Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 65: Going Home for the New Year

The next day, as the stock market opened, several seemingly plausible rumors unfavorable to Oulijia Bao Group spread, causing stock prices to once again break through the force of earlier oversold buying pressure and plummet rapidly. However, this time trading volume continued to rise during the decline, but only for a while. Under the pressure of even greater selling, buyer enthusiasm dropped again.

Shi Wei watched the market screen satisfactorily. After reminding the traders to pay attention to the situation, he comfortably sat back on the sofa. His assistant immediately lit him a Cuban cigar and quickly poured him a glass of Hennessy. He knew that this was the time when his boss was in the best mood, so such performance would earn him the boss’s approval.

Sure enough, as Shi Wei smoked his cigar, he nodded in satisfaction and said, “Xiao Li, have you completed the task I assigned last time?”
“Yes, boss. I’ve taken care of it. Whatever person the boss wants, no matter how famous she is, she’ll obediently follow orders. I’ve already arranged for her to stay at the new villa you bought!”
“Damn it, she pretends to be aloof. If ten million isn’t enough, I’ll spend thirty million on her. Still, she’ll have to sleep with me! In this world, as long as you have money, nothing is unobtainable. Haha…” While thinking about how to enjoy himself that night, Shi Wei suddenly heard a trader’s urgent voice: “Boss, boss, something’s wrong! It seems some institution is aggressively buying shares, pushing the stock price up by two points in one go…” Before he could finish speaking, Shi Wei almost spat out the half-drunk wine. He quickly swallowed it and rushed to the screen. Seeing large buy orders gradually pushing up the stock price, his good mood vanished instantly. His mind raced as he analyzed this sudden anomaly. After all, that person wasn’t ordinary. He quickly identified several possibilities and ruled them out one by one.

The first possibility was speculation by their own people, but this seemed highly unlikely. During yesterday’s meeting, the major institutions had communicated thoroughly, agreeing to share profits and allocate resources according to their contributions. Moreover, the stock price could still go lower. There was no reason for any one institution to act alone—neither the capability nor the motivation.

The next possibility was a counterattack by the Ouyang family. However, according to information from banks, lending companies, and other sources, the Ouyang family no longer had any available funds. Additionally, the buy orders were clearly scattered, not the result of just one or two companies.

Finally, another big player has set its sights on this lucrative target, which is the most likely and reasonable explanation. First, there have been no reports of significant capital flows in Hong Kong recently. Second, even if they are aggressive buyers, no matter how much they acquire, it’s impossible for them to match the number of shares they already hold. At most, they would end up as minor shareholders. So who would go to such lengths for such a pointless effort? Could it be a friend of the Ouyang family…?

Thinking of this, Shi Wei decided it was best to report to his father promptly.

“The buying interest is weak! It’s getting weaker! The stock price is falling again!” the trader exclaimed excitedly.

“Phew~~” Shi Wei let out a sigh of relief. It seemed their plan had been leaked, or some powerful individuals had learned about their plans—something quite common. Such situations often presented the best opportunity to bribe high-ranking officials, and some well-informed people would try to take advantage of them in advance. But none of this posed a real threat to their core position.

“Ignore these minor fluctuations from now on. The current stock price is already pretty stable. If it drops too quickly, we can buy some more shares as needed!” “Yes, boss!” After giving the orders, Shi Wei still called his father, Shi Yundong, to report the situation and his actions. Shi Yundong was clearly satisfied with his son’s handling of things, praised him a few times, and reminded him to be extra careful.

For this plan, the Shi family had gone all in, investing a great deal of effort, resources, and capital. After all, who wouldn’t want to take control of the lucrative Oulijia Bao Group?

So, after these minor fluctuations, they didn’t dare to look away from the screen anymore. Every move of the stock price concerned them deeply.

However, such tense fluctuations occurred several more times, but fortunately, they weren’t persistent. After analyzing information from hackers and the exchange, it turned out these weren’t coming from a single buyer but were spread out widely. They had discussed this with several major institutions last night. Such situations happened when the stock price hit lows, but as long as it wasn’t the same buyer, it was fine. After all, their goal was to gain control of Oulijia Bao’s board of directors and decision-making power, not just to make a profit from price differences.

As for those institutions that bought shares at the current price, they could earn whatever they could. Once they took control of the board, they could even issue more shares, which would surely ruin those institutions.

It wasn’t until near noon that these fluctuations stopped, and the stock price resumed its steady downward trend. This relieved the Shi father and son greatly, as it seemed their judgment had been correct.

However, in this world, there is nothing that can’t happen—only things you haven’t thought of yet! Just at noon, while Shi Yundong and his son were full and dreaming of a bright future, the stock price of Oulijia Bao Group began to soar. There was a fierce buying spree on the market; whenever there was a sell order, it was immediately bought up, pushing the price up by two notches in no time. Both Shi Yundong and Shi Wei were shocked by this sudden change and were stunned for a while. It was only under Shi Wei’s furious shouts that the silent trader broke the silence: “Quick, find out what’s causing this—are there any other unexpected news?” With a pale face, Shi Yundong said nothing but took out his special phone and dialed several numbers to set up a small video conference system. Soon, the phone screen showed the avatars of the people he had called. Though small, the resolution was very high, and Shi Yundong could even see their shocked and puzzled expressions. “Everyone sees the situation. We’ve already discussed the possible reasons yesterday, and none of us can be blamed. Time is critical now—we don’t have time to figure out why there are so many sources of funds. The most important thing now is our response strategy. Otherwise, all our efforts might end up benefiting others!” “Old Shi, what’s the point of discussing this now? We’re all in this together. Just tell us what to do—we’ll follow your lead!” several of them said. “Alright, since this affects everyone’s interests, let me clarify first: this force definitely isn’t something the Ouyang family or their allies could possess. Let’s treat them as outsiders trying to seize our share. I have three suggestions. First, once they push the stock price high enough, we should jointly sell our shares to drive down the price, deplete their funds, and then bring the price back up. Second, we should compete with them to buy shares and push the price up together. Finally, it comes down to who holds the most decisive shares. Third, we can wait and see what they do—give them an afternoon to try their tricks.” “It’s really strange. Even if this force is strong, even if they buy up all the shares on the market, they might not be able to surpass us and the Ouyang family. At most, it would be a tripartite struggle. And by driving up the price like that to buy shares, aren’t they afraid of our countermeasures? How much capital do they need?” one person asked. “Hmm, President Wang is right. Even our bank can’t have such a large amount of cash flow…” another said.

“Old Shi, what I mean is to see what price they drive the stock to. If it goes beyond the oversold range, we’ll strike hard and sell off all our shares. I don’t believe they still have much capital left! Otherwise, the hard-earned situation we’ve created will be ruined by them, giving the Ouyang family another chance to catch their breath!” said the third party.
“Hmm, I think it’s feasible…” “Okay…” The third party’s opinion was supported by most people.
Shi Yundong also nodded and said, “I agree too. Let’s bet on their capital strength! I support Brother Hu’s proposal…” On the stock market, that force was indeed powerful. Under the pressure of massive selling, the stock price kept rising, and as expected, it reached the normal price range based on the company’s performance ratio, though it was still at a historical low.
Shi Yundong and the others began their planned suppression. With huge sell orders and market participants selling to capitalize on rebounds, the stock price dropped further, sliding down another notch.
The stock market was in an uproar today, with everyone focused on the Oulijiabao stock. Some were overjoyed—their purchases at the bottom led to a sharp rise in the stock price; others were devastated—they had just bought in only for the price to drop several points, trapping them in losses.
The speculators’ faces turned green with excitement, their eyes red as they stared at the screens, completely controlled by these ever-changing numbers.
Shi Yundong watched the fluctuations coldly. The stock price had already gone up and down three times. Every time they pushed it to a low point, that force seemed tireless, resuming its buying to push up the price.
When the stock price reached the performance line again, Shi Yundong suddenly seemed to realize something and shouted, “Stop selling!” But with his cry, the bell signaling the end of trading also rang, and all Shi Yundong saw were the rows of numbers on the screen that had stopped moving…
Shi Wei looked at his father in confusion, while Shi Yundong’s mind was filled with only one thought: “The other side is luring them into selling—completely manipulating them into selling their shares!” Yet he couldn’t figure out the key to it. What force could have such great power? Even if he managed to take control of the Oulijiabao Group, how could he resolve such a mess?

Shi Yundong, unable to figure it out, slowly pulled himself back from his thoughts, steadied his emotions, and asked Shi Wei, “How much did we throw in total this afternoon?” Shi Wei, as if prepared in advance, replied, “Sixty percent was from us. Including Uncle Wang, Uncle Hu, and the others, it’s estimated that together they account for seventy percent of the total originally acquired.” Hearing this, Shi Yundong was clearly shocked again, but he said nothing, remaining silent for a long time before murmuring to himself, “I can’t see through it. I really can’t figure it out!”
…
That day, various evening newspapers in Hong Kong covered at length the severe fluctuations in Oulijiabao’s stock price, the strong rally at the end of the trading day, as well as the extremely high volume and turnover rates.
At 7 p.m., all news media outlets received an invitation from the Oulijiabao Group to attend a special press conference to release several statements and informal announcements about the group’s future plans.
At 8 p.m., news media, journalists, and various business figures who had heard about it had already filled the luxurious banquet hall, which could accommodate hundreds of people.
At 9:30 p.m., the press conference officially ended. The journalists and media outlets, having obtained a wealth of first-hand information, looked thrilled as they rushed back to report the news immediately.
Shi Yundong and Shi Wei watched the live broadcast on television, utterly stunned and confused!
There were four main topics at the press conference: First, Ouyang Ruolin explained that today’s fluctuations in Oulijiabao’s stock price were caused by deliberate manipulation and false rumors, and the group would submit a request to the disciplinary committee for an investigation. Second, Ouyang Ruolin addressed various rumors circulating outside, issuing a clarification statement, with the police confirming that the parties involved in the fight at the dock had no direct or indirect connection to the Oulijiabao Group. He also solemnly stated that his father, Ouyang Boshu, had only suffered a minor recurrence of heart disease and had fully recovered after treatment. Third, Ouyang Boshu, full of energy and enthusiasm, delivered a speech to the guests, welcoming them and announcing the group’s new initiatives, including environmental protection projects, as well as approval from the state for a five-year tax incentive. Fourth, the new shareholders were announced—Qianfeng Group had joined the board of directors, becoming its second-largest shareholder.
…
After the press conference, a private celebration was held at the Ouyang family home, attended by Ouyang Boshu, Ouyang Ruolin, Ouyang Ziyi, Chu Tianyu, and Old Chen.
“Old Chen, thank you so much for your generous financial support. Come, let me toast to you,” said Ouyang Boshu cheerfully.

“Hehe, that’s not the case at all. In business, we both get what we need and develop together. And if there’s anyone to thank, it should be us—Brother Chu for his contributions,” said Old Chen politely.
“Yes, Tianyu really did… Well, enough about it. If I say too much, these young people will think we’re old-fashioned, haha…” “That’s right, Dad always says such rude things!” Ouyang Ziyi complained, feeling bored.
“Okay, okay, Dad was rude. I didn’t stand by our precious Ziyi, haha!” Ouyang Boshu joked, then laughed together with Old Chen.
With Old Chen present, speaking so bluntly, Ouyang Ziyi felt a bit embarrassed. It was Ouyang Ruolin who stepped in to save her sister: “Dad, this time it was really satisfying. Watch how those people who always called me ‘nephew’ end up now! You don’t know what they looked like when I went to ask them for help…” “Enough, Ruolin. They’re all brothers Dad used to work with. Just give them a lesson—no need to go further. Business is like a battlefield, but different from one; while competition exists, harmony is also important. There are only permanent interests, no permanent enemies!” Ouyang Boshu interrupted.
“Yes, Ruolin has learned something!” Ouyang Ruolin nodded.
Chu Tianyu stood aside, holding his glass, observing the harmonious atmosphere in the room and the people around him. He fell into deep thought, realizing that each of them had their own value, their own reasons for living, and things they desired. It seemed as though each of them emitted a unique energy, faintly visible.
As he thought, Chu Tianyu felt as if he were about to grasp something, and suddenly had an epiphany: A true leader isn’t about how much one does or gives, but rather about how much they can inspire those around them to do and give, how they can unleash their full potential driven by motivation and expectations, ultimately forming an energy that no individual can ever match. Only such energy can create miracles.
And a leader’s role is to give others confidence and hope, or rather, a belief…
“Tianyu, what are you thinking about?” Ouyang Ziyi asked.
“Oh, oh. I was thinking that this trip to Hong Kong was really rewarding!” “Haha, it’s good to gain something. Young people should gain something from their experiences, whether it’s successful lessons or lessons from failure. Only with enough such gains can they become true men!” Ouyang Boshu said meaningfully.
Chu Tianyu nodded deeply but said nothing.

“Tianyu, the remaining few days will be much easier. You haven’t had much time to explore Hong Kong yet, right? My sister is extremely idle these days—let her show you around!” Ouyang Ruolin said, trying to lighten the mood and helping his sister out.

Chu Tianyu looked at Ouyang Ziyi, who was full of anticipation and excitement, and could only scratch his head awkwardly before slowly saying, “Well, it seems like my birthday is in a few days. I need to go home for the New Year…”

……

The next day, as soon as the stock market opened, Ouli Jia Bao Group started trading at a price three points higher. By morning, its stock price had surpassed that before the crash and continued to rise. It wasn’t until the afternoon, when a large number of profit-taking orders came in, that the price dropped and the market entered a sideways consolidation phase.

The remaining stocks held by Mr. Shi and his son, along with their strategic partners, became completely worthless. Their quantity was only one-tenth of what Ouyang Boshu and Qianfeng Group had combined. There was no way they could gain control, and since they couldn’t sell either, they were stuck. By noon, they hadn’t sold much at high prices before the stock price plummeted relentlessly. Frustrated, they not only dared not sell further but also had to use funds to support the stock price, otherwise they would suffer even greater losses.

At that moment, Shi Yundong was walking back and forth in the room, head down, smoking. Shi Wei stood beside him, motionless, afraid of further provoking his father.

He knew that the failure of this entire plan not only shattered their dreams but also meant that their Shi Group would face a severe financial crisis. Just suppressing the stock price and making the final sales had already caused them huge losses, not to mention the funds borrowed from banks and their enormous interest costs…

Just then, the door suddenly opened, and someone came in. Shi Wei rushed forward to greet them as if they were a savior, while Shi Yundong’s expression relaxed slightly upon seeing the person.

“Sister, you’re here!” Shi Wei said excitedly.