National Tide 1980.

Ning Weimin slept exceptionally well on his first night in the hotel's ocean-view suite.

The bed was comfortable, and I felt calm. I fell into a deep sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

In his previous life, he had almost never had such a dreamless sleep.

My mind has been through many ups and downs in this life, but I have gradually cultivated some composure.

He enjoys this sense of security.

As for Chen Mo and Qin Jun, this was their first time traveling such a long distance.

It was their first time staying in such a high-class hotel, and they were inevitably amazed by everything around them.

The outside world is so different from the mainland.

Ning Weimin didn't mind that they were making a fuss.

He would examine even the toilet and toiletries for a long time, but he found it all perfectly normal.

After all, he himself had a time when he was "so unsophisticated" when he first arrived in a strange and bustling place. Who doesn't look like that?

Of course, he couldn't share their shock.

For him now, everything here carries a familiar sense of "backwardness".

He had no time for them to gradually adapt to the environment—his schedule was tight, and many things were arranged in advance, leaving no room for delay.

For example, the next day, he had Chen Mo and Qin Jun accompany Yao Peifang to negotiate with the banquet department of the Regent Hotel to book a hall and set up several tables for a banquet the day after tomorrow for those who came uninvited to pick him up at the airport, as a friendly response to their courtesy.

This is also to save time and energy.

Otherwise, if we had to meet these people one by one and go to each family's banquet, it would take several days just to eat.

It would be much easier to just get everyone together for a meal.

It doesn't really matter who invites whom.

While his subordinates were busy setting up the venue and inviting guests, Ning Weimin himself was not idle either.

This time when he came to Hong Kong, he understood very well early on—he had traveled thousands of miles just to make money.

Japan's speculative market has collapsed, but the port city is booming and full of vitality.

Now that we're here, how can we not make a quick buck before we leave?
Making money is, of course, his primary goal.

So he contacted Xia directly and asked her to be his guide.

They first went to the Suez Banco do Crédit Agricole branch in Port City to get the money—he had transferred 65 billion yen from Japan.

Then I decided to invest the money in the Hong Kong stock market and take advantage of the current economic boom.

As a time traveler, predicting financial speculation trends in advance is undoubtedly the most direct and effortless way for Ning Weimin to acquire wealth.

As far as he knew, the Hong Kong stock market was actually in a pretty good position in 1991.

The year, from the beginning to the end, showed an overall trend of decline followed by rise.

The Hang Seng Index fell from 2500 points at the beginning of the year, but rose steadily after the Gulf War ended, reaching 3300 points by the end of the year, with an annual increase of 32%.

Moreover, this wave is a rare long-term bull market, which will continue to rise until just before the Asian financial crisis in 1997 before turning around.

You can imagine how big this piece of meat is.

The opportunity to make a fortune is not much different from that during Japan's economic bubble period.

Ning Weimin's arrival was particularly timely.

It was August, only two months after Hong Kong stocks began their upward trend from their lows. The Hang Seng Index was currently around 2600 points. If he bought in now, it wouldn't be considered chasing the highs; on the contrary, his purchase would result in a strong upward move.

The problem is, despite all his careful planning, he overlooked one thing.

He arrived full of enthusiasm, but in the end he could only stand there helplessly, sighing in despair.

what happened?

It turns out that the reason is simply because, for him, the Hong Kong stock market is too small and has a serious lack of liquidity.

It's important to understand that although Hong Kong is an international metropolis, at that time, its stock market was only a regional market, and its size was nowhere near that of truly mature international markets like Japan.

This can be seen by looking at the specific data: at the end of 1991, the total market capitalization of the Hong Kong stock market was approximately HK$9492 billion.

Meanwhile, the total market capitalization of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Tokyo Stock Exchange) was approximately 380 trillion yen during the same period.

Even though the Tokyo stock market had already experienced a sharp drop of more than 50%, its market capitalization was still approximately HK$21.7 trillion, based on the exchange rate of about HK$1 to 17.5 yen at the time.

In other words, the Tokyo Stock Exchange is about 22.9 times the size of the port city's stock exchange, a huge difference.

This scale gap is reflected not only in total market capitalization, but also in the number of shares and average daily trading volume.

At that time, the average daily turnover in the Hong Kong market was only HK$13.47 billion, and there were only 357 listed companies.

The money Ning Weimin brought was a whopping HK$37 billion, converted at the exchange rate.

He doesn't have time to slowly build up his position. If he were to dump all that money into the market at once, wouldn't it cause a massive, explosive price surge?

To put it bluntly, he never expected that the Hong Kong stock market in this era was just a small pond, and it couldn't withstand him, this big crocodile, turning over.

He brought too much "water," but the "basin" of Hong Kong stocks was too small.

If they really go all in, wouldn't that mean this "foreign tycoon" has destroyed the entire market?

There's nothing you can do; this is the limitation of being the richest man in Beijing.

This was the first time in Ning Weimin's life that he, a top-tier speculative investor, could feel so helpless.

It has to be said that having too much money can sometimes be an obstacle.

Actually, let alone Hong Kong stocks, this is also why he hasn't even considered A-shares in mainland China. Ning Weimin certainly knows that both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges opened this year, but how is he supposed to participate?
Even if he just slips out ten million between his fingers, it's enough for those few stocks in mainland China to go wild.

But isn't this tantamount to provoking the country?
He would only do that if he were tired of living.

However, at that time, there weren't many good stocks in the Hong Kong stock market; most were still in traditional industries. The high-tech, international giants, and even Macau's gaming stocks that would later list in Hong Kong hadn't yet come.

Ning Weimin looked through the list of stocks and found that there weren't many that suited his taste.

Almost all of them were unfamiliar, just like the movie catalogs that Yao Peifang had brought before.

Think about it, if a time traveler has already been given all the cards by God, and he still has a gambling mentality and buys stocks blindfolded, wouldn't that be a huge joke?
Therefore, he never gambles; he only bets on certainty.

After looking at them, he only picked out three real estate stocks: Cheung Kong, Hang Lung, and Sun Hung Kai, which he was quite satisfied with.

After all, he knew that along with the growth of Hong Kong stocks in the 1990s, the city's property market also experienced a boom that was expected to continue until the eve of 1997.

Moreover, he knew that these real estate stocks had existed until his death in his previous life. Not only were they not at risk of bankruptcy, but compared to their current market value, they also had a growth potential of several dozen times.

To be honest, of all the stocks he disliked, Cheung Kong Holdings was the one he disliked the most.

The thought that the mercenary man surnamed Li was the owner of this company made him feel disgusted.

He didn't want to have anything to do with the other party at all. What if that old guy used his status as a shareholder of Cheung Kong Holdings to make a fuss and benefit from his influence?
Don't tarnish your reputation just to make a few bucks; he's a respectable person.

Therefore, Ning Weimin directly eliminated Cheung Kong Holdings, leaving Hang Lung Properties and Sun Hung Kai Properties, so there was no need to choose anymore.

"Xia, do you and Mr. Hong both play the stock market in Hong Kong?"

"Of course I bought some, but it's just for fun. I bought 20 million, and I've made less than 3 million now. Hong Sheng bought even less, less than 10 million."

"It's not much. Do you want to buy from me? I guarantee you'll make a profit."

"Great, great, I know how capable you are. The stocks you're talking about are practically free money for us. We'll definitely buy them. So, which one are you going to recommend?"

"I'm very bullish on real estate stocks, like Hang Lung and Sun Hung Kai. Are you guys willing to follow suit?"

Ning Weimin told Xia the stocks he wanted to buy, but Xia laughed without any surprise or astonishment.

"Haha, so it's these two! Boss, sorry, I actually bought them before you."

"Oh? You've already bought it? Not bad, you have good taste." Ning Weimin was genuinely a little surprised.

"Oh, I learned it all from you. I traded stocks with you once in Japan, so I understand a bit about speculation. Stocks and real estate go up together. Did you know that the market value of the parking lots we bought has already increased by 30%? And many of the properties are owned by Hang Lung and Sun Hung Kai. For that reason, I'm going to buy some of their properties to show my support."

When Xia recounted the reason, she was beaming with pride, as if she were someone who had been through it all.

Although what she said might not be correct, and perhaps it was mostly based on incorrect experience, Ning Weimin felt that there was no need to correct her. Anyway, she was just following his lead in buying, so she couldn't possibly lose money.

"Okay, can you buy some for me too? I won't be staying in Hong Kong for too long. If I take out my own money and buy directly, the stock price will probably skyrocket."

Ning Weimin didn't stand on ceremony and directly asked for help, explaining his reasons.

“Okay, how much do you want to buy? Hongsheng and I will definitely add to your position.” Xia agreed just as readily.

"Hang Lung and Sun Hung Kai, you can buy 200 million worth of each for me first. Hey, Hong Kong securities firms can also provide financing, right? I don't know how much they can lend, but anyway, give me as much of each stock as they can, and bet it all on these two."

Xia knew his net worth, so unlike ordinary people, she didn't lose her composure. She was just curious why he needed to raise funds.

"Wow, Chairman Ning, what kind of move is this? People with limited funds need financing. You have so much money, billions in bank accounts, and you still need financing? Are you kidding me? How are you going to spend the rest?"

"Hey, the fact that I dared to raise funds proves I'm really bullish on these two stocks. Besides, what's a waste of money? If I don't buy stocks, I can buy apartments or villas. Even you said parking prices in Hong Kong keep rising. Think about it, Hong Kong is such a small place, much smaller than Tokyo, so naturally the more buildings are built, the less space there is. Sooner or later, property prices will skyrocket, just like Tokyo used to be. Buying there will definitely make you a fortune. Think about it again, if you can make money with other people's money, why not? Who would refuse such a good thing? Would you refuse?"

A-Xia suddenly understood the importance of rigorous investment logic.

"Ah, that makes sense. That's exactly what you did in Japan. Okay, I'm convinced. But there's still one problem: should I buy stocks or real estate with you? Boss, I only have HKD 200 million available right now. The rest is invested in parking lots and shares in the Regent Hotel. What should I do?"

"Sister Xia, it all depends on your mental fortitude. If you're conservative and don't want to worry about asset fluctuations, then continue using company funds to buy parking spaces for us and become your parking lot queen; you can just buy 100 million worth of stocks and add to your position, and use the other 100 million to speculate on pre-sale apartments, depending on the situation. If you think you have a good mindset and want to make big money, then use 200 million to buy existing houses, mortgage them to the bank, get a loan, and then invest in stocks, and you can even leverage it with brokerage financing. It's up to you. Of course, if you ask me, it's better to be conservative. We don't lack opportunities to make money, there's plenty of time."

Just as A-Xia was frowning and weighing the pros and cons, Ning Weimin suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh, right, Sister Xia, if possible, buy me another media stock—I want to buy the South China Morning Post. It's still 200 million, but for this stock, use all the funds I gave you, don't use any financing."

"South China Morning Post? You're bullish on this stock too? It doesn't seem to be making much money."

Ning Weimin smiled faintly, his tone turning cold. "I'm not optimistic about it; I'm here to cause trouble for the Guo Group."

Ah Xia was taken aback. "The Guo Group? You mean... the Guo family in Malaysia? Didn't you already reconcile with them?"

"It's them." Ning Weimin's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable sharpness. "Reconciliation? That's what I thought, but they have no sincerity whatsoever. Over the past few years, both in mainland China and overseas, they've repeatedly played double games with me, saying one thing to my face and another behind my back, cooperating openly while sabotaging me secretly. I remember it all. This time in Hong Kong, I won't provoke trouble, but I also won't let them have it too easy. The South China Morning Post is an asset they value, and I heard they're interested in acquiring it. I'll put in 200 million to secure a position, not for immediate profits, but just so that when they want to make a move or say something in the future, I can 'squeak' from the sidelines and make them uncomfortable."

He paused, his tone growing colder, "Some people, if you don't teach them a lesson, they'll think you're easy to bully. I bought the South China Morning Post this time to tell them. Anyone who dares to scheme against me will have to bear the consequences."

Xia felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, but then she felt admiration for him.

"Boss, you're... planting a seed without making a sound."

"I guess so," Ning Weimin nodded. "You know me, I don't like underhanded tactics, I prefer open strategies. I buy stocks openly and legally, so they can't find fault with me, but they'll have their turn to be disgusted. I love seeing them hate me but can't do anything about it. That feeling is the most satisfying."

Fearing that Xia might misunderstand, he added a sentence as a warning.

"Don't follow this stock. I'm not doing this to make money; I'm doing it to vent my anger and to make strategic moves. If I use this stock to manipulate the market or create a spectacle in the future, and you lose money because of it, I won't be responsible."

Ah Xia immediately waved her hand, "I understand, I understand, don't worry, I won't follow. I'll only buy the 200 million South China Morning Post for you. I'll have a separate account for this, without using leverage, and just hold it for you until you give the order."

She then took action, saying, "You rest here for a bit, I'll go talk to the brokerage firm and get your account opened. Wait for my news."

Ning Weimin watched Xia leave, then stood alone in the huge stock trading hall, gazing up at the enormous four-sided display screen hanging from the ceiling.

With billions of dollars in his hands, he stands here, facing a long bull market in real estate and stocks that has lasted for years, as well as a series of epochal changes that are about to take place.

Others see prosperity, but he sees opportunity.

While others were chasing highs and selling lows, he was quietly making his moves.

The Guo family had no idea that Ning Weimin had already preempted them, setting a trap for them the moment their acquisition plan was even conceived. (End of Chapter)