February 25, Sunday, New York.
Zhang Qingxue woke up very early.
She made three calls to Hotel Room, sent another message to Zhao Chen, and then went downstairs to have breakfast.
Zhao Chen When she arrived at the restaurant, she had already finished eating, and there was only half a cup of coffee and an untouched corner of the croissant left on the plate in front of her.
"It's an appointment." Zhang Qingxue turned the phone screen to Zhao Chen,
"Monday morning at nine o'clock, Goldman Sachs.
At 11:30 noon, JPMorgan Chase.
Three o'clock in the afternoon, Morgan Stanley.
They are all the heads of the trading department of Options."
Zhao Chen sat down opposite her and glanced at the name and title on the screen.
Goldman Sachs's Options trading manager is Michael Chen, a Chinese American who has been working at Wall Street for more than ten years.
JPMorgan Chase There is a white man named James Holbrook, who is in his early forties. It is said that he has lost a lot of money on Tesla Options.
Morgan Stanley is a woman, Sarah Wu, who is also of Chinese descent. Zhang Qingxue said she is "a ruthless person and doesn't talk much".
"Michael Chen," Zhang Qingxue lowered his voice,
"He helped us operate Tesla and Options before. He handled those 50,000 contracts.
If we still look for him this time, he might guess that we are going to take action again."
Zhao Chen thought for a while, "It doesn't matter if you guessed it. Wall Street There are no secrets.
The important thing is whether he can give us a good price."
Zhang Qingxue nodded. "I think so too. So the three companies talked with each other and let them lower the price.
Whoever has better conditions will do more with him."
Zhao Chen picked up the croissant on the table, broke half of it into his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
The croissants of New York are crispier and more buttery than those of Shan City.
After he swallowed it, he said, "Aunt Zhang, there is one more thing to do today."
Zhang Qingxue looked at him.
Zhao Chen said, "Interview with the lawyer. When is the appointment with the one you introduced?"
Zhang Qingxue glanced at his watch. "Eleven o'clock in the morning. In the other party's office, Manhattan is going to town."
Zhao Chen nodded and broke off another half of the croissant.
Su Wantang came over with coffee at this time and sat down next to him.
Today she wore a light gray knitted skirt with an off-white coat on top. Her hair was pinned behind her ears with a silver hairpin, which made her look a little more casual than in Shan City.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"It's a lawyer's matter." Zhao Chen said, "You go together."
Su Wantang glanced at him and nodded. She didn't ask why.
Before coming to New York, Zhao Chen said that the things to be done this time are not small, and Zhang Qingxue alone is not enough.
The legal system of United States is different from that in China. Securities Law, tax laws, and cross-border fund supervision require professional people to check each layer.
Finding a local Lawyer Team is not an optional choice, it is the way to go.
At 11 o'clock in the morning, Manhattan goes to town.
The lawyer introduced by Zhang Qingxue, whose surname is Lin, is Lin Shicheng. He is in his early sixties and has been engaged in financial litigation at Wall Street for more than thirty years.
His office is in an old building in Broadway Avenue, only two blocks away from New York Stock Exchange.
The facade is small. The bronze plaque at the door reads "Lin & Associates, Attorneys at Law", and below it is a line of small characters: "Since 1985".
When Zhao Chen and Su Wantang arrived, Lin Shicheng was already waiting at the door.
He was wearing a dark gray suit, no tie, his gray hair was neatly combed, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
His handshake was strong and his palms were dry. When he spoke, he had a rhythm unique to old-school lawyers - neither fast nor slow, and every word was pronounced clearly.
"Mr. Zhao, long time admiration."
Lin Shicheng brought three people into the office,
"Lawyer Zhang mentioned you to me. Last year, Bitcoin's operation caused quite a stir in the circle."
Zhao Chen smiled, "Lawyer Lin You're welcome."
The office is not big, but it is well decorated.
There was a large mahogany pallet with several stacks of documents neatly placed on it.
There are three things hanging on the wall - a New York state lawyer's license, a Columbia University Law School diploma, and a picture that reads "Think carefully and act diligently".
The bookshelves against the wall are filled with legal collections and case collections. Some of the books have faded spines, obviously having been turned over many times.
Zhao Chen sat down on the sofa, Su Wantang sat next to him, and Zhang Qingxue sat opposite him.
Lin Shicheng did not go around behind the executive desk, but pulled up a chair and sat next to the coffee table.
Zhao Chen noticed this detail - he did not use a desk to separate himself from the client, but chose to sit down and talk face to face.
"Mr. Zhao," Lin Shicheng spoke,
"Lawyer Zhang said on the phone that you need to set up a Lawyer Team to help you handle your investment affairs in United States.
Can you tell me specifically what you plan to do?"
Zhao Chen was not in a hurry to answer.
He looked at Zhang Qingxue, who nodded slightly.
Then he looked at Lin Shicheng and his voice was very flat.
"Lawyer Lin, I have a large amount of funds in my hand.
In the next period of time, I will conduct a series of investment operations in the United States market, mainly focusing on stocks and Options.
I need a team to help me with three things--
First, ensure that all operations comply with United States Securities Law;
Second, optimize the tax structure for cross-border capital flows;
Third, if there is an inquiry from a regulatory agency, someone can handle it for me."
Lin Shicheng didn't answer the call immediately after listening.
He picked up the tea cup on the coffee table, took a sip, and then put it down.
His movements were very slow, as if he was chewing every word Zhao Chen said.
"Mr. Zhao," he said, "I'm asking an impolite question."
Zhao Chen nodded. "You asked."
Lin Shicheng looked at him. "When you say 'not a small scale', how much is it approximately?"
Zhao Chen thought for a while, and then said two words: "Billions."
The office was quiet.
It's not the kind of awkward silence, it's the kind of silence that takes time to digest.
Lin Shicheng's expression didn't change much, but his fingers tapped lightly on his knees twice--
It was a little trick that an old lawyer would do when quickly calculating working hours, manpower and resource allocation.
"US Dollar?" he asked.
Zhao Chen nodded.
Lin Shicheng was silent for a few seconds, and then said:
"Mr. Zhao, I have been engaged in financial litigation for more than 30 years, and have served Hedge Fund, private equity, and Family Office,
But this is the first time I have met a young customer like you."
Zhao Chen smiled, "That's why I need an experienced person like you."
Lin Shicheng is not smiling.
His expression became serious, as if he was making a serious judgment.
"Mr. Zhao, I don't ask where your money comes from. But I need to know one thing - is your investment strategy conservative or aggressive?"
Zhao Chen said, "Radical."
Lin Shicheng nodded, as if confirming something.
"Aggressive strategies will have higher regulatory risks.
The SEC has become increasingly strict in its scrutiny of cross-border funds in recent years, especially those involving Options transactions and leverage operations."
Zhao Chen asked, "So you think this can't be done?"
Lin Shicheng shook his head, stood up, pulled out a thick compilation from the bookshelf, turned to a certain page, and pointed to a line of words for Zhao Chen to read.
That is a certain clause of United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which is densely packed in English. Zhao Chen can't understand it, but Lin Shicheng's explanation is very clear.