"Repeated absence from work, complete disregard for company rules and regulations, I will report your misconduct to headquarters."
"Mr. Liu, are you serious? Your words are so soft, might as well say nothing. Let's talk when I get the document to fire me."
The two stood toe to toe, Lu Liang with all guns blazing, while Liu Jianchun, who had spent too much time in his office, was no match at all, his face turning red with rage and looking like he was about to keel over any second.
Lu Liang had been annoyed with Liu Jianchun for more than a day or two, a relative from headquarters who knew nothing but officialese.
In the past, with a family and mortgage to pay, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and endure.
Now as a lone wolf, he feared nothing.
Zhou Xiaowen was terrified and couldn't help but whisper, "Lu, maybe you should say less."
Lu Liang didn't respond, while Liu Jianchun, as if his tail had been stepped on, exploded in rage, "What are you standing around for? Not going to chase up deals, waiting for lunchtime?"
"Oh, okay…" Zhou Xiaowen's face turned pale with fear, she silently returned to her desk, her shoulders shaking involuntarily.
"What else do you know how to do, Liu Jianchun, besides barking orders?" Lu Liang's eyes brimmed with malice before turning and flashing a gentle smile, "Xiaowen, I'll hand a few clients over to you. You should be able to close a few deals on your own."
"Lu… Lu, are you quitting?" Zhou Xiaowen's lips trembled pitifully, wrenching the heart.
"Don't cry, don't cry, I'm not quitting. If I quit, Mr. Liu will be happy, won't he, Mr. Liu."
After comforting Zhou Xiaowen, Lu Liang walked to the check-in area and scanned his face, "Today counts as late and leaving early, deduct whatever wages you need to. I've got things to do, so I'm off."
"Friends, I wish you all a pleasant day."
Watching Liu Jianchun's frustration, Lu Liang felt invigorated with clarity of mind. He waved his hand and left without a cloud in sight.
"What are you looking at? Doesn't anyone have work to do?"
Liu Jianchun, grinding his teeth, stormed back into his office. He couldn't wait a moment longer; he was set on reporting to headquarters to get Lu Liang fired.
A loud bang followed as the door slammed shut.
Yet Liu Jianchun's warnings did nothing to stop the murmurs among the staff, "Damn, Lu is too cool."
"He's cool, but he's not thinking of the consequences."
"Lu's divorced now, no wife, no kids, a sole breadwinner, if worse comes to worst, just lay low for a year and a half, what's the harm."
"Tsk, what has marriage really given to a man? Without the chains of marriage, his charm seems to have skyrocketed."
"Xiaowen, stop gawking and go contact those clients. You're lucky; Lu left his resources to you."
"Right, Lu's resources are pretty great. You owe us a meal if you close a deal. And I'd be more than glad to help."
"You and your scheming, I can hear it from here. Xiaowen, just ignore them."
Zhou Xiaowen bit her lip, watching the direction Lu Liang had left in, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
...
"Yeah, he probably is quite handsome."
"But what should I do next?"
Lu Liang wandered around the mall, the weather outside a bit chilly, but warm inside the mall.
5000 applications, how many will actually get a slot, have to wait for tomorrow's lottery to find out.
If the gossip is accurate, and the stock goes public in two days, there will be 37 limit-up days in 40 days.
But that also means at least two, maybe two and a half months, he'll have nothing to do.
"Seems like I've gained some weight."
Lu Liang, sipping on coffee, looked down at his slightly protruding belly.
Before marriage, he'd sometimes go hiking, trekking, or play basketball with friends. After getting married, life's grind just made him want to lie flat.
Now, seriously out of shape, he could only wear XXL clothes.
Suddenly, Lu Liang had a plan. He took a taxi straight to the hospital and got a full check-up, inside and out.
Middle-aged, all sorts of small ailments are creeping up, he'd long thought about getting a health check but just never had the time.
Eventually, it turned up a slight fatty liver, slightly high blood lipids, and some inflammation in the respiratory tract.
While all minor issues, who knows if they might turn into something serious from overwork.
"Since I've got two months, might as well start a bit of training."
Lu Liang planned to take good care of his health, not looking for six-pack abs, but at least to get rid of the belly and lower the blood lipids. Returning to the standard physique of 181cm/75kg.
Come evening, Lu Liang returned to his apartment.
Found a bag of fruit hanging on the door with a note attached, "Sorry for what happened last night."
Lu Liang chuckled, knocking on the door across the hall. Seemingly no one inside, and no one answered for a long time.
He left the bag of fruit at the neighbor's door, just as he was about to return to his place, the door behind him opened.
"Uh, I waited for you for a long time, but you weren't home all day."
Li Manli appeared reserved, wearing a new outfit—a white blouse and a black leather skirt, with a black silk ribbon tied around her neck.
Her makeup was exquisitely applied, not only with eye shadow and blush but also a layer of subtle glitter around her eyes.
She was very beautiful, young, and knew how to dress well, exuding both youthfulness and sensuality.
"Is there something you need?" Lu Liang stopped to ask.
"I'm really thankful for last night." Li Manli mustered her courage, picking up the fruit, "Uh, would you please accept this?"
"My name is Lu Liang, not 'uh.'" Lu Liang said calmly, having cooled down quite a bit since yesterday.
"In that case, Liang, would you please accept it?" Li Manli asked again with an embarrassed expression, stubbornly persisting.
"Drink less next time." Lu Liang took the fruit, feeling completely justified in accepting it.
"Okay, then bye."
Li Manli breathed a sigh of relief and hurried off.
"Which nightclub is she working at?"
Lu Liang stroked his chin, watching her retreating figure.
Drinking until two or three in the morning on a weekday, then getting dolled up at night, it wasn't hard to guess her occupation.
...
The next day, Lu Liang started his fitness routine.
It began with a leisurely, untimed jog for one kilometer, aiming for a pace of seven minutes per kilometer over a distance of ten kilometers.
For lunch, he ate high-quality proteins like beef and shrimp, as well as high-fiber foods like corn and sweet potatoes.
According to the plan, he was to take a thirty-minute walk after lunch to aid digestion, followed by a ninety-minute nap.
But at one o'clock this afternoon, the results for the Baofeng Technology stock subscription were due, and Lu Liang was too anxious to nap.
Just after one o'clock, he received a call from his stockbroker Zhao Haisheng; out of 5,000 lottery entries, he had won 68 lots.
Each lot on the Growth Enterprise Market represented 500 shares, totaling 34,000 shares, with each share costing 7.14 yuan, which required a payment of 242,700 yuan.
After completing the fund subscription, Lu Liang also consolidated his remaining funds, totaling 307,300 yuan.
In the following days, he exercised regularly, stuck to a healthy diet, and maintained a disciplined sleep schedule.
On March 24th, Baofeng Technology was listed as scheduled, and like all new stocks, it hit the daily price limit as soon as the market opened.
One day, two days...
One week, two weeks, three weeks...
With a daily increase of ten percent, it had quietly achieved fifteen consecutive days of hitting the price ceiling.
The capital ceiling of several hundred thousand shares was tightly in place, and on the fifteenth trading day, the turnover rate was still below 5%.
The market began to realize something was off.
There was a peculiarity~
As of the last trading day, the stock price had reached 29.82 yuan, an increase of 4.16 times compared to its issue price.
The 34,000 shares Lu Liang held had skyrocketed in value from the initial 242,700 yuan to 1,013,800 yuan.
"Fifteen consecutive days at the price ceiling, 29.82 yuan, to say now that it will increase tenfold, I'm afraid no one would believe it."
Lu Liang had played the stock market before,
but always incurred losses, ultimately forced to cut his losses and exit the market.
Now armed with knowledge of future outcomes, this was a great learning opportunity for him.
He watched the flow of funds in and out every day, along with various related news, trying to discern a pattern.
If he could grasp even a bit of the secret, then even without future insights, Lu Liang could rely on his experience and initial capital to live a wealthy life.
Lu Liang firmly believed that the financial market was not without patterns, especially in a closed stock market like A-shares.
It was like the domestic entertainment industry, which, since the introduction of capital, had started mass-producing homogeneous films and television works, along with cookie-cutter leading men and ladies.
Capital seeks stability, just like hit works and popular stars. In their unbridled growth, they have a value of 50-100.
But if stable output could be guaranteed, capital would be willing to settle for products and stars with a score of 80, or even 70.
The financial market is the stronghold of capital; there must be discernible patterns.
Although Lu Liang wasn't academically inclined, he always had a keen interest in knowledge outside of textbooks, especially that which could earn money.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to leave his rural home with only a diploma, and settle in Modu within just ten years.
He achieved what many elite graduates could not.