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“So, Richard Miller’s accusations against you and Mr. Lin were correct?” Walter Riston murmured.

He did not question whether John Reed was lying.

Based on his understanding of John Reed, the fact that he wrote down those numbers meant that the other party had indeed accomplished it.

After all, if the other party is so confident, they must have brought enough evidence to prove it.

This reminded him of what happened to Lin Haoran in the United States more than half a month ago.

Richard Miller's accusation that John Reid risked shorting US stocks caused quite a stir within the group.

However, John Reed later presented evidence proving these claims to be false, indicating that Foresight Capital had no such intention.

Richard Miller was suspended from his post on the spot and his career ended because he fabricated evidence to frame his colleagues.

But now, Foresight Capital has actually made a staggering $3.62 million in profit by shorting US stocks!
Doesn't this mean that Richard Miller's initial accusation, in terms of "facts," was actually a lucky coincidence?

John Reed's initial explanation now seems more like a strategic cover-up and misleading tactic.
So, in order to stick to his original idea, John Reed was even risking his future to ensure that Lin Haoran and the strategy he favored could be implemented?

They even went so far as to use "factual evidence" to bring down their rival Richard Miller in an internal power struggle, clearing the way for their true plans.

This idea, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirred up huge waves in the minds of these dozen or so astute directors.

The way they looked at John Reed was no longer simply shock or surprise, but rather a hint of admiration.

This guy is not only sharp-eyed and ruthless, but also dares to take such a big political risk to uphold his beliefs and stage a "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang" drama within Citibank!

Strategic thinking, talent, and vision – that's what makes a qualified successor to the chairman of Citibank!
If the board members present were faced with such a dilemma and had to make a choice, they would ask themselves if few of them possessed the courage, decisiveness, and execution ability of John Reed.

Amidst a cacophony of optimism, they resolutely adopted a warning from the East that was then considered "heretical."

They are willing to risk their careers to protect and implement strategies they believe are correct, even under attacks from internal political opponents.
They are more willing to increase their investment after the market has validated their strategies, thereby maximizing profits.

With this vision, courage, and skill, how many of you here can honestly say you can match it?
The initial dissatisfaction and doubt that filled the meeting room regarding John Reed's emergency call for the meeting had now quietly transformed into a complex emotion.

Shocked by the figure of 3.62 million, amazed by the depth and precision of his plan, and even faintly awe-inspiring in his almost ruthless decisiveness in achieving his goal.

In the brutal world of finance, the winner takes all and the loser is condemned—that's an ironclad rule.

Today, John Reed's $3.62 million victory provides the most hardcore defense of all his initial choices.

John Reed keenly observed this subtle change in the air.

He knew that he had firmly grasped the initiative.

What he needs to do is not to defend the past, but to guide the future.

“Mr. John, could you tell us how you kept this from us and ultimately made such a big decision?” a female director asked John Reed in a deep voice.

The question immediately silenced the entire conference room.

They all wanted to know how John Reed managed to overcome opposition, precisely execute this contrarian strategy, and ultimately achieve such brilliant results, despite facing immense pressure from the group's mainstream opinion being completely contrary and internal political accusations.

The decision-making process, risk control, and details of the interaction with Lin Haoran are undoubtedly of great learning and reference value.

John Reed remained calm and composed when faced with this question.

He was prepared, knowing that this question would be raised sooner or later, and his answer would directly determine whether he could transform this "acting first and informing later" behavior from a possible "violation of regulations" or "deception" into a model of "wise decision-making" and "daring to take responsibility for the interests of the group".

He didn't answer immediately, but slowly walked to the water dispenser at the front of the conference room and poured himself a glass of water. This simple action gave him time to organize his thoughts and created an aura of composure and control.

After taking a sip of water, he turned to face the board members, his gaze honest and firm.

"First, I want to clarify that the word 'concealed' may not be entirely accurate. A more accurate description is that, under the specific circumstances at the time, in order to protect a strategy that had not yet been validated by the market and was in serious conflict with mainstream views, I took some necessary and prudent measures of secrecy and roundabout methods to ensure its successful development and implementation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and continued, "When Mr. Lin Haoran first issued his warning, as you all know, including myself, we were initially skeptical."

Unlike others' reactions, I didn't simply dismiss it as 'heresy' or 'pessimistic,' but instead asked the research team at Foresight Capital to set aside all prejudices and independently and objectively verify Mr. Lin's logic and data.

"Our verification results are gradually pointing to a disturbing but unavoidable possibility: the market is indeed severely overheated and the risk of adjustment is extremely high."

However, everyone knew that the atmosphere at the head office at that time was extremely optimistic, and any pessimistic remarks would be rejected or even attacked.

As you all know, I tried to persuade you, but I failed in the end. No matter what I said, you didn't agree with my theory at the time.

The allegations made by Richard Miller further intensified this internal conflict.

At this point, the directors present all wore complex expressions, some reflecting, some embarrassed, and some recalling the situation at the time.

Indeed, when Lin Haoran first issued his warning, almost everyone was caught up in the bull market frenzy and thought their concerns were unfounded. Some even privately mocked it as "Eastern pessimism and fatalism."

Afterwards, John Reed privately approached many board members and carefully explained the risks of the US stock market, but none of them listened, including Chairman Walter Riston.

That collective blind optimism, in retrospect, was the root cause of the $5.4 million loss.

John Reed did not accuse, but calmly stated the facts, which was all the more powerful.

He continued, "In that environment, what would I face if I publicly and loudly announced that Foresight Capital would shift to defense or even short selling on a large scale?"
Not only might the strategy fail, but my team and I could be isolated, have our abilities questioned, or even be reassigned, losing the authority to execute any strategy.

This clearly does not help protect Citigroup's interests, even if we firmly believe that the strategy is correct.

"Actually, I was thinking about how to keep it from you, and then Richard Miller's accusations gave me the opportunity."

At the time, Mr. Lin Haoran was still in the United States. After I told him about this, he suggested that since the other party wanted to frame me, why not take this opportunity to drive out these parasites from Citibank's upper management and at the same time gain maximum control of Foresight Capital?

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed abruptly after these words were spoken!
The complex expressions on the directors' faces were instantly replaced by astonishment. Even Li Guowei, who had been silent all along, had a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

John Reed actually revealed such sensitive, potentially "conspiracy-related" details so bluntly?

And they even directly suggested Lin Haoran's participation?

This was completely unexpected by everyone.

Walter Ryston's brow furrowed sharply, and his fingers gripped the cigar with an unconscious tightening.

The Richard Miller affair was a scandal within Citigroup. Although it ended with Miller's removal, the rights and wrongs of the matter, especially the exact roles played by John Reid and Lin Haoran, have remained a taboo topic.

Now, John Reed has actually brought it up himself and even dragged Lin Haoran into it?

“John, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that you and Mr. Lin Haoran used or even promoted Richard Miller’s accusations to achieve your goals?” Chief Risk Officer Mark asked in a deep voice.

Faced with this almost interrogative tone, John Reed remained calm, even displaying a sincerity akin to "speaking frankly."

He knew that since things had come to this point, instead of hiding it, he should take the offensive and incorporate the most sensitive parts into his narrative framework of "fighting for the interests of the group."

"Mr. Mark, please allow me to explain that at the time, Richard Miller had launched a malicious attack against me based on personal grudges and misinformation, and I had not yet taken any action."

His goal was clear: to bring me down, regardless of whether I actually did what he accused me of.

In that life-or-death struggle, passively defending oneself and merely clarifying that one did not commit the 'specific violations' he mentioned is far from sufficient.

That would only lead us into endless entanglement and questioning, and any move by Foresight Capital could be infinitely magnified and distorted, making it impossible to implement the strategies we favor.

He raised his voice slightly: "I still remember what Mr. Lin said to me after he learned about the situation."

He said, "On the battlefield, when the enemy has already fired at you, you shouldn't just be thinking about how to dodge the bullet, but how to use this attack to eliminate the threat and clear the way for your next move."

John Reed repeated Lin Haoran's words, his tone filled with admiration for that kind of strategic thinking: "Mr. Lin did not teach me to 'fabricate evidence' or 'frame' Richard, that would be inconsistent with his principles and our bottom line."

His suggestion was that since Richard Miller's accusations were based on false information and malice, we should use the most solid and irrefutable 'factual evidence' to thoroughly expose the nature of his framing, eliminate him once and for all, and prevent future troubles.

At the same time, this clean and decisive counterattack proves my innocence and the compliance of Foresight Capital to everyone, thereby securing a relatively safe internal environment free from unwarranted interference for what we really want to do next—research-based reverse engineering.

He looked around at everyone and calmly said, "Therefore, my team and I, under the premise of legality and compliance, have collected and prepared irrefutable evidence that can completely disprove Richard Miller's specific allegations."

At that meeting, we did not 'frame' him, but rather proved with facts that his accusations were fabricated and that his actions constituted a malicious frame-up of a colleague.

The board made a fair decision based on the facts, and there are no issues with this matter from a legal or corporate governance perspective.

"As for 'gaining maximum control of Foresight Capital,' that is indeed one of the results. Richard Miller's departure eliminated the biggest internal dissent and potential source of interference, allowing Foresight Capital to operate more independently and efficiently. But this is not our main purpose, much less our only purpose. Our core objective, from beginning to end, has been to protect and execute the strategy that we believe is correct and that has ultimately been validated by the market."

Removing obstacles is merely a necessary means to achieve the core objective.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have cooperated with Mr. Lin Haoran so many times, since 1979, and this is the fourth year now. Think about it carefully, has he made any wrong decisions in business? No!"

Indeed, the other party is very young and does not have the experience of all of us present. However, we cannot underestimate his wisdom just because he is young, nor can we instinctively reject him just because his views are different from our accustomed 'Western mainstream'.

Do you all remember why we brought him into the board? It's because we have high hopes for this young man, isn't it?
What makes me more rational than others is that when he explained his remarks to me, my first thought was not to mock him, but to reflect on them, to seriously consider the logic behind them, and to have my team independently verify them.

As it turns out, my initial cautious and open-minded attitude was correct. Mr. Lin's warning was not unfounded, but based on a profound understanding of global capital flows, economic cycles, and human greed.

And we, because of our ingrained mindsets and our instinctive aversion to dissent, almost missed this life-saving alarm.

John Reed's voice echoed in the conference room, prompting all the directors, including Walter Riston, to reflect.

Indeed, when Lin Haoran made those remarks at the meeting, the other party's words made a lot of sense, and there was nothing to refute.

Subconsciously, these veterans who have been immersed in Wall Street for decades still prefer to believe in familiar charts, models, and the optimistic consensus of their peers, rather than the almost subversive warning issued by an overly young "outsider" from the East.

Their judgment was clouded by a deep-seated sense of superiority and empiricism.

Thinking of this, many people present sighed.

It has to be said, they really have gotten old.

Seeing this, John Reed knew that it was about time.

He concluded solemnly, "I admit that in this process, my team and I used strategy and wisdom, and you could even say we launched a well-planned counterattack."

But all our actions are based on facts, comply with rules, and are aimed at the benefit of Citibank and the execution of the correct strategy.

If there is any 'calculation' involved, it is to protect the right things so that they can survive and develop in a harsh internal political environment.

As it turned out, we succeeded. We purged the bad apples from within, retained the power to execute the strategy, and ultimately brought Citigroup a return of $3.62 million.

I believe that, in that situation, this was the optimal, and only, feasible, option.

John Reid's explanation redefined what could have been interpreted as an "internal conspiracy" as "legitimate self-defense and strategic counterattack against a malicious attack," and closely linked it to the higher group interest of "protecting the correct investment strategy."

He acknowledged the "strategic" and "purposeful" nature of the operation, but emphasized its bottom line of being "based on facts" and "compliant with rules," and positioned Lin Haoran's role as a wise man who provides "strategic thinking," rather than a commander who directs specific operations.

The meeting room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The board members were stunned by John Reed’s frank and almost astonishing statement.

They needed time to process the amount of information. It turned out that behind what seemed like a simple "framing and counter-framing" was actually a deep strategic consideration and a game of strategy for the future direction of the group.

Walter Riston's expression shifted repeatedly.

He was both shocked by John Reed and Lin Haoran's initial "plan" and had to admit that, in terms of results, they had succeeded, and succeeded twice, both eliminating Richard Miller and winning the $3.62 million.

In the brutal world of business, results are often the best defense.

Moreover, without the profit from Foresight Capital, how bad would Citibank's financial statements look? How harsh would the criticisms from the board members be?

Even his illustrious reputation was ruined by this sudden stock price plunge.

As the chairman of Citigroup, he is the person most responsible for this loss of more than $500 million.

And now, isn't the profit of Foresight Capital saving him?
After a long silence, Walter Riston let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with weariness and a sense of resignation to the reality he was facing.

“John, you remind me of myself when I was young, daring to use extreme measures for what I believed was right.” He shook his head, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into the topic. “Let bygones be bygones.”

What matters is the present and the future. You've earned Citibank this $3.62 million, and that's your greatest achievement.

His words essentially redefined John Reed's past actions: his merits outweighed his demerits, and he would not be held accountable.

Most of the other directors also showed expressions of relief or acquiescence.

Faced with brilliant achievements and clear benefits, the "unconventional" details of the process seem acceptable, and even become a testament to their "capability" and "skill."

John Reed breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had passed another hurdle, and one in particular, one in which he had proactively exposed himself and turned the tables.

He had already carefully considered this matter when Lin Haoran was in the United States, and even listened to Lin Haoran's opinion. If he did not disclose it honestly, it would be difficult for him to explain how this profit came about.

Since that's the case, it's better to be honest and tell the whole story.

After all, history is always written by the victors, and today, John Reed is Citibank's biggest contributor!
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Walter. So, based on everything we have just discussed, Foresight Capital's profitability proves the correctness of Mr. Lin's judgment and also proves the ultimate value of all the measures we took to implement this judgment."

"So I have indeed done great things for Citibank, but we must not forget that Mr. Lin was the most crucial figure in this achievement; without him, none of this would have been possible," John Reed continued.

Upon hearing this, all the directors present nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the fact that Lin Haoran first brought up this matter at the Citibank board meeting shows that he genuinely cared about Citibank's interests.

However, no one believed him, and in the end, Citibank missed such a good opportunity.

It's conceivable that if Citigroup had listened to Lin Haoran's advice, its final profit wouldn't have been a loss of $5.4 million, but rather a profit of at least several billion dollars.

By then, Citigroup could achieve instant fame and become the most dazzling group among the world's top financial giants.

Unfortunately, everything came to naught because of their persistence, their arrogance, and their prejudice.

They are all from the same social class, and they are all the most important figures in Citibank. They are not incapable of recognizing their mistakes.

"Indeed, back when he first cooperated with us to buy gold futures with leverage, I knew that Mr. Lin was a client we should value. Subsequent cooperation has made us value him even more."

Even today, he has become an important member of our Citibank. Not only this time, but Mr. Lin has also generated a lot of profits for Citibank before. Therefore, Mr. Lin is indeed one of the great contributors to our Citibank! Walter Riston said with certainty.

Walter Riston's words acted as a fuse, igniting the complex emotions that had been building up in the conference room for a long time.

From initial shock and reflection to tacit acceptance of John Reed's "operations," the board members finally turned their attention to Lin Haoran, the young man from the East who had unknowingly determined whether Citibank was in dire straits or had a miraculous turn of events.

“Walter is right.” Chief Risk Officer Mark broke the brief silence, his voice less skeptical and more sincere.

"Looking back, Mr. Lin's first major transaction with us, a leveraged gold futures operation, was made when the market was generally hesitant and the inflation outlook was unclear. His decisiveness and accurate timing left a deep impression at the time."

That not only earned him huge profits, but also brought Citibank substantial commissions and prestige. Meanwhile, Foresight Capital also profited greatly by following Mr. Lin's investment.

Another senior director in charge of international business adjusted his glasses and continued, "We have investigated all of Mr. Lin's past investment events. As one of his early partners, we have more information than other financial giants."

He hasn't lost a single game yet, which is the most incredible thing I find!

Another executive director added, "My team and I have studied some of his public statements and limited collaborations."

His analytical framework is very solid, integrating macroeconomics, geopolitics, industry cycles, and even social psychology, with an extremely rigorous logical chain.

The verification data and projection models he provided to John regarding the risks in the US stock market, in hindsight, were remarkably accurate in their predictions.

This isn't luck; it's a devastating blow built on profound skill.

The atmosphere in the meeting room subtly shifted.

The discussion naturally transitioned from John Reed's "methods" and Foresight Capital's "victories" to a collective reassessment of Lin Haoran's abilities and value.

Everyone seemed to have opened the floodgates of their memories, searching for any detail related to this young director that proved his extraordinary qualities.

Sitting at the end of the conference table, Li Guowei listened to everyone's recognition and praise of their boss and couldn't help but feel extremely proud of his boss.

The recognition from these people was enough to show that the boss, Lin Haoran, was extremely proud of his boss.

This is Citibank, one of the most prestigious financial institutions in the United States and even globally.

The fact that he has gained the sincere recognition of these people is enough to show that the success of boss Lin Haoran has transcended the boundaries of region and age, and that he has truly joined the ranks of the top thinkers on the global financial stage.

He remained ramrod straight, but a faint, almost imperceptible, smile of pride played at the corners of his lips. (End of Chapter)