After finishing the soup made with the thousand-year-old He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), Zhou Xuan felt that his superpowers had evolved to the extreme, and his state of mind had become much more peaceful, like that of an old monk, seemingly unable to get excited by anything.
Another week passed, and Zhou Xuan found that the golden glasses were still golden and had not changed back. This was strange. Could it be that after the transformation, they had become permanently golden?
If that's the case, then he would truly be the richest person in the world. No matter how good other millionaires are at making money, they can't compare to him, who can turn material goods into gold with a flick of his wrist, having as much as he wants and everything he desires. Who can rival him?
However, Zhou Xuan was still unsure how long the gold transformed by this superpower could last. If it wasn't permanent, then its value would be greatly diminished, just like having a lot of money, but later discovering that all of it was counterfeit.
The he shou wu in the backyard was gone. Zhou Xuan checked the other places again, but found nothing of value. Fu Tianlai and Fu Yuhai seemed to have been rejuvenated. Their hair and beards had turned completely black, and their skin had become smooth. On the surface, they both looked thirty or forty years younger. This made them both happy and worried. They dared not and did not want to leave the house, for fear of being recognized.
Actually, both Wang Sao and Zhou Cangsong looked younger, but since they weren't that old, it wasn't strange that people in their fifties looked like they were in their thirties. Besides, not many people knew Zhou Cangsong and his wife.
Zhou Xuan didn't care much. Fu Ying hadn't changed much; she was still just as beautiful as ever, only her skin was a bit more radiant. It was barely noticeable. Zhou Xuan's changes weren't significant, but he understood that his superpowers had evolved greatly, becoming purer and more refined.
A week later, Zhou Xuan wanted to go on a trip, but the financial crisis broke out in New York, Wall Street stock market crashed, and then triggered global panic.
This is all caused by US debt. Americans live on borrowed money, using future money first. The country owes tens of trillions of US dollars. With the stock market crashing, the Fu Group was not spared. On the first day, it fell by 7.5%, directly evaporating more than 2 billion dollars.
Fu Tianlai hid at home, but the phone kept ringing, causing him a great deal of trouble. The Fu family owned 39% of the shares in the Fu Group, making them the largest shareholder. However, the crisis triggered a sell-off, and the Fu Group had less than 1.5 billion in liquid cash on its books. At this time, major banks were struggling to survive, and getting a loan was extremely difficult.
Fu Tianlai was so anxious that he couldn't sit still any longer. He called Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying to his study for a private talk.
Seeing that Fu Tianlai's eyebrows were furrowed, Zhou Xuan immediately asked, "Grandpa, what's wrong? Just say it. We're family, and your difficulties aren't your problem alone!"
With Zhou Xuan's words, Fu Tianlai felt much more at ease. At least Zhou Xuan hadn't simply brushed him off. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Zhou Xuan, Yingying, your parents are tied up with their investments in Europe, and their situation isn't ideal. The financial turmoil triggered by US debt has caused global unrest, and our Fu family can't escape it either. Currently, a large amount of our Fu Group's stock is being sold off on the market. Just today, 2.1 billion yuan in cash evaporated. If the market closes down, it will be dangerous. If we want to use cash to buy back the stock, we'll need to acquire at least 30% of the shares to barely stop the decline. And that's just an optimistic estimate. If the situation is worse, the number will be even greater. But for just 30% of the shares, we'll need to come up with a massive amount of 15 billion US dollars, which is obviously impossible. We currently only have a little over 1.4 billion yuan in cash on hand. The situation is very critical!"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then said, "Grandpa, I have 12 billion RMB in cash on hand. You can take it and use it. I'll think of something else!"
Fu Tianlai shook his head, sighed, and said, "Your money is less than two billion US dollars. For ordinary matters, it's certainly enough, but right now, it's far from enough. It's a drop in the ocean and won't help. It might even trap you. What I want to say is, Zhou Xuan, could you temporarily assume the role of the company's chief executive officer and see if you can find a solution to the crisis?"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "That won't do, Grandpa. It's not that I don't want to share the burden of the family, but I simply don't have the ability. I can't control the company's operation and direction at all. I really can't do this!"
Fu Ying was also extremely worried. Although she was unwilling, she knew that the Fu Group represented the interests of her family. If the company disappeared, how could her grandparents and great-grandparents live well? How could she live well? Although she didn't want to think about these things, the peace and tranquility of her family was based on the Fu family's wealth.
"Zhou Xuan, why don't you try working for a few days and see if you can get the company out of trouble!" Fu Ying said this because Zhou Xuan's abilities might play a crucial role at this time.
However, Zhou Xuan still shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to help his family out of their predicament; it was that he genuinely didn't understand. Moreover, if you suddenly enter a large company and know nothing about it, how can you manage it? Managing an international company relies on experience and ability, neither of which he possesses. The only thing he has is a special ability. Managing a company isn't about fighting people. If it were a fight, he could contribute as a bodyguard and have that kind of confidence. But as a senior manager of a large company, he doesn't have that ability!
However, his money was not enough to save the Fu Group from its crisis. In China, or even anywhere in the world, he had enough money to support his family's luxurious lifestyle for a lifetime, but it was far from enough to save the Fu Group. The Fu Group was one of the world's top ten richest people, and his money was still insufficient!
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xuan suddenly asked, "Grandpa, I can't work for a company, but I have an idea. I don't know if it will work?"
Fu Tianlai asked in surprise, "What idea? Tell me, any idea that can save the company is a good idea!"
Zhou Xuan nodded and then replied, "I don't have that much cash, but I can offer an unlimited amount of gold. Could the gold help resolve the company's predicament?"
Fu Tianlai was taken aback, then immediately said, "Gold? With the current crisis triggered by US debt, everything is falling except for gold reserves, which are soaring. It's a hard currency. There's a saying: 'In times of peace and prosperity, people collect antiques; in times of famine and chaos, they buy gold.' The best way to deal with inflation is to buy gold. If you have a large amount of gold, exceeding the value I need, it can naturally resolve our crisis. Moreover, it can buy back the shares that have been dumped at low prices, which is the biggest benefit. Of course, buying back company shares to stop the decline will cost at least 15 billion US dollars. If the decline is severe, an even larger amount will be needed. If you have gold reserves, you'll need more than 2,000 tons. 2,000 tons of gold is worth about 20 billion US dollars. 2,000 tons! Where can we find such a large quantity of gold?"
Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment, and seeing the worried looks on Fu Tianlai and Fu Ying's faces, he immediately said, "Grandpa, Yingying, don't worry. Grandpa, let me ask you again, if we buy back all of Fu's shares at this time, how much money would it cost?"
Fu Tianlai was taken aback. The Fu family only held 39 percent of the total shares, leaving about 61 percent. These shares were worth about 50 billion. Even though the stock price had dropped by 7.5 percent, the value was still about 47 billion. How could they possibly raise so much cash?
After thinking for a moment, Fu Tianlai replied with concern, "The stock price has fallen, but it's still between 450 and 470 billion. I've contacted several banks with which we have a good relationship and have cooperated for a long time, but they all refused. At this time, the banks are also struggling to survive. Other partner companies and friends are in the same situation. At this stage, no company can escape unscathed!"
Zhou Xuan was relieved and immediately smiled and said, "Grandpa, if I give you 10,000 tons of gold, can that solve the problem?"
"Ten thousand tons?" Fu Tianlai was startled and immediately said, "Ten thousand tons of gold is worth at least one hundred billion US dollars. Five thousand tons would be enough to solve the crisis of our Fu family. Ten thousand tons would be enough to stir up trouble and make a fortune. But where are you going to get ten thousand tons of gold? Even if it's just rocks, it would take a hundred large trucks to load it!"
Because gold is much heavier than stone, for the same volume, it would weigh much more. So, in reality, a truck that can carry 60 tons could carry 300 to 400 tons of gold, but it probably wouldn't be able to move it; it could only carry that much in quantity.
Zhou Xuan smiled, looked at the furniture in the room, pointed, and immediately transformed the furniture into gold. In an instant, the whole room became golden.
Fu Tianlai was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly ran to the side to carefully examine the furniture that had turned into gold. After looking at it for a while, he could confirm that it was indeed gold.
Fu Tianlai knew that Zhou Xuan had special abilities, but he never knew that he could turn matter into gold. Fu Ying knew, but she also knew that Zhou Xuan's ability could only convert objects into gold and keep them in gold form for 24 hours. After 24 hours, they would revert to their original form. If that were the case, then if they used such gold to exchange for shares, there would be big problems after it reverted to its original form!
If it were sold as fake gold, it would be impossible to secretly trade such a large quantity of gold. If something goes wrong, the consequences might be even greater than the crisis the Fu family is currently facing!
Fu Ying shook her head, but Zhou Xuan said firmly, "Grandpa, I can actually get as much gold as I want, as long as we keep this secret and don't let outsiders know!"
After saying that, he turned to Fu Ying and said, "Yingying, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I could only maintain the gold I converted from matter for 24 hours before. But recently, after I ate the He Shou Wu soup in the yard, my abilities have evolved. Now, I can be pretty sure that the gold I convert is permanent and will not revert back!"
Fu Tianlai was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time before he recovered. Fortunately, this person was his grandson-in-law. He knew that Zhou Xuan had some special abilities, but he didn't know that he had this ability before.
Fu Ying was pleasantly surprised and said with great joy, "Really? That's wonderful!"
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "I only just figured it out myself. I didn't really understand it until now. But now I'm sure. More than a year ago, when I first gained this ability, I wondered why it could transform matter into gold, but not permanently. I thought it was a flaw, that nothing is perfect. But now I finally understand. It's because my ability hasn't reached its purest state. These past two days, I've really felt that my ability is as pure as the most transparent jade!"
Fu Tianlai knew that Zhou Xuan possessed special abilities, but it was all just a secret between them, and they had never mentioned it before. This was the first time Zhou Xuan had seriously and clearly talked about his superpowers in front of Fu Tianlai. It could be said that he truly regarded Fu Tianlai as his closest family member, and there was no longer any sense of distance between them.
Fu Tianlai was overjoyed and took a long time to calm down before asking, "Zhou Xuan, then tell me, how should we proceed with this?"
Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "I don't understand how to do it either. Grandpa, you should first find a warehouse and haul in something that will be the size of 10,000 tons of gold. Anything will do, but it would be best if it were gold bars or wooden pieces that look like gold bricks, because wooden pieces are lightweight and easy to move. After you put them in the warehouse, I will convert them into gold. But you must do all this secretly and not let anyone know."
Fu Tianlai immediately nodded and said, "That's no problem. When I make those wooden molds again, I'll find laborers from other places. After they're made into gold, I'll hire a security company and then directly transfer them to the bank. This process will be absolutely secretive. Hehe, that's great!"
Fu Tianlai chuckled a few times, then said, "These actions will take a few more days. Let's let Fu's stock price drop even further. When it falls to a low price, we'll go all out to acquire more shares. This way, we can acquire Fu's shares with much less cash. If we can get all the shares back into our hands, it will truly be a miracle. In today's capital market, such a miracle has never happened before!"
Zhou Xuan didn't care how the capital market operated; as long as Fu Tianlai said there were no problems, that was all that mattered. Solving the Fu family's difficulties was the real issue.
Fu Tianlai was overjoyed. By taking full control of the Fu Group's shares in the hands of his family, it would become a sole proprietorship of the Fu family, belonging exclusively to them. This would deviate from the principle of listed shares, something that had never happened before in history.
Zhou Xuan continued, "Grandpa, you know this place well. You can handle the warehouse and mold matters. I'll come over after you've finished. I'm going out for a walk now. I'll check with the Chinese pharmacies to see if they have any precious medicines like ginseng and lingzhi. If they do, I'll buy them and see if I can grow them in the yard. I don't care how much money we make. Can we ever spend all our money? No, we can't. So, we should focus on improving our family's health so that Grandpa, Grandma, and Mom and Dad can all live longer!"
Fu Tianlai nodded with a smile. He understood what Zhou Xuan meant and felt a warmth in his heart. This was true family. They didn't think about money, but about the health and longevity of their family members!
Fu Ying stayed home with her grandparents and took care of the child. Zhou Xuan went out alone. Fu Tianlai thought about it and decided to go to the hair salon with his bodyguard to dye his hair white, trying to restore it to its original appearance before going to the company to prepare for everything.
During this period, Fu Tianlai hired a capital operation team at a high price and brought in professional managers to do it, while he was responsible for providing backup resources.