No new accidents occurred, and the U.S. stock market opened with a sharp decline.

It wasn't until the morning of the second day, Hong Kong time, that news broke that the Federal Reserve had intervened, convening a meeting of key Wall Street company leaders in Lower Manhattan, hoping they could rescue struggling investment banks and develop new policies to stabilize the market.

By the evening, U.S. stocks continued their downward spiral.

The reason was that several major companies publicly stated they were not interested in Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and other companies, and would not harm the interests of their shareholders.

With companies in the market unwilling to help and the Federal Reserve and Washington helpless, the stock market naturally experienced panic.

In contrast, the A-share market stood out, with the Shanghai Composite Index only slightly down by 0.2% thanks to Su Yehao's capital injection.

Of course.

The better-performing constituent stocks were supported by Su Yehao's intervention, while other small and medium-sized listed companies with poor performance or no concepts to speculate on still suffered badly.

As Bank of America and Barclays Bank successively withdrew from negotiations, explicitly stating they would not provide assistance, Merrill Lynch's stock price evaporated by 55%, and Lehman Brothers' stock price plummeted by 73% in just three days.

There were many other companies deeply affected by subprime mortgages, but the Federal Reserve only used $70 billion to bail out insurance companies, preventing a bank run due to their inability to pay claims, which would have caused even more severe damage.

With the credit market almost completely shut down, massive amounts of capital flooded into markets like U.S. Treasury bonds and gold. The stock prices of Yanwenzi, Google, and other internet companies rebounded rapidly with astonishing momentum.

In the current situation, the more cash you hold, the safer you are, and Su Yehao is known as the "Cash King."

In addition, the internet industry was less affected and supported by positive news about 3G, so bargain-hunting funds continued to pour in, allowing Su Yehao to recover significantly, with his net worth rebounding by more than $20 billion in a single trading day.

By the time the market closed for the weekend.

While others were still watching and waiting, Su Yehao sent Lin Youfeng, the North American head of KOKO Ventures, to Washington D.C. in a low-profile manner, proposing to acquire Merrill Lynch as a whole for $15 billion, restructuring the company after stripping away the bad debts.

As for Lehman Brothers, it was already insolvent and had no assets worth acquiring.

Before the new trading day, with the facilitation of Washington, a deal was quickly reached for $16 billion.

Mainly because Merrill Lynch's shareholders were worried that the market would further collapse and the company's funds were running out, they were inclined to cut their losses in time, deciding to sell within just six hours.

When the new week arrived.

The U.S. stock market continued to be sluggish, and negative news continued to ferment. The news of Su Yehao's acquisition of Merrill Lynch was not enough to reverse the situation.

It wasn't until Wednesday that the Treasury Secretary finally arrived, belatedly providing a $750 billion plan to repurchase subprime mortgage bad debts.

This was news that Su Yehao had heard long ago, and he also heard that the plan would be strongly resisted, making it almost impossible to pass in the short term.

Therefore, there was nothing to worry about in the short term. Once the market's expectations were dashed, it would inevitably destroy investors' confidence, adding insult to injury.

For him, as a major short seller, it was more like a positive development.

Zheng Yongwen and his team sold the cheap, stockpiled junk subprime mortgage financial derivatives at a premium, thereby earning Su Yehao another $400 million.

Including other income from short selling, the total profit of this short-selling team soared to more than $8 billion in just a few trading days.

Standard Chartered Bank, which Su Yehao had been eyeing for a long time, had a market value of about the same amount.

He had already sent people to contact this troubled bank. If the board of directors of Standard Chartered Bank agreed to a privatization delisting acquisition plan based on the current market value, it would almost be like getting a bank for free...

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The financial tsunami swept the globe, causing severe damage.

Presumably because some people were preoccupied with their own problems and didn't have the energy to cause trouble, the mainland was relatively calm as the Olympic Games approached.

Time entered August.

Until August 4th, 2008, the U.S. bailout plan was stillborn, rejected by a wide margin in the vote.

Standard Chartered Bank finally couldn't hold on and agreed to Su Yehao's acquisition invitation overnight.

The Shanghai Composite Index remained at around 2100 points. Su Yehao's personal and family trusts had invested more than 260 billion RMB in the market in just over half a month, while also acquiring several other companies at bargain prices.

In this situation.

He brought his family to the capital early.

Nong Qingying, Nangong Tian, and Jiang Yu were all there. A group of youngsters were full of energy, playing and fighting in the courtyard all day long. Mother Tang and her three daughters-in-law formed a mahjong table, enjoying themselves immensely.

Su Yehao wasn't so free. He helped with receptions everywhere and accepted several interviews. The people who came to visit him were endless, and the gifts almost filled an entire side room.

As factories were managed and rectified, the sky rarely cleared up, and on this summer night, you could even sit in the courtyard and see the stars.

On the evening of the fifth.

Sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air, the mosquito zapper inserted in the flower bushes occasionally flickered, and bats flew back and forth in the sky.

Su Yehao held a folding fan with a Jiangnan spring scenery painted by Mr. Wu Guanzhong, and admired the stars and moon while lying on a rocking chair. He smiled and said:

"After participating in the opening ceremony, there shouldn't be anything else to do. If you want to go to the venue, go; if you don't want to, stay home and watch the live broadcast in air-conditioned comfort. It's more comfortable than sweating at the venue. I wanted to travel around the world on a yacht before. Arrange it in advance, and don't be unable to find the time. If the yacht can sail to Qingdao, we can watch the sailing competition and set off, just in time for the kids' vacation."

Nong Qingying sat cross-legged on the mat, playing cards with Jiang Yu and the others. Two mosquito bites were clearly visible on her fair thighs.

Next to the courtyard was a lake, and even if they tried to kill mosquitoes every day, there would still be mosquitoes that slipped through the net.

She scratched her leg and said, "The sea is surrounded by water, it feels like it would be very boring. How about traveling to the Northwest? We can eat Hami melons, see deserts and snow-capped mountains, and buy a whole roasted lamb. It's better than sitting on a boat and spacing out."

Nangong Tian raised her hand and said:

"I agree. Start from the capital and go west through the grasslands. The sea is not only boring but also dangerous. If something happens to the yacht, our family might be wiped out."

They could go to sea anytime, and it seemed nice to travel to the Northwest this season.

Besides, Jiang Yu was pregnant, and it wouldn't be appropriate to leave her at home, but if she felt unwell at sea, it would be troublesome.

After a brief consideration, Su Yehao continued to fan himself and replied:

"Okay, it will be more convenient to travel around the world when the situation is slightly more stable. Then I'll find some RVs and off-road vehicles. Jiang Yu, can you handle car rides?"

Jiang Yu made an OK gesture and said, "Don't think about leaving me behind. As long as the trip isn't too rushed, I should be fine. If I feel uncomfortable, I can always go back to Hong Kong first..."