Sister Zhiling, Sister Zhiling, wake up!" He Zhengcheng called out to Sister Zhiling after tidying up the clothes in the room.
"Ah!" Sister Zhiling exclaimed, not having heard clearly.
"I don't know how I was so utterly charmed by this man last night. It seems like everything happened... I'm going out for a bit. You get ready first, then we'll go have breakfast together!" He Zhengcheng gave Sister Zhiling some space and time.
After waiting for less than half an hour, He Zhengcheng saw Sister Zhiling, who was now neatly dressed. Although her current attire was a bit simple, it still couldn't hide her natural beauty.
Through their conversation last night, he learned that Lin Zhiling was pursuing further studies at a university in Canada and was working odd jobs during her summer vacation, playing a 'flower vase' role in her brother Zhang Guorong's MV.
Because the MV shoot would take a few days and wasn't finished yet, she went out with friends in the evening to relax... The reason was plausible, but not perfect, because Sister Zhiling hadn't told him her real name, only a nickname.
"Can I have your contact information?" He Zhengcheng was breaking the rules a bit, but then again, he was a reborn person, so he could be fearless.
"..." Lin Zhiling.
"I don't know why, but I feel a strong sense of familiarity with you, like I've known you for a long time!
I might not have time during your stay in Hong Kong, but I'll be going to Silicon Valley in a while, and perhaps I'll stop by Canada on the way." He Zhengcheng thought, 'This is a terrible excuse. No matter which direction I go to Silicon Valley from, I wouldn't pass through Canada, let alone 'stop by.''
"I'll give you an email address; I use it often!" Lin Zhiling said softly.
"Hmm, alright. But I bet I'll definitely find out your real name, and we'll certainly meet again someday." He Zhengcheng already knew it.
"Don't be like that!" Lin Zhiling said with some difficulty, finding this guy a bit too brazen.
"Oh, you're overthinking it. I just believe you'll have your day of fame, and I'll have my day of success and renown!" He Zhengcheng said.
"Is that so? But I don't want to be a star, and my conditions aren't that great!" Lin Zhiling said in her sweet, baby-like voice.
"If you yourself are unwilling, then of course we won't have a future. But I believe you're not the kind of woman who's content with an ordinary life." He Zhengcheng said.
It's hard to say whether Lin Zhiling, as a highly educated person, giving up her professional skills to enter the entertainment industry wasn't her own choice.
Since she made that choice in her previous life, would she change it in this life because of him?
"If I could, I'd prefer to live a simple, ordinary life." Lin Zhiling said.
"Then I wouldn't be willing to accompany you. I believe that only after experiencing prosperity and grandeur does one have the right to pursue peace and joy." He Zhengcheng said.
"What's your name?" Lin Zhiling didn't respond to He Zhengcheng's words.
"My surname is He, He Zhengcheng, meaning 'upright and sincere'!" He Zhengcheng didn't lie.
This man was a bit shameless. They had clearly agreed and implicitly acknowledged that their love would only last one night. Now he wanted to cross the line... leading to a somewhat unpleasant parting.
"On a night in Hong Kong,
I left behind much affection.
Whether you love or not,
It's all dust of history."
After putting Lin Zhiling into a taxi, He Zhengcheng turned around, sang a slightly altered version of "A Night in Hong Kong," waved goodbye, and set off on his own journey.
Romantic entanglements shorten a hero's resolve. Having just started on the path of struggle, how could he stop to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of the world! A man's words cannot be trusted. At this moment, He Zhengcheng no longer wanted the trivialities between men and women to diminish his will; everything depended on fate.
He took the subway back to the Wotton Securities branch in New Territories, found a terminal, logged into his trading account, and was ready to add to his position at any time.
On the subway, He Zhengcheng read the newspaper. There was no good news today. Yesterday, the NASDAQ Composite Index fell by 1.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average also dropped significantly. Of course, the general sentiment in Hong Kong was still pessimistic, so there wasn't much value in referring to it.
Although the government had repeatedly emphasized its stance, not many people believed it. To put it bluntly, the government's credibility was currently insufficient, coupled with Soros's formidable reputation and media controlled by capital, the media was now full of pessimism.
On Wednesday, July 22nd, the market opened lower. The Hang Seng Index opened at 8527 and then immediately fell below 8500 points.
"The Hang Seng Index has fallen. Should I short it?" He Zhengcheng hesitated. Doing so would involve very high risk.
He was prepared to operate with a full position, but if he encountered a high open and a correction of five, six, seven, or eight percent, he would be liquidated immediately.
"Alright, stop scaring myself." He Zhengcheng saw the Hang Seng Index reach 8480 and immediately placed an order to short 10 lots. If he lost money on this trade today, he would exit today. If he profited, he would try to hold it until Friday. Then he would use the profits to buy a mobile phone and return this one to Ji Jiasheng.
Damn, should I go buy one now? It seems I still have some money on me!
As he was conflicted, the Hang Seng Index continued to fall. He was making money, so he decided to wait!
This wait lasted all day. At the close of trading in the afternoon, the Hang Seng Index closed at 8420. The trade entered today showed a paper profit of 30,000, and yesterday's ten short lots already showed a paper profit of 90,000.
It's called 'paper profit' because if you don't take profits and leave when things are good, you might lose money tomorrow, or earn even more.
He Zhengcheng was making money, but more people were losing money. After all, short selling is a technical skill that most people can't master.
Theoretically, there's an upper limit to short-selling profits, but no upper limit to losses. Coupled with the exchange now raising transaction fees and lowering leverage ratios (the protagonist's high leverage was a special case), deliberately suppressing scattered short-selling forces, there were even fewer ordinary people shorting.
A pessimistic atmosphere also seemed to pervade the brokerage office. Fortunately, today's decline wasn't too large; otherwise, there would probably already be widespread lamentation.
Today, the Hang Seng Index fell by 1.68%. If that's hard to understand, consider it another way. The Shanghai Composite Index fell by 6.42% on June 19, 2015, with thousands of stocks hitting their daily limit.
If calculated proportionally, perhaps more than two hundred stocks would have hit their daily limit today. Oh, I forgot, there's no daily limit in Hong Kong. Many people's stock accounts would have losses exceeding 10% today.
Alas, well, this is all nonsense, just to fill words. A daily rise or fall of one or two percent is normal, but in a financial crisis, this feeling of being neither up nor down is like having a sharp blade hanging over your head, which is the most tormenting.
He Zhengcheng, however, wasn't too worried. Let it fall; the more it falls, the more I earn!
After leaving the brokerage office, he originally thought Ji Jiasheng would look for him, but when he returned home, he still hadn't received any calls.
He came back early, and no one was home. It seemed his younger siblings were restless and had gone out to play. They were older now and had their own living space and social circles. Perhaps his younger siblings already had their own secrets.
Lost in thought, He Zhengcheng suddenly recalled Sister Zhiling's charm.
Alas, men, can't you have some ambition? Aren't women just beautiful skeletons? What's there to miss? There are plenty of other young ladies waiting for your affection in the future!