Chapter 508 Male God
"Hey, what are you looking at? Why are you so absorbed in it?"
Seeing Lu Yiming staring out the window with a gloomy look, Li Yiwen couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked him a question.
In his eyes, Lu Yiming was always like this. He would be distracted from time to time, but every time he was distracted, he would always do something earth-shattering, which made his heart, as an "experienced person", a little unbearable and his blood pressure would always soar.
Facing Li Yiwen's doubts and inquiries, Lu Yiming smiled, but did not hide his true thoughts: "Nothing, I just found something interesting."
Li Yiwen was puzzled. He looked outside through the window. It was a very ordinary night scene. In his sight, he didn't see anyone or anything worth surprising. So he looked at Lu Yiming more puzzledly: "What's interesting?"
Lu Yiming paused for a moment, organized his words, and then continued, "Capitalist economic crises occur about every ten years, and the S&P 500 has experienced nine declines of more than 30% from high to low in the past ninety years. Since the United States announced in 1971 that it would no longer be pegged to gold and the U.S. dollar exchange rate would float freely, the S&P 500 has only experienced two declines of more than 30% so far."
"so?"
A question mark appeared on Li Yiwen's forehead. In his opinion, this information was too vague.
However, Lu Yiming, who came from the future, had a vision beyond this era, and he saw something: "So I think the third time should be about to start. I missed the first and second times, so I can't miss the third time."
Li Yiwen was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
After all, he was an accountant by training, so he naturally knew a little about economics, but he simply couldn't understand Lu Yiming's train of thought.
"Can't you stop thinking about how to cause trouble to others every day?"
Lu Yiming shook his head and said in defense: "This pit was dug by Wall Street. I just happened to be there at the right time. How can I be the one causing trouble for others?"
Hearing this, Li Yiwen couldn't help but sigh: "Before I went abroad, I always heard that the United States was good in this and that way, but when I really came out, I found that all crows are black, and there is no pure land in the world. No matter where the wolves are, they all want to eat meat, and all the sheep in the world are only destined to be eaten."
The human civilization system is built on the system of exploitation.
Private ownership has brought unprecedented glory and prosperity, but it has also brought countless ugliness and greed.
Lu Yiming, who has experienced the 996 work week, naturally has a deep understanding of this truth: "The whole world is comparing ourselves to others. When you think our lives are bad, you look around and find that others are living worse lives. So happiness and joy are all derived from comparison."
He said this, in this life, he didn't want to fall into the quagmire and struggle helplessly again.
At the same time, there are also people who have just fallen from heaven into hell, stuck in the mud and unable to escape.
In a three-story luxury villa in Brooklyn, New York, Ian Ball climbed up from the blanket in the living room with a haggard face.
He was woken by the frantic ringing of the doorbell.
There were many wine bottles scattered on the blanket around him, and as he staggered to his feet, the bottles collided with each other, making a series of noises.
When the door opened, sunlight shone in and he suddenly felt a blinding whiteness in front of his eyes. He quickly turned his head away and blocked the sunlight with his hands.
The person who rang the doorbell was his good friend Marcus Baker.
As soon as the door opened, Marcus was rushed back several steps by the smell of alcohol and vomit.
"Ian, you've been drinking again."
He looked over Ian Ball's shoulder and saw the room full of scattered wine bottles. He couldn't help but frown and said, "You can't drink like this anymore!"
Ian Ball felt as if he had kicked a wine bottle. He bent down to pick up the bottle, then raised his neck and poured the wine in the bottle into his mouth.
Unfortunately, only a few drops of wine from the bottle flowed into his mouth with difficulty.
He smacked his lips, looking unsatisfied, and then he stretched out his hand to his friend Marcus Beck with a dejected expression, "Give me fifty dollars, I want to buy some wine. I don't have the money to pay back, so just take whatever you like. Anyway, if you don't take it now, it will be cheaper for others in the future."
Ian Ball is in his early thirties, tall and handsome. He was originally a multi-millionaire on Wall Street who made his fortune by short selling.
In his past life, he was once a genius in the eyes of his classmates and family, and a favored child in the financial circle.
But unfortunately, what Wall Street lacks the least is genius.
In this ocean of money, high IQ is just a standard feature, not worth mentioning, and it is not a magic weapon for getting rich. Sometimes, being too smart makes it easier to fall into a trap.
Just five years ago, Ian Ball co-founded Saltwater Associates. Because he saw the frenzy and irrationality of the stock market before others, he quickly set his sights on some companies that had no profitability but whose stock prices were rising steadily.
With his excellent eloquence, graduation from a prestigious university, and an excellent resume, he successfully raised 10 million US dollars from investors in the early stages of his business.
However, Ian Ball, who was full of confidence and ready to make a big move, did not have a smooth start in his short fund business. Only one year later, his partner Revtas withdrew his investment because he could not bear the pressure, and then unfortunately ran into the Internet bubble bull market.
The results of short selling in a bull market are predictable.
In 1995, the fund lost 30 percent, in 1996, it lost 15 percent, and in 1998, it lost 40 percent. By the beginning of this year, the size of the Saltwater Fund had fallen by 80 percent.
It's only a matter of time before you go bankrupt.
As a genius, Ian Ball lost to idiots in the market whose IQ was less than half his, and to those Internet scam companies whose stock prices kept rising even though they had no profit model.
Ian Ball was extremely disappointed with this absurd world. Of course, it was also related to the fact that his young model girlfriend left him and the fact that this mansion was about to be taken away by the bank and auctioned.
At this point, in the deepest despair and as a complete loser, there is nothing that can make him forget his troubles except alcohol.
After entering the door, there were countless wine bottles scattered everywhere in the huge living room. If you were not careful, you would slip and fall on your back.
Marcus Baker "trudged" with difficulty and finally walked in front of Ian Ball.
As a friend of many years, he couldn't bear to see it, and said to Ian Ball who was sitting on the sofa: "You were so outstanding back then, but look at you now, it's like failure is branded on your face."
Ian Ball was about to say something when the doorbell rang.
Shaking his head to sober himself up, Ian Ball stood up shakily and waved to Marcus Baker, "I'll go open the door. I think someone from the bank is coming."
But when he opened the door, he saw two unfamiliar Asian faces. Ian Ball was drunk and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Are you here to take my house? Whatever. I've lost everything I can lose anyway."
The people who came were none other than Lu Yiming and Li Yiwen who had just attended a charity auction .
Lu Yiming couldn't help pinching his nose; the strong smell of alcohol was really a bit pungent.
After taking several steps back, he frowned and asked, "Are you Ian Ball? The founder of Saltwater Fund?"
Although I had seen Ian Ball's photo before coming here, this "loser" in front of me is so different from the handsome American man in the photo, right?
Li Yiwen couldn't help but question, "Are you sure this is the person we are looking for?"
Lu Yiming turned around and looked at Ian Ball again, with a somewhat uncertain tone: "I don't know either."
There is no doubt that if you want to create a god, you must choose handsome people. After all, handsome and rich people are in line with the public's imagination. This is just like the film and television industry first looks at the face when looking for actors. People are visual animals, and a good-looking face can definitely leave a deep first impression.
So, when Bill Gates and others took out a bunch of information about fund companies on the verge of bankruptcy and showed it to Lu Yiming, Lu Yiming chose the most handsome one at first sight.
However, seeing the guy in front of him, Lu Yiming didn't dare to look him in the eye.
His hair was a mess, like a chicken coop, and had grown to his neck. His beard was tangled and frizzy, and there was some dried vomit on it. His eye sockets were deep and his eyes were lifeless. If you want to say that this face is full of artistic atmosphere, it must be attributed to the Fauvism.
Facing the puzzled looks of Ian Ball and Marcus Baker, Lu Yiming had no choice but to say, "We are neither from the bank nor your creditors..."
At this point, Lu Yiming paused, and then said: "But it will be soon. I plan to take over your company."
"Um?"
Ian Ball heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the first half of the sentence. After all, his current situation was to work day by day. Being able to stay here for one more day meant one less day of pitching a tent on the park lawn or on the roadside. After all, no matter how shabby the villa was, it was always better than a bridge hole.
However, when hearing the second half of the sentence, not only Ian Ball, but even Marcus Baker was confused for a moment.
"You want to take over my company?"
Ian Ball burped, and the smell of alcohol rose to his head. His already red face seemed to become even redder.
Lu Yiming said without hesitation: "Yes."
He pulled out a photo, which was a handsome promotional photo of Ian Ball.
"I'll give you an hour. Once you're like this, we can talk about what's next."
Faced with this strange request, Ian Ball did not hesitate.
For him, if someone was willing to take over his company, it would be like pulling him back from the edge of the cliff.
As for why this person wanted to take over such a debt-ridden company... there are countless fools in the world, why would there be so many whys?
Although Ian Ball's behavior of shorting Internet technology stocks in the bull market was indeed too stubborn, his personality is really perfect.
A man who was on the verge of bankruptcy because of his insistence on shorting unhealthy Internet companies, suddenly came to his senses when he was about to fall into despair, strengthened his confidence, returned to his old business, and ultimately turned the situation around through his personal efforts, achieving huge success and proving to everyone that he was not crazy and that he was right.
Lu Yiming has already written the story script, so the question is whether it is touching or exciting!
With such a character, wouldn’t those lower-class American retail investors who are holding on to the American dream be moved to tears?
In addition, Ian Ball looks like a typical handsome American man. He was born in a commoner family. He relied on his own excellence and hard work to embark on the road to wealth. His appearance and IQ are both online. He is definitely the template of the classic protagonist in Hollywood stories.
This is why Lu Yiming went to visit in person. He had to see with his own eyes whether the chess pieces he selected met his requirements.
Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I am even more convinced.
Although the middle-aged man in front of him was a bit decadent, his foundation was still there. He shaved his stubble, cleaned his face, and put on a new brand suit. With this appearance, he could make countless girls and young women scream if he was taken to a nightclub.
Even the melancholy and cynicism brought about by the experience of failure might be a plus, making Lu Yiming's plan to short the US stock market more likely.
Just fifteen minutes later, Ian Ball, who had tidied himself up, appeared in front of Lu Yiming.
At this moment, he was dressed in bright clothes and in high spirits, completely different from the drunkard just now.
Lu Yiming then smiled slightly and nodded with satisfaction: "This is pretty good."
Ian Ball's spirit also changed, and he seemed to have regained some of his previous confidence. He asked, "Are you sure you want to acquire my Saltwater United Fund? Are you kidding?"
Lu Yiming showed an impatient look, frowning at Ian Ball and saying, "I flew tens of thousands of kilometers to the United States on a private jet, not to joke with a poor guy who is about to go bankrupt. If you don't want to sleep on the streets next month, you'd better give me an answer now. I don't have much patience."
Ian Ball was once a Wall Street elite and mingled in New York's upper class society, so he could see that Lu Yiming was not pretending.
Ordinary people can never fake the aura of a billionaire.
The unparalleled self-confidence brought by huge wealth, this temperament that comes from the inside out, is so conspicuous under the sharp eyes of Wall Street elites, like a firefly in the dark night.
Ian Ball immediately adjusted his mood, stood up straight, regained some of his former confidence and demeanor, and tried his best to show Lu Yiming his best side: "Hello, let me introduce myself again, I am Ian Ball, the founder of Saltwater Fund."
"very good."
Lu Yiming nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Now we can continue our conversation."
Then, Ian Ball pointed at Marcus Baker and said to Lu Yiming: "This is my partner Marcus Baker. This is..."
When introducing Lu Yiming to Marcus Beck, Ian Ball suddenly got stuck. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and asked, "What are your names?"
Lu Yiming introduced, "I am Lu Yiming, he is my partner Li Yiwen, we are both from Xia country."
Since he was a senior executive of Saltwater Fund, Lu Yiming did not shy away from asking Ian Ball directly, "I and some big shots are planning to invest in your Saltwater Fund, and then we will let you short the US stock market. Do you have confidence?"
Ian Ball was startled after hearing this, and then he seemed to have thought of something, with an excited and excited expression on his face: "Of course, I have long felt that the current market conditions are not right, but in the past, I could not fight against the entire crazy market conditions."
As a highly intelligent Wall Street elite, Ian Ball lost to a group of idiots whose IQ and education were not even half as high as his. He has always been unwilling to accept the fact and dreams of avenging himself.
And now, he seemed to see this hope in Lu Yiming.
Even from Lu Yiming's words just now, he got a lot of key information and began to guess the identity of the young Asian man in front of him.
However, he didn't know that Lu Yiming actually released this information deliberately in order to mislead his judgment.
What's more, every word Lu Yiming said was not a lie. Epstein did indeed bring in a lot of dignitaries in North America to secretly support the short-selling of US stocks. This is a fact in itself. It's just that Lu Yiming only said part of the truth and did not tell the whole story.
A truly brilliant lie is one that is nine truths and one lie. By deliberately revealing less important secondary information, Lu Yiming easily removed himself from the picture and hid behind the scenes.
Even Ian Ball didn't know that this short-selling plan was actually planned by Lu Yiming from the very beginning.
In Ian Ball's view, Lu Yiming was just an executor who was pushed out.
Afterwards, Lu Yiming gave Ian Ball a long list and began to tell him what to do: "These are the stocks you want to short. You can start now."
Ian Ball was surprised after reading it, because at the top of the list were several of the hottest technology companies at the moment, including Intel, Yahoo and Amazon. The only one not on the list was Microsoft.
Ian Ball frowned and said, "Why not Microsoft? Today's Microsoft is embroiled in antitrust lawsuits. As a target for short selling, it is a good prey."
I have to say that there is nothing wrong with Ian Ball's analysis. After all, whether it is Intel, Yahoo or Amazon, they are now developing step by step, while Microsoft is deeply involved in a monopoly scandal. If there is really a need for short selling, Microsoft should be the first to bear the brunt.
However, despite all his calculations, he did not take into account the most crucial point.
Lu Yiming smiled slightly and did not hide it from him: "Because among the people who invested in you is the richest man in the United States. According to the law, he cannot short himself, unless you want to be sent to jail for insider trading."
Ian Ball understood it instantly, and his mood became hot at the same time. This kind of opportunity to "enforce justice on behalf of heaven" does not come often.
What benefits can a small company extract?
If we are going to rob, of course we are going to rob those big and wealthy companies!
Ian Ball couldn't help but get excited. He must do a great job this time!
