Chapter Thirteen: Young Love Uncovered
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In his previous life, Zhou Ziyang was responsible for assisting companies with their administrative procedures, so he was thoroughly familiar with the forms to fill out and the processes to follow when registering a company. In fact, the staff who handled this particular business were going to be his future colleagues.
Of course, none of them recognized Zhou Ziyang at the moment.
But he was well aware of their personalities and temperaments.
Those who were diligent and earnest dealt with business straightforwardly.
Those who were sly and cunning would take care of as many tedious tasks as possible themselves, handing over complete and neat documents to him. After a quick glance and seeing no major issues, and noting that the young man was clean-cut and addressed them respectfully as "brother," they wouldn’t make things difficult for Zhou Ziyang.
If all else failed, he could rely on the influence of his privileged father.
The county was a small place; the leaders of various departments all knew each other.
Even if they didn’t know Zhou Ziyang personally, once he greeted them and introduced himself, those veterans would give him some respect.
The only real challenge might be the startup capital.
Zhou Ziyang’s family was simple—just his mother and himself.
He knew exactly the password and balance of his mother’s bank card.
His mother had a habit of playing the stock market.
Her stock account always carried a floating capital of 100,000 yuan. From 2008 until now, seven years had passed with stocks rising and falling, but ultimately the amount stayed around 100,000 yuan—neither a profit nor a loss, barely worth the effort, so it might as well have stayed safely in the bank to earn some interest.
Apart from the 100,000 yuan in stocks, there was only 20,000 yuan in savings.
His mother had set aside that money in another passbook, saying it was for Zhou Ziyang’s education.
Now Zhou Ziyang had matters more important than school, so he hesitated not at all, nor did he feel guilty about using the money without telling his mother.
Fortune favors the bold.
No matter how badly things went, his privileged father was the safety net.
He could still hold a respectable position as a department staff member in the future.
When he withdrew the money, Zhou Ziyang also checked his mother’s stock account.
During this period in 2015, the Shanghai Composite Index began to rise steadily, and his mother’s account finally turned profitable.
To be honest, Zhou Ziyang himself had dabbled in stocks for a few months after graduating from high school in 2015.
Stocks were all the rage back then; everyone believed they could make money.
But no one expected that when Zhou Ziyang got in, he was buying at the peak.
People said the Shanghai Composite Index would break through 6,000 points.
But it started to collapse at 5,000 points.
The situation deteriorated rapidly and stabilized between 3,000 and 3,200 points.
Zhou Ziyang didn’t make much money in stocks, but he remembered the names of a few stocks.
Chief among them was Storm Technology.
The opening price was nine yuan, and after listing, it kept hitting the daily price limit. In just two months, it soared to 300 yuan, earning the reputation as the “number one monster stock” in the A-share market.
Zhou Ziyang opened his browser to check Storm Technology’s current price. It was mid-April, and after continuous daily limit increases, the stock had reached 56 yuan.
He reviewed the past market trends.
Since its listing, Storm Technology had consistently hit the daily limit.
Ordinary investors had no chance to get in.
Though the stock was profitable, it was clearly manipulated by capital, leaving regular people with no opportunity to even get a taste.
But Zhou Ziyang, reborn with memory, recalled that on May 6, Storm Technology briefly opened its limit.
At that moment, whether due to a lapse by the capital or a moment’s distraction, the stock, which usually opened with a limit-up, suddenly dropped five points later in the day.
In 2015, anyone who traded stocks knew about this stock.
Everyone was itching with envy.
They thought that if it opened its limit, they would definitely buy some shares!
But when it actually opened that day, hesitation took hold.
Keep in mind, it had already reached a high of 157 yuan.
After a whole month of limit-ups, it suddenly opened. Was this a sign of a downturn?
Buying tech stocks on the Growth Enterprise Board was a gamble—win and everyone rejoices, lose and you lose everything.
No one dared to risk their entire fortune on a newly listed monster stock that kept hitting limit-ups.
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Because of their hesitation, Storm Technology suddenly resumed hitting limit-up in the final trading moments.
From then on, the stock never opened its limit again.
It surged relentlessly, reaching its peak on May 27.
327 yuan!
This was truly the turning point for Zhou Ziyang’s financial freedom!
With his mother’s 20,000 yuan plus at least 50,000 yuan from introducing Li Dongfeng to a factory,
He had 70,000 yuan to go all-in with margin trading!
In just half a month,
Zhou Ziyang could possess a fortune that he could never have in his previous life!
This was his real rebirth.
So, to wait for that opportunity, Zhou Ziyang had been busy every day lately.
Registering a company was no simple matter; the procedures alone kept him running errands for days, and that was with his connections.
But Zhou Ziyang’s constant excuse for absence was either stomach pain or feeling unwell.
Even though it was the last few days of high school, and the homeroom teacher didn’t usually interfere, seeing a student behave this way inevitably showed displeasure, leading to a few words of admonition.
Yet Zhou Ziyang looked genuinely unwell.
The homeroom teacher sighed and said, “Alright, the college entrance exam is coming soon.
“I can’t control you, but I hope you understand what you need to do now.
“I know a bit about your family situation. Your mother raised you alone, which is truly not easy.
“Don’t slack off at the last moment.
“Remember, a mountain nine fathoms high can be ruined by the last scoop of earth!”
Zhou Ziyang took the teacher’s words to heart.
“Do not cherish the golden robe too much, cherish your youth instead.
“When flowers bloom, you must pick them; don’t wait until the branches are bare!”
The teacher had already walked that path, but now Zhou Ziyang was going to walk the path he had dreamed of in high school but never dared to take.
The April weather was radiant and sunny.
The classroom was bright, with students attentively listening to the teacher’s explanation.
Only Zhou Ziyang’s seat was empty, standing out starkly in this “serious” classroom.
Though the study atmosphere was intense, students still whispered during breaks.
Noticing Zhou Ziyang had been leaving after just two classes daily,
A few gossip-loving girls whispered behind their hands: “What’s going on with Zhou Ziyang lately?”
“Could it be he’s given up because he can’t get into a good university?”
“Such a pity, there are only a few days left.”
“Yeah, I heard he comes from a divorced family and was raised by his mom.”
“His mom has worked so hard raising him; if he doesn’t get into a good university, wouldn’t that be wasting her efforts?”
“Ugh~”
The girls’ gossip in the cafeteria reached the ears of Xia Wei clearly.
For some reason, seeing Zhou Ziyang fall so far made Xia Wei feel an inexplicable unease.
She and Zhou Ziyang were not siblings, nor even friends.
Yet she just couldn’t tolerate his self-destruction.
Maybe it was because Zhou Ziyang’s father was her mother’s husband.
That day, Zhou Ziyang slept through two classes and felt it was enough.
He was about to skip out.
But just as he reached the classroom door, Xia Wei blocked his path.
With a cold face, Xia Wei said, “Come with me!”
Without waiting for his consent, she grabbed his hand and led him outside.
The academic pressure in senior year was intense.
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But seeing Xia Wei—always aloof and cold to everyone—actually take the initiative to speak to Zhou Ziyang and hold his hand—
This was explosive news!
As Xia Wei and Zhou Ziyang left, whispers started in the classroom.
“Whoa! What’s going on? Xia Wei actually held Zhou Ziyang’s hand?”
“Are they dating?!”
“Definitely. Guo Guo and I saw Xia Wei hugging Zhou Ziyang after lunch a couple of days ago!”
“???!!!”
With such revelations, the class erupted.
No matter how good the students were academically, they couldn’t help but prick up their ears at such juicy gossip.
It was too sensational.
Throughout high school, which boy in class hadn’t secretly admired Xia Wei?
Whether top students hoping to get closer through studying,
Or poor students in the back row who daydreamed gazing at Xia Wei’s profile during class,
They might not have always been in love with her,
But at some point, their hearts had fluttered.
And now they heard Xia Wei and Zhou Ziyang were already in a relationship?!
What an unspeakable scandal!
They didn’t understand it; they really didn’t.
But there were always a few girls who couldn’t grasp the lessons but understood gossip better than anyone.
No wonder Zhou Ziyang had been frequently absent lately!
Now it all made sense.
It must be that Xia Wei was about to break up with Zhou Ziyang.
Zhou Ziyang had given up on the college entrance exam.
And Xia Wei saw his downward spiral and decided to stop pretending.
Goodness, Zhou Ziyang was really despicable.
Love is love; study is study.
How could he use romance to hold Xia Wei hostage?
Exactly—if you don’t like someone, you don’t like them.
And given his family situation, giving up his future for romance was just childish!
Those ten minutes of break were a rare moment of relaxation for everyone.
Everyone gossiped about Zhou Ziyang and Xia Wei.
Until the homeroom teacher walked in with a stern face.
The noisy classroom instantly fell silent.
Although it was break time,
Senior year breaks were suffocating; except for a few who needed the restroom, everyone else had to study at their desks.
It wasn’t that they weren’t allowed to have a break;
If you wanted to play, go outside, but don’t disturb others studying.
At such times, it was obvious who was missing.
The homeroom teacher scanned the room and noticed Xia Wei’s and Zhou Ziyang’s seats were empty.
In a serious tone, he asked, “Where are Xia Wei and Zhou Ziyang?”
Now, the students lowered their heads as far as possible, not daring to utter a word.
If Old Chen, the teacher, knew about Xia Wei and Zhou Ziyang’s secret romance, it would be explosive news indeed.