Chapter 18

After a week of negotiations following the inventory, the Bank of Japan and Spark finally reached an agreement. The first payment of 35.6 billion US dollars in cash would be made to Ji Feng, with the remainder to be paid annually at a floating rate of 12% above the current rate, totaling 25 billion US dollars per year for five years. The first 35.6 billion US dollars would be transferred to Ji Feng's UBS account within a month.

"Great job, I promised a 1% bonus to the entire team. Once the money is in, I'll pay out the first installment." Ji Feng looked at the five core members in front of him, picked up a newly opened bottle of red wine, and poured a fifth into each of their glasses, raising a toast to everyone.

Instantly, the joy in their eyes shone brightly. After more than a month of hard work, this was the most encouraging news they had heard.

"Boss, it's our duty. It's an honor to serve you," Spark smiled.

Terence, holding a bottle of red wine, raised it to Ji Feng in thanks and said, "Boss, when are we going to America? Such a mission is just too much fun. I'm starting to love the job of exchanging bonds with different countries."

Ji Feng smiled and said, "I don't have much in the way of U.S. Treasury bonds, only a few million dollars. If you like, you can go yourself. The rest of you, find me a bank, a wholly-owned bank. Prepare a feasibility report for me, get my approval, and then secure it for me. I have over 5 billion US dollars in my account, so acquiring a small bank shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The other four eyes lit up, and Miranda smiled, "Of course not, Boss. You'll soon have your own bank."

Ji Feng couldn't help but laugh at the somewhat embarrassed Terence, gently patting his shoulder and saying, "Alright, if you finish quickly, you can still help me acquire the bank. Everyone, I'm counting on you. Terence, you'll also get a 1% bonus. Work hard."

Hearing Ji Feng's words, the previously dejected Terence immediately perked up, showering him with flattery, making Ji Feng wonder if he had said something wrong.

After chatting with them for a while, Ji Feng said, "I'll leave the rest to you. I need to go back to China. Once things are settled, send me an email and give me a call. Oh, call my domestic number; I don't want to pay the high international roaming fees." After obtaining Swiss citizenship, Ji Feng also got a Swiss international phone card, which he used for this trip.

"Alright, Boss, go ahead and enjoy yourself. We'll call you once the investigation is complete." Ji Feng was very generous with his team, not only receiving a high salary from UBS but also an additional substantial bonus and covering all travel expenses. Working for such a boss, they had no complaints, treating it as a paid vacation.

The next morning, Dennis was responsible for taking Ji Feng to the international airport. After refusing his offer to help with the check-in procedures, Ji Feng had him drive back to the hotel. The mercenaries had already returned to Europe, and the police had withdrawn. With the bonds taken over by the Bank of Japan, the security issue was no longer a concern, so there was no need to waste money.

As soon as he entered the airport, his phone rang. It was Greta. He quickly moved to a less crowded area and answered, "Greta, make it quick, I'm about to board."

While speaking, he glanced at the time, shook his head, and continued walking towards the check-in counter. He had only half an hour before the flight.

"Ji, you're amazing. I bet all the shareholders combined don't have as much cash as you. Right now, a small shareholder is planning to sell their shares. I should have advised against it, but I thought of you. Are you interested?" Greta's excited voice came through the phone.

Ji Feng shook his head, thinking, "I don't believe you for a second. If it were such a good deal, you wouldn't call me. What's really going on? Otherwise, I'll hang up."

"Oh, alright, I knew I couldn't fool you. Here's the thing, I heard you're planning to acquire a bank. Would I have the honor of becoming your partner?" Greta asked nervously.

Ji Feng smirked, thinking, "I knew I couldn't hide this from you, the CEO." "I'm sorry, Greta, I need a wholly-owned bank. I can't partner with you this time."

"Hey, listen to me. I'm willing to pay 200 million US dollars for just 1% of the shares. Yes, I won't ask for more, just 1%. And I guarantee no one else will know, just the two of us. You don't have to worry about your control of the new bank. You can use my resources whenever you need them. It's a win-win situation," Greta said eagerly.

Although Spark worked for Ji Feng, the entire team was UBS's. Greta, who had always been concerned about Ji Feng's progress, naturally had ways to know his plans, especially since Spark was her cousin.

After learning that Ji Feng would earn over 100 billion US dollars over the next five years, Greta couldn't remain calm. Partnering with such a person, especially one who follows the principle of entrusting professional matters to professionals, Greta could almost guarantee that Ji Feng's bank would be profitable.

Although the exchange of Japanese government bonds wasn't deliberately publicized, the massive bond exchange was no longer a secret in the financial world. It was known that UBS was handling the exchange, but not the true owner, Ji Feng. UBS's client confidentiality policy was quite strong.

It was his turn, and Ji Feng hurriedly handed his Chinese passport to the ground staff. After a few seconds, he said, "Alright, but I won't take advantage of you. Whatever the cost of the acquisition, I'll give you 1% of the shares based on the actual amount needed. You won't have to pay more, but your resources must be shared with me, and Greta's team must leave their current jobs to work for me."

Although Ji Feng wanted a wholly-owned bank, having a partner, especially a seasoned financial executive, could be beneficial. The resources they possessed far exceeded his own, and this could be seen as a mutual benefit.

"Sir, here is your boarding pass. Security is over there. Your flight is about to depart, please hurry to security." The ground staff handed him the boarding pass and returned his passport.

After thanking her, Ji Feng heard Greta's endless gratitude and excitement about her plans. He smiled and said, "Alright, let's discuss this after the acquisition. I need to go through security now. I have to hang up."

He decisively hung up on Greta, put his phone in his ring, and walked to the security checkpoint with only his passport.

After spreading his arms for a full-body scan, he passed through smoothly. He asked for the gate location and walked away.

Seeing Ji Feng with nothing on him, the security personnel shook his head, thinking, "This must be another rich kid from China, traveling without any luggage. Only they would do something like that."

Ji Feng, unaware of the security personnel's thoughts, found traveling with a spatial ring incredibly convenient. Although the space wasn't large, he could store almost everything he needed, carrying only his phone, which, of course, had no signal inside the ring.

When he reached the gate, his flight had already finished boarding. He quickly showed his passport and boarding pass and followed the ground staff through the gate.

On the plane, after the flight attendant checked his boarding pass, the cabin door closed. He realized he was the last to board, and he was relieved he hadn't missed the flight, or he would have been cursed by all the passengers. He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Following the flight attendant's guidance, he went to the first-class cabin, found his seat, and sat down. He was about to turn on the LCD TV to find a movie to pass the time when a woman wearing large sunglasses started speaking to him in a language he didn't understand, making him feel a bit dizzy.

Ji Feng quickly said, "I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese. Do you speak English?" He glanced at the woman, who was wearing a light yellow T-shirt and jeans, with smooth, fair skin. Her face seemed familiar, but the large sunglasses made it hard to recognize her.

Hearing Ji Feng's words, she repeated in English, "Sir, could you switch seats with my friend? She wants to sit with me. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Ji Feng, who had nothing with him, didn't mind where he sat. He smiled and nodded, standing up. Suddenly, he recognized the woman and said, "Miss Yang, since you're a celebrity I like, I'll do it for you. Can you sign an autograph for me? A photo of yourself would be even better."

Seeing that she had been recognized, the woman smiled and nodded at Ji Feng. She took a photo from her bag, signed it, and handed it to him.

"Have a pleasant journey with your friend!" Ji Feng thanked her, but before he could sit down, the woman waved to another woman a row behind her. Ji Feng walked to the back.

When he sat down again, he found himself next to another beautiful woman. She had moved from the aisle to the window seat after the previous woman left. Ji Feng didn't mind and sat down, thinking it didn't matter where he sat. He had flown so many international flights that he was no longer interested in the scenery outside.

Less than ten minutes later, the plane taxied onto the runway, accelerated, and slowly ascended into the clouds. Once in the stratosphere, the seat belt sign turned off, and Ji Feng started browsing the in-flight entertainment system for a movie to pass the time.

PS: New story, please recommend and follow. I'm very grateful!