"Do you think it will still take a long time for the shipping cycle to reverse?" Fang Xingyuan asked with a smile. "I don't think we need to be so pessimistic. Currently, our country's foreign trade scale and the competitiveness of our manufactured products in the global market are significantly increasing. This means that the overall demand for external shipping capacity is continuously rising.
Although due to the disordered expansion of many shipping companies in recent years, the current freight prices are at a low point. But looking to the future, with the continuous growth of foreign trade scale and increasing demand for shipping capacity.
At the same time, many shipping companies' merchant ships are reaching the end of their operational life, and due to tight cash flow at the bottom of the cycle, they are unable to upgrade, among other factors. I believe counter-cyclical expansion at this time is absolutely correct.
Of course, how the specific industry trend will change in the future, and when freight prices can return above the boom-bust line, is something no single individual can accurately predict. Whether doing business or investing. We can only do our best, leave the rest to fate, and make choices with a high probability of success."
"Alright, 500 million." After listening to Fang Xingyuan, Qiu Guoyu continued to ponder for a while before making his final decision. "Although I don't believe the shipping cycle can reverse in a short time, I still trust you, Lao Fang. I hope you can outlast your other competitors and capture more market share."
"It's not hope, it's certainty," Fang Xingyuan said confidently. "Lao Qiu, I might not be as good as you in stock investing, or in many financial and economic insights, but when it comes to business operations, I'm much stronger than you. I can feel new opportunities coming, and if I seize this one, I believe I can take 'Yuanhang Group' to new heights, making it one of the most competitive giants in the industry."
Qiu Guoyu chuckled and said, "Lao Fang, if it truly reaches the point you described, then… 'Yuanhang Group' might directly compete with several central state-owned enterprises."
"No problem," Fang Xingyuan said. "As long as our country's foreign trade export scale continues to rise, the market is large enough to accommodate multiple giants. Furthermore, shipping routes differ, and the transport products emphasized also differ. It will still be difficult for us to form a direct competitive relationship with several domestic central state-owned enterprise giants."
"That's true too." Qiu Guoyu thought for a moment, then nodded. "I heard… Wanqing's uncle, in his next term, might be in Modu. Is that true?"
Fang Xingyuan said indifferently, "Not clear."
Qiu Guoyu saw the change in Fang Xingyuan's expression, sighed softly, and said, "It seems that because of Wanqing, there was still some discord between you two."
"Let's not talk about the past," Fang Xingyuan replied casually, pinching a black chess piece. After a moment of thought, he placed it on a crucial spot on the board, changing the subject. "Lao Qiu, you're definitely going to lose this game."
Hearing this, Qiu Guoyu quickly turned his gaze back to the chessboard. After pondering for a long time, he couldn't find a way to save it, so he couldn't help but smile and say, "I was careless just now. This round doesn't count. Let's play another one. Anyway, it's still early, and I have to win at least one game against you today."
As they spoke, the two rearranged the chessboard, deciding to start over.
And at this very moment, while the two were chatting…
Throughout Modu's business community, rumors about Su Yi doubling the returns for friends who lent him money after his return to Modu were already spreading like wildfire, propagated by the talkative Lin Minghui.
"President Su's vision is truly not something ordinary people possess. I heard that when President Su returned to Modu to raise funds, everyone who lent him money has now received double the returns."
Among the widespread rumors, many people expressed their admiration.
"Double the returns in less than three months! Those who lent money to President Su back then really made a fortune!"
"There probably weren't many people who actually lent him money at the time, right?"
"Ah, what a pity… I didn't get that opportunity. But President Su is truly generous, giving away tens of millions, even hundreds of millions in profits."
"Indeed, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't have President Su's vision."
"President Su's vision… it feels like the rise of 'Huayi Capital' is unstoppable!"
"'Huayi Capital' is already considered a top-tier private equity investment fund company in China, isn't it? Does it still need to 'rise'? In my opinion, after the 'UK Referendum Black Swan' event, 'Huayi Capital' is already one of the giants in China's financial industry."
"Didn't we hear that 'Huayi Chengyuan No. 1', the main fund product managed by President Su, earned over 20 billion Huabi in profit from the pound sterling exchange rate market during the 'UK Referendum Black Swan' event? If this rumor is true… then 'Huayi Capital' truly deserves to be called an undisputed giant in China's financial industry, especially since I recall that the fund's capital for 'Huayi Chengyuan No. 1' was entirely President Su's personal funds."
"Earning 20 billion might be an exaggeration, but 10 billion is absolutely certain."
"I don't think it's an exaggeration at all, and it's highly possible it's far more than 20 billion. Didn't you hear the recent news from foreign websites about 'Huayi Capital' acquiring 'FXCM International'? You should know… 'FXCM International', a globally renowned market maker, already has a market valuation of over 10 billion Huabi. For 'Huayi Capital' to complete the acquisition of this institution in such a short time indicates that 'Huayi Capital' currently holds far more than 10 billion Huabi in cash."
"No wonder President Su is so generous to friends who helped him after he returned to Modu."
"This isn't a matter of generosity; it's about having an incredibly brilliant vision."
"'Huayi Capital', this institution, its current market valuation is probably no less than 30 billion, right?"
"What? 30 billion value? What are you thinking? Just its recent acquisition of 'FXCM International' alone is worth more than 30 billion."
"If 'Huayi Capital' were to go public, its current market capitalization would probably have already surpassed 100 billion."
"Forget about 'Huayi Capital's assets and its cash reserves, I think President Su alone is worth 100 billion."
"In my opinion, President Su's value is far more than 100 billion."
"Given time, I believe President Su will definitely earn far more than 100 billion in the financial market in the future."
"It's a pity that 'Huayi Capital' currently has no news of issuing new fund products. Alas… I really regret not subscribing when the company launched the 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1' fund product before."
"If 'Huayi Capital's asset management business in China could also issue more products like other private equity firms, that would be great."
"If they openly issued new fund products, 'Huayi Capital' could probably instantly push its asset management scale beyond 100 billion, right?"
"Aren't you underestimating them? 200 billion, 300 billion are all possible."
"I bet even in our Modu alone, there's no telling how many people want to entrust their money to President Su for management."
"As long as President Su is willing to accept everyone's investments, I think raising tens of billions of funds casually should be absolutely no problem."
"The net value of 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1' fund product is still rising against the trend, right?"
"It's more than just rising against the trend. According to the net value announced for 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1' at the beginning of this month, this fund product's performance surprisingly increased by over 200% against the backdrop of a continuous index plunge of over 25% this year. It can be said to be even stronger than the 'Zexi Series' products of yesteryear."
"The 'Zexi Series' products are simply incomparable to the current 'Huayi Series' products."
"Their investment styles are also completely different, aren't they?"
"It feels like President Su's investment style is more stable and upright than former President Xu's. I heard that 'Huayi Capital', as an institution, never engages in insider trading when it comes to stock investments."
"Has 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1' fund product released specific stock holding data in the last six months?"
"It seems that, apart from investors who subscribed to 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1', others cannot see the specific holding data of this fund product, right?"
"That's true, but some investors have also leaked the corresponding holdings of this fund product."
"What kind of stocks does this fund product buy?"
"It seems to be mainly stocks in the consumer and new energy industry chains. In fact, this fund product buys popular stocks, but achieving its current performance is truly remarkable."
"Alas, I wonder when the subscription period will open. I've already prepared 5 million and will definitely rush to subscribe then."
"I guess the subscription period will open next year, right?"
"According to the rules, the subscription period will open after the one-year lock-up period ends."
"If the scale isn't expanded, it will probably be difficult to grab shares, right? After all, one can only subscribe after someone redeems, or apply to the regulatory body to change the fund share scale, but that's definitely impossible for now."
"I want to subscribe to the 'Huayi Chengyuan No. 1' fund. I wonder if 'Huayi Capital' will open the subscription rights for this fund product?"
"Definitely impossible. Hedge fund products that invest in overseas markets cannot be issued domestically."
"Ah, that's a real pity."
"Those investors who subscribed to 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1' fund product in the first batch are truly comfortable. And I remember this fund product was launched simultaneously online and offline at the time, and acquiring it on the 'Eastmoney' fund website was effortless."
"That's true, but now this fund also seems to be tradable over-the-counter."
"It can be traded over-the-counter, but with a significant premium."
"If one continues to be bullish on the performance growth of 'Huayi Yuanzheng No. 1' fund product, I think paying some premium for offline share transfer transactions is also worthwhile."
"The key is that the over-the-counter premium is almost 40% now."
"This premium is indeed a bit high. It seems… we can only wait for 'Huayi Capital' to launch new fund products in the future."
Amidst countless discussions both within and outside the industry circle.
Whether it's Su Yi personally, or the reputation and prestige of 'Huayi Capital' as an investment company, they are becoming increasingly high and prominent throughout Modu, and even the entire domestic financial investment community.
However, Su Yi didn't pay much attention to these things.
After repaying all the loans as initially agreed, Su Yi took Chu Wan to the hospital during the weekend to visit the terminally ill girl who had already signed for organ donation, was a match for Chu Wan, and was nearing the end of her life.
"Hello…" As he walked into the hospital ward, filled with the smell of medicine, Su Yi immediately saw the emaciated girl on the bed, and her parents accompanying her by the bedside.
He extended his hand to greet the girl's parents and introduced himself, "I'm sorry to meet you this way…"
The girl's parents, and the girl herself, were stunned for a moment after hearing Su Yi's introduction, taking a while to react.
And just as both parties were feeling somewhat awkward and startled.
The ward door was pushed open once more, and a figure quite familiar to Su Yi appeared before him.
"President Su… Su," the person who entered was filled with surprise, "You… what are you doing here?"
"Miss Chen… Chen?" Su Yi was also extremely surprised to see the face of the person who entered.
The person who had just pushed open the ward door and walked in was Chen Anya, whom he had met a few times when he first leveraged funds to short stock index futures after his rebirth.
"Anya, do you… know each other?" the girl's father asked, looking at both of them with confusion.
Chen Anya nodded and carefully introduced Su Yi's identity to the questioning girl's parents.
And Su Yi, during their conversation, instantly understood.
It turned out that the girl on the hospital bed, nearing the end of her life and roughly the same age as Chu Wan, was Chen Anya's cousin.
And the reason her family could come all the way from Qianzhou, thousands of miles away, for treatment here was due to Chen Anya's kind initiative to arrange it.
"Alas…" After understanding the specific situation, Chen Anya's paternal uncle, Chen Qingshan, sighed heavily in resignation and said, "Doctor Chang asked us earlier if we wanted to see you, and we…"
Su Yi tightly clasped the other man's calloused hand, looked at his simple yet wrinkled face, nodded, and said, "Uncle, I understand the difficulties you face. Don't worry, anything you need my help with, as long as I can do it, I will not refuse."
He could not change the girl's fate on the hospital bed.
But he could provide some help and change the future lives of the girl's parents.
"Sister, can I talk to her?" As Su Yi and Chen Qingshan walked towards the hospital corridor for a private conversation, the girl on the bed seemed to have regained some energy.
With bright, pure eyes, she carefully observed Chu Wan, who was standing quietly in the ward, several times, then gently asked Chen Anya, who was holding her hand.
Chen Anya softly murmured 'Mm' to the doctor, helped her cousin lean against the bed, then took Chu Wan's hand and had her sit beside her cousin.
"What's your name?" the girl on the bed asked, trying to force a smile, full of curiosity.
Chu Wan replied, "My name is Chu Wan, and yours?"
"My name is Chen Xinyu." The girl on the bed said her name, paused, and continued, "You're so beautiful."
"Thank you." Chu Wan gave a bright smile, gently extended her hand, and asked, "May I hold your hand? Once we hold hands, we'll be friends."
"Mm." Chen Xinyu nodded and tried to extend her hand.
Immediately after, the two girls, one sitting and one lying, clasped hands.
"Actually, I know I'm going to die." After they became more familiar, Chen Xinyu said to Chu Wan after a while, "But I'm not scared at all, I just feel a little pity."
(End of chapter)