Chapter 52: Li Fengyu's Defeat
By this time, Lin Dongjiang had formally regarded this eighteen-year-old young man as a formidable rival. Li Fengyu was still far too naive, believing that simply distancing himself from Lin Dongjiang and the financial circles to pursue his own ventures would allow him to grow steadily. Such a notion was remarkably childish and laughable. Even in today's highly civilized society, the world remained fundamentally an arena of martial strife and worldly entanglement—wherever there are people, there isjianghu. Grudges, sentiments, human sophistication, ruthless struggles, and desperate survival are inescapable once you step foot into this society. One can only attempt to accept them, for the trees may desire calm, but the wind refuses to cease.
Ultimately, Li Fengyu would pay the price for his youth, for there can be no gain without sacrifice. But those are events of the future; at this moment, Li Fengyu was still completely immersed in the joyous anticipation of the impending success of the Li Group's very first venture.
Inside the trading room, Li Fengyu calmly sipped his coffee, while Li Sen composedly crunched numbers. Ye Chen and Chen Yuxuan were each diligently tending to their posts, and the entire Li Group basked in an atmosphere of buoyant celebration. Yet, it was precisely at this juncture that Lin Dongjiang initiated his offensive. Right after eleven o'clock in the morning, prices began a precipitous decline, battered down by consecutive massive block orders of hundreds of lots at a time. By the morning market close at eleven-thirty, the index had already plummeted by three hundred points. Li Fengyu set down his coffee and gazed grimly at the monitor. Those three hundred points alone were enough to cost him over twenty million. At that moment, Li Sen walked over with a data sheet, his expression grave as he said, "Massive sell orders began hammering the market right at eleven o'clock. It appears we've been targeted again."
Li Fengyu could only manage a wry smile. "It seems we are truly popular." Upon hearing Li Sen say they had been targeted once more, the first person that flashed across Li Fengyu's mind was Lin Dongjiang, as he was the only one with whom he had a prior feud. Slowly seating himself on the sofa, Li Fengyu looked at Li Sen with a solemn expression and said, "Ah-Sen, since Lin Dongjiang is determined to set himself against us, he must know that we are holding long positions. He definitely conducted thorough investigations beforehand. Starting this afternoon, withdraw our capital and dump our holdings. We are abandoning our position as market makers."
In astonishment, Li Sen exclaimed, "Fengyu, this is the very first venture of our Li Group! The capital invested beforehand is incalculable. Liu Xinyang and Gu Yumin put so much trust in us—if we pull out our funds now, the financial losses will be massive. Moreover, compared to the monetary loss, the blow to our reputation will likely be even greater."
Li Fengyu abruptly stood up and declared, "Li Sen, this time I was blinded by impending victory. I will bear the burden of all the losses. But if we continue down this path, our losses will only multiply. The enemy came fully prepared, and this time, we simply have to concede defeat."
Hearing Li Fengyu speak thus, Li Sen realized there was no alternative. One must experience loss to achieve gain. True to his genius, Li Fengyu had sensed the danger through his keen instincts, yet the endeavor ultimately ended in failure. This was Li Fengyu's maiden defeat. In the past, encountering such a situation might have led to negotiations, but he knew very well that reconciliation with Lin Dongjiang was impossible; thus, he had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill.
Li Fengyu was no deity; he was merely an ordinary mortal who had to accept defeat with grace. Who says the protagonist must always emerge victorious? The real world is not a web novel, and no one remains invincible. All the heroes and legends of this world can only endlessly repeat the five cycles of success, joy, failure, sorrow, and sudden enlightenment. In the end, whoever manages to stand tall within the arena is the true hero among men.