After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

"You better not get your hopes up."

Lu Liang couldn't help but laugh. When LeEco had led the investment in Panda, he had felt it odd but hadn't thought much about it.

Panda's last name was Wang, not Lu; Li Manli's ties to Panda might even be deeper than his.

Even if things turned sour, he would only lose eighteen million, which wasn't a huge problem and he didn't particularly care.

Now, it could only be said that Accountant Jia's calculations were spot on; Little Wang would likely be exploited for nothing.

If LeEco's liabilities hadn't been falsified, then a guaranteed debt of ten billion wouldn't make a difference of slightly more than a hundred million to Panda.

In his anger, Wang Xiaocong suddenly had a brainwave, "Lu, do you think Old Jia might take over Panda?"

Although LeEco's stock price had been steadily falling since the end of last year's bull market, even dropping below a hundred billion last month and soon to lose its position as the top on the Growth Enterprise Market,

a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. He wanted to sell Panda to LeEco in exchange for stock equity and then cash out from the secondary market.

Once Panda joined LeEco, its stock price would surely soar. As long as it lasted till the six-month lock-up period, he could easily cash out.

Not only could he repay the thirty million US dollars he owed to Golden Sand River and Qihu, but he might also make a huge profit.

Since he had seen Tencent's determination to dominate the market, he had silently given up the Eastern Disneyland plan.

Lu Liang was surprised, "When did you get such a brain?"

"Being close to vermilion gets one stained crimson."

Little Wang chuckled and didn't argue with Lu but eagerly asked, "Will this work?"

Lu Liang pondered for a long time, "It seems workable, but it would take at least six months to complete the process."

"Putting aside whether LeEco can last that long, do you think you can outplay Old Jia?"

A man who could suffocate for his dreams and walked at the forefront of business, as Shen Peng had said, he might doubt the authenticity of LeEco's financial reports but never doubted Boss Jia's capabilities.

On the other hand, looking at Little Wang…

"Do you really look down on me?" Little Wang said indignantly.

Lu Liang nodded seriously; he did not want to play games with Boss Jia because he was unsure how deep the pit of LeEco was.

Little Wang still thought about conspiring with the tiger, but it seemed like sending warmth over a thousand miles, he would probably end up bedridden.

Little Wang walked away angrily, his face full of fury.

Lu Liang chuckled and had no intention of persuading him.

He logged into Twitter to post derogatory comments about the Japanese economy, preparing for his upcoming shorting of the yen.

Meanwhile, Korea's agreement with the United States to deploy shamans on its territory was still fermenting.

Weibo and Tieba, as the internet's most famous women's and men's restrooms, had stood unshaken for many years.

Due to their keen sense of watching, they knew what would disrupt unity should not be discussed, but beneficial things could be freely spoken.

Seeing that Weibo, Tieba, and other major forum platforms were not banning the spread of the shaman news.

The influential online personalities also understood the authorities' stance and joined in analyzing the dangers of shamans.

"Going into battle with justified reasons, taking the initiative."

Lu Liang sighed, "Troublesome times."

Taking a firm stance needed public support, allowing influencers to analyze dangers was essentially brewing momentum.

Lu Liang only knew to take a hard line and knew that the situation would make this international incident's first sacrifice.

But he was unclear about the consequences of being so resolute, and how the United States would respond to their firmness.

He was a businessman, not involved in military industries; other countries could be messy, but he didn't want his own to be.

In June, amid the wave of boycotting Korean products, and by early July, all comments online had suddenly stopped.

As Lu Liang guessed, allowing influencers to spread the word was essentially building momentum; once the task was completed, it naturally ended.

If nothing happened, then everything would remain as usual.

If something happened, people would suddenly realize how it came to be that way.

That day, Lu Liang went to the adjacent trading room; after a month and a half of fundraising, he had successfully earmarked two billion US dollars.

The current USD/JPY exchange rate is 104.4600.

Over the past month and a half, the yen has surged by 9000 basis points.

Apart from the significant drop of 300 points on the first day when Lu Liang advocated for a bearish stance, there was a feeling that the more he talked down the currency, the more it rose.

Countless international speculators who trusted Lu Liang were repeatedly cut, and Lu God was about to turn into Liangzi.

That afternoon, Lu Liang visited State Street Bank.

He invested 20 billion US dollars, used 10 billion as initial capital, and using four times leverage, he acquired a short position of 41.784 trillion yen.

For every 1 basis point increase in the price at 104.46, there would be a profit of 3820 US dollars and assuming it dropped to 113.15, there would be a profit of 332 million US dollars.

Even if he took full advantage of this market move, the overall profit was still less than a third of what he had earned from short selling the British Pounds, but Lu Liang was already very satisfied.

Old England's Brexit was a political black swan event, impacting not only Old England but all of Europe, and such events were rare and unpredictable.

The decline in yen was probably due to the automotive industry being impacted by the new energy industry, with the influence of the two not even comparable.

Approaching the 12th, turmoil reemerged in the South.

The US Army, with one aircraft carrier, two fleets, around 150 various-warplane types, about 10 warships, forced their way into our doorstep for what was about to be announced.

Domestically, there was a swift reaction with three major fleets, totaling over a hundred main warships, all dispatched, and four generals personally commanded on the front lines, though it was announced as just a combat exercise.

More than a hundred main warships represented their entire capacity and also a posture of a fight to the death.

Over Qiong Island, there was an air of grim solemnity.

Meanwhile, the internet was all abuzz about Disney investing 5.5 billion US dollars, covering 1.16 square kilometers, and taking 17 years to build the super theme park, which was set to open that Saturday.

The topic swamped the entire internet, and the disclosed military operations in the South were squeezed into a small corner of the news, garnering no interest.

TV Station, always ahead of its time, was currently airing "With You at the Same Table," and C1 was also showing the animated series "Panda on the Loose."

The public sentiment seemed calm as though nothing had happened.

Compared to the online frenzy, influential figures, even those with slight fame, consciously kept silent.

Little Wang, heeding advice from his elders, stayed low-key, avoiding online confrontations and staying away from bars at night.

During this time, he always found reasons to visit Lu Liang's company, intending to hear his opinions.

"What can I think? Isn't the attitude obvious?" Lu Liang remained composed.

Little Wang sighed deeply, "If it really comes to war, it might just be the preseason of S3. Can't we just step back?"

The real estate and entertainment industries thrive only in prosperous times; once a war begins, both Panda and Wanda would suffer heavy losses.

Having studied abroad, he deeply understood how hard-earned today's peace was. Moreover, with his ways of operating domestically, in the United States, he would probably have been long taken down by American corporate raiders.

Lu Liang sneered, scorning Little Wang's naivety, "How to step back? Today you cede one city, tomorrow ten. Only those unafraid to die deserve to live."

While he also did not desire war, there was no retreat.

In his discussions with Old Zeng, once they retreated, decades of achievements would be undone. The Silk Road's international strategic plan would not be feasible either, as no nation would trust the promises of a country that couldn't even protect its own doorstep.

Besides, for someone like Lu Liang, who often hedged against Wall Street funds, he likely faced a difficult choice.

Lu Liang's current comfort was inseparably linked to having the backing of a strong country.

Had he been from Japan and South Korea, he would likely have been swiftly dispatched to Wall Street, to either submit or die.

Samsung next door was the prime example, making up 25% of the national GDP, it could diplomatically be called an overlord, yet it still frequently had to pay its dues to the United States.

By contrast, Lu Liang wished he could shove his size 45 shoe into their faces, constantly targeting them for special attention.

Had he not been in his own country, he probably would have been shot eight times in the back and declared a suicide.

That day, the local stock market remained depressed, and gold prices suddenly skyrocketed, breaking through 350 RMB per gram.

Meanwhile, the RMB exchange rate continued to fall, breaking past the 6.5 mark before the 12th.

In the comments section on Twitter, traitors filled it with mockery, "Liangzi, give it up. The yen hasn't fallen, but the RMB has dropped a lot. Your foresight isn't that great."

Netizens from the Land of the Rising Sun also left messages, "Mr. Lu, come to Tokyo. We, the Yamato people, welcome you. The US Army is a powerful and invincible force."

Unlike the domestic low-key approach, foreign media, especially from Japan and South Korea as the leaders, loudly declared their unconditional support for the Philippines, resolutely standing with the United States.

And the underlying logic of Lu Liang's bearish stance on the Japanese economy, intentionally short selling the yen, was also exposed by the Wall Street Journal.

He stood with his country, firmly believing his nation could overcome this crisis and thereby implementing countermeasures.