Chapter 2: The Securitization Trap

"Mr. Lu, please rest assured, as long as you are within Crown, no one would dare to have any ulterior motives toward you."

Wei Er seemed to notice the subtle expression on Lu Chen's face, his tone carrying a gentleness and the distinct accent of a Daiying man.

"Then what is your valuation?"

Lu Chen gave Wei Er a deep, searching look.

This old fox, on his own turf, could of course say whatever he pleased.

In any case, Lu Chen wouldn't believe a single word; he really wanted to end this tug-of-war now and hurry back to his safe house.

Xianggang was truly terrifying!

"Of course, we will process this batch of diamonds through securitization, and the valuation we offer you is 2 million pounds."

Wei Er crushed his cigar into the crystal ashtray with a firm, steady motion, a gentle smile still on his face. This book is first published on Tiantiankan Novels, ⓣⓣⓚ. ⓣⓦ for a smooth, error-free, and orderly reading experience.

"Sir, are you joking?"

Although Lu Chen was a corporate slave in the 21st century, he never expected that his experience in haggling with "Client Daddies" would actually be put to use here!

He didn't understand what securitization meant, but he instinctively knew that this guy Wei Er was up to no good!

He couldn't use the method Wei Er provided, otherwise, Lu Chen would likely be swallowed whole, not even leaving his bones behind, without even realizing it.

"No, no, no, never mind the price for a moment; this thing called securitization, do you understand it?"

Wei Er stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet, and poured two glasses of whiskey.

He didn't wait for Lu Chen's answer, but continued speaking.

"Securitization simply means you are merely mortgaging these diamonds at Crown; you can just use the money given to you. It's just signing two extra words on the original documents."

Wei Er didn't pause, placed the glasses in front of Lu Chen, and sat back down on the sofa opposite.

A confident smile was on his face.

"As for the valuation, we can raise it to 5 million US dollars."

"Then Mr. Wei, can you explain to me how much 2 million pounds converts to in US dollars?"

A flash of realization crossed Lu Chen's eyes.

He hadn't quite understood before, but after hearing Wei Er's words, he did.

After a moment of silence, Lu Chen finally understood.

This was just a numbers game.

"Mr. Lu, it is nearly equivalent; for the conversion of pounds to dollars, we at Crown have to bear the costs. Even calculating at 2 million pounds, the actual dollars you receive will be less than 5 million."

Wei Er's expression turned serious, and he set down the glass he was holding.

He didn't continue talking about the securitization now, but spoke with extreme earnestness.

"You didn't think that you could complete the exchange just by calculating the exchange rate, did you?"

"Then what did you mean by raising the valuation?"

Lu Chen now understood how to play with Wei Er; if Wei Er hadn't revealed his objective earlier, Lu Chen would have been in a real bind.

After all, he was the one begging the bank to handle things, but now it was different!

Although he wasn't clear on the true value of this batch of Moissanite, higher was definitely better.

And Lu Chen believed that since Wei Er had quoted this price, there must be a higher valuation!

Lu Chen saw the greed of capital clearly.

"Yes, it has indeed been raised slightly, but not much. If you feel it is inappropriate, you can propose a new plan, and we at Crown will consider accepting your suggestion."

Wei Er took a sip of whiskey, took two more from the pine Cigar box, handed them to Lu Chen, and patiently toasted his own.

It seemed Lu Chen's questioning had no effect on him at all.

"A 10 million dollar transfer, plus 1 million in Xianggang cash. If you agree, we trade; if you don't, I presume the Sitong Yinhang next door would be quite interested."

Lu Chen took the Cigar, didn't light it, and spoke directly.

He really didn't want to keep chatting with Wei Er anymore.

Industry elites like this could spin you around with just any random piece of industry jargon.

Rather than falling into a trap, it was better to solve the problem simply and directly!

Wei Er didn't answer immediately, still struggling with the Cigar, and only spoke when Lu Chen started to get impatient.

"An 8 million dollar transfer, and you can take the 1 million in Xianggang cash at any time."

"Sitong's preliminary offer was much higher than what you've given. Thank you for Crown's help..."

Lu Chen didn't finish his sentence, his eyes fixed on Wei Er the whole time.

If he traded according to Wei Er's counter-offer, Wei Er might truly suspect his motives.

Or...

Become even more interested in him!

Lu Chen had no foundation in Xianggang yet; being targeted by a behemoth like Crown was definitely not a good thing!

He had to put on a performance now to make Wei Er believe he was the winning side.

Well, actually, 8 million US dollars was already enough for Lu Chen in the early stages.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Wei Er paused slightly, continuing to preheat the Cigar, though the hand holding the lighter wasn't as steady as before, trembling slightly.

Then he gave Lu Chen a deep look.

"8.5 million US dollars, the funds can be sent to any bank you designate, and at the same time, the 1 million in Xianggang cash has already been prepared for you by Manager Wang."

A flash of urgency crossed Wei Er's eyes, and his breathing was slightly more rapid than before.

But his tone remained steady and firm.

The movements of his hands didn't stop, but they were slower than before.

"Mr. Wei, you have shown me Crown's sincerity. A pleasure doing business with you."

Lu Chen smiled; he had not expected Wei Er to actually increase the price.

However, this also indicated that these Moissanite stones must have even greater value in Wei Er's hands.

But Lu Chen was also clear in his heart that these stones were merely a pile of useless decorations in his own hands.

Although he had handled his identification through the channels of Huangguan, who in Xianggang said one could only have one?

As long as he made a slight change, Lu Chen could completely obtain a second identification.

Thereby disappearing completely from the sight of Huangguan!

After all, when he had no money, even if Lu Chen wanted to use other channels, he simply could not.

Now that he had obtained the startup capital from Huangguan, this was, for him, the first step toward becoming a power behind the scenes.

Soon, a rhythmic knocking sound came from the wooden door; Wang Jingli was carrying a wooden chest and holding a document bag sealed with wax, a trace of unnaturalness seemingly on his face.

When he opened the wooden door, Lu Chen caught a glimpse of a bright red figure flashing past and disappearing around the corner, leaving behind only the crisp "tap-tap-tap" sound of high heels hitting the marble floor.

As the wooden door closed, a trace of imperceptible relief appeared on Wang Jingli's face; he let out a long breath and put on a professional smile.

He walked in front of Lu Chen, placed the briefcase on the coffee table, and handed the wax-sealed document bag to Lu Chen's side with both hands.

"Please check if there are any issues with the contract; if you don't understand anything, I can help call the lawyer next door to help you interpret it."

Wei Er revealed a sincere smile on his face and made a small joke.

"Which bank do you intend to put the funds into? We at Huangguan can completely handle it for you."

"No need, just give me the check."

Lu Chen smiled, examined the contract, and then signed the name on his identification: Lu Sanbao.

Hmm!

It was indeed Lu Sanbao!

What did the Moissanite he sold have to do with me, Lu Chen?

"You are very outstanding; I wonder which family could cultivate such an outstanding heir as you..."

Wei Er shook hands with Lu Chen with a beaming smile.

It was just that Wei Er's grip was a bit strong!

After counting the cash and obtaining the two document bags with wax seals, Lu Chen finally carried the briefcase and walked out of that Huangguan Bank, which was filled with industrial aesthetics.

He looked back at Huangguan Bank, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Just like the powerful Huangguan, didn't they also rise from humble beginnings, relying on bit-by-bit primitive accumulation to reach where they are now?

The sea breeze on Huanghou Dadao blew gently, which was extremely comfortable, making Lu Chen unable to help but stretch.

However, Lu Chen felt a trace of prying at this moment!

He suddenly turned his head and scanned his surroundings, as if by intuition!

The sweat on his back had long since soaked the shirt under his suit, been dried by his body heat, and soaked through again.

He tightened his grip on the case in his hand and merged into the crowd.

"Heh, Xianggang."