1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 550 It’s time to make conditions!
"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

A gentle knock on the door woke Li Changhe from his deep sleep.

"Come in!"

Li Changhe stood up and put on his shirt.

Catherine walked in and took a greedy look at Li Changhe's strong and muscular body.

"The boss doesn't usually see him working out, so why is he in such good shape?"

After reluctantly looking away, Catherine immediately said, "Boss, Mr. James and Mr. Matthews have checked into the Mandarin Hotel. They want to meet you in the evening."

"Huh? So anxious?"

Li Changhe was a little surprised. The other party came in such a hurry. It seemed that he was not coming to see him on the way, but came directly for him.

After thinking about it for a while, Li Changhe had a general idea in his mind.

"Well, you can help me reserve a table at the Western restaurant of the Mandarin Hotel, and I will treat them to dinner tonight."

Li Changhe gave instructions to Catherine at this time.

Catherine nodded: "Okay, boss."

After Catherine left, Li Changhe returned to his desk and sat down.

The other party came in such a hurry, there must be something going on, and he came directly to him, so if nothing unexpected happens, the problem should be with the oil.

Li Changhe knew that these people must have stored extra oil. It was already mid-February of 81. If nothing unexpected happened, the price of oil should have passed its peak of $39 and started to fall.

At present, it is only because of oil that he can be related to these people.

So, it is because of the drop in oil prices that you come to seek advice from yourself?

At night, in the Western restaurant on the seventh floor of the Mandarin Hotel, sitting in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows, you can overlook the night view of the entire Victoria Harbour.

Although Li Changhe felt that there was nothing good to see.

"Jim, Matthew, please sit down!"

Li Changhe looked at the two people whose faces still showed fatigue, and he became more certain of his idea, but he still showed a bright smile on his face.

"Vic, I'm sorry to bother you on your holiday."

After sitting down, James immediately apologized to Li Changhe politely.

Li Changhe smiled and waved his hands: "It's okay, you guys came here in a hurry, I guess it must be something important."

"So I won't be polite with you. After all, you seem to be jet lagged and tired. Jim, if you need any help, just let me know."

After hearing Li Changhe's words, James and Matthews felt relieved. With Li Changhe's words, they felt more confident.

"Vic, to be honest, we are here for oil."

“Do you think the price of oil will have a second wave, or rebound?”

James asked Li Changhe seriously at this moment.

"The second wave?"

"Bounce?"

“Has the current oil price started to fall?”

"I'm sorry, I haven't paid much attention to the market recently. As you know, I have cleared out all my stocks of oil."

Li Changhe shook his head, indicating that he was not clear about the current market conditions.

"Last month, the price of oil broke through $39, and then everyone thought it would hit $40, after all, the war was going on."

“But the price did not break through forty dollars, but began to slide down to thirty-eight dollars.”

"Vic, do you think this price will rebound?"

After Matthews explained to Li Changhe, he continued to ask.

Li Changhe thought about it for a while, then shook his head: "I don't think so."

"$39 is likely to be the high point of this wave of oil prices."

"The next market trend is likely to go down, and oil prices will only get lower and lower."

"You guys, don't you still have oil?"

Hearing Li Changhe's words, James and Matthews sighed in unison.

"In fact, we don't have much oil left, but our customers still have a lot of oil."

"Vic, the threshold you set was too high. Two hundred million dollars is something many families can't afford. That's why only a handful of families in California got the oil from you."

“But at the same time, there are a large number of high-net-worth clients with assets who are also interested in investing in oil, and as a bank, we have to serve our clients.”

"So we bought a batch of oil for our clients from Texas through the bank."

"And now, it is this oil that has become our problem."

James said rather helplessly.

Li Changhe nodded after listening: "I see."

"Jim, Matthew, I'm giving you a suggestion from your friend's perspective. Advise your clients to sell their shares immediately."

"In my opinion, the price of oil will definitely go down. From the increase in 79 to the increase last year, the price of oil doubled so much in a short period of time, which is actually abnormal."

“And I thought it could break through $40 this time, because in 79, the highest point of oil was $41. Although the time was short, it is just like the stock market. If it can break through the previous high, it means there is great potential and the market is receptive.”

"But now it has started to decline from $39, which means the market will not accept oil at this price, so it is certain that it will fall after rising sharply, and the price will definitely get lower and lower."

"If I were you, I would advise those customers to sell at the lowest possible price. I don't ask for more profit, but at least I won't lose money, which is good."

Li Changhe gave the two sincere advice.

After listening to this, James and Matthews shook their heads helplessly.

"Vic, actually our judgment is the same as yours. The oil price may continue to fall and will not rebound."

"But the cost price of oil for these customers is not low, generally between $30 and $32."

"It's good to be able to sell now, but the problem is that when the price drops, the original buyers will start to wait and see."

"There aren't many buyers who can take all this oil in one go, Vic, we need your help."

James spoke softly to Li Changhe.

Hearing this, Li Changhe asked in confusion: "You want my help?"

"Jim, Matthew, I don't actually have many connections in the oil industry, so I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to find a suitable buyer for you."

“No, we have buyers!”

"Vic, we have re-contacted Junichi Misugi of Japan. Their national reserves and share are enough to absorb the oil in the hands of this client."

"But the other party's requirements are also very strict, $37 a barrel, of which at least a quarter must be paid in Japanese yen."

"Vic, those families in California are not like us. They rarely go to Japan to invest, so payment in Japanese yen is meaningless to them."

"And don't you have plans to invest in Japan?"

"We think that, in this case, we can cooperate. We can accept the price of $37, but we want to transfer this batch of Japanese yen quota to you, and you pay our customers in US dollars. Is that okay?"

Matthews said in a deep voice at this moment. After listening to this, Li Changhe frowned slightly.

Wow, there is such a twist. No wonder they came running to find me in such a hurry.

"Matthew, Jim, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I don't have many dollars in my hand right now."

"I did make a lot of dollars from this oil boom, but I converted part of it into Japanese yen, part of it into MCA shares, and part of it into Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong Island."

"If I were to swallow all that oil in one go, I'm afraid it would be hard for me to get it out."

"Besides that, there is one more thing you two must consider."

"We sold oil to Junichi Misugi at a high price of $40. Even though they paid in Japanese yen, it was still a high price for them to take over our oil."

"So much yen, because they needed us before, so they were willing to give us investment opportunities, such as the land in Tokyo's Chuo Ward."

"But now, oil prices have fallen, and the other party has obviously seen it. At this time, it is no longer a seller's market, but a buyer's market. The Japanese have the final say."

"In this case, even if I am willing to exchange dollars for the yen they have, investing this money in Japan is still a problem."

"I don't think they will continue to provide us with quality investment opportunities. They may even use this opportunity to impose harsh conditions on us."

"You have seen the faces of those Japanese people. They can turn against you at any time."

"Under this circumstance, it is not a cost-effective choice for me to take over those yen."

Li Changhe rejected the other party without hesitation.

Li Changhe certainly doesn't mind accepting the benefits that are delivered to his doorstep at this time, but he will not accept them easily.

Although he really wanted to invest in Japan, he would not rush to solve such a problem for the California consortium.

He is not a mindless helper. Now that the other party needs his help, he cannot just open his mouth and settle the matter.

Why would Li Changhe help if there is no actual benefit in return?

It's time to make some conditions!

As expected, James and Matthews were helpless after hearing what Li Changhe said.

Li Changhe did not give them a perfunctory response, at least judging from the current situation, that was indeed the case.

Those Japanese people were not easy to get along with. The reason we gave them such good conditions was because they were in a purchasing position.

But now the situation has changed and they are in control. If Li Changhe comes to them again at this time, he will indeed be asked to provide harsh conditions.

But the problem now is that if Li Changhe doesn't come forward, they will have no way to solve these problems.

"Vic, I know these things are difficult for you to do, but now, you are the only one who can help us."

"Not only do the Japanese offer a reasonable price, but they can also eat such a large amount in one go. For our customers, this is the most convenient and quickest way."

"As for the Japanese yen, since it is within your plan, everyone can take what they need."

"Of course, we also know that you may suffer a lot this time, so we hope to make up for it in other ways."

"If you have any conditions, feel free to ask."

"Oh, by the way, this is a list of some of our clients this time. They are in California and are leaders in their respective industries. If you need to cooperate with them, we can also help you make the connection."

“They may not be as strong as you individually, but like Bucklewell, they are all high-quality businessmen in their respective fields. I think there will always be a partner here that meets your needs.”

At this time, James took out a document from his bag and pushed it in front of Li Changhe.

Li Changhe was quite surprised when he saw this.

It seems that these two had already discussed it before coming here. They have made up their minds and want him to help take over.

After all, the information of these wealthy people is actually equivalent to a letter of allegiance.

With it, Li Changhe became more familiar with many wealthy members of the California consortium.

In this era when the Internet has not yet connected the entire world, this kind of information is a very valuable resource of connections.

"Vic, we all need your help this time!"

Matthews also put out a list and placed it in front of Li Changhe.

The two people took out these things, which actually meant that the California consortium was asking him for help this time.

After all, banks are often the core of a consortium.

Li Changhe looked at the document in front of him. He didn't rush to read it, but sighed helplessly.

"Jim, Matthew, you are really putting me in a difficult position."

"I really don't want to face the Japanese again."

"But since you've said so much, well, I can help you, but I have conditions."

"Vic, just say it!"

Seeing that Li Changhe's attitude had softened, James said with a smile.

Of course, that’s what they said, but if Li Changhe’s conditions were too harsh, they might not agree.

Li Changhe is currently the best solution in their hands, but not the only solution!
"It's like this. I have a highly cooperative bank in Hong Kong Island, and they want to develop business in the United States."

"I hope that both of your families can discuss cooperation with them and see if you can assist them."

"Of course, if possible, I hope you can buy some shares of that bank for me."

"I think Bank of America and Wells Fargo also need to find a cooperative bank in Asia!"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

James and Matthews listened and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Vic, do you want us to acquire the other party in the name of cooperation?"

James asked seriously at this time.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "There is no need for a merger. Just exchange for a portion of the shares. Because I am here, it is not appropriate for me to directly hold their shares."

"And I don't want to acquire the bank by force."

"I promised him that I would help him expand his business in the United States, and with your strength, I think you are more than capable of being his partner."

"Vic, you're not talking about HSBC, are you?"

Matthews asked Li Changhe thoughtfully.

Li Changhe shook his head: "No, it's not HSBC, it's Standard Chartered Bank."

"It is also an old British bank, but their core business is in Hong Kong Island in Asia. Of course, they also have some business in South Africa."

"You two should also know that my current business also needs a bank as its core, especially in Asia."

"Jim, Matthew, I need your help!"

After hearing Li Changhe's words, James and Matthews looked at each other.

"Vic, we can't make the decision on this matter alone, but if it's Standard Chartered, the two of us are willing to do our best to promote cooperation in this regard."

If it is HSBC, they may have to consider it seriously, after all, HSBC is not small in size.

But if it was just Standard Chartered Bank, they wouldn't care. They knew Standard Chartered Bank, it was just a pretty good bank here.

Such a scale does not pose any threat to Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

(End of this chapter)