SWNOVELXO Chapter 675: Late August_2
Tong Zelan also saw this opportunity, which is why she resolutely united everyone for a joint attack.
If it were Apple Company, even if everyone knows its stock price is overpriced,
who would dare to short it?
Apple's annual net profit of 90 billion US Dollars is no joke, not to mention its cash reserves exceed 200 billion US Dollars.
Want to short Apple? You'd need to have cash reserves of over 100 billion US Dollars yourself.
Otherwise, with the money in its own pockets, whatever amount is sold in the market, it would just buy them back.
Who has the capability to short it?
Even someone as powerful as Chen Pingsheng wouldn't dare set his sights on a company with such abundant cash flow.
Similarly, domestic enterprises that rely on financing through losses will suffer unprecedented blows if targeted by short-selling giants.
Tong Zelan might make tens of billions of US Dollars this time, or she might lose over 100 billion US Dollars.
This is precisely why she needs everyone to share the risk with her.
The stock market has many strategies, and some self-proclaimed clever individuals even tried to fool Chen Pingsheng.
They hoped he would take over some low-priced stocks.
That was plainly malicious—a failed investment, trying to trick him into being the bagholder.
Needless to say, people at their level are not so easily deceived.
He didn't even bother entertaining them.
Instead, he spent time teaching the two sisters at home how to navigate the stock market.
Time flows smoothly, and in a blink, it was mid-August.
The news of Tong Zelan teaming up with a large group of Chinese capitalists to short a certain new energy giant was creating quite a stir.
The market did as she predicted—within just half a month, the company's market value plummeted from the peak of 50 billion US Dollars to 38 billion US Dollars.
That's a drop of over 25%.
If this trend continues, by the time their six-month term ends, they could rake in at least 5 billion US Dollars in profit.
After all, the stock shares they borrowed were mostly dumped during the high-price phase.
When it's time to return them, they just need to buy back the shares at the lower price.
Er Piya still wanted to mimic the idea of short-selling, but she's simply not qualified!
Without substantial capital guarantees, no institution would lend her stock shares.
She should just stick to buying shares like her elder sister.
During these months, something unpleasant also occurred.
It mainly involved a Chinese girl, who violently assaulted another Chinese girl in what turned out to be a long-term bullying case.
When the news broke, the bullying girl had the audacity to say, "Hurry up and sentence me; I need to go back and celebrate my birthday."
In her mind, bullying fellow Chinese international students was no big deal.
In the end, her parents couldn't bail her out, and she faced a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison.
The girl broke down crying on the spot, the kind of crying born of sheer heartbreak.
She probably never imagined things would turn out this grave.
An interesting phenomenon: some people who grow accustomed to acting arrogantly in the Mainland continue their arrogance abroad.
They wouldn't dare bully white people but have no problem targeting their own compatriots.
And in the end, they were taught a harsh life lesson.
This incident caused quite a stir in the international student circles—the student wasn't just sent back home for some parental scolding.
Instead, she really had to face going into prison.
By late August, Chen Pingsheng took the spoiled brat and Er Piya aboard his private jet to return to Magic City.
These past two months had yielded results, but nothing particularly outstanding—it was overall satisfactory.
When it comes to broadening horizons, no ordinary person can compare to the wealthy second generation.
This is primarily because their parents often take them on world tours.
Instead of being rooted in a specific place, the contrast between experiences is incredibly vast.
Once the two sisters returned home, Chen An'an plunged herself straight into her Anle Group.
Meanwhile, Er Piya headed for her own enormous company.
In the span of two months, the sisters' stock trading resulted in significant losses—the elder sister lost 1.2 billion, while the younger one lost over 400 million.
It was, without a doubt, their largest loss to date, and it'd be a lie to say they weren't heartbroken.
It's akin to having an annual salary of 100,000 and losing 80,000 or 90,000 gambling during the Lunar New Year.
While gambling, you don't feel it, but counting your money at home afterwards—that's when heartbreak truly sets in.
That was exactly how the sisters were feeling now. However, Chen Pingsheng himself was likely to join forces with Tong Zelan and make about 3 to 4 billion US Dollars.
That wasn't bad at all as a small payoff.
After returning to her Anle Group, Chen An'an also diligently read numerous professional books on stocks from the domestic market.
Books that taught her how to make money trading stocks.
"An'an, do you still want to recover the money you lost through the stock market?" Shen Youwei earnestly asked her.
Chen An'an shook her head and said, "I don't have that mindset at all. Dad said if the money is lost, it's lost. Always thinking about earning it back will only lead to further losses."
"Then why are you reading these domestic stock trading guides? And when it comes to stock trading, there's no one in the Mainland better than your father."
"My dad's impressive, but that doesn't mean I am."
Chen An'an said, "I learned a lot overseas this time. Beyond short-term investments, I want to pick a few stocks for long-term investment to see if I can make some money."
"Investing in long-term stocks absolutely requires consulting your father. Even the employees in your father's group follow his stock recommendations—drivers included—and they can earn hundreds of thousands or millions annually."
"I can't rely on my father for everything, especially during my learning phase."
Chen An'an had her own plans—to use her learning period to sharpen her skills. After graduating college and entering the group to work, that's when she'd learn from her father.
Shen Youwei understood her thoughts. This young heiress had been groomed by the big boss from the age of five, and now, she could be considered highly capable.
In a few more years, she might really come into her own.
With Er Piya, however, it was different. That younger sister had fierce competitiveness—wherever she failed, she'd do anything to make a comeback.
But as she struggled, her pitfalls grew larger.
The fundamental mistake of many wealthy second generations: "I must work hard."
The cost of their efforts often leads to disaster—she originally lost 400 million but later borrowed 100 million from her sister.
Then went crying to Dad, squeezing another 200 million.
Afterward, she clung to her mother's leg and wouldn't let go, eking out 150 million more.
In her eyes, anything below billions didn't even count as pocket change.
Let alone serious investment funds.
The harder she tried, the bigger the hole dug.
In the end, she threw in the towel and peacefully embraced her role as the president of three failing businesses.
And oddly enough, once she stopped struggling, she started earning money.
Er Piya summarized her takeaway from the experience: don't try too hard...
Especially for wealthy second generations, don't strive excessively.
Chen Pingsheng didn't pay much attention to them. After this trip abroad, the two sisters were only a few days away from school starting again.
In Magic City, he also attended a gathering for his executive MBA class. Formerly dazzling real estate tycoons were now collectively facing bankruptcy. In times of change, no one knows who'll be the next to be eliminated.
It was evident—the Mainland's rent-based economy had finally reached its endpoint.
Consequently, consumption and various industries tied to real estate had all entered a deep slump.
Under such circumstances, many major capital holders instinctively wanted to move their money abroad. The more they moved, the bigger the pitfalls.
His own funds, however, were flowing inward, particularly the money earned on Wall Street—he invested most of it in the Mainland.
Nothing special happened at this gathering except learning just how unbearable things had become for many people—unable to secure funding, bankruptcy was imminent.
In both the Mainland and Xiangjiang, property prices were on a downward trajectory. According to Chen Pingsheng's estimation, it would take until at least 2028 for real estate prices to stabilize.
That is, to squeeze out the bubbles in the property market.
With five years until 2028, it meant most people's days would only grow harder during this period.
Once property prices stabilized, he planned to allocate some funds to purchase portions of commercial real estate again.
As for now, no matter what others say, he wouldn't dump his money as a heroic bagholder.
Back in 2019 and 2020, many opportunistic bagholder heroes emerged—now deeply trapped.
Their survival depended on higher-level intervention, as the collapse of large numbers of real estate moguls wasn't permissible.
The real estate industry's hardship had far exceeded imagination; its future remained uncertain for anyone.
By September, he was preparing to liquidate some of his stocks.
Primarily for charitable donations and support for AI industries.