Not Alone

The shyness of women at different ages can evoke different feelings in people.

When they were Little Girl, their shyness was amusing, and their laughter would elicit their disapproval.

When they were teenagers, the shyness on their faces could make men's hearts flutter, and then it would turn into a sweet trickle flowing into their hearts.

Once they reach adulthood, their shyness transforms into something else entirely, giving them a unique aura and charm.

Vera felt her cheeks burning as she faced Lin Qi's gaze. Before she could figure out how to defuse this somewhat awkward situation, Lin Qi grabbed her ankle, a move that startled her slightly.

She even blurted out a sentence that she herself wished she could faint. "My husband has never held my ankle like this!"

She wanted to explain, but after thinking about it, she decided against it, as the more she explained, the more confusing it would become.

Lin Qi made no overstepping moves. He simply observed Vera's ankle, gently pinching the swollen area twice. The area was very hot and rapidly congesting with blood.

He asked the waiter to bring some ice, then picked it up with a napkin and pressed it against her ankle.

The initial contact between the skin and the ice cubes might feel a little uncomfortable, but the capillaries quickly tightened, stopping the pain from worsening and making Vera feel comfortable.

She looked at Lin Qi sitting next to her, and a terrible feeling was spreading in her heart. She quickly stopped the thought and changed the subject to make herself serious, "It looks like I won't be able to go anywhere else with you for the next few days."

Most people, especially women, have experienced sprained ankles.

When you first wear high heels, you'll inevitably sprain your ankle a few times. After each sprain, you'll spend anywhere from two or three days to a week in bed.

If movement is necessary, a walking aid, such as a cane, will come in handy.

Lin Qi smiled and offered a few words of comfort, explaining that their work would be conducted at the Bu Peien Grand Hotel during this period.

Firstly, the situation in Bu Peien is becoming somewhat chaotic. Lin Qi just noticed a plume of smoke behind the building to the west. Although the smoke has since died down, it means the street is starting to become dangerous.

Don't assume that everyone living in a developed area is rich. There are many poor people in Bu Peien, and these poor people are even more terrible than the poor people in other places.

The poor living in developed big cities face greater pressure in life. When the government and society can help them to barely survive, they will not cause any destructive behavior.

However, when society and the government are unable to take care of them, the class hatred brought about by the huge gap between the rich and the poor, coupled with the immense pressure of life, can ignite their rationality.

Therefore, appearing on the street rashly is not the right thing to do. The Bu Peien Grand Hotel has a very reliable security force, and the Big Six Banks also have branches here, which can not only exchange foreign currency, but also handle daily deposit and withdrawal services.

Vera breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing Lin Qi's explanation; she was genuinely worried that her condition might have affected Lin Qi's work.

Later, Lin Qi half-helped, half-carried Vera into the car, and the two went straight back to the hotel.

After settling Vera, Lin Qi called Qiao Geliman. Qiao Geliman was delighted by Lin Qi's call, saying, "I thought you had forgotten about your old friend!"

"Friends don't disappear with the passage of time, and those who can disappear aren't friends!" Lin Qi replied casually, though Qiao Geliman's situation was a bit special.

His collaboration with Lin Qi earned him a performance award, and he was even nominated for Regional President, which made many people feel resentful.

The bank is a small society. Qiao Geliman had only achieved some success, and all sorts of people in the branches and headquarters were talking behind his back. There were even people who wrote letters of complaint saying that Qiao Geliman was suspected of committing crimes in his position.

Faced with this situation, the headquarters of Jinhui Bank could not remain indifferent. They ostensibly dispatched an investigation team to investigate the matter, and then redistributed his signing authority. Although his position remained unchanged, his power was essentially stripped away.

The document was supposed to be sent to another new assistant for review before it could be submitted to Qiao Geliman. In reality, the process wouldn't even begin without this assistant's signature.

This caused Qiao Geliman's popularity to plummet. His former colleagues, who used to greet him and even some businessmen and capitalists, all disappeared at once.

He was feeling very upset, so Lin Qi's phone call was something to be happy about, at least it proved that he still had value.

"You must need my help with something. Tell me, before I become completely ignored..." In the past, he found it annoying when others asked him for help, but now, he craves that others remember him.

So much has changed in just one month.

Lin Qi chuckled a few times. He knew about Qiao Geliman's current situation. "I need someone with connections in finance, a wide network of contacts, and preferably someone I can rely on."

Being reliable is the most important thing, and Qiao Geliman knew this very well. After thinking for a moment, he left Lin Qi a phone number and a name, "This is my college classmate, and we're in the same fraternity. We've always had a good relationship, and he can help you!"

Alumni and fraternity members form a bond that is even closer than that of blood brothers in the society of the Bayer Federation.

This may seem incredible to some, but it is the social culture of the Bayer Federation, and it has always been this way.

After Lin Qi hung up the phone, Qiao Geliman called his friend and explained the situation. Later that evening, Lin Qi met with Qiao Geliman's friend.

This is a gentleman who seems a bit unapproachable, a perception likely stemming from his hooked nose and deep-set eyes, which give him an air of inaccessibility.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Qi mentioned that there would be a commission after the matter was concluded. At that moment, the seemingly unapproachable man smiled, his features softening and making him appear more friendly.

In this unprecedented darkest moment, nothing can move people's hearts more than money!

After Lin Qi explained his needs, the man named Manson said that it was no problem at all. "I have been working as a matchmaker between investors and banks and have good working relationships with many institutions. Your needs are not difficult for me to meet. However, I have a small question: how many bonds do you plan to acquire and in what way?"

Manson's attitude gave Lin Qi a key insight: he wasn't surprised by Lin Qi's actions, which meant he might have already been surprised.

"Are there other people collecting bonds besides me?" It was a question, but Lin Qi made it sound like a statement.

Manson then nodded affirmatively, "There have always been people acquiring them."

Lin Qi didn't act like a fool and ask these people why they were buying bonds; they were simply people who shared his ideas or had other whimsical thoughts.

His advantage lies in his confidence in the development trends of the world. For example, people today still believe that airplanes will never become the mainstream mode of transportation because those airplanes can only carry three to five people for short-distance flights at most.

But Lin Qi knew that in the future, airplanes would become the most important and crucial mainstream means of transportation, capable of carrying three to five hundred people and flying very far in one go.

Humans could even go on a satellite journey, but people today don't know that, and they wouldn't believe that it could actually happen.

There are also some people who are born with a vision far ahead of their time. These are the small group of people who are usually defined as "successful". They can see the future and are willing to take a gamble, which is normal.

However, this also means that Lin Qi's plan to recycle bonds using waste paper is no longer valid. "How did they recycle them?"

Manson stroked his blue chin. "Two and a half to three percent of the face value."

Bonds with a face value of 100 yuan are being bought back for 2.50 to 3 yuan. This shows that the people buying back these bonds are not small forces. At least, the investment of several hundred or several thousand yuan is not something that small forces can afford. Keep in mind that this is a cash transaction!

Lin Qi nodded. "This price is reasonable. I need about..." He calculated for a moment, "About one million bonds with a face value of one hundred yuan each..."

He specified the issuing country of the bonds, a result of his research and analysis.

Manson considered for a moment and nodded. "If it's a designated bond, the price might be at a premium, but it won't ultimately exceed five percent."

Those willing to take a gamble are like Lin Qi; they analyze the situation thoroughly to arrive at the optimal possibility, and then go all in.

Lin Qi had no objection to this. After the two briefly exchanged some details of the transaction, Manson began to busy himself with Lin Qi's affairs.

Manson's actions could not be hidden, and soon people knew that another person had joined this even more insane gambling, which greatly increased the confidence of all gamblers.

The logic is simple: the more people get involved, the more likely it is to come true. At the same time, Lin Qi's personal information is also appearing in front of some people, who need to find out who this new partner is.

When they saw the information, they found it hard to accept the fact, because this young man was like the protagonist of a novel, so young that it didn't make sense or seem illogical!

=① In the context of the world, although women are fighting for their fair rights, men still dominate society overall.

② In fact, this is only a minority. There are also some fraternity members who have faded into obscurity. These people will also be forgotten by the successful. They will only remember those with the best relationship and who are as successful as themselves.