Chapter 32 of 100

Chapter 32

14 min read3,440 words

Walking out of the jade shop, Zhou Ming patted the bag containing the money and said to Lin Muqing, "Sister Muqing, how about it? Now you can buy clothes with confidence, without worrying that I would use the principal I prepared for my financial business, which would result in less profit in the future, right?"

Lin Muqing smiled, "Zhou Ming, you really know how to say things at the right time. I don't know what to say to you."

Lin Muqing was still in a daze from the stone gambling earlier. She couldn't imagine why Zhou Ming, who spent 6,000 Hong Kong dollars on a piece of stone that others considered waste, actually found jade inside and sold it for 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. If it were stocks or treasury bills, at least there would be something to buy and sell, but this time, Zhou Ming's actions were no different from turning stones into gold.

"Zhou Ming, how did you know that piece of stone definitely contained jade?" Lin Muqing thought for a long time and finally asked the question that had been bothering her.

"I didn't know," Zhou Ming said, "You saw the situation just now. I don't even understand many of the terms and rules of stone gambling. How could I know that piece of stone contained jade? We only had 6,000 Hong Kong dollars, so I could only afford this piece. Besides, the people around said that jade could be found inside a stone with a pine flower exterior, so I took a chance."

This was the answer Zhou Ming had prepared. If he said he was reborn and knew from reading past biographies that this piece of stone definitely contained jade, it would sound too far-fetched, and Lin Muqing wouldn't believe it. So, compared to the truth, it was better to say he was taking a chance, which was more convincing.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhou Ming's answer, Lin Muqing sighed, "You really have good luck!"

Zhou Ming shrugged, "It's not that I have good luck, but that they are too timid. If they had chosen to gamble on the stone, why would they give up halfway? If he hadn't given up, I wouldn't have made this money."

This was the original line from the book by the jewelry tycoon. When Zhou Ming bought the piece of stone, no one came to compete with him, which suggested that the jewelry tycoon wasn't sure if the stone contained jade. Seeing Zhou Ming take a chance, he naturally chose to give up.

Lin Muqing looked at Zhou Ming and asked, "So what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying, Sister Muqing, you can do whatever you want with confidence. Buy whatever clothes you like. As long as I'm here, money is no problem!" Zhou Ming said.

"That's great. I won't be shy then. I'll take both pieces of clothing you asked the salesperson to wrap up," Lin Muqing said happily.

"No problem," Zhou Ming said, waving his hand, "Sister Muqing, you can have as much as you want!"

"What if I want the entire mall?" Lin Muqing asked deliberately.

Lin Muqing had intended to tease Zhou Ming, but he answered very straightforwardly, "No problem. As long as Sister Muqing really likes it, give me a month, and I guarantee I will have enough money to fulfill your wish!"

Lin Muqing shook her head and said playfully, "You're something!"

...

Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing returned to the Peninsula Mall. The salesperson saw them come back and jokingly asked, "Boss from the mainland, did you come back to pick up money?"

The sarcastic tone made Lin Muqing unhappy, but Zhou Ming didn't care. Instead, he nodded seriously, "Oh, Hong Kong is much more prosperous than the mainland. Money is everywhere. I just picked up over 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. I came back to buy clothes. Did you wrap up the clothes I asked you to? Give them to me, and I'll go pay."

The salesperson was stunned, "Boss, did you really pick up money?"

Zhou Ming said with a matter-of-fact expression, "What else? I took a walk and had to have some收获. Aren't you going to sell me the clothes?"

The salesperson finally reacted and shook his head, "Of course not. The clothes can certainly be sold to you, sir. I was just shocked by what you said. I'll get the clothes you want right away."

Although Lin Muqing had seen many changes in attitude today, she still felt upset when the salesperson quickly changed from "mainland guy" to "sir."

When the salesperson went to wrap up the clothes for Lin Muqing, her pager beeped. It was Wang Yunlong. Zhou Ming had given it to her to facilitate communication, as the stock market situation could change rapidly. Though the feast he had been waiting for hadn't started yet, a few appetizers beforehand were also good.

So Zhou Ming asked the mall for a phone and called Wang Yunlong. As expected, Wang Yunlong was reporting on the stock market. After listening to Wang Yunlong's report, Zhou Ming didn't respond immediately but waited until he returned.

The salesperson quickly wrapped up Lin Muqing's clothes, and Zhou Ming paid at the counter before leaving with Lin Muqing. After leaving the mall, Zhou Ming first went to the bank to deposit 50,000 Hong Kong dollars, then returned to Central with Lin Muqing.

At the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Wang Yunlong was already waiting. Seeing Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing, he hurried over and said, "Mr. Zhou, you finally came. On the phone, you said... how did you spend all the money? How could you do that? Financial investment can only maximize profits through compound interest. If you spend as much as you earn, how can you accumulate more money?"

Wang Yunlong glanced at the shopping bags in Zhou Ming's hand and asked, "Mr. Zhou, forgive me for being blunt, but did you spend all the money on clothes?"

"These clothes cost 60,000 Hong Kong dollars, and the money you helped me earn wasn't enough," Zhou Ming said, "As for me, you must have misunderstood. I did spend the money, but it's because I thought your way of making money was too slow. You only made a few thousand Hong Kong dollars in a week..."

Before Zhou Ming could finish, Wang Yunlong interrupted angrily, "Mr. Zhou, please forgive me for being frank. You only had 20,000 Hong Kong dollars. Making a few thousand in a week on the stock market is already a lot. If Mr. Zhou thinks it's too little, I suggest you go to the casino in Nansao. If you have good luck, you might win hundreds of thousands."

Wang Yunlong's words made Lin Muqing very unhappy. She said, "Your lack of ability doesn't mean everyone else has to be the same. We took out the money you helped us earn, but we invested it. We made 100,000 Hong Kong dollars in less than a day. Isn't that because you're making money too slowly?"

"Making 100,000 in a day? With only 29,000 Hong Kong dollars as principal?" Wang Yunlong was surprised.

"Actually, it was only 6,000 Hong Kong dollars," Zhou Ming said.

"Wow, how did you do it? Do you have a magic trick to turn money into more money?"

Wang Yunlong's voice changed. He was completely shocked by what Zhou Ming said. He couldn't figure out how Zhou Ming could make 6,000 Hong Kong dollars grow sixteen times in less than a day. It was impossible on the stock market, and even in futures and foreign exchange, it would require significant news.

Looking at Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing, Wang Yunlong suddenly felt so insignificant and small, as if they were the true Hong Kong people and he was the mainland bumpkin. How could he only make a few thousand in a week of hard work, while they made 100,000 in half a day?

Seeing Wang Yunlong's expression, Zhou Ming knew he had hurt him. So he patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be discouraged. Everyone has their strengths. In the stock market, I think no one can surpass you. You can persist in recording data changes every day, which I can't do, and I believe most people can't either. So have confidence. With your hard work, no one can beat you in this field."

Wang Yunlong looked up at Zhou Ming and nodded forcefully, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou. I understand. I will work hard and hope Mr. Zhou will trust my judgment."

Zhou Ming smiled, "That's the spirit. As a Hong Kong stock god, you need to have some confidence. If I start a fund in the future, how can I dare to ask you to be my fund manager?"

"Mr. Zhou, you really know how to joke," Wang Yunlong said.

"Maybe I'm not joking," Zhou Ming said deliberately, making Wang Yunlong pause.

But then Zhou Ming quickly changed the topic, "Let's not talk about this. Do you know any futures companies in Hong Kong? I want to open a futures account."

"Mr. Zhou, are you planning to trade futures?" Wang Yunlong asked.

"Not now, but I might need it in the future. I'll open it just in case, but this time I want the most convenient futures account from a large company," Zhou Ming said.

"Alright, I have a friend who works at Fenghui Futures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fenghui Bank and the largest futures company in Hong Kong. Mr. Zhou, you don't need to worry," Wang Yunlong said.

Zhou Ming nodded, "Thank you for your help."

...

Perhaps the 100,000 Hong Kong dollars Zhou Ming made in half a day had stimulated Wang Yunlong, or perhaps Zhou Ming's encouragement had worked. In the following days, Wang Yunlong analyzed and recorded the Hong Kong stock market trends more diligently, trying to help Zhou Ming buy the best-performing stocks.

"Mr. Zhou, Changhe Industrial's electric company is restructuring. Changhe Industrial raised a lot of funds from the public recently, and I think they might be planning to boost the electric company. Given Changhe Industrial's strong capabilities and a forward-thinking chairman like Li Cheng, I believe the market will have great confidence in the electric company. This stock will definitely rise!"

"Mr. Zhou, two companies are having some friction, but I think this might be a smokescreen by a certain conglomerate. I believe the stock of the port company will rise in about three to four days."

"Mr. Zhou, I think Jinli Company's stock has great potential..."

These were the situations and suggestions Wang Yunlong reported to Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming didn't interfere. As long as the stocks Wang Yunlong recommended weren't ones he remembered would definitely fall, he followed his suggestions. As for his futures account, Wang Yunlong's friend was very efficient, and the account was opened in just one day.

Holding his futures account, Zhou Ming leaned back in his chair, looking out the window at the sky, waiting for that day to come.

---