Chapter 40: Racing Against Time

When a person is poor, they study whatever might make them money. Lin Bai had previously researched the stock market and knew exactly how precious this information was to him.

Without a second thought, Lin Bai dashed out the door, drove straight to the nearest brokerage firm, processed the account opening as quickly as possible, and transferred all five thousand yuan he had on hand into the account.

"Not enough! Still not enough!"

Facing a stock that was a guaranteed win, with profits set to nearly triple in a week, the more capital he had, the more he would make! Five thousand yuan would only earn him a few thousand in profit after a week, which was far short of what Lin Bai had imagined.

What to do?

The first thought that popped into Lin Bai's mind was to borrow. Who could he borrow from? Family was out of the question; they had no money. Online loans? As a college student with no steady cash flow, he couldn't borrow much. Therefore, he had to borrow from people he knew.

Who to ask? The first person Lin Bai thought of was Brother Luo. He immediately dialed his number.

"Hey Lin Bai, how's it going? Hahaha, how are you planning to thank Brother Luo?"

"Lend me some money, Brother Luo!"

Brother Luo: "..."

"How much?"

"As much as you have. It's urgent! Hurry!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Alright, I've got about twenty thousand on hand. I'll transfer it to you now."

"Thank you, Brother Luo! I'll pay you back in a week at most."

"Don't worry about it, I trust you."

Not long after hanging up, Lin Bai received the transfer from Brother Luo. He accepted it and deposited the total into his trading account. Looking at the balance of twenty-five thousand, Lin Bai still felt it wasn't enough.

After much deliberation, he called Qin Ruowei.

Qin Ruowei had returned home after class—in her words, going back early meant she could get back to school earlier and see Lin Bai sooner. On the other end, she was eating with her parents and second brother. When her phone vibrated, the whole family looked over. Qin Ruowei pursed her lips, set down her utensils, and walked to the side to answer.

"What's wrong, Lin Bai?"

"Ruowei, how much money do you have on hand right now?"

Qin Ruowei was stunned. "I haven't counted, maybe... three hundred thousand? Do you need it?"

"Yes, lend it to me. I'll pay you back in a week."

"Okay, send me your bank card number and I'll transfer it to you."

"Right, and Ruowei, could you ask your dad to lend me some more?"

"Huh? What are you doing, honey? Why do you need so much money?"

"Investing in stocks!"

"Stocks? Why are you suddenly trading stocks? That's very risky."

"Don't ask so many questions, Ruowei. Just do as I say. If you can't borrow it, that's fine too."

"Alright, I'll try."

After hanging up, Qin Ruowei received the bank account number from Lin Bai and transferred her three hundred thousand. She then returned to the dining table with her phone, nibbling on her food while stealing glances at her father.

"Speak if you have something to say." Qin Yang glared at his daughter impatiently.

Qin Ruowei gave an awkward smile, gathered her thoughts, and said, "Dad, Mom, Second Brother, could you... lend me some money?"

The three of them stopped eating. Qin Yulong frowned. "What happened to your allowance? Spent it all?"

Qin Ruowei waved her hands frantically and, after much hesitation, decided to tell the truth. "It's not for me, it's for Lin Bai. He... he needs money to trade stocks."

The three of them froze again.

"Trade stocks? Borrowing money to trade stocks? Don't tell me you've already lent him your allowance!" Qin Yulong knew his younger sister too well.

Qin Ruowei lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers. "Lin Bai isn't that kind of person. I believe in him."

Qin Yulong was speechless with anger, pointing at his sister and looking at his father. "Look at this, just look. This is a classic case of being love-struck! I now seriously suspect this Lin Bai is a con artist!"

Qin Yang had remained silent and calm. Now, he spoke up: "Borrowing money is fine, but I want to meet him in person. Have him ask me himself. Any problem with that?"

"Dad..." Qin Yulong looked confused.

Qin Yang waved his hand and looked at Qin Ruowei. "Well?"

"I... I'll try to tell him."

On the other side, after receiving the three hundred thousand from Qin Ruowei, Lin Bai deposited it into his account and searched for Huaxing Yunke. At that moment, the stock had dipped slightly from its opening of 3.87 to 3.81.

"Perfect for bottom-fishing!"

Without a second thought, Lin Bai went all-in, dumping all 325,000 into Huaxing Yunke.

"System, I've staked my entire life on this."

[Beep! Do not doubt the system.]

After buying the shares, Lin Bai received a call from Li Ruonan. He frowned when he saw her name. Li Ruonan had been giving him the cold shoulder all week and hadn't spoken a word to him; why call now? Regardless, it was fine—midnight was the deadline, and he had to race against the clock.

"Hello?"

"Lin Bai, you, where are you..."

As the call connected, Lin Bai clearly heard muffled music in the background. His brow furrowed. "Where are you?"

"I'm at, Miaomiao... Ruonan, aren't you done yet?"

Before Li Ruonan could finish her sentence, Wang Peichuan's familiar voice came through. Lin Bai immediately realized something was wrong. Staring at his phone after the call was cut, he hurriedly searched for "Miaomiao" on his map.

Miaomiao Bar! It was in the commercial district right next to the school!

Without another thought, Lin Bai drove straight toward the bar. On the way, he received another call from Qin Ruowei.

"Honey, my dad agreed, but he wants you to ask him in person. Do you have time now?"

Lin Bai frowned. "Probably not right now. Can tomorrow work?"

"Sure, I'll tell my dad. I'll be waiting for you at home tomorrow."

"Alright, baby, I love you."

Hanging up, Lin Bai's expression was grim as his Mercedes engine roared.

...

While he was on his way, let's look at the situation with Chen Shuya. Brother Luo and Li Yu's posts had dragged Chen Shuya into a massive public opinion scandal. Moreover, because Li Yu's post contained many of Chen Shuya's private photos, the authenticity was unquestionable; she had no way to defend herself.

*Bang!*

The dormitory door was pushed open. Many girls gathered at the entrance, pulling out their phones to snap pictures of Chen Shuya. Terrified, she covered her face as much as she could and shoved the door shut.

"Get out! Get out, all of you, go away!"

After locking the door from the inside, Chen Shuya slid down against it, weeping uncontrollably. Zhou Min and Wang Xiaoli glanced at her and curled their lips. "Self-inflicted misery!"

After crying for a while, Chen Shuya stood up in anger and dialed Li Yu's number, but...

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later..."

Chen Shuya didn't believe it and tried again, but the result was the same. Clearly, Li Yu had blocked her.

"Bastard! Bastard, you bastard!"

"Chen Shuya, keep it down, we're trying to study," Wang Xiaoli poked her head out to scold her.

Zhou Min added, "Pah! Evil deeds will eventually lead to your own destruction."

...

Miaomiao Bar had opened recently, and with its aggressive promotions, it was quite popular among students.