dognovel Chapter 878: Want to Adopt a Child
Chapter 878: Want to Adopt a Child
The core of Wall Street's corporate culture is the year-end bonus; however, the last month of the last quarter of 2007 was disastrous for the vast majority of Wall Street professionals.
It could even be described as a complete loss. Even if some companies did distribute year-end bonuses, they did so in the form of restricted stock instead of cash. What's more tragic is that the value of these stocks continues to decline.
But these people were lucky; for employees in the fixed income, institutional products, and mortgage lending departments, their year-end bonus turned into a termination notice.
Moreover, Western companies often lay off employees before Christmas, which is quite "humane".
However, all employees of Changhong Capital received a big gift before Christmas. Each person received a year-end bonus equivalent to five times their monthly salary, and each person also received a shopping voucher worth five thousand US dollars.
From the front desk reception to all departments, including the cleaning ladies.
After the news was announced, there were exclamations everywhere, along with endless cries of "I love you, boss!"
Employees of the investment department who participated in shorting subprime mortgages received even more.
Most of them received a seven-figure check, while some received eight-figure checks.
Meanwhile, their boss appeared on the streets of Shanghai, shopping with her employer.
"Why are you so far away from me? I asked you to walk with me, not to follow me." Huang Xiaochuan stopped and looked at Zhang Sui, who was a step away from him.
Zhang Sui then stepped forward and walked alongside her boss.
At some point, Western holidays were introduced to China, such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas. Especially Christmas, various businesses launched all kinds of Christmas discounts and decorations, making the famous commercial streets of Shanghai, such as Huaihai Road and Nanjing Road, full of Christmas atmosphere, and the sound of Christmas bells echoing through the streets.
At this time, China had not yet been affected by the subprime mortgage crisis, and Huaihai Road was bustling with people, presenting a lively and prosperous scene.
While strolling along the street with her boss, Zhang Sui reported to him on some major events that had occurred in the US financial market since the second half of the year.
"Bear Stearns shocked Wall Street after announcing huge losses on two of its funds, as they did not expect the crisis to spread to top financial institutions so quickly."
Moreover, after July, credit rating agencies such as Moody's and S&P began to downgrade the credit ratings of thousands of BS and CDOs on a large scale, and debts that were originally rated as AAA in the first half of the year were rated as "junk".
This triggered the domino effect you predicted, with pension funds and major insurance companies being the first to sell off these financial derivatives. (Pension funds and insurance companies have internal regulations that only allow them to hold securities of investment grade or higher, so when the rating was downgraded, they began selling these assets regardless of cost, leading to further deterioration of the market.)
Starting in October, major global banks and investment banks began announcing massive quarterly losses due to the devaluation of subprime-related assets. Giants like Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, and UBS reported losses in the billions or even tens of billions of dollars, leading these financial institutions to spend the entire month of November laying off their highly paid CEOs.
Hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan chuckled: "Ha! This isn't a crisis that can be solved by just finding a few scapegoats."
Zhang Sui nodded in agreement. "I recently received reliable information that the U.S. Treasury Department is drafting a plan aimed at increasing market capital liquidity."
After listening, Huang Xiaochuan shook his head and asserted, "It's too late. At this point, trying to mend things after the fact is already too late."
Currently, apart from Huang Xiaochuan, no one knows that this is a financial crisis that is about to sweep the world. The Federal Reserve is still trying its best to turn the tide. It cut interest rates three times in September, October and December in order to stimulate the economy, but unfortunately it has not had any effect.
Zhang Sui, hands in her pockets, looked at the bustling street and said, "At least those people on Wall Street know that the worst is yet to come, so this Christmas they're all praying that bad luck won't come next year."
After discussing work, Huang Xiaochuan inquired about Zhang Sui's personal life.
"You're forty by Chinese New Year, aren't you?"
Zhang Sui frowned slightly: "Boss! A woman's age is a secret. Can't you at least pretend you don't know?"
Huang Xiaochuan compromised: "Then I won't mention your age! I want to ask you, aren't your parents worried?" Huang Xiaochuan's meaning was very clear.
Zhang Sui smiled and said, "I had already made arrangements. Another thing I came back for was to complete the adoption procedures."
Huang Xiaochuan was taken aback: "Adopt?"
Zhang Sui said self-deprecatingly, "At my age, I can't have children even if I wanted to. Besides, I was seriously injured before. After thinking it over, I thought it would be better to adopt one. It would be a good deed and fulfill my own wish at the same time."
Huang Xiaochuan knew Zhang Sui was referring to the gunshot wound, so he understood perfectly. But then, as if remembering something, he asked, "One of the requirements for adoption is that the person must have been married, right? Can you adopt someone if you're single?"
Zhang Sui casually remarked, "The so-called rules are actually prepared for ordinary people, and for me, the rules can be broken at any time; five million is enough."
Huang Xiaochuan remained silent. He knew Zhang Sui was right. You can't say Zhang Sui did wrong. Don't advise others to be kind if you haven't experienced their suffering. Besides, Zhang Sui is now very wealthy. Not long ago, he gave Zhang Sui a reward of 36 billion US dollars.
This is not an isolated case. In any case, it is not a bad thing for either party. The orphan has found a good home, and Zhang Sui, who is single, has a child to whom she can entrust her emotions.
After a moment, Huang Xiaochuan asked, "How old is the child? Is it a boy or a girl?"
"The girl will be one year old soon."
"Good girl!" Huang Xiaochuan nodded, then added, "Bring her to me when you have the chance."
Zhang Sui smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely show it to you. Just prepare the red envelope."
Huang Xiaochuan smiled. It seemed she was doing well and had a good mindset. Many people who work in finance for a long time have their minds broken, either due to excessive excitement or depression caused by failure. Zhang Sui, who is not yet forty years old, already has half of her hair turned white. However, she had obviously dyed her hair before returning to China this time.
"Oh, right, boss! I brought back a Christmas present for your children this time. Please pass it on to them." Zhang Sui said to her boss while waving.
Soon, two capable-looking women appeared in front of the two men, each carrying a suitcase.
Huang Xiaochuan didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Sui and gestured for Li Huan to accept it.
"Thank you! I know you're in a hurry to go back and complete the adoption procedures, so I won't keep you any longer." Huang Xiaochuan reached out and shook hands with Zhang Sui, then said goodbye to her on the street.
"Okay, boss!"
Chapter 878: I Want to Adopt a Child (High-Energy Chapter Updated!) Read Now: