Chapter 24: Liu Tianci

"Mr. Xia, how can I assist you today?" the staff member asked.

"Well, I'd like to close my position now. Could you please handle that for me?" Xia Yu stated his intention.

"Oh? Mr. Xia, Mingheng Industrial's stock price is still falling, and there's still money to be made in the near future. Are you sure you want to close your position now?" the staff member gently reminded him.

"It's alright. Even if the price drops further, it won't make much difference. I don't want to waste more time. Please go ahead and close the position," Xia Yu said with a smile, waving his hand.

Hearing Xia Yu's words, the staff member smiled helplessly, realizing that the young man before him was not ordinary. If Xia Yu had time to wait for the small profits from Mingheng Industrial, he must have already found other opportunities.

"Mr. Xia, I'm sorry for overstepping. I'll close the position for you right away," the staff member said with an awkward smile, then went off to arrange the closing.

Such matters were quickly handled. After all, closing a position now meant reducing losses for the betting institution. They immediately proceeded with the settlement to save time, as they knew Mingheng Industrial's stock price was still falling, and the longer they delayed, the greater their losses.

After a while, the staff member returned.

"Mr. Xia, the position has been closed. The total profit is 950,000 HKD. After deducting fees, you have 900,000 HKD remaining. Adding your principal of 220,000 HKD, your account now has a total of 1.12 million HKD," the staff member said with envy, his attitude now more enthusiastic.

After all, this was over a million HKD in cash. In Hong Kong in 1978, where ordinary workers earned only a few hundred dollars a month, a millionaire was definitely a notable figure. The staff member's own assets were just over 200,000 HKD after years of saving, while Xia Yu's funds were more than five times that amount. Moreover, he guessed that Xia Yu likely had other assets as well.

Although he worked in HSBC's securities department and had seen millions or even tens of millions of dollars before, he was just a lower-level employee, and such large sums had little to do with him. He could only look on with envy.

So it was not surprising that he showed great respect for Xia Yu.

Just as Xia Yu was about to ask the staff member to help him purchase a specific stock, a well-dressed, energetic man in a suit walked over. Everyone nearby stood up to greet him, which naturally caught Xia Yu's attention.

Xia Yu looked over and saw that the suited executive was about thirty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and exuding a confident and sunny demeanor.

For some reason, Xia Yu felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place him. He suspected it might be due to a memory of someone in his mind.

The staff member who had been assisting Xia Yu immediately greeted the suited executive, "Hello, Manager!"

Then, the staff member introduced Xia Yu, "Manager, this is Mr. Xia Yu I mentioned."

"Mr. Xia, this is Manager Liu from our department," the staff member continued with the introduction.

Xia Yu quickly stood up, with a serious expression, and shook hands with Manager Liu, introducing himself, "Manager Liu, hello. I am Xia Yu, the owner of Jiu Ding Media. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello, Mr. Xia. I'm Liu Tianci, General Manager of HSBC Securities Kowloon Branch. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Liu Tianci also introduced himself with a smile, his gaze towards Xia Yu showing curiosity.

The staff had already briefed Liu Tianci on Xia Yu's situation. Beyond the fact that Xia Yu's capital of one million HKD made him a significant client for HSBC Securities, Liu Tianci had been intrigued by Xia Yu's recent operations. Liu Tianci had taken the time to understand more about Xia Yu and discovered some remarkable aspects.

Therefore, he had instructed his staff to notify him immediately if Xia Yu came by again, so he could meet him.

Despite having been prepared for the fact that Xia Yu was a young man, Liu Tianci was still surprised when Xia Yu actually appeared in front of him.

He was just too young, and Liu Tianci wondered how Xia Yu had acquired such skills!

At only 28 years old, Liu Tianci had spent over five years studying in the United States and had also honed his skills on Wall Street. He had a certain level of experience. Aside from inheritors from prominent families, he hadn't encountered many talents like Xia Yu.

When Xia Yu heard Liu Tianci's introduction, a memory surfaced in his mind—it was about Liu Tianci. Xia Yu instantly understood who Liu Tianci was.

The memory was from a past life involving a wealthy American friend of Liu Tianci, a bigwig from the American bank Wells Fargo.

Liu Tianci was a Chinese from Hong Kong who studied at Columbia University in the U.S., earning dual master's degrees in Finance and Business Administration. After graduation, he joined HSBC and was promoted to General Manager of HSBC Securities Kowloon Branch within two years. Known for his sharp investment insights and decisive actions, Liu Tianci was also known for his deep dive into case studies to improve himself.

During the Plaza Accord incident in 1985, Liu Tianci achieved remarkable results and generated substantial profits for HSBC. He later became the General Manager of HSBC Securities Investment Management Department in Asia, handling billions of HKD in funds with high investment returns. He was even set to become the next head of HSBC's Asian branch, but unfortunately, he passed away in a car accident at the age of 45.

A true elite, a high-level talent!

A future big shot!

Xia Yu's eyes sparkled with determination. He decided to build a good relationship with Liu Tianci. Getting along with him would make things much easier in Hong Kong in the future.

After all, HSBC was a giant in Hong Kong, controlling the economic lifeline of the city.

And as a current senior executive at HSBC and a future big shot, maintaining a good relationship with Liu Tianci was tantamount to having a good relationship with HSBC—there were many benefits to be gained!

Additionally, Liu Tianci's own remarkable abilities meant that befriending him would only bring Xia Yu benefits.

"Mr. Xia, is there anything else you need from us? Please let us know. We will ensure your satisfaction with anything we can do," Liu Tianci said generously.

"Just now, I asked your staff to close my position. I'm now planning my next steps and need your department's assistance with leverage for additional funding," Xia Yu said without hesitation, outlining his next plan.

"Oh? Mr. Xia is quick-witted and has discovered another avenue of profit. Congratulations! With my authority, I can provide up to ten times leverage. How much leverage would you like to use?" Liu Tianci's smile widened, and he immediately made the offer.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu's eyes lit up. This was a delightful surprise—being able to use ten times leverage. He didn't hesitate to say, "Thank you, Mr. Liu. I was originally planning to apply for five times leverage, so ten times is even better."

"It seems Mr. Xia is very confident. I wish you great success! Li Feng, arrange ten times leverage for Mr. Xia," Liu Tianci said with a squinting smile, then instructed his subordinate to provide the leverage for Xia Yu.

"Mr. Xia, please let us know the specific details of the operations. Due to the large amount, we'll need to sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure the safety of your funds."

"Alright, I appreciate your help, Mr. Liu."

...

After signing the confidentiality agreement, Xia Yu continued to chat with Liu Tianci while arranging for the staff to purchase the specific target stocks. With HSBC's involvement, the funds quickly entered the market, pushing the stock prices up a bit. Fortunately, the selected company had a market capitalization of five to six billion, otherwise, Xia Yu would have had no need to use ten times leverage.

Xia Yu also learned about the company. It was a pillar of a large family conglomerate in Hong Kong. Since he was going long, Xia Yu didn't have to worry about offending them, as the "shearing" would only affect the stock market investors.

During this process, Xia Yu and Liu Tianci made initial acquaintances. Xia Yu took the opportunity to invite Liu Tianci to dinner to strengthen their relationship.

Unfortunately, Liu Tianci was unavailable in the next few days, so Xia Yu had to wait for another chance.

"Mr. Liu, I have some matters to attend to at my company, so I'll be leaving now. We'll meet again next time!" Seeing that it was getting late and Zhao Cheng was likely waiting for Xia Yu to return and edit the article, Xia Yu decided not to stay longer. After bidding farewell to Liu Tianci, he headed back to the company.

Watching Xia Yu's departing figure, Liu Tianci pondered for a while and muttered with some emotion, "Though young, his vision is sharp and his actions decisive. He's definitely someone who can accomplish great things. A young talent!"

Xia Yu didn't hear Liu Tianci's high praise. Soon after, he returned to the company, handed the article to Zhao Cheng, and continued with company matters, as several hours of absence had piled up with things to report.

The most important was the distribution of *Jiu Ding Daily*.