Chapter 1: Top Operator Reborn as a Leek

On a street in New City, a few gangsters had surrounded a sophomore college student. A young man with a tattoo on his arm stared at the student with a mocking expression.

"If you still can't pay back the money after two months, what should you do?" he sneered.

"I'll go with you if I can't repay the debt in two months, and you can deal with me however you like," Fang Hong replied calmly. The debt wasn't originally his; it was a foolish decision made by the previous owner of this body.

Now, however, a soul from the future had been reborn in this body. Fang Hong was a world-class financial tycoon, someone who had once commanded the global capital markets.

With this unexpected rebirth, he had inherited all the original owner's memories—along with the troubles and debts that came with them.

The gangsters were momentarily stunned by Fang Hong's calm demeanor. The tattooed man leading them frowned slightly. This was already the third time he had come to collect the debt from Fang Hong. Previously, the young man had begged for forgiveness and pleaded desperately. But now, he seemed like a completely different person.

To Fang Hong, however, this was nothing. Before his rebirth, he had experienced much bigger crises in the financial world. Being cornered by street thugs for debt collection was a trivial matter. The only question was how to deal with it in the most efficient way.

To him, problems that could be solved with money were not real problems at all. Even though he was penniless right now, he was confident that, with his expertise in the financial markets, he would soon accumulate massive wealth again.

The original owner of this body was a sophomore student and an amateur stock trader. But he was nothing more than a clueless retail investor—a "leek" waiting to be harvested. In October of the previous year, when the market was at 6,000 points, he had recklessly gone all-in with borrowed money, even resorting to high-interest loans.

Now, it was July 2008, and the summer vacation had just begun. The market had crashed from its peak of 6,124 points and had plunged below 3,000 points, showing no signs of stopping. Countless investors had gone bankrupt, and the original owner was one of them.

The tattooed man smirked and gave Fang Hong a thumbs-up. "Well, well, you've grown some guts! I like that. But remember—two months from now, you need to pay back 330,000 yuan, principal and interest included. If you don't, you know the consequences."

In this era, 330,000 yuan was an enormous sum of money.

Fang Hong simply asked, "Can I leave now?"

The tattooed man exchanged glances with his subordinates before nodding. Seeing this, the gangsters stepped aside. Fang Hong walked away, his steps calm and steady. None of the gangsters tried to stop him.

A Plan for Wealth

About half an hour later, instead of returning to New City University, Fang Hong entered an internet café near the campus.

He found a quiet corner, turned on a computer, and immediately started downloading market analysis software. Since he didn't own a computer and the university's internet speed was terrible, this was his best option. Even the internet speed at the café felt unbearably slow to him, given that he had come from the future. But he didn't complain—he was adaptable.

While waiting for the software to install, Fang Hong focused on another matter. Upon his rebirth, he had gained something called the "Social Reputation System." After repeatedly verifying its existence, he confirmed that it was not an illusion—it was his golden finger, his cheat ability.

At that moment, a translucent panel, visible only to him, appeared on the screen.

[Social Reputation System]

Binder: Fang Hong

By increasing social reputation and influence, the user can earn achievement points, which can be exchanged for special item cards.

Current Reputation: 0

Available Achievement Points: 0

Item Store: Locked (Unlocks at Reputation 1+)

Fang Hong studied the interface with interest. "So, I need to raise my reputation? Interesting… I wonder what kinds of items I can redeem."

With a thought, the panel disappeared. He could summon it whenever needed.

Raising social reputation and influence wasn't difficult for him. There were many ways to achieve it—one of the most direct being making money and becoming a high-profile billionaire.

Fang Hong had absolute confidence in his abilities. The financial markets were his playground, and making money was second nature to him.

Finally, the market software finished installing.

Putting aside his thoughts about the system, Fang Hong logged into the original owner's securities account. His first priority was dealing with the debt.

In two months, he needed to repay 330,000 yuan, of which approximately 250,000 was accumulated interest from the loan. While the law didn't recognize the full legitimacy of high-interest loans, Fang Hong wasn't interested in legal battles. The simplest and most efficient way was to earn the money and pay off the debt in full, avoiding unnecessary complications.

In Fang Hong's worldview, any problem that could be solved with money was not worth overcomplicating. Paying directly was the lowest-cost solution.

Today was Friday, July 11, 2008, around 10 AM. The A-share market was in its morning trading session.

That week, the market had rebounded from 2,560 points to 2,952 points, but Fang Hong knew it was just a temporary correction in a broader downtrend. A deeper crash was inevitable.

Not that it mattered to him—whether the market was bullish or bearish, he could always make money. This was the confidence of a top operator. And now, with his knowledge of future events, he had an even greater advantage.

He glanced at the account's transaction history. The portfolio showed a cumulative loss of -89.05%, with only 8,700 yuan left in the account.

The performance graph showed a consistent downward trend, without a single meaningful rebound.

Shaking his head, Fang Hong assessed the situation. The original owner had lost over 70,000 yuan—an enormous amount for a college student from a working-class family. With a minimum wage of 600–700 yuan at the time, such losses were devastating.

And how had he gotten this much money to invest? By taking out a high-interest loan with himself as collateral. If he failed to repay it, he would be sold to Southeast Asia as a laborer.

"At least there's still 8,700 yuan left," Fang Hong muttered. He immediately sold off the remaining stocks, which were continuing to drop. After liquidation, his account balance settled at 8,650 yuan.

He then switched screens to scan the market for an opportunity.

First Step to a Comeback

As he was analyzing stocks, a man in his early thirties sat down at the computer next to him. Seeing Fang Hong's screen, he couldn't help but comment, "Kid, you're trading stocks at your age?"

Fang Hong turned to him with a polite smile. "Just started not long ago."

The man sighed. "Let me give you some advice. I've been in the market for ten years, and I've lost everything. I watched experts tell me to 'hold' from 6,000 points down to 2,500. If you're smart, you'll quit before it's too late."

Fang Hong smiled but didn't argue. "I'm just playing around."

He then focused back on the screen. After careful analysis, he selected Xinhua Jin (600735) and invested his entire balance of 8,650 yuan.

At exactly 10:35 AM, his purchase was completed. At that moment, the stock's total trade volume was 47,600 yuan, including Fang Hong's entire position.

The man next to him shook his head when he saw Fang Hong's choice. "Throwing your entire balance into a single stock? That's pure rookie behavior. You probably don't even know the auction rules."

Fang Hong smirked. "We'll see."

And just like that, his journey to rebuilding his financial empire had begun.