Chapter 19

Li Qian had never opened a brokerage account, but she studied economics and knew something about the market. Eight out of ten retail investors in China’s A-share market lost money. Without inside information or professional analytical skills, an ordinary person entering it was liable to get trapped; it was little different from gambling.

She nearly asked how he could simply throw his money in, but swallowed the words and chose them carefully. “Have you studied the stock market? You just invested all of it?”

“Yes!”

His matter-of-fact manner made her first think someone must have misled him. What could a freshman learn, even if he’d spent every day of summer on stock forums? He’d probably heard an older acquaintance had made money trading and rushed in on impulse. She’d heard countless classroom examples of such small investors: each entered believing himself a stock-market genius, only to leave realizing he’d been easy prey.

“Could you show me the stock you bought?”

Liu Xun drove onto the main road, glanced at her, and smiled. “Oh? Getting that deep into character? Already managing my finances?”

“What character?”

She blinked, then realized he meant his suggestion yesterday that they practice being an ordinary married couple. Red flooded from her ears down her neck. She turned to the window and watched the roadside trees slide past.

Amused, Liu Xun kept one hand on the wheel, took his phone from his pocket with the other, tapped twice, and handed it to her. “Here, honey. Look at my account before you say anything else.”

Before she could correct the form of address, the phone was in her hand. Tonghuashun displayed his holdings. Her pupils contracted.

Total assets: 3.44 million yuan.

Estimated profit today: 120,000 yuan.

She stared without blinking. Three-point-four-four million was beyond her comprehension. Her family’s old house was worth less than even the odd amount at the end of that figure, and her mother’s monthly medicine bill was almost negligible by comparison. What tightened her chest even more was the smaller line below: today’s estimated profit, 120,000.

She’d worked part-time since her first year of high school: milk tea counter, restaurant service, tutoring, handing out flyers. All her exhausting savings combined didn’t amount to that. Liu Xun had spent the day shopping, eating, and playing with her while his stock account earned 120,000.

Something in her snapped. The disparity was like cold water over her head, bringing her sharply back to reality. She’d worried he might lose money and considered warning him; now the words stuck in her throat. If he had over three million in stocks, how much did he have in the bank?

She silently returned the phone and edged away from the driver’s seat, then farther still, until she was pressed against the door. She looked outside, lips tight, thoroughly discouraged.

Liu Xun saw her from the corner of his eye and felt both exasperated and amused. “What wife sits so far from her husband?” Without warning, he reached across, caught her arm, and pulled her toward him.

She instinctively tried to block him, only to trap his hand against her chest. Springy! She went rigid and shoved it away, red to the base of her neck. “Stop the car. I want to get out!”

Without changing expression, he returned his hand to the wheel. “Get out where? There’s nothing around here.”

She didn’t answer. He drove a little farther, and once the car was steady, spoke more seriously. “You know the market. Those figures are just numbers. Until I sell, it isn’t profit. One limit-down day and hundreds of thousands can vanish.”

“I’m eighteen. The money I’ve earned isn’t even a fraction of yours. You started working to support yourself in high school, while I was still asking my family for spending money. What you’ve accomplished is remarkable among people our age. I’m certainly not your equal.”

He meant it. Before graduating college, he had never earned a cent. The 2.8 million had come from his previous life, and the scratch-ticket prize wasn’t money he’d honestly earned through work. In hardship and independence, he was nowhere near Li Qian.

In his previous life, her online fans had seen only her most glorious side. By her appearance and bearing—

Only someone like Liu Xun, who knew her past, understood how difficult her life had been.

Her shoulders slowly loosened. She still didn’t turn, but the tension at her lips eased. Liu Xun saw her reflection in the window and knew his words had helped. He changed the subject.

“After military training, I plan to start a business in the university district. You study economics and have worked around here for two years. You understand how the shops operate better than I do. Help me think it through when the time comes.”

He was serious. Guangsheng Nonferrous Metals was the only 2010 stock he remembered; the next few years were a blank. He couldn’t live off his savings forever. A business would also give him a way to explain the source of his money to his parents and bring them home to enjoy life. He had the perspective of his previous life but lacked management experience. Li Qian’s work in various shops and her economics studies could fill that gap.

She finally turned. The blush hadn’t completely faded, but her sulk was gone and her eyes had brightened. She’d spent a year working part-time in the district and had accumulated a good understanding of busy locations, peak hours, and the costs of different businesses.

“The busiest businesses here serve students: food, entertainment, clothing, accessories. Entertainment costs too much to start, and food has the fiercest competition…”

She spoke confidently and at length. Liu Xun could tell she’d already studied the district’s market and knew what she was talking about. Though she’d seemed timid and passive around him before, discussing this brought out a different bearing, a glimpse of the future “Most Beautiful Woman Professor.”

“That makes sense. Put together a proposal for me when we get back. Once we’re making money, I’ll give you a share.”

She shook her head. “No need for a share. As your assistant, this is part of my job.”

“…All right.”