The Cloud Manor Hotel in Manhattan, New York, was full of brilliance, and the crystal chandeliers made the gilded ceiling of the charity dinner look like a flowing galaxy. The melodious classical music mixed with the clinking of champagne glasses, and the men and women in Armani couture and Vera Wang dresses talked in low voices, and the air was filled with the smell of black cards and private equity.
Sophia stood on the edge of the terrace, her moon-white Elie Saab off-shoulder dress outlined the delicate clavicle chain under her swan neck - it was Tiffany's Moonstone series, shining like cold jade under the light. She held the non-alcoholic champagne in her fingertips, and her eyes swept across the dance floor, but she was looking for an exit. She had to attend at least twelve charity dinners sponsored by Forbes every year, but the diamond pin on her neck tonight was particularly uncomfortable - it was buckled by her mother Elena, saying that it should "match Wang Shao's eyes."
Elena was wearing a purple Oscar de la Renta cheongsam, with three strings of South Sea pearl necklaces dangling in front of her chest. She was holding Sofia's wrist and squeezing into the center of the crowd. "Can you catch big fish standing in the shadows?" She knocked away the guests who were blocking her way with her Prada handbag. "Look over there, Alexander Wang is being surrounded - his father just won the infrastructure project at the Port of New Jersey."
Mark had a shiny backcombed hair, and a Rolex Daytona was exposed at the cuffs of his Tom Ford suit - he bought it on installments with his credit card. He suddenly grabbed the hem of his mother's cheongsam: "Mom, look at the three o'clock direction! Alexander is looking at us!"
Elena immediately put on a smile that was more standard than that of a Broadway star, and dragged Sofia to the center of the crowd. "Alexander Wang! Long time no see!" Her voice drowned out Mozart's "Serenade", successfully making the surrounding investment bank VPs make way.
The young man surrounded by people turned around, and his Gucci loafers drew an elegant arc on the marble floor. When Alexander Wang's eyes fell on Sofia, his pupils dilated significantly - the moon-white dress made her look like a Greek sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the alienation between her eyebrows looked like the Leng Jun oil painting in his collection. "Aunt Elena," he shook the Single Malt whiskey in his hand, "Sophia is as beautiful as the moonrise in the Hamptons tonight. You broke your promise at the charity auction last time, and I thought you were kidnapped by a hedge fund manager."
Elena hurriedly pushed her daughter forward, and the pearl necklace almost strangled Sophia's neck: "Last time, her studio took on the LV campaign, and she was very busy!" She turned to Alexander again, "Mr. Wang, you are magnanimous, Sophia is just too ambitious."
Sophia was forced to take a half step forward, and her Christian Louboutin high heels stepped on the Versace carpet: "Sorry, Mr. Wang, I had to fly to Milan to watch the show last time." Her smile was as accurate as a Swiss watch, but under Alexander's inquiring eyes, she unconsciously clenched the champagne glass.
At this moment, the man next to Alexander suddenly put down the crystal glass. He was wearing a dark grey handmade Brioni suit with low-key platinum cufflinks. He was none other than Sebastian Bo, the most popular trader on Wall Street recently.
"Let me introduce you," Alexander said as he turned sideways, revealing a Hermès belt buckle through the slit of his custom suit. "This is Sebastian Bo, the chief trader of Skybridge Fund. He made 700 million by shorting the Japanese yen last month, and is now focusing on emerging market currencies."
Elena's pearl necklace almost fell to the ground. She immediately extended her hand painted with Dior999: "I've heard of you for a long time! Mr. Bo is really the golden boy of Wall Street!"
Mark rushed forward as if he saw a Super Bowl champion: "Brother Bo! I'm your biggest fan! I heard that you can make money in the Forex market with your eyes closed, take me with you! I'll bet all my 401K!"
Sebastian's mouth curled up into a standard private equity smile, and when shaking hands with Elena, the moon phase dial of Patek Philippe was revealed on his sleeves: "Investment depends on luck, for example, the recent Goose Country..."
Alexander handed over the wine glass: "What do you think of Goose Dollar, Mr. Bo?"
Sebastian took a sip of Romanee-Conti, his eyes as sharp as if he was staring at the candlestick chart: "Border conflict is imminent. Once the war starts, SWIFT sanctions will follow, and the Goose Coin will fall by at least 35%. Our fund has already established a short position of 500 million US dollars." He shook the wine glass, and the wine looked like a falling candlestick under the light. "This wave of profits is enough to buy a villa with a helipad in Malibu."
Elena and Mark looked at each other, and the greed in their eyes almost overflowed. "Mr. Bo is really far-sighted!" Elena immediately took out her iPhone, "My family Sophia's company just has a sum of liquid funds, and it's right to follow your operation!"
Alexander smiled and nodded: "Mr. Bo's judgment, my hedge fund in Palm Beach will also follow." He didn't notice that Sophia's eyes were on the entrance of the banquet hall-a man just walked in there, wearing a Zara casual suit, but showing a Casio electronic watch at the cuffs, and the screen of the mobile phone in his hand was a real-time market chart of the Goose Coin.
Sebastian followed Sophia's gaze, his pupils shrank slightly - the man was asking for a glass of tap water at the bar, but he was putting a napkin for foreign exchange transactions under the glass, on which he had drawn the support level of the Goose Coin with a pencil. "Interesting," he whispered to Alexander, "It seems that we are not the only ones fishing for big fish tonight."
At this time, Sophia didn't know that the storm that this man, who her mother called "poor guy wearing Zara", was about to stir up in the foreign exchange market, turning Sebastian's 500 million short orders into a bubble in the Maldives. And the mobile phone she held in her palm was receiving a text message from her assistant Lily: "Mr. Chen, Mr. Lin just transferred 100,000 US dollars to your sister for tuition, with the note "Don't tell mom."
The crystal lamp in the banquet hall suddenly dimmed for half a second, which was like a precursor to the impending collapse of the Goose Coin. Sebastian raised his glass and saluted the man in the distance - he didn't know that the opponent he was about to face was not a veteran trader on Wall Street, but a "newbie" who used a Casio to watch the market, and the unknown system watch on his wrist.