Hu Pan’s eyes flickered with a trace of bitterness. She lowered her head and said, “I’m not in a hurry. I’m still young. Right now, my heart is solely focused on my career. Brother Xie said it himself, what’s more important than building a career, dating?”
Lin Wanwan comforted her, “Don’t listen to him. We women still need a family. A career has no end, and having a home doesn’t stop you from pursuing a career. What do you think of my younger brother? I’m serious. You’ve spent so much time with him, don’t you feel anything?”
Hu Pan felt a complicated mix of emotions, unsure if she should tell the truth.
“Tell me, what’s wrong with my brother? I’ll make him change.”
Hu Pan said, “It’s not really a flaw. I just feel like, how should I put it, he’s too indulgent with his family. He earns quite a lot, yet your younger brothers ask him for money, and your parents do too. Even your sister asked for money, and he was furious but ended up giving it to her. Sister Wanwan, I don’t mean to say anything bad about your family, but I think it’s a bit abnormal for the whole family to rely on him alone for support, isn’t it?”
The key was that those people took it for granted. Lin Weiguo would say he wouldn’t manage it, but in the end, he’d soften his heart and give them money.
Lin Wanwan’s expression turned grim. “There’s such a thing? I really didn’t know. Thank you for telling me this. I’ll handle it.”
Hu Pan said apologetically, “I’m not trying to stir up trouble in your family. I just feel it’s different from my family. Perhaps because my family has fewer children, seeing so many people relying on one person to support them makes me feel suffocated. Perhaps he feels it’s family responsibility, but I think everyone is an independent individual and should take care of themselves.”
Lin Wanwan nodded. “You’re right. As expected of someone who’s been to college, you’re so smart.”
“I have something else to do, so I’ll leave now. Don’t tell Lin Weiguo that I discussed your family matters. I’m afraid he’ll be upset with me.”
“You have good intentions. He’s indeed muddled sometimes.”
When Lin Wanwan arrived home, Hu Pan drove the car away. Lin Wanwan needed to find Accountant Xu to check the accounts of various factories.
Lin Weiguo cautiously asked Lin Wanwan, “Sis, what did you and Pan’er talk about?”
Lin Wanwan’s face turned cold. “The money you earn, you gave it all to the family?”
Lin Weiguo hadn’t expected this to be the topic. He said, “The family is in need of money. My younger brothers are looking for partners and getting married. Can I not help?”
“You even gave money to Lin Shishi?”
“I didn’t want to, but she pestered me so much, I gave her a few hundred yuan.”
“A few hundred?!”
Lin Wanwan was truly furious. No wonder Hu Pan couldn’t stand it. She was so angry. “Don’t you know what kind of person Lin Shishi is? With that money, she’ll turn around and trip up your brother-in-law, cause trouble for me. What is this? Your brother-in-law is helping you make money, only to support an enemy?”
Lin Weiguo anxiously explained, “No, she said she had no money for food and was begging me on her knees. I couldn’t resist. I only wanted to give her a few dozen yuan, but she snatched it away herself.”
“You’re an adult. How could she snatch your wallet? Couldn’t you snatch it back? Do you know how malicious Lin Shishi is? She hired Cheng Yiming to ruin my reputation. This is trying to kill me…”
Mentioning this, Lin Wanwan trembled with anger. If Xie Sui hadn’t believed her, she would have wanted to die.
Lin Weiguo was startled and quickly supported her. “Sis, don’t be angry. If you get sick, my brother-in-law will skin me alive. I swear, I will never give her money again. I won’t be soft-hearted anymore.”
“No need. Your brother-in-law has already handled it. I’m just very disappointed in you. You can leave. I don’t want to see you right now.”
“Sis…”
“Leave!”
Lin Weiguo had no choice but to leave first. He met Xie Min on her way back and asked her to take care of his sister, then left dejectedly.
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Wanwan wiped away her tears, not wanting to talk about family matters. “It’s nothing, Second Sister. You’re here.”
“Xiao Sui left, didn’t he? His second brother-in-law is busy and couldn’t make it back to see him. I wanted to send him off but missed the chance. Is everything alright?”
“Everything’s fine. Second Sister, you don’t need to worry.”
Lin Wanwan didn’t want to say more. Xie Min secretly took note, figuring it must be related to her family matters.
…
Xie Sui traveled by train and then by ship, returning to Hong Kong City and just in time for the stock market to open the next day. Lin Nan and other staff were eagerly awaiting the opening bell, all eyes on the market. It was a make-or-break day. Five days were enough for the government and the large families to prepare funds to support the market. They hoped it would rebound.
Unfortunately, the trend was unstoppable. This effort was like a drop in the ocean. The few days of closure only served to consolidate the previous decline. The market opened with a sharp five-point drop, leaving everyone stunned. They thought they were dreaming. After trading for so many years, this was the first time they had encountered such a situation.
Only the people in Xie Sui’s company wished they could erupt in cheers. They had shorted the market; the steeper the fall, the more they would profit.
Xie Sui said, “Stay calm. Maybe it will rebound in the afternoon. Traders need to maintain a stable mindset, remaining unperturbed by fortune or misfortune!”
Everyone admired their boss’s composure, and it took them a while to calm down.
“Ahhh, it’s really falling! Am I going to make money? Brother Xie, is this real? I, Du Feiyang, am going to turn my life around!”
Du Feiyang finally came to his senses and began calculating how much money he could make, using all his fingers and toes. Xie Sui couldn’t bear to watch his foolishness. In the end, he couldn’t calculate anything. He didn’t know how much he had bought or what he had bought; it was all handled by Xie Sui.
“Brother Xie, how much have I earned?”
“Roughly a hundred million. This is just the beginning, why are you so flustered?”
“A hundred million? That’s not much, indeed. But I’m content. Should we close our positions now?”
“No hurry. Let the bullets fly for a while.”
They didn’t understand this reference and looked at him blankly.
This day was a dark one for many. Xie Sui hid in his room, not daring to show his face. Going out now would only attract hatred. Reporters were gathered outside, wanting to get the first interview with him. Xie Sui had laid out his short-selling strategy long ago. Did he have foresight? To be bearish when everyone was bullish, to go against the grain – he was truly an extraordinary person.
The day passed quickly. Outside, there was a deathly silence. Those who needed to lament had already wailed, and now they were numb to the decline. Xie Sui and his group waited until everyone had dispersed before sneaking out. They were still blocked by reporters, but bodyguards intervened, and they got into a car and returned to their company.
In a small lounge, three people popped champagne and secretly celebrated. “Brother Xie, you’re a miracle! I think you’re the only one who dared to short the market this time. I’ve never seen such courage, even more impressive than my own father’s.”
He Mengchao also exclaimed, “Brother Xie’s title of ‘Little Stock God’ is truly deserved. He was bullish before and made a lot of money. He wasn’t always bearish. Those media outlets were talking nonsense, calling Brother Xie clairvoyant, treating him like a charlatan. If he were truly clairvoyant, wouldn’t it be more stable to make money by fortune-telling rather than in the stock market? Why wouldn’t Brother Xie become a Daoist priest then!”
Xie Sui calmly listened to his two brothers’ elaborate praise, a sense of ambition filling him. He began planning his future business empire. With the money earned from the stock market this time, he could lay the foundation, and he had secured a foothold on the future grand stage in advance.