Chapter Thirty-Three: Who Shall Ascend the Grand Stage of History

Every era has its defining figures. Whether heroes or titans, there are always those who ascend to the stage of history, yet for every arrival, there must be a departure. Those who occupy the spotlight are one in a million, and in this high-stakes gamble known as history, no one is ever willing to exit the game.

Consequently, every historical transformation is accompanied by bloodshed and struggle. The era inevitably sifts through the masses to select those who truly align with its currents, while those who have become obsolete are discarded by time. No matter how brilliant their past achievements or how grand their strategies, this is the cruelty and terror of history. The landscape is so enchanting that it lures countless heroes to bow before it; how many have seen their ambitions shattered and their legacies sink into the sands, all for the sake of winning a moment of eternal renown?

In this once-in-a-century upheaval, countless young people, fueled by ideals and dreams, yearn to carve out their own legacies. Possessing intelligence, courage, decisiveness, and novel perspectives, they are determined to test their strength against the world and plunge into the turbulent winds and clouds of this supposedly peaceful age.

They have resolved to challenge the "heroes" of the previous century and reshape the existing order. The current masters of the financial world are the legendary titans of the last century—veteran elite investors who witnessed the Hong Kong financial collapse of the seventies and eighties and weathered the 2008 financial crisis. Li Fengyu, Li Sen, Lin Chu, and Gu Yumin are the outstanding representatives of the younger generation. To ensure their names are etched into history, they have wagered their wealth, their futures, their dignity, their fates, and even their lives, determined to go head-to-head with those who hold the world in their grasp.

And our story is only just beginning. With the loosening of restrictions from Lin Chu’s father, Li Fengyu and his companions returned to Xingtai after a three-day stay in Beijing. Li Fengyu and Lin Chu immediately began investigating the feasibility and difficulty of trading silver futures. In the offices of the Xinmin Group, Li Fengyu opened his software to review the market data. The more he analyzed it, the deeper his frown became; silver was clearly heavily manipulated by foreign capital and had not seen a significant surge in a long time. It held no potential for a profitable play unless some international event occurred to trigger a massive influx of capital—otherwise, their efforts would be in vain.

Lin Chu sighed helplessly, "We have no choice but to make it work; we are riding a tiger and cannot get off." Just then, Li Sen returned. He had been dispatched by Li Fengyu to conduct market research. Li Sen shook his head and said, "The situation is not optimistic."

Just as the trio found themselves at a dead end, Lin Chu’s father was already setting his next plan into motion. At the Beijing headquarters, he was leisurely sipping coffee when an uninvited guest knocked on his door. "Lin Dongjiang," the visitor said, "it’s me." Lin Dongjiang quickly grew alert, clearing the items on his desk and stowing them in a cabinet before calmly opening the door. Standing there was a tall man of about sixty with piercing eyes, dressed in a black suit. "Brother Dongjiang," the man said, "how is your plan progressing?"

Lin Dongjiang offered a faint smile. "The plan is proceeding quite smoothly, Brother Yushan."

As it turned out, Lin Dongjiang was playing a much larger game. The man who had entered was Zhou Yushan, a close friend of Lin’s and the president of a renowned futures group. In the reality of the financial world, as Li Fengyu had noted, it was not a solid monolith but a place of deceit and hidden agendas—after all, expecting unity and loyalty from businessmen was entirely unnecessary.

Lin Dongjiang and Zhou Yushan had long held a grudge against a certain colleague—the very same person Li Fengyu was being set up to target. Lin Dongjiang’s ploy of "killing with a borrowed knife" was perfectly executed: it served to test Li Fengyu while simultaneously allowing him to suppress a rival. Zhou Yushan, acting as his ally, stood ready to provide the financial backing when the critical moment arrived.