Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 816 Makes Sense
If we don't run now, we won't be able to escape!

In Chen Fan's limited memory, December of this year was the last window of opportunity for silver futures bulls to exit.

After the new year, silver prices will be locked below $51 in January, and will not be able to break through. What follows is the joint suppression of silver bulls by the Federal Reserve and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

On the one hand, the Federal Reserve significantly raised interest rates, causing a surge in financial borrowing costs; on the other hand, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange increased the leverage margin ratio.

The two-pronged approach has multiplied the funding costs for silver bulls, even forcing them to the point where they have no money left to borrow.

As a result, the bulls were unable to push silver prices higher, and then the "Silver Thursday" event occurred in March, in which silver prices were halved again on top of the already plummeting price... and then fell back to their original levels.

Behind this incident lies the bankruptcy of the Henry family, one of the eight most powerful families in the United States, who, together with Saudi Arabia, a country with so much money it didn't know where to invest, intended to build a "silver empire."

Although the US dollar is not pegged to silver, gold and silver are natural currencies. No country would allow the world's silver to be controlled by a single family. The Henry brothers' scheme could only end in failure.

Chen Fan never expected that he would get involved in this matter.

Money doesn't matter to him; he just doesn't want to get into trouble.

Cutting is necessary and must be done immediately.

Under his insistence, Zhou Yali, who was in high spirits, could only pout and make an overseas call to the United States.

Fortunately, it's already close to evening, which is 5 a.m. in the United States. Diligent investment advisors have already gotten up and started exercising to prepare for the upcoming market opening.

So Zhou Yali answered the phone with disappointment from her investment advisor, Michael.

Then, under Chen Fan's stern gaze, he very hesitantly demanded that Michael close out all his silver futures positions.

In the Chicago silver futures market in the United States, the largest long position is undoubtedly Henry Brothers, which has bought up almost all the physical silver in circulation worldwide, to the point that even Tiffany & Co. had to announce that it would stop producing silver jewelry because they could no longer buy any silver materials.

Amidst the long positions placed by Henry Brothers, countless small bulls and large bears engaged in a fierce battle against silver.

If Zhou Yali hadn't insisted on showing off to Chen Fan, then in a month or two, all the bulls would have followed Henry Brothers and lost everything in the joint attack by the Federal Reserve and the Chicago Board of Trade!
However, the results have now deviated slightly.

One of the long positions, after repeated confirmation from Zhou Yali, was assured by Michael that he would close all long positions once the futures market opened.

While four hundred million dollars is a lot, it won't cause much of a stir in the silver futures market, which is worth over ten billion dollars in total.

Even if the Henry brothers have to sell everything they own, they will still take on this sale. Besides, they are not in dire need of financing yet, so taking on this sale is not too difficult for them.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yali felt like she had lost half her life. She slumped weakly into her recliner and couldn't help but sigh, "Why, why...?!"

Seeing that she was heartbroken but still insisted on following his instructions, Chen Fan nodded in satisfaction, threw away his cigarette butt, took a sip of his tea, and then smiled and said, "Just think about how we've already earned four hundred million US dollars, and you'll be very happy, won't you?"

Zhou Yali slumped in her chair, staring at the ceiling. "But Michael said that silver could potentially reach $100. This time, the bulls are Henry Brothers. Do you know Henry Brothers? They're one of the eight great American families..."

Chen Fan interrupted her directly, not even glancing at her, and said softly with his head down, "If you're not satisfied, you can invest all the money that belongs to you, and all the profits will be yours."

That's what they say, but if Zhou Yali really does that, Chen Fan will definitely reconsider their cooperation.

He also considered trying his luck in overseas financial markets, such as buying yen appreciation or watching the Tokyo Stock Exchange index futures rise.

Or perhaps it refers to a specific period during which Hong Kong stocks experienced a sharp decline.

But his approach was more like picking up money, a "prudent investment" based on knowing the outcome.

Unlike others, their arbitrage activities in the financial market are gambling in nature, and are fundamentally different.

For truly large corporations and extremely wealthy individuals, the financial market has always been merely a tool for capital consolidation, not the foundation of their business.

If you only focus on the money you make in the financial market, you'll be doomed sooner or later.

If Zhou Yali were that kind of person, he would definitely consider keeping a professional distance, instead of being almost inseparable like they are now.

Hearing Chen Fan's words, Zhou Yali finally came to her senses, glanced at him, and muttered, "I was just saying, is it wrong to say it?"

Seeing that she had finally given in, Chen Fan looked up and smiled, saying, "My silly sister, do you believe that silver will rise to $100 per ounce? What is the current price of gold? It's only $625 per ounce. How can the prices of silver and gold be so close?"
I refuse to believe that after silver prices have increased so many times over, silver mine owners will sit idly by and not take advantage of the opportunity to make money, and will they not increase silver production. And as silver is an important industrial heavy metal, will the US government remain indifferent and simply watch its price rise?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yali suddenly froze, turning to look at Chen Fan. "You mean the government will get involved?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "Maintaining the healthy development of the financial market and the stable operation of industrial manufacturing—that's a natural excuse. Do we even need to guess the outcome?"

Zhou Yali rolled her eyes twice, then turned to Chen Fan and smiled, "Hmm, maybe you're right. And I think your secret to long-term success makes a lot of sense. In the financial market, money that's never truly in your pocket is just a number; only money that's actually in your pocket is real cash."

After saying that, he snapped his fingers, straightened up, and looked at Chen Fan seriously. "Brother, this chapter is truly over. I'll chase after Michael later and make him liquidate all his long positions without any hesitation."

Chen Fan smiled with satisfaction, then raised an eyebrow slightly, "Really?"

"Ah, my heart aches so much!"

Zhou Yali suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed, rolling around in the recliner. "It won't be good without dishes like braised yellow croaker with tofu, cherry pork, crab roe tofu, braised lion's head meatballs, and soft-shelled eel!"

Chen Fan put down his teacup, rolled up his sleeves, stood up, and chuckled softly, "For the sake of four hundred million US dollars, I'll grant your wish this time."

After saying that, she walked towards the kitchen, saying, "But if there are no ingredients, don't blame me."

Zhou Yali lay back in the chair, waving her hand and shouting, "Don't worry, Lili and I buy the freshest ingredients every day to ensure they're fresh and plentiful. You'll see when you come into the kitchen."

Once Chen Fan's figure was out of sight, her arm finally fell to the ground, followed by a long sigh. "It's good to take the profits and secure them, but when there's a big market opportunity, making money in the financial market is really fast."

Then he raised his head, his eyes full of determination, "But you're right, brother. You can't be too greedy. Every year, hundreds or thousands of people jump off buildings because of stock speculation. Making money and running away is the best strategy."

"I'll eat more later to soothe my wounded heart."

...Chen Fan busied himself in the kitchen for a while, and just as he finished cooking, the doorbell rang.

Jiang Lili was the first to return.

Before she even entered the door, she smelled the rich aroma. She rushed into the kitchen immediately, hugged Chen Fan, and beamed with joy.

Zhou Yali, who was still waiting for the call, couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "So this is the sour smell of love. It really doesn't smell good."

When Jiang Tiantian returned, the hot food was already on the table.

Because of Zhou Yali's presence, Jiang Tiantian didn't do any excessive celebrations. She would just secretly hold hands or kiss someone when they were away from each other.

Soon, the four of them sat around a table.

Chen Fan raised his glass and said with a smile, "Come on, let's have a toast to welcome our dear cousin back to China."

Zhou Yali picked up her soda bottle and clinked it against his cup, took a swig from the bottle, and then said, "I just called Michael again, and he has closed all his long positions. I also asked our accountant to confirm that all the profits are now in the bank, so please don't rush me anymore."

Chen Fan raised his glass to her, "Thank you for your hard work, this is a toast to you."

Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian exchanged a glance, neither of them understanding what the two were talking about.

No matter, if they didn't understand, they just drank soda. The two sisters chuckled and clinked glasses, drinking soda with straws in a very refined manner, a stark contrast to someone else.

Zhou Yali placed the soda bottle on the table, looked at Chen Fan seriously, and said, "I actually came back to China this time because I have something to do. I probably won't go back until after the Spring Festival break."

Chen Fan was stunned upon hearing this. "Spring break? Is it that long?"

American universities have different holidays due to regional and cultural differences, but generally speaking, they have winter break, Thanksgiving break, spring break, and summer break. Summer break is the longest, similar to or even longer than in China.

The others are mainly concentrated at the end of the year and during the Spring Festival, lasting from one to two weeks.

If it's spring break, then it will be in March or April of next year.

Oh my god, does that mean she's going to stay in the country for three or four months?!
At that moment, Zhou Yali was still thinking about clearing out her silver futures positions and didn't notice the details that someone was complaining about.

She ladled a bowl of braised yellow croaker with tofu, took a delicious bite, and said, "Actually, there are two main reasons for this trip back to China. The first is that the Zhou family has gained a male heir, which is the most important thing for the Zhou family this year."

Since this is a matter of utmost importance, it is only natural that we must inform our ancestors…

As she spoke, she raised her head and shrugged at Chen Fan, "So you have to go back to your hometown before the Spring Festival to pay respects to your ancestors and pray. It's unavoidable, and you're no exception."

Chen Fan turned to look at the two sisters, and could clearly see the hesitation in their eyes.

After thinking for two seconds, he nodded and said, "Sure, no problem. We'll all come over then, it'll be more lively with more people."

Zhou Yali, having grown up in the United States, is not particularly familiar with Chinese customs. Instead, being in a foreign land, she is inevitably influenced by foreign customs, and in short, she likes to join in the fun.

So she didn't find anything unreasonable about Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian going to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors. Instead, she nodded excitedly and said, "Great! It's perfect. I'm all alone and feel so lonely. It will be so lively with Lili and Tiantian by my side."

The two sisters exchanged a glance, looked at Chen Fan, then at her, and both forced a smile, "Okay."

Chen Fan glanced at them and could tell they were just being perfunctory.

Jiang Lili would have a legitimate reason to go with Chen Fan to the Zhou family to pay respects to their ancestors, but it wouldn't be appropriate for Jiang Tiantian to go.

She didn't intend to spoil the mood at this moment, but when the time came, she would definitely find a reason to refuse.

Seeing her sister's thoughts, Jiang Lili hesitated, unsure of how to handle the situation.

When she looked up, she saw Chen Fan's eyes.

Chen Fan smiled at the two women to reassure them. After they both smiled, he turned to Zhou Yali and said, "It's only right to perform ancestral worship. Just let us know when you've decided on a time."

Zhou Yali drank another bowl of crab roe and tofu soup, wiped her mouth, and then said, "The specific time hasn't been decided yet, but it should be around the Spring Festival. We'll see when Daddy and Mommy are available to come over."

She shrugged as she spoke, "I feel like an outsider now. I'm always involved in everything, but the three of them are always together and don't care about my feelings at all."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "That's perfect, no one will bother you, you'll be even more free."

Zhou Yali pouted, "But Dad gives me tasks, like this trip back to my hometown to pay respects to our ancestors, which he dumped on me."

She shrugged and said, "What can I do? I have no choice but to ask you to handle it."

Chen Fan's expression stiffened slightly. He blinked at her and asked, "What should I do?"

I was planning to just coast along, but you're telling me I'm the main player?
Is there some misunderstanding?
Before he could speak, Zhou Yali continued, "That's right, although you don't have the surname Zhou, you still have half Zhou family blood in you, right..."

Chen Fan: Sorry, not even a little bit!
Zhou Yali continued, "Besides, you're a legitimate Taoist priest. In America, when we have large-scale ancestral worship ceremonies, we always invite Taoist priests and monks to perform rituals. You're a Taoist priest, so isn't it reasonable to let you take full charge?"

Chen Fan's face fell, and he suddenly realized that what she said made a lot of sense, leaving him speechless.

Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian covered their mouths and chuckled. When they thought about how the man they liked was actually a Taoist priest, they couldn't help but blush.

Although they now know that some Taoist priests are not prohibited from marrying and having children, in the traditional mindset of ordinary people, Taoist priests are generally categorized as monks or nuns.

I blush just thinking about it.

Chen Fan sighed slightly and decided to accept this sudden responsibility. "Alright. I'll handle the arrangements. Just follow my orders."

Zhou Yali nodded vigorously, "Yeah, I knew my little brother was the most reliable."

(End of this chapter)