Chapter 123: The Rise of the Stock Price

"I have only one demand! Drive up the stock price of the Qiyuan Grand Hotel! Here is the capital... you will handle the execution yourselves!" He Jiansheng said simply, addressing the six traders.

He Jiansheng was a layman. Beyond the absolute basics, he had no understanding or grasp of the deeper mechanics of the stock market. Thus, he chose to place his trust in these traders—to trust the professionals.

"Rest assured, Young Master. These traders are elite professionals I gathered from several securities firms. Every single one of them is highly experienced, seasoned in their tactics, and boasts a stellar track record. With their help, we will absolutely achieve our goal of driving up the stock price," Meng Yang said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yang! With you by my side, everything becomes so much easier," He Jiansheng said, patting Meng Yang on the shoulder with a smile.

"Serving you is my duty, Young Master," Meng Yang replied, smiling.

"Indeed," He Jiansheng smiled. "When the time comes, I want to see the look on He Tian's face! He thinks I genuinely want to win back the Qiyuan Grand Hotel? He is wrong... my goal is to make money!"

"I'm sure you will give He Tian a proper humiliation when the time comes, Young Master. He is truly lawless, daring to make a move against you... But Young Master, how on earth did He Tian pull off those things on that end?" Meng Yang asked curiously. This was a question that had been puzzling him for a long time.

"That was all because of the Li family!" He Jiansheng had received many phone calls from the clan recently. Although it seemed everyone was blaming him, through their accusations, he had come to understand a lot of what was happening behind the scenes.

"The Li family?" Meng Yang had been following He Jiansheng for a long time. Back when He Jiansheng was just an outer manager of the He clan, Meng Yang was already by his side. Although he hadn't enjoyed the same level of trust back then, he still knew a thing or two about the clan's affairs. Yet, he had never heard of a "Li family." Of course, Meng Yang had to admit that perhaps this Li family wasn't on the same level as the prominent He clan. Previously, he had only paid attention to families of that caliber. But that raised a question: if the Li family wasn't a major clan, how did they dare to cross the He family? Wasn't that suicidal?

"The Li family used to be quite formidable!" He Jiansheng said resentfully. "It's just that they backed the wrong horse in the past, and their patriarch met with an accident, which forced them into obscurity for a while. But now, they have basically risen again. While they still can't compare to our He clan, they are a force to be reckoned with. Historically, there was some bad blood between us. Recently, our clan has been clashing with the Li family in other regions. What happened here in Tianhai was just a gesture from the Li family. They simply used He Tian as their pawn. The real issue was the incriminating evidence that left no room for recovery. I have no idea how He Tian managed to get his hands on those documents!"

*A political game,* Meng Yang thought. Though he didn't fully understand the intricacies, he knew how ruthless such struggles could be.

"Young Master, what about the clan's attitude toward you now?" Meng Yang steered the conversation back, far more concerned about He Jiansheng's standing.

"Hmph... what else can they do? They're keeping things as they are. But from now on, it will be difficult for me to mobilize the clan's resources directly," He Jiansheng muttered, his tone laced with resentment. In his eyes, he was simply a victim of bad luck, caught in the crossfire of the friction between the two families. But of course, the crux of the matter was still He Tian. Therefore, the only thing He Jiansheng wanted to do now was to crush He Tian.

After a brief consultation, the six traders quickly set to work. Backed by a massive capital of 2.5 billion, they were brimming with confidence. Driving up a stock price was child's play for professionals of their caliber.

A flurry of buy orders was placed, each bid higher than the last. The stock price of Qiyuan Grand Hotel, like an innocent girl offering a token struggle, quickly lost all resistance and surged upward.

Meanwhile, in the office where Ouyang Bingbing and her team of traders were stationed, the market changes for Qiyuan Grand Hotel were clearly visible on the large display screen.

Ouyang Bingbing sat calmly on the sofa. She watched the wave of buy orders flood the screen, driving the stock price of Qiyuan Grand Hotel from a stable twenty yuan to twenty-three yuan in no time.

A cold smile played on Ouyang Bingbing's lips. During the four to five days she spent waiting for He Jiansheng's funds to arrive, she had not been idle. Not only had she successfully built a strong rapport with these outstanding traders, prompting them to share their knowledge and experience with her, but she had also run several simulated trading drills with them. Though it had only been a short time, she already showed signs of a complete transformation.

"Let them keep placing orders and driving up the price," Ouyang Bingbing said with a smile. "There is still an hour and a half before the market closes this afternoon. We'll give them all the room they want to run. Let's see just how high they can push the price during this time."

"Miss Ouyang, this is playing out exactly as we anticipated," Zhang Shuai said with a slight smile. "In my estimation, the stock price will likely reach around thirty yuan. After all, from their perspective, the higher they drive it, the more leverage they have."

Although Zhang Shuai was only twenty-seven years old, he was already a veteran trader, having worked in the industry for ten years. Despite his lack of formal academic credentials, he had amassed a net worth of over thirty million yuan, making him a textbook example of a self-made success story.

"I doubt He Jiansheng will be satisfied with thirty yuan. They will keep pushing," Ouyang Bingbing said with a smile. "Looking at this momentum, it seems we must leave the battlefield entirely to them tomorrow as well."

"To maximize our gains, that is indeed the best course of action," Zhang Shuai agreed, smiling. Then, his eyes fixed on Ouyang Bingbing, he added, "Miss Ouyang, why don't we have a drink together?"

Looking at her, Zhang Shuai felt his heart flutter uncontrollably. He realized he was truly infatuated with Ouyang Bingbing. Her delicate exterior, her inner strength, and her ethereal beauty were utterly irresistible to him. In a modern metropolis, finding a girl of such caliber was like finding a needle in a haystack. Zhang Shuai felt as though his spring had finally arrived, and he resolved not to let this opportunity slip away.

"I'm sorry, I don't drink," Ouyang Bingbing replied. Feeling quite uncomfortable under his gaze, she quickly redirected the conversation. "Actually, Mr. Zhang, there are still a few things I don't quite understand. Would you mind explaining them to me?"

How could Ouyang Bingbing not notice his intentions? Truth be told, although Zhang Shuai was not particularly handsome—he could not hold a candle to He Tian—and was slightly older, he was otherwise quite eligible. He had built a life in Tianhai entirely on his own merit, owning a house, a car, and possessing real talent. On paper, he seemed like a great catch.

Unfortunately, Ouyang Bingbing felt absolutely no spark. Since they had to work together, she could not reject him too bluntly. Instead, she chose a roundabout approach: asking him about trading concepts and market knowledge. This allowed her to manage his advances while picking up valuable insights at the same time.

An hour and a half flew by, and the market closed for the day. No further trades could be executed; any subsequent moves would have to wait until the market reopened the following morning.

"Young Master, the stock price has stabilized at thirty yuan!" Meng Yang said cheerfully, looking at the final numbers on the screen.

He Jiansheng currently held a thirty-seven percent stake in the hotel, which amounted to thirty-seven million shares. Normally, this was worth seven hundred and forty million yuan. But at the current stock price, it was valued at just over 1.1 billion yuan. If He Tian were to execute a hostile takeover and buy out He Jiansheng's shares at this price, he would undoubtedly take a massive financial hit.

"It's not enough! Not nearly enough! Keep driving it up tomorrow. We need thirty-five, forty, or even higher!" He Jiansheng laughed heartily. "Let's see if He Tian has the stomach to swallow it then. But whether he can swallow it or not, he has no choice! Hahaha..." Delighted by his own scheme, He Jiansheng burst into triumphant laughter. A smirk also appeared on Meng Yang's face.

If they pushed the price to forty yuan, would He Tian still go through with the buyout? With the compulsory acquisition agreement in place, it seemed He Tian had no other choice.

Meng Yang was beginning to admire He Jiansheng's strategy. For a party in such an absolute disadvantage to pull off such a massive reversal was nothing short of a miracle. Of course, this miracle was only possible because He Jiansheng had access to a massive war chest. Any ordinary loser would never have had such capital at their disposal.

"Come, Yang, let's go grab a drink!" He Jiansheng said, beaming.

"Young Master, a thought just occurred to me," Meng Yang said, his heart suddenly sinking as a terrifying possibility crossed his mind.

"What is it?" He Jiansheng asked, noting Meng Yang's sudden gravity.

"If... if He Tian's actual goal is to wait for us to inflate the price and then dump his shares on us, do we buy them or not?" Meng Yang asked solemnly.

"Hahaha! Yang, do you really think I hadn't considered that?" He Jiansheng roared with laughter. "Of course we buy! Why wouldn't we? The more we buy, the more shares we hold. When He Tian executes the compulsory acquisition, won't he have to spend even more capital? If he does that, I'll just drive the price up even harder! Let's see how he handles that! Hahaha!"

Meng Yang still harbored a trace of doubt, but on second thought, the logic seemed to hold. He chose to remain silent.