deltrittennovels Chapter 341 Nasdaq Ringing the Bell
Chapter 341 Nasdaq Ringing the Bell
July 3, 1999, 6:00 AM.
New York, Manhattan.
Ling Yun stood by the hotel room window, looking at the city outside. It wasn't fully light yet, but cars were already running and people were walking on the streets. In the distance, the Nasdaq building's electronic screens were scrolling through various numbers, red and green.
He was wearing a dark blue suit, a white shirt, and no tie. The suit was custom-made and fit him perfectly, but something just didn't feel right to him.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in."
Fiona pushed open the door and came in. She was wearing a red suit, her hair was neatly styled, her face was covered in exquisite makeup, and she was carrying a folder in her hand.
"Mr. Ling, the car is ready."
Ling Yun nodded.
Fiona looked at him, paused, and asked, "Nervous?"
Ling Yun shook his head. "It's not nervousness, it's excitement. This is an opportunity for my net worth to skyrocket, I just don't know how much it will increase."
Fiona smiled. "I was nervous. I didn't sleep well last night."
Ling Yun nodded. "It's normal. Today you're going to become a millionaire, and possibly even a multi-millionaire. Excitement or nervousness are normal reactions."
Fiona exclaimed with emotion, "She's a multi-millionaire! I have to thank you, my dear boss. If it weren't for the opportunity to follow you, I would never have had the chance to become a multi-millionaire!"
Ling Yun picked up the cufflinks on the table; they were platinum, with "L&Y 1998.5.20" engraved on the inside. He slowly buttoned them, feeling the cool metal. "Let's go."
8:00 AM, Nasdaq Building.
The entrance was already crowded with people—reporters, photographers, and onlookers. Flashbulbs were going off incessantly, clicking like raindrops.
When Ling Yun got out of the car, the crowd stirred.
"President Ling! Look this way!"
"Mr. Ling, Xingchen Technology went public today. What are your thoughts?"
"Mr. Ling, what is Xingchen's target price?"
Ling Yun didn't say anything, but just smiled and waved to everyone before quickly walking through the crowd and into the building.
As the elevator ascended, he watched the floor indicator light tick by tick. Fiona stood beside him, taking a deep breath.
"Ten minutes left," she said.
Ling Yun nodded.
The elevator doors opened, revealing the Nasdaq trading floor. Huge electronic screens displayed fluctuating numbers. Traders in vests were busy at work, and phones rang incessantly.
A group of people were already waiting there.
Anderson stood at the front, dressed in a dark blue suit and red tie, his eyes crinkling with a smile. Beside him was Winston, also impeccably dressed in a suit, a professional smile on his face. Representatives from HP, Dell, Dr. Leila from Abu Dhabi, and the vice president from the French National Investment Bank were all present.
When they saw Ling Yun come in, they surrounded him.
"Mr. Ling!" Anderson shook his hand. "Congratulations, Mr. Ling! Today is a good day."
Ling Yun nodded, "Congratulations, congratulations! The stars don't just belong to me; today is a good day for everyone."
Winston also came up to shake hands, "With a valuation of 600 billion, the stock is sure to surge at the opening. After the opening, we've also prepared some good news by releasing the interim report forecast."
Ling Yun nodded without saying anything.
Dr. Lyra approached, dressed in a black suit and wearing a pearl necklace. She extended her hand and shook Lingyun's hand.
"Mr. Ling," she said, "congratulations."
"Thanks."
The French vice president also came over and said a few words of congratulations.
Ling Yun dealt with them one by one.
At 9:15, a staff member came over.
"Mr. Ling, you can get ready."
Ling Yun followed him to the bell-ringing area. The bell was small, golden, and hung on a rack. Several staff members stood nearby, dressed in uniforms, with serious expressions.
Anderson and the others stood to the side, their eyes fixed on the clock.
Fiona stood behind Ling Yun, her palms sweaty.
9:30.
On the huge electronic screen, the numbers began to jump.
STAR opened at $35, up $5 from its IPO price of $30.
A cheer erupted in the trading hall.
Anderson blushed, waving his fist and shouting something. Winston laughed beside him, his eyes practically disappearing. The HP and Dell representatives high-fived each other like two kids who had just won a game. Dr. Lyra smiled and clapped her hands gently. The French vice president also clapped and nodded.
The staff gestured for Lingyun to ring the bell.
Ling Yun grasped the small hammer, raised it, and struck it down.
Clang—the sound of the bell echoed in the hall.
The numbers on the electronic screen started jumping again.
STAR, $37... $39... $42...
The traders were shouting something down below, and the phones were ringing incessantly.
Anderson ran over and hugged Lingyun tightly.
"President Ling!" he shouted, "It's gone up! It's gone up!"
Winston came over and patted Lingyun on the shoulder.
"600 billion," he said, "and it will soon become 1000 billion."
Ling Yun nodded.
Dr. Lyra walked over and extended her hand.
"Mr. Ling," she said, "congratulations."
Ling Yun squeezed her hand.
She looked at him earnestly. "Mr. Ling, what are your plans for the future? Do you intend to build a research and development center in Dubai or Doha?"
Ling Yun thought for a moment, "We can build a research and development center. I'll discuss it with them when we get back and then let you know."
The market closed at 4 PM.
STAR, closing price: $57.
It rose by 90%, with a market value of 114 billion. Although it is not as good as Microsoft, there are still very few Internet companies with a market value of over 100 billion.
Champagne was already being poured in the trading hall. Anderson, his face flushed, was clinking glasses with a representative from HP. Winston was on the phone nearby, laughing as he spoke. Dr. Lyra stood in a corner, holding a glass of wine, watching the group.
Lingyun stood by the window, looking at the city outside.
At dusk in New York, the golden sunlight shines on the skyscrapers, making them look as if they are plated with gold.
Fiona walked over and stood next to him. "$57, Mr. Ling, your net worth has increased by more than $20 billion today."
Ling Yun didn't speak. Fiona looked at him and said, "You've made money, what's there to be unhappy about?"
Ling Yun shook his head. "It's not that I'm unhappy, but these are all paper assets, and they're not accurate. Who knows, a gust of wind might blow them down and their value would be halved immediately."
Ling Yun looked at the joyful crowd. In another six months or so, he wondered how many of the people present would go up to the rooftop and jump off.
Lingyun needed to prepare. He needed to take advantage of the last frenzy of the internet bubble and cash out as soon as possible. He held too many US tech stocks and needed to start clearing them out now, gradually reducing his holdings to avoid causing major market fluctuations.
Thinking of this, Ling Yun picked up the phone and called Sophia to arrange for the reduction of holdings. Six months was enough time to quietly cash out and run away.