Chapter 833: Chapter 812: Uprooting Every Last Blade of Chives Lu Liang plans to watch and wait, since there are still four days until the settlement date. They shouldn’t be anxious; the ones truly anxious are someone else. At this moment, Wilson calls and says, “Lu, maybe we can collaborate once more.” “What’s in it for me?” Lu Liang’s tone is hostile, seemingly still brooding over the foreign exchange market incident. Kamon says he didn’t say anything and wouldn’t admit anything; Lu Liang acting as if nothing happened is the best protection for him. Wilson squints with a smile, “Just lost a little bit. You alone can’t swallow all the profits from the Forex.” He’s pleased that Lu Liang listened to him, displaying an attitude as if they’re a billion dollars in debt to him. If he suddenly treats him well, those around like Mr. Su Shimin will start to suspect. Lu Liang sneers and mocks, “Whether or not I can swallow it is my business. Even if the retail investors profit, it’s fine.” “But we did indeed intercept successfully; you can’t deny that, can you?” With a cold laugh, Lu Liang hangs up the phone directly. Wilson looks frustrated and turns to Mr. Su Shimin, “Maybe let’s just forget it. We don’t need to cooperate with him; we should still be able to solve it ourselves.” “Keep calling; Lu Liang is the initiator of the short against Neon. If he switches sides, the subsequent situation won’t favor us.” Mr. Su Shimin watches Wilson, the suspicion in his eyes gradually fading. Recently, he’s been feeling uneasy, unable to pinpoint why, but he trusts his gut feeling. This feeling has helped him avoid many significant crises in the past. Mr. Su Shimin reviews all the plans and finds the biggest uncertainty is Cameron Wilson. Although he’s been excluded from the inner circle, he’s been in the core for a long time and has been exposed to many things. Chapters fırst released on novel•fire.net He might be able to deduce their entire plan through some clues and personal information channels and sell this crucial intelligence to Lu Liang. That’s why Mr. Su Shimin keeps testing Wilson, including contacting Lu Liang to broadcast directly this time. It’s a way to judge if they’ve been in contact privately recently through Lu Liang’s tone and attitude. But it seems he might be overthinking, or perhaps he’s getting older, not as hard-hearted as when he was younger. “You talk to him; I can’t continue talking to him.” Wilson unwillingly. “Then let’s request a video call with Lu Liang; let’s let everyone meet.” Mr. Su Shimin says. After a few minutes, Wilson calls again. Lu Liang answers grumpily, “Harassment?” “Lu Liang, this is Mr. Su Shimin.” A standard Chinese voice comes through, and Lu Liang smiles, “Mr. Su, long time no see; your Chinese is getting better and better.” “Thanks to you, I had to hire another Chinese teacher to continue my studies.” Mr. Su Shimin straightforwardly jokes. Previously, his Chinese proficiency was about the level of a southern city accent Chinese. But because of Lu Liang’s emergence, his Chinese improved rapidly, now sufficient to teach at a major university. “Our Chinese culture is profound and extensive; it’s never too late to learn, and there’s no end to learning.” Lu Liang says with a smile. “I’ve sent a link to your assistant’s email; let’s all meet and openly discuss, shall we?” Through the email link, Lu Liang accesses a standalone webpage with only a video chatroom. The screen shows six small frames, namely Blackstone Su Shimin, Morgan Wilson, Vanguard Daun, BlackRock Plisto, State Street Griman, and investment advisor Hamak from the Federal Reserve. “Ms. Hamak, I believe this is our first meeting.” Lu Liang smiles brightly, looking at the only woman inside. Boria Hamak had worked at Goldman Sachs for 26 years, serving as their global finance manager before being recruited by the Federal Reserve as the investment director of the Federal Bank. There’s word she might succeed Powell, becoming the head of the Federal Bank and the chairperson of the Federal Reserve Board. The rumor seems plausible; if she were just the investment director of the Federal Bank, she wouldn’t qualify for this position. “Mr. Lu, this isn’t our first meeting.” Hamak smiles and mentions this is their second meeting. But during the first meeting, she saw Lu Liang, while he didn’t see her. “One in the open? One in the dark? When was that?” Lu Liang thinks for a long time but can’t recall. Hamak says, “Last May, you visited Goldman Sachs to meet David; we crossed paths at the doorway.” “I blame my eyes for not recognizing you then; please don’t mind.” Lu Liang says with a laugh, indeed having visited Goldman Sachs’s Global CEO David Solomon. Hamak smiles indifferently and continues, “Liu Qing used to be my subordinate, working by my side for several years.” Lu Liang squints with a smile, “That’s great; I have a good relationship with Miss Liu. Lotus recently visited our Tianxing District in Su City for an inspection.” “It’s just a pity; Lotus has investments from Goldman Sachs, Lenovo, and Geely, not missing our Tianxing Finance. I even blamed Miss Liu for this, obviously treating me like an outsider…” Lu Liang talks endlessly like a chatterbox. Wilson shows a hint of disdain and hurriedly interrupts, “Lu Liang, let’s talk business.” The chatterbox aside, this guy always emphasizes his relationship with Liu Qing is platonically close, depicting Liu Qing’s departure to DiDi as an outstanding woman’s act of continuous self-challenge. It’s as if they weren’t aware Liu Qing was dismissed by Lu Liang, making the Lenovo-Geely Lotus acquisition a forced move. Lu Liang turns reluctantly to Hamak, “Ms. Hamak, it’s a pleasure to meet you; let’s talk more when we get the chance.” Hamak nods with a smile, her expression not as natural as the first encounter, becoming slightly stiff like a mannequin. “Let’s discuss how you want to cooperate with me?” Lu Liang gets straight to the point, seizing the initiative. First stating a stance, this time they’re seeking cooperation, not him, thus he is the principal. Mr. Su Shimin smiles, not minding being slightly verbally overshadowed by Lu Liang, saying, “There are still four days until the settlement date; although Tianxing Finance shifted focus to the Nikkei Index, there’s still a seven to eight hundred billion USD position in the Forex Market, right?” “Is the settlement date approaching that quickly?” Lu Liang is surprised, seeming to have just realized this. He mumbles, “Looks like those chips should be sold early, lest the short covering leads to spitting out the profits within reach.” Their expressions change after hearing this. Mr. Su Shimin says gravely, “Mr. Lu, we’re sincere; discussing this way leaves nothing to discuss.” Though he’s unsure about Lu Liang’s investment in Forex positions, he knows it wouldn’t be less than five hundred billion USD. If Lu Liang closes out early or suddenly, everyone here would not only lose profits but face deficits. As the initiator of shorting Neon’s economy, Lu Liang’s cost basis is absolutely the lowest among all institutions present. This is precisely why they’re seeking collaboration with him. If they don’t seek his help, letting Tianxing’s funds exit first is minor; the real fear is him dining and ditching, or even overturning the table. “Mr. Su Shimin, I also want to discuss well, but you’re always testing me; what’s the point of this?” Lu Liang smiles and retorts. Mr. Su Shimin remains silent for a moment and says, “Not afraid to give you a bottom line, 140 yen is our goal.” “Do you think I’d believe that?” Lu Liang chuckles, asking, “A 25% devaluation, can you believe Neon can withstand it?” Since Neon was pinned down to sign the Plaza Accord, it entered a thirty-year economic stagnation. Taking these years into account, other countries had growth Neon didn’t; the yen’s purchasing power fell roughly 43%. Thirty years fell 43%, one month fell 25%. The United States adopts a cyclical harvesting strategy for Neon; this is akin to uprooting scallions—can life carry on afterwards? Mr. Su Shimin squints and says, “Mr. Lu, may I ask why General Tianxing is going public now?” General Tianxing’s ideal IPO timing should be when the German factory is completed and market sales achieve certain results. Not relying on a Swedish girl to promote environmentalism and critique fuel cars for polluting without achieving anything substantial, hastily kickstarting the IPO process. Lu Liang’s thoughts align with theirs. He’s concerned the growing friction between the two nations might render the Tongtian investment unrecoverable, so the earlier it goes public, the better to avoid possible future changes leaving empty-handed. They’re uprooting Neon just the same. Tianxing Finance, starting from Xiangjiang, is conquering territories across East Asian countries. In this cycle, they can harvest Neon’s national wealth by intercepting Lu Liang, but it might not be the same next cycle. If it’s uncertain whether the next time allows harvesting Neon, why leave roots this time? To leave it for Lu Liang? “Live for today; do you think what I said is right, Mr. Lu Liang?” Facing Mr. Su Shimin’s inquiry, Lu Liang chuckles indifferently, neither affirming nor denying, “Mr. Su Shimin, let’s discuss how we should cooperate instead.”