Chapter 46: Xingcheng Heavy Industry

People are capable of empathy. Seeing Liu Qingqing and Su Mingyue being bullied by Lin Wei filling the air with resentment, Chen Yang also felt the same.

He won 60 million through his own ability; what right does Lin Wei have to take it for charity?

In his previous life, when he was suffocating under mortgage debt, he didn't see any philanthropist extend a helping hand!

Chen Yang grew more annoyed the more he thought about it. He decided to follow Su Mingyue's advice and play around in the stock market.

Since it was Saturday, accounts couldn't be opened. Chen Yang decided first to ask Su Mingyue about the current stock market situation.

Su Mingyue thought Chen Yang was a novice, so she had him open the computer and download stock software. Then she chattered on, explaining the various basics of stock trading.

To get revenge for Su Mingyue's two past betrayals, Chen Yang pretended not to understand anything, letting her talk for hours. Only when her mouth was dry and her voice hoarse did he happily end the beginner's lesson.

"Senior, is your finance degree bought? How come you don't understand anything?" Liu Qingqing, although she'd been chatting with netizens on her own site, also kept an eye on Chen Yang and Su Mingyue's situation. Seeing Su Mingyue exhausted to the point her voice was about to smoke, Chen Yang still feigning ignorance, she couldn't help speaking up for her best friend.

Chen Yang calmly rebutted: "Investment carries risk; entering the market requires caution. If I pour money in without fully understanding the situation, what's the difference from throwing it into water?"

Liu Qingqing snorted. Knowing she couldn't out-argue Chen Yang, she got up to pour Su Mingyue a glass of cool boiled water.

"Alright, don't be angry. Let me take you out for Western food, okay?" By now Chen Yang's anger had mostly faded; he decided not to make things difficult for Su Mingyue anymore. This woman is deep‑cunning; if she goes too far, who knows when she'll dig a pit for him again.

Hearing Chen Yang was treating, Liu Qingqing cheered with delight. "I want pizza!"

"And you?" Chen Yang turned to Su Mingyue, after all she was the one who needed compensation.

Su Mingyue replied softly: "I can have anything."

Chen Yang looked at her pitiful expression and smiled: "Don't feel too wronged. If I really had my legs broken by Zhang Jun's people, you, the one who sold the information, would also bear responsibility."

"Sorry, I didn't expect him to go that far." Su Mingyue hurriedly apologized. In fact, she also felt uneasy about Zhao Shunfa hiring thugs to hurt people. She hadn't expected Zhang Jun to go to such extremes for Lin Wei.

Chen Yang also couldn't be bothered to judge whether Su Mingyue's apology was sincere. After the matter at Sunflower Garden Community was settled, he had to return to Qingshui, and future interactions would be rare. As for whether Su Mingyue could use Liu Qingqing's resources to climb higher, that was her own ability.

The three drove to Pizza Hut. Liu Qingqing ordered a 15‑inch supreme pizza and started to eat heartily. Chen Yang was a bit impressed by her appetite. Moreover, this girl doesn't gain weight from eating.

By contrast, Su Mingyue was much more refined, chewing slowly and carefully. After eating just a small piece, she finished her meal. It was obvious she was deliberately controlling her weight.

After Chen Yang waited for Liu Qingqing to finish eating, he drove them back home. Liu Qingqing's energy now goes entirely into building the website of Qingwang; she spends every day posting on the forum, and even while eating and sleeping she keeps track of what's happening there. Her such focused state makes Chen Yang a little unaccustomed.

Su Mingyue's interest, meanwhile, was clearly feigned. Chen Yang guessed her original intention was to trick Liu Qingqing into investing in the stock market, only shifting his focus to himself after seeing Liu Qingqing devote all her energy to website building.

As expected. Just after Chen Yang returned to his room, Liu Qingqing sent another text, telling him to pay close attention to Xingcheng Heavy Industry.

In his previous life, Xingcheng Heavy Industry was a star enterprise of Dongjiangsheng, with a market value in the hundreds of billions. As a former veteran stock trader, Chen Yang had studied Xingcheng Heavy Industry in detail. He recalled that this year the company seemed to have undergone a restructuring, likely at month‑end.

At this moment Su Mingyue reminded Chen Yang to watch that stock—could she have received some insider information?

Chen Yang immediately opened his computer and checked Xingcheng Heavy Industry's price trend—it had fallen for five straight days, now trading at only 6 yuan.

He also looked at related information and found Xingcheng Heavy Industry's performance poor; internal salaries hadn't been paid for months, and one of its vice presidents was implicated in embezzling tens of millions of public funds, detained for investigation by the authorities. Examining the investigation details further, he felt that vice president's face looked familiar.

Chen Yang thought carefully and realized he might have seen that person while watching the World Cup at Wuyouju, wearing a German jersey and mingling with Zhang Jun's crowd.

Gambling really does harm people badly!

Executives embezzle, workers go unpaid—no wonder the stock price keeps plummeting.

However, Xingcheng Heavy Industry is after all a key‑supported star enterprise of Dongjiangsheng; the higher-ups couldn't possibly leave this mess unattended. Because in Chen Yang's previous‑life memory, this industrial giant would soon bounce back.

Su Mingyue's prompting Chen Yang to watch Xingcheng Heavy Industry was unexpected from his perspective. Viewed this way, the woman still has some vision, and she doesn't seem like a plant sent by Zhang Jun to trap him.

Chen Yang called Yexin. "Sister Xin, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Has Xingcheng Heavy Industry recently made any big moves?"

"Who've you been listening to? Nothing like that! Don't go poking around!"

"Really none?"

"No! You haven't returned to Qingshui yet? Aren't you afraid of kneeling on a washboard?"

"If she's not after my money, then kneeling on a washboard—or even on durian—would be fine."

"..., do whatever you want, anyway I didn't say anything."

Yexin hung up directly. Chen Yang carefully considered her tone and felt his guess should be correct. Xingcheng Heavy Industry will soon release positive news about its restructuring, after which its stock will rise steadily.

He suddenly felt his funds were a bit low. He hurriedly called Liu Shijie. "Brother Jie, I'm a bit short on cash lately—can you lend me some money to tide me over?"

"What joke, you'd be short of money?"

"Really, could you first lend me a few ten‑million for working capital?"

"A few ten‑million? You little brat, not sharing your profit‑making projects with me?"

"No, where would I get a project? I'm simply short on cash for working capital."

"Then sorry, I won't lend!"

Chen Yang helplessly hung up. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Liu Shijie the truth; he feared too many loose lips. Once the news of Xingcheng Heavy Industry's asset restructuring leaked early, he wouldn't even get a chance to enter the market.

Chen Yang soon thought of another person—Luo Zhikai, who worked in the investment department of Xingcheng Bank.

Chen Yang had over sixty million in savings, plus a unit's property deed; he felt borrowing some working capital from an old classmate should pose no problem.