Chapter 27: A Cumulative 2.3 Billion in Short Positions!

As night fell, Huang Feiyang strolled through the streets of Manhattan, deep in thought. Should he consider investing in real estate? Or perhaps, property development? For the foreseeable future, property prices in major cities across the globe were destined to skyrocket. Without a doubt, real estate was a foolproof, high-return business. Take New York, for instance.

In fact, he was already preparing to enter the high-end real estate market in China, perhaps by developing luxury residential complexes, villas, or office buildings, or by acquiring vast swathes of land.

Watching the busy figures around him, a new thought occurred to him: he could have Huang International Investment establish a financial firm here. There would be plenty of opportunities to amass wealth in the coming years, and he certainly didn't want to miss out. After a moment's consideration, he called George.

"Yes, Boss!" George agreed immediately. In truth, even if Huang hadn't brought it up, George would have eventually suggested establishing an overseas financial firm. Compared to China, international financial markets were far more mature. Moreover, with the rate at which FY Technology was generating wealth and the future potential of the internet, Huang’s capital would only continue to grow. Money sitting in a bank or idle would only lose value; constant investment was the only way to create more wealth.

"If we are opening a financial firm on Wall Street, I have the perfect candidate to recommend," George added after a pause.

"Oh? Tell me more." Huang was intrigued. He knew George well enough to know that he wouldn't recommend just anyone.

"His name is Jess, a legendary short-selling titan," George said, taking a deep breath. "His company went bankrupt a few years ago due to the dot-com bubble." According to George, the only Waterloo in Jess's career was his misjudgment of that bubble, which cost him his billion-dollar fortune and left him bankrupt. He had been living in semi-retirement on an estate in England ever since.

"Are you sure this Jess would be willing to join our company?" Huang asked. He remained skeptical that a former tycoon, even a bankrupt one, would be willing to work under someone else.

"He might not join another firm," George replied with a confident smile, "but for the Boss’s company, that’s a different story. He owes me a favor, and if you are willing to grant him enough autonomy, he has no reason to refuse."

"In that case, I leave the invitation to you," Huang said slowly.

"No problem."

A few days passed in the blink of an eye. By September 10th, as the markets were closing, Huang had deployed 2.3 billion in capital to short stock indices, all with maximum leverage. Having finalized these arrangements, he left the United States for Beijing.

"I wonder how much I’ll make this time," he mused, looking at the clouds outside his window. He hadn't strictly needed to come to the U.S., but he wanted to scout for potential investment opportunities to pour his upcoming profits into.

On that same day, an event in China captured widespread attention: news regarding FY Technology. According to recent media reports, the company's three smartphone models were achieving impressive results worldwide. While perhaps not as explosive as in China, their market share was climbing steadily. The "X" phone had become a world-class superstar brand. The "Past 01," "Present 01," and "Future 01" models were the talk of the world and had become trendsetters in the mobile industry.

George, as CEO of FY Technology, was once again interviewed by the press.

"You say our phones are just assembled, white-label products? Who gave you the nerve to say that?" George retorted with a cold smile to a Japanese reporter. "Aside from Samsung, who can independently manufacture every single component of a phone today? Strictly speaking, aren't almost all phone manufacturers just assembling white-label goods?"

The reporter was left speechless. He hated to admit it, but he knew George was telling the truth.

"Mr. George," a U.S. correspondent stationed in Beijing asked with a mocking smirk, "hasn't FY Technology offended every other phone manufacturer by now? Once your three models are phased out by the market, will you even be able to produce new ones? Other manufacturers might not grant you their patents."

"That's a great question!" George shrugged, looking unbothered. A calculating glint flashed in his eyes. "They don't have to license them to us—unless, of course, they want to stop producing phones similar to our three models."

The reporters were momentarily stunned. They quickly realized what he meant: FY Technology had been filing patents worldwide—covering everything from appearance and functionality to architecture and more. The journalists felt a chill; it was clear that FY Technology had been planning this all along. It was highly likely that any major manufacturer wanting to produce similar devices would now have to seek patent licenses from FY Technology. Perhaps, in turn, these manufacturers would be forced to license their own patents to FY.

It was going to be a fascinating show. But when George announced his final piece of news, the reporters were truly dumbfounded: FY Technology was launching a global search for scientific and technical talent in the mobile industry, offering top-tier, industry-leading salaries to anyone who could pass their assessment.