Chapter 26.2
The new students all got along surprisingly well. Lin Jingzhe finished settling in, and set about helping Deng Mai find a place to live.

Deng Mai didn’t want to go to school—according to him, it was “a waste of time and money.” He wanted to find work as soon as possible, no matter where, but Lin Jingzhe didn’t agree. He asked Fang Wenhao to help him check if there were any houses for rent not too far from the university.

In 1990, Yan City had yet to become overcrowded due to the influx of migrants, and the rent in the nearby residential area was still low. After visiting several residences, Lin Jingzhe ended up deciding on one that was twenty minutes walk away from Yan University. It was a three-bedroom apartment measuring about eighty square meters, freshly renovated and fully furnished. The rent was only 120 yuan a month.

Lin Jingzhe was accustomed to prices that were dozens of times higher, and to him, it was dirt cheap. For Deng Mai, however, the rent was sky-high; he didn’t think he would be able to make that much money in a month.

Thus, Deng Mai tried to refuse. Stubborn and sticking to his guns, he insisted on finding a job that came with lodging and meals. He was more distressed by the price than the person who was paying.

“Stop making a fuss, what kind of work do you plan to find? You need to stay around to help me,” Lin Jingzhe placated him.

“But there’s no need to rent such a big apartment!” Deng Mai was aware that Lin Jingzhe brought him to Yan City because he wanted him to do something, but spending almost one thousand yuan at once made his heart hurt like it had been stabbed with a knife. “It’s fine as long as there’s a bed. Didn’t Chen Jiankang’s mother say that the place they stayed for a few days before he could move into the dorm was two yuan a day?”

Deaf to his protests, Lin Jingzhe paid half a year’s rent, then told him, “I didn’t rent this place just for you—Gao Sheng, Zhou Haitang, and I will stay here most of the time too.”

He’d long-since been making plans. Yan City would develop rapidly in the next few years, so he would need to begin preparations soon if he wanted to start a business. This was what Lin Jingzhe had agonized about while he was still in Liyun Town. After all, a successful business launch wasn’t easy, but he would also be running it himself in the early stages, as well as trying to balance that with his university attendance. He held knowledge and education high in his heart; he’d studied as hard as he could to overcome the regrets left from his previous life, and gone all-out on the college entrance exam. He didn’t want to fail his studies because he was too busy with his company.

Deng Mai’s presence solved one of his pressing problems. Running a company required manpower. Though Deng Mai was still wet behind the ears, he was smart; with a bit of guidance, he could grow into a competent deputy. Once that was taken care of, Lin Jingzhe would only need to supervise the general direction of the company, and could leave the details for Deng Mai to handle.

This apartment could also be used as a temporary office—while it wasn’t a large venue, it should be enough in the early stages. And who knew what the situation would be in six months?

Deng Mai didn’t win the argument, but he couldn’t just walk out, so he had no choice but to obey. After giving the house a brief clean, they made space in the small, west-facing room and set up the portrait of Lin Jingzhe’s grandfather there. Lin Jingzhe brought it with him from Liyun Town.

Deng Mai cooked a pot of rice while Lin Jingzhe bought joss sticks and joss paper in a shop downstairs. He made the offering, then each of them knelt in front of the portrait, worshipped, and lit three sticks of incense.

Dumbstruck, Fang Wenhao watched them bustle about until Gao Sheng dragged him to pay his respects too. Recalling his grandpa’s words, he pulled Lin Jingzhe aside and asked in a low voice, “Do you have enough money left after paying both the tuition and the rent? If not, I have some on me, you can take it for now.”

Lin Jingzhe politely declined his kindness. However, after calculating everything, he found that there really wasn’t much money left.

His whole fortune had been a total of 20,000 yuan. More than half of it was spent in Shen City, to get away with bluffing Tian Dahua; most of the remaining money went to travel and food expenses, and now the tuition fee, the rent, and some necessities.

School hadn’t started yet, so Lin Jingzhe didn’t go back to the dorm that night, but spent it in the apartment. Stubborn as ever, Deng Mai gave him the master bedroom.

After he finished calculating, Lin Jingzhe opened the newspaper he’d brought at a newsstand earlier in the day. Yan City’s daily newspaper had much more content than the one in Liyun Town and included not only the finance section, but also the stock index’s closing value for the previous day.

The stock trading craze in Shen City had developed into a white-hot frenzy, becoming a social phenomenon. Countless people hoped to become shareholders, but were unable to enter the market; there were frequent reports of state-owned enterprises and factories in the neighboring cities firing workers because they had engaged in stock speculation. Financial editors were no longer pessimistic about the future of the stock market, as they used to be—they mended their erroneous ways, sought improvement, and pointed their pens straight towards the reforms!

By this point, Shen City Stock Exchange’s first boom had almost reached its peak. The price of the Aeon Technology shares that Lin Jingzhe purchased had increased by 600%!

Lin Jingzhe knew that the appropriate regulations, meant to slow the rise of prices and prevent their rapid drops, would come soon—the stock exchange was a new area of the market economy that the state was promoting in force, and they wouldn’t let it spin out of control. Although downtrends would rarely occur until 1993, this kind of crazy rise in the stock prices would calm down as well.

Lin Jingzhe retrieved the business card that Gao Sheng had kept and taken care of, and went downstairs. He bought a public phone card, found a phone booth, and dialed the number on the business card.

The stock exchange closed for the day. After witnessing the stock index’s closing value yet again breaking the previous records, Tian Diahua returned home to eat a meal more tasteless than cardboard.

During this period, he had used virtually all the connections he could use, and with great difficulty, managed to get his hands on several thousand shares. Although these shares didn’t have as dramatic a rise as Aeon Technology’s, they had already risen to ten times the initial value. For Tian Dahua, however, this taste was barely enough to whet his appetite.

When people said you had to spend money to make money, this was what they meant! Everyday, the shareholders earned money just because they owned shares! The luckiest ones, like Lin Jingzhe, had already made a ton, but him? He was just picking up crumbs falling from the feast on the table.

Tian Dahua spent every day thinking about how to get more stocks, but the market had never been influenced by his wishes. He ate his crumbs while looking at the feast, eyes full of greed and hungry for more; by this time, his old acquaintances had learned to fear his phone calls, not daring to pick them up lest they heard another request for help.

What a joke—they didn’t have enough shares for themselves, who would sell them to him?

Tian Dahua’s expensive cell phone had almost became a decoration. He took it with him everywhere, only putting it down during meals, but he might as well not have bothered, because it was of no use at all.

But today, without warning, the almost-forgotten ringtone sounded once more.

For a few seconds, he stared at it, dumbfounded, before he remembered he should pick up. As he wondered just who would contact him at this point, the voice on the other end made him jump to his feet in shock!

“Mr. Lin?!”

Lin Jingzhe’s voice was still the same as when they first met, unhurried and carrying the hint of a leisurely smile. {Mr. Tian, I hope that you are well.}

Tian Dahua’s brain blanked out. When he finally managed to collect his faculties, he assumed a respectful pose and, ignoring the strange look his wife gave him, deferred, “Thank you, Mr. Lin, I’m quite well. I haven’t seen you for a long time, how are you doing?”

{Oh, the same old,} Lin Jingzhe replied in a lazy tone. {Just brewing tea, reading books, cultivating myself, things like that.}

Tian Dahua let out an internal sigh. This person’s life was a far cry from his own. By this point, the image of Lin Jingzhe he held in his heart was so high that he was almost invisible through the clouds, all but shining with a “god of the stock market” halo. He was filled with heartfelt admiration, and even his flattering tone seemed cautious: “Mr. Lin, you have no idea how envious I am of your life of leisure. After you left, Shen City’s financial market went through an earth-shaking upheaval.”

Lin Jingzhe pretended not to know. {Oh?}

“I guess someone in the capital wouldn’t pay attention to the news from our faraway city,” Tian Dahua chuckled. “I forgot to congratulate you, Mr. Lin—the worth of the 500,000 shares you bought has grown by more than 600%. You made a huge profit!”

Lin Jingzhe, well-versed in the art of bluffing, replied as though money grew on trees, {Oh, it seems I got lucky. How about you, Mr. Tian? Did you buy shares in the end?}

Tian Dahua lips pulled into a rueful smile. “I wanted to but unfortunately, I was a step too slow. It’s quite difficult to get stocks these days. You should come to Shen City to see the circus on the stock exchange trading floor. Even the orders were driven up to more than ten yuan a piece!”

He sighed again. “Yes, I really regret not following your example right away.”

{Hahahaha.} Lin Jingzhe’s laughter at the other end of the phone made Tian Dahua feel more and more bitter. However, the young man’s next words raised his heart thousands of meters into the sky:

{I didn’t expect that you, a local snake, would fall into this situation. Anyway, it’s an easy problem to solve—if you want shares, Mr. Tian, then I’ll sell them to you.}

Shocked, Tian Dahua was rendered speechless for more than a minute. He thought that he misheard, or that perhaps Lin Jingzhe was playing with him.

“Mr… Mr. Lin, are you serious?!” he asked, voice trembling.

They were talking about a hen that laid golden eggs here, the genuine thing. It generated more and more profits by the day. It was real money! So far, no investors who held more than 100,000 shares chose to sell even a few of them, but Lin Jingzhe was willing to throw that kind of fortune away in such a light-hearted way?!

Was he a saint? A buddha wishing to deliver all living creatures from suffering?!

But Lin Jingzhe didn’t seem to be joking. {Tsk, it’s just some stock. Why are you like this, Mr. Tian? Isn’t our friendship worth even this much? You helped me a lot when I came to Shen City last time, I haven’t forgotten that.}

Tian Dahua still found it hard to believe that Lin Jingzhe was serious. Excitement and incredulity warred in his heart, and was so worked up that he was drenched in sweat. “Please don’t tease me, Mr. Lin—I’m a simple man and might take it seriously!”

Then he heard Lin Jingzhe chuckle.

He was so nervous that his scalp was numb and his blood froze in his veins. A few breaths later, that anxiously awaited voice finally sounded over the phone.

{Okay, I admit I just wanted to tease you.}

Tian Dahua’s knees went weak.

However, Lin Jingzhe continued to speak: {But since you really want them, I can sell some to you. Let’s say… one third? Or is that too much for you to afford?}

Tian Dahua felt like he’d been struck by lightning, his body completely numb. He had never even dared to imagine that the heavens would smile on him like this!

Let alone one third, he could afford all of them! Tian Dahua would find a way to gather enough money even if he had to smash his house’s pots and pans into pieces and sell them as scrap iron!

He nodded, so eager his neck almost broke from the force, and said, an audible tremor in his voice, “It’s not too much! Not at all! If you really are willing to sell them to me, I will even pay the transaction fee, all the fees!!!”

Lin Jingzhe’s voice was thoughtful, {I’m in Yan City right now. Wait a moment, I need to check when I’ll have time…}

Tian Dahua held his breath, feeling as if he was waiting for the final judgment. At last, the youth continued, {Would tomorrow be alright with you?}

“Yes!!!” he squawked like a chicken being held by the throat, before the other side even finished speaking. “When will you arrive? Morning or afternoon?”

{Easy, Mr. Tian, take a deep breath. Are you afraid I’ll run away?} Lin Jingzhe’s tone was still calm and unperturbed as though the world was in the palm of his hand. A faint smile could be heard in his voice as he said, {I’ll call you after I booked the ticket, okay?}

No matter how reluctant he was, Tian Dahua had no other choice but to agree. After hanging up, he stood stiffly in place, the cell phone in hand, rivulets of sweat running down his head.

It was a rare day that his wife saw him like this, and she came over, worried. “What happened? Is something wrong? The dinner…”

“I’m not eating, not now.” Tian Dahua sat down with a thump. At first, his expression was blank, then his eyes began to focus.

All of a sudden, he whipped his head up to look at his wife. “Forget the dinner. How many liquid assets does our company have right now?”

“A few hundred thousand, I think?”

“Not enough! Hurry up and start calling, we need to raise money! At least 1.5 million! Hurry up! Be sure to have it by tomorrow!” Lin Jingzhe had far too many shares, and their worth was rising every day, so of course for Tian Dahua, the earlier the deal was made, the better—every minute of delay was a great loss for him. He gave his frightened wife a rushed explanation of what was going on. Incredulous and astonished, she started to make calls to borrow money. He himself remained seated in his original position, worried stiff.

He kept thinking, what if Lin Jingzhe was just teasing him?

The shares the youth was willing to sell were worth more than one million now, and in the future, their worth would only increase. To be honest, Tian Dahua still felt that he was dreaming. Was there really anyone in the world who disdained money to this extent?

He found it hard to believe—at least, he would never be able to act like that. If it was in his power, he’d teleport to Yan City to drag Lin Jingzhe to Shen City to complete the transaction right this instant. After all, a verbal promise was just that, it was not legally binding.

In Tian Dahua’s mind, the chance of such an incredible promise being kept was almost zero.

But he still couldn’t help but think, what if it was true?

With how Lin Jingzhe had always acted, it wasn’t impossible that the young man truly saw one million yuan as nothing.

At that thought, he recalled that Lin Jingzhe said he was in Yan City now, and his heart skipped a beat.

Was he from Yan City? Tian Dahua had made some speculations before, but he had never been sure. Lin Jingzhe was too mysterious—he never disclosed even a little hint on his background, not even in casual conversation.

If he really was from Yan City, then everything was possible—in the capital, you just needed to throw a stone and would almost surely hit a Party heavyweight or some other bigwig. Lin Jingzhe’s bearing, speech, and outlook definitely weren’t something that someone from an ordinary family could cultivate. His background… might really be too scary to talk about.

That was not a world that Tian Dahua could reach. He recalled a newspaper article he had read some time ago, about a young criminal with a deep background arrested for smuggling in the neighboring province. The amount involved could even be hundreds of millions yuan, and an in-depth investigation was underway.

Hundreds of millions yuan—if Tian Dahua didn’t see the newspaper explicitly mention that number, he never would have imagined it.

Taking that into consideration, he had to admit he didn’t understand the world of the privileged class. Indeed, when it came to someone like that, anything was possible.

That night, Tian Dahua didn’t sleep. He stayed up until dawn and smoked two packs of cigarettes, his eyes fixed on the hour hand of the large wall clock, watching it tick slowly through the night.

Four o’clock, five o’clock, six o’clock, seven o’clock…

Lin Jingzhe never called.

He was holding his cell phone, anxious like an ant thrown into a boiling water, swirling around and around and around.

At half past nine, when he had almost given up all hope, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked up in a flash. Voice hoarse and cautious, he said, “Hello?”

Then he heard the voice on the other side and the whole world seemed to brighten.

{Mr. Tian? It’s me,} Lin Jingzhe replied before continuing on to drop a huge bomb in a relaxed tone, {I’m already at the airport, I’m taking the 11 o’clock flight to Shen City. Perhaps we can meet for dinner?}

“Yes, of course!” Tian Dahua nearly knelt, overwhelmed by relief and gratitude. They exchanged a few sentences, then, reluctant, he hung up.

He had to arrange everything, not even the slightest mistake was allowed!

He put down the phone, took out the phone book, and called the airport pickup service.

That taken care of, he washed, changed his clothes, and drove to the airport at the fastest speed possible, planning to wait there.

A few hours later, Lin Jingzhe, carrying a light travel bag, stepped off the plane. This time, he didn’t bring his friends but came alone.

He didn’t plan to let them know of his wealth so soon.

He knew all too well what a million yuan meant for a young man born and raised in Liyun Town. Gao Sheng and the others had just arrived in Yan City; their hearts were not yet stable. They needed some pressure to make them take things seriously, such as—700,000 yuan of debt.

And as for security issues, he knew that this time, Tian Dahua would be more cautious than if Lin Jingzhe was his own son.

Just as he’d expected, when Lin Jingzhe got out of the airport shuttle bus, the first thing he saw was Tian Dahua’s haggard but radiant face. The man stared at the terminal gate, and the moment their eyes met, his whole body seemed to come to life as he beamed with happiness.

Tian Dahua rushed forward, abandoning the people accompanying him, and hurried to take the bag from Lin Jingzhe’s hand. Smiling in joy, he said, “Mr. Lin, I was waiting for you!”

Lin Jingzhe acted as if he hadn’t registered the man’s exhilaration at all. Offering a tranquil smile, he held out his right hand: “Mr. Tian, it’s been quite a while.”