Chapter 48

"Reported! Reported! Mr. Zhou, you've made the front page of Hong Kong Finance!"

Deputy Manager Cao Haiyang of Jinming Fund Company rushed into Zhou Ming's office with a newspaper. Seeing Cao Haiyang's state, Lin Muqing, who was guarding the door for Zhou Ming, smiled and said, "Manager Cao, you must have something to report to Mr. Zhou? Manager Cao is our company's deputy manager, and Mr. Zhou often tells me to learn from your composure."

Lin Muqing's words surprised Cao Haiyang, as he could tell that she was gently reminding him to control his emotions in front of Zhou Ming. After all, he was the deputy manager of Jinming Fund, not a street vendor.

This woman is amazing! I thought she was just a pretty face for Zhou Ming, but now it seems she's much more than that. Her ability to gauge the situation so well would make her a high-level administrative manager in any other company. Now she's willingly serving as Zhou Ming's personal secretary in this fund company. What kind of magic does Mr. Zhou have?

Through Lin Muqing's attitude, Cao Haiyang's admiration for Zhou Ming deepened even further.

With Zhou Ming's permission, Lin Muqing led Cao Haiyang into Zhou Ming's office. Cao Haiyang held up the newspaper and reported, "Mr. Zhou, this is the latest issue of Hong Kong Finance. You're on the front page!"

Zhou Ming responded with an "Oh," and took the newspaper from Cao Haiyang. Sure enough, he found his name and Jinming Fund Company on the front page.

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "The chief reporter's treatment is really different. I was interviewed just yesterday, and today I'm on the front page, and it's the weekly edition of Hong Kong Finance."

"That's because Mr. Zhou, you charmed Reporter Shen," Cao Haiyang said.

Cao Haiyang wasn't flattering. He remembered how Shen Xin looked when she left after the interview, clearly very respectful of Zhou Ming.

This realization almost made Cao Haiyang's eyes pop out. Although he hadn't met Shen Xin before, he had heard that the chief reporter of Hong Kong Finance was very proud. Even when facing high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals from Hong Kong and abroad, she remained composed. Yet, she showed such respect to Zhou Ming, which was truly surprising.

Zhou Ming read the article carefully and then smiled, "Reporter Shen did a good job. In the midst of Hong Kong's economic downturn, launching this guaranteed fund is like giving a shot of adrenaline to Hong Kong investors, helping them regain confidence in the financial industry. And Jinming Fund will lead the trend in Hong Kong's financial sector. Ha! With these words, plus the circulation of Hong Kong Finance and Reporter Shen's influence, it's like a great advertisement for us, saving us a lot of marketing costs!"

Lin Muqing took the newspaper and added, "I think it's more than that! The article also praises Mr. Zhou for your accurate judgment of the financial industry and calls you a future leader of Hong Kong's economy. With such high praise from Reporter Shen, maybe the economics department at the University of Hong Kong will invite you to give lectures, my Professor Zhou."

Cao Haiyang also said, "Yes! Reporter Shen is a very picky journalist. She rarely gives such high praise to anyone. Mr. Zhou, you are truly amazing!"

At this moment, the receptionist called Lin Muqing, and she hurried out.

Zhou Ming said to Cao Haiyang, "Manager Cao, although our guaranteed fund is performing well, you've seen the formula. The profit margin is very low. We need to expand sales of other types of funds. With the front-page coverage from Hong Kong Finance, as the business manager, you need to act quickly, understand?"

"Please rest assured, Mr. Zhou, I will act quickly!" Cao Haiyang said.

Lin Muqing returned to the office with an exciting piece of news. She told Zhou Ming, "The receptionist just received a call. Ten newspapers want to interview Mr. Zhou, and both Hong Kong TV and Star Asia TV want to invite you for special interviews."

"What?" Cao Haiyang asked excitedly, "Is this true, Secretary Lin? So many media outlets want to interview Mr. Zhou?"

"Of course it's true," Lin Muqing replied proudly.

"Mr. Zhou, you keep surprising me. I'm very grateful to work under you!" Cao Haiyang said.

Zhou Ming didn't say much and waved him out. After Cao Haiyang left, Lin Muqing looked at Zhou Ming tenderly and said, "Zhou Ming, you're really getting better. When we first acquired this fund company, we had to pay to get media coverage. I never thought that in less than a week, the media would be coming to us."

Zhou Ming smiled at Lin Muqing, "Sister Muqing, this is just the beginning. What if one day I have to be interviewed by the world's media? You, my personal secretary, will be exhausted!"

"I'd be willing to be exhausted for you," Lin Muqing blurted out.

Zhou Ming was taken aback, and Lin Muqing realized her words were too ambiguous. She turned her head and said softly, "There's another matter you need to handle personally. The chairman of Changhe Industries, Li Cheng, just called and wants to meet you."

"Who? Li Cheng?" Zhou Ming asked in surprise.

"The message said his name is Li Cheng, the chairman of Changhe Industries. I think it's business-related. I didn't want to call him myself, so I told you first," Lin Muqing said, then asked, "Do you know him, Zhou Ming?"

Zhou Ming nodded, saying he did. As someone who had been reborn, how could he not know this person? In twenty years, anyone who cared about current events would know Li Cheng, the richest Chinese person in the world at that time.

If he could get Li Cheng's help, with his business acumen, it might save Jinming Fund a lot of trouble.

Thinking this, Zhou Ming said to Lin Muqing, "Sister Muqing, give me his number. I need to call him right away."

...

At 7 PM, Zhou Ming arrived at the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, the agreed meeting place with Li Cheng. Led by a waiter, Zhou Ming entered the top-tier private room in the hotel's restaurant, where Li Cheng was already waiting. Zhou Ming looked at him, and he didn't seem much different from the photos in various newspapers and magazines over the past twenty years. If there was any difference, it was that Li Cheng now looked younger, more energetic, and more real.

Seeing Zhou Ming enter, Li Cheng stood up and shook his hand, saying, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Zhou."

"Mr. Li, I don't dare to accept such formalities," Zhou Ming said, "You're my senior, call me Xiao Zhou."

Li Cheng laughed heartily and sat down with Zhou Ming, ordering the food.

Facing Zhou Ming, Li Cheng got straight to the point, "I read today's Hong Kong Finance. It says you launched a guaranteed fund. Can you tell me more about it?"

Zhou Ming had anticipated this question and answered without hesitation, "In simple terms, a guaranteed fund is a diversified investment model. Most of the funds are invested in bonds to ensure stable returns, while the remaining portion and the expected returns from bond investments are used for high-risk investments to achieve high returns. Since the high-risk investments are a small part and are backed by bond returns, our fund can guarantee that the principal will not be lost, regardless of market conditions."

"It doesn't sound too complicated," Li Cheng said.

"It's not, it's just a matter of whether you think of it or not. Additionally, balancing the ratio between stable and high-risk investments requires a lot of calculations," Zhou Ming said.

Li Cheng looked at Zhou Ming and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll steal your idea now that you've told me?"

Zhou Ming smiled, "Of course not. The concept of a guaranteed fund is a secret to most people, but it was proposed four years ago. I believe you, Mr. Li, already knew about it."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Ming added, "This investment concept is very conservative, so the returns are very low. As a big businessman, you probably wouldn't be interested in such a small profit. Most investors also want to make as much money as possible. If it weren't for the stock market crash, which has made most Hong Kong residents fearful of the financial market, our guaranteed fund wouldn't have such good sales."

"You see things very clearly," Li Cheng said, "I heard you're from the mainland and have been in Hong Kong for less than two months?"

Zhou Ming nodded, and Li Cheng asked, "Is it true, as reported in Hong Kong Finance, that you made 20 million in a month?"

"That's correct," Zhou Ming replied.

"What were you thinking? I heard you placed a short sell order the day before the crash," Li Cheng said.

"I've been studying the U.S. economy. I believe the U.S. economy is not as good as the financial markets suggest. Similarly, I think Hong Kong's economy is not as strong as people believe. Hong Kong's economy is too dependent on the global economy, and any small disturbance can cause it to collapse," Zhou Ming said. "As for why I placed the order on that day, it was a gamble. According to my information, major U.S. investment groups automatically place short sell orders on Mondays. If the market didn't fall that day, I would have continued to bet on the following Monday."

After hearing Zhou Ming's explanation, Li Cheng stared at him for a long time before finally taking a deep breath and saying, "You've truly surprised me. If I hadn't seen you with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed you were from the mainland, and so young. I would have thought you were a renowned economics professor from the U.S. or a manager of a major investment group."

"Is that a compliment? I'm very grateful," Zhou Ming said, then changed the subject, "But what do you have in mind, Mr. Li? Please be direct."