Volume 1 Chapter 5: Only Two Months Left

  "Shen Fang..." Qiu Qinghe sighed, her face turned sideways and stuck to her knee, looking at Shen Fang, saying quietly, "Your dad is a good person, Director Yao is also a good person."

  "Good people also have times when they do wrong." Shen Fang withdrew his hand from around Qiu Qinghe's waist and lay down on the grass, hugging his head and muttering to himself, "Sometimes people can make a hundred or a thousand mistakes without it mattering, but sometimes just one mistake can harm others and oneself, causing endless trouble."

  "Yes, I didn't even know if what I did was right or wrong... 2.6 million..." Qiu Qinghe said a sentence, as if she had scared herself, her body shook uncontrollably for a moment, and then she lifted her head strongly, "I originally went to find Director Yao just hoping that the factory could lend some money to my brother for medical treatment, after all, my father had worked hard for the factory for his whole life, and in the future when I graduate from university and have a job, I can quickly pay back the money. But who would have thought, just a few days later Director Yao and Director Shen arrived in Shanghai with a big bag of money... Some people may never see so much money in their lifetime, two suitcases full of 100-yuan bills, I was scared to death at the time..."

  Shen Fang listened quietly, his mind racing quickly. Seeing Qiu Qinghe close her eyes and not continue speaking, he sighed and continued, "That money is probably not for you, right? It's not enough to use that much money for your brother's medical treatment."

  “Uh……” Qiu Qinghe lay down and curled up, her long eyelashes blinking, as if afraid of being heard, she whispered in Shen Fang's ear, “That money was originally intended to be distributed as welfare for the employees. Since my father has passed away and is no longer on the payroll, it shouldn't belong to our family by right. But Director Yao said that the money was taken from the factory's petty cash fund, so whether the welfare is distributed early or late doesn't matter, even if it's delayed for a year or two. It's better than just leaving it there, rather than...”

  "Why not invest in the stock market, and if you're lucky, you can make a fortune, and incidentally, your brother's medical expenses will be covered too, is that right?" Shen Fang said in a low voice, his brow furrowed. He really didn't know what kind of wind his father and Yao Qili were blowing, let alone the fact that there was no small treasury in the factory, even if there was, it would have been squandered by the former factory director and secretary long ago. This more than 2 million must be either misappropriated funds or retained profits, neither of which can be hidden for long.

  "Hmm, because I majored in Securities and Finance at university, so I was the one who took care of the money..." As she spoke, Qiu Qinghe felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She flipped over onto her back, let out a long sigh, and gazed up at the clear blue sky with a hint of self-mockery, "Actually, I'm really timid, I don't even dare to walk alone at night, when I first got to university, as soon as the lights went out in the dorm, I'd be so scared that I'd curl up under the blankets and tremble. But me...I actually took on the responsibility of managing the money! Do you think I was brave back then?"

  "Money is a bear's gall!" Shen Fang suddenly sat up, and for some reason, he felt a little indignant and ridiculous. Two men over forty who had struggled all their lives were actually reduced to such a state, while the woman in front of him, who was not yet twenty-two years old and looked like a beautiful seductress, really had the guts to take on this responsibility. Had they never considered what would happen if their investment failed? It would be the destruction of two families' happiness for a lifetime! And then there were the thousands of employees who would be forced to resign due to huge losses, how many of them could start again? Who would pay for the suffering and hardship they endured? Yao Qi Li? His father? Or Qiu Qinghe?

  The cold smile and violent anger that flashed in Shen Fang's eyes frightened Qiu Qinghe, who sat up with her hands and feet in disarray, looking at Shen Fang with some fear, opening her mouth to say something but swallowing it back.

  If everything goes on as before, she will soon understand where Shen Fang's anger comes from on that stormy night.

  No matter what, everything must be changed in one's own hands, even if it is an absurd and ridiculous mistake! Shen Fang rubbed his face hard and smiled bitterly: "The stock market is not a magic pot that can make people rich overnight. It will turn into a raging beast at any time, crushing and swallowing all the dreamers, leaving no bones... Qinghe, tell me now, where has the flood reached? Ankles, knees, waist, neck, or... already submerged?"

  Qiu Qinghe rushed back from Shanghai overnight, and the family's matchmaking for her was secondary. The most important thing was to report the stock situation to Yao Qili and Shen Yun. Now that Shen Fang said these words, she naturally thought it was Yao Qili or Shen Yun's intention, and couldn't help but feel annoyed.

  She stood up, her hands clasped behind her back, her chest proudly puffed out like a snow-capped peak. Qiu Qinghe slightly raised her head, her expression confident yet stubborn. "Director Yao and the others are still worried about me... But why didn't they say it to my face? Why did they have to get you to tell me these things? How much do you know about stocks? And how much do Director Yao and Director Shen understand? If they can't even give me basic trust, then I'd rather find someone else. The current losses will be considered a debt owed by Qiu Qinghe to all of you; in the future, I'll repay it with interest."

  Shen Fang was taken aback and lost his smile, "You're so confident in the stocks you've chosen?"

  With a disdainful glance, Qiu Qinghe tossed her hair with a charming expression: "Of course I'm confident. I told Director Yao and the others this morning, do you want me to repeat it that many times? Don't look at me as if I still have a year before graduating, but almost all of the well-known securities companies in the country have formally invited me, if I didn't have the ability, would I dare accept those 2.6 million? It's not like I'm playing house or pretending, with real gold and silver, without some solid skills, would I dare play?"

  "How long do you think it will take to see a return?"

  "How come you all like to ask this?" Qiu Qinghe blinked his eyes in puzzlement, saying somewhat resentfully, "Stocks aren't a gamble where you open your eyes and stare blankly! It's an investment, long-term it can be over a decade, short-term it can be just one or two years. As long as you firmly believe in your choices, temporary losses are acceptable."

  "Didn't your dad give you a deadline? I don't believe they can really wait for over ten years! Even if they can wait, the workers in the factory won't agree, why should they hold back our benefits and not issue them, who knows someone will come out to make trouble and go petitioning..."

  Qiu Qinghe hadn't thought about this issue, and after careful consideration, he replied: "At the beginning, it was said that it would take a year, but I estimate that within half a year, we can gain more than 20% profit."

  "Half a year, huh..." Shen Fang sighed and rubbed his nose in a pretentious manner, "What if we have to get this money back within two months?"

  "Two months?" Qiu Qinghe's face turned white, then she remembered what Yao Qili said in the morning and suddenly knocked Shen Fang's forehead with a "bang", "Damn guy, not big yet but always likes to make up nonsense to scare people, if it's really only two months, I'm afraid I'll have to sell myself to you for 5 million to fill the hole."

  "Come on, hurry up and give your old man a hug and a kiss!"

  "Die, you little rascal!" Qiu Qinghe forcefully pushed away Shen Fang's arms that were trying to wrap around her, turned around and ran off with quick steps, leaving behind a trail of crisp laughter.

  Chen put it behind and shouted, "Qinghe, really only two months!"

  As she turned around, she saw Shen Fang chasing after her with a charming smile. Qiu Qinghe felt a surge of annoyance in her heart, and although she said "Only an idiot would believe you, you scam artist", she couldn't help but think to herself, "If that day really came, would he actually use 500,000 yuan to buy me? How is that possible? At that time, wasn't he also deeply in debt like me? All he knows how to do is say things that please people, what a little scoundrel..."