Chapter 1011: Hearts and Gallants in Harmony

Undoubtedly, Wang Yan was not a good man, but within the limits of what circumstances allowed, he had basically done his best.

When Beidi gave birth and underwent her postpartum confinement, he cared for her for over half a month, providing all three meals himself. The chicken soup was indeed delicious and greatly replenished vital energy; Beidi had never drunk it before, but on the second day after giving birth, Wang Yan stewed a pot for her to replenish the energy consumed by childbirth, and she fell in love with that taste, though Wang Yan only stewed three chickens for her.

For the rest of the time, the meals were mostly nutritious dishes that also accounted for flavor.

In this regard, he was truly professional. The combination of advanced medical skills and culinary expertise, plus a thorough understanding of various ingredients, resulted in exquisite delicacies that perfectly restored the body's vital energy. He had even scientifically researched dietetics, mastering in depth the precise configuration of various elements required by the human body under different conditions; this was a subsidiary research achievement from projects in life sciences and other human studies.

Based on this point alone, if Wang Yan went out to work as a nutritionist for relevant clients, his income would be quite substantial.

Another point was his superb massage skills. Whether it was postpartum recovery techniques to move the palaces and activate blood, or invigorating massages to relieve fatigue, these were also excellent methods to help people recover quickly.

There were also the experienced nannies Wang Yan had hired; when he was bored with nothing to do, he even provided them with advanced training in infant care.

In short, the superposition of various skills and knowledge allowed Beidi to recover rapidly after childbirth and ensured that his newborn daughter, just arriving in the world, had a good experience...

It was also while Wang Yan was attending to Beidi that the Shanghai stock market became lively once again.

The Garment Company listed on this day with an issue price of 5.4 yuan. But if that were all, it wouldn't be considered lively. In the period that followed, A-Bao manipulated and drove up the share price, closing at 10.8 yuan in the morning session. When the afternoon session opened, the price was suddenly driven up again, shooting straight to 18 yuan. Undoubtedly, Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie had made his move.

This greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of the retail investors, as well as the enthusiasm of shareholders holding original shares. As the share price continued to fluctuate, people's enthusiasm was ignited even more.

The shareholders all knew the price, so they cashed out a portion when it reached the twenties; this was naturally a violation of regulations, but what did that matter?

Those taking over the shares were the vast number of retail investors, as well as Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie, who was holding back his strength, determined to crush A-Bao and crush Wang Yan.

In the following few days, the Garment Company became the top stock on the Shanghai market, with huge daily fluctuations. It was precisely during this process that whether it was A-Bao or Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie, or the Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Association secretly tagging along, as well as other hot money and retail investors, everyone was consuming capital; no one was making money.

Of course, money does not disappear without cause; after all, those who failed to hold the high positions and sold at low prices had their bargains picked up by others who sold at high positions. But those who had made money clearly would not be content with just this one round.

The psychology was much the same as gambling: if you lose this round, you want to win it back in the next; if you win this round, you want to win even more in the next; there is no end. This is the most intuitive display of human greed, always wanting to gamble on the God of Wealth's favor in the next round.

But obviously, casinos have house owners, and the stock market likewise has market makers; they are the Gods of Wealth who take it all.

Just like in the original drama, both A-Bao and Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie coveted each other's stocks; after failing to break through for a long time, Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie resorted to tactics. He bribed the manager of the Garment Company and bought into Zhi Zhen Yuan to withdraw Mrs. Lin's funds.

The Ningbo funds were pulled together by that group from Little Ningbo, who were A-Bao's supporters; Wang Yan's money was also not easy to move, and A-Bao himself was wealthier than in the original drama. Western International Trust had formally signed agreements with A-Bao, so those funds could not be moved; only Mrs. Lin's thirty million could be withdrawn.

Mrs. Lin's funds accounted for one-fifth of A-Bao's total capital; calculated at fifteen yuan per share, that meant two million shares. With the share price fluctuating up and down, the volume was also around two million shares, which was already a significantly major impact.

This was far more suitable than Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie investing another thirty million into the stock market to fight A-Bao. Speaking purely in terms of capital value, it might be a relationship of thirty million versus sixty million, but to a certain extent, it could be considered spending a small amount of money to accomplish a big task.

Thus, adding in the role of the Garment Company's manager, what was originally a back-and-forth, intensely deadlocked stock market battle between the two sides suddenly left A-Bao as the weaker party.

It was precisely under these circumstances that, after attending to Beidi until she had mostly recovered, Wang Yan returned to Shanghai.

Huaihai Middle Road was the famous Avenue Joffre of old Shanghai; here there were also some old Western-style houses, none of which were small in area.

On the bed of one such spacious old Western-style house, Wang Yan leaned against the headboard with a cigarette in his mouth, listening as Li Li, who had already paid off her past debts and was likewise smoking a cigarette, roughly recounted the recent stock market battles revolving around the Garment Company.

Wang Yan smiled and said, "This time you really trapped Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie badly; he might even end up in prison."

"If he wins, everything is fine; if he loses, he'll go to prison even without this incident. Do you think..." Li Li asked with a smile, "can he win?"

"Of course not. I'm already quite the pretender; if he pretends even more than I do, how can that be acceptable?"

"I actually think you don't pretend; you are the most genuine."

"It's all the same; fake or real, it's all pretending. It seems Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie looks down on me as an uncultured nouveau riche, while I look down on them for making dirty money by manipulating the market; it's all looking down on each other. Who is nobler than whom? It's nothing more than different standpoints."

"I don't care; as long as I think you're genuine, that's enough. Sometimes, you don't need to understand yourself so clearly."

Wang Yan smiled slightly and did not argue further on this point.

Li Li said, "I estimate Boss Bao won't be able to hold out for much longer; even the Garment Company isn't of one heart with him; he really worked for nothing."

"If you seek something, you must pay a price. They didn't seek him out to list the company; he wanted to use this to advance himself, so he must bear all kinds of risks."

"Are you waiting for him to come find you?"

"There's no reason for me to actively deliver money to him."

"I don't understand what Boss Bao is thinking at all; since his declining trend is already apparent, why does he still struggle to hold on? He'll have to find you sooner or later; what's the point of holding on now?" Li Li shook her head.

"Perhaps he is waiting to see what other tricks Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie has up his sleeve, intending to give him another unforgettable experience once Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie thinks victory is assured."

"That would truly be unforgettable; I estimate Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie would have the heart to kill both of you."

"Then I am far too innocent; the market is right there. Does he have to win and cannot lose? There is no such logic."

"What about Seeing Seeing Lingzi then?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "That is merely his lingering attachment; for him, Seeing Seeing Lingzi is just a code name representing his past. A-Bao appeared as an authoritarian figure, not even knowing who Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie was, yet he took Seeing Seeing Lingzi back to Shanghai. For a poor boy, having his Princess snatched away by someone else while he was ignored like an ant—anyone would remember that bitterly."

"You are quite understanding of him; have you had such experiences before?"

"I've seen quite a few."

"Speaking of which, even if Seeing Seeing Lingzi had stayed in Japan back then, she wouldn't necessarily have gotten together with him, would she?"

"But people can't help but think of the best, always moving themselves emotionally. What he will only think is that if A-Bao hadn't jumped in halfway, Seeing Seeing Lingzi would have gotten together with him."

Li Li let out an 'Eh?' and then asked, "Does he know about the matter between you and Seeing Seeing Lingzi?"

"Seeing Seeing Lingzi admitted it half-hidden, half-revealed; we are all smart people, so it's almost as good as saying it outright. However, perhaps Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie will interpret it as Seeing Seeing Lingzi simply not wanting to get together with him? Letting him think he hasn't done enough isn't impossible either."

People are complex; Wang Yan couldn't be sure what Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie's thoughts regarding Seeing Seeing Lingzi actually were. This wasn't a certainty; everything has probabilities, and no one knows if Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie might just act irrationally.

Li Li was made to laugh by Wang Yan's words; after all, she was more familiar with Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie. Thinking of such a scene of deep affection from a king of pretenders like Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie felt very contradictory, and coupled with the huge blow Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie might face and the eventual imprisonment awaiting him, it became quite interesting.

After laughing for a while, she turned and asked, "I haven't asked you yet; how are things in Hong Kong?"

"She gave birth to a daughter, seven jin and four liang."

"A chubby girl; she has good fortune." Having said this, Li Li curled her legs over. "One more time?"

"I have no objection..."

Wang Yan spent two days in deep companionship with Li Li before leaving that old Western-style house, moving to another Western house to continue working diligently, then diligently again, before finally heading to Night Tokyo, arriving just before dinner.

As soon as he entered, he saw Seeing Seeing Lingzi and the others gathered around eating.

Teacher Ge said, "Oh yo, Little Northeast has returned, and didn't even give us advance notice."

Tao Tao asked curiously, "Wang Laoban, did the childbirth go smoothly?"

"Oh yo, the way you say that makes it sound like Wang Laoban gave birth," Ling Hong rolled her eyes.

"Xiao Wen, bring over another set of bowls, chopsticks, and a cup," Seeing Seeing Lingzi called out, her tone somewhat ambiguous, yet she also asked curiously, "How did things go?"

"Gave birth to a daughter, seven jin four liang," Wang Yan said once again, recounting the child's details before sitting down to eat.

"Oh my, a chubby little Miss, that's quite good," Tao Tao laughed. "Fang Mei has also been pregnant for several months; she's probably due soon too."

Teacher Ge stared at him wide-eyed: "Is this how you act as a husband?"

"What did I do?"

"You don't even know how long Fang Mei has been pregnant?" Ling Hong also stared wide-eyed.

"Well, Fang Mei's family handles all those matters, as you know. As for me, I'm muddled and confused; how could I remember so many things?"

In just a few sentences, the criticism turned entirely against Tao Tao, all firepower directed at him as they spoke up for Fang Mei's injustice.

"Wang Laoban, you say something; my words don't carry weight at home," Tao Tao sought help from Wang Yan.

"Still, the wife is your wife, and the child is your child," Wang Yan said with a smile, taking a sip of wine. "You ought to show concern; Fang Mei is a good woman. You're about to become a father; you need to be more steady."

Tao Tao sighed: "Suddenly, everything feels meaningless."

"What do you think would be meaningful?" Teacher Ge asked irritably.

"Nothing is meaningful."

Wang Yan smiled: "If you wanted to build a big business, you haven't put any heart into managing things these past few years. We've known each other for nearly four years; under normal development, if you had expanded your operations and I provided some assistance, you would have secured a place in Shanghai's seafood industry. But you didn't do it."

"You don't want anything, you don't do anything; every day it's just playing mahjong, looking at young ladies, running around outside all day. No matter what you try, you'll never succeed."

"Isn't this fine as it is? I don't have such grand ambitions," Tao Tao replied, feeling no shame despite Wang Yan's words.

Ling Hong wore an expression of pure disdain: "Then why say everything is meaningless? You don't want to work, you don't want to go home, and your playing outside hasn't yielded any results either. We don't know what you actually want to do."

"I don't know what I want to do either," Tao Tao sighed, drinking a large mouthful of gloomy wine.

Wang Yan smiled slightly and said nothing more; he feared that if he spoke again, Tao Tao might start singing about a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bird.

Actually, there was nothing seriously wrong with Tao Tao; he was simply idle. After living comfortably for too long, mental exhaustion was inevitable. Especially with Fang Mei about to give birth, he wasn't truly prepared, and internally he felt resistant.

After eating a few bites and listening for a while to the others scolding Tao Tao, Wang Yan interjected to change the subject: "How is Night Tokyo doing now? Any progress?"

Seeing Seeing Lingzi began recounting cheerfully: "We hired a new chef and two waitresses, but this place is too small to hold so many people. The new shop is still under renovation and will open by the end of January. By then, we'll gradually train the staff there; there's no rush to expand. I've already agreed with Ling Hong that once the new place opens, she'll close her shop and go over there to serve as manager."

"Not bad; it's finally getting on the right track," Wang Yan nodded.

At this moment, Tao Tao spoke up: "Wang Laoban, how is the clothing company doing?"

"Boss Bao seems to be losing ground; I'm not entirely clear on the specifics since I haven't been paying much attention."

"Oh my, didn't you also invest thirty million? And you don't care at all? If Boss Bao loses ground and loses all the money, what then?"

"Boss Bao still values human relationships; surely he wouldn't really let me lose all my money, would he?"

Tao Tao continued: "Still, we can't just let that Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie make money like this. Wang Laoban, you shouldn't surrender before the battle even starts. Especially since that Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie is truly unpleasant; none of us can stand him. Letting someone like that earn your money away... oh my..."

Not only Tao Tao, but the others also shook their heads repeatedly.

Wang Yan smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow at Seeing Seeing Lingzi: "It seems President Sha Qiang is very unpopular."

Seeing Seeing Lingzi rolled her eyes and said nothing.

The meal passed with laughter and conversation; once the restaurant grew busy, everyone dispersed, and Wang Yan left with Seeing Seeing Lingzi...

Several days passed peacefully and quietly. The fierce stock market battles had no impact on those who didn't follow the stock market. Perhaps due to the condemnation from Wang Yan and the others, Tao Tao began focusing on his family these past few days; the farce where Fang Mei nearly miscarried and Tao Tao got thoroughly beaten by her family did not occur. Rumor had it that Fang Mei was very happy.

During these same days, Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie intensified his offensive, constantly driving prices up and down, buying here and selling there, provoking the emotions of retail investors while depleting Ah Bao's funds.

However, because Wang Yan had not yet added to his stake, Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie did not, as in the original drama, dump the market with a sell order of fifteen million shares. At that time, the stock price was over ten yuan; absorbing those fifteen million shares required 160 million yuan in capital. Back then, whether retail investors, Ah Bao's team, or the arrogantly powerful Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Group, everyone was stunned by the dump; this was the power of great capital.

But now Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie dared not do this, because Wang Yan's strength was evident; who knew whether he could produce that much money? If Wang Yan really absorbed it all in one hand, Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie would have to jump off a building.

After all, he had been driving the price down from over twenty yuan; the floating losses in between amounted to at least sixty million yuan. Adding the thirty million previously withdrawn from Mrs. Lin's funds, plus the additional expenditure required for Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie to continue putting up money to jointly purchase shares due to Wang Yan's support causing the stock price to rise, the total calculated to well over one hundred million yuan. Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie would have no choice but to jump off a building.

This was the beginning of 1994; money was still money.

Therefore, Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie maintained the utmost respect toward Wang Yan, engaging Ah Bao in a war of attrition with great restraint. It appeared he was determined to grind Ah Bao to death even if it took forever.

After holding on for less than ten more days, Ah Bao could no longer endure; finally, he called Wang Yan, inviting him to dinner at the Peace Hotel.

Wang Yan gladly accepted the invitation.

"Long time no see, Wang Laoban."

"Uncle Ye," Wang Yan nodded toward the old man. "How is your health?"

"Full of spirit," Uncle Ye said, patting his chest. "As for you, I heard you have a daughter?"

"Tao Tao told you, I suppose?"

Seeing Ah Bao nod, Wang Yan smiled: "The child is doing well, seven jin four liang; everyone says she's a big, chubby girl."

"You are blessed," Uncle Ye said, smiling as he patted Wang Yan's arm. "Sit down and eat; we've encountered difficulties now, so we have no choice but to invite you, Wang Laoban, to step in."

"Uncle Ye, why such formalities? We are all friends. Can't hold on anymore?"

Ah Bao looked as refined as before, but his dark circles indicated poor rest recently; his eyes were filled with exhaustion, lacking his usual spirit.

He said: "Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie is very capable; South Country Investment has deep pockets. Earlier, he withdrew Mrs. Lin's funds, causing me to fall behind, though I ultimately gathered over one hundred million in capital..."

Ah Bao assumed Wang Yan didn't understand the stock market, so he explained in great detail, even teaching Wang Yan how to drive prices up and down to make money, and how he himself had lost money, and so on.

"By now, neither I nor the Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Group can hold on any longer. It's like warfare: when two armies clash, the process of winning may be slow, but losing means total collapse, leaving nothing behind..."

After expounding a bunch of principles, Ah Bao finally drank a large mouthful of strong liquor and made his final summary: "To win, we need more capital."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Name a figure."

"One hundred million; I won't take a single fen of profit," Ah Bao said, staring intently at Wang Yan; upon speaking this number, his heart felt as though it skipped a beat.

Everything stemmed from the inequality between both parties; on what grounds could he make such a request? Moreover, he was asking for one hundred million right off the bat.

Previously, for the five million, Wang Yan had already contributed thirty million, bearing profits and losses himself, basically throwing money into the pit, which was already quite generous. Now, by asking for money, he owed Wang Yan; yet given the current reality, he lacked the ability to repay this favor equally.

As for any profit share, he was already on the verge of losing his entire fortune. If Wang Yan provided this sum, he could salvage the situation and even make money again.

Uncle Ye likewise looked at Wang Yan; they had worked together for so many years, and this was the decisive move. Although he still had that pair of jeans deal, which he often mentioned as a safe passage, who would want to lose money when one could earn it?

Wang Yan did not hesitate; he nodded directly: "I'll give you one hundred fifty million. Crush Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie for me, and take the opportunity to wipe out those old good-for-nothings in the Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Group as well. As for profits, you take five percent; no one works without earning. Don't feel awkward; I also find Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie and his lot unpleasant. Consider this me paying for hired hands; just finish them all off. Tomorrow morning, my accountant will come over."

Ah Bao slammed his fist on the table: "Thank you, Wang Laoban, for your support and trust. Rest assured, I will ensure they come but never return."

"Just do your best."

"Wang Laoban is truly straightforward," Uncle Ye added, chiming in with praise.

"We're all friends; helping is only right. But, Boss Bao, after you crush them, don't drive the stock price down to cash out. You know I dislike letting retail investors take the fall. I'm not in a hurry for money, so you can sell off slowly. Or you could directly seize control of the garment company; there are many ways to play this, it's up to you."

"Understood!"

Boss Abao spoke with forceful conviction, his eyes turning red.

On one hand, he was moved by Wang Laoban's loyalty; on the other, he had steeled his resolve—he must crush Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie, or he would truly be unworthy of Wang Laoban's trust.

Wang Yan felt Boss Abao's sense of mission and could understand it. After all, they were merely friends; asking to borrow one hundred million to smash the stock market was already incredibly clueless, yet not only did Wang Yan not refuse, he actively increased the amount. Anyone would feel a bond of shared loyalty, ready to climb a mountain of knives or plunge into a sea of fire.

Although Wang Yan truly could not stand Sha Qiang Qiang Mujie and the Heavenly Heavenly Qilin Society, who was to say that helping Boss Abao wasn't compensation for his mental distress...

He smiled and waved his hand. "Let's eat. Let's chat together. Come to think of it, I really haven't seen Uncle Ye in ages."

And so, the three of them ate and drank together.

Wang Yan listened as Boss Abao once again declared his high-spirited ambitions...