Chapter 7, Banquet

Li Boyong inadvertently glanced up at her and found that she still looked the same as when she arrived, with a pale white face, holding a cat in her arms, standing a few steps away from them, like an indifferent onlooker. The wine she drank and the food she ate seemed to evaporate as soon as they entered her mouth, leaving no trace of smoke or fire.

As soon as he entered, Yang Xuan stopped the previous topic of conversation, while Li Boyong boisterously directed the waitstaff to serve the dishes, attentively making requests for this and that

Yang Xuan picked it up and suddenly felt a sense of boredom.

There are no other issues, but I suggest you do not buy it Yang Xuan lowered her head, while Nao Nao, having eaten and drunk enough, was shamelessly rubbing against her pant leg asking for a hug

After sending off the guests, Fang Xiao was unable to drive, so Li Boyong offered him a ride in his car. With no one else around, Fang Xiao finally unbuttoned his collar to relieve some of the heat, sitting in the back seat that had been scratched by the playful cat, and asked, "Boss, where did you pick up these two people?"

Li Boyong waved his hand at her, signaling her to go in, and then he turned aside to call his financial supervisor, Fang Xiao, instructing him to quickly find two suitable individuals to join the table.

Li Boyong observed coldly and noticed that there was indeed a striking contrast between Yang Xuan and her. This young lady with the surname Yang was basically bare-faced, wearing a pair of jeans and a casually rolled-up shirt, sitting next to Mu Xiaolan, looking like a college student who had come to mooch a meal. If others did not ask her, she would not take the initiative to speak, but once she did, she showed no signs of timidity. When required to respond, she would do so very appropriately, and she was quite adept at avoiding heavy topics.

Xu Ji sighed again, continuing to express his frustration: "I have no idea what you do all day."

A group of businesspeople can easily discuss the matters of the market, yet since they are merely acquaintances, it is unlikely for them to engage in deep conversations. Their discussions revolve around general topics—such as which country has adjusted its reserves, the direction of fiscal policy, and what future trends may dominate the market.

"CDS?" Yang Xuan paused for a moment, "What is collateral?"

Xu Ji asked: "What bonds?"

Yang Xuan nodded earnestly

As someone with a background in finance, I have certainly heard of Lehman Brothers. Therefore, upon hearing Xu Ji's remarks, I found them quite reasonable. Although I do not fully understand why the risks of "financial derivatives" are somewhat higher, I do grasp the concept that "as long as this company does not collapse, the investors' money is secure"

Fang Xiao raised an eyebrow: "Listen to this, what kind of talk is this? Are you implying that your boss, and the person sitting next to me who is your boss's boss, are the landlords who have been exploiting your youthful beauty all along?"

Yang Xuan nodded again, indicating that he had learned something.

Indeed. Li Boyong interjected, "The television says every day that the risks of the stock market are difficult to measure, and investors should make cautious choices"

"This was issued by Lehman Brothers," Xu Ji said, observing Yang Xuan frown slightly, and explained, "It is not exactly a bond; strictly speaking, it should be classified as a credit swap..."

The waiter has already begun to prepare the dishes and is walking over with a plate. Upon seeing Boss Li standing outside the door without entering, he immediately stood at attention, blinking his eyes at him, then glancing at the door of the private room, unsure whether to go in or come out

When he first came to Huzhou City to make a living on his own, he had never even seen a flush toilet, and it was the first time he learned that city people actually sit down to use the toilet. From that moment on, the three phrases "not understanding," "never seen," and "embarrassing" constantly lingered in his life, and there were always people mocking him as a country bumpkin

Particularly, the young lady accompanying Fang Xiao, named Mu Xiaolan, is his assistant. In her twenties, she is dressed quite appropriately. As she takes her seat, she respectfully engages with this person and that, never pausing for a moment. It is as if she has honed this skill specifically for the occasion, and soon the atmosphere becomes lively.

Xu Ji could only respond, saying: "Yes, although it is called a bond, it is actually a type of financial derivative. Generally speaking, the risk is somewhat higher—however, since it is issued by Lehman Brothers, as long as they do not collapse, the investors' funds are still protected"

It is said to mature in three to five years, with interest paid on time, which sounds similar to a long-term deposit, except that the interest is higher than what banks offer. "Fang Xiao smiled and said, "However, I always feel that it lacks significance. Isn't it similar to saving money or buying treasury bonds? With that money, it would actually be better to buy some gold or stocks, which would be more exciting."

Xu Ji sighed and said, "Don't you ever watch the news?"

Yang Xuan smiled and said, "Sister."

"Just feed it, it looks quite pitiful." Li Boyong chuckled, and to his surprise, this somewhat dazed nouveau riche smiled, revealing two dimples, giving him an unexpectedly innocent appearance. Yang Xuan did not know why, but he felt a bit more favorably towards him—his silly demeanor was rather uplifting.

The kind of effortless and nonchalant aura, along with the ability to be perfunctory without making others feel it—Li Boyong suddenly had the illusion that the person sitting there was not a slender young woman, but rather a legendary hermit, elusive and mysterious, as if they were a figure of high stature.

Fang Xiao's gaze swept between the two individuals, and he asked, "What is it? Does Miss Yang have any concerns?"

This is akin to the difference between someone studying computer science and someone casually playing Minesweeper or FreeCell on a computer; they are engaged in fundamentally different activities. Similarly, in stock trading, a professional working in a specific securities firm and an elderly relative who merely watches the market on television, concerned only with whether the numbers are red or green, are also involved in distinctly different pursuits.

They misled investors into thinking this was a fixed income security Yang Xuan wore a smile that was neither fully a smile nor a frown, which made her features appear exceptionally lively

Unfortunately, Yang Xuan was completely unable to pick up his chopsticks, as the legendary "Squirrel Fish" was served, causing Nao Nao to go wild. It jumped onto the chair and frantically scratched at the tablecloth with its paws, seemingly determined not to stop until it had dragged the plate of food in front of itself. ... Yang Xuan tapped its paw, and Nao Nao immediately bared its teeth in defiance, as yet another battle between human and cat was about to erupt ...

Suddenly, a pair of chopsticks reached out in front of it. Li Boyong picked up a large piece of fish and brought it close to its nose. Naonao immediately jumped up on the spot, lunging forward towards the piece of fish, but ended up on the ground, causing the piece of meat to fall as well. It let out a triumphant sound, ignoring the server's greenish face, and lowered its head to enjoy the feast.

Li Boyong listened for a while and felt that what these two people were saying was indeed human language, but when combined together, for some reason, it left one feeling quite perplexed

By the time the event came to an end, several people had enjoyed their drinks to the fullest and were slightly intoxicated. Xu Ji even forgot about his leg injury and stood up energetically on his own—except for Yang Xuan.

He began to realize that the "stock trading" mentioned by this person with the surname Xu was not the same as what his aunt was doing. At least, from his aunt's words, he only heard that "red means an increase, green means a decrease; if it's red, you make money, and if it's green, you lose money." He had never heard of anyone "manipulating the market."

Not long after, Fang Xiao arrived with a young man and a young woman. With three people and a cat, it was rather inadequate, as they couldn't even fill the banquet table. But with the arrival of three more, the atmosphere immediately became lively.

How does it feel to be embarrassed

Li Boyong could not imagine it, thus he vaguely understood a bit.

CDO. Xu Ji said, "There should still be some notes, the issues are not significant, and the risks are all low"

In that era, the domestic financial market was in its nascent stages, and large enterprises in the country were generally state-controlled. Even when issues arose, there was the state as a backing. The Chinese people, empathizing with others, commonly held a mindset of "large enterprises are reliable".

As the saying goes, no gold is without impurities, and no person is perfect. Who has the ability to claim that they understand everything? If one makes a mistake, consider it a lesson learned, and next time, one will understand better

Yang Xuan held back for a long time, and finally felt he could no longer contain himself, unable to resist asking: "Who issued the mini bonds...?"

"Oh, that's impossible. Just by looking at you, it's clear that you are the type of young girl who has just graduated," Mu Xiaolan chattered. "Your skin looks good even without makeup. Alas, for us who work ourselves to the bone every day, being exposed to computer radiation, it won't be long before we end up with a face like old orange peel."

Hmm?

Do you know who Xu Ji is

However, Li Boyong seems to have this innate ability; he never takes it to heart—country bumpkin is just a country bumpkin, and a rustic is just a rustic. No one is born knowledgeable; understanding this matter cannot be achieved through mere watering and tilling; it requires a gradual process of observation and experience. It is just that some people are fortunate enough to be born into it and know a bit earlier, while others may not have bribed the King of Hell and his minions well in their previous lives, thus knowing a bit later.

He was momentarily distracted when he heard Mu Xiaolan, like a parrot, crisply asking on the side: "Is this an older sister or a younger sister?"

Yang Xuan Er said nothing, neither appearing shy nor overly bold. He simply picked up a nearby bottle of wine, poured a full glass, and raised it to gently clink against Mu Xiaolan's glass, his cup slightly lower than hers.

Yang Xuan's eyes were fixed on the table, her attention uncontrollably drawn to it. Xu Ji glanced at her with a smile and said: "This is currently very popular in Hong Kong, and it is said that it will soon be released in Singapore and Taiwan as well. There are many banks acting as sales points, and we have also acquired a portion. If you have some spare money, it could serve as an investment, but I do not recommend that you buy too much, as it is quite far away, and there may be some situations you are not very familiar with. Investment should still consider the risks, so it is important to make a cautious decision."

Fang Xiao said: "By the way, Brother Xu is in Shenzhen, and he usually has quite close ties with Hong Kong, right? A couple of days ago, a friend of mine, who went over there to work for capitalism many years ago, has been urging me to invest in some kind of bond. He also mentioned that many large banks and institutions in the mainland are holding it. Since you are here, please give me some advice on this matter."

Ha. Yang Xuan let out a sharp laugh, glancing at Xu Ji from the corner of his eye. Due to the presence of others, he refrained from saying anything further

Li Boyong suddenly felt that... this Mu Xiaolan, who usually seemed quite impressive, now appeared somewhat unrefined. It seemed that her attempts to attract attention had become rather foolish.

"It is not considered intentional misguidance," Xu Ji waved his hand, "In theory, there are risks, but for retail investors, the difference is actually minimal. It is quite difficult to explain the differences between CDS and bonds to everyone. Besides, aren't they all about receiving interest on time and getting back the principal along with interest at maturity?"

He wonders, isn't it just buying and selling stocks? What does it mean to "operate" a stock?

Oh. Xu Ji thought for a moment and understood, "Are you referring to the recently issued mini bonds?"

He realized that he had just embarrassed himself, but he did not take it to heart.

Mu Xiaolan covered her mouth and laughed, her face full of innocence and charm: "Pah, I got too excited seeing a beautiful sister and accidentally said the wrong thing—I'll punish myself with three cups, will the beautiful sister join me for one cup?"

Mu Xiaolan noticed that the atmosphere was not quite right, so she immediately began to joke around again. With the effects of the alcohol taking hold, everyone became like brothers. Li Boyong handed Xu Ji a business card, patted him on the shoulder, and called him "Brother Xu—let's drink to forget our grievances."