I'm back in 1990

Chapter 215: Ingratitude

Wednesday, February 12th, the ninth day of the first lunar month.

Today, registered subscription certificates are priced at 320 each, blank certificates at 350 each, 100 consecutive certificates with registration at 350 each, and blank certificates at 400 each.

After making a phone call beforehand, Huang Xiaochuan drove to Ding Yi's house to pick him up. The two then drove to a school. Considering that what they were going to talk about was too important, Huang Xiaochuan didn't want to go to a public place to avoid being overheard.

Ding Yi's initial elation turned into deep worry, for no other reason than that he held too many subscription certificates. In a moment of impulsiveness, he used the money from selling Dafeile to buy 10,000 subscription certificates.

After all, he learned from his uncle that the subscription certificate plan was to issue 10 million certificates. Ding Yi estimated that the winning rate of 10,000 certificates would be 13% if he was lucky, and 9% if he was unlucky. He could use the winning subscription certificates to buy original shares, and sell them after the stock price rose several times after listing, so he could still make a profit. That's why he boldly spent 300,000 yuan to buy 10,000 certificates.

He never expected that only 2.09 million subscription certificates would be sold. Afterwards, many people realized this and rushed around buying up subscription certificates with cash, causing the purchase price of subscription certificates to rise every day after the Spring Festival. Now he feels that these 10,000 subscription certificates are a bit too hot to handle, and this is just the subscription certificates.

Because the actual sales volume of subscription certificates was only one-fifth of the planned amount, the winning rate was not the number he had previously estimated. He recalculated it roughly, and Ding Yi found that he was a little unsure. The number was too frightening, already heading towards ten million.

He hasn't dared to tell his family about this yet, mainly because his uncle is one of the people in charge of this subscription certificate work, and he's afraid that his father, who works in the municipal party committee, will make him hand over these 10,000 subscription certificates to avoid suspicion.

Hand it over? Ding Yi would definitely be reluctant. It wasn't something he stole or robbed; he bought it legitimately with the money he earned from stocks.

As the purchase price of the subscription certificates soared day by day, Ding Yi's net worth skyrocketed by hundreds of thousands a day. At first, he was quite excited, but as the subscription certificates in his hands gradually approached the value of five million or even higher, his surprise turned into horror.

After all, he was only twenty years old. Even though he was more knowledgeable and smarter than his peers, the amount of money was still astonishing, not even including the appreciation of the stock after winning the lottery.

He had no one to consult. When he received Huang Xiaochuan's call, he felt like he had grasped a lifeline. He was extremely eager to see Huang Xiaochuan, simply because he knew that Huang Xiaochuan must also have a large number of subscription certificates.

Although Huang Xiaochuan didn't buy with them at the time, he told him personally that he would buy the same number as him. However, he didn't know that Huang Xiaochuan had broken his promise because he had taken the hundred certificates from the bespectacled man. Now Huang Xiaochuan had 10,100 subscription certificates, one hundred more than him.

Ding was eager to talk to Huang Xiaochuan as soon as he got in the car, but Huang Xiaochuan stopped him.

"I'm driving! Don't say anything now, we'll talk when we get there."

Ding Yi could only keep quiet for the time being. Fortunately, they hadn't gone far when Huang Xiaochuan bribed the gatekeeper of a primary school with a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, asking him to open the door and let them into the school. Anyway, it was still winter vacation, and there weren't many people at the school.

After the car stopped, Ding Yi, who could no longer contain himself, told Huang Xiaochuan all his worries, hoping that Huang Xiaochuan could give him some constructive advice.

Huang Xiaochuan held the steering wheel for a long time without speaking. He was considering how to talk to Ding Yi. Unlike Ding Yi, he knew the future trend of the subscription certificates. However, he was also amazed that Ding Yi could consider the possible side effects of the subscription certificates. Most people would not feel the same way if they had Ding Yi's experience. They would only feel excited and become arrogant.

Therefore, there is no shortage of smart people in this world, especially smart people who can feel fear because of having a lot of money. Such people are more rational and are better able to control their wealth.

Instead of offering advice, Huang Xiaochuan asked Ding Yi, "Old Ding, what are your thoughts? I'd like to hear them first. I know you must have some."

Ding looked at Huang Xiaochuan and then voiced his concerns.

He was worried that the difference in the number of subscription certificates between him and Wu Duo, Zhang Gaolei, and Chen Zhe was too great, which would lead to the exposure that he held so many subscription certificates. He had seen what human nature was like since he was a child with his parents, which may be related to his family background. How could an ordinary person consider this?

The saying "Wealth moves people's hearts" may only have five characters, but since its creation, countless lives have been lost on it. This saying hides the greedy nature of humanity; as long as the price is right, some people are even willing to sell their souls to the devil.

After hearing Ding Yi's concerns, Huang Xiaochuan also believed that such a thing could happen.

Among them, Huang Xiaochuan understood best that the capital market is the place closest to money, and the place closest to money often reveals the full extent of human nature.

People had just emerged from an era of extreme material scarcity and entered the 1980s, a time of reform and opening up. This was an era that took pride in creating and possessing wealth. People also suddenly discovered another world, dazzling and full of temptations, where money could buy everything, even happiness. So people seized every opportunity to pursue wealth without hesitation.

The stock subscription certificates of 92 presented such an opportunity. Now, all members of 222 are involved. Before long, the other three will find that the wealth gap between them and Huang Xiaochuan and Ding Yi is widening. At that time, some people may feel unbalanced, which may lead to uncertain hidden dangers or even worse possibilities. However, it is not yet certain who this person will be. Will it be all three of them? Or will none of them be?

The reason the group gets along well now is because the wealth gap isn't too large. After all, the difference between a few hundred thousand and one or two million in the stock market is acceptable to them. But if the gap becomes too large, to the point of being separated by thousands of miles, then it will truly test human nature. Ding Yi doesn't dare to gamble, nor does he want to lose a few classmates and roommates he gets along with. This is also why he likes living in 222; otherwise, he would have moved back home long ago.

However, Huang Xiaochuan wasn't too worried. He knew that by May 21st of this year, the stocks they held would experience a surge in price, and even Chen Zhe, who held the fewest shares, would become a young millionaire.

In addition, with 400 subscription certificates in his possession and a winning rate as high as 86%, if handled properly, making a profit of several million yuan would not be a problem.

In the past, a crude profit calculation method circulated among the people: a new stock with a face value of one yuan could normally earn twenty or thirty yuan once it was listed, which is equivalent to a twenty or thirty-fold increase. If the stock that was won in the lottery was sought after by investors, it was very likely to earn ten thousand yuan. If you spent three thousand yuan to buy one hundred subscription certificates, you would be a millionaire that year. Chen Zhe and the other two now each have four hundred subscription certificates.

Huang Xiaochuan patted Ding Yi on the shoulder: "A man who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present. Old Ding, what you said makes sense, but you should put this matter aside for now. Let me ask you, the lottery for new shares is on the 2nd of next month. According to your estimate, the winning rate is very high. So where will you get the money to buy new shares after you win the lottery?"

Ding Yi's first thought was of his stocks in the stock market: "Needless to say? Of course, I'll sell the old stocks and buy new ones."

Huang Xiaochuan had long guessed that Ding Yi would do this, and that Wu Duo and the others would definitely do the same. However, Huang Xiaochuan couldn't tell them that their stocks would rise to an incredible price in May, and that selling now would result in a huge loss. Would they believe him? And if things really did turn out as Huang Xiaochuan predicted in May, how would he explain it to them?

So Huang Xiaochuan had come up with a plan: to persuade a few of them to pledge their stocks in the stock market to the bank, borrow money from the bank for a short period, use the money to buy the newly listed shares they won in the first lottery, and then repay the bank to release the pledged stocks after selling the new shares.

By May, even without Huang Xiaochuan's reminder, they would probably sell off their old shares that had skyrocketed in value, because the second lottery would begin in June.

The second lottery method was absolutely brutal, directly drawing odd and even numbers, which meant a 50% chance of winning. This caused the value of the subscription certificate to skyrocket to 5,000 yuan each, and that was after the second lottery, because there will be two more lotteries to come.

Huang Xiaochuan deliberately hesitated for a moment, then said to Ding Yi, "Let me make a phone call and ask first."

Who did you call?

Huang Xiaochuan simply replied with one word: "Bank!"

Next, he found the business card of Mao Gang, the branch manager of the bank where he bought the subscription certificate before the Lunar New Year, and called him using a mobile phone with the phone number on it.

When Mao Gang received the call, he learned that the young man who had bought 10,000 subscription certificates from him before the Lunar New Year was coming to discuss a loan deal with him. Mao Gang immediately welcomed him.

Before Huang Xiaochuan and Ding Yi arrived, Mao Gang was already waiting at the door. He warmly welcomed Huang Xiaochuan and Ding Yi, because Huang Xiaochuan was his benefactor!

When Huang Xiaochuan told Mao Gang about his idea, Mao Gang immediately agreed. It was as if business was being offered to him, and high-quality business at that.

Now, who in Shanghai doesn't know how much those stocks have risen? Using stocks as collateral, borrowing only one-fifth of the stock's market value, and it's a short-term loan, with high collateral value and high interest rates, this business is a sure-fire way to make money. Mao Gang must be ecstatic.

Not to mention that before the new year he exchanged his commission for 100 subscription certificates and distributed them to everyone in the branch office, he also bought 100 certificates out of his own pocket in order to complete his task. Now these 110 subscription certificates in his hands are very valuable, and because of this, his wife treats him like an emperor every day at home.

After leaving the bank, Huang Xiaochuan said to Ding Yi, "After Wu Duo and the other two come back, let's discuss it together. I'll tell them about this, and I'll also tell them that you were the one who got the bank deal. Do you understand what I mean by doing this?"

The advantage of doing this is that it allows Wu Duo and the others to maximize their profits from stocks and warrants, which might prevent the situation that Ding Yi was worried about from happening.

Ding Yi immediately understood that Huang Xiaochuan was asking for a favor on his behalf. If they knew that it was Ding Yi who had stepped in to help everyone solve the funding problem for their first successful purchase of new shares, they would be too grateful to have any other opinions.

Ding Yi excitedly grabbed Huang Xiaochuan's head and showered him with kisses.

Huang Xiaochuan, unable to avoid it, angrily cursed, "You son of a bitch, Ding Gungun, you're repaying kindness with enmity!"

Suddenly, Ding Yi released Huang Xiaochuan and asked, "Why did that bank manager call you Mr. Liu?"

Is there even a question? Nowadays, bank deposits don't require real names, and it's common for people to just use any name to deposit money. Huang Xiaochuan used the passbook under the pseudonym Liu Dehua to transfer money to buy the subscription certificate, so Mao Gang naturally called Huang Xiaochuan Mr. Liu.

Huang Xiaochuan grinned, showing his teeth: "Guess?"