Chapter 142: Ease is not actually easy

'Tell me, you're already this old, what have you done all these years? You're a university graduate from the 1980s, the pride of your family, and yet after ten years you're not doing any better than a junior college graduate. You're in your thirties and you still haven't married. Aren't you ashamed? Look at so-and-so's kid, he only graduated from school last year, but now he's already making several thousand a month, and he's got such a pretty girlfriend. And look at you, aren't you ashamed? If you go on like this, do you think you'll ever find a wife? You might as well just die!'

'Zhou Ming, you're already 50 years old, and you're only making 3,000 yuan a month. What can you do with that kind of money? You've paid off the mortgage for 20 years, and your wife can't afford to buy a new dress. You even have to count every penny to decide what to eat tomorrow. Aren't you fed up?'

'This society is one that doesn't give you a living. If you don't think about climbing up the ladder and finding a living for yourself, then you won't have a living. Zhou Ming, you originally had a very good foundation. Logically, you should be an executive with a million-yuan annual salary by now, but how is it that you are worse off than those slackers in your old class? It's not that we're not brothers and we're not helping you, it's just that your current situation leaves people with no way to help...'

Zhou Ming opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling above his head. He then looked around again. The familiar furnishings and room design made him think back to the fact that he was in his own room at Hotel Number One. He had returned here yesterday after the meeting at the airport hotel.

So it was just a dream!

Zhou Ming let out a sigh of relief, but he clearly remembered the words from the dream. If you say that was all a dream, then he had been living a dream for more than twenty years. During those twenty years, he was very mediocre. To use a fashionable term, he was the worst of the worst.

He had no successful career, just an ordinary salesperson in an ordinary company, earning a monthly salary of 7,000 to 8,000 yuan. This may sound like a lot, but he was almost 50 years old at the time, and when he thought about his identity as an 1980s college student, and looked at his former classmates, none of them were earning tens of millions of yuan a year, and he was even worse off than dog shit compared to them.

The words he heard in his dream were actually words he had heard himself, and they were the words his relatives and friends always said to him whenever they got together during the Chinese New Year.

He had not thought about working hard, but the results had been dismal. There was an element of luck, but also the reason was that he had not worked hard enough. Perhaps it was precisely because he had accumulated too much pent-up resentment in his heart in his previous life that he was working so recklessly in this life.

Zhou Ming thought to himself, clenching his fists: No matter what difficulties I encounter, I must overcome them, because I am the reborn Zhou Ming, and I cannot waste this rebirth!

'Zhou Ming, you're awake? Hurry up and get up, Yelbeldyev and Boltarsky are already here, waiting for you in the living room.'

A gentle voice came from outside, and without looking Zhou Ming knew it was Su Han. Since there was nothing shameful about his relationship with Su Han, they were living in the same room. Su Han had woken up first in the morning and now came into the room to see that Zhou Ming had woken up, so she came over to talk to him.

Zhou Ming shook his head to shake out the things from his dream, then asked her, 'How long have they been here?'

'They've been here for almost an hour. I heard them say that something happened in the stock market,' Su Han replied to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming nodded silently, then got up to wash up. This suite takes into account the work needs of guests staying here. Not only is there a bathroom in the living room outside, there is also a bathroom in each room, which can ensure that guests have their own private space while working and meeting here.

A few minutes later, Zhou Ming went out to the living room and sure enough, he saw that the sofa in the living room was already full of people. Not only were Irbedov and Bortaszki there, but Li Cheng and Tong Gang had also come over.

When they saw Zhou Ming come out, Irbeldov and Bortaszki both stood up subconsciously. Irbeldov even let out a sigh of relief and said, 'Thank goodness, Mr. Zhou Ming, you're finally up.' Bortaszki on the other hand didn't say anything, but his eyes were fixed on Zhou Ming's, as if he had seen a savior.

Zhou Ming reached out and made a gesture of invitation, asking them to sit down first, before asking, 'Mr. Irbedov and Mr. Boltarsky, I presume that you rushed here so early because something very important must have happened?'

'That's right,' Irbedov nodded, 'the stock market only opened today, and almost all of our stocks, including bank and industrial stocks, have skyrocketed. This is abnormal.'

'Obviously, this is the start of the offensive on the Dota Project side. Mr. Irbedov, you can't possibly not see this?' The one speaking was Du Peng. He shrugged his shoulders, his tone showing surprise. Presumably, it was because he, the young master Du, had been sitting here for such a long time, and these two Northern Russians had ignored him, that this kind of contempt made him very unhappy. Du Peng himself had a somewhat explosive temper, and it was already very difficult for him to hold back his anger until now.

Du Peng's sudden words made Irbedov freeze for a moment. Worried that he had not reacted to Du Peng's temper, he said in a daze, 'But hasn't the president signed the order to fully open the capital market yet? How come it's so fast?'

'Mr. Irbedov, have you forgotten that just before that, Mr. Meta launched an attack against the old ruble and paid the Kremlin more than 4 billion U.S. dollars?'

This time it was Zhou Ming who spoke. Before he spoke, he glanced at the time. It was now 10:30 a.m. in Krisko. According to the opening time of the securities company here, it had only been open for an hour and a half. They had already been waiting here for an hour. It can be said that they went to the securities company early in the morning and waited there. When they saw that something was wrong, they immediately came to see me. This shows how much pressure the Dota Project has put on them.

Zhou Ming's rhetorical question made Ilbedov think of something. Zhou Ming continued, 'So the matter is very simple. In fact, the Dota Project has long since had a lot of capital enter Northern Russia through various channels, it has just been lying dormant. Now, all it needs is a clarion call, and this capital will immediately show its fangs. They don't want us to be prepared, they want to pre-empt us.'

'I just didn't expect them to resort to pumping up the stock price with capital,' Du Peng added.

'My God, what are we going to do?'

Ilbeidov muttered, and although this was what he had expected, he still let out a gasp. However, immediately after he heard Du Peng's words, he immediately asked, 'If that's the case, Mr Du Peng, do you already have a plan?'

Zhou Ming shook his head and said to him, 'No, but Mr. Du Peng is also right. They are still using the same old method over there. The reason why Mr. Meta likes to use this method so much is because it is the simplest and most direct method. Raising the stock price through capital investment, unless we also have enough capital to invest in the stock market and hedge against them.'

'This is impossible. The Dota Project is the wealth of the entire Western world. How can we possibly beat them?' Irbedov immediately denied.

'If we can't win, that's fine, but I'm afraid that the money we invest will all go into their pockets.' Li Cheng added.

Ilbedov looked at Zhou Ming, who nodded very affirmatively to indicate that this was the story. This was more than certain for Zhou Ming, who had the memory of the future, because whether it was the Southeast Asian financial turmoil that shocked the world, or the subsequent short-selling of China, no matter how many strategies were used in between, the fundamental thing was still this kind of head-on competition between capital.

For example, when a certain Western financial tycoon tried to short the Thai baht, the Thai government invested tens of billions of dollars, but it failed to turn the tide. Instead, the tens of billions of dollars became a total loss, and there was no return.

Zhou Ming said, 'So, Mr. Il'bedov and Mr. Boltarsky, don't worry, we can wait and see.'

'Wait?' Il'bedov looked at Zhou Ming doubtfully and asked, 'What are we waiting for?'

'Of course it's to achieve the goal over there,' Zhou Ming replied. 'Mr. Il'bedov, do you think the purpose of raising the stock price over there is to gain direct control or just to make money?'

Zhou Ming's question left Il'bedov confused, and he had no idea how to answer because how could he possibly know what was going on over there, or that they were in control and could do whatever they wanted!

Irbeldov did not answer, but his expression already gave the answer. Zhou Ming said to him, 'So as I said, our current situation is very poor. No matter how anxious we are, it is useless. We can only wait for their results to come out and then figure out what to do.'

'Is there really no other way?' Irbeldov still asked, not giving up.

'Unfortunately, there isn't,' Zhou Ming shook his head and said to him. Irbedov lowered his head in despair. Zhou Ming continued, 'But Mr. Irbedov, I think now is not a bad time for a holiday. Or rather, according to the culture of our country, Lingnan, it is time to go for morning tea. Mr. Irbedov is very interested in our country's food culture, isn't he? I think this is a good opportunity.'

'Mr. Zhou Ming is open-minded, or is he very confident in himself,' Irbeldov sighed and said, 'But there is really nothing I can do at the moment, so I will do whatever Mr. Zhou Ming tells me to.'

'But Mr. Irbeldov, I have to correct you. Although the word "cha" is used in "morning tea", it means enjoyment, not sighing.'

Zhou Ming teased a bit to lighten the mood, but only Su Han and Li Cheng noticed Zhou Ming's clenched fist.

I'm afraid he's not as relaxed as he seems.