Pirates began to dominate the Chinese entertainment industry.

The room was brightly lit.

A dozen or so digital screens covered the entire wall, displaying a dense array of colorful numbers that kept changing, making it dizzying to look at.

Those are financial market data that are being traded or about to open globally, including stocks, futures, gold... Behind every rise and fall of these numbers are hundreds of millions of dollars flowing around the world.

The room was not tense at all; on the contrary, it was quite lively.

Several long tables were set with lobsters, abalone, red wine... it looked like a gourmet buffet.

Around the table sat several men and women in sharp suits, exuding an air of sophistication, as they discussed their assessments of today's US stock market performance.

Ji Yun's eyes swept quickly across the crowd, and she spotted someone she knew in the crowd—Li Ying.

She wore a light green silk dress today, and her slender figure and outstanding appearance made her the focus of the entire event.

Green is the color of rising in the US stock market, which is quite fitting here.

Li Ying also noticed Ji Yun who had just entered. She paused for a moment, clearly not expecting him to be there. She elegantly raised her champagne glass and waved to him from afar.

Ji Yun returned the smile.

Then, led by Manager Liao, we arrived at the traders' area on one side of the room.

"Ms. Ji, you can look up any projects you'd like to invest in here. Once you've decided, your dedicated trader will handle all the details for you."

"Could you check the stock information of Freddie Mac in the US stock market?"

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the largest mortgage lenders in the United States, holding or guaranteeing $5.4 trillion in mortgage debt, directly accounting for 44% of the entire U.S. mortgage market, making them the pillars of the U.S. housing market.

The near-death experiences of these two companies and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States, were the most symbolic events of the 2008 financial crisis, and for Ji Yun, they were also the biggest gold mine.

Ji Yun chose to make the transaction today because it's the day Freddie Mac releases its financial report.

Once the huge losses in the financial report are announced, Freddie Mac's stock price will inevitably plummet, and he certainly wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity.

A trader opened Freddie Mac's trading interface and said, "Freddie Mac's current stock price is $35, which is at an all-time low."

Ji Yun thought for a moment. Currently, Freddie Mac shares are priced at $35 each, but by mid-year, Freddie Mac's stock price will be close to zero.

However, this process is not without its fluctuations. After all, it concerns the lifeline of the US financial system. If these two companies collapse, the value of the US housing market, worth trillions, will immediately collapse. At that time, the American people will look at their emptied accounts, huge loan bills, and the thought of losing their jobs... The whole of the United States may directly enter a hunting season.

Therefore, in March, the US government will try to rescue the market by releasing positive information to boost stock prices. If it delays, it may be forced to liquidate its position due to the sudden rise in stock prices.

Therefore, Ji Yun's optimal solution is to buy a short-term put option and profit from the one-month plunge, leveraging up to the maximum extent possible.

"This brother also thinks highly of Freddie Mac?" A handsome middle-aged man wearing Lindbergh gold-rimmed glasses and a custom-made suit came over to greet Ji Yun when he heard about the stock that Ji Yun was interested in.

"This is Mr. Liu from Tianhai Private Equity, who manages over 3 billion yuan in funds. He specializes in US stock investments, primarily in the US real estate sector. He's also one of our bank's six-star clients," Manager Liao proactively introduced. "Today is the day Freddie Mac releases its financial report, so most of the people here are large clients who have investments in the US housing market."

"Ji Yun, the owner of a small film and television company, nice to meet you." Ji Yun also extended her hand in greeting.

"Sorry, I don't usually shake hands with people." Mr. Liu glanced down at his hand, smiled, and raised his hand in refusal. "Young man, interested in buying a property?"

"That's right, Mr. Liu also holds shares?" Ji Yun asked.

"It's worth several hundred million, and I'm quite optimistic about it." Mr. Liu's lips curled into a smile.

"I think you should get out of here as soon as possible," the girl's clear voice sounded from behind.

Li Ying, holding a wine glass, walked over to the two of them.

"Xiaoying, why are you still so pessimistic about the US housing market?" Mr. Liu said helplessly, his tone seemingly carrying a hint of familiarity and affection.

Then, Mr. Liu said loudly, "Freddie Mac's stock price is now $35, which is half of its peak. The US government can't just stand by and watch its national pillar company die, can it? It will rebound sooner or later."

As a well-known expert on the US real estate market in Shanghai's investment circle, his eloquent remarks instantly attracted the attention and support of several other bank VIPs.

"That's right! This is the number one mortgage lender in the US, and the Americans won't let it go down." said a middle-aged man with a down-to-earth appearance but a ruthless and pragmatic demeanor.

When he walked over, he had a beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure in his arms. The woman's face looked familiar; she seemed to be the second or third female lead in last year's Huang Xiaoming version of "Shanghai Bund".

Manager Liao whispered to Ji Yun: "Boss Huang of Hengjiang Real Estate in Shanghai is worth over 20 billion yuan."

It seems that today's event is orchestrated by a behind-the-scenes financier from Shanghai, and Ji Yun's 10 million investment has barely scraped by to get into this room.

"The Fed will definitely cut interest rates at the end of January, and Bush will also launch a stimulus plan. Once financial stocks rebound, it won't be a problem for Fannie Mae to return to 50. Our fund has also bought in," said a white-haired old man with the same elite demeanor.

……

Ji Yun felt that he had stumbled into the den of bullish investors.

However, he thought this was normal. After all, Shanghai was not on the front line, and people tend to have wishful thinking. If everyone could see things clearly, the financial crisis wouldn't have been so powerful.

"Are you also planning to buy a property in Freddie Mac?" Li Ying asked Ji Yun.

"Yeah, why not make money if you can?" Ji Yun shrugged.

"Then you should think it over carefully." Li Ying sighed when she saw that no one agreed with her point of view.

"Young man, you have excellent taste!" Mr. Liu laughed heartily, raised his glass in a toast, and said, "Xiao Ying, you're still a bit conservative."

Li Ying smiled helplessly and remained silent.

"Hurry up, young man, the market's about to open. In five minutes, Fannie Mae's financial report will be released. If you're late, you'll miss this big surge." Mr. Huang, the owner of Hengjiang Real Estate, was eager to try. "We've already bought in."

Ji Yun nodded politely with a smile, then said something to the traders that shocked them: "Buy Freddie Mac put options with all your funds."

After Ji Yun finished speaking, the entire room fell silent for a moment.

Everyone stared at him wide-eyed. This kid actually bought the "down" stock! The Fed is likely to cut interest rates in a few days, and Freddie Mac's stock price will definitely rise. Has this kid gone crazy?

Li Ying, who was about to leave to pour wine, suddenly stopped and looked at him curiously with her big eyes.

"President Ji... are you sure you want to buy at a low price? Don't you have a positive outlook on Freddie Mac?" Manager Liao reminded her.

"Yes, I still think Manager Li makes sense. I'll listen to her." Ji Yun winked at Li Ying. "I saw her real estate speech in Chicago!"

Li Ying chuckled, recalling Ji Yun's fabricated story when they first met.

When Mr. Liu saw that Li Ying and Ji Yun seemed to get along very well, he frowned, took a sip of red wine, and hid the somewhat gloomy expression on his face.