Chapter 131 - The Futures Brokerage Firm
On the morning of June 3rd, Lin Haoran, accompanied by Su Zhixue, Li Weiguo, and Li Weidong, arrived at Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport. He had already arranged for his subordinates to book the tickets the previous day, all first class, of course. Given his current wealth, there was no need to skimp. In the future, he even planned to acquire a private jet for himself. However, there was no rush for that yet, especially since he still spent most of his time developing business in Hong Kong. Later, once his businesses expanded internationally, with operations across the globe, a private jet would certainly become necessary.
Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, having previously traveled with Lin Haoran to the beaches and several Middle Eastern countries, were no strangers to air travel and remained composed. Following Lin Haoran had broadened their horizons significantly; they were no longer the two clueless young men who had once illegally immigrated to Hong Kong. Sitting comfortably in the spacious first-class cabin, Lin Haoran picked up one of the magazines provided for passengers and began to browse through it. At 9:38 AM, the plane slowly taxied down the runway and soon soared into the sky.
Perhaps due to the global economic downturn caused by the oil crisis, the flight was only about two-thirds full. This also explained why Lin Haoran could still buy tickets just a day in advance. After a refueling stop along the way and a grueling 23-hour journey, they finally landed safely at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Since it was summer, New York was using daylight saving time, making the time difference 12 hours behind Hong Kong. Therefore, despite traveling for nearly a whole day, it was still June 3rd when they arrived — around 8 PM local time.
At the airport taxi stand, Lin Haoran and his party got into a cab. "Wall Street," Lin Haoran told the driver. "Alright gentlemen, sit tight, here we go!" said the driver, a humorous man who kept up a lively commentary about New York's scenery along the way. After nearly an hour, the taxi finally stopped amidst towering skyscrapers — they had reached the famous Wall Street.
"Keep the change, it's your tip," Lin Haoran said, handing the driver a dollar bill with a smile. Nearby, Lin Haoran immediately noticed the famous Charging Bull sculpture. "Gentlemen, for your own safety, find a hotel quickly. New York nights aren't very safe!" the driver reminded them kindly before leaving.
"Thank you for the warning. Goodbye!" Lin Haoran waved back with a smile. He had no intention of lingering on the streets anyway. Despite the city's glittering facade, he knew New York was infamous for its chaos during this era — something he had heard about even back in Hong Kong. Seeing occasional police patrols and racing sirens did little to inspire confidence.
Still, Hong Kong wasn't much better, filled with triad gangs. The difference was that gangsters in Hong Kong didn't dare provoke tycoons. As a wealthy figure, Lin Haoran was unlikely to be targeted by street thugs. Around Wall Street, there were plenty of hotels. After the taxi departed, Lin Haoran led Su Zhixue and the others to a nearby Hilton Hotel and quickly completed the check-in procedures.
"Everyone, get some good rest," Lin Haoran said with a smile before closing his room door. For Su Zhixue, Li Weiguo, and Li Weidong, it was their first time in the United States, and they were brimming with excitement. The towering skyscrapers here were even more impressive and densely packed than those in Central Hong Kong. It truly opened their eyes.
As for Lin Haoran, he had vague memories of New York from a previous life — specifically from a university break when he had traveled from London to New York during his second year at London Business School. Their hotel was in a building over thirty stories high, and their rooms were on the twenty-fifth floor. After locking the door and placing down his luggage, Lin Haoran stretched lazily and stepped out onto the balcony.
From the balcony, he had a perfect view overlooking Wall Street and the surrounding skyscrapers. The real "Wall Street" was a short, narrow street flanked by towering buildings, hosting numerous famous investment banks and financial institutions. Through the dim evening light, Lin Haoran even spotted a street fight below — people wielding baseball bats and chairs as weapons. He couldn't help but stand on the balcony and watch for a while.
Someone was beaten badly, blood covering their face, collapsed on the ground. Soon, a police car arrived, and the crowd scattered, leaving behind the injured man, who was unable to move. With no more drama to watch, Lin Haoran closed the window, cutting off the outside noise thanks to the excellent soundproofing. After a quick shower, he collapsed onto the luxurious Simmons mattress and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, around 7 AM, Lin Haoran was awakened by a knock at the door. As a luxury hotel, the service was excellent. When checking in, Lin Haoran had requested breakfast and several major newspapers to be delivered at 7:30 AM — a subtle wake-up call. Peering through the peephole, he confirmed it was a female staff member, then opened the door.
"Sir, here's your breakfast and newspapers," she said with a smile, pushing a cart into the room. "Please place it on the table. Thank you," Lin Haoran nodded. After she left, he washed up and pulled open the curtains. Bright sunlight flooded the room. Even though it was only just past 7 AM, from the twenty-fifth floor, the sunlight streamed straight in.
Having already adjusted his watch to New York time, Lin Haoran sat down to enjoy breakfast while browsing the newspapers. The Wall Street Journal covered international oil prices and futures markets, but Lin Haoran was no longer interested in oil — he had sold his stock. What concerned him now was gold.
The paper reported that the international gold price had risen to 252.5 dollars per ounce, up 1.2 dollars from the previous quote. Not a huge jump, but a good sign. Time flew quickly, and by 8:30 AM, Lin Haoran could see from the balcony that a stream of well-dressed Wall Street professionals had begun pouring into the district. It was June 4th, a Monday, and the New York Mercantile Exchange would open at 9 AM sharp.
After breakfast, Lin Haoran and his party walked around Wall Street. Although the morning sunlight was strong, the towering buildings shaded much of the street, giving it a dim, almost oppressive feel. Still, the atmosphere was lively. Crowds bustled back and forth — tourists mixed with a sea of office workers. Lin Haoran soon arrived at the famous New York Stock Exchange, but his destination wasn't there. His goal was the New York Mercantile Exchange next door, the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange.
Inside the exchange, the scene was hectic — people shouting into phones, rushing orders, the huge LED screens flashing real-time prices for futures contracts. Everything from gold, silver, cocoa, sugar, soybeans, to wheat was traded here. Standing inside, Lin Haoran could immediately feel the vast gap between Hong Kong and New York's financial industry.
He wasn't in a hurry to start trading; he mainly wanted to get a sense of the environment. "Boss, if you want to buy gold futures, we should find a large futures brokerage firm. The brokerage firm will interface with exchange operators, who will then place our futures orders through the traders. It's hard for us to operate directly," Su Zhixue advised.
Although Su Zhixue had never been to New York before, he was a financial professional and understood how futures trading worked. Lin Haoran nodded. He had no intention of handling operations personally — after all, he was managing over 100 million dollars. Such a massive sum couldn't be casually entrusted to inexperience.
"Which futures brokerage firm would you recommend?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase — they're all top U.S. financial giants. In terms of securities, futures, bonds, forex, all of them are excellent. Any of these would do," Su Zhixue replied after thinking carefully.
Hearing this, Lin Haoran immediately made his decision. His 140 million dollars were already deposited under Citibank, and Citibank was one of America's financial titans, with futures trading as one of its core businesses. "Let's go to Citibank headquarters," Lin Haoran said decisively.
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