Confronted with Zhao Xuan, Chen Yan's feelings were somewhat complex.

On the one hand, Zhao Xuan had been decent to him, and he was also Zhao Ying's father.

No matter what, with Zhao Ying connecting them, they were both unquestionably on the same side.

But on the other hand, when Chen Yan and Zhao Qingtian were preparing for battle, Zhao Xuan had backed out. Even though there were many complicated reasons, Chen Yan still harbored some resentment towards him.

So, faced with a call from Zhao Xuan, Chen Yan hesitated, wanting to hang up, but feeling that it hadn't come to that point yet. In the end, he answered the call.

The call connected, and there was silence for a full four or five seconds on the other end, mirroring Zhao Xuan's complicated state of mind.

Eventually, Zhao Xuan slowly began to speak, "Chen Yan, I've heard about what you've been going through recently. Is there anything I can help with?"

Hearing Zhao Xuan's words, Chen Yan laughed and said directly, "Sure. Lend me a hundred billion."

Zhao Xuan fell silent again on the other end of the phone.

After a moment, he said, "I can't pull together that much money right now. Most of my assets were taken back before, and even though Zhao Qingtian has compensated me a lot, I only have access to a dozen billion or so."

"If you need it, I can call the bank later and have them transfer it to you."

Hearing Zhao Xuan's words, Chen Yan also fell silent for a moment.

Regardless of whether Zhao Xuan was telling the truth or not, his attitude had lessened some of Chen Yan's grievances and misgivings.

Moreover, based on Chen Yan's understanding of Zhao Xuan, if he said he would do it, he most likely would.

Therefore, Chen Yan adjusted his emotions and didn't press him any further.

"Let's forget about the money. It's not a big problem on my end. Uncle Zhao, did you call me for any other reason?"

Zhao Xuan spoke earnestly, "Mainly, I'm just a bit worried about you."

"I've recently heard about your situation. I know you're in a very dangerous place right now."

"Ying Ying... well, she's rather carefree. So as her father, I need to do a bit more."

"I'm not joking. If you really need money, just tell me. I have that dozen billion ready."

"However, I still feel that we should accept the loss of our gamble and not keep betting."

"You're still young, there's a long future ahead."

"There's no need to stake everything on this."

Although Zhao Xuan's words were all clichés, Chen Yan quietly listened to him finish.

Then he said, "Uncle Zhao, I understand all that you've said."

"But, I trust my own judgment. I also believe that I will be the one to ultimately win."

"So, you don't need to worry."

Seeing that Chen Yan still looked like someone who wouldn't quit even when losing, Zhao Xuan sighed softly and didn't try to dissuade him anymore.

He knew that people couldn't be persuaded in times like these.

Some lessons can only be learned after one hits a wall.

Fortunately, as he had said, Chen Yan was indeed young and could afford to fail.

If he failed this time, he would become more prudent in the future and could start over again.

With Zhao Xuan's support, Chen Yan's comeback wouldn't be a problem.

Thinking this, Zhao Xuan stopped talking about it and said a few more things before preparing to hang up the phone.

And Chen Yan stayed on the line with him until the conversation ended before preparing to hang up.

However, just as Zhao Xuan was about to hang up the phone, he suddenly called out to Chen Yan, "Chen Yan, wait a moment. There's still one more thing I want to talk to you about."

Chen Yan stopped the motion to hang up his phone and then asked, "What is it?"

Zhao Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I need to tell you, this morning, Zhang Yonghao from Headline Company came to see Zhao Qingtian."

"Zhao Qingtian must have been in touch with him beforehand, because in just a few short hours today, they signed an equity transfer agreement."

"An equity transfer agreement?" Chen Yan asked in surprise, "Their contract is signed already?"

Zhao Xuan whispered, "Not just signed, Zhao Qingtian even transferred the money already."

"I have someone in the finance department, and she orchestrated the whole process."

"She's the one who told me about it."

Hearing Zhao Xuan's words, Chen Yan's brows furrowed deeply.

He was aware of Zhang Yonghao and Zhao Qingtian's dealings together.

However, he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

Moreover, after Zhang Yonghao had just lost more than twenty billion and sold a 20% stake to him, why was he suddenly selling another 5%?

Chen Yan was somewhat baffled.

He also didn't quite understand why Zhang Yonghao was still so fixated on the Zhao Family.

He knew Zhang Yonghao had an admiration for the powerful, but was it really to this extent?

Completely without his own convictions.

Despite being a wealthy man, he ended up acting like a lackey to those in power.

At least Chen Yan himself, thinking from his own perspective, felt he couldn't do that.

As Chen Yan was contemplating this, Zhao Xuan spoke up again, saying, "That Zhang Yonghao, I think you need to be careful with him. He's not to be trusted."

"He's supposedly your company's man, yet he's always in cahoots with Zhao Qingtian. It's very suspicious."

After hearing this, Chen Yan couldn't help but laugh and retorted, "What about you? We agreed to join forces against Zhao Qingtian, but in the end, weren't you the one who got in cahoots with him?"

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Xuan was caught off guard.

He sighed and said, "Chen Yan, from my perspective, I really have to consider a lot of things."

"There are some things I haven't told you, and they're hard to explain."

"Although I still despise Zhao Qingtian, we are ultimately family, and I need to consider the family's interests."

"Right now, it's not just me; I have many people depending on me."

"If I fight with Zhao Qingtian at the expense of the family's interests, not only will it harm the family's interests, but they will also have a very difficult time."

Chen Yan said, "But initially, Zhao Qingtian did make a move against you. He even pushed you to your death."

Zhao Xuan sighed, "He was indeed ruthless against me then, but it didn't reach the point of pushing me to death."

"It was my own choice to attempt suicide, to force his hand."

"Moreover, he has apologized to me for that incident. He said any condition was open to negotiation, as long as it didn't harm the family's interests, whether it meant giving me the position of family head or him committing suicide in atonement – he was prepared."

Chen Yan asked skeptically, "And you believe him?"

Zhao Xuan laughed, "Of course not."

"We're all sly foxes, nobody's playing the innocent."

"But, he apologized to me on the family's ancestral worship day, in front of the whole family."

"If I continued to hold a grudge, then my own people's loyalty would dissipate."

"What I can do is to use my power to contain him within the company."

"Prevent him from controlling the Zhao Family at will and also keep him from going against you."

"You're still young. You need a stable time to develop, not to fight with all the major families."

Chen Yan had actually heard all of Zhao Xuan's considerations before through an internal headset.

Although there were more details now, the content was pretty much the same.

This was also why Chen Yan, despite harboring resentment, understood Zhao Xuan.

Every family has its own difficult scripture, let alone such a large clan. Zhao Xuan wasn't young, and the relationships within the family were undoubtedly complex. It was normal for him to have his own considerations.

However, today, combining the matter with Zhang Yonghao, Chen Yan suddenly came up with an interesting idea.

He said, "Uncle Zhao, did Zhao Qingtian tell you that he would agree to anything to make it up to you?"

Zhao Xuan uttered a "hmm."

Chen Yan said, "Then go to him and say you want the 5% of shares that Zhang Yonghao sold to him."

"After all, you've forgiven him."

"There's no reason not to take advantage of a good deal."

Zhao Xuan paused for a moment, "What do I need those 5% of shares for?"

Chen Yan said, "You might not need them, but I do. I'm just short of that 5% of shares."

"You get them and sell them to me, okay?"

"Oh. That's right. You previously said you wanted to lend me more than ten billion."

"That would just offset those ten billion."

Zhao Xuan exclaimed in surprise, almost having a tough time with arithmetic.

But Chen Yan didn't give him time to think and simply said, "Yes or no? Just say it, Uncle Zhao."

"You can also take this opportunity to test Zhao Qingtian."

"He wants your forgiveness, doesn't want your family to waste energy fighting internally, and to live in harmony, right?"

"If he's willing to give you his life, then surely he won't mind giving up such a small shareholding, right?"

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Xuan took a deep breath and agreed, "Fine! I'll go to Zhao Qingtian right now and get him to transfer the shares to me!"

Chen Yan smiled and said, "Great. I'll wait for your good news then, Uncle Zhao~"

This "Uncle Zhao" was especially heartfelt from Chen Yan...

...

Zhao Xuan was indeed efficient at getting things done.

Two hours later, Chen Yan received a call from Zhao Xuan: Zhao Qingtian had agreed.

Zhao Xuan, not wanting to leave things to chance, immediately signed an agreement with Zhao Qingtian and went to get it notarized.

Zhao Qingtian had appeared to have no objections throughout the process. He accompanied Zhao Xuan through it all and never even asked why Zhao Xuan wanted that particular shareholding.

It was only after the notarization was complete that he said to Zhao Xuan, "Give my regards to Chen Yan."

Chen Yan knew that Zhao Qingtian probably saw through his plan, but it didn't matter. Chen Yan was playing a clear and open game.

Since Zhao Qingtian put Zhao Xuan in a position he couldn't back down from, Chen Yan would take advantage of the benefits first and then focus on strengthening himself.

What's more gratifying than first getting hold of Headline Technology and kicking Zhang Yonghao, that bastard, out of the game?

While thinking this, Chen Yan called Qin Ming, who had been waiting on standby in Tiandu, instructing him to take the agreement to Zhao Xuan and sign the share transfer agreement.

With this, the final and most critical 5% stake in Headline Technology had come into Chen Yan's hands!

His plan to calculate Zhang Yonghao had also come to a perfect successful conclusion!

...

However, as Chen Yan was carefully weaving his huge net capable of engulfing heaven itself, the tycoons from Hong Kong and the Mainland were unaware of these events.

Their attention was firmly captivated by a piece of news that shocked the whole world.

The global oil trade had always been controlled by a few oil giants.

Among them, the heaviest hitter was the World Petroleum Organization, OPEC and its member nations.

They accounted for over 40% of the world's oil output, essentially holding a significant territory.

So, they were the primary makers of the rules for the oil trade.

The second and third largest oil-producing countries were the Beautiful Country and the Bear.

Although these two nations didn't control as much of the world's total oil production as OPEC's member countries, at 16% and 13% respectively, they still played a significant role.

Aside from these three, the oil outputs of other countries were in the single digits, with none reaching even 5%.

Generally speaking, the bargaining between these three parties determined the future output and price of oil.

Usually, because of broadly aligned interests, they would come to a satisfactory conclusion and implement it together.

This time, however, things did not progress as usual.

When all the OPEC member countries had discussed and agreed on production cuts and price increases,

The Bear's officials suddenly held a press conference.

At the conference, the Bear's spokesperson vehemently rejected the suggestion for a further reduction in production and announced their intention to increase production and reduce prices over the next few years.

This sudden turnaround shocked the entire world.

However, if matters had stopped there, people would have been merely uneasy, not panicked.

After all, the Bear was only an important oil producer, not a dominant one. If OPEC could withstand the pressure, there would still be hope for a turnaround.

But unexpectedly, on the very night the Bear announced their increase in production and price reduction,

A spokesperson for foreign affairs from Saladin, one of OPEC's main member countries, directly negated the agreement that was settled just two days before, releasing plans for a price cut and production increase in oil.

Moreover, the extent of the price cut was a new low in nearly 20 years. It seemed they intended to engage in a price war with the Bear, forcing them into making concessions.

The sudden spread of price war smoke signals between two key oil-producing nations unsettled the entire world.

The most direct effect was... a significant drop in crude oil futures.

At the announcement of the Bear's intention to increase production and lower prices, keen investors began fleeing from crude oil futures. This triggered the first decline after thirteen consecutive days of increases in oil futures.

Then, as Saladin announced that they would follow suit by increasing production and lowering prices, crude oil futures prices began a 180-degree reversal, plummeting rapidly!

At this point, whether it was the domestic tycoons paying attention to this matter or those reveling in the Hong Kong financial sector, all were dumbfounded.

A true black swan! An absolute black swan!

No one had foreseen that what had been going smoothly would suddenly encounter such a disruptor!

Hong Kong Financial Company, previously intent on liquidating Chen Yan's accounts, began to panic.

Those in Tiandu and Qindong, who had been mocking Chen Yan, were left speechless.

If these two groups were in such a state, not to mention Zhang Yonghao, Vice President Wang, and the finance director, who were in even worse shape.

They all watched the news and the plummeting curve of oil futures, feeling a chill.

Yet at this point, everyone still harbored some hope.

Maybe the Bear would yield.

Or perhaps, since both sides had made their stances clear, they would sit down and negotiate once more.

These outcomes were all possible.

But the developments over the next few days shattered all their illusions.

The day after Saladin announced the price war with the Bear, the never-backing-down Bear directly revealed its production potential and further reduced its oil prices.

Then, that same afternoon, OPEC member nations seemed to have coordinated an agreement to follow Saladin's lead in lowering prices, committing to increase production to protect the market share of OPEC countries.

Thus, the oil production cuts that lasted for over a decade fell apart, and the global crude oil futures prices plunged by 31%, the largest one-day fall in thirty years since the Middle East conflict!

At the same time, the world's largest oil company, Sattam Aramco, saw its stock price crash nearly 10%, wiping out trillions in market value.

Global stock markets suffered severe hits, with markets in nations like the Magnesium Country, Japan, Hong Kong, the Dukedom, and The Sun Never Sets Empire all falling by more than 4%. In some countries, intra-day losses even exceeded 10%, triggering circuit breakers and suspending all trading for the remainder of the day.

A terrifying financial tsunami followed the war over oil futures.

And at this time, the only one comfortably fishing was Chen Yan.

As oil futures continued to plummet, his short positions began to snowball wildly. His accounts, which had previously shown losses of several billion, not only recovered in just two days but also kept surging wildly.

With the Bear's energy minister once again refusing to restart negotiations with OPEC, the oil futures market's decline became unstoppable.

And in the midst of this, the selling spurred by Hong Kong Financial Company's previous bullish buying frenzy added fuel to the market's downfall.

So, in just four short days, without the oil futures market stabilizing, Chen Yan's 80 billion short position turned profits, including both principal and interest, into 250 billion!

At this point, Chen Yan did not continue to be greedy but followed the system's guidance to gradually buy into oil futures, starting to close his positions.

His leverage at the start was around 8x, and by the time Zhang Yonghao took his stand, it had reached 14x.

250 billion with 14x leverage equated to a 3.5 trillion buying order. It helped calm the panicked market sentiment and even caused prices to rise slightly.

Because the world's eyes were focused on the oil futures market, seeing prices rise against the market trends, everyone immediately knew Chen Yan was exiting his positions.

Witnessing large sums of money being used to close positions, it was as if everyone saw countless riches being harvested by Chen Yan.

And at this time, the clever ones had already begun to calculate how much Chen Yan had gained from this.

You wouldn't know until you calculated, but when you did, it was shocking.

When the number of over 160 billion was in everyone's sight, everyone jumped in surprise.

Just two years earlier, Soros had earned only several tens of billions from attacking the Japanese foreign exchange, and that took over half a year.

But Chen Yan, in just over a month, earned over 160 billion?!

The rate at which he was making money was terrifying!

Moreover, he had once again successfully bet on his own vision and had the last laugh against the whole world.

It was simply unbelievable!

And Zhang Yonghao and Vice President Wang in Tiandu were already frozen through, regretting their actions bitterly...

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