Ling Yue gently smiled, "I'm just taking a look."
Auntie heard this and revealed an expression as if she knew it, "Young lady, you have to watch stocks more, like me, I come to the stock exchange every day. I won't say I know 100% which stock will rise, but steady gains without losses. The stocks I bought last week have made nearly 10,000 yuan now."
"That's quite good," Ling Yue nodded in agreement.
Auntie looked around and moved closer to Ling Yue, "Do you want to buy the same stocks as me? I have inside information. That stock will definitely make you rich."
Faced with Auntie's enthusiasm, Ling Yue was a little overwhelmed. She shifted away to create some distance between them, "Thank you! I'll just take a look myself."
Seeing Ling Yue's aloof attitude, Auntie chuckled and glanced at the curve on the stock display before bowing her head to continue knitting.
Ling Yue watched the stock display for a while before getting up and walking towards the trading desk.
Auntie looked up at Ling Yue and curled her lips, "Not listening to the elderly leads to losses right before your eyes."
Ling Yue arrived at the trading desk and glanced around. Her gaze landed on a woman in a black suit with a name tag pinned to her chest. She walked over.
Liang Yu tapped away at her keyboard, eyes glued to the computer screen in front of her. Hearing someone call her, she looked up and revealed a professional smile, "Hello!"
"I want to invest in a stock. Can you help open an account for me?" Ling Yue handed over her ID card and bank card to Liang Yu.
"Which stock are you looking at?" Liang Yu smiled and took Ling Yue's ID card and bank card.
"Star Ring Technology."
Liang Yu was stunned for a moment. "Are you sure you want to buy that stock? Its performance has been quite poor these past few days. Why don't I recommend some other stocks to you instead? Their performance has been great recently." Star Ring Technology had been dropping continuously these past few days. Buying that stock would probably lead to huge losses.
Ling Yue shook her head. "No need. I want to buy Star Ring Technology."
Seeing Ling Yue's insistence, Liang Yu could only reluctantly agree. "Alright then. How much are you investing initially?"
"1.8 million."
Liang Yu was stunned again. She sized up Ling Yue before starting to operate the computer. Only big clients would invest such a huge sum at one go. Most were retail investors with just a few thousand to play around with.
After helping Ling Yue open an account, Liang Yu returned the ID card and bank card. "I'm Liang Yu. From now on, I'll be your personal account manager. Feel free to call me anytime. Here's my name card."
Liang Yu spoke as she handed a name card to Ling Yue.
Ling Yue nodded as she accepted the name card before turning to leave. She had analyzed Star Ring Technology's stock charts earlier at the internet cafe. It was a foreign listed company. The continuous decline was due to someone deliberately manipulating it. If her guess was right, the stock would surge over the next couple of days.
Liang Yu retracted her gaze and sighed. That money was going to be washed down the drain. Hopefully the other party could handle the loss when the time came.
Ling Yue strolled leisurely along the tree-lined avenue. Seeing a smelly tofu stall across the street, she decided to buy some. The smell was pungent but it tasted delicious. She loved it.
At the crossroad, Ling Yue stopped to wait for the traffic light. Her gaze fell on a lifeless youth squatting by the roadside staring at passing vehicles. She recognized him instantly as the one who had jumped into the river previously.
After a moment of hesitation, she walked over. "What's troubling you so much that you have to seek death?"
The youth looked up in surprise and glanced at Ling Yue with a bitter smile. "You don't know the taste of despair."
Ling Yue squatted down beside the youth. "Haven't you heard of finding hope in despair?" Based on his facial features, he was destined for great wealth and success. This must be what was meant by the saying 'Heaven grants heavy responsibility only to the capable, it first makes their mind endure suffering'.
The youth shook his head. His eyes were full of despair. "I have no hope left in this lifetime." He was a computer science student. Feeling that the internet had good prospects, he had set up an online shopping site. To establish the site, he had borrowed from every relative and friend he could, promising them high interest rates. But reality had slapped him hard. Those funds were far from enough to operate the site. Now those relatives and friends came to his house every day to demand repayment. He was driven to desperation and that was why he had chosen to jump into the river.
He was squatting by the road now, hoping to just dash in front of a passing car and get some compensation money perhaps.
"Tell me your story. Let's see if I can help," Ling Yue took out a candy from her pocket and handed it to the youth. It was given to her by Granny Xu when she left home this morning.
The youth did not accept the candy. He heaved a long sigh and recounted what had happened to him. "Those people come to my house every day demanding money. My parents are now bedridden because of this."
He grabbed his hair forcefully, anguish and self-reproach on his face. He had hoped to give his elderly parents a good life in their sunset years. But now he had brought them to this state. He deserved death.
"I can invest in you. How much do you need?" Ling Yue also felt that the shopping site he had established was good with potential.
The youth looked at Ling Yue in surprise before thinking of the mess he was in. He shook his head. "Thank you! But it's not a small sum." He could tell this young lady was just an ordinary person from her dressing. She definitely didn't know the amount of funds needed to invest in a website. Still, he appreciated her gesture. It brought a ray of sunshine in his darkest moment.
"I'm serious. I'm willing to invest but I have a condition. I want half the equity," Ling Yue looked at the youth earnestly.
The youth stared at Ling Yue for a long time before slowly replying, "I accept your condition. I can give you 60% equity but I need 30 million." He had approached many people for partnership recently but was rejected every time. It wasn't that they couldn't produce 30 million. They simply didn't see potential in the shopping site he had established. Repeated rejections and despair had driven him to take his own life.
Ling Yue nodded decisively. "Alright. Do you have a mobile phone?"
"Yes, but it's been cut off," the youth replied awkwardly.
Ling Yue took out 2000 yuan from her pocket and handed it to the youth. "Use this money first. Meet me here at noon tomorrow." She had invested all her money in the stock market. She would have to wait for the stocks to rise before selling. The fastest way to get money now was through antiques and gambling stones. She planned to bring the youth antique shopping tomorrow.
