After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future
Chapter 456 - 451: Selling High to Buy Low

The two women were talking in the room when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Taeyeon, Meeyoung, you've worked hard."

Li Xuanhong's usual demeanor had changed, and he was very respectful.

He had already discussed with SM Economic Company that they would focus on nurturing them next, providing each with two TV or film roles, as well as two album release opportunities.

After all, the neighboring country was both limiting salaries and restricting Korean culture, so Korean entertainment was having a tough time in recent years.

If they could seize the opportunity, they might be able to make a comeback.

And the price to pay was, maintain well and try to keep a long-term relationship with Lu Liang, then they wouldn't need to engage in socializing anymore, just Lu Liang would do.

The two women looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes, and quickly bowed to give thanks, "Minister Li, thank you."

Li Xuanhong's smile grew wider, his expression genteel, "Ladies, then I'll take my leave, and not disturb your rest."

Zheng Xuanyi had emphasized more than once that Lu Liang was very important, their relationship with Lu Liang didn't even compare to the two women's relationship with him.

Being nice to them was in hopes that they would have a chance to whisper in his ear, to give Lu Liang some attachment to Korea.

Upon Li Xuanhong's departure, the two women snapped out of their daze.

Meeyoung slapped her own cheek in disbelief, "Was that really Minister Li just now?"

"Should be, right?" Taeyeon also lacked confidence, how could such a violent person suddenly become so gentlemanly?

Excited, Meeyoung let out a scream and quickly hugged her phone, tapping out messages. Taeyeon asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Building a rapport with Mr. Lu, and next time, I'll take Yun'er to East Country to play with him," Meeyoung said, her eyes smiling.

Li Xuanhong had already made it clear just now that the opportunity was in their own hands, not in getting film and album sales, but in maintaining a good relationship with Lu Liang.

As she spoke, she suddenly gave a sly smile and reached out to pull down Taeyeon's left shoulder strap, "Captain, quickly strike a nice pose, Mr. Lu, likes you the most."

From the battle last night, it was clear that initially, Lu Liang favored her, for her ability to bring a lively atmosphere, but during the middle and later stages, Lu Liang obviously preferred Taeyeon.

However, Taeyeon was not the proactive type, resulting in her becoming increasingly proactive, and Lu Liang growing increasingly fond of Taeyeon.

"Stop it, Mr. Lu is busy, we can talk about it later," said Taeyeon, her face flushing as she pulled up her strap and gave a fierce glare.

Displeased, Meeyoung huffed and jumped onto the sofa, using a grappling move from behind she cooed, "If Mr. Lu contacts you, you must take me with you."

"Yeah yeah~ I know~~ Stop it, where are you touching? Can you not be so promiscuous~~"

"I'm just like this, what are you going to do about it?"

For a moment, the room was alive with the atmosphere of spring.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Lu Liang arrived at Tokyo airport.

As he traveled towards Ginza, he received several photos from Meeyoung: Taeyeon nearly stripped, hugging a blanket, pointing at the camera, her face full of embarrassed anger.

Meeyoung sent a message, her smile beaming, "Mr. Lu, you wouldn't want Taeyeon to get hurt by me, right?"

Lu Liang replied, "Of course not, what should I do?"

"That's easy, just remember to come and find me when you have time; otherwise, I can't promise what I might do to Taeyeon."

"Understood, don't let anything happen."

The Tokyo Stock Exchange closes half an hour later than Big A.

At three-thirty, it was the busiest time of the day.

Xingheng Investment Company was just upstairs, and there were many people entering and exiting the main doors and in the elevator.

Wen Chao explained as they walked, "Mr. Lu, the day before yesterday, the Nikkei surpassed twenty-five thousand points, reaching that level for the first time since '89."

The Nikkei 225 index, during the economic bubble of 1989, had once touched a high of thirty-eight thousand points.

Since then, it had slumped significantly, especially during the 2008 financial crisis when it plummeted to seven thousand points.

However, this situation saw a marked improvement after Anshan served two terms, resolutely implementing Anshanomics.

"Without the hegemony of the US dollar, they try to emulate quantitative easing, they're bound to fail," Lu Liang said with a contemptuous smile.

The rise of the Nikkei and the rise of US stocks,

were similar, yet different.

Both relied on currency devaluation, commonly known as quantitative easing.

That is, printing more money, pumping more liquidity; when there's more money in the market, the stock market rises too.

US stocks operated the same way, printing more money, pumping more liquidity.

But there's a fundamental difference between them.

The US dollar is stronger than the yen.

The US dollar is a reserve currency for countries around the world, which is why the United States dares to print more.

Suppose there's only 100 billion US dollars in global circulation, and the United States holds 60 billion of that, then the remaining 40 billion are held by various countries.

"If he lost 10 billion in business this year, leaving him with 50 billion, he could choose to issue an additional 10 billion to compensate.

That would make his money 60 billion again and increase the total US Dollar amount to 110 billion, spreading the cost onto the heads of every country holding US Dollars.

It's despicable, but there's no helping it.

It's because the US Dollar is the world's recognized main currency; all countries acknowledge it, and holding it means you need to be prepared to be harvested.

The yen is just the world's fourth-largest currency, with the fifth-ranked RMB glaring covetously; how dare it mimic the US Dollar's quantitative easing.

It's like setting oneself on fire, just for a brief moment of brightness.

Lu Liang saw this clearly, which is why he had no interest in the Nikkei. If they used yen to buy Japanese stocks, maybe the stocks wouldn't even rise as fast as the yen would devalue."

Walking and talking, they arrived at the company on the 7th floor.

The number of employees was almost fifty, which was more than half of what it was the last time Lu Liang had visited.

Wen Chao called out, clapped his hands, and, already able to converse in simple Japanese, roughly meant to gather everyone in the conference room to recognize their boss.

A few people waited in the conference room for a while.

Wen Chao took the stage with a smile, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is our boss, Lu Liang, Chairman Lu."

Although they had no board of directors or chairman position, Wen Chao was the president, so Lu Liang couldn't just be another president.

The term 'Chairman' was perfect to plain and clearly indicate that Lu Liang was a significant level higher than him, the owner of the company.

"Hello, everyone. I will be coming here more often because of the upcoming projects, and I hope everyone can cooperate as much as possible."

Lu Liang's face was filled with confidence; if it had been before, his accented English might have made him too shy to speak in front of so many people, but not anymore.

He was the boss, and if his subordinates didn't understand, they would need to look for their own reasons: did they try hard enough to get used to it? Did they listen carefully?

It was definitely not his problem.

The people below whispered amongst themselves, those who knew Lu Liang and were aware of his past achievements were quickly briefing those who didn't.

Soon the noisy chatter vanished, replaced by looks of admiration, almost veneration.

Though Lu Liang hadn't been very active in the international market in the past six months, legends about him always circulated in worldly society.

He fought international hot money, kicked Wall Street institutions, shorted the yen, shorted the British Pounds, and went long on Gold...

It was like he was riding on the head of Wall Street capital, using his fists to force them into submission.

Though Lu Liang had also shorted the yen in the past, let bygones be bygones; it was like with Hiroshima.

Lu Liang just showed his face, patted Wen Chao on the shoulder, handing over the meeting to him, then left the conference room.

"Mr. Lu, I've missed you so much."

Upon their first meeting, Ota Ling gave Lu Liang a firm embrace, smiling from ear to ear, even happier than if he had seen his late father.

"Miss as you may, you can't just say such things." Lu Liang chuckled and invited Ota Ling to Wen Chao's office for a talk.

The two exchanged pleasantries and inquired about each other's current situation.

Ota Ling seemed to think it was the right moment and suddenly asked, "Mr. Lu, did you come this time because you believe Bitcoin has peaked?"

He looked bitter, having learned that Lu Liang had bet on Bitcoin, the investment department of Mitsui Sumitomo dabbled with several billions.

The result was a total knockout; a cost of more than $5,000 dropped straight to $4,280, resulting in a loss of 19.5%.

A loss of over 100 million US Dollars, if it weren't for investing 340 million US Dollars in Xingheng, which should have doubled, he wouldn't even dream of reelection next year.

"Mr. Ota, why do you do this to yourself?" Lu Liang couldn't help but laugh without directly answering the question.

If Mitsui Sumitomo shorted, he could understand, after all, they hedge risks by going long and short.

But he didn't expect them to be so greedy: investing long in their fund yet continuing to go long on their behalf.

Ota Ling offered a wry smile, "Mr. Lu, you're unaware, we didn't want to, but it was a task from American capital institutions."

The head of BlackRock Vanguard even voiced that they hoped in the upcoming years of international turbulence, they would find a new channel for capital risk aversion.

Bitcoin almost fit the bill.

It was a task from American capital; they had no choice but to obey.

They had to at least start building a position, who knew that just as they moved in heavily, they encountered a silent kill, at one point making him wonder if the American capital institutions had deliberately set a trap for them.

"Is it mandatory?" Lu Liang abruptly asked.

"Not necessarily, but it's almost the same."

Ota Ling sighed and glanced at Lu Liang, then hurriedly asked, "Mr. Lu, do you have something in mind?"

"Mr. Ota, I hope you will not inquire further."

Lu Liang smiled with the corners of his mouth, the causes and consequences of Bitcoin's surge gradually becoming clear in his mind.

The catch and release strategy meant Mitsui Sumitomo Group had poured in a substantial amount of funds, so did Mitsubishi, Japan United, and even the neighboring Samsung, including Hyundai Group – they would only increase their stakes, not decrease.

Several large consortia from two East Asian countries were likely trapped inside, and their existence was meant to ignite the momentum for this wave.

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