I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 757 Tuofang Fund, that mad dog, broke free of its chains and pounced on its prey alone! He's completely gone mad!
Fang Qingye naturally had no reason to refuse.

As one of Hong Kong's most influential conglomerates, New World Development's involvement itself is a strong guarantee of credibility. Its endorsement sends a positive signal to the market, indicating that this mainland company has gained the favor of local capital giants, which can greatly boost the confidence of other investors.

After agreeing with everyone to discuss the next steps in three days, Fang Qingye had nothing major to do in Hong Kong, and her itinerary immediately changed from "business to business" to "vacation mode." Last time she came to Hong Kong, she didn't take Yue Kai sightseeing, so this time she just wandered around.

He politely declined Qin Feng's invitation to take several beautiful models on a yacht trip, and instead took Yue Kai alone to leisurely enjoy the scenery of Hong Kong Island.

The two boarded the Star Ferry. Fang Qingye leaned against the railing, letting the salty sea breeze caress his face. He squinted at the skyscrapers on both sides of Victoria Harbour and smiled at Yue Kai beside him, "You know what, compared to the verbal battles at the negotiating table, the wind here is much more comfortable."

Victoria Harbour, Avenue of Stars, Victoria Peak, Lamma Island... After three days of leisurely strolling around, Fang Qingye showed no trace of the sharp edge that comes with being a businessman, and instead seemed more like an ordinary tourist enjoying a moment of peace.

Anyway, everyone will discuss countermeasures again in three days, and the specific operation of shorting the pound will be carried out by Ouyang Shaoqiang, so he is happy to have some free time.

However, thousands of miles away on Wall Street in New York, a group of bigwigs couldn't sit still.

On the afternoon of June 18, an impromptu global macro strategy meeting was held in a conference room on the 43rd floor of Goldman Sachs headquarters.

This conference room is more like a command center. To prevent laser eavesdropping and remote spying, there are no windows on any of the four walls, which are covered with dark sound-absorbing material. Instead of paintings, the walls are surrounded by high-definition screens that can switch content at any time, and at this moment, real-time data on major global stock indices, exchange rates, and government bond yields are silently flowing.

In the center of the room stood a massive, oddly shaped ebony conference table, its surface inlaid with multiple touch terminals. The faint hum of the equipment and the aroma of fine coffee wafted through the air. This place, internally known as "The Submarine," was renowned for its isolation and high level of secrecy.

In addition to the host, Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon, attendees included JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, Morgan Stanley Chairman and CEO James Gorman, Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat, and many other international investment bank leaders—a truly rare sight.

Although these bigwigs are all impeccably dressed and debonair in public, they have no time to worry about their image during this closed-door meeting.

Morgan Stanley's James Gorman had already taken off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and was tapping his fingers heavily on the table:

"This is nothing but wishful thinking and a conspiracy theory! A Brexit referendum? All quantitative models and cross-validated polls show that the probability of remaining in the EU is consistently above 70%!" He looked around, his tone becoming increasingly agitated.
"Gentlemen, the Chinese are pragmatic, not gamblers. To make such a heavy bet on short selling is tantamount to political suicide! I firmly believe this is just a crazy personal show by Fang Qingye, the actual controller of Tuofang Fund. We at Morgan Stanley are steadily increasing our holdings of the pound and related assets based on the expectation of remaining in the EU."

Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, however, held a completely opposite, pessimistic view. His face grim, he retorted, "Polls can only measure the decibels of sound, not the anger in the hearts of the silent. My offline intelligence network shows that resentment in Britain's traditional industrial areas is brewing into a storm. As for the Tuofang Fund?" He paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the crowd.

"Regardless of who is behind it, its real-money betting behavior is the most alarming signal for us. We have already reduced our long positions in the pound by 40% and advised our core clients to establish hedging protection."

“Furthermore,” he added, his voice becoming more composed, “I met Fang Qingye in person when I attended the Cloud Ledger Forum in Shanghai this January and had a conversation with him. He is an extremely calm and rational person who would never act on emotion easily.”

Jamie Damon's words caused a murmur among the crowd; he was the only one there who had ever seen Fang Qingye before.

“Is that so?” James Gorman sneered, staring intently at Jamie Damon. “According to my intelligence network, Fang Qingye is currently in Hong Kong… He is personally directing this crazy personal show!”

“You’re wrong,” Jamie Dimon said calmly. “It’s true that Fang Qingye is in Hong Kong, but his purpose is not to direct Tuofang to short the British pound. His other company, Ele.me, is preparing for a Hong Kong IPO, and JPMorgan Chase Asia Investment Bank is one of the joint sponsors.”

This remark sparked another round of discussion. David Solomon of Goldman Sachs looked at Jamie Dimon, a barely perceptible hint of disdain flashing across his face.

"Traitor!" he cursed inwardly. "How dare he fawn over that Chinese man like that!" Of course, he knew that although JPMorgan Chase had always been close to China and even became one of the founding members of the Cloud Ledger Alliance, Jamie Dimon would never truly betray Wall Street when it came to core interests.

Being friendly to China is ultimately for greater commercial interests.

At this moment, David Solomon had no time to mock Jamie Damon; he had to make an accurate assessment of the situation at hand.

Goldman Sachs has also split into two factions: one, led by Chief Risk Officer Sophia Chen, believes that since the system alarm has been sounded, extreme caution is necessary, and even small-scale follow-up should be considered; while the other, led by Marcus Sorenson, head of the Global Intelligence and Analysis Group and a former U.S. Treasury official, believes that this is purely market noise and that over-interpreting it is a sign of excessive risk aversion.

On one side were the rational disagreements among top investment banks based on sophisticated models and publicly available information, and on the other side were the all-or-nothing gambles from semi-official sources based on unique intelligence and insights. David Solomon felt unprecedented pressure.

While the meeting room was filled with heated arguments, he remained silent—he was waiting for crucial intelligence.

There was a gentle knock on the conference room door, and David Solomon's assistant, Amita Sharma, strode in and whispered a few words in his ear. His furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

"Gentlemen," Solomon's voice broke the noise, "I have just received a report from Wei Changhua, co-head of our Asian investment banking practice: after verification from multiple sources, the flow of funds from China's sovereign wealth fund and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange has been calm, and no irregular funds have been found to have flowed into the UK market. This information is absolutely reliable."

“Look! There’s no sign of the Chinese national team at all…” James Gorman almost burst out laughing. “What does this mean? It means that Tuofang Fund, this mad dog that’s been kept in captivity, has broken free of its chains and pounced on its prey on its own! It’s completely insane!”

Morgan Stanley's Jamie Dimon fell silent.

David Solomon did not immediately comment.

The meeting ended without a clear conclusion. The high-ranking officials left hastily, each with their own thoughts. David Solomon returned to his office, still deep in thought.

“David, we have to make a decision; time is of the essence,” his friend, President and Chief Operating Officer John Waldron, pushed open the door and urged him in a low voice.

“Old friend, what’s your opinion?” Solomon looked up and asked.

John Waldron hesitated for a moment: "Perhaps... let's compromise and wait and see."

David Solomon nodded slowly.

Ultimately, Goldman Sachs' decision-making scales tipped towards conservatism. The final recommendation section of that internal report contained only one line full of Wall Street-style agonizing indecision: "Motives are questionable, the risk-reward ratio is unclear, maintain a wait-and-see stance."

Goldman Sachs, the global financial giant, has for the first time chosen to remain silent in the face of an unpredictable opponent from the East.

They were like people standing on the edge of a cliff shrouded in thick fog, unable to fathom the depths below or see the opposite shore. They could only watch helplessly as the "lone wolf" of Hong Kong quietly completed its hunting plan in the darkness before dawn.

Meanwhile, the clock in the City of London is ticking away, moving toward the referendum day that will decide the fate of the nation.

(End of this chapter)