Ninety-nine: Forty Tons of Gold

The third investment project consists of an 8% stake in Lu Jin Financial, acquired through a cash exchange. The total value of this stake is 720 million US dollars, which equates to roughly 4.5 billion yuan. Xiao Yao suspected his parents might not be familiar with Lu Jin Financial and offered a brief explanation: “When I exchanged for these shares, the company was valued at 9 billion US dollars, but now it’s worth 11 billion. If I were to sell my stake right now, many buyers would pay a premium, and I could easily make 1.5 billion yuan in profit.”

“Is that really true? How is it that any project you invest in can be flipped for billions so easily? Is making money really this simple?” Xiao Zhenshan felt as if he were listening to a fantastical tale, unable to fathom the numbers his son so casually mentioned.

The world he inhabited seemed to exist in a different dimension than his son's. After a lifetime of toil, he’d managed to purchase three apartments, yet his son could invest in a project and reap billions in an instant. For his son, money was merely a number; earning it was effortless.

“This is the power of connections. The people I exchanged assets with owe me significant favors. If not for that, I wouldn’t have access to such lucrative investment opportunities.”

Bai Yuzhen asked directly, “What kind of favors do they owe you, to be willing to risk so much? Our family isn’t short on money anymore, so we won’t do anything dangerous. Safety comes first.”

“It’s nothing dangerous. My master passed down to me many unique skills, such as face-reading and fortune-telling. I inherited his true abilities and am quite accomplished in this field. These people owe me favors, so naturally they seek ways to repay me. That’s how these investment opportunities came about. If they weren’t eager to settle their debts, I wouldn’t have had the chance to invest.” Xiao Yao didn’t want to elaborate, offering only a brief explanation.

“Isn’t fortune-telling just a scam? You actually know those mystical things?” Bai Yuzhen was astonished.

“It’s not all deception. My master was a genuine sage, a hidden expert.” Xiao Yao cautioned, “Don’t tell anyone about my fortune-telling abilities. Just keep it to yourselves. I don’t want to be pestered every day.”

“Understood, understood. Your father and I won’t tell anyone. Everyone has their own views on these mystical matters, so it’s better not to let others know.” Whether her son’s abilities were real or not, Bai Yuzhen didn’t want people to look at him with odd eyes.

“Dad, Mom, what do you think of these three investment projects?”

“All three seem like free money to you, so of course they’re good.” Bai Yuzhen no longer objected to her son investing in them. “It’s just the amount required is quite large. Prepare the relevant documents for the projects as soon as possible. Both shares and fixed assets can be used as collateral, but I need to review everything before I can determine the exact loan amount I can offer you.”

“No need for all that trouble. I’m not planning to use these three projects as collateral. I intend to use gold instead. Is that acceptable?”

Xiao Yao possessed a great deal of gold, and the gold Pan Wu had acquired over the past few decades all came with proper documentation, so there was no fear of investigation. Gold prices were currently low; he didn’t plan to sell, but using it as collateral was feasible. Once prices rose, he could sell directly to the bank.

Over the past three thousand years, Pan Wu had amassed an enormous quantity of gold in the Qiankun Ring. Most of the ancient gold collected before modern times was considered valuable antiques, worth far more than the gold itself. Only the gold acquired in recent decades lacked such collectible value, and could be sold when the price was right.

“The total funds required for your three projects is 10.5 billion. Do you really have enough gold to use as collateral?” Bai Yuzhen was shocked.

She simply couldn’t imagine what 10.5 billion worth of gold would look like.

“At current prices—about 260 yuan per gram—if I need a loan of 10.5 billion, forty tons of gold will suffice.” Xiao Yao replied with casual ease.

Xiao Zhenshan was truly stunned; his voice trembled, “You can produce forty tons of gold? Is this real? Your master must be unbelievably wealthy!”

“Forty tons of gold—that's practically a mountain!” Bai Yuzhen was equally astounded.

Xiao Yao shook his head. “Gold is more than nineteen times heavier than water, so forty tons is only about two cubic meters in volume. It sounds like a lot, but when you see it, it’s not all that much—a mountain is far bigger.”

“Still, two cubic meters of gold is no small feat. Just thinking about it is exciting. Are you really planning to use gold as collateral? Isn’t that a bit flashy?” Though the value was the same, putting up gold as collateral was far more impressive than using shares or fixed assets.

“All that gold was hidden by my master in a secret chamber, but I don’t feel entirely safe about it. I’d much rather keep it in a bank. It’s only collateral, not a sale, so I think it’s safer than using shares, and the paperwork is simpler.” Xiao Yao had plenty of items he could use for a loan, but gold was definitely the most convenient.

Other types of collateral—whether shares, assets, or antiques—required thorough bank appraisal and cumbersome procedures. Gold, however, only needed testing and weighing, and the loan process could be completed within days.

For these three investments—10% of Huahui Bank shares and 8% of Lu Jin Financial shares—he’d promised to pay all funds within three months. The 3 billion yuan for Hang Guang Building had a longer term, a full year.

He noted that Qin Huali had performed well, and since he’d already benefited greatly, there was no need to delay the 3 billion payment for a year. In a few days, he intended to pay both the Hang Guang Building replacement funds and the Lu Jin Financial share payment to Qin Huali in one go.

Now, as a shareholder of Huahui Bank with his mother serving as deputy branch manager in charge of credit at the provincial bank, he naturally would take his loan from their own institution.

With his status and using gold as collateral, he could certainly secure the lowest possible interest rate, and at the same time help his mother resolve work challenges—a win-win situation.

With such high-quality collateral, Xiao Yao’s loan process was swift. In just three days, 10.5 billion yuan was deposited into his account.