I'm back in 1990

Chapter 482: Kept in the Dark

Huang Xiaochuan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, looking down at the ships sailing on the Huangpu River. Shanghai had changed a lot. This was only 1998. In just eight years, Shanghai had been rapidly built into an international modern city, relying on its rich history as a former Bund.

Not long after, Mai Guangde knocked on the door and came in: "Mr. Huang! Ms. Catherine is here!"

Huang Xiaochuan turned around: "Please let her in!"

When Huang Xiaochuan saw Zhang Yun, he was stunned for a moment. It had been more than two years since he last saw her, and this woman seemed to have changed a lot. She had become more charming than before, and her figure had become much fuller, which made Huang Xiaochuan feel a little bit of inexplicable goodwill towards her.

Seeing Huang Xiaochuan staring intently at her, Zhang Yun felt a little flustered.

The two stared at each other for a while. After a while, Huang Xiaochuan, realizing he had lost his composure, quickly invited Zhang Yun to sit down.

"Please sit down!"

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan didn't seem too unusual, Zhang Yun finally felt relieved and sat down, gently gathering the fabric of her skirt around her hips with both hands.

Without any opening remarks, Huang Xiaochuan went straight to the point.

"Do you know why I asked you to collect so much data for me?"

Zhang Yun knew that Huang Xiaochuan must have discovered something again, but she didn't know the specifics, so she shook her head.

Huang Xiaochuan took a document out of the safe and handed it to Zhang Yun.

You can't take this with you; you can only look at it here.

After listening, Zhang Yun took the document and began to read it carefully.

This document contains data comparisons and analyses of the current US capital market. In short, it shows that internet investment is overheated, far exceeding its normal value, and the valuations of various startups are artificially inflated.

This argument had been raised before, but Zhang Yun hadn't taken it seriously. After all, some people love to spread conspiracy theories. However, after seeing Huang Xiaochuan's analysis, she no longer had the same thoughts as before.

Because the man sitting opposite her was not only outstanding in economics and academia, but also had many achievements in practical cases, which she had personally experienced.

However, this involves assets worth hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars over the next few years, so Zhang Yun dared not be careless and still raised some questions.

"How can you be so sure that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates within the next two years?"

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and said, "Since you asked, I'll talk to you about economic cycles. In the materials I gave you, there's a chart of the Federal Reserve's cycles, which is the credit cycle within the economic cycle. When the economy is sluggish, the Federal Reserve will use loose monetary policy to stimulate borrowing, consumption, and investment. However, if investment overheats and causes inflationary pressure, then the Federal Reserve will inevitably implement monetary tightening policy to curb the overheating of the economy."

"I've listed the reasons for each interest rate hike and cut on the chart, along with the related events that occurred beforehand. Now look at the current US economic indicators; aren't they somewhat similar to those before?"

Following Huang Xiaochuan's instructions, Zhang Yun looked at the chart she had just seen again. After Huang Xiaochuan's explanation, she understood it.

For venture capitalists like Zhang Yun, economic crises can sometimes be excellent opportunities for financial speculation.

Zhang Yun knew what to do when the time came, but she couldn't grasp the timing. When would be the best time to step down?

She could only rely on the man sitting opposite her for guidance, which was one of the reasons why Zhang Yun admired this man; it was also a kind of admiration for strength.

After Zhang Yun figured it out, she asked, "When do you think it will happen?"

"That depends on the timing and frequency of the Fed's interest rate hikes," Huang Xiaochuan said succinctly, without revealing much information.

Zhang Yun glanced at the man in front of her and didn't ask any more questions. She knew very well that this man would definitely inform her in advance, because most of the assets she managed belonged to him, and he certainly wouldn't allow his assets to shrink.

After they finished discussing work, Zhang Yun wanted to invite Huang Xiaochuan to dinner with her.

"Do you have time to have dinner with me tonight?"

Huang Xiaochuan originally wanted to refuse, but then he thought that it would be too heartless for this woman to come all the way from the United States and not even have a meal with him, so he agreed.

"I'll treat you! I'll send a car to pick you up tonight."

Zhang Yun spent the entire afternoon busy putting together an outfit for tonight. She hadn't fully recovered her figure after giving birth, resulting in many clothes no longer fitting. However, even if her figure were back to normal, those clothes would likely be discarded anyway.

For Zhang Yun, shopping for custom-made clothes is a normal part of her life, just as important as her work. Now, with her two little babies added to the mix, the three most important things for Zhang Yun on a daily basis are her son, shopping, and work.

In the end, Zhang Yun chose a Chanel suit with gold thread embroidery. Looking in the mirror, she touched up her lip color, making her lips look like a rose with dew.

When Zhang Yun arrived at the hotel entrance, she couldn't help but frown, because the car that came to pick her up was a Mercedes-Benz Vito. However, when the car door opened, she found Huang Xiaochuan sitting inside, and her slight displeasure immediately vanished.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Huang Xiaochuan personally opened the revolving door for her: "Jean-Gees' French restaurant has only been open for three months. I heard the head chef specially invited a Michelin-level pastry chef from Lyon. I remember you like soufflés?"

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan still remembered her favorite food, Zhang Yun's mood instantly improved.

The waiter led the two to their reserved window seat. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Oriental Pearl Tower looked like a string of lit pearls at night.

A sommelier in a suit with a small mustache approached their table with a bottle of wine: "Sir and Madam, this is a bottle of 1990 Bordeaux red wine."

Huang Xiaochuan gestured to the sommelier to open the bottle, and soon the deep red liquid was poured into the crystal glass, shimmering with a silky sheen under the restaurant lights.

Huang Xiaochuan raised his crystal glass: "Try it and see what you think?"

Zhang Yun took a small sip, letting the wine slide between her lips and teeth, savoring it in her mouth before swallowing.

She nodded in satisfaction.

Huang Xiaochuan then signaled to the sommelier to leave the bottle of wine.

The appetizer was foie gras terrine with caviar. The foie gras melted in your mouth, and the caviar had a slightly fishy-sweet flavor.

After tasting the appetizers, Zhang Yun couldn't help but praise the restaurant: "I didn't expect that there would be such a good French restaurant in Shanghai now."

Huang Xiaochuan smiled but didn't say anything, focusing on finishing the appetizer. Although French food was quite delicious, this amount of food wasn't even enough to fill his teeth, and the meal took a very long time. If it weren't for inviting the woman who helped him expand his territory in America, he would never have come here. This was a place that Ding Gungun often came to, and he had also helped him book the table tonight.

As the main course was served, a light rain began to fall outside the window. The waiter pushed the trolley and cut open the puff pastry of the Wellington steak, releasing the aroma of truffles and small mushrooms mixed with pink gravy.

As Zhang Yun watched Huang Xiaochuan intently cutting his steak, she felt the Bordeaux wine she had just drunk burning in her stomach. She couldn't help but quietly unbutton the second button on her collar.

Huang Xiaochuan, who was focused on eating his steak, didn't see this, which made Zhang Yun a little annoyed.

She slammed the wine glass down on the table with a little force, startling Huang Xiaochuan, who looked up at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhang Yun quickly covered up her mistake: "Oh, it's nothing, my hand just slipped."

Huang Xiaochuan raised his cup again: "The time has come for us to fulfill our agreement. You can exercise your option at any time."

The matter Huang Xiaochuan mentioned concerns an agreement they made at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The agreement stipulated that Zhang Yun would invest eight million US dollars to acquire shares in Changhong Investment 3, and that she could exercise her rights if she achieved a certain return on investment within five years. These agreements were all in written form, and now it's time to fulfill them.

Huang Xiaochuan's philosophy is that if you want people to work hard for you, you have to be willing to pay them. Money cannot be concentrated in the hands of a few people; everyone must share it equally so that everyone can benefit.

Becoming partners with Huang Xiaochuan was Zhang Yun's most successful investment of her life. The initial eight million US dollars has now become billions of US dollars in assets. If we add the two that are about to be exercised, Zhang Yun is now a bona fide billionaire.

Zhang Yun also raised her glass and gently clinked it against Huang Xiaochuan's glass.

After the two finished their drinks and put down their glasses, Zhang Yun suddenly said, "Thank you!"

Huang Xiaochuan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "No need to thank me, this is what you deserve."

Zhang Yun smiled. This man had misunderstood her gratitude. She wasn't thanking him to fulfill the agreement, but for something else, though the man was still unaware of it.