Chapter 44

(Chapter 4 complete! If you think Xiaofangpian's writing is good, please take a moment to bookmark and give a red ticket after reading. This is the greatest encouragement for Xiaofangpian, and I thank everyone in advance!)

Facing the reverent words of Cao Haiyang and other company employees, Zhou Ming merely smiled slightly and did not comment on it.

Information in this era was far less advanced than in later times, so Cao Haiyang and others did not know that the concept of a guaranteed fund had been proposed and applied by Americans four years ago. This concept was still in the experimental stage and had not been widely promoted. Moreover, the formula for the guaranteed fund was a secret, and Hongcheng did not know about it. Given the current economic downturn in Hongcheng, Zhou Ming's sudden proposal of a fund that could guarantee no loss naturally made Cao Haiyang and other company employees regard him as a god.

But Cao Haiyang did not know these details. He only saw Zhou Ming's calm expression, which instantly elevated his admiration for Zhou Ming. Cao Haiyang said, "The Art of War by Sun Tzu says, 'In prosperity, do not be overly elated; in adversity, do not be overly disheartened; in peace, do not be overly indulgent; in danger, do not be overly frightened. One who can remain calm in the face of great turmoil can be appointed as a general.' Today, meeting Mr. Zhou, I see a person destined to lead the era, as described in The Art of War!"

"Of course, not everyone can make a fortune of 20 million in a stock market crash!" Lin Muqing said proudly.

Zhou Ming waved his hand, "Alright, Manager Cao, you are the most familiar with the industry. I want to ask you, what is the current situation in the fund industry? If we launch this type of guaranteed fund, do we need to disclose the investment strategy?"

Cao Haiyang thought for a moment, "According to current regulations, we should disclose the information. However, since this is a new product, we can keep it confidential as a trade secret."

Zhou Ming nodded, "That's fine. Manager Cao, do you think there will be any issues with promoting the business? Will our clients believe and accept this investment strategy?"

This question immediately put Cao Haiyang in a bind, cooling his earlier enthusiasm. After careful consideration, he replied to Zhou Ming, "Mr. Zhou, I'm afraid it's hard to predict. Your idea has never been mentioned in Hongcheng before, and I'm worried that clients won't accept it."

"Even the best ideas are useless if they aren't accepted by clients and the market," Zhou Ming said. "Manager Cao, you should first have your team reach out to clients. If the response is cold, we can set up a booth outside the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to promote it. I believe that in the current economic downturn, there will be people willing to try it!"

Zhou Ming paused and added, "However, to be safe, it would be best if the Stock Exchange could help us with a notarization. Can you contact the Stock Exchange, Manager Cao?"

Cao Haiyang said, "No problem. I am familiar with Manager Deng Weidong from the Stock Exchange's market department. I should be able to get him to help us."

"Good, Manager Cao, contact Manager Deng immediately. I want to meet him as soon as possible," Zhou Ming ordered directly.

The meeting ended there. Zhou Ming did not waste any more words and quickly announced the end of the meeting, allowing everyone to go back to their work. Wang Yunlong and Sun Wei also officially began their work at the fund company.

On the way back, Lin Muqing curiously asked Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, you asked Manager Cao to contact Manager Deng from the Stock Exchange. Do you lack confidence in the guaranteed fund you proposed?"

"A bit," Zhou Ming admitted to Lin Muqing, "After all, the guaranteed fund is a completely new concept in Hongcheng, and the current economic downturn has caused many people to go bankrupt in the financial market. This makes most Hongcheng residents overly sensitive to the financial market. I'm afraid they won't believe in this, so having a reputable institution as a guarantor would be better."

Back at the hotel, after Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing had lunch, the fund company's call came. Zhou Ming dialed the number, and Wang Yunlong answered. In the call, Wang Yunlong reported the morning's situation to Zhou Ming.

After hanging up with Wang Yunlong, Lin Muqing asked Zhou Ming urgently, "How is the situation?"

Zhou Ming shook his head, "As I feared, there's no progress on the business side. Our clients don't believe our fund can guarantee no loss."

"How can these people be like this?" Lin Muqing said anxiously, "Didn't Cao Haiyang say he could contact Manager Deng from the Stock Exchange? What about that?"

"He said that Manager Deng is overwhelmed by the stock market crash and has no time to meet me. If I really want to meet him, he can spare me ten minutes before his meeting at the government office tomorrow morning," Zhou Ming said.

Lin Muqing was quite dissatisfied with this answer, "Cao Haiyang is just a bumbler! He can't accomplish anything!"

"This can't be blamed on him. The situation in Hongcheng is special," Zhou Ming said. "It seems I'll have to go to the government office tomorrow to meet Manager Deng and try to finalize this matter in those ten minutes."

Lin Muqing's red lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't. Instead, she encouraged Zhou Ming, "I believe you will succeed!"

...

The next morning, Zhou Ming and Cao Haiyang arrived early at the government building. Around 9:15, many cars began to stop at the entrance, and many government officials got out and entered the building.

Cao Haiyang stretched his neck to look around and quickly found the person he was looking for, pointing him out to Zhou Ming, "That's Manager Deng."

Zhou Ming looked in the direction Cao Haiyang pointed and saw a tall, thin middle-aged man with glasses. Zhou Ming and Cao Haiyang walked over, and Cao Haiyang said to Deng Weidong, "Manager Deng, hello. I'm Cao Haiyang from Jinming Fund. I spoke to you on the phone yesterday. This is our boss, Zhou Ming. He needs your help, and you said you could spare us some time before your meeting today."

"I remember the old Wanhé Fund," Deng Weidong said arrogantly, looking at Zhou Ming and Cao Haiyang. He glanced at his watch and then looked up, "You have five minutes. Speak quickly."

Zhou Ming raised an eyebrow; this was half the time promised. However, Zhou Ming knew this wasn't the time to argue. Since time was limited, he decided to get straight to the point.

"Manager Deng, hello. I'm Zhou Ming, and I'm pleased to meet you. I came to you today because our fund company has launched a new type of fund. This fund uses a diversified investment strategy to effectively avoid most market risks, ensuring that the principal is not lost. We call this a guaranteed fund. Our company plans to launch this fund, but we are concerned about the current unstable market conditions. Therefore, we hope the Stock Exchange can help us with a notarization," Zhou Ming said.

"Guaranteed fund? Avoid most market risks?" Deng Weidong looked at Zhou Ming with interest, "Mr. Zhou, are you joking? How can such a fund exist?"

"Manager Deng, this is true. Mr. Zhou has indeed developed such a fund strategy!" Cao Haiyang supported Zhou Ming.

"This is impossible. There can't be such a strategy," Deng Weidong said, shaking his head. Cao Haiyang tried to explain further, but Deng Weidong pointed at him with a warning tone, "How you deceive your clients is your company's business. Don't involve us in the Stock Exchange. Our reputation is very valuable!"

"Your time is up. I need to go to the meeting," Deng Weidong said and turned to leave.

Watching Deng Weidong walk away, Cao Haiyang felt dejected. He turned to Zhou Ming with a very disappointed look, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou. I couldn't complete this task for you."

Zhou Ming, however, smiled and said, "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. He hasn't walked far yet."

Without waiting for Cao Haiyang's reaction, Zhou Ming quickly followed Deng Weidong and said, "Manager Deng, I know you don't believe us due to some reasons, but this time my guaranteed fund strategy is absolutely sound."

"Sound? Mr. Zhou, nothing in this world is without problems. Before the Black Monday stock market crash, the U.S. stock market was also sound, but it collapsed instantly," Deng Weidong said.

"Manager Deng, what I mean by sound is that I can place an amount of money equal to the guaranteed fund as a deposit with the Stock Exchange. If my guaranteed fund incurs any losses, the Stock Exchange can use this deposit to cover the losses. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Deng Weidong immediately stopped and turned to look at Zhou Ming, "So you must be very wealthy!"

"No, my fund will not incur any losses!" Zhou Ming said firmly.

"I see," Deng Weidong smiled, "Alright, if you can provide this deposit, I can represent the Stock Exchange to guarantee your company."

Cao Haiyang, who had just walked over, heard this and was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears: How could it be? How did Deng Weidong, who was so firm in refusing to guarantee the fund, be convinced by Zhou Ming?

After Zhou Ming saw off Deng Weidong, Cao Haiyang asked, "Mr. Zhou, what magic did you use? Why did Manager Deng agree?"

Zhou Ming answered matter-of-factly, "It's simple. No one turns down money, including the Stock Exchange. I promised to place a deposit equal to the guaranteed fund in the Stock Exchange. Although this money is not a direct bribe, it can be considered part of his performance, which is valuable to him, especially given the current stock market crash. Moreover, he doesn't bear any risk, so why wouldn't he do a favor?"

"Also," Zhou Ming added, "his last comment about his reputation being valuable was a hint to me."

After hearing Zhou Ming's explanation, Cao Haiyang immediately gave him a thumbs up, "Mr. Zhou, you are truly amazing. You can understand someone like Manager Deng so thoroughly. I would never have thought that his last comment was a hint, even if I thought about it for a thousand years!"

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