Great Power Reclamation

He paused, then lowered his voice, "There's something going on with the traditional energy consortium. They're selling off shares of their sister investment bank to put pressure on us by driving down the share price."

"Let them throw it away." Ye Feng opened the report and circled the "Research and Development Investment" column:
"Transfer three billion of it to the Warrior Group's account, and use the rest to repurchase circulating shares."

Zhang Qiming was stunned: "Buy back? The stock price has been driven so low by them..."

"The lower the better." Ye Feng looked out the window; the morning light had already bathed Wall Street in its glow.
“Once they’ve sold off most of their shares, we’ll drive the stock price up again. They’ll then find that they not only didn’t bankrupt our brother investment bank, but they’ve actually helped us clean house.”

He recalled his father's words: "The financial market is like a casino. The real master is not the one with the best hand, but the one who knows when to make his opponent think he has won."

For the next month, Brothers Investment Bank became the focus of Wall Street. Its stock price was like a roller coaster, first hitting rock bottom by traditional energy conglomerates, and then rising for ten consecutive trading days after Warrior Group announced its solid-state battery mass production plan.

Those institutions that sold off their shares midway through the process, watching the stock price soar, smashed quite a few coffee cups in their offices.

On the day the Illinois parts bill was being reviewed, Ye Feng made a special trip to Capitol Hill.

In the gallery, he saw Lucy sitting in the senator's seat, giving him an OK sign. When the vote results came out, the "yes" votes outnumbered the "no" votes by three—exactly the number of Republican seats in the Senate.

Stepping out of the Capitol, the sunlight was blinding. Lucy approached, holding a newspaper. The front page featured a report on Brothers Investment Bank, with the headline "Eastern Capital Takes Control of Wall Street's New Elite."

“Congratulations, Ye.” She handed her the newspaper. “Now everyone knows that Brothers Investment Bank is the Warrior Group’s rock-solid backer.”

Ye Feng took the newspaper. In the photo, he was standing in front of the Brothers Investment Bank building, dressed in a suit and tie, with a polite smile.

Only he knew that there was a bruise hidden on his shirt collar—a mark left from a shove during negotiations with the union leader yesterday when the latter was in a fit of rage.

“It’s not over yet.” He folded the newspaper and stuffed it into his briefcase. “The traditional energy conglomerates won’t let this go. They still have Michigan’s environmental bill in their hands, and that’s the real show.”

Lucy nodded, then suddenly pointed across the street: "Look."

Ye Feng followed her gaze and saw a new energy vehicle produced by the Warrior Group parked on the side of the road, its logo shining brightly in the sunlight.

A mother was carrying her child onto the bus. The child pointed at the bus logo and said in a childish voice:
"Mommy, are these stars that can move around?"

Ye Feng couldn't help but smile. He thought of his daughter's award certificate, which was displayed in the most conspicuous place in the study, and it read "Little Environmental Protector".

During the last video call, his daughter held up the certificate and said to him:
"Dad, the teacher said the car you built doesn't produce smoke, so it's a car that only good kids can ride in."

“Let’s go,” he said to Lucy, his steps quickening. “To Lehman, there’s a victory celebration waiting for us.”

The celebration banquet was held in the rooftop ballroom of the Brothers Investment Bank Building. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the New York cityscape resembled a piece of black velvet covered with shimmering diamonds.

Zhang Qiming walked over with a wine glass in his hand, followed by a group of shareholders. Old Master Wang was the most cheerful, his wine glass clinking loudly.

"Little Yezi, your father always said you were too stubborn back then, but now it seems he was right to be!" The old man patted his shoulder with so much force that it could break bones. "Brother, investment banking has only truly come back to life under your leadership!"

Ye Feng smiled and raised his glass, the wine tracing an arc on the glass.

He saw his father's old friends gathered together, talking about the stock price of Brothers Investment Bank and the new factory of Warrior Group.

I saw Lucy and Zhang Qiming discussing the next round of investment plans; I saw the employees of the brother investment bank clinking glasses with pride in their eyes.

At that moment, he suddenly understood what his father meant by "blood vessels." Brothers Investment Bank was no longer just a financial institution; it had become the lifeblood of the Warrior Group, carrying capital, connections, and political resources, flowing to every corner of this vast empire.

Halfway through the banquet, Ye Feng stepped onto the terrace. The evening breeze was cool, causing his tie to flutter.

My phone rang; it was Wang Nannan calling.

"Mr. Ye, the first solid-state battery has rolled off the production line, with an energy density of 420Wh/kg, which is even higher than the design standard!"

He could hear cheers, the clanging of metal, and the hum of machinery on the other end of the phone. The sounds blended together like a clumsy yet passionate song.

"Great."

Ye Feng gazed at the distant lights, his eyes welling up with tears. "Tell the workers that next month's bonuses will be doubled."

After hanging up the phone, he leaned against the railing and took out his cigarette case. This time he lit one, the cigarette glowing and flickering in the night.

Through the smoke, he seemed to see the old worker holding his hand in the Detroit factory ten years ago, the calluses on his palm making the back of his hand itch:
"Mr. Ye, could you make the cars we manufacture emit less smoke?"

He can answer now. Yes, he can.

Although this path was ugly, with mud and murky waters, it even forced me to become the kind of person I once despised.

But the new energy vehicles driving out of the factory, the clean energy stored in the batteries, and the smiles on the workers' faces are all real.

Lucy walked over and handed him a glass of whiskey: "What are you thinking about?"

Ye Feng took the wine glass and clinked it with hers: "I was wondering if those people who drive the cars we make know how much competition is hidden behind their steering wheels."

Lucy laughed, the wine swirling in her dimples: "They don't need to know. They just need to know that when they step on the gas, they can go wherever they want."

Suddenly, the Empire State Building in the distance lit up with green lights—the color of the Republican Party. Ye Feng knew that Lucy had arranged it—to celebrate the passage of the Parts and Components Act and the rebirth of Brothers Investment Bank.

He tilted his head back and downed the drink in his glass. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, warming him like a ball of fire. His phone rang again; it was a video call from his daughter.

The little guy was holding up a picture of a crooked car with a star painted on it.

"Dad, the teacher said this is the car you built!"

The daughter's voice was sweet and childlike: "I drew lots of stars so it won't be dark when I drive at night."

Ye Feng smiled and nodded, the moisture in his eyes drying in the wind.

"That's great. When Dad gets back, he'll take you to drive a real car."

He hung up the video call and turned to walk towards the banquet hall. Lucy followed behind him, her high heels clicking on the floor like a rhythm.

"Where to next?" she asked.

“To Illinois.” Ye Feng pushed open the banquet hall door, laughter and music surging out, enveloping him as he moved forward. “The battery factory is about to start operations, I need to go and keep an eye on it.”

Zhang Qiming approached, holding a new document in his hand: "Chairman Ye, the Volkswagen Group in Europe has sent a letter of intent for cooperation, wanting to introduce our solid-state battery technology."

Ye Feng took the document and strode towards the elevator. He ran his finger across the document and signed his name.

As the elevator doors closed, he saw his reflection in the glass—a sharp suit, a determined gaze, and a few gray hairs at his temples. This was how he looked now. A man covered in mud, yet still running forward.

As the elevator descended, he remembered his father's last words to him in the vineyard:

"The road is made by walking, not by thinking. What's wrong with getting a little muddy? Once you wash it off, you're still a hero."

Yes, what are you afraid of?

As long as the direction is right, what does it matter if the journey is messy or you get covered in mud?

After all, who among those who get things done hasn't gotten their hands dirty?
The elevator doors opened, and the outside world awaited him. Ye Feng straightened his tie and stepped out. The night was perfect, the road ahead was long, and he had much to do.

Yuanfang hadn't seen Ye Feng for many days. She knew her man was busy, as the burden of the Brothers Company and the Warrior Group was now on his shoulders.

So she didn't complain, but silently cared for him like a wife, cooking delicious meals for him when she came home and encouraging her daughter to spend more time with him.

Among the men in the Ye family, Ye Feng can be said to be the most self-disciplined. Although he has several women, he is not fickle.

Yuanfang had complained about Yifei's situation to him, and the two even broke up for a while because of it. Later, Yuanfang realized her mistake, and they got back together.

Although Ye Feng appears gentle and refined, he is actually arrogant and domineering. In his words, a man can be without arrogance, but he cannot be without pride.

But there is no doubt that Ye Feng is qualified. He started working hard when he was a teenager, and apart from a setback in the Lehman Brothers incident, he has never made any mistakes.

The angel investment firm he founded, Pan Am Insurance, Facebook, and Haitangguo mobile phones are now among the most prominent in Europe and America.

In addition, the several internet companies acquired by Yang Wei and his team are among the top in China.

Actually, his original company didn't require much attention, but things completely changed after he took over the Warrior Group.

After all, manufacturing is the most worrisome business in the world, with too many things to deal with. This is one of the reasons why Americans have outsourced this industry.

Ye Feng dared not relax for a moment, because it was the foundation laid by his father, and it was influencing the industry rules of this world.

The reason he initially chose Susie as his proxy was to avoid involvement in politics, but things never go according to plan.

The establishment of the Future Progressive Party was actually a helpless move by Ye Feng, because the resistance encountered by the Warriors Group was too great, and he had no choice but to fight.

Today, the Future Progressive Party has risen to become the third largest party, a force capable of competing with both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Ye Feng was not arrogant, because from beginning to end he never coveted power; he just wanted to get things done.

Now, he has no choice but to compromise on many things, which he is unwilling to do but has no other option to do.

After finishing his work at the company, Ye Feng decided to go home; he missed his daughter terribly.

Ye Feng and Yuan Fang neither liked to be high-profile, so their home was not big, just a two-story villa.

Upon hearing the car, Ye Yini, the daughter, ran out like lightning. As soon as Ye Feng got out of the car, she jumped up and clung to her father.

Ye Feng affectionately spun his daughter around in his arms: "Yi Ni, did you miss Daddy?"

Ye Yini pouted: "I don't want to. Dad doesn't want me anymore. He never comes home."

"Don't talk nonsense, Dad is busy."

Yuanfang scolded her daughter reproachfully, but Ye Yini was unconvinced:
"Dad just refuses to come home. He needs to sleep at night. Can't he just come home to sleep?"

Ye Feng felt a little embarrassed. His daughter had indeed guessed right. Many times, he didn't want to go home, not because he didn't miss his daughter and wife, but because he was too tired.

Although it is said that family is the best medicine to heal fatigue, when men are tired or wronged, they are the last thing they want to see.

The main reason is that I don't want to show them my vulnerable side, because in their hearts, whether it's a husband or a father, he should be the strongest man in the world.

Once inside, Yuanfang chided, "Why didn't you call before so I could prepare food for you?"

Ye Feng chuckled: "I'll eat whatever you eat. Everything my wife cooks is delicious!"

Although Yuanfang is a strong woman, she realized where she went wrong after breaking up with Ye Feng. No matter how busy she was, she took good care of Ye Feng's life.

Especially after they started living together separately, they learned a lot about cooking from Wang Jianying, and now their cooking skills are quite good.

My daughter and I made steamed buns for dinner. I don't know why, but the pork in the US wasn't very good; it just didn't taste like the pork we have back home.

So, tonight's steamed buns are filled with beef, with some onions and carrots, and baked in the oven.

Pasta is best eaten fresh out of the oven. Although oven-baked bread doesn't taste quite as good as tandoor-baked bread, it's still very delicious.

There weren't many steamed buns, but there was also dried horse meat, which was sent from the military reclamation city. Ye Yini loves to eat it, so we always have some at home.

Ye Feng was clearly hungry. After seeing his daughter finish eating, he devoured the rest of the food. Yuan Fang was clearly not full, but Ye Feng didn't care. After all these years together, Yuan Fang would definitely not eat if there wasn't enough food.

With plenty of food at home, and women loving snacks, there's no way we'd let her go hungry.

The two of them drank a bottle of red wine. Ye Yini spent some time being affectionate with her father before going to wash up and go to bed.

Ye Feng looked at Yuan Fang with bright eyes, and Yuan Fang blushed:

"I haven't taken a shower yet..."

Ye Feng picked her up and said, "I still need to wash after a while. Let me eat first!"

An hour later, Yuanfang said with seductive eyes, "You're so amazing, how come we can't get pregnant? I want a son too."

Ye Feng laughed and said, "This is good. One son and one daughter. If it were like Uncle Yang's, I wouldn't know how to arrange things for them."

Yuanfang rolled her eyes at him: "I just want a son!"

Ye Feng sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'll continue in a bit. As long as you work hard, you'll always reap the rewards!"

Yuanfang shuddered. She was well aware of this man's abilities in certain areas. Countless times, she had wanted to ask him to find someone else, otherwise she really couldn't handle it.

But thinking of Yifei, who was far away in China, and considering that he didn't even have a son yet, he gritted his teeth and endured it. (End of Chapter)