C19 Liu Qi I Came to Find You to Show off

On the way back, Su Fei was driving while Shen Bingyan sat in the back seat with her sister, Shen Bingyan. The car was filled with a heavy silence.

"Su Fei," Shen Bingyan suddenly spoke up, "I wanted to say... thank you for today."

"It's nothing, really. I did what anyone should do," Su Fei replied, but then he felt his response might have been too nonchalant. Scratching his head with a smile, he added, "I couldn't just stand by and watch you get bullied. That's not who I am."

"Sometimes, a sanitary pad can be quite the formidable weapon," Shen Bingyan chimed in with a laugh. She often confided in her sister, and to lighten the mood, she didn't overthink before sharing how Su Fei had taken down Kun and his gang at the bar the previous night.

She omitted the part about being drugged, simply mentioning that she had a falling out with Kun and Su Fei had come to her rescue.

Shen Bingyan glanced out the window, then asked in an offhand manner, "You seem different. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Su Fei found himself at a loss for words, unsure of how to explain.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. We all have secrets," Shen Bingyan said, taking a deep breath and seemingly finding some solace as a trace of relief passed through her eyes.

Shen Bingyan, snuggling up to her sister's arm, asked in a playful tone, "Sister, are we... really short on money now?"

"Yes," Shen Bingyan replied, not wanting to hide the truth from her sister. "But don't worry, I'll figure something out."

"How much is needed?" Su Fei interjected suddenly, startling the two sisters.

Shen Bingyan, seemingly in good spirits, answered with a light smile, "Three million. Do you have that?"

"No," Su Fei conceded without hesitation.

He thought to himself, how could he possibly come up with three million when he only made 400 yuan a day?

"Then... maybe we should skip the idea of getting me a new car for my birthday," Shen Bingyan suggested earnestly, leaning on her sister's shoulder. "Save the money for your business ventures."

Shen Bingyan shook her head, "I promised you a car as a gift for getting into university, and I intend to keep my word. Besides, I'll be using my own savings, not the company's funds."

"Sister, you're the best! Hehe!"

Su Fei drove in silence, not uttering a word, yet he took in every word that was said.

The next morning, Su Fei rose early, swiftly completing all the household chores. After preparing breakfast for Shen Bingyan and Shen Bingyan, he rushed out the door.

He had an errand at GD Bank today.

Su Fei was single-mindedly focused on earning money—the more and the faster, the better. But with only three thousand dollars to his name, even daily stock investments seemed painfully slow.

To tackle this issue, he needed to increase his investment capital. Asking his family for money was out of the question, so Su Fei came up with a plan: cash advances from credit cards!

He had already applied for a credit card using his phone and, by leveraging the Shen family's name, GD Bank expedited his application through a special channel. He was set to pick up his card the following day.

However, when Su Fei saw that his ticket number was over a hundred away from the current number being served, he was overcome with a sense of despair.

Sitting in his chair, Su Fei grew restless, his gaze wandering until he overheard several voices filled with desperation.

"Mr. Wu, could you possibly extend the deadline by a few days? I assure you I'll—"

"It's not that I'm trying to delay; I genuinely have no money left."

"Hello? Hello?"

The call ended with a beep, and Liu Qi was struck with a sense of hopelessness. He slumped down next to Su Fei, and after a brief pause, he began frantically clawing at his hair, as if intent on tearing it out, scalp and all.

Apart from Su Fei, everyone else kept their distance, observing Liu Qi with a mix of curiosity and judgment.

"Has that young man lost his mind?"

"Who knows? The stock market's been rough lately. I've seen plenty of people in his shoes. That's why I've sold all my stocks and turned to GD Bank for financial products."

"Indeed, I've dabbled in stocks before too. After losing tens of thousands, I just couldn't bear it any longer. It's a long story."

"..."

The people around were middle-aged men and women, many of whom had dabbled in the stock market. With time to kill while waiting in line, the topic sparked a flurry of grievances, and the atmosphere buzzed with the lively chatter of a marketplace.

"Enough with the noise!" Liu Qi suddenly bellowed, leaping to his feet and dashing outside. He collapsed onto the stone steps in front of GD Bank and broke down in tears.

Zhao Lu, the lobby manager at GD Bank, had seen it all before. Liu Qi was one of her major clients, so she naturally approached to offer some words of comfort. But if comforting words were enough, who would need dollars?

Liu Qi's sobbing was so heart-wrenching that even Su Fei found it hard to listen. He felt a surge of empathy for the man.

"Is his name Liu Qi? Looks like he's hit rock bottom."

Since Su Fei was waiting around anyway, he walked over to Liu Qi, sat down beside him, and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Brother, what's so tough that you can't get through it? Does it really warrant this kind of reaction?"

"Why not? If I lose this, I'll be left with nothing!" Liu Qi couldn't help but yell at Su Fei, spraying him in the face with spit, his glasses tumbling to the ground.

After his outburst, Liu Qi realized he was facing a stranger, someone around his own age, and he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I lost control. It wasn't intentional."

"No worries. I just want to understand what's going on with you," Su Fei said, accepting a tissue from Liu Qi and wiping his face. "Talk to me. It might help to get it out."

With nothing left to hide, Liu Qi spilled the whole story to Su Fei.

Liu Qi was a stock market trader. After saving some money working for others, he had started his own stock trading studio a couple of years ago. Things had gone well; he'd made more than he'd lost.

Once he had a few million in savings, he grew bolder and began using financial leverage to invest. Initially, everything went smoothly, but a single misstep this month had led to a massive loss! He had used borrowed capital to amplify his investment power, and in an instant, millions had vanished in the stock market.

Leverage involved using third-party funds to create financial leverage. An investor would provide a certain amount of collateral to the third party and, in return, receive several times that amount in capital, which could then be used for investment. This practice was common in stocks, futures, international gold, silver, and foreign exchange markets.

To put it simply, if you start with a capital of $100,000 and leverage it by tenfold, you suddenly have $1 million at your disposal. Consequently, your potential profits increase dramatically. However, the flip side is that if your investment tanks, your losses are magnified just as much. The financial market is littered with stories of people who have lost everything due to a single investment gone awry!

Just a friendly reminder: the leveraged stock market is strictly forbidden by the government, and many domestic operators are fraudsters looking to swindle your money. It's best to steer clear.

Following the disastrous investment, Liu Qi's studio had no choice but to shut down. His wife left him, and to add insult to injury, Wu Shizhang from the leverage company called demanding the withdrawal of funds. It was as if he was asking for Liu Qi's very life!

Damn, the world of the wealthy is beyond me. They can lose millions as if it's nothing... Su Fei mused to himself.

Despite the dire circumstances, Liu Qi compulsively checked his stock trading app, only to sink further into despair with each glance.

Su Fei noticed that Liu Qi frequently checked the stock for Thousand Peak Galaxy, which had plummeted from over 50 to just over 30 in recent weeks—a staggering drop of nearly 50%. It was truly jaw-dropping.

"How much did you lose?" Su Fei couldn't help but ask.

Liu Qi shook his head and let out a sigh. "I got in last week, hoping to catch the bottom, but it turned out I was far from it. I've been trying to play the spreads, but I'm still down by six percent."

Su Fei's demeanor suddenly shifted as he adopted a stern expression, resembling that of a sage. "Six percent isn't too bad. Liu Qi, if you take my advice, I might be able to help you recover quickly."

Liu Qi was taken aback, then quickly turned to Su Fei in surprise. "How do you know my name?!"

"I know more than just your name; I also know how to help you recover from your losses."

Taking a deep breath, Su Fei quietly activated the Eyes of the Oracle. Through its vision, he could see Thousand Peak Galaxy emitting a mist, a clear sign that major capital was still pouring out.

It wasn't just an outflow; it was a full-on exodus!

It was a dire situation, and it remained so.

"If you'd just listen to me, stop right there. Cut your losses and sell those failing stocks!" Su Fei declared with conviction. He then spent a long time scrolling through his phone until he found a stock called Hyperxook Consortium, its chart marked by a hopeful green. "Go all in on this one. You might just turn things around quickly."

Hyperxook Consortium was down by 4.2%, yet it was steadily drawing in the mist—a clear sign that big investors were scooping up shares at bargain prices. By the afternoon, once they'd gathered enough stock, a surge was inevitable!

At the very least, it should swing from green to red! With a purchase now, a conservative estimate of the base profit sat at 4.2%. Predicting any further rise was tricky, but even a slight uptick could erase Liu Qi's losses in a single day.

Liu Qi gazed at Su Fei, lost in thought, before bursting into laughter. "You've got to be kidding. Who do you think you are? I should trust you just because you've said a few words?"

Damn, I'm trying to help you, and you don't even believe me!

Spurred on by Liu Qi's skepticism, Su Fei opened his stock trading app and flashed the screen in front of Liu Qi. "Take a look at the profit I made yesterday."

Liu Qi was dumbfounded!

Su Fei's grip on his phone was meticulous, his fingers strategically covering his meager total balance of three thousand yuan, leaving only his impressive daily earnings visible.

A bold red number: 17.2%

"Seventeen points in one day!" Liu Qi instinctively reached to grab Su Fei's phone, but it was already safely tucked away in Su Fei's pocket.

"Believe it or not, that's your call." Su Fei gestured towards Qian Daixin and then Hyperxook Consortium. "Qian Daixin will continue to fall today, but Hyperxook Consortium will close in the green. You're at a dead end anyway, so why not take a chance?"

With a meaningful pat on Liu Qi's shoulder, Su Fei imparted a final piece of wisdom: "Ignoring the advice of the experienced leads to immediate loss. Kid, you've still got a lot to learn."

After finishing his statement, Su Fei confidently stood up and walked away, leaving a stunned Liu Qi squatting at the entrance of GD Bank.

"Damn, putting on airs feels so freaking good! Now I get why all those wealthy folks love to show off; it's downright addictive." Su Fei inhaled deeply and hurriedly invested all his money into the Hyperxook Consortium.

Su Fei's choice wasn't random; he had compared many stocks. Among the ones highlighted in red on the system interface, Hyperxook Consortium had the highest profit margin, which is why Su Fei had recommended it.

As noon approached, it was finally Su Fei's turn at GD Bank. He swiftly completed his transaction and walked away with the ordinary-looking black credit card, a look of sheer thrill on his face.

To his dismay, he discovered that his available credit limit was a mere 4,000 dollars!