Chapter 121: A Sleepless Night (Requesting First Subscriptions)

Tao Zhiming decided to spend the night at the research lab.

On the Bloomberg terminal, the Japanese Yen was still appreciating, but he had already liquidated nearly half of his positions. He continued to sell Yen and purchase US Dollars in an orderly fashion.

He had also seen the news mentioned by the housewife friend of Onodera Runa.

Among the three major state-owned giants of Japan, the easiest target—the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, or NTT for short—had finally finalized its privatization reform plan and was about to be securitized. This was a stock that would ignite a nationwide frenzy for "new share subscriptions" across Japan.

The next target for privatization would be the Japanese National Railways.

The carnival for NTT's new shares had only just begun, and the struggle over the division of interests regarding the national railway's privatization plan was still raging.

In the dead of night, Tao Zhiming’s eyes were exceptionally bright. After tonight, he would possess sufficient capital to participate in this grand feast.

...

Those who had caught wind of fragments of information from various channels would find it hard to sleep tonight. Those with concrete intelligence were laser-focused on the things they cared about. Some watched the foreign exchange market, some looked toward the stock market opening the next day, and others were fixated on the sudden turmoil surrounding the Takeda Manufacturing land.

"Our cooperation must end!" a burly man with a slicked-back hairstyle and a visible neck tattoo said in a low voice. "The Korea Group was suddenly wiped out in one fell swoop; the waters here run too deep! I paid a special visit to the Yamaguchi-gumi; though I apologize, you should stop now. The situation at Takeda Manufacturing is not something we can afford to provoke."

"Speak clearly! Why?" the man in a flashy suit, having just emerged from a nightclub, frowned. "Takeda Manufacturing is currently facing financial difficulties; isn't this the perfect time to find a way to get our hands on it?"

The man with the slicked-back hair gave him a deep look. "If you want to live, back off. This piece of advice is worth the money you gave me. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving."

Watching him hurry away without looking back, the man in the flashy suit rubbed his forehead, trying to sober up. "What the hell is going on..."

The influence spreading throughout the night regarding Takeda Manufacturing eventually funneled a portion of the results to Takeda Takanao in a specific form.

"What did you say?" Takeda Takanao asked in disbelief. "My house might be frozen by the bank due to the company's debts, so buying it would carry high risks?"

"Yes... I'm sorry, President Takeda, we really wanted to close this deal, too..." The call was cut off immediately after.

Takeda Takanao slumped into his chair, muttering, "Why is it like this... Why?"

This was already the fifth such reply. The real estate firms that had been so confident yesterday about discussing a price had all expressed their inability to purchase his house today, each citing different reasons. There were already five such refusals with similar justifications.

However, the new agreement with the magnetic powder supplier had already been signed, and the deposit had to be paid within five days. Moreover, if the deposit wasn't paid within five days, the factory would have to halt production in nine days.

In the nearby factory, Kimura Shuuta had just begun his rounds when he stopped in front of a worker and said loudly, "I've already said it: don't do things like you used to! Every time you perform an operation, you must collect the excess magnetic powder. If you waste a few grams every day, do you know how much extra cost that adds up to over a year?"

"And you! The conveyor belt speed was increased by 10% precisely so we could complete these two processes at once! How can you still be as slow as before?"

"The company is facing difficulties now. The President and I are both aware of the kindness you have shown by agreeing to temporary pay cuts to help us weather this storm. It is precisely because of that that we must find ways to save and improve! With this realization, pull yourselves together!"

"..."

Over at Takeda Takanao's office, Takeda Goro rushed in. "President, look at the news."

He turned on the television in the office and quickly switched to a live broadcast channel. Takeda Takanao looked over to see the headline: *URGENT! Down to 3.5%, Central Bank announces another rate cut.*

"If they cut rates again, won't banks be more willing to lend? Our company still has significant profit potential. How about we contact those banks again?" Takeda Goro asked anxiously.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Takeda Takanao, and he immediately said, "What are you waiting for? Call them!"

...

Kawasaki Ichiro’s eyes were bloodshot; he hadn't slept for an entire night.

Following Hatano Masahiro’s instructions, after making the preparations last night, he had come to Kudo Tsuneaki’s side. At this moment, Kudo Tsuneaki had just finished the final operation instructed by Tao Zhiming.

As a securities firm, there were televisions installed in the office area. Right now, the screen showed the same scene that Takeda Takanao was watching. Kawasaki Ichiro looked at the market fluctuations, and his pupils contracted.

It was different from last time.

The rise and fall of the market were tightly locked; it hadn't surged immediately in response to the rate cut announcement like before. Could it be that two rate cuts in just one month had actually signaled the government's determination to firmly stabilize the exchange rate?

Sure enough, after a stalemate of about twenty minutes, the Japanese Yen finally began to head toward a path of depreciation. A new trend had formed.

New long positions betting on appreciation were facing the risk of short-term volatility! New positions betting on depreciation, intended for short-term trading, were already starting to lose money!

Kawasaki Ichiro and Kudo Tsuneaki looked at each other, both filled with shock. Last night, he didn't care about the other departments, and he had only instructed other traders to follow the strategies submitted by the analysis department. Yet, Kawasaki Ichiro himself had chosen to follow Tao Zhiming’s operations.

He knew how much Tao Zhiming had made in this round, and this ability to generate profit had won Kawasaki Ichiro’s sincere admiration.

Was it possible that his timing was so good—even laying out so many positions for depreciation—that he could be this... precise?

"...Should we make a call and ask?" Kawasaki Ichiro even asked Kudo Tsuneaki in a tone of consultation.

"...He said he has classes early this morning and just told me to execute his instructions."

"This is really..." Kawasaki Ichiro suddenly shivered. "He still has so much extra capital left. Could it be..."

Kudo Tsuneaki looked at him with an odd expression and whispered, "Section Chief, be careful! Are you thinking of taking a risk again?"

Kawasaki Ichiro was indeed worried. By keeping so much extra capital and laying out positions for depreciation, it suggested that he wanted to play a relatively longer game. Only by having enough margin to replenish could one withstand the risk of volatility.

But this time, the leverage ratio he set was very low—not even reaching a hundredfold—yet he had left so much extra cash. Could it be... even though he firmly believed the Yen would depreciate, he anticipated the market fluctuations might be exceptionally violent?

Indeed, he was still a student and couldn't watch the market changes constantly; he needed this level of caution.

Kawasaki Ichiro couldn't help but worry about the accounts he was responsible for. He hurriedly instructed, "In that case, you should take a break, too." Then he rushed back to his office.

Kudo Tsuneaki watched his anxious back, feeling inexplicably relieved. His job was much easier now. Because he had been personally named by Tao Zhiming to handle his account, he was able to shed other trivial tasks and focus solely on serving this major client.

Since Tao Zhiming didn't have a constant stream of orders, he could be much more relaxed than the others. In any case, he didn't bear the responsibility for Tao Zhiming’s gains or losses; as long as there were transactions, he would earn his commission. Watching others nervously stare at the market fluctuations caused by the news, Kudo Tsuneaki felt quite happy.

Last night, from start to finish, it had been a continuous, tense string of operations. Every operation meant a profit. And now, he could even ignore such major news and market shifts.

Kudo Tsuneaki even suspected that the current depreciation of the Yen had a "contribution" from Tao Zhiming’s continuous selling, which was why he was so confident in telling him not to worry. After all, the scale of transactions he created last night amounted to over 1.3 billion US dollars in terms of lots. Even though the total scale of Yen foreign exchange trading from last night until now was nearly 100 billion US dollars, his share was still over 1%.

Undoubtedly, it carried significant weight. Kudo Tsuneaki felt a sense of inexplicable respect: don't let his status as a college student fool you; he was truly terrifying. Since joining Nomura Securities, he had never heard of a client like this!

...

After class, Tao Zhiming was followed by Ueno Yosuke.

"Did you really sleep at school last night? Is the investment okay?"

Tao Zhiming yawned and said, "What could be the problem? Didn't you get your share of the money? You'll get your April portion, too."

"I'm mainly worried about you. Did you really stare at that machine all night?" Ueno Yosuke followed his footsteps. "Are you going back to check on it now?"

"Take a look, then go home and sleep," Tao Zhiming said lazily. "I didn't watch it the whole time; I slept around 2 o'clock. The main thing is that the bed was too small, so I didn't sleep well."

"...That's because Runa-san wasn't there."

Tao Zhiming was amused. "You're getting more worldly, Yosuke."

Ueno Yosuke looked at him with envy.

"What's with that look?" Tao Zhiming laughed. "Have you kept in touch with that Yanagawa Miho?"

Ueno Yosuke shook his head vigorously. "I'm studying hard and working part-time!"

"I don't believe you for a second," Tao Zhiming teased. "Once you've had a taste, can you really hold back? You must have gone to a soapland or something, right?"

Ueno Yosuke looked around guiltily. "Shh! Keep it down! We're at school!"

He followed Tao Zhiming all the way to the Kendo Club, looking around again before asking, "But while you're here, what about that Miss Ueda..."

"Stop guessing," Tao Zhiming said meaningfully. "Her family was nobility in the past; what do you think could happen between us?"

"...That's true." Ueno Yosuke watched him open the machine, and after a while, he stared at the dense text on the screen and asked, "How is it? You weren't affected, right?"

"Of course I was affected, significantly."

Ueno Yosuke was startled. "You didn't lose a lot, did you?"

Tao Zhiming glanced at it and closed the machine, reassured. "I just said I was affected; who said I lost money?"

Seeing him actually start packing his things, Ueno Yosuke’s eyes widened. "Does that mean you made a lot?"

"You're still getting your 20% return anyway, so don't be jealous," Tao Zhiming teased him happily. "Let's go. I'll drive, we'll go back together, and I'll have Runa make something good. Today is a good day!"

"...So, how much did you make?"

"What’s the point of asking? It's not yours. If the number is huge, what will you do if it makes you feel unbalanced?"

Ueno Yosuke couldn't find a comeback and asked, tailing him, "The bookstore plan isn't off, is it?"

"Why would it be off? After making money this time, I can go buy the place for the bookstore!"

"Have you decided where?"

"I'll decide very soon!" Tao Zhiming smiled playfully. "Maybe I can even open an extra one. Yosuke, by then, one bookstore will be frequented by many cute young girls, and the other will always have charming housewives visiting. Happy?"

"Eh?" Ueno Yosuke’s expression became one of longing. "Really?"

"Of course it's real. Let's go!" Tao Zhiming walked cheerfully toward where he had parked his car.

Did Takeda Takanao want to sell his house? That was an extra opportunity!