I'm back in 1990

Chapter 372: Debt

None of Huang Xiaochuan, Ding Yi, or Chen Zhe were fond of alcohol, so tonight, apart from Qi Huan and Chen Qiao who drank beverages, the three men drank tea that Huang Xiaochuan had brought himself.

Seeing that the dishes were almost all served, Ding Yi picked up his teacup and said, "I have something to announce to you all."

Except for Qi Huan, whose face turned slightly red, the other three looked at Ding Yi, wondering what he was up to.

"Qi Huan and I are engaged. How about it? Aren't you all a little envious and jealous?"

Qi Huan couldn't stand his smugness and angrily slapped him.

"Don't hide your hands! Show them to them."

Ding Yi grabbed Qi Huan's hand and insisted on showing it to the others, which made Qi Huan a little embarrassed.

Everyone could see it now: Qi Huan was wearing a huge diamond ring on the ring finger of her right hand, which was very eye-catching under the light.

Huang Xiaochuan and Chen Zhe didn't really notice the diamond; they just thought it was quite large. But Chen Qiao, being a girl, reacted differently.

Wow! It's so big! It's so beautiful!

Although Qi Huan was quite pleased with herself, she didn't like to show off. Besides, it would be too much for a civil servant to wear a 37-carat diamond ring to work!

She was unfamiliar with many luxury brands and once foolishly carried a Gucci bag worth tens of thousands of yuan to work as if it were an ordinary bag. As a result, she was recognized and received a long talk from her boss.

She was so angry that she went back and vented her anger on Ding Yi. All her clothes, shoes and bags were bought for her by Ding Yi from Hong Kong, and he never told her the price. Sometimes she would ask, but Ding Yi always told her that he bought them on Huating Road.

This is because before 2000, Huating Road was filled with high-quality replicas of world-renowned brand-name clothing. Not only were the workmanship authentic, but the prices were usually only a quarter or even a sixth of the market price. Furthermore, there were several foreign consulates near Huating Road, such as those of the United States, Germany, Japan, and Italy. Consulate officials, high-level foreign workers, foreign students, and tourists also became loyal customers of Huating Road, often buying seven or eight items at a time.

Many Hong Kong and Japanese tourists visiting Shanghai specifically requested to shop at Huating Road. For many Europeans and Americans, Huating Road was always a major shopping destination when they came to Shanghai. Later, due to subway construction, the clothing market was moved from Huating Road to Xiangyang Road, until it was eventually shut down.

This engagement was the same; they didn't discuss it beforehand. They suddenly pulled out such a big diamond ring and insisted on putting it on my ring finger, which has made me anxious these past few days. I take it off before going to work, and then I have to put it back on when I get home. Ding Yi won't allow me to leave it on, and I'm afraid I might lose it if something goes wrong.

Huang Xiaochuan recognized it as a Tiffany diamond ring, a similar style to the one he had seen with Zhang Yun at the Tiffany flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Zhang Yun had even tried it on. He estimated that this diamond ring would cost no less than one million dollars, since the flagship store had a similar ring priced at $120,000, which would be about one million dollars according to the exchange rate, not including taxes.

Huang Xiaochuan touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly. He hadn't even mentioned buying Yu Xiang a ring before they got their marriage certificate. He'd lived two lives, and he was getting more and more sensible. He wasn't as reliable as Ding Yi. He had to make arrangements to make up for it immediately.

Chen Qiao stared at the large diamond ring on Qi Huan's finger, her eyes sparkling. "Sister Huan, that must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Qi Huan seemed unaware of the ring's true value: "It wasn't cheap, costing fifty or sixty thousand. I said I didn't want it, but Ding Yi made the decision on his own without even consulting me."

"Wow! That's so expensive?"

Huang Xiaochuan gave Ding Yi a meaningful look, as if to say, "You're really good at bluffing."

Then he looked at poor Chen Zhe. Ding Yi was really no good person. He had dug a hole too deep. Who knew what kind of story would unfold when Chen Zhe bought a ring for his wife?

Huang Xiaochuan decided to take this opportunity to rip off Ding Yi, thinking that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

"Ahem, fifty or sixty thousand? Do you have an invoice?"

When Ding heard Huang Xiaochuan mention invoices, his face turned green, and he quickly winked at Huang Xiaochuan behind Qi Huan's back.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Qi Huan suddenly realized that she hadn't actually seen the invoice for the ring.

He then asked Ding Yi, "Yes! Where's the invoice?"

"I bought it in Hong Kong. They said they would send me the invoice, but I haven't received it yet!" In a moment of panic, Ding Yi quickly made up an excuse.

"That's how it is when you buy things in Hong Kong, don't you think? Huang Xiaochuan, why don't you say something?" She kept winking at Huang Xiaochuan with her beady eyes as she spoke.

Huang Xiaochuan, however, changed the subject: "Hey, isn't Qingming Festival coming soon? Longjing tea will be on the market soon. Lao Ding, how about you come with me to Lion Peak Mountain in Longjing Village sometime?"

Huang Xiaochuan, however, changed the subject: "Hey, isn't Qingming Festival coming soon? Longjing tea will be on the market soon. Lao Ding, how about you come with me to Lion Peak Mountain in Longjing Village sometime?"

Ding Yi understood Huang Xiaochuan's meaning perfectly well, but unfortunately, the situation was beyond his control. Ding Yi glared at Huang Xiaochuan, gritted his teeth, and nodded in agreement.

Huang Xiaochuan then helped Ding Yi resolve the invoice issue, and Qi Huan didn't pursue the matter any further.

Chen Zhe was very familiar with this scene. He had been with Huang Ding for so long and knew their temperaments well. Naturally, he guessed that the value of the ring Qi Huan was wearing was definitely not the fifty or sixty thousand that Qi Huan said. It would be more like adding a zero. However, Chen Zhe was still being conservative. It should be added a zero and then multiplied by two.

After the party, Chen Zhe took a taxi and drove Chen Qiao home.

On the way, Chen Qiao exclaimed, "Old Ding is so rich! One of his rings costs tens of thousands of yuan. It would take me seven or eight years of working without eating or drinking to afford one!"

"Oh! He's really good at stock trading; all his money comes from the stock market," Chen Zhe said casually.

Many things are kept secret from their girlfriends or wives by the members of 222, so Chen Qiao is not very clear about many things.

"Making money from stocks? Didn't they say stocks have all plummeted? Old Ding can still make money? That's incredible!"

Chen Zhe smiled, but did not explain the reason to Chen Qiao.

It's true that people are different. For example, Einstein could come up with the theory of relativity, but others couldn't. There's no way around it; talent is what it is. Ding Yi is the same. His talent lies in the field of finance and securities. He is particularly good at securities trading and has a variety of trading methods. When he enters the highly volatile Hong Kong stock market, he is like a dragon entering the sea.

Ding Yi has completely lost interest in the mainland stock market. He now travels between Hong Kong and Shanghai. However, he followed Huang Xiaochuan's advice and equipped himself with a professional security team, especially when he is in Hong Kong. Huang Xiaochuan told him that money can never be earned enough, but life is only once.

Seeing that Chen Qiao was always thinking about the diamond ring on Qi Huan's hand, Chen Zhe also had the idea of ​​buying one for Chen Qiao. Of course, he would not buy one as big as Ding Yi's; buying a smaller one should not cost much.

When he got home in the evening, Huang Xiaochuan was all alone in the huge old house. There was no smartphone or internet access. Local ISP services in Shanghai would not be available until next year, 1996.

It wasn't until April of the following month, 1995, that the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications opened two nodes in Yanjing and Shanghai to access the international Internet.

Even if internet service is launched next year, it will still use dial-up mode, and the internet speed will be a paltry 64k, that's right, measured in kilobytes (k). The time it takes to open a webpage or image is enough to take a full circle on an elevated highway.

Although it's already March, the nights in Shanghai are still a bit chilly.

Huang Xiaochuan crossed his arms and looked out at the night sky. He thought that after Yu Xiang graduated and went to her new job, he would take her to Hong Kong. What others have, my Xiang-jie must have too. It's not like we don't have the means.

It seems that one of the two Mid-Levels villas I bought in Hong Kong has been renovated, but I haven't lived in it even once. Instead, the housekeeper, maid, and gardener have moved in first, since someone needs to maintain and take care of it regularly.

Interestingly, Ding Yi made back the money he spent on buying and renovating the two villas several times over. He had guaranteed the stock loan for Ding Yi and lent him a lot of cash. In just a few months, Ding Yi not only made things difficult for the investment institutions that were targeting him, but also caused them to lose everything. After deducting costs, Ding Yi transferred half of the profits directly to his own account.

Ding Yi became famous overnight and was dubbed the "Stock Demon" by people in the Hong Kong stock circle. This was mainly because his stock trading methods were very magical and sharp, and you should never provoke him, otherwise he will fight you to the death. Now everyone avoids him for fear of angering him.