He flipped to a page covered in notes.
"First, I studied the market analysis you sent me."
Lin Feng kept his expression neutral.
The 'analysis.'
In truth, it wasn't analysis at all. It was future knowledge - events he knew would happen, trends he knew would emerge, all formatted to look like well-reasoned predictions.
Bitcoin's trajectory. The EV market correction and recovery. The domestic chip sector's growth. Policy changes. Everything.
No wonder he's impressed. It's literally the future.
"It was incredibly solid," Yu Shen continued, oblivious to Lin Feng's thoughts. "The reasoning was sound, and the conclusions align with patterns I've observed myself. This kind of analysis is perfect for long-term investment strategies."
He tapped the notebook.
"Based on this, with my own optimizations layered on top, I estimate we could achieve roughly four times returns over the next year or two."
He paused.
"Give or take. These kinds of returns feel somewhat... hardcoded, if that makes sense. The market will move the way it moves. We can optimize our entry and exit points, but the overall growth ceiling is what it is."
He did some quick mental math.
"With our 40,000 yuan pool, that means we'd end up with around 120,000 to 160,000 yuan by the time those long-term plays mature."
Lin Feng nodded.
A solid return. But the timeline...
"That said," Yu Shen continued, his tone shifting, "I had some other ideas."
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.
Yu Shen leaned in.
"What if we don't just wait for the long-term plays to pay off? What if we actively grow our pool in the meantime?"
"How?"
"Day trading."
Yu Shen's eyes gleamed.
"The day trading market operates on a completely different timescale. Instead of holding positions for months or years, you buy and sell within the same day - sometimes within hours or even minutes."
He gestured as he explained.
"The returns per trade are small. Maybe half a percent. Maybe one percent on a good day. But the key isn't the size of each return - it's the frequency."
He held up a finger.
"Here's my thinking. If we use day trading to generate consistent small profits, we can continuously grow our capital pool. By the time we enter the long-term market with our bigger plays, we won't be starting with 40,000 yuan anymore."
His voice grew more animated.
"We could be starting with 80,000. Or 100,000. Or more. And when those long-term investments pay off at four times returns - it won't be four times of 40,000. It'll be four times of something much, much larger."
He paused to let that sink in.
"There's another benefit too. With day trading, we get tangible income every day. Real cash. We could split it - take out a portion for daily expenses, return the rest into the pool to keep compounding."
He looked at Lin Feng.
"What do you think?"
Lin Feng was quiet for a moment.
This...
He had been worried about exactly this problem. Stock trading seemed like such a long-term game. Even with his knowledge of the future, most of those gains wouldn't materialize until next year at the earliest.
Bitcoin's peak? Late 2021.
The EV recovery? Months away.
The chip sector growth? Over a year out.
In the meantime, he would be stuck waiting. Broke. Unable to increase his system balance.
But with day trading...
I could get real cash every day.
Daily income meant daily increases to his system balance. And daily increases meant his passive income would compound faster than ever.
There was no way he wouldn't like this idea.
"I like it," Lin Feng said firmly.
Yu Shen's face broke into a wide smile.
"Then we'll get started right away."
…
Friday, October 16th.
Lin Feng and Su Yue sat side by side in the library, each absorbed in their own books.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting a warm glow over the rows of shelves and study tables. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.
Su Yue turned a page, then paused.
"I've been thinking," she said softly.
Lin Feng looked up from his book.
She set her book down and turned to face him.
"After what you told me... I looked into it. The whole livestreaming thing."
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
"To be honest..." She hesitated. "I was tempted. But I don't really know what to do. So I wanted to ask for your advice."
Lin Feng considered this for a moment.
"Why not just try streaming on the side for fun first?" he suggested. "You'd get some experience in front of a camera. And you could see how you feel about the whole thing before committing to anything serious."
Su Yue sighed.
"It's not that I haven't thought about that. But..."
She trailed off.
"But?" Lin Feng prompted.
"The bar for entry is quite steep."
Lin Feng tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Equipment," she explained. "I looked online. A decent setup - camera, lighting, microphone, allat - the cheapest one I could find was around 3,500 yuan."
She lowered her gaze.
"That's more than my monthly income."
Lin Feng nodded slowly.
"Ah. That's what you meant."
"Yeah." She nodded quietly.
Lin Feng fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Then he spoke.
"What if I got you the equipment?"
Su Yue's eyes widened.
She hadn't expected him to be so direct.
"No, no, no…" She waved her hands frantically. "I couldn't have you do that! I know how much money that is. Even if you have a business, using that kind of money on me is just..."
"I understand," Lin Feng said calmly. "But you don't have to think of it that way."
He paused.
"In fact, my thoughts aren't as pure as you might think."
Su Yue's face flushed red.
"You mean..."
Lin Feng quickly shook his head.
"Scratch that. I didn't mean it in that way."
He sighed.
"What I meant was - while I do want to support you as a friend, I also have some ulterior motives."
Su Yue blinked, the blush still lingering on her cheeks.
"I might need some marketing for my business soon," he explained. "That's why I'm investing in you. If you could grow into a popular streamer, you could help me out down the line."
He held up a hand.
"Not for free, of course. I'd compensate you properly. I just hope you'd consider me first when the time comes."