He Zhengcheng continued to organize his memories, writing and drawing in his room, while his parents, younger brother, and sister returned one after another. He didn't get up; after all, he wasn't needed for cooking, so he just waited for dinner.
"Dinner's ready, everyone come out and eat!" Mother He called everyone from the living room.
He Zhengcheng closed his notebook and walked out.
"Cheng Zai is back!" Tan Yingyao said.
"What were you guys doing last night?" He Daixuan asked curiously.
"You're just a kid. Don't meddle in adult affairs," He Zhengcheng replied.
"Don't think I don't know; you must have been out messing around!" He Daixuan retorted.
"What do kids know!" He Zhengcheng wouldn't say that he had been with his goddess from his previous life.
"Cheng Zai, the family's situation is what it is. You can't help much right now, so why don't you go find a job first?" Tan Yingyao suggested.
"Mom, I know, don't worry!" He Zhengcheng replied. Starting a business still needed to wait; he needed a few million in capital first.
Small-time ventures were meaningless. Reborn, he couldn't possibly go to the mainland to sell jianbing guozi.
Selling jianbing guozi was a good business, earning hundreds of thousands a year, but most reborn individuals were world-shaking protagonists. If he went to sell jianbing, it might lower the overall standard of reborn individuals, and he might be expelled from the Reborn Alliance.
"Where's Dad?" His younger brother, He Zhengping, asked Tan Yingyao from the dining table.
He Zhengcheng seemed to have heard Dad's voice earlier, which was a bit strange.
"He went out for something; he'll be back soon. You all eat first!" Tan Yingyao said.
Having something come up unexpectedly, especially in business, even running a hotel, often leads to such situations. He Zhengcheng and the others didn't pay it much mind. And Tan Yingyao said 'soon,' which could mean an hour or two, so everyone didn't wait and just started eating.
Indeed, it wasn't until they had finished eating and tidied up, and a good while after that, that Father He returned home.
After a normal chat, Father He ate. He Zhengcheng returned to his room to continue recalling, organizing, and planning his future. After an unknown amount of time, he seemed to hear faint, low sobs.
"Mom, what's wrong?" He Zhengcheng walked to his parents' room and knocked on the door (Damn, how is the soundproofing so bad!).
"Nothing! Go to sleep!" Tan Yingyao replied.
"Open the door! Did Dad hide some private money and you found it?"
"You brat, what are you talking about!" He Wenxuan cursed from inside the bedroom.
"Open the door! Don't wake up the younger brother and sister!" He Zhengcheng saw He Daixuan and He Zhengping also come out and waved them back to their rooms.
A moment later, Tan Yingyao opened the door, her eyes still tear-streaked.
"Dad, what exactly happened?" He Zhengcheng saw a pile of documents on their bed and picked up a few to read.
"Dad, is this really necessary?" After a long period of internet immersion, he quickly understood what was hidden behind these documents.
"Even if all your money in the stock market is lost, there's no need to risk your life to commit insurance fraud. Buying so many insurance policies at once, the probability of being discovered is too high. And as long as they suspect something, it will be very difficult for us to get the money!"
He Zhengcheng looked at the large accidental death insurance policies on the bed and immediately knew what was going on. Wasn't this the plot of a third-rate novel?
"Sigh!" He Wenxuan sighed and slumped onto the bed.
"Our family only owes 15 million, and we only need to repay a little over 3 million a year, right? Even if all of Dad's money in the stock market is lost, there's no need to resort to this!" He Zhengcheng exclaimed.
"Your Dad didn't want to do anything foolish right now, it's just that stock losses are severe, housing prices are falling every day, and when it's time to repay next year, we'll probably have to sell the house, and we don't even know if that will be enough.
But if we can't repay the loan, and the hotel is auctioned off by the bank, his life's work will be for nothing!" Tan Yingyao explained.
"So, you're overcome with grief and want to commit insurance fraud? But not to mention how much money you'd get from fraud, people aren't fools; the probability of success is really low. At that point, wouldn't our whole family be ruined!" He Zhengcheng said.
He could understand Father He's feelings. Many people who failed in stock trading and lost everything chose to commit suicide, as did some bankrupt entrepreneurs. Some of them had plenty of money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, but they couldn't endure the blow and ultimately chose to end their lives.
This wasn't about not having money, but the destruction of their careers, which in turn shattered their beliefs. The psychological blow they suffered far outweighed the material losses.
It's important to know that if the He Family simply sold the hotel property, they could immediately pay off all their debts and still have tens of millions left over.
"That's not right, the house we live in should still be worth over 5 million if sold, right?" He Zhengcheng calculated. Although housing prices had fallen severely, they were still quite valuable.
"It's only a little over 3 million now, and besides the 15 million from the bank, we also owe your Uncle Zhou 5 million. Originally, he said there was no rush to repay, and we could wait for Hong Kong housing prices to improve and sell for a good price before repaying him.
But he's also run into difficulties and has no choice but to ask us for it! Additionally, the family owes tens of millions to others..." He Wenxuan explained.
"Damn it, I thought this was going to be an easy mode start, but it turns out to be difficult mode after all. Thankfully, it's not hell mode, and I haven't returned to a time of war.
Those reborn and transmigration individuals who survived war-torn times without status or position, those are the true powerhouses who can survive hell mode." He Zhengcheng secretly complained. He was already very lucky, but it seemed he couldn't stay lucky forever.
How exactly should the family's finances be calculated? I can't figure it out! Never mind, making money can solve all problems anyway.
"How much money is left in the stock market?" He Zhengcheng wanted to clarify the family's assets so he could act with purpose.
"There's still 1.2 million!" He Wenxuan replied.
1.2 million plus 600,000, our family currently has approximately 1.8 million in usable funds. During the financial crisis, the hotel's monthly income seems to have shrunk a bit, but let's assume a monthly profit of 200,000 to give myself more hope, which would be 1.2 million by March next year.
If the family has no other income, then there will be a total of 3 million by then. Now we need to repay 5 million early, and 3 million by March next year, plus loan interest of about 1 million.
In other words, their family has nearly 10 million in debt. If the house sells for 3 million, they still have a shortfall of about 4 million. How much exactly do they need to repay? I can't calculate it anymore. Damn it, has this turned into hell mode?!
Let's just calculate how much I can earn. He Zhengcheng ignored the complicated matters; making money was the kingly way. As long as he earned enough money, all problems would be solved.
The Hang Seng Index would likely fall below 7,000 points. As for the lowest point, he couldn't remember exactly, only that on August 14th, the Hong Kong Government's Hong Kong Monetary Authority launched a major counterattack. In just over ten days, they pushed the Hang Seng Index up to nearly 8,000 points.
In other words, this 1,000-point swing was his profit margin. If he only had the 600,000 in his hands, then based on the current entry cost of 8,540 points, if the Hang Seng Index fell to 7,000 points, he could profit 1.54 million.
By then, with principal and profit, he would have 2.14 million. How many lots could he go long on?
Let's continue to assume. Suppose he goes long on 50 lots and gains 1,000 points, which means he could profit 2.5 million.
"4 million doesn't seem difficult at all, but should we sell the house?" He Zhengcheng pondered. If his memory wasn't mistaken, Hong Kong housing prices would continue to fall, and for the next decade or so, Hong Kong's housing prices would not exceed their 2007 peak.
Selling now doesn't seem like a loss, but the emotional attachment to the house is hard to say. If they don't sell the house, that means he needs to earn an additional 5 million, which is truly difficult!
"Dad, have you sold your stocks yet?" He Zhengcheng thought for a long time and decided it would be more appropriate to find a way to get the money and manage it himself.
"Not yet..." He Wenxuan replied.
"Then are you planning to hold onto the stocks and wait to die?" He Zhengcheng asked.
There was no other way. He couldn't shoulder the family's burden alone; he had to give others a chance to contribute. So, first, he needed to get the money from his father. It was time to show his true skills!