Chapter 47: Raise the Capital, Father-in-Law, I Have a Super-Profitable Venture

Yan Fei fell silent upon hearing this. Liu Zhe tapped on the table and asked in a deep voice, "What do you need that much money for?"

After a brief hesitation, Yan Fei replied, "Uncle Liu, I have a fantastic opportunity to make a huge profit. If I can raise two billion US dollars within a week, I am confident I can make a profit of one billion US dollars."

"One billion US dollars? A fifty percent return rate?" Liu Zhe looked at Yan Fei in shock, his face filled with sheer disbelief. The annual profit of his own company at its absolute peak was less than one billion—and that was in RMB.

"That's right, Uncle Liu. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we drag this out, the profit will shrink, and the return rate will drop," Yan Fei said with a serious expression. "Uncle Liu, why don't we pool our funds?"

Liu Zhe let out a disgruntled scoff. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "I remember that because of the targeted suppression by Big Penguin, you shifted your focus to the international market and made a name for yourself on Wall Street. How many US dollars have you made up to now?"

Yan Fei answered immediately, "Over six hundred million US dollars. Therefore, Uncle Liu, you can absolutely trust my capability. This opportunity is fleeting; the longer we wait, the more people will discover it. Time waits for no one."

Liu Zhe frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Within a week? Can't we have a bit more time?"

Shaking his head, Yan Fei replied gravely, "Precisely because time is so tight, issuing bonds is out of the question. That is why I want to go through Uncle Liu to secure a fast-track bank loan, or pool funds from the circle of wealthy elites in Shenzhen."

Hearing this, Liu Zhe nodded and said in a deep voice, "I will use the companies under my name as collateral to take out a five-hundred-million-dollar loan from the bank. This money will be wired to your overseas account, and I want a fifty percent cut of the profits."

"No problem!" Yan Fei immediately agreed. "Uncle Liu, for the remaining funding gap, you can step forward to invite the elite tycoons of Shenzhen, and we will host a closed-door fundraising meeting."

Tapping the table, Liu Zhe asked, "How much capital can the opportunity you mentioned absorb?"

A look of joy appeared on Yan Fei's face at these words, and he answered promptly, "The more, the better. Ten billion US dollars would be ideal."

Hearing this, Liu Zhe drew in a sharp breath, his emotions stirring with excitement. He had absolute trust in Yan Fei's trading prowess, and since Yan Fei was his prospective son-in-law whose character he had already approved of, he felt completely at ease.

Reflecting on this, Liu Zhe realized this was a golden opportunity. If played right, it could elevate his reputation in Shenzhen to an entirely new level, giving a massive boost to his future business ventures and the overall development of the Liu Group.

Having made up his mind, Liu Zhe said in a deep voice, "We will proceed on two fronts simultaneously. Right now, I will contact the president of the Shenzhen branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to discuss the five-hundred-million-dollar loan. At the same time, invitations will be sent out to the tycoons of Shenzhen for a closed-door meeting tomorrow night in the Tianyuan Pavilion at the Sheraton Hotel."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Liu!" Yan Fei exclaimed excitedly. "I will go with you. This investment will definitely not disappoint you."

Liu Zhe nodded, took out his phone, and placed a call. "President Wang, good morning. I hope I'm not disturbing you!"

"Not at all, not at all!" Wang Zhiyuan laughed heartily. "It's a rare pleasure for President Liu to call me. Do you have some business to throw my bank's way?"

Hearing Wang Zhiyuan's joking tone, Liu Zhe smiled and said, "As a matter of fact, I do, President Wang. I wonder if you have some time right now? I'd like to drop by and pay you a visit."

"A visit from President Liu is always convenient!" Wang Zhiyuan glanced briefly at the ongoing meeting in the room and laughed. "When will you arrive, President Liu?"

"In half an hour. You're at the branch, right President Wang?"

"I am. I await your esteemed arrival, President Liu!"

Hanging up, Wang Zhiyuan looked at the people attending the meeting and said in a deep voice, "Shorten the meeting to twenty-five minutes. From now on, just give brief summaries of the main topics. Discussion can be postponed to the afternoon or tomorrow."

Hearing this, the attendees quickly summarized their points and wrapped up the meeting efficiently. Twenty-five minutes later, the session concluded. Wang Zhiyuan returned to his office, brewed a pot of Dahongpao tea, and waited for Liu Zhe to arrive.

Five minutes later, Liu Zhe pushed open the office door with Yan Fei in tow. Looking at Wang Zhiyuan, Liu Zhe smiled and said, "President Wang, you certainly have refined tastes!"

Wang Zhiyuan immediately stood up with a smile. "President Liu, please, take a seat. I've just brewed some Wuyi Mountain Dahongpao. Have a taste!"

Liu Zhe picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and instantly felt the rich fragrance fill his mouth, generating a sweet aftertaste. He immediately praised with a smile, "Fine tea! Mellow, lingering, and full-bodied—it carries a hint of the mother trees' unique charm."

Wang Zhiyuan gave a thumbs-up and said with a smile, "President Liu has a discerning eye. This Dahongpao was picked from tea bushes growing close to the mother trees, absorbing a wisp of their spiritual essence. I wouldn't normally dare to bring this out for just anyone."

Liu Zhe laughed heartily and said, "Rest assured, President Wang, you won't be disappointed. Let me introduce him to you—this is Yan Fei, a financial market trading genius, a rising star who has made a name for himself on Wall Street, and my prospective son-in-law."

Hearing this, Wang Zhiyuan felt a jolt in his heart. He looked at Yan Fei and praised him with a smile, "A man of exceptional talent and outstanding bearing. No wonder he caught President Liu's eye and became the Liu family's cherished son-in-law."

Hearing Wang Zhiyuan's words and realizing that the man knew nothing of his actual exploits, Yan Fei chose not to offer any explanations. He gave a faint smile and replied, "Thank you for the praise, Uncle Wang. I think so too!"

Wang Zhiyuan was slightly taken aback at first, but seeing the smile on Liu Zhe's face and how much he agreed with Yan Fei's statement, he burst into hearty laughter as well. His curiosity about Yan Fei deepened, and he held him in even higher regard.

Seeing that the pleasantries were coming to an end, Liu Zhe adopted a serious expression and said, "President Wang, I am in urgent need of five hundred million US dollars. I want to use the companies under my name as collateral to secure a loan of five hundred million, to be wired directly to my account in the United States."

Hearing this, Wang Zhiyuan was startled and couldn't help asking, "President Liu, what do you need such a massive sum wired to the US for? Foreign exchange controls are still quite strict, and executing this might be rather complicated."

Liu Zhe smiled. "There is an exceptional investment opportunity over in the US, and I need to wire the funds there within three days. The maximum usage period will be half a year. I can offer an annualized interest rate of 5%, and there will be a token of appreciation presented afterward."

Listening to Liu Zhe, Wang Zhiyuan quickly did the math. A 5% annualized rate on five hundred million US dollars over half a year amounted to twelve and a half million US dollars in interest—roughly equivalent to one-two-hundredth of the entire annual performance of the ICBC Shenzhen branch. It was undoubtedly an exceptionally lucrative deal, not to mention the promised gratitude gift, which would amount to at least several million RMB in personal income.

Weighing the pros and cons, Wang Zhiyuan said, "President Liu, given our friendship of many years and with no outsiders present here, I'll be frank. If it were RMB, let alone 3.5 billion, even 10 billion, I could manage it for you. But foreign exchange in US dollars is indeed quite troublesome."

The expression on Liu Zhe's face remained calm and composed as he smiled, "President Wang, I am well aware of the complications. But I believe in your capability to pull it off. I truly hope you can help me with this favor, and the token of appreciation afterward will not fall short of this figure."

Watching Liu Zhe hold up a single finger, Wang Zhiyuan understood it represented ten million RMB—equivalent to five years of his total salary, and money he could take without any lingering complications.

After careful consideration, Wang Zhiyuan gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Alright, President Liu, I will help you with this favor. However, three days is not enough; let's make it five days. The five hundred million US dollars will definitely be wired to your US bank account by then."

Liu Zhe laughed with delight. "Good! Five days will do. Let's sign the contract!"

Ten minutes later, the contract was signed. Wang Zhiyuan still looked somewhat worried as he asked Liu Zhe, "President Liu, given our friendship of many years, you aren't going to pull any surprises on me, right?"

Liu Zhe laughed heartily, patted Wang Zhiyuan on the shoulder, and reassured him, "Old Wang, rest easy. You surely know my character by now."

Hearing this, Wang Zhiyuan finally set his mind at ease and set about arranging the funds, while Liu Zhe left with Yan Fei. At the same time, the invitations sent out by Liu Zhe were arriving in the hands of Shenzhen's major multi-billionaires.

In the Bai family's manor villa, Bai Yuanbin, the current head and eldest son of the Bai family, looked at the elderly man sitting in the grandmaster chair and asked, "Father, what is the Liu family trying to do?"

Old Master Bai put down the invitation he had been examining and said indifferently, "Liu Zhe has invited us, claiming there's a chance to get rich, and that those interested can attend. Do you think the Liu family is really that kind-hearted, Yuanbin?"

Bai Yuanbin shook his head and said in a deep voice, "If I had a chance to make a fortune, I'd invest quietly by myself. Why would I call others along unless I wanted to use them as shields?"

Hearing this, Old Master Bai sighed helplessly. "Your vision is still too narrow, Yuanbin. Old man Liu has fathered a good son. Since we don't know Liu Zhe's true purpose, taking a look won't do any harm."

In the Li family villa, Li Zhongfang listened to Old Master Li's inquiry and replied gravely, "Father, I just checked. This morning, Liu Zhe went to visit President Wang of the ICBC Shenzhen branch. Word is that Liu Zhe secured a loan of five hundred million US dollars from the bank."

Old Master Li tapped the tabletop and said in a deep voice, "Perhaps Liu Zhe really does have a money-making opportunity, and the capital required is simply too vast, which is why he sent out invitations. You should go take a look. If it truly is a chance to make a fortune, our Li family will remember this favor from the Liu family."

In the Qin family villa, Old Master Qin listened to Qin Ren's report and asked, "Was this initiated by Liu Zhe, or the Liu family as a whole? Does old man Liu know about this?"

Qin Ren shook his head and replied gravely, "It's likely initiated by Liu Zhe alone. Liu Gu, the eldest son of the Liu family, only found out after everyone else received their invitations. Old Master Liu probably doesn't know either."

Hearing this, a happy smile appeared on Old Master Qin's face, and he said slowly, "Although Liu Shan has two good sons, his second son Liu Zhe is more talented. Unfortunately, the Liu Group can only be inherited by the eldest son Liu Gu, which has created a rift between Liu Zhe and the Liu family. This is truly interesting. You should go make an appearance—even just to watch the show. If there genuinely is a chance to make a fortune, our Qin family will owe Liu Zhe a personal favor."

The same scenario played out across various prominent families in Shenzhen. Among the Eight Great Families, all sent their respective representatives, while smaller families mostly dispatched their family heads in person. Even Liu Gu went on his own accord despite not receiving an invitation.

Time flew by, and the next morning arrived. At the entrance of the Sheraton Hotel, Zhang Peng, the security guard on duty, watched as luxury cars rolled in one after another. Normally, you'd rarely see even a few such vehicles, but today they were arriving in convoys and driving straight into the Sheraton's garage.

Gazing at these luxury cars worth tens of millions across various models and brands, Zhang Peng felt like his eyes were feasting. He immediately took out his phone to take photos, shared them on his Moments feed, and said to his colleague beside him, "Little Wang, do you think something big is happening today? So many luxury cars are gathering at our hotel."

Little Wang shook his head and replied, "How would I know? There certainly are a lot of luxury cars today. It feels like all the rich people in Shenzhen have shown up."

A Mercedes-AMG GT500 drove in and parked among the cluster of multi-million-dollar supercars, looking particularly jarring and instantly drawing the attention of quite a few tycoons who had just stepped out of their vehicles.

When Yan Fei stepped out of the car, he instantly became the center of attention. Some young men and women who had accompanied their elders to gain some worldly experience looked at Yan Fei the moment he emerged—some with disdainful disgust, others with haughty condescension.

A young man in his early twenties shouted at Yan Fei, "Hey kid, open your eyes and see where you are! All around you are top-trim Rolls-Royces, top-trim Maybachs, and top-trim Bentleys. A cheap junker like yours has no right to park here, you hear me?"

After walking a few steps, Yan Fei noticed someone shouting at him. He stopped, looked at the young man striding toward him, and asked, "Are you talking to me?"

The young man said with a face full of anger, "What, do you think I was talking to the air? Hurry up and move your car, understand?"

Glaring at the arrogant and domineering young man, Yan Fei had important business to attend to and couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He turned to walk into the Sheraton Hotel, but the young man refused to let it go.

Frowning, Yan Fei swung the back of his hand and slapped the young man across the face, catching him completely off guard, then kicked him straight to the ground. This sequence of actions caused the nearby onlookers—several young men, women, and their elders—to frown.

Regaining his senses and feeling utterly humiliated, the young man roared with blazing fury, "I'm going to kill you!"

At that moment, a second-generation scion of a minor family who had just stepped out of the car with his father caught sight of Yan Fei's somewhat familiar figure. Seeing the enraged young man, he sprinted over, grabbed the young man, and shouted loudly, "Junxi, calm down! Don't be impulsive."

Seeing who it was, Chen Junxi immediately yelled, "Zhang Bie, you came at the right time! Help me beat that punk up; he actually dared to hit me! Today, I'm going to teach him how to spell the word 'death'."

Zhang Bie held Chen Junxi tightly and whispered urgently, "Junxi, don't be reckless. That guy doesn't have a simple background; Brother Qun once warned us never to cross him."

Hearing this, Chen Junxi gave a start. The furious expression on his face subsided slightly as he asked, "Did Brother Qun really say that? What kind of background does he have? I haven't heard of him. Among the second-generation heirs in Shenzhen, even if I don't know all of them, I know every single one whose background surpasses mine."

Zhang Bie shook his head and whispered, "I don't know. Brother Qun didn't elaborate. All I know is that Zhang Zhigao suffered a massive loss at his hands."

Listening to this exchange, the young men and women standing around felt a surge of curiosity toward Yan Fei. They watched his back as he stepped into the Sheraton Hotel, especially the young women, whose eyes sparkled with starry-eyed fascination as they thought he looked utterly cool.