Chapter 47 Let's have a thrilling time!
"By the way," after a few rounds of drinks and several dishes, someone naturally steered the conversation back to work.
"I overheard people from other departments talking, and it seems they're all focused on the situation in Greece. What... what's going to happen? Could something really serious have occurred?"
"Hey! I'm telling you, kid!" Liang Haiyuan immediately interrupted, his brow furrowing.
"How did we end up talking about work again at such a sacred and joyful gathering? How spoils the mood! Three drinks as punishment!"
"Hehe, but, besides stocks and financial markets, we don't really have any other common topics to talk about, do we?"
The man who had spoken earlier chuckled, "Besides, to be honest, isn't talking about money the most exciting and thrilling thing?"
"Uh...it seems...that makes sense." Liang Haiyuan thought for a moment and had to admit it.
"Money is indeed the most interesting topic in the world."
'I can talk about games... about which dungeon has the best loot, how to beat which boss, which class is strong in PvP...'
Su Hao silently complained to himself.
Unfortunately, looking around, the people at the table were all dressed in suits and looked quite respectable.
She doesn't seem like the type to spend time with him hacking monsters and running dungeons in the virtual world, or grinding all night for a piece of equipment.
He still didn't quite understand the world of financial elites.
"Don't worry," Liang Haiyuan waved his hand and analyzed.
" As for the Greece issue, no matter how much it gets out of hand, I don't think it will eventually lead to them defaulting on their debts or breaching their sovereign rights."
"Yeah, I think so too. After all, the impact would be too great; the entire Eurozone would suffer, and no one can afford to take that responsibility."
"We can't be too definitive!" another person objected.
"Have you forgotten what happened back then? Everyone thought Russia was fine, but then they just defaulted on their debts and suddenly announced a sovereign debt default. What a huge commotion that caused! Global markets were thrown into chaos!"
Greece ... Greece ...
Su Hao involuntarily recalled the information he had seen in the company's internal research reports.
The Greek government owes the International Monetary Fund approximately 1.6 billion euros, and the deadline for repayment is fast approaching.
But so far, they still seem to be adopting a "no money, but life is no object" attitude, with no sign of a solution in sight.
What's worse is that this is the third time Greece has asked the international community for aid, yet their economic situation remains stagnant.
The recovery is extremely slow, and the mountain of debt is snowballing faster than a ticking time bomb.
"What if… I mean, what if," Li Huilin whispered, raising an unsettling assumption.
"Are they really going all in, completely reckless, and just announcing their breach of contract like this?"
"That's just plain stupid! They're flipping the table and quitting!" Liang Haiyuan immediately explained, his tone serious.
"Once a sovereign default is declared, it's essentially equivalent to being automatically kicked out of the Eurozone. That would cause a dramatic upheaval in the entire European political landscape and economic order, a sharp rise in geopolitical tensions, and could even trigger military conflict and national security crises..."
While listening absentmindedly to the discussion, Su Hao kept his head down, his fingers flying across the phone screen, quickly browsing various analytical articles about the Greek debt crisis.
A plethora of sensational headlines and opinions have emerged:
Experts warn that if Greece defaults, its defense capabilities will decline sharply, thereby increasing the risk of military conflict with Turkey.
Some analysts predict that this will exacerbate internal conflicts in Europe and intensify political divisions.
In the worst-case scenario, it could even trigger a local war... and so on.
However, most of these analyses are considered to be "paradigms under extreme conditions" and "low-probability events".
The prevailing view in the market, or rather the general expectation of the vast majority of institutions, remains:
Greece will most likely be able to reach a new agreement with the European Union and the IMF at the last minute, just like it did the previous two times, and obtain new bailout funds, thus ultimately avoiding default.
After all, nobody wants to see the behemoth that is the Eurozone collapse and trigger a global financial tsunami.
"Ugh! So annoying! So annoying!" Liang Haiyuan slammed his hand on the table, interrupting the increasingly serious discussion.
"We finally managed to get out for a meal and relax, but how did we end up back to work again! Even the alcohol doesn't taste good anymore!"
He shouted,
"Let's talk about something happy! We're sure to all get a hefty bonus this time, right? We have to thank our manager for that! Thanks to him! Now, think about what you're going to do with this huge sum of money. Buy a house? Buy a car? Or travel the world?"
"Ah—!" Someone immediately looked ecstatic, as if they could already see the text message notification that their prize money had been deposited into their account.
"Ever since we cleared out our positions, the feeling of exhilaration and the skyrocketing account balance is still so exciting that I can't sleep at night!"
"But...but the bonus hasn't actually been paid out yet...and it's still a long way from the company's official settlement and disbursement date."
Someone offered a more calm reminder.
"What's there to be afraid of! Anyway, the manager said that our funds are temporarily untouched, so we'll just leave them there." Liang Haiyuan waved his hand dismissively.
"Doesn't that mean this amazing performance is already locked in? The bonus can't possibly slip away!"
Everyone excitedly imagined the "wonderful life" they would have after receiving that huge bonus that could change their lives, and the atmosphere became lively and noisy again.
However, Su Hao seemed somewhat distracted, his fingers still unconsciously swiping across the phone screen.
"Manager?" Li Huilin, sitting next to him, noticed his unusual behavior and asked in a low voice with concern.
"What have you been staring at your phone about since earlier? Is... is there some urgent matter at home?"
Su Hao took a deep breath and slowly turned off his phone screen.
Something happened at home...
Rather, it started from the moment he began to seriously read those analyses of the Greek debt crisis:
A familiar, tingling sensation, like a faint electric current, surged up his spine, sending shivers down his spine.
This feeling... is so familiar!
Just like my strong premonitions about the transactions before!
He hesitated for a few seconds, as if a fierce struggle was taking place inside him, with reason and some more primal impulse battling fiercely.
Finally, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the team members still immersed in joy and fantasy at the table, and slowly began to speak.
The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly drowned out all the noise in the private room:
"...Um, shall we...try again tomorrow?"
"ha?"
"What the heck?"
Instantly, the smiles on everyone's faces froze, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.
"Manager? Didn't you just say... the funds would be held temporarily, and we should take a break and play it safe for now?"
Liang Haiyuan was the first to react and stammered a question.
"Yes, I did say that..."
Su Hao nodded, licked his slightly dry lips, and his eyes gleamed with a strange, almost fanatical light.
That's right. Logically speaking, one should take the profits and keep the amazing gains that are already in hand—enough to make anyone envious for a lifetime—into their pocket.
Then take a long vacation and enjoy life; that is the safest, wisest, and most logical choice.
In this way, just as Liang Haiyuan said, the astronomical sum of money would be in his hands.
But...but...
I can't wait any longer!
When playing games, even though you know that opening boxes, drawing cards, and getting equipment are all probability games, and that it's a trap where you lose nine out of ten times!
But he still couldn't help pressing that damn button again and again, seeking that extreme thrill of a racing heart and soaring adrenaline.
This feeling right now...
It seems even more intense than getting top-tier equipment!
I want more excitement!
It also needs to make people... intoxicated!
'Damn it, am I just a hopeless gambler at heart? A drug addict tightly bound by dopamine?' Su Hao cursed himself fiercely in his heart.
He grinned, revealing a smile that made every team member present stop their hearts and send chills down their spines. That smile carried a hint of madness, a hint of excitement, and an all-powerful confidence:
"How about we... try something exciting?"
The words fell.
The pupils of all the team members on the table instantly dilated violently!
Their eyes widened in disbelief, as if they had heard some fantastical tale from another dimension, their chins nearly falling into the scalding hot barbecue plate in front of them.
Want to try something exciting?
With that... 250 million RMB...?