Chapter 729: Probe

When Chen Yang arrived at Qingfeng Shan Zhuang, he found that the host, Tang Qingquan, was not there. The person greeting him was a middle-aged man about 1.7 meters tall.

He wore brand-name casual clothing and a Rolex watch on his wrist. Upon seeing Chen Yang enter the manor, he immediately went forward and warmly greeted him as if welcoming an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

"Director Chen, I've long admired your name; welcome to Qingfeng Shan Zhuang as a guest."

"Who are you?" Chen Yang, although he had guessed that the person was the one behind his invitation, still politely asked.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I'm Wu Jingzhong. I don't have many hobbies; I just like to dabble in stocks. I've heard Director Chen is the domestic stock god, so I specially asked President Tang to invite you over to meet. Please don't blame me for being too abrupt."

Chen Yang feigned humility and said, "Boss Wu, I'm ignorant and inexperienced; I cannot bear the title of stock god."

"You can handle it, how could you not!" Wu Jingzhong looked at Chen Yang with envy and said, "I've heard Director Chen earned over a hundred billion in the stock market. Looking across the country, who else could have such ability?"

Chen Yang didn't want too many people to notice his wealth, and he said expressionlessly, "Boss Wu, rumors aren't always reliable. If I really had made that much money in the stock market, I would have taken my family on a world tour long ago. Why would I still be working day and night, doing the hard labor of selling agricultural products?"

Seeing Chen Yang deny having a hundred-billion fortune, Wu Jingzhong gave a light smile, then led him to a quiet private room.

After they were seated, Wu Jingzhong had a servant brew tea for Chen Yang, then had his bodyguards and servants leave.

After seeing his people leave, Chen Yang also had Bai Ruonan and the other bodyguards wait outside the private room.

After everyone had left, he then asked Wu Jingzhong, "Boss Wu, you called me over—is there something important?"

Wu Jingzhong had originally wanted to mention some refined topics to set the mood, but seeing Chen Yang get straight to the point, he dropped the pretense. "Director Chen, I've heard you want to quit the stock market—isn't that a bit hasty?"

Chen Yang took a sip of tea, smiled at him, and said, "Boss Wu, my quitting the stock market should be a good thing for you capitalists, right?"

"No!" Wu Jingzhong shook his head, with a solemn expression, and told Chen Yang, "Domestic capital is already limited; without a pillar like you, the market will surely slump even more."

Chen Yang didn't believe his nonsense at all, and deliberately sighed, "Too bad this is just your personal opinion. Leaving that aside, the online comments about me are mostly full of malice!"

Upon hearing that, Wu Jingzhong gave a guilty smile. Soon he regained his composure and spoke seriously to Chen Yang, "Director Chen, I have some connections in the Ministry of Culture. If you're willing to come out of retirement and lead everyone to make money, I can help clear up those chaotic rumors online."

"Thank you for your kindness, Boss Wu." Chen Yang waved his hand and said, "As chairman of two listed companies, since I've already announced my retirement, I must keep my word."

Wu Jingzhong hadn't expected Chen Yang to refuse his "kindness," and he said somewhat unwillingly, "Director Chen, nowadays, having money makes you the big boss. As long as you can make money, does it really matter how others view you?"

"Of course!" Chen Yang nodded seriously and said, "If a person goes back on his word, he will gradually lose the trust of his partners and subordinates. What awaits him is likely to be abandoned by all and endless failure."

Upon hearing that, Wu Jingzhong felt a bit disappointed, but he wasn't angry. After all, Chen Yang was right—the domestic market is only so big; with one less big capital to cut the leeks, other capitals could reap many more benefits.

In that light, using media power to force Chen Yang to retreat was indeed a good move.

However, he still didn't believe Chen Yang would really quit the stock market. "Director Chen, I've heard you bought many shares of Maotai Company. If you're retiring, won't you also sell those shares?"

Chen Yang calmly said, "Since I've already retired, I won't conduct any related operations."

Seeing Chen Yang had no intention to sell his shares, Wu Jingzhong feigned surprise and said, "Maotai Company's stock price this year has been very unstable, falling from over ninety to over twenty. Although you've brought the market back up now, who can guarantee it won't drop again to a new low? Aren't you worried that a pullback would affect your company's interests?"

Chen Yang didn't want to explain further, smiling and saying, "Thanks for your concern, Boss Wu. But Maotai, as the leader of the liquor industry, has consistently stable performance. Even if the stock price fluctuates briefly, I believe it will rise again soon."

As a loyal fan of Maotai, Wu Jingzhong knew Chen Yang's words were true. But these past few days he had a question he couldn't figure out, so he couldn't help asking, "Director Chen, you invested the idle funds of your two companies into Maotai Company's shares—did you receive insider information in advance?"

"No!" Chen Yang directly denied, "Not to mention Maotai's executives, I don't even know their security guards. Buying their shares is purely based on optimism about the liquor industry's future prospects. Boss Wu, if you're interested, you could actually buy some liquor stocks too."

Upon hearing that, Wu Jingzhong looked at Chen Yang hesitantly. After a while, he said doubtfully, "Director Chen, if I also bought shares in Maotai Company, would you secretly run away?"

Chen Yang laughed, "I've just met Boss Wu, and we have no deep grudge, so what reason would I have to trick you?"

Wu Jingzhong didn't respond, just gave an embarrassed laugh. To avoid raising Chen Yang's suspicion, he immediately changed the subject: "Director Chen, do you think the power and pharmaceutical sectors will still have market movements?"

Chen Yang thought for a moment and said, "Summer is peak electricity demand, so the power sector will certainly have momentum in the short term. As for the pharmaceutical sector, it's actually tied to liquor. As long as the liquor sector's momentum continues, even if the pharmaceutical sector experiences a brief pullback, it will soon rebound."

Upon hearing that, Wu Jingzhong felt a great sense of relief. As a seasoned stock market operator, his judgment was actually similar to Chen Yang's. But for some reason, at this moment he still wanted a more definite answer from Chen Yang's mouth.

After all, the title of "stock god" held by this young man before him, even if he had many objections, was indeed earned by his own ability.

Since Chen Yang had confirmed he would no longer interfere in the domestic stock market, Wu Jingzhong also felt completely at ease. He immediately arranged a banquet to warmly entertain Chen Yang and the others.

After eating and drinking to their fill, Chen Yang excused himself, saying he still had official duties to attend to, and formally bade farewell to Wu Jingzhong.

After this meeting, all the negative online news about Chen Yang in the stock market completely vanished.