After Divorce, I Can Hear the Future

Chapter 16: You’re Supporting Me?

"Second or third?"

Lu Liang pondered, and then suddenly laughed.

He had liquidated his position, leaving 20.38 million in his securities account, having made a profit of nearly ten million.

No matter whether the dealer chose the second or third option, there would definitely be another small market movement next.

This was because several billion from institutional funds were still in the market. Until those funds were cashed out, they wouldn’t crash the market.

Lu Liang’s small family business meant that he could easily exit if the market took another turn. No matter what, he wouldn’t lose.

Having thought this through, he no longer hesitated and used half of his position—about 10 million.

He bought back in at the price of 30.98 yuan, helping the stock price break the 31 yuan mark again.

129 Huanghe Road—this was seen by the public as a location, but in the financial market, it was the name of an institution that managed several funds and over 30 billion in assets.

“Damn it, who the hell is this?”

“Coming back in? Do they really think we’re stepping stones?”

The fund manager of HP No. 3 was furious. He and the fund managers of 12 Banquan Road and 24 Wenzheng Road had teamed up, using over 600 million to create a large market movement for Chinese Online.

However, just when they were about to reap the rewards, someone suddenly broke the rules and exited early.

One or two million wasn’t a lot, but it threw off their plan and caused their costs to spike.

They had barely patched up the hole, and just when things were back on track, their opponent had come back in.

“Old Zheng? Or Old Zhou?”

He suspected there was a mole, otherwise, how could the timing of the cash-out have been so perfect? It was almost as if their positions had been monitored.

But then again, it didn’t seem likely there was a mole—after all, it was just one or two million, while their total investment was over 600 million.

If they didn’t exit in time, it could cause panic in the market, leading to a stampede as others sold off, and all 600 million might get stuck.

They couldn’t have missed that.

“Damn vulture.”

After eliminating various possibilities, the culprit became clear.

In the stock market, large retail investors with significant capital were sometimes called "vultures." They usually followed in the wake of the big players, picking up scraps, but now they had gotten bold, taking the first bite of fresh meat and were still not satisfied. ʀα₦ốᛒЁS

Meanwhile, he received a call from both Banquan Road No. 12 and Wenzheng Road No. 24, with their suspicions aligned. They no longer doubted each other.

“What do we do?” asked No. 12.

“Exit now? Trap him inside?” suggested No. 24.

No. 129, filled with anger, could only shake his head. “No change. The plan stays the same.”

He was furious but powerless. Their opponent had sold off once already, and this time they bought in with much less—probably not even ten million.

They couldn’t change the plan just because of one person. They would have to raise the stock price further to make up for this loss.

“Each of you put in another 20 million, and let’s push the stock price above 40 yuan…”

---

At exactly 3:00 PM, the stock market closed. The miracle reversal that countless retail investors had hoped for in the final moments did not materialize.

Chinese Online closed at 31.30 yuan, with a drop of -1.55%, ending the day's trading.

"Was it the second option?" Lu Liang muttered.

Unless something unexpected happened, tomorrow the market would either open lower or continue to decline. The rally would probably come next week, and the trend would soon be over.

He felt a bit disappointed. The institutions inside clearly didn’t have the same guts as the one behind Baofeng Technology.

If the stock had been aggressively pushed up in the final minutes, or if a drastic price movement like a ‘limit-up’ had occurred, it could have become the second "Baofeng."

It was clear they didn’t have the guts. They must have been afraid of getting summoned by the CSRC for a chat.

Lu Liang organized his notes, walked out of the study, and was greeted by the sweet scent of freshly baked bread.

The dining table was set with several plates of fresh pastries.

“I knew you’d be out soon,” Zhang Qian said, walking to the water bar and smiling. “Tea, coffee, or juice?”

“Coffee, I guess.” Lu Liang walked up behind her, hugging her waist and kissing her cheek. “You really know how to do everything.”

“Man’s heart, man’s stomach—got to keep one of them, right?”

“Why do I feel like you’ve kept both?” he grinned.

“If only that were true,” she smiled, handing him the coffee. “My vacation’s over. I’m going back to work tonight.”

“So soon? Not going to stay a few more days?”

Lu Liang seemed reluctant. After a few days of being pampered with delicious food and drinks, he wasn’t used to being on his own again.

“Not working? You supporting me?” Zhang Qian joked.

“Supporting? I can afford it,” Lu Liang said seriously. He had considered it—spending an extra 70 to 80 thousand a month was nothing, and he wasn’t short on cash.

“Forget it, this kind of talk is better left for young girls,” she laughed, a hint of tenderness in her eyes.

She knew exactly where she stood. If she were a few years younger, maybe she’d agree, but now it was impossible.

“Who’s more tempting than you?” Lu Liang didn’t try to persuade her further. “Being a long-term running buddy isn’t so bad.”

“And what about Lili?” Zhang Qian asked, a teasing smile on her face.

Last night, Lu Liang accidentally played a call on speakerphone. She had recognized the voice of Li Manli, the young girl sweetly calling “big brother”. The voice was so sweet it was hard to miss.

“She’s fine, and you’re fine,” Lu Liang replied seriously, offering no further explanation.

“Men,” Zhang Qian said, giving him a glare, then sighed.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She answered it, and her face changed immediately. “Liang Ge, I have something to do, I need to leave.”

Lu Liang immediately stopped smiling. “Do you need help?”

He saw the caller ID: Teacher Lin.

From the time he’d spent with Zhang Qian, Lu Liang knew she had a seven-year-old daughter named Zhang Yun, who was in first grade this year.

If she hadn’t mentioned it, Lu Liang wouldn’t have realized that Zhang Qian already had a 7-year-old daughter.

Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment. “If you’re not busy, I might need to trouble you.”

“No problem,” Lu Liang said as he grabbed his car keys and followed her out the door.

Zhang Qian nodded. “Let’s go to the elementary school first.”

Usually, it was her mother who helped take care of the child, but just now, the teacher had called. Her mother had fallen while picking up the child and was rushed to the hospital.

The situation had been urgent, so Zhang Yun was still at school.

On the way, Zhang Qian kept calling the hospital, asking about the condition. She was heading over immediately.

Lu Liang sped up, almost running a red light.

At the elementary school entrance, a delicate-looking little girl stood next to the teacher, looking a bit shy, but she looked similar to Zhang Qian.

As soon as Zhang Qian got out of the car, the girl saw her and immediately ran over, hugging her legs, her face streaked with tears. “Mom, is grandma okay?”

“Don’t cry, baby. Grandma’s fine. We’re going to the hospital now to see her.”

Zhang Qian thanked the teacher, and after a quick phone call to the hospital, she was relieved to hear it was just a bone fracture.

The teacher waved them off. “No need to thank us. Go to the hospital quickly.”

Zhang Qian took her daughter, Zhang Yun, and got into the car.

Before she could say anything, Lu Liang asked, “Which hospital?”

“At City Three,” Zhang Qian said, holding Zhang Yun’s hand. “Baby, say ‘hello’ to Uncle Lu.”

“Uncle Lu, hello! I’m Zhang Yun, 7 years old, in first grade.” Zhang Yun said sweetly.

“Good girl, don’t cry.” Lu Liang patted her head gently. “We were in a hurry, so I didn’t bring any gifts. How about Uncle Lu takes you to buy something later?”

The little girl blinked her big eyes, still with tears in them. “Uncle Lu, are you my mom’s boyfriend?”

“Good girl,” Zhang Qian snapped, scolding.

“Isn’t that so?” Lu Liang raised an eyebrow, then smiled. “Uncle Lu is your mom’s boyfriend. Next time, if she talks about you, just tell Uncle Lu. Uncle Lu will handle her.”

“Lu Liang!” Zhang Qian blushed and scolded.

“Really?” Zhang Yun’s eyes lit up. She clearly wanted to ask more, but Zhang Qian covered her mouth.