The funds arrived quickly, with the account showing a deposit of two million within ten minutes.
"Qin Chuan, was your dream really true?"
Seeing the money in his account, Yang Conglong was a little restless. The real battle was about to begin, and any mistake would result in real financial losses. This wasn't child's play.
One million in hard cash was not a small sum for the esteemed Young Master Long. It was his pocket money saved over many years, and if his parents found out he had lost it all, the consequences would be dire.
"Brother Long, we're in this together now. I can't guarantee it's absolutely true, but I think this opportunity is worth a shot!"
Qin Chuan said earnestly, "At worst, we lose this million. I, a pauper, am not afraid, so surely you, Young Master Long, aren't scared?"
"Nonsense, why would I be afraid!"
Yang Conglong immediately bristled. As a scion of the Yang family, pride was ingrained in him. It was just a mere million, what was there to fear?
"Alright, my current view is that the Hang Seng Index will definitely break the 7,000 mark! I'm firmly betting on a short!"
Qin Chuan stated with unwavering conviction.
Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "By the way, what's the maximum leverage on this account?"
"This is a regular account, maximum ten times... Damn, you're not thinking of using leverage, are you?"
This time, Yang Conglong was truly flustered, his eyes wide open. Ten times leverage would amplify one million to ten million, and two million to twenty million. Such terrifying figures, even he had never dealt with them. If they lost even one percent, it would be a hundred thousand on ten million. Losing ten percent would wipe out the one million principal. The same applied to twenty million. Of course, if they were right, the returns would be equally impressive. This was the devilish allure of futures – both risk and reward magnified manifold, making one love and hate it.
"If we're playing futures, what's the fun without leverage!"
"One word: Let's do it!"
Qin Chuan waved his hand expansively, then provocatively looked at Yang Conglong with a hint of a challenge.
"Brother Long, are you really afraid?"
"I... damn it, what am I afraid of!"
Yang Conglong felt uncomfortable under Qin Chuan's gaze and loudly retorted, his neck stiff.
"Even a country bumpkin like you dares to play like this, why can't I!"
"Since you want to go crazy, I'll join you this once. Even if we lose money, we won't lose this million in a single day!"
Qin Chuan said, "Alright, we're here today to get a feel for the atmosphere. Tomorrow, as soon as the market opens, we'll go all-in, firmly bearish!"
His tone carried an undeniable resolve. Yang Conglong didn't reply. Instead, he took out a cigarette, tossed one to Qin Chuan, lit one himself, and took a deep drag. Qin Chuan found it amusingly, this brother-in-law was so proud. He was clearly anxious but wouldn't show it.
Time ticked by, and it was soon four o'clock. Hang Seng futures, unlike stocks, didn't end at three. They closed at four in the afternoon. In this era, the Hong Kong stock market hadn't revised its rules yet, and there was no night trading, which only began after 2011. Moreover, the Hang Seng's opening hours then were from ten in the morning to twelve-thirty noon, and the afternoon session was from two-thirty to four o'clock, unlike the later hours of nine-fifteen to four-thirty.
"It's almost four o'clock. Today's market is like this, listless, with bulls and bears locked in a struggle, barely holding the 7,000-point mark."
Qin Chuan pointed at the final market index. The current points were 7,025, a temporary reprieve for the Hong Kong stock market. However, Qin Chuan knew this was just a brief respite. The Hong Kong stock market was being closely watched by a pack of bloodthirsty foreign financial institutions. Led by Soros, international speculators were aggressively shorting the Hong Kong market, vowing to set Hong Kong's economy back five years.
Qin Chuan was actually late. If he had arrived earlier and joined these international speculators in shorting the market, he would have already made a fortune. The Hong Kong stock market had fallen forty percent from its peak, a terrifying decline. Everyone who had shorted had profited. This had nothing to do with patriotism or national pride, but was a true capital game in the stock and futures markets. Only by following the major trend could one make money. Those who went against the trend would lose everything.
"Brother Long, let's go! Today's trading session is over. Let's find a bank, and I'll transfer that million to you first!"
Qin Chuan said. Yang Conglong agreed. The two left, found a BOC, and Qin Chuan transferred one million to Yang Conglong.
During this process, something interesting happened.
"Qin Chuan, you're transferring a million to me now, and we haven't even started trading futures. Aren't you afraid I'll run off with your money?"
Yang Conglong said to Qin Chuan. To his surprise, Qin Chuan's reaction was calm: "Not afraid! Because you are Young Master Long of the Yang family. Pride is inherent in your bones, in your very blood!"
"Let alone a mere million, even ten million, you wouldn't do that!"
"Hahaha!!"
Yang Conglong was clearly pleased with the answer and playfully punched Qin Chuan's chest.
"You're really starting to get on my good side!"
"Every word you say hits home."
Qin Chuan grinned. It was a joke. After living for decades, if he couldn't even talk properly, what was the point? He knew how to speak to people according to their nature. He understood perfectly what kind of words people liked to hear! Qin Chuan felt his only shortcoming was in dealing with women. In his previous life, he had been a wealthy bachelor, had many women, but it was always physical, never emotional. This life, Qin Chuan wanted to make up for this deficiency, which led to his emotional entanglement with Li Ya and Yang Zimo, the teacher.
In the evening, they had dinner with Yang Conglong. Perhaps it was the impending new battle tomorrow, but even the usually fun-loving brother-in-law declined Qin Chuan's suggestion to go out and instead arranged a high-end hotel for him. Qin Chuan accepted without hesitation.
After showering and lying on the bed, he took out his phone and first made several calls to his family to inquire about recent events. His elder brother, Qin Yang, told him that things were calm lately. Han Shifei might have been severely punished once and was now scared and much more subdued. Qin Chuan was relieved. He had been worried about Han Shifei causing trouble after he left. It seemed the crackdown had been effective.
He then called Li Ya, and they chatted on the phone for a long time, exchanging their feelings of longing. After finishing all this, Qin Chuan found a newly saved contact named "Teacher Yang" and started typing a message. In these extraordinary times, texting was more convenient. It felt awkward to make calls, and there were many things one was too embarrassed to say...