Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 99

The old man seemed to have heard the rumors about him and Gu Yufeng, but didn't say much. He just hinted at when he would bring someone home for a meal.

But Gu Yufeng wasn't as free as he was. The Dolphin acquisition case had ended, and just a few days after having dinner at home, he returned to Country D. He followed his grandfather around for social engagements, gathering intelligence from the circle to ensure the next plan went smoothly.

Xie Ci spent New Year's Eve at home with his dad, and the next day, before dawn, he flew to Country M.

By the end of the lunar month, it was already March according to the solar calendar.

On the plane to City L in Country M, assistant Wang Yu finished reporting the itinerary. Seeing Xie Ci reading the news on his tablet, he added, "Recently, there have been constant negative news about the Xie family. I heard they're suspected of insider trading, and regulatory authorities have already intervened."

Xie Ci replied, "I know."

Every day, different negative news made headlines, causing chaos in the Xie family. Such a straightforward and brutal method of revenge, it was obvious who was behind it.

In the previous life, the Xie family had destroyed themselves. In this life, judging by their business situation, they were even worse off than before, not worth his effort to deal with.

Gu Yufeng didn't go all out; it was more of a warning. If the Xie family didn't wake up and insisted on going down a dark path, the outcome was already determined.

While the Xie family was in turmoil, Rongyu, which had been criticized for the Dolphin acquisition, spent a lot of effort stabilizing market sentiment during this time.

On the FA platform, there were endless news reports about Rongyu recently, mostly positive.

After the stock price plummeted, Rongyu repurchased shares to support the stock price and mobilized a lot of funds from Desen Bank and other institutions for market intervention, managing to maintain the stock price at about 85% of its original value without further significant decline.

The platform released a special interview about Rongyu's Shark series, involving interviews with the core R&D department. Engineers analyzed the pros and cons of the Dolphin and Shark systems from a professional perspective, stating that the integration progress of Dolphin and Shark was promising, and a higher version of the autonomous driving system might be released within half a year.

The language was filled with professional jargon, and whether ordinary people could understand it or not, it looked quite impressive.

The day after the video was released, Rongyu's stock price began to rise slightly.

"Does Rongyu really want to integrate Dolphin and Shark?" Wang Yu was a bit puzzled. "If they had invested the money spent on acquiring Dolphin into developing Shark, they might have achieved better results, right? It seems a bit counterproductive."

"No matter what Rongyu wants, they can only say this to the outside world now," Xie Ci put down the tablet and rubbed his slightly sore brow.

Wang Yu still didn't understand, "The money has already been spent. Isn't it more wasteful not to use it?"

Xie Ci replied, "It also has to be usable."

Listening to Xie Ci's confident tone, Wang Yu vaguely felt like he grasped something but couldn't quite articulate it.

Not long after getting off the plane, assistant Wang Yu received a call from secretary Gina and reported to Xie Ci, "They said they've found the person."

Xie Ci instructed, "Have them bring the person over."

In a certain casino in City L.

A white man in his forties lost all the two million dollars he had just borrowed, pounding the table and cursing hysterically, only to be dragged out by security and casually thrown onto the roadside.

The man, unwilling to give up, shouted about borrowing more money to make a comeback but was stopped at the door.

Debt collectors called one after another, and the man scratched his head, squatting against the wall, frantically explaining to the person on the other end of the line, "I'll pay it back! Listen to me, I was so close to making millions, just a little more! Lend me two million more, no, one million, and I'll pay you all the principal tomorrow, plus an additional 10% interest!"

The person on the other end said, "You've been overdue for a week. If you don't pay by tomorrow, we'll forcibly seize your mortgaged property."

The man clutched his hair in agony. Now, let alone making a comeback, he didn't even have money for a ticket back to Country D.

This time, sneaking out, his wife had already given him an ultimatum: if he couldn't pay off the gambling debts, they would divorce immediately.

"Mr. Henry."

The white man heard his name and looked up sharply, seeing an Asian man with brown hair in a suit standing in front of him.

"Who are you?"

"My boss said he can help you solve your troubles." The Asian man stepped aside, gesturing for him to follow.

The white man looked at the car behind him, hesitated for a long time, and thinking of the debt collectors at his door, he gritted his teeth and got into the car.

There were already three people in the car, all tall and muscular, clearly trained fighters. The white man felt a bit intimidated, regretting it as soon as the car door closed, and asked the Asian man who followed him, "Where are you taking me?"

"Not far, it won't take up too much of your time," the Asian man said, then fell silent with a stern face.

The car drove into a private club, and the white man was taken all the way into a certain room.

The room was empty, and the man was asked to sit on the sofa and wait. The Asian man went into the adjacent room, and moments later, two people came out one after the other.

The man saw the person walking in front, and his pupils shrank, "You, you're from DR—"

Xie Ci sat down in front of him.

"You know me, so this will be easy."

The man became even more uneasy, rubbing his hands together incessantly.

"No need to be so nervous," Xie Ci said calmly, "I heard you lost quite a bit of money?"

The man's throat was dry, and he picked up the cup in front of him, but his hands were shaking, so he put it back down helplessly, "What do you want me to do?"

Xie Ci crossed his legs, his hands resting on the armrests, fingers interlocked, "It's simple. As long as you tell the truth, I'll clear your debts."

The man's hand on his leg tightened suddenly.

Leaking trade secrets would not only mean he couldn't continue working at Rongyu, but it would also be difficult for him to find a job in the industry in the future.

"I'll arrange a suitable place for you afterward," Xie Ci seemed to see through his concerns, "ensuring your family of three will be well taken care of."

The man's lowered eyes couldn't help but reveal a trace of panic.

The other party had already investigated his background thoroughly, knowing his family situation, debts, and whereabouts. Although it sounded like a negotiation, he actually had no room to refuse.

March 6th, an ordinary day.

A listed company in Country M named Nuozi announced financing, and its stock price fell nearly 10% that day. In the entire market, it wasn't something particularly noteworthy.

At this time, Rongyu was relieved by the slowly rising stock price, not paying attention to whether this unrelated company's stock price was rising or falling.

No one knew that a financial storm was quietly forming in the shadows.

At DR headquarters, Xie Ci sat in his office, with several screens on his left displaying the day's stock market situation, and the screen in front of him showing rapidly jumping messages.

Gu Yufeng's message popped up.

【The battle has begun, how's President Xie prepared?】

Xie Ci: 【Prepared for five years, more than enough.】

Gu Yufeng: 【Wanna bet? Whoever has the higher yield gets to be on top.】

A faint smile appeared in Xie Ci's eyes.

【I've never lost a bet.】

Gu Yufeng: 【Don't be too confident.】

Just as Xie Ci replied, there was a knock on the door, and Nok hurried in, slapping his hands on the desk, "Just got word, Carter has added margin to Desen and two other investment banks, not planning to close positions!"

"I know," Xie Ci replied casually.

Nok, seeing him so calm, felt a bit doubtful, "Can't you be a bit more excited? You're making me, a forty-year-old uncle, feel like a young boy."

Xie Ci: "Excitement doesn't have to be shown; it can be kept inside."

Nok: "…Really? You seem calm inside and out."

This young partner of his had always been like this over the years, calm to the point of being terrifying, no matter what happened. It was hard to tell if he was too insensitive or if he was confident in controlling everything, hence his calmness.

Just then, secretary Gina rushed into the office, "President Xie, just received internal news from Desen Bank, Bonar has added margin!"

Nok excitedly slapped the table, "Now it's getting interesting!"

Xie Ci's gaze swept over the stocks on the screen, including Rongyu and Nuozi.

TRS total return swap contract, a financial derivative, is a high-leverage investment. Simply put, customers use the bank's name to buy stocks with the bank's money, earning higher returns.

Under normal circumstances, buying stocks in the market, a 1% increase in stock price equals a 1% return. But with a TRS contract with the bank, at five times leverage, a 1% increase in stock price means the bank pays the customer a 5% return. Similarly, if it drops 1%, the customer needs to compensate the bank for a 5% loss.

To hedge risks, the bank would spend five times the money to buy stocks in the market. Bonar and Carter, being speculators, secretly collaborated with several investment banks, liked to gamble with their lives, and put all their money on a few stocks. This led to the banks holding heavy positions in these stocks, pushing up the stock price. If other followers entered the market, it could push the stock price even higher.

The higher the stock price, the more the customer earns, and the bank can also earn fees.

But high returns come with high risks. Once the stock price drops, even a slight drop can cause massive losses. If the margin with the bank isn't enough to cover the losses, it will result in a margin call.

In the previous life, Carter was stubborn. On the first day of Nuozi's stock price drop, he added margin to fight back. The next day, Nuozi's stock price plummeted 20%, losing several times the margin, not even enough to cover his losses. The banks he collaborated with suffered, and if they didn't sell their stocks, the losses would be severe. Selling all at once could trigger a market panic, causing even greater losses.

To minimize losses, Desen Bank and several others urgently discussed countermeasures, managing to reduce the losses to a minimum. But even so, it triggered a significant financial storm.

Among the stocks Bonar and Carter bet on was Rongyu.

This time, hopefully, Desen has the luck to avert disaster.

That night, Xie Ci sat in his office, barely sleeping.

In Country D, Gu Yufeng also stayed in his office for a day and a night.

Five years of preparation was for this day.

The morning sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a bit glaring for those who hadn't slept all night.

Xie Ci looked at the screen showing the stock price's cliff-like drop and instructed secretary Gina, "Send out the video."

Gina respectfully complied, "Yes!"

Nuozi's stock price continuously triggered circuit breakers, plummeting 20%. Bonar and Carter both faced margin calls, and Desen Bank and several other investment banks were in a panic. Only then did they realize these two guys had collaborated with several banks simultaneously, but it was too late.

Having boarded the pirate ship, not wanting to lose their shirts, they could only find a way to weather this storm together.

That afternoon, Desen convened with three other investment banks to discuss countermeasures.

Fortunately, the four were allies, having jointly taken down many institutions.

An old man with graying hair sat at the round table, his eagle eyes hiding a sharp cunning.

"Given the situation, stabilize it first. If it spirals out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The four investment banks held nearly a trillion dollars in stocks. Selling them all at once would cause a massive chain reaction, even threatening their own stock prices.

Desen had more at stake with Bonar than the others, and with Desen already heavily invested in Rongyu's stock, mishandling it would be a major disaster for both Desen and Rongyu.

"Muller, that old fox, is still so smart, letting him escape unscathed," one investment bank's head said with a bad tone, "Bonar turned to us after failing to get money from Muller."

Another head said, "Muller plays it safe, yet he and his grandson have a sharp investment eye, as if blessed by the heavens."

Desen listened to their conversation, feeling extremely annoyed.

The front yard crisis wasn't resolved, and now the backyard was on fire.

Desen's secretary entered the meeting room, face stiff and anxious, whispering to Desen, "Received news from Aisite, an engineer leaked company secrets, and the stock price is dropping!"

Desen's expression changed slightly, rushing out of the meeting room to grab the tablet handed by the secretary.

On the screen was a news article from the FA platform, titled—Rongyu Shark Core R&D Engineer Reveals Real Name, Dolphin and Shark Cannot Merge!

In the news video, a white man sat in front of a computer, denouncing Rongyu as a fraud. He claimed that the Dolphin and Shark technologies couldn't merge, and Rongyu couldn't even extract the beneficial parts of the Dolphin technology. Even if the dual systems ran, there would be significant safety risks. The previous interviews were fabricated lies, and the Shark's R&D had long hit a bottleneck. Everything was to deceive more investors.

Shortly after the video was released, Rongyu's hard-earned rising stock price began to plummet rapidly.

"Block it! Block all related topics!" Desen was furious, smashing the tablet on the ground.

At the same time, at Qingfeng Headquarters.

In the office, Gu Yufeng was browsing FA news, not expecting the entire platform to crash. When it recovered, all the news had disappeared, and the topics were gone. He instructed his secretary, "Notify MM to pin this news!"

Secretary: "Yes."

Rongyu's stock price fell over 10% that day, with a large number of netizens on the MM platform demanding an explanation from Rongyu.

Rongyu had to issue a clarification announcement and pursue legal action against engineer Henry.

But this announcement didn't quell the public's anger; instead, it seemed evasive. Rongyu couldn't provide proof that Dolphin and Shark could merge, and Henry kept providing core data, slapping Rongyu in the face.

That night, no one could sleep.

Several investment banks, watching Rongyu's plummeting stock price, felt increasingly anxious.

Nuozi had just plummeted 20%, and now Rongyu was starting to plummet. No one knew which stock would be next.

In this prisoner's dilemma, whoever ran slower would suffer. The foolish ones left last were destined to suffer heavy losses.

At DR headquarters, in Xie Ci's office.

Nok sat across the desk with his laptop, browsing the MM platform's flame wars, asking Xie Ci, "Are these core data fabricated?"

Xie Ci: "They're real."

Nok couldn't help but look up, "You knew all along that Dolphin and Shark couldn't merge?"

Of course, Xie Ci knew.

Because this Dolphin, which couldn't be swallowed by Shark, was something he spent five years custom-designing for Rongyu.

It wasn't enough to defeat a strong opponent, but it could deliver a fatal blow when the storm hit.

Seeing Xie Ci's tacit acknowledgment, Nok cursed under his breath, recalling the entire process of acquiring Dolphin, feeling shocked.

This had been calculated with Rongyu in mind from the start.

Step by step, forcing Rongyu to buy something useless at a high price.

"In your country's words, isn't Rongyu a sucker?" Nok mused.

Xie Ci got up to make coffee, speaking lightly, "I told them when Rongyu wanted to acquire Dolphin that it couldn't merge, buying it was useless. They insisted on buying it, who can they blame?"

Nok suspiciously recalled, searching the MM platform, and after a while, found a previous expert analysis post. After reading it, he exclaimed in disbelief.

"You can play like this?!"

The expert's analysis matched what the engineer named Henry said, but it was posted on the MM platform. MM was controlled by Qingfeng, Rongyu naturally thought it was a business war, but it was indeed a business war, just Rongyu guessed the wrong direction.

The real test data of Dolphin was true, the analysis post saying it couldn't merge with Shark was true, and the price was plainly there. Rongyu knew it was a trap, yet had to jump in.

Nok pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Xie Ci, who was standing by the window, "Actually, your target wasn't Dolphin, but Rongyu?"

Xie Ci looked at the sunset, the clouds dyed red like a raging fire, ready to devour everything.

"Think bigger."

Nok paused, realizing something, muttering to himself.

"You really know how to play…"

In the meeting with Desen, the investment banks agreed to withstand the storm together, but one turned around and sold their stocks.

The other two followed suit.

In a few days, stocks including Rongyu and Nuozi triggered circuit breakers daily, causing panic selling.

Desen, running the latest, suffered heavy losses, bearing 60-70% of the losses, causing Desen Bank's stock price to plummet.

At this critical moment, Rongyu, heavily invested by Desen, faced negative news, greatly affecting market sentiment, indirectly impacting Desen Bank, adding insult to injury, leading to a massive bank run.

Desen, overwhelmed, had to seek help from allies.

But the allies, having just been burned, had no capacity to help.

Desen Bank, established for over a century, couldn't last three days and declared bankruptcy.

The culprits, Bonar and Carter's funds, went bankrupt, and they were charged with multiple financial crimes, being arrested.

In this financial storm, some suffered heavy losses, while others made a fortune.

In the son's group chat, someone popped champagne every day, always tagging Xie Ci, asking about his yield.

FULI: 【Where's the group owner? How much did you make? I'm really curious.】

Ada: 【Making a fortune quietly, won't tell you?】

FULI: 【Not including me QuQ】

Nok looked at Xie Ci, who was on a call with someone, the faint smile in his eyes indicating a good mood.

Nok: 【The group owner is in love, no time to check the group.】

Everyone: 【…The group owner needs to date too?!】

Nok: 【That's too much, he's a young guy in his twenties.】

Nok looked at the string of surprised emojis, thinking of the bankrupt Desen Bank, the half-dead Rongyu, and the things Xie Ci said and did before.

With Desen gone, the biggest beneficiary wasn't them, but likely the Muller family, always at odds with the Desen family.

Could it be that Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng were really together?

If so, this storm was a century-long siege launched by these two against Desen.

They manipulated everything from behind the scenes, and after the siege ended, with the enemy dead, they could retreat unscathed, reaping the rewards.

Terrifying young men.

Over there, Xie Ci leaned back on the sofa, listening to Gu Yufeng's voice coming from the phone.

"What a pity, couldn't take down Desen's allies in one go."

Xie Ci: "With Desen gone, they can't form a climate, no longer a match for your grandfather."

After discussing business, Gu Yufeng asked him, "Are you staying in Country M recently?"

Xie Ci: "I can return the day after tomorrow afternoon."

Gu Yufeng: "I might be a bit late, still have to visit my grandfather."

"No rush, finish your work first."

After hanging up, Xie Ci returned to his desk and told Nok, "I'm going back to the country for a few days, have someone keep an eye on Rongyu."

Nok: "Keep an eye on Rongyu?"

Xie Ci casually said, "With Desen down, Rongyu won't last long. If the timing is right, acquire it."

Nok clicked his tongue in amazement, "Plucking feathers as you go, as expected of you."

Taking down the enemy, even picking up the dropped loot.

With Desen Bank bankrupt, the matter was far from over.

The next day, multiple media outlets on the MM platform exposed that Desen Bank had many secret black-market businesses, long involved in money laundering.

That afternoon, someone claiming to be a family member of the former FA president accused Desen of murder, having already handed over related materials to local police.

The news spread across the internet, making Desen the target of public criticism.

But it wasn't over yet, as victims continued to come forward, accusing Desen and the Desen family of long-term harm.

For years, Desen had been rampant, harming countless people.

In the past, not to mention real-name accusations, even anonymous messages could be blocked. But now, with Desen Bank bankrupt and Desen losing power, anyone could kick them while they were down.

Few offer help in times of need, but many beat a drowning dog.

The local police, for once, acted efficiently, and by the second day of the incident's escalation, they arrested Desen.

"You said he escaped?!" Gu Yufeng entered the office with a cold face, listening to the report on the phone, slamming the documents on the desk, "Didn't we prepare in advance?!"

On the other end: "We suspect there's a Desen informant inside, the action plan was leaked."

"I don't want to hear excuses, just results!" Gu Yufeng's tone was sharp, "Where is he now?"

On the other end: "Still investigating, we promise to capture him as soon as possible."

Gu Yufeng cursed under his breath, hanging up, angrily sweeping all the documents off the desk.

"A bunch of useless people!"

A knock on the door, the secretary's voice came through.

"President Gu, you have a visitor."

"Not seeing anyone!"

"What's got you so angry?"

Hearing the deep, pleasant voice, Gu Yufeng turned sharply, seeing the tall, handsome man standing at the door, smiling at him.

"Why are you here?" Gu Yufeng was a bit stunned.

The secretary was dumbfounded, "I didn't let him in."

"I brought him over," Robertson, following behind, raised his hand cautiously.

Xie Ci walked in, "I forced my way in, it's not their fault."

Gu Yufeng laughed in exasperation, "You're even defending them?"

The secretary and assistant left, and Gu Yufeng personally made coffee, handing a cup to Xie Ci, leaning against the desk with him.

"Desen escaped."

Xie Ci took it, "That old fox isn't easy to catch."

Gu Yufeng's face was a bit grave, "Can't rest easy until he's caught."

"He'll be caught," Xie Ci took a sip of coffee, eyes half-lowered, gaze deep, "He has so many enemies, can't hide for long."

In the country, Gu Yongnian had been following the whole situation.

Until Desen went bankrupt, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, immediately messaging his son Gu Yufeng, planning a celebration banquet when he returned.

Although Qingfeng didn't participate openly in this storm, even a fool could guess that Qingfeng, or even his father-in-law, must have made many arrangements. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to crush that cunning old Desen.

"The young master is really impressive," Lin Ying sincerely praised.

Gu Yongnian chuckled, nodding repeatedly, "Little Xie too—"

Halfway through, Gu Yongnian suddenly paused, realizing something.

Something was very wrong!

In this matter, Dolphin was the last straw that broke Desen, and Dolphin was secretly developed by Xie Ci and Lei Qiliang back then.

Tracing back from the result, it wasn't hard to find some clues.

For instance, five years ago, when he said he wanted to invest, Xie Ci refused him face-to-face.

For instance, after Dolphin's release, both Qingfeng and DR fought to acquire it, but it ended up with Rongyu.

What breakup, what new girlfriend, it was all Xie Ci's one-sided story. This brat had probably been planning for five years, laying the groundwork to team up with his son Gu Yufeng to take down Desen.

That night in the club corridor, when Xie Ci said "sorry," it wasn't an apology for lingering feelings, but for being caught in a lie?!

And he was kept in the dark, worrying himself sick for them.

"Brat!" Gu Yongnian slammed the table, standing up, "Even fooled me!"

In Country D, at Qingfeng Headquarters.

Gu Yufeng's phone vibrated, and he swiped it open, surprisingly seeing a message from Lin Ying.

Lin Ying: 【President Gu asked me to ask when you'll be back, wants to take you and President Xie out for a good meal.】

"When are you going back?" Gu Yufeng showed the screen to Xie Ci.

Xie Ci looked at the message, thoughtful.

"Feels like no good news."

Gu Yufeng: "…"