[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-817":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2295235,4489,"Chapter 817: Li Ye Can Definitely Afford It","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-817",817,"\u003Cp>The next morning, when Li Ye and the others arrived at Mitsubishi Company, the other side did not begin the meeting at the agreed time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was puzzled; the Japanese were known for their punctuality, so if something like this happened, it must truly be an emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muhan and his colleague Xiao Hu went to communicate with them; Li Ye and the others could only wait helplessly in the conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ding ling ling~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s phone rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at it, turned, and left the conference room, finding a quiet corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, did you find out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, how could I not get clear on what the top scholar asked? They really did exchange 2.8 million in foreign currency?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two point eight million U.S. dollars? Old Song, you’re doing some big business!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no no, Top Scholar, you misunderstood—it’s 2.8 million RMB, exchanged at 7.5 to 1, and they agreed that if they exchanged back, they’d only deduct five points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did the money arrive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was delivered in Jingcheng yesterday afternoon, and that same night they urgently demanded Chu Yunling buy Mitsubishi Heavy Industries futures immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye exclaimed, “So urgent? Have they already bought?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Song paused, then chuckled awkwardly, “Top Scholar, are you trying to stop them from buying, or...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye fell silent for a few seconds, then said coolly, “Old Song, don’t expect me to reveal anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh oh oh, Top Scholar, rest assured—this morning, Chu Yunling bought for them right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy Old Song was sharper than a monkey; since Li Ye didn’t stop him, that meant he approved, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chinese love to grab leverage over others so they can control them later—why not help the Top Scholar stir things up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, let’s hang up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye hung up, shook his head helplessly, utterly baffled by Gu Jianqi’s madness—why rush headfirst into the fire?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Sun Wukong was tricked into the alchemical furnace by Laozi himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Li Ye, coming from the future, had underestimated how desperate and greedy these people were in the 1980s when faced with money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the early 1990s, that rich man from Xiamen, Lai Daheng, when founding Yuanhua, used nothing more than one or two years’ salary as a gift to befriend influential people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one or two years’ salary!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were decades later, would you think one year’s salary could buy you a connection with me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who are you mocking? Even the head of a production team wouldn’t dare stoop so low!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in 1987, gift-giving was rampant—a bag of tobacco and alcohol could get things done, and tens of thousands of U.S. dollars could stun anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the lure of money in this era was vastly stronger than decades later—even talents like Liu Muhan were already thinking about bringing back a few high-value items from Tokyo to make some quick cash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If two point eight million could rise by ten percent, it would send anyone’s head spinning; if it doubled or tripled, even heaven’s king couldn’t stop them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, Liu Muhan and Director Inoue arrived at the conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Inoue entered and bowed deeply at seventy-five degrees, then sincerely apologized: “I’m truly sorry—something urgent came up, so we must postpone our meeting until next week.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To make up for it, we’ve arranged a one-day Tokyo tour for everyone—where would you like to visit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone exchanged glances, stunned they’d been stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then they quickly began suggesting places: Mount Fuji, Tokyo Tower, even the Japanese Imperial Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Inoue smiled and said, “No problem—we can arrange several cars to take everyone to their preferred spots. We’ll satisfy all your requests.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their moods lifted instantly; in this era, traveling meant taking plenty of photos to bring home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Secretary Guo suddenly said, “Let’s first visit Tokyo’s futures exchange—can we learn about Japan’s economic situation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inoue paused, then proudly smiled, “Of course—Tokyo’s futures exchange is a magical place, well worth seeing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we’re going too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes yes yes! What’s so special about a mountain? We’ve seen it on calendars—let’s see something new!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group, who moments ago had different preferences, suddenly agreed unanimously—leaving Secretary Guo and Gu Jianqi frowning, but powerless to object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They split into several cars and headed to the futures exchange, where they saw modern digital screens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are those numbers the stocks and futures?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do the red and green mean? Some don’t move for ages, others jump so fast!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Red means up, green means down—the numbers are percentages, showing how much higher or lower today is than yesterday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa, so that red 36 percent means it rose 36 percent today? My god, how do you even buy this? Can we buy it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft, do you have money? Do you have foreign exchange? Just look, that’s enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was mesmerized by the flashing red numbers, calculating how much they’d earn if they invested a hundred yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye, quietly watching the colorful numbers, knew this thing truly devoured people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muhan noticed Li Ye’s silence and assumed he was upset about the meeting’s cancellation, so she came over to comfort him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Mitsubishi people said a technical team suddenly arrived at their lamp tower factory with an urgent issue, so our meeting must be moved to Monday—nowadays, the Japanese dare not neglect the Americans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So they dare not neglect the Americans, but they neglect us, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, don’t be angry—you study economics, you should understand Japan followed the same path we did decades ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Angry? Why would I be angry?” Li Ye smiled. “You don’t need to comfort me—I know the Japanese better than you do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re just bragging! I’m not Xiao Yu—why are you trying to prove your manly dignity to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, you noticed that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course—don’t try to play tricks on me, you young pup.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Li Ye bragging?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, one of Li Ye’s classmates worked at a German company in Shanghai; the firm had business ties with Japan and often sent him on trips there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Japanese treated his classmate with courtesy—always providing meals, lodging, and small gifts; his classmate reciprocated with favors within his authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once, his classmate had personal business and sent another German colleague instead; when the colleague returned, they exchanged stories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many Japanese female colleagues did you sleep with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean—sleep with how many?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His classmate was confused; after a deep discussion, he learned that though he and the German colleague had the same rank and mission, their treatment was worlds apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Japanese female colleagues had clearly offered to help the German colleague relieve work stress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I fucking can’t believe this—do they think I’m not a cadre?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, his classmate deliberately sabotaged them within his authority, making them suffer until they were completely broken and submissive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the Japanese didn’t fear the Americans—they bowed to the West but looked down on the East.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You don’t feel right unless you’ve crushed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s rising! Look!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s sharp hearing caught Secretary Guo’s excited breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and saw Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ futures suddenly surging like they’d been injected with adrenaline—rising eight points in minutes, with no sign of stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jianqi, who had been calm and serious moments before, now flushed red with excitement, as if the flashing red numbers were tied directly to his heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muhan asked curiously, “Li Ye, have you noticed how interested Gu Lao is in stocks and futures? Has there been any rumor about pilot stock markets in our country?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled, “If you don’t know, how would I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Muhan gave him a sharp look. “You’re from economics—your teacher’s close to our economic departments—how could you not hear any rumors?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey hey hey, don’t speculate—this isn’t something to talk about lightly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft, you won’t tell me—I’ll ask Xiao Yu instead. Go ahead, try hiding it from her too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Li Ye and Liu Muhan chatted, Gu Jianqi and Secretary Guo were staring with bloodshot eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ futures kept climbing until it finally stopped at 38 percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye murmured, “They don’t understand hedging, do they? Only bought long, no short positions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye didn’t know how Secretary Guo and the others operated, nor whether Chu Yunling had professional traders—but he knew that today, they’d made a fortune and were already getting cocky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, everyone returned to the hotel; soon after, Secretary Guo knocked on Li Ye’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye thought he’d come to borrow the phone to call home—but saw Secretary Guo pulling out his own mobile phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gu Lao’s Japanese friend gave him a portable phone—Li Ye, can you test if it works?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minutes later, everyone in the delegation learned that Gu Lao’s Japanese friend had also gifted him a mobile phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People gathered around, testing the two phones—calling one from the other, then the other back, marveling at the ringing sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Listen up! It only rings—you can’t answer, or you’ll get charged.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah yes, we know—our colleague’s kid studying abroad calls home every weekend, lets it ring ten seconds then hangs up—just to say he’s safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, when will we be able to use mobile phones like the Japanese?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soon! I heard they started researching mobile communications in Jingcheng two years ago—Pengcheng will launch first this year, and Jingcheng won’t be far behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoa, so we'll be able to use this kind of phone too back then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dream on! You can't even afford a pager now—by then, a mobile phone will cost at least seven or eight thousand per unit. Can you afford it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seven or eight thousand? Who would they sell it to? Who can afford it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Jingen suddenly spoke softly: \"I don't know if others can afford it, but our Deputy Factory Director Li Ye certainly can—after all, he drives a Santana worth a hundred or two hundred thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to look at Li Ye, their expressions deeply complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Secretary Guo held his phone tightly, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>",1684,"2026-06-20T05:05:02.628Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0c3837fcf73e01a1d591b314d758b853f2ef23efb283fa5e27757cf944a2ff45","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-818","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-816",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]