Chapter 24#

Putting down his knife and fork, Xiao Yun crossed his fingers and leaned back in his chair. “Oh, let’s hear it.” His tone was playful, as if he had no interest in the plan at all.

But Chen Yuanming didn’t think so, at least not from the look in the man’s eyes.

“Our prerequisite is the same, to make a fortune before the news comes out.” Chen Yuanming said slowly, “But when the news will come out is the most important question. Tomorrow is the lottery day. Regardless of success or failure, this new stock subscription is the last chance to enter the market before the news is released. The next lottery will be on June 5th, long after the first wave of gains. Even if you acquire more blank forms, and even if you can earn more in the second lottery, the first, and possibly the biggest wave of gains this year, will still be missed.”

Xiao Yun smiled, “So confident. I don’t think so… You’re so eager to sell the winning numbers, there’s probably only one reason, your capital chain is broken, right? One subscription certificate can buy 100 new shares. Even at a face value of 10 yuan, it’s a considerable amount, not to mention the premium. To convert all the subscription certificates in your hand into stocks, you need at least a million in capital. Even if your family is rich, giving a child 200,000 or 300,000 to play with is enough. Holding the subscription certificates but unable to pay the principal to buy new shares, it must be frustrating, right?”

Of course, Chen Yuanming would not be provoked by such words, but just raised the corners of his lips, “If it’s a winning number, selling it to you is a sale, but not to others? There is more than one smart person now, and they can always be sold.”

“Then why suggest it to me? Because I look easy to talk to?” Xiao Yun slowly sat up straight, the imposing aura of a man from a powerful family background becoming stronger, staring at Chen Yuanming’s eyes without blinking.

In the boy’s bright and spirited eyes, there was a frankness.

“Because it’s easier to talk to smart people, and you were the first to approach me.” He flicked the glass in front of him, making a soft buzzing sound. Chen Yuanming, somewhat childishly, wiped away the condensation on the glass, leaving a shallow watermark.

“You don’t mind my age, you didn’t use any threats, and you disdain to deceive or cheat. The people who came to make a fortune this time are too complicated. I’d rather choose a reliable partner.”

The words were sharp and had an immediate effect. Xiao Yun blinked. This kid, who had just been so unyielding, was now playing the friendship card? “A partner… then how many winning numbers are you planning to release?”

“Half.” Chen Yuanming paused and added with emphasis, “I predict that at least 10% will win this time. As long as this number is correct, I can give you a full 600, and the price of each is 2,000 yuan.”

“Hiss~~” Even though Xiao Yun had done a lot of business, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. A toad yawning, what a big talk! “10%? Do you know there will be four lotteries this year? 10% this time, what about the next few times? Are you going to get a total of 50%?”

“Since you have acquaintances in the banking system, you should know what their original planned issuance was.” Chen Yuanming remained calm and slowly raised the stakes, “The actual sales volume this time is too low, which will inevitably increase the winning rate. Otherwise, why would the market price be so high? Are others fools? And this year’s stocks, will there be 10 or more issued? Brother Xiao, do you really not know?”

He did know. Xiao Yun’s heart pounded. Damn it, he had indeed known in advance that the stock issuance would be expanded, which was why he had rushed to Shanghai. Since the information was equal—no, maybe this kid knew more than he did—and the goods were in the other party’s hands, he really had no advantage to speak of.

“Tomorrow is the lottery day. At this point, no one will be selling. And after the lottery, no one with a brain will sell the winning numbers at a low price. The price of the non-winning blank forms will also rise simultaneously to a higher price. How much liquidity did you bring? How many winning numbers can you still buy, and how many blank forms? Or have you really given up on the first chance to win?”

These blows were like stabbing at his weak points. Xiao Yun smiled bitterly. This kid really didn’t let go of other people’s pain. He had already spent 200,000 on acquiring blank forms, but only got less than 2,000, most of which were not consecutive numbers. Even if he was lucky enough to win 10%, it would only be 200 winning numbers. If he used the money to buy winning numbers later, the price would probably be hyped up to 4,000 or 5,000 each. And after the first win, there would be a big market for selling blank forms. He only had a little over two million in hand, how could he support the expenses on both sides? He had brought all his family’s savings this time!

With all these restrictions, he had to get as many cheap winning numbers as possible in the first lottery, and also ensure that he had enough funds to buy new shares. The rest would be used to continue acquiring blank forms in the hope of profiting in the second and third rounds… This wasn’t making a fortune, it was like walking on a mountain of swords and a sea of fire.

It’s all my fault for finding out too late… With a long sigh, Xiao Yun smiled, shaking off all his annoyance and becoming carefree again.

“If it’s really 10%, this deal is still doable.”

It was more than doable. Chen Yuanming showed a slight smile. Even if this guy’s capital chain was not enough, he could still make a profit by reselling some of the 600 winning numbers. He really wanted to find a reliable trading partner. If it weren’t for someone with a powerful family background like this, he wouldn’t have sold them like this. Since he was lucky enough to meet him, he might as well accept it.

“Then let’s see tomorrow’s lottery.” Chen Yuanming raised his glass with a smile, “I hope I’m right.”

“I hope so.”

The two glasses clinked together with a crisp sound, sending out a melodious ripple.

The next day, March 2, 1992, the first lottery ceremony for Shanghai stock subscription certificates was held at the Shanghai Friendship Building. A total of seven new stocks were listed for subscription, with a winning rate of 10.3%.

That night, the phone rang directly in the hotel room. Xiao Yun’s voice was trembling, unable to contain his excitement. Of course, he had less than 120 winning numbers in his hand this time. Without Chen Yuanming’s promise, he could only watch the first wave of the market with wide eyes.

The next morning, in a hotel room at the Park Hotel, Chen Yuanming counted out 600 winning numbers and handed them to Xiao Yun in exchange for a suitcase and a full 1.2 million yuan in cash. And a Shanghai resident ID card that was three-tenths similar to Chen Yuanming, an absolutely authentic document. It seemed that Xiao Yun had put a lot of thought into it. Although it was not Chen Yuanming’s own ID card, in that era of lax scrutiny, it was enough to open a stock account.

Two days later, with this ID card, Chen Yuanming officially opened a stock account and invested all 1.2 million in his Shanghai stock market account. The subscription period was two weeks. Just before the end of the subscription, the Huangpu Wanguo store was even smashed for not being able to change the name on the subscription certificate, almost causing a riot. But for the two people whose overall situation was already settled, this kind of small trouble was no longer in their eyes.

Time flew by, and it was the end of the month, and the new stocks were listed. But this month, the Shanghai stock market basically did not rise, mainly because the market was too small and there were restrictions on ups and downs, which caused the stock price to remain unchanged for two consecutive weeks because no one was selling. This wave of the market also affected a large number of individual investors holding subscription certificates. Blank forms began to appear on the market, and the price was even a few points lower than before the lottery. Xiao Yun unceremoniously opened his pocket and spent all the cash in his pocket on buying blank forms until he ran out of principal in early April.

At this time, Chen Yuanming had already moved out of the Park Hotel and moved into a hotel closer to the large-account room. At that time, due to the insufficient space of securities companies, the real million-dollar households enjoyed the hotel conference rooms leased near the securities companies, which was not the same as the small and medium-sized households with hundreds of thousands squeezed in a gymnasium. In the last few days of March, he just sat on the sofa every day, watching the few stocks rise and fall or remain motionless, drinking tea, reading the newspaper, and chatting…

Although the days seemed to be leisurely, many people in the same room could no longer sit still. A million in capital falling into the water would at least make a sound, unlike the stock market which was so calm. In this anxiety, Chen Yuanming’s calmness as a child became more and more eye-catching. Occasionally, when he saw Xiao Yun coming, he would kindly give him a copy of the “Wen Wei Po” for them to enjoy together.

Until this day, the headline of “Wen Wei Po” was replaced with a sentence - The east wind comes and the spring is full of eyes.

Flicking the newspaper, Chen Yuanming smiled, “Suddenly, like a night of spring breeze, thousands of pear trees blossom.”

He didn’t know if the pear blossoms in Shanghai had bloomed, but the flowers of the stock market were about to bear fruit.

Beginning in April, the old man’s speech began to appear in the newspapers. The stock market began to soar as if it had been given a shot in the arm. Good news was everywhere. The number of listed stocks was also confirmed to be more than 50 for the whole year, from the original 10 or so. The secondary market for subscription certificates became hot again. But no one knew better than Chen Yuanming that this was just a prelude to the real big move.

Under the influence of various good news, Xiao Yun, a novice stock trader, couldn’t help but get excited. At this time, some new stocks had already risen by more than 100%. He even wanted to sell some of his stocks to raise funds to re-enter the subscription certificate market, but Chen Yuanming’s calmness influenced him. In the end, he did not sell a single share of these stocks. The 22-inch color TV in the large-account room was full of red numbers every day, as if to reflect people’s eyes, until May 20th…

Chen Yuanming let out a light breath and moved his slightly stiff fingers. It was finally coming, the golden tail of the first bull market in Chinese history…

At this time, the capital in Chen Yuanming’s stock account had nearly doubled and a half, and he still had 10,000 blank subscription certificates in his hand.