"Liang, want to grab breakfast together later?"
For two consecutive days, Lu Liang had been showing up at the community fitness center at the same time, where he had made a new friend.
His name was Meng Changkun, seven years Lu Liang's senior, a shareholder in several companies, and a well-known figure in Shanghai's venture capital circles.
Close in age, they met in the fitness center's swimming pool and discovered they had quite a bit in common to talk about.
"Sure, Mr. Kun, just let me change."
After showering, Lu Liang changed into fresh clothes and put his workout outfit into a numbered bag to hand over to the staff.
Having just moved to Tangchen Yipin the day before yesterday, he got himself an annual membership at the Tangchen Clubhouse fitness center and also rented a small private room.
After exercising, there was no need to go back home all sweaty to change—just leave it with the management.
They would wash and dry everything, and by the next day, clothes and toiletries would be neatly placed back in the private room.
"How's the figure on that beauty?"
Sitting down for a meal at a restaurant near the community entrance, Meng Changkun's eyes were constantly sneaking peeks at the passing beauties.
The two had met because of a beauty, too.
A bombshell beauty had appeared at the swimming pool, and they had both watched her with appreciative eyes.
Then their eyes met, they exchanged a few appropriate comments, shared the same views and opinions, and immediately felt like they were old friends.
"Forget it, she does have a great figure, but the face has definitely had some work done, at the very least some hyaluronic acid shots."
Lu Liang followed his gaze to a stunning woman in tight jeans that truly defined peachy buttocks, pert and upright, walking in high heels with straight, slender calves.
But one look at her face—her nose, chin, and even the apple of her cheeks—felt strangely off, instantly killing his admiration.
He preferred the all-natural type.
"You don't get it. What does it matter if she's had plastic surgery? It's not like you're going to marry her. This kind surely knows how to have fun, and that has a flavor of its own," Meng Changkun shook his head, voicing his disagreement with the air of one who's been around, offering his many years of expertise in assessing women.
Suddenly, his conversation took a turn, "Lu, if you're into the natural type, I do have an opportunity for you.
There's a web series producer who came to me recently wanting me to invest. Interested in joining me for a casting call?"
"The girls coming in for auditions are mostly from art schools, pure and lovely, definitely meeting all your criteria."
Lu Liang had suddenly popped up, young and living in Tangchen Yipin, cruising around in a Bentley worth millions.
He had inquired and found no affiliated enterprises under Lu Liang's name.
Meng Changkun couldn't quite figure him out and planned to use this opportunity to test Lu Liang's depth.
Lu Liang raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "At the audition, will the girls be goldfish or woodfish?"
Meng Changkun was briefly taken aback, then burst into laughter, "That'll depend on your skills."
You can only look at goldfish, but you can touch woodfish.
With all seriousness, Lu Liang clasped his hands together and said, "Mr. Kun, you must take your little brother along."
"Absolutely, if we're choosing the cast in a few days, I'll give you a call in advance."
"Waiting for the good news."
After exchanging glances, they steered clear of this topic.
Suddenly Meng Changkun's phone rang; after taking the call, he came back and said, "Brother, I've paid the bill. Got something at the company, so I'll leave first."
"Okay, see you, take care," Lu Liang said with a smile, waving goodbye as Meng Changkun departed.
He didn't just choose to live in Tangchen Yipin for the sake of luxury, he was also looking to expand his social network.
Even if just renting, the lowest rent per unit per month was seventy-two thousand, a quite high threshold.
It also meant that even if you used half your monthly income to pay rent, you'd need an annual salary of over 1.8 million.
You could say, people living here were elites from various industries or influential second and third generations.
Lu Liang was unclear about where life would take him, but he knew that just having money was not enough.
"It's almost nine-thirty; time to head back and keep an eye on the stocks."
Lu Liang took a sip of soy milk, picked up the half-sandwich left on his plate, and, unconcerned with the stares, ate as he walked home.
Even during the weekend, he wasn't idling around; mainly, he was decorating his study, buying a computer worth over ten thousand, and setting up several medium and small screens to better monitor and trade in the stock market.
Lu Liang felt that the reason Chinese Online's market hadn't taken off last Friday had everything to do with him.
There had been flaws in his approach. He shouldn't have placed orders but should have learned from the Market Makers, slowly buying in, achieving an effect as undetectable as a spring dream.
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But at that time, because he was operating with a mobile phone, he couldn't respond in time, which is why he ended up decorating the study.
A computer, three screens, this would become his personal "battlefield" for the coming period of time.
At 9:15 AM, pre-market bidding began.
Initially, the shares of Chinese Online didn't fluctuate much, making it frustrating to watch, until the last five minutes before the bidding ended.
Suddenly, like injecting adrenaline, thousands of shares, tens of thousands of shares, each bid higher than the last, until the market opened.
The opening price was 18.98 yuan,
an increase of 1.48 yuan, opening high at 8.5%.
Liang's cost price was 17.91 yuan, his total assets instantly turned from loss to profit, earning 630,000 yuan.
The high opening gave small investors holding shares hope, they were looking forward to a surge to the limit-up.
However, the "Market Maker" would not allow small investors to have their wishes fulfilled; he would wash out those with weaker resolve as much as possible.
19 yuan seemed to be an insurmountable barrier,
once, twice, thrice unable to break through upwards.
Some people began to hesitate, knowing it's common sense that after a spike comes a fall, and if it couldn't break through upwards, it was bound to fall.
Murphy's Law kicked in once more, small investors feared what would come, and the momentum of buying funds rapidly decreased, causing stock prices to start falling.
8.5%... 7.8%... 6.6%...
The gains that were in hand were being eroded bit by bit, like a blunt knife cutting into the flesh.
A large number of small investors panicked, not willing to let the duck that was almost in their mouths fly away, hurriedly cashing out following the trend, to secure their profits as soon as possible.
Among them was Zhang Qian, whose cost price was 17.47 yuan, even lower than the opening price of 17.5 yuan today.
Now there was still a 6.5% gain,
if she sold now, she could earn 4,900 yuan.
But she hardly played with stocks and carelessly entered a selling price that was 1 yuan too high.
She should have sold at 18.55 yuan, but she entered 19.55 yuan, even though the limit up was only 19.25 yuan.
"Hurry, hurry, if I don't sell now, it'll be too late," Zhang Qian was anxious, wanting to cancel the transaction and sell again.
Suddenly, a huge sum of money poured into the market, sweeping up all the sell orders, with a giant bullish candle piercing the Skyline.
20,000 shares… 30,000 shares… 50,000 shares,
In just a few breaths, Chinese Online hit the limit-up.
The funds used to hit the limit-up reached 145 million yuan.
Even during the instance of the limit-up, sell orders totaling over thirty million yuan came one after another but couldn't make a dent.
It was solid as iron,
allowing one to finish today's trading journey with peace of mind.
"Thank goodness I entered the wrong selling price."
Watching her assets skyrocket by 8,200 yuan, nearing ninety thousand, Zhang Qian hastily canceled the transaction order.
Because of such massive funds hitting the limit-up, the stock would at least open high tomorrow if it didn't continue to surge.
She thought of Lu Liang and excitedly called him, "Liang, Liang, it really hit limit-up."
"You didn't sell too early, did you?"
Today's operation by the Market Maker taught Lu Liang another lesson.
High-level shakeout, that moment of the plunge washed away at least tens of millions in funds.
"How could I? I always believed in you."
Zhang Qian's voice was a little lower, slightly guilt-ridden
Had she not made the pricing error, she indeed would have sold too early, becoming one of the countless ones beating their chests in regret.
For stock investors, what they fear the most is not losing money, but being shaken out at high levels, failing before dawn.
The stock forum was in uproar, filled with cursing posts, wishing Zhuang Sheng's son didn't have eczema, and various other insults.
Most of them were small investors who had held their tickets for a week, or two weeks, or even longer, but all fell before dawn.
Because from the currently known outcomes and the funds accumulated at the limit-up, it was suggested that there wasn't just one limit-up.
The Market Maker had grand ambitions.
Otherwise, he would not have lurked for such a long time building his position.
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