Chapter 0324: Entering the Market

"Hey, those stocks I was following earlier have dropped again." Tan Kaixuan said quietly to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, glanced at the valuations of those tech stocks, then laughed: "Looks like the market maker is quite ruthless, hitting the limit down right away, making people afraid to enter the market."

Tan Kaixuan nodded: "Yeah, when I was a kid watching 'The Greed of Man,' I thought Ding Xie going crazy at the end was absurd, but now it seems like a perfectly normal thing."

Ding Xie!

Zhao Fusheng thought of the stock market tycoon portrayed by that bespectacled actor, then shook his head: "We won't be Ding Xie; we'll just honestly follow behind the market maker and get a little soup."

This was his true thought: with a combined capital of just one million, he and Tan Kaixuan couldn't even influence a stock's price, let alone do anything significant. So Zhao Fusheng never intended to stir up trouble in the stock market.

"I know." Tan Kaixuan thought for a moment and said to Zhao Fusheng: "Then I'll buy now."

Zhao Fusheng blinked: "Go ahead and buy; since it's already hit the limit down, it can't fall any further, right?"

Tan Kaixuan nodded: "Of course. The market maker does this to scare retail investors into not entering the market and frantically selling, so they can continue to gobble up shares."

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "In that case, let's enter the market."

Regarding stocks, although he had read some books and newspapers, Zhao Fusheng knew he was a complete layman, not even matching up to Tan Kaixuan's half-baked knowledge. So his thinking was simple: knowing the stocks would rise in a few days, he might as well buy in now while the limit down was in effect.

Tan Kaixuan quickly finished buying the stocks, then looked at Zhao Fusheng: "Now we're officially stock investors."

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Oh, then let's go."

"Go?"

This time Tan Kaixuan was truly baffled, staring at Zhao Fusheng in confusion: "Go where?"

Zhao Fusheng said: "To explore Shanghai, of course. Come on, this is my first time in Shanghai; wouldn't you be embarrassed if you didn't take me around?"

"Brother, we just threw a million into the stock market, and now you want to go out and have fun?" Tan Kaixuan's eyes widened as if he had seen something unbelievable, staring at Zhao Fusheng: "Have you lost your mind?"

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "No matter how much money we've put in, there's nothing we can do now. I said I'd only hold for ten trading days. That means starting next Monday, for ten trading days, we don't need to worry about these stocks. So staying here worrying is useless; you might as well take me out to explore."

With that, he took the lead and walked outside.

Tan Kaixuan turned his head, glanced at the sea of green on the big screen, then looked at Zhao Fusheng about to leave. He gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and chased after Zhao Fusheng's retreating figure.

Soon after, the two were sitting on a bus heading to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

"I tell you, you've got some nerve, having the leisure to go shopping at a time like this." Tan Kaixuan was still fixated on Zhao Fusheng's earlier behavior.

To be honest, he really couldn't understand how Zhao Fusheng could remain so calm.

Zhao Fusheng sighed and said helplessly: "You think I'm just being bold?"

Tan Kaixuan was taken aback, looking at Zhao Fusheng strangely: "Aren't you?"

"Bullshit!" Zhao Fusheng spat and shook his head: "I'm human too, damn it. That's a million, not a single dollar. Throwing it into two stocks that opened at the limit down—you think I'm not scared? But the thing is, if I stayed there, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist..."

"Resist?" Tan Kaixuan looked at Zhao Fusheng in utter confusion, not understanding what he meant by not being able to resist.

Zhao Fusheng sighed: "I'm afraid I'd resist the urge to put in a sell order and unload these stocks."

He meant what he said.

After all, he was just an ordinary person, not Mr. Ma or Chairman Wang. His small goal wasn't to make a hundred million first, but to make a little money while his memory was still fresh.

Having thrown a million in capital into the market, Zhao Fusheng was also panicking inside. If something went wrong, he'd lose everything.

So he really didn't dare stay there.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Tan Kaixuan suddenly felt a flash of insight. So this guy got scared too.

The two soon arrived at the Oriental Pearl. Standing by the Huangpu River, Zhao Fusheng looked at the river surface and suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Tan Kaixuan asked, his face full of curiosity, not understanding why Zhao Fusheng had suddenly burst out laughing.

Zhao Fusheng spoke: "Tell me, what do we struggle for?"

"Who knows." Tan Kaixuan leaned against the railing. Though it was cold, he seemed not to feel it as he looked up and smiled. "Sometimes I think, I don't really need to work so hard. My parents have made plenty of money. Worst case, I'll just buy a few storefronts and live off the rent. That would be fine too."

"Yeah, buy thirty apartments, collect rent every day, then spend it all. How about that?" Zhao Fusheng suddenly said to Tan Kaixuan with a smile.

Tan Kaixuan curled his lip. "And what about the thirty-first?"

"Take a break," Zhao Fusheng laughed. "Gotta rest once in a while."

"Makes sense. That's one way to live." Tan Kaixuan chuckled.

Clearly, both knew it was just a joke. After all, they weren't that kind of person.

"We struggle only to prove that someone like us once existed in this world."

After a long pause, Zhao Fusheng spoke slowly to Tan Kaixuan: "Whether it's you or me, we're just ordinary people. Maybe decades from now, no one in this world will remember us. What we have to do is try to leave a mark, hoping that one day in the future, someone will think of us."

Tan Kaixuan said nothing, just smiled quietly. He understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

A person has to have some pursuit in life, otherwise living would be so dull.

"Come on, let's visit the Oriental Pearl Tower. At least it proves I was here." Patting Tan Kaixuan on the shoulder, Zhao Fusheng smiled at him.

Tan Kaixuan rolled his eyes. This guy's mood shifted too fast. One moment he was all sentimental, the next he seemed like a different person.

In truth, he didn't understand that Zhao Fusheng's earlier words came from thinking about his past life.

But this complex emotion was something Tan Kaixuan could never grasp. He wasn't Zhao Fusheng; he hadn't experienced something as bizarre as rebirth.

The two wandered around the Oriental Pearl Tower for a while. Seeing it was getting late, Tan Kaixuan dragged Zhao Fusheng away. They took a car home, ate dinner at the Tan's, and Tan's father asked about their day's operations. Tan Kaixuan didn't hide anything and directly repeated Zhao Fusheng's decision.

Tan's father and mother exchanged a glance, then laughed: "Unexpectedly, you two thought the same as we did."

"Huh?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Tan's father in surprise, not understanding what he meant.

Tan's father shook his head: "Today your aunt and I also went to the stock market. We looked at those stocks you mentioned earlier. We also thought they had potential, so we casually bought a little. But we didn't have as many ideas as you; we just bought a portion of each stock, and some weren't even bought at the limit-down price."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then understood. Since Tan Kaixuan was paying attention to those internet stocks, he would surely consult his father. Compared to his own inexperience, Tan's father was a veteran who had been in the stock market for nearly a decade. It was only natural that he knew about Zhao's choices.

Hesitating, Zhao Fusheng said to Tan's father: "Uncle Tan, you didn't tell anyone else about this, did you?"

Tan's father raised an eyebrow: "You mean, afraid someone might leak the news?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Better to be careful with this kind of thing. To be honest, I'm not sure either. I just think domestic internet development has been good lately, and these stocks have been falling..."

Though not stated explicitly, Zhao Fusheng's meaning was clear: he was only guessing, and couldn't guarantee accuracy. If someone followed his lead and bought stocks only to lose money, that had nothing to do with him.

Tan's father and mother exchanged a look, nodded, and said nothing more.

After Zhao Fusheng left, Tan's father looked at his wife: "You haven't called Little Brother yet, have you?"

The Tan family had many relatives, and some were into stock trading. They usually shared information with each other, as was common in the stock market—everyone passed along tips.

Tan's mother heard her husband's words and nodded: "We agreed to tell them on the weekend. You know Little Brother; if he hears this kind of news, he'll probably laugh at us for being timid."

Tan's father smiled: "In that case, let's not tell them this time."

"Huh?" Tan's mother was startled, looking at her husband in surprise, not understanding what he meant.

Tan's father stroked the teacup in front of him and said meaningfully: "Didn't Xiao Zhao just tell us? He's not sure about this either. What if it goes wrong?"

Tan's mother was taken aback and nodded. She felt something was off but couldn't put her finger on it. But since her husband made most decisions regarding stock trading, she dropped the idea of telling her brother. As Tan's father said, if they lost money, it would be a loss of hundreds of thousands, and they would surely be blamed.

After thinking it over, avoiding blame was the best solution. Less trouble was better.

Watching his wife's back, Tan's father shook his head and sighed softly. The image of Zhao Fusheng's face came to mind, and he smiled slightly. He was curious: would his son's friend's judgment be accurate or not?