Xie Sui rolled his eyes, "You don't have the alluring beauty that people covet, so they won't seek out gay relationships with you."
Du Feiyang guffawed, "We have a spiritual connection, little brother, no need to be so vulgar."
He Mengchao shook his head helplessly, these two were truly a handful.
The reporters entered, taking photos everywhere. Xie Sui prepared red envelopes for them. Reporters were always in demand, the uncrowned kings.
"Pretty sister, which newspaper are you from?"
Xie Sui cornered a young female reporter and tried to ingratiate himself. The reporter giggled, "Mr. Xie, do I look that old? Why don't you call me little sister?"
Xie Sui replied, "You're an intellectual, we shouldn't be so vulgar, right? So, that photo of me and the young master Du, please write it up nicely. The 'brush fee' is negotiable."
The female reporter looked puzzled, "Young Master Du? Aren't you at odds with each other? Do you want to erase this?"
"No, who says I'm at odds with Young Master Du? But our photo is very intimate, isn't it? We could say I have some unspeakable deal with Young Master Du? Has this little stock god formed a powerful alliance with the Du family? A single photo can lead to many stories. Sister, you understand what I mean?"
The female reporter smiled, "Call me Lan Jie. I understand your meaning. The fifth young master is not the eldest son of the main wife, but the eldest young master is different. Mr. Xie, you're wasted as anything but a reporter. If things go south, come find me, and I'll give you a meal."
Xie Sui laughed heartily, "I'll say the same to you, Lan Jie. Whenever you feel things aren't going well, I'll set you up with a newspaper and make you a general manager. We can play however we want."
Lan Jie thought he was bragging. Don't underestimate newspapers; the two most famous newspaper companies in Hong Kong had assets worth over ten billion and were already listed companies.
"Alright, sister appreciates your sentiment. You'll hear good news tomorrow."
Xie Sui handed her a large red envelope, and Lan Jie walked away with a sway of her hips.
The other reporters, seeing no further news, followed suit and left.
Du Feiyang said, "Little brother, are you interested in Chen Lan? I didn't realize you liked that type?"
Xie Sui was speechless, "Can you stop filling your head with lewd thoughts? Everything you say comes from your lower half. I'm not that kind of reckless person. Besides, is my taste that bad? She looks young, but I bet she's had a lot done to her face. At least thirty, believe it or not?"
Du Feiyang didn't believe it, "She's a very famous reporter. She claims to be twenty-four, the prime age for women. More mature than a young girl, yet purer than a married woman. Many young masters like her."
Xie Sui hadn't realized this Lan Jie was quite the player. He said, "Believe it or not. Sometimes you think you're taking advantage of someone, but maybe they see you as a sucker. It all depends on how you view the relationship between men and women. If they're open-minded, they might even get benefits from you for free while having fun, plus access to news resources. Stay away from women like this in the future; they'll sell you out and then help you count the money."
Du Feiyang was stunned, "How is that possible?"
"Why not? Your perspective is too narrow!"
Xie Sui shook his head. He had seen many such women in his previous life. You might think they were selling their bodies, but they were just enjoying themselves. Who said a woman could only be "won over" by a man?
He Mengchao said, "Now that A'Sui mentions it, I recall Chen Lan has been famous for almost ten years. I know the director of their newspaper; Chen Lan joined five years ago. How could she be twenty-four? She claims to be twenty-four every year. Women's words are truly not to be believed."
Du Feiyang felt a bit uneasy, his eyes flickering, a hint of guilt in his expression.
Xie Sui asked him, "Don't tell me you've been 'freely' used by her?"
"No, I wouldn't."
His guilty look suggested otherwise. Xie Sui smiled, choosing not to expose him.
"Alright, let's talk business. We'll discuss it in the room."
Xie Sui had converted part of his office into a living space, complete with a bed, a desk, and a private bathroom. He had moved in to save money on the hotel.
In the living room, Xie Sui lowered his head and mysteriously asked Du Feiyang, "Do you want to inherit the Du family's assets, have your elder brother treat you with respect, and hold your head high in the Du family?"
"Yes, I dream of it. If you can help me achieve this wish, I'll call you father."
Xie Sui replied, "I don't have a filial son like you. I have a plan, but your Du family will have to lose some money. However, that money will become ours. Do you dare to do it?"
"How do we do it?"
"Short selling. We short sell the Du family's stock. In less than two months, more than half of the Du family's assets will evaporate. If you control these stocks, you can secure a seat on the board of directors."
This was a ruinous idea, asking Du Feiyang to betray his own father. But Du Feiyang was as delighted as a puppy, "Is there such a good thing? Not that I'm insulting my father, but my 'convenient' elder brother seems favored, yet he doesn't hold any shares. Just like me, he sounds good on paper, being the eldest son of the Du family. Old man is stingy. As long as he's breathing, he won't give his sons shares. If I could have ten percent, no, even five percent, I'd never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life. My descendants could squander for generations, and it would still be hard to run out."
The Du family's assets were in the tens of billions. Du Feiyang wasn't exaggerating. If not spent recklessly, generations could live in comfort and abundance.
"Then it's settled. We'll start tomorrow. For those who lack funds, use your connections. Borrow from friends, invest together, even deceive people for money. Get as much as possible."
"Ah, deceive people for money?"
Xie Sui clarified, "Not exactly deceiving. We won't cheat anyone. I won't let you become pariahs in Hong Kong."
He Mengchao asked, "How much capital do you need?"
"The more, the better."
Du Feiyang quipped, "You've gone too far, taking too big a step. Be careful not to tear your testicles!"
Xie Sui retorted, "As long as the money earned is enough, I can afford to lose my testicles."
"Pfft!"
He Mengchao spat out his tea. He truly dared to say anything.
With the plan set, they split up. This venture had truly pulled them onto Xie Sui's "pirate ship."
What Xie Sui meant by "deceiving for money" was essentially a Ponzi scheme, luring people to invest with high interest, like ten percent a month, or even higher, to raise substantial funds.
Of course, he wouldn't actually abscond with the money. He would honor his commitments. He had a family and wouldn't want to live in the shadows. After the stock market crash, countless people would go bankrupt and jump to their deaths. Perhaps this money could even save them.
Xie Sui directly increased the interest rate to twenty percent, settled every ten days, and all of it would be thrown into the stock market for a super high-stakes gamble.