Chapter 93: The Mosquito Elites of Shenzhen

Shenzhen truly is a magical place, where each day’s progress can be described as nothing short of astonishing. It had been less than two months since their last departure, yet the city had already transformed beyond recognition.

Those developments that had just begun construction were now towering proudly. “The changes here are incredible!” the brothers Yuan and Hao exclaimed in amazement. Kun nodded in agreement.

“This time, I really am a country boy entering the city, and my eyes have been opened,” Stone said with a simple, goofy grin, his gaze flickering as he looked at a distant skyscraper.

“Let’s go. Sooner or later, we’ll buy ourselves a few of these buildings,” Kun clapped Stone on the shoulder.

...

Shenzhen was now swept up in a frenzy. At the train station, on the streets, in the markets, at the docks—everywhere, people of all ages were talking about stocks.

To buy more stocks, people racked their brains and sought out friends and relatives, collecting ID cards to purchase stocks and then split the profits accordingly.

There was even a joke going around: streetwalkers no longer charged for their services. If you lent them your ID card to buy stocks, you could spend a night with them, and apparently, there were many creative variations.

Many believed that buying stocks was the road to riches—the more you bought, the richer you’d become.

The trading floor was packed day and night, the dreams of overnight wealth burning bright in Shenzhen. Investors crowded around the giant screen, layer upon layer deep.

“It’s up! Up again—ha ha!” A group of people danced in excitement, more frenzied than if they’d taken drugs.

Shenzhen Development Bank, the first publicly listed bank in New China, had already started a wild climb in share price even before the opening of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Those who managed to buy shares in Shenzhen Development were overjoyed, while those who missed the opportunity beat their chests in regret.

...

“Kun, are you sure we should sell all our stocks now?” Stone felt a toothache coming on, and the brothers Yuan and Hao also looked to Kun.

“Sell,” Kun replied concisely.

“But…” Stone’s brows furrowed.

“But everyone outside is buying in. If we sell now, aren’t we missing out? Shouldn’t we hold a bit longer?” Stone spoke hesitantly.

“It’s because so many people are buying that we need to sell. Only a few ever make money,” Kun said in a deep voice.

...

“Well, it’s your money after all. If you don’t feel the pain, what can I say?” Stone, having thought it over, didn’t argue further.

With only a few days left before the Shenzhen Stock Exchange opened on December 1, 1990, Kun decided to offload all two hundred and fifty thousand shares of Shenzhen Development he held, worth over two million, on the black market.

Stone watched as Kun worked tirelessly to sell every share, puzzled but ultimately keeping his questions to himself.

Kun knew that once the Stock Exchange opened, his stocks would be in trouble.

Because at the same time as the Exchange’s opening, the government would announce the abolition of black market trading, adjust the daily price limit from 10% to 5%, and require buyers to pay stamp duty.

These measures clearly reflected the determination of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone government to eliminate black market trading and stabilize the market.

But the consequence was a stock market crash lasting ten months.

Some profited from the disaster, but far more lost everything, their fortunes wiped out.

“Handsome, make it just a bit cheaper, will you? If you knock off another two points, I’ll let you have a free night,” a woman in revealing clothes and heavy makeup clung to Yuan’s arm, her ample curves launching a tsunami against him.

Hao watched as his brother was entangled by a woman, unsure what to do, his fists clenching and relaxing repeatedly.

Kun had just completed a stock transaction; turning around, he was nearly scared out of his wits.

“This… this is outrageous!”

The charming woman was draped over Yuan like a koala, her upper body launching waves, while her long leg rubbed persistently against Yuan’s thigh.

Luckily, Stone stepped in and pulled Yuan away, ending the spicy dance.

“Drink some water—this one’s iced, it’ll help cool you down faster,” Kun said with a wink to Yuan, who was bent over.

“Ha ha ha…”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Only Yuan’s face was as red as a monkey’s backside; he sat under a tree, legs crossed, concealing his embarrassment.

...

They worked all day, managing to sell only about a third of their stocks.

All the money was with Kun.

Feeling uneasy, Kun rented a small group dorm at the hotel, and the four men bunked together for a few days.

Kun counted for a long while before finishing.

“Eight million, two hundred and thirty thousand…”

Kun swallowed hard, trembling in awe.

Truly, crime brings gold, but stocks bring riches even faster!

And this was only a third sold; two-thirds remained.

“Kun, you’ve struck it big, really big!” Stone was nearly stunned, muttering nonstop.

“Breathe—stay calm, stay calm,” Kun reminded himself.

He had worked hard to build the Huakun Group for nearly a year, and the total assets likely didn’t reach eight million yet.

Of course, the key was that at this time, property prices in Guangxi were so low that buying a house wasn’t much more expensive than renting; in fact, the cost of buying a house was often equivalent to five to seven years’ rent.

After a while, they finally calmed down.

Lights out.

...

Slap!

Slap!

Slap, slap, slap!

“Damn it!”

“All the best in China come to Shenzhen,” it wasn’t just people—the rats and mosquitoes were “super-sized” too.

It was already late November, the weather cooling, but there were still plenty of mosquitoes.

The mosquito nets they’d prepared before going to bed proved useless.

Super mosquitoes crawled inside the nets, burrowed into the blankets, and feasted on blood.

In the morning, they found that after all their slapping, several mosquitoes still remained in each blanket; their faces and bodies were covered in swollen red bumps, terrifying to behold.

They’d all turned into spotted cats.

Upon arrival at the hotel’s little dining hall, Kun noticed they weren’t the only ones covered in bites.

Even the fashionable young women had faces dotted with red, their foundation unable to hide the marks.

“Psychological balance restored,” Kun said with a smile to Stone and the others.

“Even the mosquitoes in Shenzhen are elite—I give up,” Stone sighed.

Their breakfast was simple: each had soy milk, fried dough sticks, and congee with preserved egg and lean pork. The price was reasonable, and the men ate heartily.