That year the flowers bloomed 1981

Chapter 1660 A fool wouldn't make money if he could.

After discovering the negative reports about Southwest Heavy Truck in the newspaper, Dong Shan did not call Li Ye to settle accounts, but someone else couldn't hold back and kept calling Li Ye's phone.

"Hello, Mr. Li, Li Ye, this is Yue Lingshan! Did you read today's financial newspaper? What does the news in it mean?"

"Sister Yue, don't you understand what I mean? You've been by Dong Shan's side for almost a year now, you can't be unaware that Southwest Heavy Truck's advertising is all a lie, can you?"

Yue Lingshan was the first colleague Li Ye met after starting work. Last year, she followed Dong Shan to the southwest, so she must know about the shady dealings at Southwest Heavy Truck.

"That's not what I meant. I was asking how long this kind of reporting will continue?"

On the other end of the phone, Yue Lingshan asked anxiously, "President Li, I want to ask if Southwest Heavy Truck is finished after these news came out?"

Li Ye chuckled and said, "What? You've been in the Southwest for a year. Has that cultivated a sense of ownership? Or is someone trying to get information out of me?"

"No, no," Yue Lingshan quickly said, "President Li, you told me last time to wait and see, and I did. But I have some Southwest Heavy Truck stock. If these reports continue, will it become worthless?"

Do you own any stocks?

Li Ye asked in surprise, "Do all your employees hold shares? How did you meet the listing requirements? Did you win a lottery for new shares?"

Listing stocks in mainland China has certain requirements. For example, it's not easy to get listed if all employees hold shares like in Huawi. As for winning a lottery for new shares, that's a matter of luck. Anyway, Li Ye has never won a lottery for new shares in either of his lives.

"I didn't get any new shares in the IPO, and not all of us are shareholders."

Yue Lingshan said somewhat embarrassedly, "Ordinary employees don't have stock options; only a few managers do. Because I'm a key manager, and I've been diligently studying the management experience you implemented at the Light Vehicle Company, Mr. Li, I've been highly valued by Dong Shan."

"Oh, I see"

Li Ye suddenly understood, and then asked, "So you only have the original shares, which can't be traded during the initial listing period, right?"

“Someone bought them privately,” Yue Lingshan said in a low voice. “Someone tried to buy them from us a while ago, but the price they offered wasn’t high. After the news came out in the newspaper today, the price was halved.”
Besides, even if I can't buy or sell the stocks I hold, I can still buy them at the trading hall! Dong Shan told us that our stocks will be incredibly valuable in the future. Mr. Li, you're an economics expert, do you think Dong Shan is lying to us?"

"Hehehehe~"

Li Ye smiled and said, "I can't say for sure, but if Southwest Heavy Truck's stock gets pushed up after the market opens tomorrow, it will likely continue to rise for the next few days, but it won't keep rising indefinitely. If it drops sharply tomorrow, then you can forget about everything."

Yue Lingshan immediately replied excitedly, "I understand. If it goes up tomorrow, then it will go up for the next few days. I can just sell it a few days later, right?"

Li Ye remained noncommittal, but reminded Yue Lingshan, "Sister Yue, as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Opportunities to make big money always come with risks, and you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

"Understood, understood. I'll act according to the situation tomorrow."

"."

Li Ye was helpless.

Yue Lingshan was clearly already tempted by greed. She only heard the word "wealth" in his own words, and she absolutely did not hear the word "risk".

. . . . . . . . .

On Monday morning, Yue Lingshan called her colleagues at work, saying she wasn't feeling well, and then excitedly headed straight to the stock exchange.

These days, there's no Tonghuashun or Dazhihui, and it's not as easy as it will be decades later. If you want to trade stocks, you basically have to go to the stock exchange hall.

In the early 1990s, the stock trading halls were more crowded than train station halls. In the early 1990s, both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges experienced congestion in their trading channels.

Because ordinary stock investors can only buy and sell stocks by going to the exchange counter, filling out forms, and having the teller handle the transactions. If the teller accidentally sells stocks instead of buying them, be prepared for endless arguments!

Moreover, in those days, stock market investors could only obtain information about stock trading through the display screens in the brokerage's business hall. Some places had dedicated stock pagers, but the price of several thousand yuan was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Many stock investors didn't even have time to go to the trading hall to check the market, so they could only read newspapers. Some newspapers would publish the basic information of each stock for the day. Early stock investors were like blind men touching an elephant, trying to figure out the secret to wealth by looking at a few numbers in the newspaper.

So when Yue Lingshan arrived at the stock exchange, she found that she couldn't even find a suitable place to stand because there were just too many people.

However, just as Yue Lingshan was squeezing through the crowd, she suddenly heard someone call her name.

When Yue Lingshan looked, she found that it was several colleagues who, like her, were "not feeling well".

"Sister Zhang, you're here too?"

"Heh, Xiao Yue, you're here too? Are you worried about your stocks depreciating too?"

"Hey, who says otherwise! I couldn't sleep all night after reading the news in the newspaper yesterday. Sister Zhang, what are you planning to do? Should we sell the stocks to that Boss Hu at a low price?"

Sister Zhang shook her head and said, "That guy surnamed Hu is obviously dishonest. I'm counting on my stocks to buy my son a Chunlan Leopard! I'm not going to let him get it for free. You can ask Old Liu if you don't believe me. This kind of fake news is all too common in the stock trading circle."

Yue Lingshan turned her head and asked uncertainly, "Old Liu? You're... Master Liu from the logistics department?"

"Xiao Yue, you have a really good memory. Old Liu doesn't go to the logistics department all day, yet you still recognize him."

Old Liu was among the first stock market investors in our unit, and he's a seasoned expert who's been through countless trials. While most others lost money, Old Liu made it. Today, let's not believe anyone else, just believe Old Liu."

First, Sister Zhang praised Yue Lingshan's memory, then she praised Lao Liu's abilities. While praising Lao Liu, she also gently bumped his shoulder with her own.

How much damage does a middle-aged woman cause when she bumps into an elderly man's shoulder? Just watch the square dancing in the evening and you'll understand.

However, Lao Liu was focused on reading the financial newspaper at the moment, his attention entirely on "making money," so he wasn't swayed by Zhang Jie's charm despite being a middle-aged woman.

Yue Lingshan craned her neck to look at the newspaper in Lao Liu's hand and found that he was reading negative reports about Southwest Heavy Truck.

"Master Liu, look at these reports, they're really terrifying! Will our stocks become worthless?"

Old Liu smiled slightly and flicked his fingers at the newspaper: "What good would it do them if it really turned into worthless paper?"

"Them?" Yue Lingshan was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "Who are they?"

"It's the person who posted these messages!"

Old Liu's face revealed a cryptic expression: "Such a dense barrage of negative reports has an extremely clear purpose: to cause Southwest Heavy Truck's stock to plummet."

But think about it, who benefits from a crash? What do the masterminds behind it all gain? Everyone's driven by profit; who wouldn't do something for free?

"."

Yue Lingshan was stunned for a moment, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Sister Zhang leaned over and, as if imparting her experience to a junior student, said, "So there's only one possibility: the big players want to buy at the bottom and collect the shares they won in the IPO from retail investors."

Yue Lingshan blinked, as if she understood something.

When they couldn't figure out the stock market fluctuations, they sought help from Li Ye, and Sister Zhang also sought help from Lao Liu.

In contrast to Li Ye's saying "fortune favors the bold," Lao Liu's comment was even more certain than that of Li Ye, an economics professional!

. . . . . .

Five minutes before the market opened, the atmosphere in the trading hall became lively, with investors as nervous as soldiers about to enter the battlefield.

"The market is about to open. I'll go to the counter and queue up first. You guys take your order slips and be ready to trade at any time."

"I bought Shenzhen Development Bank shares the day before yesterday, and they've already made a 6% profit. If I can get another 2% today, I'll take the profit and secure it."

"I'm not in a hurry. I want to earn at least ten percent this time."

The whispers around her were like an invisible surge of adrenaline, infecting Yue Lingshan, who was new to this kind of occasion.

If the stock can close in the green today, there will be a significant increase. If the stock price is hammered down to worthless, it will benefit no one.

While silently reciting Li Ye and Lao Liu's judgments, Yue Lingshan filled out half of a transaction form. The form already contained the stock number of Southwest Heavy Truck, and she was just waiting to add the purchase price based on the rise and fall of the stock price after the market opened.

But when the market opened and the stock price of Southwest Heavy Truck was released, Yue Lingshan's heart sank.

"Green? Has it fallen?"

Sister Zhang said, "It's definitely going to fall! Our company's stock was issued at 2.61 yuan, and now it's 2.4 yuan. It's broken the issue price!"

Yue Lingshan said anxiously, "What can we do? We all have stocks, and now we can't sell them even if we want to."

Sister Zhang said, "No rush, you have to trust Lao Liu's judgment."

"."

Yue Lingshan secretly groaned inwardly, because as a core member of the management team, she held far more shares than Sister Zhang. If the shares were to fall to worthless, her losses would be far greater than Sister Zhang's.

However, just two minutes later, Southwest Heavy Truck's stock price suddenly jumped and instantly turned red.

Sister Zhang immediately became excited: "Look, didn't Lao Liu just say that? In just a few seconds, the big players bought up so many shares. Whose shares are they? Aren't they all from those impatient retail investors?"

Yue Lingshan didn't hear Zhang Jie's rambling clearly; she only remembered Li Ye's words—if a stock is manipulated to rise, it will continue to rise for several days.

So Yue Lingshan hesitated for only a few seconds before filling out the order and rushing to Lao Liu, who was already in line.

"Master Liu, our company's stock has gone up from 2.4 yuan to 2.7 yuan. I want to buy 10,000 shares. Can you let me buy first?"

"Of course, you can come to my spot, we can switch places one by one, it doesn't count as cutting in line."

"Oh, oh, oh, do you think the form I filled out is correct?"

Yue Lingshan moved Lao Liu to a different seat while showing him the order form.

Old Liu glanced at the price on the form and shook his head, saying, "You can't buy it at this price. It was around 2.8 yuan a minute ago, but by the time it's your turn, it'll probably be 2.9 yuan or more. Fill out another form, and I'll give you the price. You can decide when it's your turn."

"Oh, okay, okay, okay."

Old Liu was very helpful; he not only gave up his place in line for Yue Lingshan, but also kept telling her the prices.

"It's already 2.8 yuan, 2.9 yuan, or 3 yuan. You should fill in at least 3.1 yuan. Are you still going to buy it?"

"I'll buy it, even if it's only three yuan and fifty cents."

Yue Lingshan gritted her teeth and filled in the price of 3.2 yuan at the last moment, afraid of missing this opportunity.

Those watching the spectacle were astonished by Yue Lingshan's boldness.

"Good heavens, she actually dared to buy a ticket for Southwest Heavy Truck? Did she not read the newspaper yesterday?"

"What do you mean by what's in the newspapers? You have to look at the strength of the bookmaker. Look at the situation today, it looks like someone is trying to take over the book!"

"But it rose by 20% in just one hour, that's too unbelievable. What if it goes up later?"

"Hey, if you're worried about things going wrong, why did you even bother playing the stock market?"

"Bullshit, aren't you afraid of what might happen?"

"I'm not afraid at all."

"boast!"

Generally speaking, those who stubbornly claim they are not afraid of any unforeseen events are basically people who "haven't entered the game." They don't own any stocks, so what are they afraid of?

Once he has stocks in his hands, he will understand what it means to be hesitant and indecisive, and to be afraid of losing them.

Yue Lingshan found herself in this situation. Before buying stocks, she rushed in headfirst, but after buying them, she couldn't stop worrying.

[It won't fall, right? It shouldn't. Li Ye has his theories, and Lao Liu has his experience. They both say it won't fall, so it won't fall.]

Yue Lingshan's worries lasted only ten minutes before they were completely overwhelmed by the happiness of making money.

Because Southwest Heavy Truck's stock price broke through four yuan, it had risen by nearly 30% since she bought it.

Earning nine thousand in ten minutes, how exciting is that?

Old Liu, who had just given his seat to Yue Lingshan, looked extremely displeased.

He wanted to slap himself. He was so sure that someone would buy this stock at the bottom, so why didn't he buy it decisively?

[If I had bought this stock earlier, then it's all Yue Lingshan's fault for stealing my luck.]

Yue Lingshan wasn't one to keep things to herself. She immediately said to Lao Liu and Sister Zhang, "Sister Zhang, Master Liu, I've heard that if someone pushes our company's stock up today, it will rise for the next few days. Why don't you buy some too?"

"It's already at four yuan, more than 50% higher than the opening price. There's a high probability of a pullback. How should I buy?"

"That's true too!"

Those around her echoed her sentiments, feeling that the Southwest Heavy Truck stock was very risky, and Yue Lingshan began to lose confidence.

But by the time the market closed, everyone except Yue Lingshan was filled with regret.

Southwest Heavy Truck's stock price settled at 5.5 yuan, more than doubling in a single day.

"We absolutely have to get Yue Lingshan to treat us to dinner today, and it has to be good wine. Wait, where's Yue Lingshan?"

Old Liu, filled with remorse, gritted his teeth and was determined to team up with Sister Zhang to kill Yue Lingshan. But in the blink of an eye, Yue Lingshan had already vanished.

Yue Lingshan went to call Li Ye.

"Mr. Li, I made 70% today! You were absolutely right. The market opened in the red, but it quickly turned positive."

Mr. Yue Lingshan flattered Li Ye for a long time before cautiously asking, "Mr. Li, since you're so accurate in your predictions, did you buy shares in Southwest Heavy Truck?"

Li Ye asked in surprise, "I didn't buy it? Why would I buy it?"

[A bastard wouldn't pass up money like this, Mr. Li, are you perhaps...?]

Yue Lingshan didn't quite believe that Li Ye hadn't bought the stock; she even suspected that Li Ye was one of the manipulators who had driven the stock price up today.

But she didn't dare ask such a question. She only dared to tentatively ask, "But Mr. Li, if Southwest Heavy Truck's stock continues to rise for a few more days, wouldn't all those newspaper articles criticizing Southwest Heavy Truck be for nothing?"

Li Ye smiled softly.

Do you think I offended so many people to affect the stock price of Southwest Heavy Truck?

(End of this chapter)