Chapter 355: Trap and loophole (Part 1)

Yesterday, Mr. Mark, the chairman of Deep Blue Airlines, held a press conference to announce that the company's loan negotiations with Brighton Bank had reached a critical stage. The reporter consulted the marketing director of Brighton Bank on this issue, who replied that the bank was internally discussing the loan and was not sure whether it would be granted to Deep Blue Airlines. Everything would be comprehensively assessed based on Deep Blue Airlines' development and financial situation.

Although Brighton Bank did not directly answer any questions and refused to disclose any information related to the loan, the news itself was enough to help Deep Blue Airlines get out of the sluggish growth situation since the stock price plummeted on Monday.

...

Affected by the news of the loan negotiations yesterday, the stock price of Deep Blue Airlines rose sharply early this morning. As of the close of trading at noon, it had risen by nearly four percentage points, which is the total increase in the past week.

A New York commentator called it a victory of wordplay, using the loan negotiations to forcefully bring Brighton Bank to the attention of all shareholders, telling everyone that Deep Blue Airlines would have great potential. However, victory can always be flaunted, and Deep Blue Airlines' rising stock price also shows that the market still has full confidence in it. The commentator predicts that this round of gains will continue for a while until he erupts with a scandal or other negative news.

...

According to the chairman of the board of directors of Dark Blue Airlines, Mark, the company's stock suffered a disastrous fall last Monday entirely as a result of short selling. The previous slow growth was the result of a game with speculators. Now that he has restored market confidence, the speculative hot money has also taken the initiative to admit defeat and leave. He has reason to believe that Dark Blue Airlines' stock will be very strong in the future!

...

'It seems that Mr Mark is still very strong in creating public opinion. Not only are Brighton TV and Northeast TV broadcasting this news, even the New York financial news has begun to pay attention.'

Zhou Ming turned off the TV and said that he was now in Rogers' office, sitting on the sofa in the reception area with Rogers.

'It's really puzzling, but after a big rise, there's a big fall. This kind of ups and downs, combined with a well-known bank like Brighton, is in itself a good piece of news. Plus, now that the stock market is stabilising, the major media outlets also need such volatile and newsworthy news to boost their ratings.' Rogers said to Zhou Ming, with an expression that showed no major fluctuations of joy or anger.

The reason Rogers was so calm was because he had already heard all this news several times before Zhou Ming arrived. The earliest was even immediately after Mark's press conference ended, when a stock commentator speculated that Deep Blue Airlines was about to start its next round of growth. And today, as the stock market opened, the stock of Deep Blue Airlines skyrocketed, and other media outlets then dug up this company from the trash can one after another, beginning to fawn over it in their reports.

'In that case, shouldn't you be happy, Manager Rogers?' Zhou Ming asked, and then added, "This time I have invested all the funds in my hands, without keeping a single cent.'

'If I normally let my clients" investments grow by this much, I would be very happy, but this is just a necessary part of your gambling, isn't it?' Rogers said with a hint of frustration in his words, and he didn't care how much hedging funds Zhou Ming had really invested. 'And Mr. Zhou Ming, do you really think that Congressman Brook will definitely enter the game? Have you ever thought about what to do if he doesn't enter the game?'

Zhou Ming smiled and said, 'Manager Rogers is worried that if Congressman Brook doesn't enter the game, your clients will not be able to withdraw all their investments, right?'

Rogers nodded and said yes, and Zhou Ming immediately told him, 'In fact, I don't think you need to worry at all, because it is the entire market that has confidence in Deep Blue Airlines, not just you, me, and your investment clients. So once any risks arise, we can all withdraw completely at the first opportunity. More importantly, I promised you that I will bear any losses your clients may incur. This is the greatest insurance!'

Faced with Zhou Ming's words, Rogers didn't know how to reply, so he had to say, 'Let's talk about Congressman Brook. Why do you insist on believing that he will definitely enter the market?'

'Because I have read his autobiography and his business experience,' Ming said, 'from his deeds to analyze him, he is a very smart entrepreneur, knows how to layout and counterattack, and is also very daring to take risks. I know what I'm saying is a lot of nonsense, these are the qualities that any entrepreneur must have, but I want to say that it is precisely these qualities that will make him take this risk, of course there is another even greater reason that makes him feel more at ease.'

Zhou Ming's last sentence surprised Rogers, and he was about to ask what the reason was when the phone on his desk rang. Rogers went over to answer the phone, and then he froze.

Zhou Ming didn't rush to ask him what happened, but just sat on the sofa leisurely drinking tea and waiting for him to tell her.

Sure enough, after a while, Rogers slowly came back to his senses and said to Zhou Ming, 'My friend just told me that they have found a large sum of money that has bought a large number of shares in the airline company Dark Blue at the same time. One of the accounts has been confirmed to be Congressman Brook's offshore account opened in Bermuda. As for the source of the other funds, it is still being traced, and it is not ruled out that it all belongs to Brook.'

'So the fish just took the bait so easily,' Zhou Ming said to Rogers, in a relaxed tone.

Rogers' thoughts became instantly confused. He couldn't figure out how such an experienced businessman as Brook would fall into such a clumsy trap as Zhou Ming's. It was also done with such fanfare, without even a trial process of entering a small amount of capital first. Although it may not be possible to avoid falling into the trap in the end, at least it would have been a cautious process.

Could it be that he was so at ease, not afraid that Zhou Ming and he would immediately withdraw their capital to trick him, or was there some reason here that he hadn't thought of?

At this moment, Rogers had a flash of inspiration, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

...

While Ming Zhou was having tea in the Bank of Brighton building, outside the building in a car covered in cellophane, Wharton was making a phone call.

'Mr. Brook, the stock of Dark Blue Airlines has risen sharply today. What's going on? Have you stopped selling the stock of Dark Blue Airlines?' Wharton asked.

'Yes, not only did I stop selling the shares of Dark Blue Airlines, I even bought a large number of shares belonging to Dark Blue Airlines,' Brook replied without any hesitation on the other end of the line.

This answer shocked Wharton: 'Mr. Brook, why did you do this? Don't you know that this is a trap set for you by Ming Zhou? He will withdraw his investment as soon as he learns that you have invested, leaving you stuck in the end. He is cheating you out of your money!'

Compared to Wharton's impatience, old Brook was unruffled: 'He won't do that, I'm confident.'

'I don't understand why you would make such a judgment, Mr. Brook. I just want to say that I am so disappointed in you. Have you forgotten the humiliation that Zhou Ming, that Chinese man, brought you? Have you forgotten that he personally sent your son to prison? I see that you are simply a wolf capitalist who is blinded by money and forgets about righteousness when you see a profit!' Wharton's emotions became more and more agitated, and in the end he was growling.

'Mr Wharton, I ask you to be careful with your words. I don't want to talk to a mad dog.'

After saying this, Lao Brook hung up the phone. Wharton listened to the busy signal coming from the phone, and angrily slammed the phone down on the passenger seat.

On the other end of the line, where Wharton could not see, after hanging up, Brooke called in his secretary and said to her, 'Immediately cancel the lease on the house and phone on Charles Avenue for Wharton. I don't want anything more to do with him. And his car, I'd rather sink it in the Charles River than have that smelly bastard sitting in it!'

The secretary took out a notebook to record Brooke's words and nodded respectfully before exiting the office. At that moment, someone spoke up.

'Brook, you're really heartless. As far as I know, this man Walden only has that house. If you take it away from him, he'll have to sleep in the park and under the bridge.'

The person speaking was sitting directly across from Old Brook. He was a white man with black-framed glasses who looked refined. He was a person who often appeared on the news. His name was Anthony, and he was the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and the Speaker of the State Senate.

This is a very delicate position. Perhaps according to normal understanding, he should be the second in command of Massachusetts politics, but since American politics is based on the system of the governor being responsible to the parliament, and the Senate is the most influential parliament among the two chambers; to put it more dramatically, if the governor and the lieutenant governor fall out, the lieutenant governor, as the presiding officer, has the power to initiate an impeachment motion against the governor. However, usually the lieutenant governor and presiding officer appear as the deputy of the governor.

At first glance, this situation seems to be fine, but you have to know that the Lieutenant Governor-President is appointed by the Governor.

It is completely unimaginable in China for the boss to nominate and appoint a second-in-command with the power to impeach himself, but in the United States it is a political norm, which is very interesting.

However, no matter how dramatic American politics are, one thing is undeniable: the current Lieutenant Governor-President, Mr Anthony, is a very influential big shot in Massachusetts.

It is precisely for this reason that when facing him, Lao Brook put away his own attitude and sighed and said to him, 'Actually, I don't want to do this either, but it's not my fault.'

'That's right, Massachusetts law does not require anyone to be responsible for anyone's life, unless you are father and son,' Anthony teased and changed the subject, 'But there is one thing I am very curious about. Just as Mr. Wharton analysed earlier, Ming Zhou has obviously prepared a trap for you, which you and I can see. Why do you still insist on investing in it?'

'Because his trap is a completely invalid trap, and there is a fatal loophole in this trap, and this loophole is enough to send him to prison!' said Old Brook.

Anthony's eyes twinkled, and he immediately thought of something and asked, "Are you talking about Deep Blue Airlines itself?"