Chapter 3694: Let's See How Many Catties He Has

Rachel, having assessed the situation, immediately declared to Ye Chen: "Mr. Chen, rest assured, no matter how you arrange things, I will give it my all without the slightest hesitation!"

Ye Chen nodded and smiled: "Working with me will not only benefit your entire family, but after the Qing Breakers are overthrown, it will also grant you true freedom."

Rachel's expression tightened as she realized Ye Chen's true purpose was to oppose the entire Qing Breakers.

Had Ye Chen said this a few minutes earlier, she likely would not have believed it, thinking him a madman spouting dreams.

But at this moment, seeing Ye Chen's confident and composed expression, she immediately felt he might actually be able to accomplish this.

Thus, she respectfully said: "Mr. Chen, the Bookish Family has been enslaved and driven by the Qing Breakers for a hundred years; each generation's greatest dream has been to secure freedom for ourselves and our descendants. If you can truly grant us freedom, we will forever be grateful for your kindness."

Ye Chen nodded and said calmly: "Since you trust me, let's discuss something practical. You came out to eat with the Rothschild family's second-in-command today—you must have already reported this to your family, right?"

Rachel nodded: "Exactly, Mr. Chen. I called my family before leaving to report this."

Ye Chen pressed: "Then what was their reaction?"

Rachel replied truthfully: "Everyone at home was very pleased. They felt this was a major step forward for the family, and Mother even wanted to inform the Zuo Military Governor's Office."

"Oh?" Ye Chen smiled and asked: "So that means your mother has contact with the Zuo Military Governor's Office, correct?"

"Yes." Rachel nodded: "We have a liaison for reporting; if there is a major urgent event, we can contact them through a special channel."

Ye Chen smiled: "That's excellent. Today is a major step forward for you. Your mother will surely want to report this to the Zuo Military Governor's Office as soon as possible. I imagine they already know you came to meet Steve, and they will certainly pay close attention to the details of this meeting—perhaps even demanding you report them tonight."

Rachel nodded: "That should be the case. They have always been very concerned about my progress with Robert, even requiring me to write a daily love diary to submit to them so they know our specific developments, and they often give advice and demands."

Ye Chen gave a mysterious smile and said in an unfathomable tone: "Then when you return today, you can tell them a bit of the so-called 'inside gossip' you heard at the dinner table."

Rachel urgently asked Ye Chen: "Mr. Chen, what exactly is this inside gossip?"

Ye Chen laughed and said: "Just say that while Steve was chatting with Robert, he casually mentioned that the Rothschild family is preparing to have the U. S. president continue strengthening the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, hoping to escalate tensions there to further drive up oil prices. As for their purpose, it is mainly to push oil prices to a new high, then unload their holdings. Once this wave passes, they will push for bilateral talks on the Strait of Hormuz; when policies loosen, oil prices will plummet, and the Rothschild family will prepare to halt shipments during the price drop, stockpiling heavily to await the next peak."

As he spoke, Ye Chen added: "This will create a sense of urgency—imminent peak—so if they hold oil, they will surely try every means to seize this opportunity and sell quickly. At that point, they will inevitably send another envoy to meet with you."

Originally, Ye Chen had thought of having the Rothschild family manipulate oil prices directly—first raise them, then attract the Zuo Military Governor's Office to act.

But upon reflection, raising prices requires a process and may not be forceful enough.

Anyway, my goal is to lure the snake out of its hole; I don't necessarily need to actually throw out bait. Fabricating bait is faster than preparing real bait.

Moreover, all businesspeople are obsessed with insider trading—from small retail stock investors to CEOs of listed conglomerates, private fund managers, even giant conglomerates—they all relish insider trading. Receiving an accurate signal in advance could generate hundreds of millions or even billions in profit. If Rachel hears this from the Rothschild heir's mouth, the Zuo Military Governor's Office will find it highly credible.

Moreover, this narrative will create a sense of urgency—market shifts could come at any moment and vanish quickly. If they hesitate even half a beat, they will miss the chance and be forced to sell at a loss.

Crude oil is unlike other goods—it cannot be stockpiled heavily, especially since they are already falsifying production figures, making stockpiling even harder. Thus, they will surely seize this chance to ship out quickly—the faster, the better. It's possible that if we send the message tonight, they will act before dawn tomorrow.

Rachel nodded without hesitation: "Alright, Mr. Chen, rest assured, when I return today I will report to the Zuo Military Governor's Office exactly as you said."

Lin Wanyer asked Ye Chen from beside him: "Brother, if the Zuo Military Governor's Office later discovers this is false information, what should we do? Will they suspect us?"

Ye Chen glanced at Rachel opposite him. Though her expression showed some tension, it was clear she was restraining herself—she must also be worried about the Zuo Military Governor's Office settling accounts later. Even if I could use excuses like the Rothschild family suddenly changing their story, the fact is set: my information is false, so the Zuo Military Governor's Office will certainly hold a grudge against me.

But she also has her own thoughts: she feels she has just promised Ye Chen to obey him completely, and if she now shows worry or concern, it will surely lower Ye Chen's opinion of her.

Ye Chen, reminded by Lin Wanyer, is also considering this issue.

His main motive is to use this false information to lure the Zuo Military Governor's Office into revealing themselves—if the plan proceeds as intended, this goal will definitely be achieved. But Lin Wanyer's words made him realize that if he could give this matter a better conclusion, it should yield a stronger long-term effect.

That is to say, not only must we lure the snake out of its hole, but we must also make the snake actually eat the bait.

In that case, before the Zuo Military Governor's Office, Rachel's influence would be greater, her credibility stronger, and for the future, it would bring only benefits and no harm.

Thinking this, Ye Chen smiled: "Coincidentally, the Rothschild heir is right here—this time we will test just how many catties Steve really has, see if he can follow my instructions, secretly influence the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and thus drive up oil prices!"