Chapter 11 - Cracking the Little Apple

"Knowledge has no bounds." Lu Liang sighed with emotion as he stared at the stock charts until 10:30. Ever since the market turned from bullish to bearish, the trading activity of Zhongwen Online had dropped sharply, hovering around 17.45 yuan per share. 17.5 yuan seemed to be an insurmountable threshold. Tens of millions of yuan worth of sell orders were piling up above this price, gradually eroding market confidence. Logically speaking, with market sentiment plummeting, the stock's price should have nosedived—but instead, it was just drifting downward slowly. Lu Liang suspected that the market manipulator was in full control of the stock. The tactic wasn't particularly sophisticated, but it was executed with meticulous precision. The manipulator kept buying shares without setting a clear support level. Because if a support level were established, retail investors could see the top 10 bid and ask prices in the trading details. Once retail investors spotted capital backing up the stock below, they would hold out hope, and the manipulator would never be able to scoop up shares at a low price. The market had just taught him another lesson. At 11:30, the morning trading session ended. Lu Liang stood up to wash up—he had already gone all in on this stock. The A-share market operated on a T+1 trading rule: stocks bought today could only be sold tomorrow. No matter how the market moved for the rest of the day, it wouldn't affect him at all. Based on his analysis, the next price surge should kick off next Monday. A sudden intraday rally would simply cost too much. Leaving the hotel at noon, Lu Liang drove his Bentley back to his apartment in Xinpu—he was planning to move. The apartment was actually quite nice. A studio unit cost only 2,300 yuan a month, fully furnished and ready for move-in. Apart from the poor sound insulation, everything else was great. But now, he could afford something far better. Having lived there for over two months, Lu Liang hadn't bought much stuff—his belongings barely filled a single suitcase. He figured he could just abandon everything here anyway; he could always buy new things when he moved. Glancing across the hallway, Lu Liang suddenly thought of Li Manli. A faint smile tugged at his lips—he'd almost forgotten about her. He knocked on her door. "Manli, are you home?" A flurry of hurried footsteps sounded inside, and the door creaked open a crack. Li Manli stood behind the door, peeking out. She was wearing a cartoon-printed pajama set, her hair messy with a few stray strands sticking up. She looked dazed, as if she'd just woken up. "Brother Liang, are you going on a business trip?" Seeing Lu Liang pulling a suitcase, Li Manli quickly grabbed a hat and jammed it on her head to hide her messy hair. Lu Liang shook his head. "I'm moving out. Saw you were home, so I stopped by to say goodbye." Li Manli murmured an acknowledgment. She wanted to ask where he was moving to, but she couldn't figure out what right she had to ask. Were they friends? Hardly. Neighbors? They could have been good neighbors once, but she'd shut him out. "Oh, by the way—do you have time this afternoon?" Lu Liang suddenly asked. Li Manli wasn't like Zhang Qian, after all. At just 19 years old, expecting her to make the first move was unrealistic. Cracking the Little Apple—he would have to take the initiative. "Yeah, probably. I don't start work until 8 PM." "Come help me check out some houses, will you? I need a second opinion." Leaving no room for refusal, Lu Liang smiled and added, "You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's grab lunch first." "But I just got up. I haven't washed up or put on any makeup," Li Manli hesitated. On one hand, she really wanted to get to know Lu Liang better. On the other hand, she could guess what he was up to. Young as she was, working in a nightclub had already taught her to see through people—she was no naive kid. "Don't worry about it. I'll wait for you." Lu Liang stepped back into his own apartment and waved at her. "Okay, I'll be quick." Li Manli took a deep breath and agreed. It was just a meal and helping him look at houses—no big deal. Watching her close the door, Lu Liang smiled to himself. The hardest part was over; the rest would be easy. Twenty minutes later, Li Manli emerged from her apartment. Dressed in a pink hoodie and ripped jeans, with her hair tied in two ponytails, she exuded youthful energy and vitality. "Let's go." Lu Liang grabbed his suitcase and led the way. He didn't compliment her on how nice she looked or how pretty she was. Attractive girls heard those lines all the time—he needed to stand out from all the other guys chasing her. His edge, of course, was his money. Downstairs, the blue Bentley was parked at the entrance. The multi-million-yuan luxury car—worth 4.8 million yuan—drew stares from everyone passing by. Ignoring the onlookers, Lu Liang opened the passenger door and grinned. "Your carriage awaits, princess." "Brother Liang, stop teasing me." Blushing, Li Manli ducked her head and scrambled into the car. She had no idea how much the car cost, but judging by the envious glances from passersby, it was definitely expensive. The moment Lu Liang held the door open for her, she felt like the star of the neighborhood—a surge of satisfaction swelling in her chest. Lu Liang smiled, popped the trunk to stow his suitcase, then got behind the wheel and drove off. At every red light, the blue Bentley turned heads. Whether intentional or not, luxury cars always commanded attention. Lu Liang noticed Li Manli sneaking glances at the people staring at the car and smiled to himself without saying a word. He liked vain girls—because he could easily satisfy their vanity. They pulled up to the Peace Hotel, and Lu Liang handed the keys to the doorman to park the car. Tan Tao bowed slightly, greeting them with a smile. "Welcome back, Mr. Lu." "Two for the second-floor restaurant," Lu Liang said. Tan Tao escorted them upstairs and seated them at the best table by the window. "Manli, is there anything you don't eat?" Lu Liang asked, flipping through the menu. "I don't eat cilantro. Anything else is fine," Li Manli replied, her gaze drifting out the window. Outside lay Shanghai's famous Bund, and beyond it, the glittering skyline of Lujiazui—where every inch of land cost a fortune. Coming here from Xinpu felt like stepping into a whole new world. Everything she'd seen along the way made her think—this was the real Shanghai lifestyle. After Lu Liang finished ordering, Li Manli couldn't help but ask, "Brother Liang, do you come here often?" "Once in a while. I've been staying upstairs lately, so I've eaten here a few times. The food's pretty good." Lu Liang said it casually, without any hint of bragging—but to Li Manli, it sounded like humble modesty. The meal came to 4,200 yuan. Afterward, they headed to the café on the other side of the second floor to relax. Li Manli's demeanor had completely changed—she was now enthusiastically helping Lu Liang research new apartments, listing the pros and cons of different neighborhoods in a clear, organized way. She had no idea that Lu Liang used to work as a real estate agent, and knew far more about the city's neighborhoods than she ever would. But Lu Liang was happy to let her ramble on, nodding and chiming in with a comment now and then, a smile playing on his lips. After a while, Li Manli took a sip of coffee and asked, "Brother Liang, what's your budget for the new place?" "Doesn't matter," Lu Liang said, gazing across the river with a smile. "Living over there would be nice." "Over where?" Li Manli followed his gaze. The opposite bank was lined with office buildings—she didn't see any residential complexes. "The four buildings next to the Shanghai World Financial Center." A glint of ambition flashed in Lu Liang's eyes. He'd already made up his mind about where to live. Asking for Li Manli's opinion had just been an excuse to get her out. Li Manli pulled out her phone to check and said uncertainly, "Are those the Tomson Riviera apartments?" "I think that's the name," Lu Liang replied. Without another word, he grabbed her hand. "Come on—let's go take a look."