Chapter 255: The President

In just a little over a week, Chen Mo's 300 million dollars turned into roughly two billion.

Not only Chen Mo was excited; everyone in the trading room was excited.

Screams and cheers rose and fell in waves.

Chen Mo even held Gang Sheng and Qiu Di and walked a circle around the trading room.

Ahua suggested, "Mo Ge, shall we go celebrate?"

"Of course, but not now," Chen Mo calmed down from his excitement, "The day isn't over yet; we still have business to finish!"

Jimi heard Chen Mo's words and a flash of inspiration lit up his mind.

"Mo Ge, you want to take the chance to bottom‑fish?"

Chen Mo smiled calmly, "We will definitely bottom‑fish, but not now."

"Hengli, Pite, check how high the out‑of‑the‑money IBM put options have risen."

The Bloomberg terminal showed IBM's stock price had fallen to $104.

Excluding time premium, an out‑of‑the‑money put now costs $11.

The market crash isn't over yet; the later it gets, the higher the price will be.

Soon, Pite came back, "Boss, an out‑of‑the‑money put is now up to $15. Should we act now?"

"No need, we'll discuss later."

Although it quadrupled, the price still fell short of Chen Mo's expectation.

At that moment, a knock sounded on the heavy wooden door of the trading room.

"Dong— dong—"

Chen Mo shifted his gaze from the Bloomberg terminal and signaled Ahua to open the door.

Who could be coming to see him at this hour?

After Ahua opened the door, three people walked in.

Chen Mo recognized two of them: one was Yuehan Feishi, the other his assistant.

But both were now trailing behind the other person.

Obviously, the leader's status was above Yuehan's.

He was a man in his early fifties, gray hair meticulously combed, wearing a perfectly tailored dark‑blue suit, eyes sharp as a hawk's, exuding an aura of long‑standing authority.

"Hello, Mr. Chen, I am the President of Merrill Lynch, Dan Ni Er·Ta Li."

Chen Mo was startled; how did the second‑in‑command of Merrill Lynch end up here?

Nevertheless, despite his doubts, Chen Mo kept a calm expression, rose, and formally shook his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Dan Ni Er·Ta Li, I am Chen Mo, pleased to meet you. May I ask what business brings you to my trading room?"

Dan Ni Er·Ta Li's face broke into a friendly smile and said, "First, I want to thank Mr. Chen for trusting Merrill Lynch and choosing us as your partner for this transaction."

"At the same time, your actions allowed us to spot some risks early, reducing many losses."

"Your professionalism and decisiveness are truly impressive."

It turns out that since the meeting after Chen Mo's previous operation, Merrill Lynch has also built a short position and privately warned many of its long‑client accounts.

Consequently, in the past two days, Merrill Lynch's margin‑call long clients have been far fewer than those of other brokerages.

Moreover, their short position has yielded considerable profit, giving them ample room to take over positions.

Merrill Lynch, though also suffering huge losses, remains within an acceptable range for now.

Among Wall Street's major brokerages, Merrill Lynch is currently in the best shape.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and understood what Dan was implying.

"Mr. Dan Ni Er·Ta Li, you're too modest. I chose Merrill Lynch because of your reputation.

You spot risks because of your high vigilance and swift response; you don't need to thank me for that."

Chen Mo would never grin and take such huge credit.

Dan's politeness is just that—how could it be sincere!

"Mr. Chen, you're flattering us. If we truly had that level of vigilance, yesterday's market crash wouldn't have happened.

I never expected that across all of Wall Street, gathering the world's financial talent, not a single person has the sharp eye you possess, Mr. Chen."

"Hey! Mr. Dan Ni Er·Ta Li, don't say that! You're hurting me!"

Chen Mo was quite startled by Dan's words and waved his hands repeatedly.

If this got out, Chen Mo would never be able to survive in the financial market again.

Even for face, these Wall Street folks would desperately try to knock Chen Mo down to reclaim their footing.

"Mr. Dan Ni Er·Ta Li, what exactly is your purpose in seeing me today? Just be straight. If it's merely to thank me, then let's skip it."

Dan paused briefly, letting out a light sigh.

"Since that's the case, I'll be direct."

"Today the market didn't see a 'Tuesday rebound'; instead it's undergoing a second plunge, and buy orders in the spot market are so scarce they can be counted."

"If this continues, in a few hours the global financial system's credit chain will freeze entirely."

"Should the market fail to regain minimal liquidity today, by week's end we'll witness a worldwide bank and financial‑institution run and cascade of bankruptcies."

"The Great Depression of '29 could very well repeat."

"Just now, our chairman Weilian Shilai'er received a notice from the Federal Reserve to attend a rescue‑market meeting."

"I think other major brokerages and investment banks' senior executives will also attend."

"However, formulating a rescue policy takes time, and raising capital takes even longer."

"Mr. Chen, the 2 billion dollars in your account may be the largest and most certain cash on the market right now."

"I— or rather, we—" Dan said haltingly, "hope you can suspend the liquidation of that cash and use it for market‑saving operations."

By the end of his words, Daniel's tone carried a hint of pleading, and also a touch of... humility.

Behind him, Yuehan Feishi and his assistant had already held their breath.

【63> They also only now learned the purpose of Daniel having them bring him here.

They also only now know the purpose of Dan nie er having them bring him over.

Chen Mo did not give an immediate reply, but instead slowly paced to the window and lit a cigarette for himself.

The atmosphere on site became extremely solemn.

Whether it was Yuehan Feishi and his assistant standing behind Daniel, or Chen Mo's two traders, at this moment they all became very quiet, even their breathing was very light.

Jimi understood Daniel's meaning, and at this moment his brows were also tightly furrowed.

Ahua and Gangsheng QiuDi three people, although they didn't know what had just been said, were also infected by the atmosphere; sitting in their seats, they dared not utter a word.

After finishing the cigarette, Chen Mo still had not spoken.

"Mr. Chen, have you made a decision?" Daniel continued to ask.

However, his tone had now changed, becoming much firmer.

If Chen Mo refuses him, he will start to threaten.

As the broker chosen by Chen Mo, a senior executive of Merrill Lynch, he has this capability.

Although he does not want to do this.

But, in order to save the market, he must do what he is unwilling to do.

Chen Mo flicked the cigarette butt out the window, turned around, his eyes full of conflict and contradiction, then he let out a heavy sigh.

"I can agree, but I have a few conditions; I hope you can accept them."