Chapter 444 - 444: It’s Just a Small Amount of Money
As soon as Jiang Li answered the phone, she exclaimed excitedly, “Brother Chao, are you okay? Did you transfer one hundred billion US dollars to my account? Where are you now? Are you safe? Do you need any help?”
Listening to Jiang Li’s rapid-fire questions and her excited voice, Zhou Chao felt that he should have called a little later.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I transferred that amount to your account. Don’t tell anyone else about it. It’s fine if your family knows. I’m safe now, and 1’11 be back in the country tomorrow. Just relax!”
“Brother Chao, you have no idea how worried I was earlier. One hundred billion US dollars! I thought something had happened to you. It had me so worried,” she said, her voice breaking into tears.
Upon hearing Jiang Li’s reaction, Zhou Chao muttered to himself, “Does this girl think this is some kind of farewell gift or something?”
“Brother Chao, why aren’t you saying anything?” Jiang Li asked when she noticed Zhou Chao hadn’t responded.
“I was just thinking about something. Don’t worry; I won’t get into any trouble. You just take care of yourself at home. By the way, how are you doing with those supplements 1 got you? I’ll have to check when I get back!” Zhou Chao quickly changed the topic, not wanting Jiang Li to worry too much.
When she heard the mention of supplements, Jiang Li felt frustrated. Just thinking about those supplements she had been consuming for the past few days made her lose half of her happiness.
“Brother Chao, I want to eat Peking duck, street food, and your cooking. I don’t want to eat those supplements anymore. I’ve grown tired of them in just a few days,” she said, feeling nauseated.
Hearing Jiang Li’s response, Zhou Chao quickly reassured her, “If you don’t want to eat them, you can stop taking them for now. You can eat them again later.”
“Okay, Brother Chao, you’re the best!” Jiang Li smiled brightly, and the tears from earlier seemed like they had never happened.
The two of them chatted for a while longer before ending the call. Zhou Chao still had two more calls to make, and making them right away might lead to bigger issues.
He immediately called Xiao Lao. The call connected quickly, and he was greeted by Old Master Xiao’s furious voice.
“You little rascal, what have you been up to? And what’s the deal with the one hundred billion US dollars in Jiang Li’s account? If you don’t call soon, I’m sending someone to investigate.”
Zhou Chao held his phone away from his ear until Old Master Xiao had finished shouting, then brought it back to his ear and said, “1 couldn’t talk earlier; it wasn’t convenient. I’m done with what I needed to do here. 1’11 be back tomorrow, and we can talk face to face. Will that work?”
“Alright, remember to come over when you’re back. And be careful!” Old Master Xiao was genuinely worried about Zhou Chao’s safety, but he didn’t want to admit it outright.
“1 will, Old Master Xiao.”
After hanging up with Old Master Xiao, Zhou Chao called his father-in-law. He used similar wording as before, and after a brief conversation, Jiang Youdao also reminded him to stay safe.
Once Zhou Chao had finished making all the calls, he realized that the sun was already rising above the horizon. The whole sky was bathed in shades of orange.
That evening, Zhou Chao organized a dinner with his trading team, Ling Chen, and Gu Chen. They enjoyed a sumptuous meal and shared some wine, and it wasn’t until well past 10 pm that everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Early the next morning, Zhou Chao woke up, and when he stepped into the living room, he found it had already been tidied up. All the computer equipment had been packed into boxes, and Ling Chen and the others were sitting on the sofa, chatting idly. Some of the traders were already daydreaming about buying houses and cars and finding beautiful wives once they returned to China.
When the topic of wives came up, everyone burst into laughter.
Upon seeing Zhou Chao leaning against the door frame, Ling Chen quickly stood up and called out, “Boss.”
The others followed suit, standing up and addressing him.
Is everything packed up? Ling Chen, go and have Todd arrange a car to the airport. Also, make sure to distribute the new phones to everyone when we get back. Any objections?” Zhou Chao looked at the group.
“No objections!” all the traders responded in unison.
Satisfied with their response, Zhou Chao nodded. Ling Chen had returned from outside.
“Boss, we’re ready to go!”
“Let’s go, back to our country!” With their belongings in hand, they all left the hotel where they had stayed for the past few days.
Zhou Chao went back to his room, grabbed his luggage, and headed outside.
As soon as he exited the hotel, he saw a minibus and two SUVs waiting at the entrance. After a brief delay to ensure everyone was onboard, Zhou Chao got into one of the vehicles.
“Todd, you and your team have worked hard these past few days. When we get back, each of you will receive a bonus of two million US dollars,” Zhou Chao said, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes.
As Todd, who was sitting in the passenger seat, heard Zhou Chao’s words, his face lit up with a big smile, and he excitedly said, “Thank you, boss.”
“Ling Chen, what about your son? You mentioned bringing him along earlier,” Zhou Chao suddenly remembered that he hadn’t seen Ling Yang, Ling Chen’s son, during their time on Lanai Island.
Ling Chen, seated beside Zhou Chao, looked a bit embarrassed and smiled, “Boss, I was a bit worried, so I left Ling Yang in Modu.”
“Your concern is valid. Now that we’re heading back to our country, you can take a proper break,” Zhou Chao replied with a smile.
“Yes!” Ling Chen nodded.
Soon, Zhou Chao and his team arrived at the airport. After a brief delay, the plane took off from Lanai Island Airport.
On the plane, passengers formed small groups. Some played cards, some read books, and others who hadn’t slept well found places to rest. Zhou Chao sat in the onboard office area, browsing the internet and searching for information related to the Dow Jones Index.
He quickly found relevant news reports and couldn’t help but smile as he read the information.
“Indeed, they’ve shifted the blame for the Dow Jones crash to the Citigroup traders,” Zhou Chao remarked with a hint of mockery.
There are no secrets that can’t be uncovered. Although Zhou Chao had used his hacking skills to cover his tracks, the massive influx of funds into the country would undoubtedly draw the attention of anyone who wanted to know who the beneficiary was. However, he wasn’t too worried about it. If necessary, he could simply avoid visiting the United States in the future, and even if there were companies there, he could work remotely.
After an eleven-hour flight, the plane finally landed successfully at Shanghai Pudong Airport.
“Todd, are you planning to visit Kyoto as well?” Ling Chen asked with a puzzled expression.
Yes, i have some business to attend to there. Todd, you and the others can enjoy your time in Shanghai. Also, I’ll make sure the bonuses are distributed today to avoid any gossip about me being stingy,” Zhou Chao said with a chuckle.
“Understood, boss,” Ling Chen nodded. He was the first to disembark from the plane, and Todd collected everyone’s phones before leaving.
Soon, Ling Chen and the others left in an airport shuttle, while Zhou Chao sat in the plane, waiting for refueling. After refueling, the plane would head directly to Jingdu. After all, he still had to explain things to the bigwigs waiting for him there.
During the waiting period, Zhou Chao sent a message to Li Daoming, Qin Qingshun, Si Cong, and others, informing them that he had finished his tasks for now and was heading to Jingdu for some business. He mentioned that he would contact them when he returned to Shanghai.
He quickly received replies from several of them, but none of them called him, showing that they respected his position.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, the head flight attendant approached Zhou Chao and informed him that the plane was ready for takeoff and asked if they should depart immediately.
“Let’s take off, and please have some food brought for me. I’m hungry,” Zhou Chao requested.
“Of course, sir!”
Shortly afterward, the plane taxied onto the runway, and after a loud roar, it took off.
“Oh, I’ve been quite busy!” Zhou Chao complained while eating his steak.
The flight attendant standing at the door burst into laughter upon hearing this, but quickly composed herself, making Zhou Chao feel slightly embarrassed. He hurriedly finished his meal and had the flight attendant clear the table.
After a two-and-a-half-hour flight, Zhou Chao landed at Jingdu Airport. Xiao Yang, who had been waiting patiently, watched as Zhou Chao emerged from the airport. He circled around him a few times, making clicking sounds with his tongue.
“Brother Yang, what’s gotten into you?”
I’m just checking to see what big move you’ve made out there, transferring 100 billion dollars, and in US dollars! Do you realize the magnitude of this? Xiao Li could top the Forbes rich list in our country with that much money. Your capabilities are truly impressive!”
“Enough with the chitchat, let’s go. Old Master is waiting for me, and if I’m late, I’ll blame it on you,”
“Get lost!” Xiao Yang’s face turned dark.
Ignoring him, Zhou Chao opened the car door and got in. He looked at Xiao Yang, whose veins were visibly pulsating on his forehead, muttering to himself, “I’m not angry, I won’t get angry!”
“Come on, Brother Yang, what are you still standing there for?” Zhou Chao leaned out and shouted.
Annoyed, Xiao Yang gave Zhou Chao a dirty look and then opened the car door, started the engine, and drove away from the airport toward the location where the old man lived.
In half an hour, they reached the entrance of a narrow alley. Xiao Yang turned and said, “You can go straight in. 1 have some business to attend to back at the office.”
“Alright,” Zhou Chao said without over thinking it. He opened the car door and walked into the alley.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yang took out a cigarette and began smoking, watching Zhou Chao’s back as he muttered, “This kid is getting more and more impressive.”
Zhou Chao quickly arrived at the traditional courtyard house and greeted the guards at the entrance before entering. Once inside, he saw the old man lying on a reclining chair, listening to a comedy sketch on the radio, thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Old Master, I’m back!” Zhou Chao approached the old man and took a small stool to sit beside him.
“You’re back, eh? Tell me, what big thing have you done this time?” Old Master Xiao sat up and asked.
Zhou Chao smiled subtly, scratched his head, and replied, “Nothing major, just made some money in the stock market over at the Eagle Alliance.”
“Nothing major? That account of Xiao Li’s with loo billion US dollars isn’t major? Tell me, how much did you make specifically?” Old Master Xiao looked at him with a somewhat irritated expression.
“Hehe, it’s not that much, just around 958.8 billion..”