Break out of the courtyard

It was late at night in Hong Kong Island when magnesium stocks plunged on Friday.

Tang Lie, who was far away in Magnesium, was worried that Japanese stocks would follow suit and plummet, thus bursting the Japanese stock market bubble. So he ignored the time difference in Hong Kong and woke up his third brother Tang Qiang with a phone call.

Tang Qiang was still rational and knew that what had happened had already happened and there was no need to rush, especially since it would take two more days for the Japanese stock market to open.

Therefore, after Tang Qiang comforted his elder brother Tang Lie, he simply called a meeting of his fund managers overnight to discuss response strategies and did not disturb Zhang Heping's rest.

It was not until the early morning of Saturday, the 14th, that Tang Qiang returned to the Renheyi Community on the top of Taiping Mountain and met Zhang Heping who had just returned from a morning run.

"On May 5 this year, the Bank of Japan raised interest rates by 31%. On the 0.75th of the day before yesterday, the Bank of Japan raised interest rates again by 11%, raising the benchmark interest rate to 0.5%." Zhang Heping picked up the teacup on the coffee table and took a sip, then walked into the kitchen and continued to say to his third nephew who followed behind him:
"You are not stupid enough to think that the Bank of Japan will not raise interest rates in the future!"

"That's impossible!" Tang Qiang followed into the kitchen and said with a smile, "My uncle told us so clearly before that once the Japanese government releases its monetary tightening policy, it means that the Japanese stock market will come to an end."

"Brother Lie and I are just wondering why Heping Group went to Japan for a second listing some time ago."

Zhang Heping added water to the soup pot and said without turning his head: "Such a simple intention, don't you see it?"

Tang Qiang asked tentatively: "Is it to cash out at a high price, then buy back at a low price, and finally delist?"

Zhang Heping did not answer whether this statement was right or wrong, because they were still thinking about acquiring Japanese companies at that time.

"I received news that the Japanese government is discussing legislation on the land tax system." Zhang Heping continued: "On the one hand, banks are raising interest rates, and on the other hand, tax restrictions are being raised. The Japanese real estate market is also coming to an end."

Tang Qiang followed Zhang Heping's words, said a few words to Zhang Heping, and had a bowl of noodles at Zhang's house as breakfast.

Chen Shuting listened to Tang Qiang's long talk about Japanese stocks. As she followed her husband Zhang Heping down the mountain, she couldn't help but ask, "Husband, do you want to reduce your holdings in the three Japanese traditional Chinese medicine companies controlled by Heping Investment?"

"No need to reduce holdings for now!" Zhang Heping leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Our plan to acquire Japanese companies has not been completed yet. We need to use those three Japanese companies as a sample to make the Japanese people think that we hold their companies for long-term development, not short-term speculation."

"Oh!" Chen Shuting thought for a moment and asked, "What about the 9.5 trillion yen in my stepmother's investment account? Should I keep it to acquire Japanese companies?"

"Yeah!" Zhang Heping responded lightly without further explanation.

Zhang Heping wanted to acquire a Japanese company a few years ago because the company's high-precision equipment could help him save a lot of time in customizing equipment.

After the mainland factories developed, Zhang Heping's demand for equipment from Japanese companies was not as strong.

The reason for acquiring Japanese companies is to move their production to the mainland, leaving only sales in Japan, and then use Japan as a springboard to enter the European magnesium market.

In addition, the yen had another use: to buy back Peace Automobile Company shares at a low price, and then privatize and exit the Japanese stock market.

After Tang Qiang left Zhang's house, he returned to his father Tang Ren's villa next door and greeted Tang Ming and Xu Jiefeng who were having breakfast.

Afterwards, Tang Qiang used the landline in the living room to call his father and older brother and told them about his uncle Zhang Heping's views on the Japanese stock market and real estate.

Just as Tang Qiang got up and prepared to go upstairs to rest for a while, his grandfather Tang Ming called him.

"Aqiang, go to the hospital to see your uncle when you have time. He is your real uncle!"

Tang Qiang paused, turned around and walked to the dining table, put his hands on the back of a chair, looked at Tang Ming and said, "Grandpa, I just asked my uncle about my second uncle's condition, and he said that my second uncle will not die in the next few years."

Tang Qiang noticed that Grandpa Tang Ming's eyes were looking away, and he couldn't help but smile and said, "Although my uncle didn't go to see my second uncle, he has always been concerned about his condition. Please don't hold on to the fact that my uncle didn't go to see my second uncle."

"Don't you think about it? My uncle is so rich, but now he stays busy in the laboratory all day. What do you think he is doing this for?"

"You should have a clear mind about what is important and what is not. Why bother with such trivial matters?"

Tang Ming naturally knew that Zhang Heping was researching anti-aging drugs in the laboratory. Some time ago, he explained to the old couple why he did not give them the 100-year lifespan potion.

"Heh..." Tang Qiang yawned, talked about the all-night meeting last night, and then went upstairs to catch up on some sleep.

Tang Qiang went to bed and fell asleep immediately. Then it felt like only a second had passed. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was called by his grandfather Tang Ming.

"Put on your clothes and go to your uncle's house for lunch!" Tang Ming said, and walked out of the bedroom slowly.

The stubborn 83-year-old man thought about it for a whole morning and finally resolved his worries. Coincidentally, his fourth daughter Tang Xin came to ask them to come over for dinner, so Tang Ming agreed.

Tang Qiang's head was still a little dizzy. After all, he was a middle-aged man in his forties, and staying up all night felt like he had lost half his life.

When he finally got to Zhang's restaurant, he saw Grandpa Tang Ming talking to Mr. Hua from the mainland.

Because he had caught up on some sleep, Tang Qiang's mind was sharper than it was in the morning, so he asked Zhang Heping about his opinions on those Japanese companies.

"Learn about the term mud and sand mixed together!" Zhang Heping put down the soup bowl and frowned, "You may think that I didn't seize the opportunity of the Japanese stock market surge in the past two years, and I am not sure about the future development of the Japanese economy."

"Today, in front of your grandfather, I will remind you one last time. Please tell your eldest brother A Lie by the way."

"Withdraw from Japan as soon as possible, don't have any illusions, and follow the magnesium guys to short Japanese stocks and make a lot of money."

Mr. Hua asked in confusion, "Heping, why do you think the people of Magnesium would short Japanese stocks? Do you have any basis for this?"

~
Governor's House, Central, Hong Kong Island.

A group of representatives from the European Magnesium family gathered here, eating a buffet in the garden of Governor's House while talking about the sharp drop in magnesium stocks last night.

“The Rothschilds haven’t been shorting magnesium stocks lately!”

"I swear on my family's honor that the Walton family did not short magnesium stocks!"

"I just called to confirm that the Hansen family also did not short magnesium stocks!"

As the major European and magnesium families expressed their views one by one, and representatives of the Morgan and Astor families came out to announce bank monitoring data, confirming that there was no sign of involvement of the major families in last night's sharp drop in magnesium stocks, everyone finally returned to their usual smiles.

"Do you think the Peace Group will continue to buy shares of Hong Kong listed companies next Monday?"

"I am more looking forward to the stock prices of listed companies under the Peace Group plummeting, and then I will take the opportunity to buy them at a low price!"

"Haha! I thought so too. It depends on whether I can achieve my wish next Monday!"

In a corner of the open-air party, the Governor of Hong Kong and Shen Bi were using a knife and fork to cut the steak on a plate at a small dining table covered with a white cloth.

"Can you get the formula for the potion that increases lifespan by 100 years?"

The Governor's seemingly casual question startled Shen Bi, who was chewing beef. He spit the beef out onto the plate without caring about his image, then wiped his mouth with a napkin, and finally covered the plate with the napkin. "Sir, we'd better not covet that recipe, it will kill people!" Shen Bi lowered his voice, looked around to see that there was no one around, and leaned forward to the Governor and said:

"We can be the agent of the Life 100 Potion. There's no need to take such a big risk. What do you think?"

The Governor nodded, picked up the goblet of transparent liquid and took a sip, then looked at the men and women in the garden and asked with a smile: "Do you think they can get it?"

Shen Bi picked up the goblet of red wine and swirled it while pondering, "I heard that a Japanese spy got the drug testing data for the 100-year-old potion. I wonder if that Japanese spy is still alive?"

"Dead!" The Governor's smile remained unchanged, but his voice was very low. "The female spy disappeared on the bus to Kai Tak Airport. Three days later, someone found the body of the Japanese female spy on a ship bound for Japan Island."

The Governor of Hong Kong did not remember the name of the Japanese female spy, so he did not tell Shen Bi more details.

"I heard recently..." The Governor turned and stared at Shen Bi, his tone becoming even more gloomy, "There are mushroom eggs under Mr. Zhang's villa?"

"Impossible!" Shen Bi shook his head and said, "I also heard that there is a weapons storehouse under the Zhang family villa, but it is not to hide mushroom eggs."

"First, he doesn't have the equipment to make mushroom eggs. Second, even if the mainland sells him a mushroom egg, he doesn't have to hide it under his villa. He can directly set it up in the factory in Shenzhen City, or put it in the rocket launch site on Dapeng Peninsula, which will be more deterrent."

The Governor nodded and said, "I also think that the intelligence provided by the new director of the Magnesium Special Intelligence Bureau is wrong."

Shen Bi responded without comment, but then the Governor asked, "Have there been any unusual movements in the accounts of all the companies in the Peace Group?"

~
Mr. Hua had lunch at Zhang Heping's home, and then followed Zhang Heping and Chen Shuting to Heping Smart Technology Company.

Since the completion of the Gezhouba Project in the mainland at the end of last year, the State Grid has been preparing to provide power for several cloud servers in the southwest.

Mr. Hua came here today not only for the commercial applications of those cloud servers, but also for the construction of an official website in the mainland. He wanted Zhang Heping to provide website security services.

This is a waste of energy, so Zhang Heping plans to hand it over to Heping Smart Technology Company, and he will just be responsible for the guidance.

After arriving at Heping Smart Technology Company, Zhang Heping handed the matter directly to the company's head Tang Wei, and at the same time selected 50 employees from the mainland to cooperate in completing the construction and testing of the relevant websites, as well as subsequent on-site guidance.

After talking about the cloud server and the official website, when Mr. Hua was about to take driver Xiao Qin back to Shenzhen, Mr. Hua pulled Zhang Heping aside and said in a low voice:

"The news that Mr. Zheng is recuperating here and preparing for drug testing was leaked by one of his nieces!"

"Recently, many people have called me to oppose letting Dr. Zheng test the drug, and asked us to wait until after the drug trial period, and at the same time increase the number of people in the trial!"

Zhang Heping suddenly realized that there were probably too many calls of opposition in this regard, and Mr. Hua could not bear the pressure anymore, so he came to Hong Kong Island in person to ask Zhang Heping for his opinion.

"It's okay!" Zhang Heping comforted him, "Let's wait until Mr. Zheng's body is well again. Maybe then he won't need the 120-year life potion anymore!"

The drug testing of the Lifespan 100 medicine has already started at the Capital Harmonious Hospital, but it is currently still in the physical recuperation stage and no test subjects have taken the medicine yet, so we have to wait.

On Sunday, Zhang Heping took time out to go to Shenzhen to check on Mr. Zheng's physical condition and adjust the prescription he had given last time.

In the blink of an eye, it was Black Monday, October 10th.

Just like two years ago, stock markets around the world began to follow suit and plummet due to the sharp drop in magnesium stocks.

The German stock market fell 13.9%, setting a record for the largest single-day drop since the war. Just like the stock market crash two years ago, it caught people off guard.

The stock market in London fell 9% in the morning, but fortunately it rebounded a lot after the market opened in the afternoon.

What is most incomprehensible is the determination of Japanese people to prevent the Japanese stock market from falling sharply.

Even Hong Kong stocks, which are controlled by Peace Group, fell 4% today.

But after the Japanese stock market opened this morning, the Japanese stock index has been fluctuating up and down, causing many foreign investors who were planning to withdraw from Japan to hesitate and have not made up their minds to stay or leave until the market closed.

Among them are the brothers Tang Lie and Tang Qiang.

It is said that money can move people's hearts, especially stocks that are so close at hand and have a speculative and gambling nature, which really tests human nature and human heart.

Zhang Heping originally didn't want to bother with the two brothers anymore, because he had reminded them countless times, and Zhang Heping was tired of explaining, so he thought, whether you believe it or not.

I don’t know if Tang Qiang had planned it in advance, but he persuaded his grandfather Tang Ming to return to the Zhang family last Saturday.

Now, when Zhang Heping ignored Tang Qiang's question, Tang Ming pleaded for mercy.

There was no other way. Zhang Heping suppressed his temper and said to his third nephew Tang Qiang, who missed the opportunity to withdraw his investment for one day, "Today, only 3% of the Japanese stocks were supported by Japanese funds, and the remaining 7% were European and American funds."

"And, 92% of those who are rushing to sell Japanese stocks today are retail investors. Do you know what this means?"

Tang Qiang blinked a few times and said hesitantly, "Have those foreign investors formed an alliance to advance and retreat together?"

Zhang Heping did not agree with this view, but frowned and said: "You can't even find out the data of capital flow in the Japanese stock market, big or small, and you dare to rely on it. Do you really think you are the stock god?"

"Call your brother and evacuate immediately!"

Seeing that his grandson Tang Qiang was still acting stupidly, Tang Ming stood up and slapped Tang Qiang on the back.

"You are the one who is hanging here asking whether to withdraw the investment. Now your uncle has clearly told you to withdraw the investment again, but you are hesitating here." Tang Ming frowned and said:

"It's just that your uncle is generous and doesn't care about your offense. If it was another Hong Kong businessman who came to ask for advice and behaved like you, do you think he would have a chance to meet your uncle?"

Chen Shuting said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Aqiang, do you not trust your uncle's judgment? Or do you think you two brothers have more experience in stock trading than your uncle?"

"Or maybe your understanding of Japan's policies and the direction of the world economy is more profound than your uncle's?"

"No! Uncle, Aunt Chen, don't misunderstand me. I am confused because I am involved in the matter." Tang Qiang quickly made up for his previous gaffe. "You have been trading in Japanese stocks for less than a year, and you have easily earned hundreds of billions of dollars from them."

"You have proven yourselves with facts, how dare I not believe you? It's just that I was confused and bewildered for a moment, please forgive me."

Zhang Heping waved his hand and said slowly: "The stock market is a Shura field that tests human nature. If you want to make money from it, you must first overcome your greed."

“When others are crazy, I am afraid. When others are afraid, I am crazy. This sentence was said by an investor from the United States. It simply and clearly explains the investment principle of going against human nature in the stock market.”

...(End of chapter)