fictionpage 81. Medical parole
81. Medical parole
End of July.
Two hedge funds under Bear Stearns announced their liquidation due to the subprime mortgage crisis.
Germany's IKB Bank was implicated and applied for government assistance, officially bringing the subprime mortgage crisis to the forefront.
In August, BNP Paribas froze three subprime mortgage funds.
Global liquidity tightening caused a rapid pullback in US stocks.
In September, the Federal Reserve began its rate-cutting cycle, and the US stock market rebounded and surged on the back of this positive stimulus.
Li Xiang doesn't know exactly where the peak of the US stock market was during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Currently, it seems that the previous peak was on October 9th, and it is in the "don't be afraid, it's a technical correction" phase.
Apple's stock price has been unusually strong due to its exclusive benefit from the smartphone boom, but the profit-taking from triple leverage has made the drop quite painful.
There's no need to be greedy for the last chip.
Li Xiang has gradually sold off his Apple stock holdings, cashing out $2200 million.
Of the principal, 800 million was borrowed from Deutsche Bank, and after repayment, 1400 million remained.
Just as stock trading requires exceeding expectations, so too does interpersonal relationships.
Li Xiang and Peter said that they should let Andrei come out for Christmas. They couldn't really wait until the last minute; they had to plan ahead and give his father-in-law a surprise.
The end of October was the deadline.
I've also cashed out my Apple stock to lock in profits, so I have plenty of funds.
-
"What do you want?"
Peter had just finished eating in the cafeteria.
Although being a truck driver for Shopee is tough, it's better than working for "Arctic Wolf." In just a few months, I've gained so much weight that I even have a double chin.
"Close the door."
Li Xiang found a document and handed it to Peter, saying, "Sign it."
"What is this?" Peter asked.
"I'm transferring a share certificate to you for a bearer company in Panama," Li Xiang instructed. "Keep it safe; it'll be a real hassle if you lose it."
Peter sat there with a pen in hand, wanting to sign but unable to put it down.
Can you just sign your name anywhere? You have to ask first.
But he was also afraid that Li Xiang would misunderstand and feel like he was being treated as an outsider.
Li Xiang clearly saw Peter's emotional changes and took the initiative to explain, "There is $741 million in the company's stock account."
"That's roughly 2.2 million rubles."
Peter signed the papers quickly, beaming, and said, "This is enough. I'll find a way to raise the remaining thirty million myself."
Li Xiang said, "We can't raise the money ourselves; we have to borrow it from Potanin."
"What do you mean?" Peter's expression froze slightly.
Li Xiang took the computer and, while turning it on, said, "I don't know exactly how many people are locked up inside, but you guys are so quick to hand over the money—first 50 million, then 250 million. How are you going to bail out the rest of them?"
"For the Department of Justice, of course, it's about maximizing profits. Why take as much as you can? By asking Potanin for a loan, you're sending a signal to the Department of Justice, telling them that you've already emptied your coffers."
"I'm not saying that the people who come after me won't redeem their property; at least they can negotiate a lower price."
Peter said, sounding slightly nervous, "Potanin might not be able to see me."
"He will definitely see you." Li Xiang suddenly smiled and used an analogy, "It's similar to pursuing a woman. If a woman doesn't make demands of you, how can you make demands of her?"
"Mutual respect is certainly good, but that requires an equal relationship."
"Can Potanin be treated as an equal?"
"What he wants is control over those in power. Only when you are desperate and beg him for help, groveling at his feet, can he gain the sense of conquest he desires from this process."
"We'll have to get through this sooner or later."
"If he really doesn't see you... then he's waiting for Andrei."
Peter sighed, "I'll give it a try."
"Many things are about giving each other face. If you take the initiative, he will have to give in a little. If things get too tense, in the end you will only be outwardly submissive but inwardly resistant, which will only sow the seeds of your own trouble."
Li Xiang turned the computer screen around so Peter could see it.
"This is the company's stock account. All the transaction records are there and can be used as proof of assets. Familiarize yourself with it and tell others that this money is what you earned by trading stocks."
"Is this website real or fake?" Peter had never played the stock market, let alone traded stocks online, but he still knew how to use a computer.
"It's true, DBS Vickers, a brokerage firm in Singapore."
"You made over seven million from stock trading?" Peter asked, looking shocked.
"I did it," Li Xiang admitted, but did not.
"what?"
"Register two anonymous companies, buy the same stock, one going long and the other short. You've made a lot of money with this transaction, but I have another one that lost money, which I'll cancel later."
Peter exclaimed sincerely, "Professional!"
Peter looked through the stock account, and after a while, he said to Li Xiang with a reluctant expression, "I thought you were just transferring the funds out, making up some fake documentation, and then sending them back."
"These funds are backed by real transactions, so they can be spent however they want. It would be such a waste to use them to pay fines."
Li Xiang said, "Transaction records and money are not tied together. After you pay the fine to Andrei, you can submit this asset certificate to financial institutions when you use other money for investment in the future."
"Even fakes can't be detected, let alone the real thing like this."
"But this time it's different. If the Department of Justice turns against you and wants to investigate the source of your funds, their ability to penetrate information is much stronger than that of banks. They have to be able to explain where every penny came from."
"If your money is classified as embezzled funds, then there's no need to pay a fine; it will be confiscated directly."
Peter thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Probably not."
"It's always good to be careful," Li Xiang said with mixed feelings of joy and worry. "As long as Andrei can get out smoothly this time, we'll have secured Potanin's coattails. No matter how much we spend now, we'll earn it back many times over in the future."
Peter patted Li Xiang on the shoulder, "Brother-in-law, from now on we're the best partners. I'll take care of making money, and you take care of cleaning."
"With Potanin backing us up, good days are just around the corner."
Li Xiang didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, so he changed the subject, saying, "Natasha is pregnant again."
"Great!" Peter said with a beaming smile. "Good things keep happening one after another. Our family's luck has really turned around."
Li Xiang: "He's throwing a tantrum at me."
"What's wrong?" Peter asked with concern.
Li Xiang's eyes were gentle as he slowly said, "She doesn't want to have any more children. She said she'd have a second child, but she's determined not to have a third."
"We can't listen to her!"
-
IK-10 prison in Krasnokamensk, Chita Oblast.
"Portfolio adjustment, you, you, you, all three of you, come out here."
Three prisoners followed behind the prison guard, each carrying their own luggage.
"Why would you want to switch to a different room when you're living comfortably?"
The prison guard brandished his baton and yelled, "Stop talking nonsense! Pack your things now!"
Khodorkovsky lay on the bed with his legs crossed, looking stern. He was in an eight-person cell, and his fellow inmates all knew he was the richest man in the city and wanted to get something out of him. It had been a struggle to get to know him.
A change of personnel means new risks.
They could be an undercover agent, or they could be here to kill him.
You sleep in that bed.
A well-mannered, bespectacled young man was assigned to the upper bunk of Khodorkovsky.
After the prison guards left, he bent down and said in a voice only Khodorkovsky could hear, "My brother-in-law is being released on medical parole."
After saying that, Xiao Siyan immediately climbed up to the top bunk and started tidying up the bedding.
Khodorkovsky lay there motionless, a straw dangling from his mouth, as if he hadn't heard a thing, but his eyes gleamed.