"How can I turn the tables?" Huang He frowned in thought.
In reality, solving the problem wasn't difficult. All he had to do was make a phone call to the Soybean Association right then and expose the entire conspiracy, and everything would be resolved.
Alternatively, Mr. Huang could step forward and take a leading role. With both sides offsetting each other, this crisis could be averted.
Or, Mr. Huang could be even more shameless. He could watch the international financiers wreak havoc, and once domestic companies were forced into bankruptcy, Mr. Huang could swoop in with billions of dollars to acquire equity in these exploited companies, thereby consolidating the entire edible oil industry.
It would be a case of "when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits."
This would truly be a plan that allowed him to make a fortune, accomplish great things, and shift the blame onto others.
However, none of these were what Mr. Huang truly desired. He felt there might be a better option. He gently tapped the tabletop, trying to find a superior solution.
Lost in his thoughts, Huang He didn't notice what was happening around him until Little Swift secretly nudged his lower back. Startled, Huang He looked up to see a white-haired man looking at him with a smile.
"Mr. Huang, I'll propose a toast!" Buffett raised his wine glass and said with a smile.
"I dare not!" Although Huang He was wealthier than Buffett, he adhered to the excellent tradition of respecting elders. Thus, he raised his glass. After a crisp clinking sound, they both drained their glasses of wine.
"I noticed you seemed deep in thought earlier, Mr. Huang. Is there anything I can do to help?" Buffett asked with a smile, his attitude towards Huang He being exceptionally good. He showed no airs of superiority and even offered assistance.
"It's nothing major. I was just thinking about how to retaliate if someone wanted to short my position," Huang He replied.
"That's naturally simple. If someone wants to short my business, I'll simply devour them in return. Of course, this is a matter that requires immense skill, operation, and substantial capital," Buffett said with a laugh.
"That makes sense!" Huang He nodded and raised his glass again, toasting Buffett.
"Mr. Huang's mention of shorting likely refers to the issue of oil futures, doesn't it?" Buffett preemptively surmised.
"Indeed!" Huang He nodded, readily admitting it.
"Actually, rising oil prices are the prevailing trend. Even with current fluctuations, they are only temporary. I estimate that starting from the latter half of this year, international crude oil prices will slowly begin to rise again. It's just a matter of whether the rise will commence before August," Buffett said with a smile. The people around them immediately wore expressions of contemplation and mentally noted this crucial piece of information.
"Buffett says international crude oil prices will rise, and likely around August of this year!" This piece of news was quickly recorded by countless young investors. Concurrently, as the gala concluded, this prediction would be relayed to all the financial foundations on Wall Street. At that point, everyone would likely use this statement as a reference point for handling international crude oil.
This was the charm of Buffett. With just a few words, he could influence the global market.
"However, I recall your fund is set to mature in August of this year. It might be difficult to wait for international crude oil prices to rise. But I believe Mr. Little Swift will undoubtedly be able to quickly regroup and steer your fund back into profitability. After all, both the futures market and the stock market are experiencing significant volatility. As long as one can seize opportunities, they can soar to great heights!" Buffett said, deeply moving Little Swift. He was touched that the renowned Buffett had such confidence in him.
"However..." But in the next moment, Buffett continued, "All the funds in the Western Mustang Fund should have been withdrawn by now. I wonder if Mr. Little Swift has found his next investment target to quickly achieve profitability, otherwise, Mr. Little Swift's recent days might not be easy!"
"This..." Little Swift scratched his head. He had no idea what to invest in next. He hadn't thought of anything at all.
"Oh, does Mr. Buffett have any advice?" Huang He asked proactively. This wasn't because Huang He believed Buffett would freely point him in a direction.
Rather, given the way Buffett had spoken, it was clear he intended to offer guidance.
"It's not really advice, it's quite simple: let your own fund invest in your own company!" Buffett said with a radiant smile. "To be frank, many of our investors are very optimistic about your Jiangnan Group. They believe that once Jiangnan Group is listed, it will certainly achieve considerable upward momentum."
"You only need to have Jiangnan Group listed, and then have the Western Mustang Fund responsible for selling these listed shares externally. Based on my experience, the Western Mustang Fund could at least achieve over 30% in returns. This would easily resolve the current difficulties, and Jiangnan Group would also receive substantial financial support. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
Indeed, Buffett had finally revealed his true intentions. His objective was simple: to persuade Jiangnan Group to list on the US stock market. It was the same thing those young investment professionals around Huang He had wanted to do when Huang He first arrived at the steakhouse.
There was no other way. Many investors were extremely optimistic about Jiangnan Group, and even more so about the technology held by Jiangnan Group. With this technology, Jiangnan Group was destined to be a new wave of tech unicorn companies. No one wanted to miss out on such a unicorn, not even Buffett.
After all, Little Swift had no experience managing a company's IPO, and the Western Mustang Fund lacked the qualifications. Therefore, Huang He would eventually have to entrust other financial companies to handle the operations. And who in the world was more adept at such operations than Buffett's company?
Moreover, the IPO of an excellent company on the US stock market had always been a surefire, risk-free venture. Through this operation, Buffett's company could earn at least over 200 million US dollars in profit.
Therefore, even though he had gradually faded from the frontline, Buffett proactively contacted Mr. Huang to secure the opportunity to manage Jiangnan Group's IPO.
In fact, Buffett had other matters hidden in his heart that he hadn't disclosed. Behind him were several hidden powers who had commissioned, or rather, ordered Buffett to contact Huang He and find ways to get Jiangnan Group listed. They also wanted to seize the opportunity to control the IPO with their own companies.
Subsequently, by exploiting the various rules of IPOs, they would find ways to plant their pawns within Jiangnan Group, bury explosives, and then collectively harvest Jiangnan Group, transforming this Chinese enterprise into a US-controlled entity.
The ultimate goal, to put it bluntly, was to acquire the technology held by Jiangnan Group. After all, after more than half a year, no company had been able to crack the technology within Jiangnan's storage chips. This had left many technology companies and investors in disbelief. The Chinese actually possessed such technology, which was simply preposterous.
Since direct brute-force cracking was impossible, they decided to obtain the technology through more subtle means.
"I believe it's not yet the right time for Jiangnan Group to go public," Huang He said, touching his nose. "Let's wait a bit longer."
"Very well!" Buffett nodded. He knew Huang He wasn't short of money, so there was no motivation for him to list his company. However, as long as they could find a way to make Huang He short of money in the future, that would suffice.
"However, Mr. Little Swift just mentioned a new target for operation to me earlier. He said if we do it well, we have at least a chance to earn more than 50% in returns!" Huang He said with a smile.
"..." Buffett's hand trembled slightly as he looked at Little Swift in surprise. Although Little Swift had no idea what idea he had proposed or which operation target he had chosen, he still straightened his chest and put on a confident expression, as if everything was under control.
"In fact, we have to thank Mr. Bill a lot. If he hadn't enlightened Mr. Little Swift just now, Little Swift wouldn't have come up with such a brilliant idea!" Huang He continued. Bill Ackman, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was right; this guy intended to steal his ideas. What a scoundrel.
"In that case, I won't disturb you further. There's a small event later. If Mr. Huang is interested, you might as well participate. I'd also like to meet Mr. Huang again!" Buffett said with a smile, then left with his entourage of admirers.
"Boss, are you talking about soybeans?" Little Swift asked curiously.
"Mmm!" Huang He nodded. In fact, he had to thank Mr. Buffett. He had given him an idea, preventing him from being as bewildered as before, unsure of what to do.
"By the way, Buffett mentioned a small event later. What kind of event is it?" Huang He asked in return.
"It's the auction for the 'Lunch with Buffett'!" Little Swift said with a bit of excitement. "Since the year 2000, Mr. Buffett has held a small auction at this event every year, auctioning off a chance to have lunch with him."
"This is a very fortunate opportunity. The winner can bring up to seven people to have a private lunch with Mr. Buffett. The lunch lasts for two hours, during which they can freely ask Mr. Buffett questions, and Mr. Buffett will answer as many as he can," Little Swift explained.
"And if one can receive guidance from Mr. Buffett, their future investments will surely be smooth sailing!" Little Swift said excitedly, seemingly eager to bid for the lunch with Buffett.