Aethel's Prestige and a 100,000-Yuan Transfer

"My surname is Lu."

"I'm from the Capital."

"I'm a freshman at Jiangcheng University."

As those three sentences fell in the private room, the air seemed to freeze.

After saying those few words, Lu Chuan said no more. He picked up the white porcelain teacup in front of him and took an unhurried sip of warm tea, his expression betraying nothing.

Having lived a second life, he had long since sworn never to play the rich second-generation heir again. But Xu Chengyuan, sitting before him, was different. Though the man was mired in the mud now, he was an exceptionally sharp and capable trader who could guarantee a steady stream of cash flow in the future.

To bring a smart man like him under control-someone who had weathered great storms and was immensely proud-money alone would not work. He had to be able to keep him in check.

With a veteran like Xu Chengyuan, who had fought his way through the financial world, the more he said, the more openings he would leave. From beginning to end, Lu Chuan had not mentioned a word about his specific family background. He had only shown him the settlement statement for thirty-nine million and added that he was "from the Capital."

Across from him, a storm of monstrous waves had already risen in Xu Chengyuan's mind.

The shock of the settlement statement was still battering around inside his skull. Looking at the excessively young man across from him, he covertly studied Lu Chuan out of years of professional habit.

Lu Chuan wore no luxury watch.

Nor was he deliberately fiddling with the keys to a luxury car.

The most conspicuous thing he wore was a plain, light-gray short-sleeved shirt. It bore no eye-catching logo and looked like an ordinary piece of clothing bought on a whim.

But when Lu Chuan raised his arm to pour tea, the shoulder line and drape of the shirt shifted with his movement, revealing a glimpse of an extremely discreet finishing technique and the stitching on the inside.

Xu Chengyuan's pupils abruptly contracted.

He recognized it.

He had once moved in the Capital's most elite circles and accompanied genuine financial titans to haute couture shops closed to the public. He knew all too well what that distinctive cut meant.

It was Aethel, an exceptionally discreet top-tier luxury brand.

Xu Chengyuan's breathing tightened. The ordinary rich second-generation heirs in Jiangcheng would have loved to plaster designer logos across their foreheads to show off their wealth. None of them would spend tens of thousands of yuan on a plain shirt like this from Aethel, with no visible brand.

Only the scions of truly great families with deep-rooted wealth, who had lost all fascination with material things, would wear it as casual everyday clothing without a second thought.

Xu Chengyuan frantically pieced the fragments together in his mind.

A settlement statement for thirty-nine million.

A Capital background.

Aethel, worn without a care.

He was utterly certain that the waters behind this young man ran so deep that he was not even qualified to sound their depths.

Xu Chengyuan took a deep breath and stood, his manner having unconsciously become as deferential as possible.

"Young Master Lu."

He used the title with unmistakable awe.

Lu Chuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he set down his teacup.

"Just call me President Lu."

Xu Chengyuan nodded at once.

"Yes, President Lu."

Lu Chuan leaned back slightly and looked at him.

"Sit down. Let's talk."

Once Xu Chengyuan had sat down again, Lu Chuan laid out the rules going forward.

"From now on, I'll set the overall direction for the funds and hand it over to you."

"You'll have full responsibility for the specifics: when to open and close positions, and how to break them up. I won't interfere with the details of your trades."

Lu Chuan tapped his fingertips lightly on the table twice.

"If I haven't given you any explicit instructions, you can make your own trades during the downtime, based on the market and what you see on the screens. I trust your professional judgment."

Warmth surged in Xu Chengyuan's chest as he listened.

A boss who delegated so completely and concerned himself only with the big picture was the sort every trader dreamed of finding.

"One more rule."

Lu Chuan's tone grew somewhat more serious.

"I have classes to attend as usual. Unless something unusual comes up, don't contact me casually."

"For work matters, just put together a weekly progress report and email it to me."

Xu Chengyuan paused, then nodded firmly.

"I understand, President Lu."

Lu Chuan nodded, then pushed the phone on the table forward and pulled up his WeChat QR code.

"Take out your phone and add me on WeChat."

Xu Chengyuan almost fumbled as he pulled his old phone from his pocket and quickly scanned the code.

After they had added each other, Lu Chuan lowered his head and tapped the screen a few times.

Ding.

Xu Chengyuan's phone vibrated.

He looked down and saw a transfer pop up in their WeChat chat.

One hundred thousand yuan.

Xu Chengyuan jerked his head up, his eyes full of astonishment.

"Accept it first."

Lu Chuan glanced at the heavy red veins in Xu Chengyuan's eyes and the old shirt that had faded from washing, its cuffs already frayed.

"Use it to buy a couple of decent outfits, find somewhere to have a proper meal, and rest for a couple of days."

Lu Chuan spoke casually, but his words carried a weight that brooked no refusal.

"My people can't go out looking too shabby."

Xu Chengyuan gripped his phone tightly, a stinging heat flooding his eyes in an instant.

For most of the past year, he had been blacklisted by the entire industry like a bringer of plague, with nowhere left to turn. Everyone had wanted to kick him while he was down; not one person had been willing to sit down and speak a word to him.

And now, Lu Chuan had not only given him a chance to return to the table and absolute authority over trading, but had also transferred him one hundred thousand yuan without another word to help him improve his living conditions.

It was money.

But more than that, it was the dignity of being treated like a human being.

Before Xu Chengyuan could swallow down that surge of emotion, Lu Chuan had already pulled a prepared bank card from his pocket.

Holding it between two fingers, he pushed it in front of Xu Chengyuan.

"Once you've rested, go register a new investment company."

Lu Chuan looked at him.

"All the troublesome paperwork, the premises, the corporate shell—I'm leaving it all to you to handle. I won't show my face or put my name on it."

Xu Chengyuan looked at the card, his entire body going rigid.

"The startup capital is on the card."

Lu Chuan leaned forward slightly.

"Once the company is established, I'll give you a ten-percent stake."

"You'll be the general manager."

Xu Chengyuan felt all his blood rushing to his head.

A ten-percent stake.

The job of general manager.

This was not merely giving him a means to put food on the table. It was putting the hilt of a blade directly into his hand and giving him absolute power to turn his life around.

Such decisive methods, wielding both favor and authority, won Xu Chengyuan over completely.

He stood up.

He offered no empty words of gratitude, nor did he swear solemn oaths of loyalty. He knew that before an unfathomable man in power like Lu Chuan, ten thousand pretty words were worth less than getting one thing done.

"Rest assured."

Xu Chengyuan's Adam's apple bobbed. His voice was hoarse but exceptionally firm.

"I'll make sure this blade is honed to its sharpest for you."

Lu Chuan stood as well.

"As long as you fight this battle well."

He looked down at Xu Chengyuan and gave him one final promise.

"That ten percent will one day far exceed your imagination."

With that, Lu Chuan did not linger another second.

He turned toward the door, lifted the bamboo curtain, and calmly pushed the door open and left.

The treasure bowl was his, and the pieces were set on the board. From here on, he only needed to hand all the troublesome trading and business matters over to Xu Chengyuan to manage. As for himself, he could finally return to Jiangcheng University with peace of mind and enjoy a leisurely daily life without having to stay up all night watching the market.

In the private room.

Xu Chengyuan remained where he stood, his back ramrod straight.

He looked at the bamboo curtain, still swaying slightly, and at Lu Chuan's departing figure. In his eyes, the ferocity and fervor found only in a top trader had ignited once more.