Christmas Eve Warm Light

The Sanjiang Shopping shares held by Zhao Chen precisely triggered the preset conditional sell order at 51 yuan on December 15.

He liquidated all 302,000 shares, purchased at a cost of 12.4 yuan, for a final total of over 15 million yuan, bringing this short-term strike based on "foreknowledge" to a perfect close.

Once the funds arrived, Zhao Chen immediately had Chen Xi swiftly settle all the small loans he had taken out early on to raise startup capital.

The instant those "historical debts" were cleared, he felt an invisible shackle quietly fall away.

Only now had his meteoric advance since returning from rebirth truly shed the final financial risk carried over from the "past," leaving him free to move forward unburdened.

At almost the same time, Shen Zhiyi's dorm also successfully liquidated their holdings at 51 yuan, following his earlier instructions.

The four girls had not invested much principal, but each of them had at least doubled their money—enough to give every one of them what students could only call a huge windfall.

Along with their joy and gratitude, the girls in the dorm had long wanted to find an opportunity to properly thank Zhao Chen.

But he had recently been deeply occupied with family matters and the company crisis, and had never been able to make time.

In the blink of an eye, it was December 24—Christmas Eve.

After several days of Shen Zhiyi's gentle pleading, Zhao Chen finally cleared his entire evening schedule.

He knew he owed her a pure stretch of time meant only for lovers.

They chose a tasteful Western restaurant near the school for the gathering. The warm lighting, elegant decor, and soft Jazz Music created a rich festive atmosphere.

Perhaps to avoid any awkwardness, Zhou Xiaowen, one of only two girls in the dorm with a boyfriend, did not bring hers along.

Thus, the dinner turned into Zhao Chen venturing alone into an all-girls dorm special.

At the table, gratitude mingled with teasing.

"Chairman Zhao, I'll be relying on your guidance for my spending money from now on!" Zhou Xiaowen raised her glass, her eyes sparkling.

Li Jing said earnestly, "Thank you so much. You've shown me another wonderful world."

Chen Shuhua, meanwhile, maintained her rational persona.

"Judging from the data, this is the investment with the highest return rate of my life. Of course, the most important thing was the person who provided the opportunity."

Shen Zhiyi sat quietly beside Zhao Chen, listening with a smile in her eyes.

Beneath the table, her hand remained gently clasped in Zhao Chen's warm palm. Every so often, her fingertips playfully scratched his palm, earning a smiling glance and an even tighter squeeze in return.

From time to time, he naturally served her food and quietly asked how it tasted. That unconcealed tenderness made the other three exchange knowing looks.

After dinner, encouraged by Zhou Xiaowen, they moved on to a KTV.

The lights in the private room were hazy, and the music deafening.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere grew even livelier.

Though they had said they would not drink, the sweet smoothness of the fruit wine ultimately loosened everyone up even more.

After belting out an off-key hit song into the microphone, Zhou Xiaowen suddenly jumped into the center of the room. Pretending to hold an imperial decree, she swept her gaze over everyone before finally settling it on Zhao Chen and Shen Zhiyi, who were seated side by side.

"Ahem! This Palace hereby declares!" she said in an exaggerated tone, imitating the style of a historical drama.

"By resolution of the entire dormitory assembly, in view of Comrade Zhao Chen's outstanding performance and his benefits to the whole dorm, Shen Zhiyi is hereby bestowed as the principal consort! The three of us shall all be concubines!"

Her finger swept past Li Jing and Chen Shuhua before finally pointing back at her own nose.

"From now on, Chairman Zhao must distribute his favor equally and visit us often—no playing favorites! So decreed!"

"Zhou Xiaowen, you're dead!" Shen Zhiyi's face instantly reddened to the tips of her ears as she grabbed a cushion and hurled it at her.

Li Jing laughed and scolded, "Who wants to be a concubine? If you become one, what about your boyfriend?!"

Chen Shuhua leisurely drove the knife in deeper. "You don't have Zhao Chen's capabilities, yet you want to build a harem too?"

While dodging the flying cushion, Zhou Xiaowen shouted even more enthusiastically.

"I'm being serious! Our 412 Dorm shares glory and hardship alike! Zhiyi is the face of our dorm, so we have to firmly support her position as the principal consort!"

Carried by the alcohol, she showed a rare hint of seriousness as her gaze moved between Zhao Chen and Shen Zhiyi.

"With someone like Zhao Chen... do you think there'll be any shortage of girls around him in the future? We have to help Zhiyi keep an eye on him!

"When necessary, the three of us should help 'serve' our Chairman Zhao too. Keep the good fortune within the family, right? In any case, we can't let some other cabbage lure away our pig!"

She spoke half in jest and half in earnest, drawing another round of laughter and scolding from Li Jing and Chen Shuhua for being shameless. Yet beneath the laughter, the three exchanged a brief but clear look.

There was teasing in that look, but deeper still was a shared seriousness.

They were genuinely happy for Shen Zhiyi, and genuinely making plans for her—and even for the future of their little group.

Zhao Chen was too dazzling, and too dangerous. His world was destined to be complicated, filled with temptations and traps.

Shen Zhiyi had a gentle nature and a pure heart. They were afraid she would be hurt.

But what if... together, through this half-joking, half-serious approach, they could anchor a special place in Zhao Chen's heart for Shen Zhiyi—and for themselves as well?

Even if it was only within the category of "one of us," even if the bond carried a trace of self-interest, it was still better than being completely excluded from his inner circle someday and helplessly watching the distance between them grow.