Chapter 141: Fierce Battle in the Stock Market (1)

The stock market is like an ocean, and any single stock within it is merely a drop in the waves.

Following Chu Dong’s strategy, George and his team cast their bait to test the waters. The blocks of shares they put out for sale were swallowed up instantly, without causing so much as a ripple.

Wang Dongliang was being overly ostentatious. By driving up the stock price, he was showing off to Chu Dong: "I have the money. Even if you still hold a significant portion of Haifeng’s shares, they mean nothing to me—at worst, I will simply buy them all out." To him, the Haifeng Group remained as solid as a rock. Yinlong, however, was a different story. Having worked there, Wang knew its general financial standing and could make a fairly accurate guess at its reserves. Furthermore, he still had cards left to play that he hadn't yet revealed.

While Wang was busy showing off, Chu Dong had already offloaded most of his Haifeng holdings, keeping less than 2% in reserve for emergencies. The Yinlong stock was showing signs of a downturn; to step in and try to prop it up now would be suicide—and an ugly one at that.

George and his team had calculated that Yinlong’s stock price was manageable within a 10% fluctuation around fourteen yuan. But if it dropped to eight, the company’s assets would effectively shrink by nearly half—a blow Yinlong could not withstand. They had to stabilize the price above nine yuan at all costs. Everyone knew that once it dipped below nine, the situation would spiral out of control. Market makers essentially lived off the retail investors; without retail participation, the market makers were just moving money from their left hand to their right, losing only a bit on transaction fees. But once retail investors jumped in and reached the volume the market maker desired, the end was near. The market maker would take their profit and vanish, leaving the retail investors to fight over the scraps.

George was sharp. He ignored the low-priced shares Wang Dongliang was dumping and instead sold his own holdings bit by bit, minimizing the chance of alerting Lucas.

"Trying that trick again, are we?" Lucas had a far keener sense of smell than Chu Dong or George anticipated. As soon as he saw the steady stream of selling, he knew Chu Dong was liquidating.

"Buy it all up. Absorb every share you can," Lucas instructed his traders, then turned back to Wang Dongliang. "How many Haifeng shares does he have left?"

"About 4%, I reckon. He donated 4% last time, so he should have at least half left," Wang said through gritted teeth, the thought of it leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

"That little? That’s hardly enough for him to play with." Lucas had become far more accustomed to luxury than in the past; he sipped freshly ground coffee of the finest quality, the temperature calculated to perfection.

"Did you know each other before?" Wang asked, finding it strange that Lucas seemed so familiar with Chu Dong. In Wang’s mind, the two shouldn't have crossed paths—Chu Dong was just a playboy, while Lucas was the gold-medal trader his father had spent a fortune to recruit from abroad.

"Of course. The only loss I’ve ever suffered was at his hands," Lucas said calmly, his expression unmoved by the memory.

"What do you mean? You’re not as good as him?" Wang panicked. Who had he hired? Someone who had already been defeated by Chu Dong?

"It was a simulated business war back when I was in school. It was a game set against the backdrop of society, where we had to see who could make the most money in a set time. I lost, but his victory didn't mean he was stronger." Lucas swirled his coffee cup, looking at the snowflakes dancing outside the window, seemingly in a good mood.

"Then are you sure you can beat him?" Wang felt uneasy. If it were up to him, he couldn't even keep a mountain of gold safe.

"Have you ever seen me lose? Or have you seen Chu achieve anything stunning in the last few years?" Lucas countered with a question.

"Well, no. But what are you getting at? Can you win or not? Just tell me," Wang said, too afraid to scold him but growing impatient.

"If you’re truly worried, you can terminate the contract now. We’ll just treat this as a vacation," Lucas said, knowing perfectly well that Wang couldn't afford to stop now.

"That’s not it. I just want to be sure of our chances, that’s all." Wang cursed Lucas’s ancestors in his heart while keeping a smile plastered on his face.

"That’s fine. Just wait to collect your money. Of course, if you’d rather watch Chu jump off a building, I think there’s a good chance of that too." Lucas raised his coffee cup toward Wang.

"Good, haha! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Cheers!" Wang was overjoyed, clinking his cup against Lucas’s.

The Heng-Hai Fund was indeed powerful. While keeping billions in reserve to prop up Haifeng, they had quietly acquired over 28% of Yinlong’s shares. It was a terrifying display of strength, especially considering that Wang Dongliang had previously waved his money around recklessly and couldn't even touch 5%.

Lucas’s first victory had won Wang’s absolute admiration; otherwise, he never would have let Lucas take the spotlight, preferring to bask in the glory himself.

Chu Dong was currently helpless, forced to use nibbling tactics to scrape together small gains while Lucas was distracted. If they actually went head-to-head, he wouldn't even have a chance to fight back.

In one afternoon, the profit from the Haifeng stock was only enough to recover 3% of Yinlong's shares, and that was assuming the price held at nine yuan. Currently, Yinlong was still falling. Chu Dong understood that Lucas was baiting him into selling Haifeng shares, forcing his capital to shift into the sinking Yinlong stock. By the time Lucas made his final move, Chu Dong would have no retreat left.

His shares were likely to become worthless paper; even a billionaire would be left with nothing but the clothes on his back, if he was lucky.

But Chu Dong had no other choice; he had to take it one step at a time.

In a single day, Yinlong hit two consecutive daily limit-downs. In their first exchange, Chu Dong hadn't lost, but he hadn't won either. Dinner was brought to the office door by the canteen staff and delivered inside by a trusted assistant—not out of mystery, but out of a desperate need for secrecy.

However, such secrecy worked for some, but was redundant for others. Just as Chu Dong was gathering his team to discuss matters over dinner, Tan Xue barged in.

"That’s enough, isn't it? Why are you eating here instead of going home?" Seeing Chu Dong and the room full of people huddled over their meals, she wasn't happy—not because she was upset about not being told he wouldn't be home, but because she was annoyed she hadn't been invited to the good food. Seeing everyone staring at her, she didn't feel out of place at all. She grabbed Chu Dong’s fork and knife and sampled everything on his plate. "Hmm, not bad. It hasn't gone cold yet."

"Xue’er, go home. Little Yu’er is waiting for you to fix her something to eat," Chu Dong said, trying to be as gentle as possible. He couldn't exactly tell her not to stir up trouble.

"She knows how to order her own food now; she knows the menu better than I do. What, are you annoyed I’m stealing your food?" Tan Xue pushed Chu Dong aside, sat in his chair, and started eating, not forgetting to call out to the others, "Eat up, everyone! You can only work if you’re full."

Who was Tan Xue? To George and the others, she was the Boss’s wife. If the Boss had to listen to her, what hope did they have?

If the Boss’s wife said to eat, they ate.

What is elegance? What is romance? None of that mattered now. Following Tan Xue’s lead, these grown men finished their meal in a rush.

Chu Dong was left alone, having eaten nothing, and without the heart to ask the chef for more. He had to hurry and assign tasks.

"You’ve all seen the severity of the situation today. Even before they’ve made a truly ruthless move, we couldn't gain any advantage. Tomorrow will be even harder. My requirements are simple: I want to use our remaining resources to hold out as long as possible and inflict the greatest possible damage on those attacking us. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Everyone shouted in unison, startling a slightly bewildered Tan Xue.

Only when they were heading back together that night did she finally ask what was really happening with Yinlong.

"Yinlong has several large bank loans taken out to accelerate development. You know the total loan amount crossed the warning threshold, right?" Chu Dong asked.

"I know that much. Don't think I’ve just been slacking off," Tan Xue said, lifting her chin proudly. "That was for building the Tianhang Tower. It’ll be finished in three months, and we can recoup the investment then. What’s the problem?"

"The problem is those loans that crossed the threshold," Chu Dong nodded. "We didn't handle our bank relationships well because we didn't rely on loans to grow. Once Yinlong’s assets shrink in such a short time and there’s a possibility of insolvency, the banks will immediately demand asset preservation. Yinlong will be sealed off, the stock will be suspended, our shares will become worthless paper, and we’ll be forced to close. Our high-quality, core assets will be auctioned off to pay the debts. This is all predictable. So, tell me, what has happened to Yinlong?"

Tan Xue fell silent. She understood perfectly what his words meant: if this really happened, tomorrow’s Yinlong would be yesterday’s Chu family business.

"But, Xue’er, don't be afraid. Even if I become a pauper, I can still afford to take care of you." Chu Dong was still in the mood to joke.

"Huh? What?" Tan Xue had been racking her brain for a solution and hadn't heard him clearly. Even if she had, she probably wouldn't have been in the mood to tease him back. "Have you thought of any way to deal with them?"

"Surrender or fight. The former might allow us to linger on, the latter will likely leave us with nothing left," Chu Dong said faintly.

Yu’er was already asleep, and Li Youlan was watching television out of boredom. After Chu Dong and Tan Xue finished their showers, they went to bed early. Tomorrow would be another grueling day.

The howling north wind whipped up the snow, stinging anyone it touched. Dalian had never been this cold; the elders said that in all their lives, these past few years had been the bitterest.

The snow on the road had been compressed into ice by the passing vehicles. Chu Dong drove to Yinlong early in the morning. The battle was about to begin.