Chapter 152 All Roads Lead to Rome

The next morning.

Su Yehao slept in, not getting up until nearly nine-thirty, after playing mahjong late into the night.

As he came downstairs in his gray pajamas, representatives from several mainland companies were already waiting at the front door of the villa.

Yawning, Su Yehao greeted them, "Sorry, spring makes me want to sleep in. Happy New Year to you all. Please wait a moment while my secretary shows you around. There's a meeting room in the small castle where we can meet later."

An executive from China Resources immediately waved his hand and said, "No worries at all! Happy New Year to you too, Su Zong. We're older and can't sleep well, so we envy you young people for your good sleep. Hahaha, Su Zong, take your time to get ready, and we can have the meeting after breakfast."

"Yes, yes, such a beautiful house. I haven't seen anything like it, even when I was studying in the US. The big garden is almost like a park. It's perfect for a walk in the sun. It's so cold in Beijing; it was still snowing when we left."

The speaker was an executive from CITIC Group, who was amazed by the environment after looking around.

The alpacas, having just been sheared yesterday, were now peering out from a corner, with only the hair on their heads and tails remaining. They looked as if they had lost dozens of pounds and appeared a bit ugly.

Seeing guests arriving, the security guards hurriedly chased the alpacas away.

After exchanging pleasantries, Su Yehao went upstairs to change.

Linda Yun was responsible for showing the way. Familiar with the place, she acted as a guide for the dozen or so guests, taking them for a stroll in the garden and then to the small castle to see Su Yehao's collection.

This year's spring auction hadn't started yet.

However, the day before yesterday morning, the art investigator had sent two more Monet paintings, namely *The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil* and *Haystacks*.

In order to legally avoid last year's capital gains tax, Su Yehao had made a sudden purchase of over $100 million worth of art. These two Monet paintings were among them, costing him over $50 million, more expensive than the Van Gogh painting.

In terms of collectible value, Monet's status is similar to Van Gogh's; there is never a shortage of market demand, and the value increases year after year.

Nangong Tian was resting this morning.

Having just finished her run, she was panting and asked Su Yehao, "Who are those people outside? I saw them from the window and got a fright."

"They're partnering with me to start a company. Representatives from China Resources, CITIC, Poly, and China Merchants. We've already agreed to work together to acquire shares in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but there are still some details to be discussed regarding the specific operations. The documents are ready, so we just need to discuss them. We'll need their help with many financial licenses."

They were practically an old married couple.

Su Yehao changed into a shirt and trousers in front of the little girl. He had wanted to put on a tie, but then decided against it.

Having a collar pressing against his neck wouldn't be comfortable when looking down at documents, and since he was at home, a shirt was formal enough.

He asked Nangong Tian, "Why are you running so early in the morning? Won't you have to take another shower?"

"I can't help it. I ate too much last night and I'm worried about gaining weight. It's all because the food at home is so good. I can hide the fat in winter, but I'll be ruined in spring. What if the newspapers say you found a fat woman? I'd lose face. You know how bad the reporters' cameras are; they always make people look so fat. Many celebrities look pretty good, but they end up being photographed as haggard."

"..."

Su Yehao wanted to say that she was only a little over a hundred pounds and had just a bit of meat, which made her comfortable to hold while sleeping.

However, thinking it was better to avoid trouble, he finally just clenched his fist and said, "Keep it up. In a few days, when the weather's nice, I'll take you hiking on Dragon's Back..."

The guests had arrived, so he couldn't really eat breakfast first.

After hastily drinking a cup of yogurt and having some leftover bird's nest with rock sugar to moisten his mouth, Su Yehao went to the small castle to meet the representatives from the four major groups.

The joint investment of ten billion to establish an asset management company had already been decided, and the contracts had been signed. All that was left was for the parties to transfer funds into the company's account.

The initial decision to enter the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was made on the fly, and everything was simplified. To avoid wasting time, the process went very quickly, and everything was greenlit from above.

The name of the company they jointly established was "sssss Asset Management Co., Ltd."

His subordinates had come up with several names starting with "China," but later found that they were already taken.

Some people suggested calling it "Su's," written as "su" in English, but Su Yehao ultimately decided on "sssss," abbreviated as "5s," mainly because it was easy to remember.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the name was announced, the people from Poly praised it for being forward-looking, using English directly to facilitate future expansion into the international market, and it was unanimously approved.

After meeting again.

They first sat at the huge conference table on the second floor of the small castle, chatting in the sun for a while before getting down to business.

The representatives of each party spoke, elaborating on their visions for the future main direction of the asset management company. The content was nothing more than raising funds for management from the mainland, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asian markets, mainly focusing on public funds, private funds, and trust businesses.

In addition, they also planned to use the company's own funds for venture capital and private equity investment projects, thereby achieving a virtuous cycle.

Su Yehao then spoke, saying:

"I understand everyone's ideas. Actually, that's what I think too, but the current international financial situation is changing. Silicon Valley's Internet companies are at a high point, and once the tide recedes, they may fall hard."

"The US dollar interest rate hike cycle is expected to end in the first half of this year. As I see it, a large amount of capital is likely to flood into the mainland market, which will inevitably drive economic development and create a large number of jobs, markets, and opportunities."

"As investors become wealthier, our company can also gain a large number of users. When the time is right, I hope everyone can help me propose allowing a small amount of funds raised in the mainland to be invested abroad through legal channels. Now it's easy for international capital to enjoy the dividends of mainland development, but it's difficult for mainland investors to invest overseas."

"I've also considered the issue of illegal fund transfers. Using the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) scheme can completely avoid the risks involved. In this way, before capital is fully opened up, our company can allow mainland investors to invest in overseas capital markets, in order to achieve the goal of global asset allocation for the company."

"I've written the specific operating methods in the draft in front of you. It may take some time before it can be truly implemented, but it's indeed a new direction worth striving for, which can make our ssssss... Oops, I think I said one too many, right? Make our 5s asset management company stand out from other peers and attract the attention of high-net-worth individuals."

After Su Yehao finished speaking, the China Resources executive thought about it and said, "Yes... Su Zong, you did say six s's."

"That's right, I heard six too."

Su Yehao was speechless and said with a wry smile, "That's not the point. The point is that in the next year or two, there will be opportunities to buy up high-tech companies. If we can allow a group of clients to enjoy the dividends of the forefront of technological development through our company, it will definitely be an opportunity for our 5s company to stand out."

"Su Zong, I understand what you mean, but I don't know anything about the so-called QDII fund, and we have very strict foreign exchange controls. Is the operation feasible?"

"I think it's very feasible. We can completely create a pilot project."

Su Yehao continued.

A fund that allows mainland investors to invest in overseas assets within the country is undoubtedly quite attractive.

After discussing this topic again for a while, they quickly decided to find an opportunity to ask about it first.

As for who should take the lead, everyone looked at Su Yehao, the major shareholder.

He holds 40% of the shares in sssss Asset Management Company.

Even though Su Yehao is young, he now has a lot of influence. His donation of several cultural relics last year brought him a lot of attention in the mainland.

In addition to "money power," the power of "influence" should not be underestimated.

As long as Su Yehao personally proposes it, even if it doesn't work out in the end, they believe that the authorities will definitely study and discuss it seriously, and finally give a comprehensive answer.