"The ocean of learning is boundless."
Liang reviewed the stock market until ten-thirty and couldn't help but express his emotions.
Ever since the trend shifted from rising to falling, the activity of Chinese Online drastically declined, lingering around 17.45 yuan.
17.5 yuan seemed to become a hurdle, with tens of millions of funds stacked above it, further gnawing at market confidence.
Logically, when the market loses confidence, stock trends should plummet abruptly, but that wasn't the case—it was a slow decline.
Liang guessed that the market maker was tightly controlling the situation.
This tactic wasn't particularly clever, but it was meticulous, continuously buying without setting up a buying line.
Because if a buying line were set, retail investors could see the buy and sell orders up to the tenth level in the trade details.
Once retail investors see that there's backing capital below, they would start to have expectations, and the market maker wouldn't be able to acquire chips at a low price.
The market had taught him another lesson.
At eleven-thirty during the mid-session break, Liang got up to wash up, having already gone all in.
The A-share market implements a T+1 trading rule, which means you can only sell the day after you buy, so the day's market performance didn't concern him anymore.
Based on his predictions, this market trend should start on the following Monday because surging the price during trading would cost too much.
Leaving the hotel at noon, Liang drove his Bentley back to his apartment in Xinpu; he planned to move.
The apartment's environment was quite nice—a one-bedroom for only 2,300 yuan per month, fully furnished and ready to move in.
Apart from the mediocre soundproofing, everything else was quite satisfactory, but now he could afford to live somewhere better.
Having lived there for just over two months, Liang hadn't purchased much—his belongings wouldn't even fill a suitcase.
Mainly he thought that those things could be discarded and replaced with new purchases when necessary.
Liang turned to look across and suddenly thought of Li Manli, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth—he had nearly forgotten about her.
He knocked on the door opposite: "Manli, are you home?"
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from inside, and the door cracked open a sliver.
Li Manli, dressed in cartoon pajamas, peeked out from behind the door, her hair in disarray and a few strands sticking up, looking bewildered, as if she had just woken up.
"Liang, are you going on a business trip?"
Seeing Liang with his suitcase, Li Manli quickly put on a hat, hiding all her messy hair underneath.
Liang shook his head: "I'm planning to move away and thought I'd stop by to say hi since I saw you were home."
Li Manli gave a sound of realization, wanting to ask Liang where he was moving, but unsure of what grounds she had to inquire.
Friend? Hardly.
Neighbor? There was a chance to become good neighbors before, but she had shut him out.
"Oh, do you have time this afternoon?" Liang suddenly asked.
After all, Li Manli wasn't Zhang Qian; at 19 years old, it was unrealistic to expect her to make the first move.
To woo "Apple," he should be more proactive.
"I should be free; I don't start work until eight."
"Come with me to check out some apartments, for a second opinion."
Liang didn't give Li Manli a chance to refuse, smiling as he suggested: "You haven't eaten yet, right? We'll go have a meal first."
"But I just woke up and haven't washed or put on makeup," Li Manli hesitated.
On one hand, she truly wanted to get to know Liang, while on the other, she guessed his intentions.
Although young, working in the nightlife scene meant she was no naive Xiao Bai.
"No worries, I'll wait for you."
Liang went back into his room, waving at her.
"Oh, okay then, I'll be quick."
Li Manli steeled herself and accepted the invitation.
It was just a meal and helping him look at houses—nothing all that significant.
Seeing the door close, Liang's mouth curled into a smile, the most difficult first step had been successful, and the rest would be easier.
Twenty minutes later, Li Manli walked out of the room in a pink hoodie with a denim hole-pattern, her hair tied in twin ponytails, brimming with youth and vitality.
"Let's go." Liang led the way, pulling the suitcase in front.
He didn't compliment Li Manli on how pretty her outfit was or how good-looking she was because for a girl who is naturally beautiful, they hear these words too often.
Liang aimed to play to his strengths and stand out from the other suitors.
His strength, naturally, was his wealth.
Arriving downstairs, a blue Bentley was parked at the door.
The top-of-the-line luxury car, priced at 4.8 million, always attracted the glances of passersby.
Liang, unfazed by the attention of strangers, opened the passenger door and waved with a smile, "Princess, please get in."
"Stop it, Liang," Li Manli's cheeks flushed as she ducked her head and hurried into the car.
She didn't know how much the car was worth, but judging by the envious looks of passersby, it mustn't be cheap.
The moment Liang opened the car door for her, she felt like the star of the area, greatly satisfied inwardly.
Liang smiled, opened the trunk, put the suitcase inside and drove away.
Along the way, at every red light, the blue Bentley always caught the attention of pedestrians, whether intentionally or not, a luxury car always draws a few extra glances.
Liang noticed Li Manli's subtle actions and his mouth curled upwards, but he didn't call her out.
He liked vanity in girls because he could satisfy their vain desires.
When they returned to the Peace Restaurant, he parked the car at the entrance.
Liang handed over the car keys, letting the doorman help with parking.
Tan Tao bowed respectfully, a smile on his face: "Welcome back, Mr. Lu."
"Second-floor public restaurant," Liang said.
Tan Tao led them to the second floor and arranged the best window-side seat for them.
"Manli, do you have any dietary restrictions?" Liang browsed through the menu.
"No cilantro, everything else is fine," Li Manli answered absent-mindedly.
Because outside the window was Modu's famous Bund, and further away was the glittering, invaluable Lujiazui.
Coming here from Xinpu gave her the feeling of having arrived in another world—everything she had seen on the way reinforced the impression that this was the real Shanghai lifestyle.
By the time Liang finished ordering, Li Manli couldn't help asking, "Do you come here often, Liang?"
"From time to time. I've been living upstairs recently and have come down a few times. The food tastes quite good."
Liang spoke calmly, not exaggerating. To Li Manli, however, it sounded modest.
A meal that cost forty-two hundred later, the two went to the other side of the second floor to rest in the coffee shop.
Li Manli, out of character, eagerly helped Liang search for a new residence, methodically analyzing the advantages of various complexes.
What she didn't realize was that Liang had once been a real estate agent and knew far more than she did about the geographic advantages of each area.
But Liang was very pleased to witness this scene. He wore a smile, occasionally contributing comments and opinions.
After a while, Li Manli took a sip of coffee and asked, "How much is your budget, Liang?"
"Any is fine," Liang said, looking across the river and adding, "Living over there should be pretty nice."
"Where?" Li Manli followed his gaze; across the river seemed to be all office buildings, with no residential areas in sight.
"Right next to the Global Center; those four buildings."
A glint of determination flashed in Liang's eyes.
He had long determined his residence; asking Li Manli for advice was just an excuse to ask her out.
Li Manli checked the information, not quite sure: "Are those buildings called Tangchen Yipin?"
"That should be the name."
Without further ado, Liang pulled Li Manli along, "Let's go have a look over there."