Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

History has shown that in the face of financial storms, the middle class is always the first to suffer, followed by ordinary people. The wealthy, who are above the middle class, can avoid significant losses if they can fend off external threats.

Because their losses can be recovered by exploiting the already struggling middle class and the lower classes.

Hong Kong, which just recently repelled the attack from Wall Street financial giants led by Soros and their international speculative capital, is a prime example.

Local tycoons, who were already on their last legs, immediately revived and began snapping up high-quality assets across various industries.

Otherwise, there can't be only one smart person like Lu Yang, right?
In fact, everyone sees it this way. Chen Fan, who was left in Hong Kong by Lu Yang to oversee the overall situation, did just that. The four major families of Hong Kong, including Li, Guo, and Zheng, as well as other local powerful families whose strength has not been significantly damaged, are also doing the same thing.
They are all tacitly scrambling for prime real estate currently at rock-bottom prices, properties whose actual value far exceeds that of high-quality blue-chip stocks during the current financial crisis. This also includes ancestral properties being pawned by middle-class families, and even core assets of some wealthy families desperately trying to survive under pressure.

The core message can be summed up in one sentence: first come, first served.

Although Li Zekai shorted Allied Echo this time, he suffered significant losses due to a delayed retreat.

But even a broken bed has a few nails left.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

Moreover, he is the second son of the Lee family's Cheung Kong Group.

I have plenty of cash on hand.

Why is Li Zekai so confident in saying he won't let Lu Yang off the hook?

It is because he is confident that although today's PCCW Digital is not as strong as the local Century Group, as long as it has a period of accumulation and takes this opportunity to sweep up some high-quality assets on the market in Hong Kong, which has just survived the financial crisis and is short of money everywhere, it will soon grow into a behemoth.

By the time.

snort!
A crystal chandelier cast a cold light into the high-ceilinged living room, echoing the raging waves of the Pacific Ocean outside the window. Li Zekai walked barefoot across the floor littered with shards of Qing Dynasty porcelain; the expensive cashmere carpet was stained with jagged, menacing patches of glaze. He grabbed the satellite phone, his voice hoarse with suppressed rage:
“Use Plan B! With all of PCCW’s working capital, sweep up office buildings in Air Harbour where prices have fallen below land value within three days! Also, notify HSBC that I need to liquidate the entertainment company shares that were pledged to them ahead of schedule!”

A hesitant voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Li, entertainment stocks are still declining, it's time to cut your losses..."

"Do as I say!" Li Zekai crushed half a piece of blue and white porcelain under his foot, his eyes flashing with cold light. "Some people hold nearly 10% of Lianxiang's shares, and they might be planning to take over this largest computer company in mainland China."

Hmph, I'll not let him have his way!
This person first used Lianxiang to stab me in the back, and now he wants to use my corpse to climb up the social ladder and take control of this only mainland technology company listed in Hong Kong. No way. Use all the money from selling the entertainment company to buy Lianxiang stock. I, Li Zekai, will also attend the Lianxiang board meeting at the end of the year to meet this man.

He just took it for granted.

Outside the window, the rain poured down, and his distorted reflection was shown in the floor-to-ceiling window. The Hong Kong city after the financial crisis lay prostrate at his feet like a bloodless beast.
a long distance away.

A black Mercedes-Benz S600 wound its way along the mountain road, with the verdant peaks of southern Jiangxi layered outside the window, shrouded in mist like a hand trying to hold it back.

Lu Yang leaned back in his seat, repeatedly rubbing his phone in his palm. On the screen was a number he knew by heart: "Sister Du".

Lu Nini cautiously reported in a low voice: "Boss, my brother, the commander of the army, has led his men into the Education Bureau, and the donated funds have been allocated."

Lu Yang hummed in agreement, but his gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window.

He saw a phantom-like scene: in yesterday's torrential rain, Du Lingling knelt on the cement ground, holding the injured girl tightly, her sweater soaked with mud and water, her profile as thin as a solitary knife.

At that moment, she was the guardian of southern Jiangxi, but also the prisoner he personally pushed away.

My thumb hovered over the dial key, but I didn't press it.

He was afraid of the busy signal coming from the receiver.

That would be even more suffocating than a financial market crash.

At the same time, he hoped that Sister Du could call him right now.

Unfortunately not.

In the end, nothing happened along the way.

After arriving safely in Luzhou, I booked my flight back to Shenzhen for the next day and checked into my hotel.
the next day.

The morning sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting bright spots of light on the polished marble floor, creating a stark contrast with the gloomy, muddy landscape of southern Jiangxi.

Lu Yang stood by the window, holding a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. His gaze seemed to pierce through the city skyline, landing on some distant and damp corner.

He had just finished listening to Lu Nini's report on the initial implementation of the donation funds in southern Jiangxi and the arrival of the supervision team. He nodded slightly, but the deep melancholy between his brows showed that his mind was clearly not entirely focused on this "good deed".

“Boss.” Lu Nini’s voice broke the silence of the room with a hint of hesitation, “There’s something else, about Hong Kong… that Second Young Master Li’s actions are faster and more ruthless than we expected.”

Lu Yang turned his gaze from the window to another fax that Lu Nini handed him.

The headline above is eye-catching: "PCCW continues its buying spree, Lianxiang Technology (0992.HK) shares break through the HK$20 mark! Is it aiming at the board of directors?"

Lu Nini spoke faster, with professional precision: "According to cross-confirmation between our team in Hong Kong and internal information from the exchange, Yingke Digital has used a huge amount of funds in the past 72 hours to continuously buy Lianxiang shares regardless of cost. Their shareholding ratio has reached 4.98%, just one step away from the 5% mandatory disclosure threshold! The market reaction has been extremely enthusiastic, and coupled with the rumors they have intentionally or unintentionally released, the stock price has surged. This morning, it broke through 20 yuan as soon as the market opened, and is currently trading at 20.8 yuan, with trading volume reaching a recent record high. Almost all financial media are reporting that Lianxiang is the 'leading stock in the post-crash recovery of Hong Kong's technology stocks,' and that Li Er Gongzi has 'sharp eyes and made a contrarian investment.'"

Lu Yang's lips slowly curved into that familiar, slightly wicked and playful smile that Lu Nini knew so well.

He could almost picture his old friend Richard Li in his Repulse Bay mansion, smashing a Qianlong vase while gritting his teeth and issuing orders.

"Ah."

A soft snort escaped Lu Yang's throat. He put down his cold coffee cup, making a crisp clinking sound. "This Second Young Master Li, he's really impatient for revenge."

"Do you really think that I, Lu, went to all this trouble just to get into that quagmire of Lianxiang and play a childish board game with them?"

Lu Nini still looked confused: "Boss, the market sentiment is so hot right now, and the stock price is still rising. Our nearly 10% position has already made a very considerable unrealized profit. With Young Master Li stirring things up and the media fanning the flames, it feels... it feels like they're carrying us on their backs?"

She paused, but couldn't help asking the question that had been bothering her, "Should we really... start selling as planned? Isn't it a bit too early to sell now? Maybe the stock price can rise a bit more after they announce their takeover bid and move to the board of directors?"

Lu Yang turned around, his wicked smile deepening, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk's, carrying an all-knowing calm. "Surprised?" he asked, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather.

“Yes, yes!” Lu Nini nodded vigorously. Her financial intuition told her that the market was hot, and leaving now did not seem to maximize profits.

“That’s to be expected.” Lu Yang walked to the large mahogany desk and sat down, his fingers lightly tapping the smooth surface, making a soft tapping sound.

"Your boss here, from the very beginning, my goal was very clear: to take advantage of the gaps in their internal strife, to exploit the goldmine created by the financial crisis, to bite off a piece of the pie, and to make a quick buck, nothing more."

He leaned forward slightly, looking directly at Lu Nini. "I have no interest in being the savior of Lianxiang's mess, and I have no interest in playing any boardroom power games with Young Master Li or the Lianxiang elders. The waters there run very deep, and not just anyone can handle them."

He paused for a moment, then said with unwavering resolve, “Now that a ‘sucker’ has rushed in so enthusiastically, waving a check to become this ‘white knight,’ to grab this ‘board seat,’ and so eager to use me as a stepping stone or a hypothetical enemy…wouldn’t it be too heartless of us not to grant his wish?”

Lu Nini instantly understood, her eyes widening slightly: "So, you mean..."

"Notify Chen Fan."

Lu Yang's voice was clear and cold, carrying an unquestionable determination: "The plan remains unchanged. The market will open tomorrow, and we'll give our 'old friend' a 'surprise gift package'."

"Sell off Lianxiang's shares."

Lu Nini immediately got into the zone and took out her notebook.

"It's just the beginning, no rush."

Lu Yang's fingertips traced a slow arc on the table. "Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, let our old friend continue to indulge in the illusion of 'victory in sight,' slowly unwinding. Don't smash the board all at once, that wouldn't be fun."

A cold, calculating smile played on his lips: "The key is, when our position is reduced to about half..."

Lu Yang didn't continue speaking, but simply let out a meaningful "heh," leaning back in his large leather chair and gazing intently at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, as if he could already see the turbulent waves about to erupt in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange trading hall, and Li Zekai's face, which might turn from ashen to deathly pale.

Lu Nini understood immediately and nodded solemnly: "Understood! I will contact President Chen right away and convey your instructions word for word."

Lu Yang nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Lu Nini quietly left the room.

The suite returned to silence, with only the faint sound of the central air conditioning blowing.

Lu Yang's gaze returned to the bustling city of Luzhou outside the window, but what appeared in his mind at this moment was not the rise and fall of the K-line chart, but the muddy playground in southern Jiangxi, thousands of miles away, and the figure with a stubborn yet broken look in his eyes, struggling to support his thin body beside the ruins.

Southern Jiangxi, early morning after the disaster!
The rain finally stopped, but the sky over southern Jiangxi remained a low, leaden gray, like a soaked, dirty rag, weighing heavily on people's hearts.

Du Lingling trudged through the mud on the playground of the Seventh Middle School, her feet dappled with the corners of textbooks soaked in mud and the broken bricks and tiles. The air was filled with the damp, earthy smell, a faint musty odor, and a barely perceptible whiff of disinfectant.

She had been working on the front lines for more than 36 hours straight, and the dark circles under her eyes looked even more striking and deep in the dim morning light.

The dark coat, now covered in mottled mud, clung to her noticeably thin and frail body. Against the backdrop of ruins, she resembled a reed, battered and swaying by days of relentless wind and rain, yet still stubbornly standing tall.

Secretary Xiao Wang jogged up to us, slightly out of breath, clutching a document tightly in her hand. Her voice was hoarse with the strain of staying up all night and anxiety: "Commissioner! We just received an official letter and fax from the regional education bureau! Please take a look, it's good news! A 'Century Group' registered in another city has donated a full ten million yuan to us! The purpose is clearly stated: specifically for the repair and reconstruction of school buildings damaged in this rainstorm disaster, especially the reinforcement or new construction of dilapidated school buildings, which must meet the latest national earthquake-resistant standards!"

"Century Group..."

These four words were like a poisoned ice needle, piercing deep into Du Lingling's heart without warning, instantly penetrating the fragile shell that had been wrapped in fatigue and numbness for days.

She froze on the spot, as if the mud beneath her feet had suddenly solidified into cold steel.

The damp, cold air of southern Jiangxi in the early morning seemed to freeze completely at this moment.

The shouts of workers clearing the rubble on the playground, the suppressed sobs of children at the temporary resettlement site in the distance, the honking of vehicles in the distance... all the noise seemed to have been muted, instantly degenerating into a blurry and distant background noise.

A strong pang of sorrow and immense grievance suddenly surged into her nasal cavity, and scalding tears welled up without warning, instantly blurring her vision and burning her fingertips so much that they trembled uncontrollably.

The donation document in my hand, which seemed so light, now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Commissioner?" Secretary Xiao Wang was startled by Du Lingling's sudden deathly pale face and the tears that welled up in her eyes. She looked at her with confusion and worry.

"What...what's wrong? Are you too tired? Do you know this 'Century Group'?"

Du Lingling seemed to be startled awake by the secretary's voice, and abruptly turned around, her back to Xiao Wang and the devastated campus.

She gripped the document tightly in her hand, the paper creaking and groaning under her strain.

She raised her hand and fiercely wiped her eyes with her mud-stained sleeve. The rough fabric left a clear red mark on her cheekbone. She forcefully swallowed back the sob and whimper that almost burst from her throat, mixed with endless bitterness.

My chest was churning, and every breath was accompanied by excruciating pain.

A few seconds felt like an eternity.

When she turned back, her face showed only exhaustion and an almost frozen calm. She forced back her tears, leaving only slightly red eyes and a striking red mark.

"I don't know her." Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against rusty iron, calm and without a ripple.

"Let's go." She took heavy but unusually firm steps toward the Santana parked not far away, which was also covered in mud.

"Go to Zhangshu Township. They reported a landslide blocking the village road. We need to go check it out."

As she crawled into the cold carriage, she took one last look at the ruins of the school building, which looked even more dilapidated and grotesque in the morning light.

The steel bars and cement donated by that little man will soon be used to build a brand-new, sturdy school building here. Unfortunately, this good intention of "investing in the future" now seems like the sharpest mockery.

Because her heart was already a more shattered and irreparable ruin than the crumbling building before her. (End of Chapter)