseas and browsing through the collapse announcements. His expression was calm, without the slightest surprise.

All of this was exactly what he had anticipated.

Relying on data from his past life's memories, coupled with his advance planning over the past few years, he was waiting for this September tsunami.

When others are panicking and fleeing, that is the best time for the Ho family to reap the rewards of the world.

At Hong Kong's Zhonghuan Financial, the three He brothers kept a close eye on the market fluctuations. Having personally witnessed this once-in-a-century financial collapse, they were deeply shaken.

He Xin, in particular, has been deeply involved in overseas finance and capital markets for many years, witnessing the immense success of Wall Street giants since childhood. In the past, these century-old giants were seen as invincible, controlling the rules of global capital markets.

Available today.

He witnessed the collapse of mythology, the fall of gods, and the disintegration of the entire Western financial system.

On the screen, red loss figures filled the interface, and countless institutions were liquidated after their accounts were forced to close. Meanwhile, all of the He family's pre-positioned hedging positions were reaping huge profits.

The fiercer the storm, the more drastic the market drop, and the more terrifying the profits for the Ho family.

The dust has settled, and all positions have been closed out and profits have been realized.

When the final statistics came out, the three brothers held their breath.

This September financial tsunami swept the globe.

The Ho family made a net profit of US$1327 billion solely through pre-planned short-selling hedging.

There is no hidden costs or leverage; all profits are pure, clean, and readily available.

A single transaction can equal several years' worth of fiscal revenue for a small or medium-sized country.

He Chen swallowed hard and sighed softly.

"Brother, we witnessed the fall of old Wall Street, and we also caught the cakes that fell from the sky."

He Xiao stared intently at the bleak overseas data on the screen.

"Everyone else loses, but we alone profit. This crisis is a disaster for the whole world, but a golden age for the He family."

The three men knew in their hearts that their patriarch's vision, perspective, and foresight had long surpassed those of all the world's major financial figures.

Everyone else was frantically pursuing profit in this prosperous era, but he foresaw the collapse and the end.

The three brothers remained silent for a long time before He Xiao finally spoke up: "So, what's next?"

A sharp glint flashed in He Xin's eyes. "Wait. Wait until the stock prices of those high-quality companies drop to rock bottom before entering the market in batches."

He Chen rubbed his hands together beside him. "I've been prepared for a long time."

The three brothers looked at each other and smiled.

Taking advantage of this global crisis, the Ho family is poised to rise to the pinnacle of world capitalism. As long as they follow their father's plan, the Ho family will be able to influence the future of global finance.

After listening to the good news from his three sons on the phone, He Yuzhu walked to the window. The courtyard was quiet and peaceful, the autumn wind blowing through the yard, calm and serene.

The glory of the Olympics has not yet faded completely, and people are living in peace and contentment. No one knows that earth-shaking changes have taken place on the other side of the ocean.

On one hand, the country is at peace and prosperous, and the golden age will last forever.

On one side, gods have fallen and the world has collapsed.

Turbulent times breed heroes, and tsunamis create kings.

The He family's golden age of capitalism officially began during this dark September.