Chapter 69: She Earned a Small Goal (Part 2)
In the next few days, Yu Ling felt like she was living between hell and heaven.
On the first day, Starlight Technology's opening was still stagnant, with the stock price remaining unchanged and even dipping slightly. Yu Ling stared at the market, her face pale, her palms wet with sweat, and she couldn't taste her lunch.
The next day, the morning market remained sluggish. Just as she was about to give in and cut her losses, at 2 p.m., a mysterious large order suddenly arrived! The stock price shot up like a shot in the arm, instantly soaring 5%! Yu Ling clutched her pounding heart, watching the red numbers in her account, barely daring to believe her eyes!
On the third day, good news began to spread! First, an "in-depth analysis" appeared on a fringe financial forum, stating that Xinghui Technology had achieved a "breakthrough" in a relatively unpopular nano-coating material field, with a patent pending. Then, an "insider" inadvertently revealed on a stock forum that the company was in "close contact" with an international giant, discussing a major collaboration.
The news spread like wildfire! Starlight Technology's stock price went completely crazy!
On the fourth day, the stock price hit the upper limit at the opening! The order book reached a million lots! It was impossible to buy in!
On the fifth day, the stock price continued to rise to the daily limit!
On the sixth day, the stock price hit the daily limit again! The ST label was still on, but that bright red daily limit was more dazzling than the most beautiful rose in Yu Ling's eyes!
On the seventh day! The stock opened with a massive volume, hitting the upper limit! The stock price had increased tenfold since Ling bought in! The amount in her account went from a mere six figures to a dizzying seven figures—one million!
In just one week, hundreds of thousands turned into millions!
A huge, unreal ecstasy washed over Yu Ling like a tsunami! She stared at the ever-twitching number in her account, representing her wealth, and trembled with excitement, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably! She had succeeded! She had truly seized the opportunity! She had proven herself! This wealth was "earned" by Yu Ling herself! It had nothing to do with Zhao Chen! It was the foundation of her future independent life!
She rushed out of the study and rushed towards Zhao Chen, who was slowly frying salmon in the open kitchen, like a gust of wind, and hugged his thin waist tightly from behind!
"Hubby! Husband!" Her voice was choked with excitement, her cheek pressed tightly against his broad back. "I... I made money! Xinghui Technology! It increased tenfold! I made a million!!"
She shouted incoherently, the great joy made her completely forget the panic and suspicion before, leaving only the pure desire to share and gratitude to the man in front of her. It was he who inadvertently gave her this "wealth code"!
Zhao Chen was slightly shaken by her collision, but the spatula in his hand remained as steady as a rock. He turned off the heat and turned around, his face showing just the right amount of surprise and joy. "Really? Ten times? Lingling, are you that amazing?"
He looked down at his wife in his arms, her face flushed with excitement and her eyes shining like stars. His amber eyes were filled with a gentle smile and a hint of hidden cunning that came from a successful plan.
He reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips, his gesture cherishing. "That's great. I always say our Lingling is the smartest." He paused, his smile deepening with a hint of doting teasing. "So, shouldn't you treat your husband to a nice meal tonight? To celebrate the birth of our 'stock god'?"
"Eat! You must eat!" Yu Ling nodded vigorously, bursting into laughter, and said with great pride, "You pick the place! The most expensive one! I'll treat you!" At this moment, the tangible one million in her account gave her unprecedented confidence and boldness! This was money that Yu Ling had earned through her own ability!
Haicheng's premier cloud-top restaurant, "Eye of the Dome," is located atop a skyscraper in the CBD. Its 360-degree floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the dazzling city nightscape, a star-studded scene. Elegantly dressed guests, clinking glasses, and the air is filled with the scent of luxury and wealth.
Zhao Chen booked the best and most private viewing box. The table was covered with a snow-white linen tablecloth, and exquisite silverware gleamed in the candlelight. Waiters shuttled silently, serving expensive appetizers and champagne.
Yu Ling, wearing a perfectly tailored champagne-colored dress Zhao Chen had "prepared" in advance and meticulously applied makeup, sat across from Zhao Chen. Outside the window, the stars drifted across the sky. Before her was her lover's gentle, smiling face. In her glass was a golden, bubbly Dom Pérignon. She felt like she was walking on clouds; everything seemed too good to be true.
The sense of security and joy brought by the one million in her account made her face glow. She raised her crystal-clear champagne glass, and under the flickering candlelight, she smiled brightly: "To my 'guiding light'! Without your 'insider information', I wouldn't have been able to catch this great stock!"
Zhao Chen also raised his glass with a smile, his amber eyes filled with intoxicating tenderness under the candlelight: "A toast to my wife, the 'stock god'. It is you who has a unique vision and seized the opportunity." The crisp sound of clinking glasses was particularly pleasant in the quiet box.
The atmosphere was warm and sweet to the extreme.
At this moment, the huge curved TV screen embedded in the wall of the box, which was originally playing soothing jazz background music, suddenly cut to an urgent financial news broadcast!
The serious and urgent voice of the female anchor instantly broke the charming atmosphere in the box:
"Interrupting this urgent financial news! After today's market close, Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed company 'Xinghui Technology' (stock code: XHKJ) issued a sudden announcement!"
The screen displayed the bright red stock code for "Xinghui Technology" and the candlestick chart of seven consecutive daily limit increases. Next to it was a bold, eye-catching headline: [Breaking News! Xinghui Technology Announcement: Due to major financial fraud and the expiration of core technology patents, the company is about to initiate bankruptcy liquidation procedures! Trading of the stock will be suspended starting tomorrow!]
The female anchor spoke very quickly, each word like a knife:
"The announcement stated that after preliminary verification by regulatory authorities and the company's own review, Starlight Technology's previously claimed 'nano-coating material technology breakthroughs' and 'intention to cooperate with international giants' were all false information! Its core patents have been confirmed to have expired due to unpaid annual fees! The company's actual liabilities far exceed its assets, its cash flow has dried up, and it is unable to repay its maturing debts! The company's stock will be suspended from trading starting tomorrow, and it is very likely to enter bankruptcy liquidation procedures directly after the delisting preparation period! Investors are reminded of the risks..."
Boom——!!!
Yu Ling felt like her world was collapsing in an instant! The world was spinning!
The champagne glass in her hand fell to the mirror-like ground with a crisp "crack", and golden wine and crystal fragments splashed everywhere!
The color drained from her face instantly! Her lips trembled, but she couldn't make a sound! Her eyes were fixed on the glaring words "Bankruptcy Liquidation" on the screen, her pupils dilated with extreme fear!
That dizzying one million in her account, that seven-digit figure that symbolized independence and a future, that wealth that had just given her supreme confidence and joy, vanished in an instant at the word "bankruptcy and liquidation"! No, it turned into a negative number! Delisted as a ST stock, worthless! Her original investment of one hundred thousand yuan was completely lost!
"No... Impossible..." She muttered to herself, her voice hoarse and broken, as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper. A huge despair, like an icy tide, instantly submerged her from head to toe! Her body trembled uncontrollably, her vision went black, and the strength that supported her seemed to be drained away in an instant!
She suddenly slid off the chair, her legs softening, and her whole body felt as if her bones had been pulled out, falling limply onto the cold floor! The hem of her expensive champagne-colored dress was stained with golden wine stains and glass fragments, but she was completely unaware.
"It's over... it's all over..." Tears rolled down her pale face like beads from a broken string. A surge of panic and despair gripped her, leaving her cold and shaking like a leaf in the wind. "My money... is all gone... gone..."
The fragile bastion of independence that had just been built collapsed under the hammer of reality, shattering into dust. The helplessness after the expiration of the agreement, the financial hardship, the immense loss... all the fears she had deliberately suppressed came back at this moment, a hundredfold and a thousandfold!
Zhao Chen had risen the moment her glass dropped. He quickly spun around the table, and the second Yu Ling collapsed to the ground, he was kneeling before her. He ignored the mess and the expensive wine, reaching out his arms and pulling his trembling wife, who was like a frightened bird, tightly into his warm embrace.
"Lingling! Lingling! Look at me!" His voice was low and powerful, with an unquestionable steady strength, trying to recall her collapsed mind.
Yu Ling clutched at his shirt, clutching it tightly, her nails digging into his flesh through the fabric. She raised her tearful face, her eyes hollow and hopeless, filled with self-loathing: "It's gone... It's all gone... I was stupid... I shouldn't have believed... I shouldn't have traded stocks..." The overwhelming sense of self-blame and failure threatened to consume her.
Zhao Chen looked at the shattered light in her eyes, his heart twisting like a throbbing pain. He cupped her tear-stained cheek, his fingertips firmly yet gently wiping away the tears that continued to flow. He lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers, his amber eyes gazing deep into her despair. His voice was low and clear, carrying a strange soothing power, as he spoke each word to Yu Ling's troubled heart:
"Fool, what are you afraid of?"
He paused slightly, a helpless yet doting smile forming at the corner of his lips, and said something that instantly stopped Yu Ling from crying and completely shut down her brain:
"I was the one who ordered the issuance of the bankruptcy notice."
Yu Ling's sobs suddenly stopped! She raised her head abruptly, her tear-stained eyelashes trembling violently as she stared at the handsome face so close to her in disbelief, as if she were meeting him for the first time. Tears still hung on her cheeks, but her eyes had changed from despair to extreme confusion and shock: "...you...what did you say?"
Zhao Chen looked at her stunned expression, the smile in his eyes deepening, a hint of cunning and indulgence from a successful prank. He reached out and gently wiped the last tear from her cheek, his movements as gentle as if he were treating a rare treasure.
"Without bankruptcy," he explained slowly, his voice low and pleasant, like the sound of a cello, flowing through the silent box, "How can we drive down the stock price? How can we buy this company at the lowest price?"
He straightened up slightly, still kneeling on one knee in front of Yu Ling, his eyes gently locked onto her dull ones, and he uttered the final, earth-shattering sentence:
"The acquisition is complete, the paperwork is done. This 'Starlight Technology,' and the truly valuable thing behind its expired patent," he paused, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing tomorrow's breakfast, "is what I'm giving you: 35% of Starlight Technology's shares, with a market value of over 100 million yuan. It's a wedding anniversary gift."
Boom——!!!
It was as if countless nuclear bombs were exploding in Yu Ling's mind at the same time, blowing her to pieces!
He ordered the bankruptcy notice...? To buy it at a low price? To give it to her... as an anniversary gift?!
She slumped to the ground, her expensive dress stained with wine, tears still etched on her face, her eyes completely unfocused. The overwhelming amount of information, like a surging wave, instantly slammed her onto the beach. The illusory gains and losses of a million in her account paled in comparison to the absurd reality of "giving her 35% of a company's shares," making them insignificant and insignificant.
Time seemed to freeze. Only on the TV screen, the female anchor continued to announce the "bad news" of "Xinghui Technology's bankruptcy" in a serious tone, becoming the most absurd background sound at the moment.
Zhao Chen looked at his wife, completely petrified and with a blank look in her eyes, in his arms, and sighed with both helplessness and fondness. Carefully avoiding the shards of glass on the floor, he slipped his arm through her legs and, with a slight push, easily lifted the stiff Yu Ling horizontally.
"The ground is cold," he whispered, holding her like a fragile treasure, walked back to the dining table, and gently placed her on the soft chair.
Then he picked up the unopened bottle of Dom Perignon, an even older vintage, on the table. With a slight push of his wrist, he poured the golden wine, accompanied by cheerful bubbles, into the brand new crystal glass.
He gently pushed one of the cups in front of Yu Ling, who was still in an out-of-body state.
He raised his other glass, his amber eyes filled with a gentle smile that shone brighter than the stars outside the window. He raised his glass elegantly and solemnly towards her blank face:
"Now, can we celebrate again?"
He leaned forward slightly, and his deep, magnetic voice, filled with endless love and a hint of mischief, rang out clearly:
"My boss Yu?"
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