Beware

"If the old man gets here and doesn't find me, he'll kick me out of the house."

"Hahaha, I don't like the sound of that. The Xie Household would never do something like that. At the very least, we'd wait until the banquet was over before sending you back." Mr. Huo's joking words struck a chord with them both, and they burst out laughing.

Old Master Xie smiled as well. Then he asked, "By the way, if anything happens to that young friend of mine, please look after him."

Mr. Huo raised his brows. "Old Master, tell me honestly. Is that kid from your family?" As he spoke, he gave him a look every man understood.

"I wish he were part of our family. I don't know why, but the moment I saw him, I knew he was no ordinary person. He's bound to achieve great things.

"And I can tell he sincerely wants to help that brat Xie Tian. I've already prepared myself for the day I'm gone and he runs the Xie Household into the ground. So while I'm still alive, I want to use my connections to pave the way for that young man. Maybe someday, for the sake of those connections of mine, he'll look after the Xie Household."

"Old Master Xie, why does that sound like human trafficking to me? Still, I'm rather interested. Anyone worthy of praise from you must be somebody extraordinary." Mr. Huo wore an expression that said he already knew the answer, leaving Old Master Xie both amused and exasperated. He silently cursed the boy for being full of bad ideas.

"Old Xue, these are some buddies I've known since high school: Shen Ze and He Jin." Xie Tian pulled Xue Chen aside and introduced the young men.

Xue Chen looked them over and formed a fairly good impression of them. He cooperatively introduced himself as well.

"By the way, Old Xie, I heard you two have been playing the stock market lately, with Xue Chen calling the shots behind the scenes. Do you think the market is worth putting more money into right now?" He Jin asked Xie Tian and Xue Chen.

"Of course. But if you're only looking to play around, I can point you toward a stock. If you want the kind of highly volatile stocks from before, though, that probably won't be possible." Xue Chen smiled.

"Oh? Tell us about it. Let's see whether this deal is worth it." The others all looked surprised and began asking about it.

Xue Chen then said, "I haven't looked at the market these past two days, but I checked out Cloud Phoenix Pharmaceuticals before. This company has developed a large number of anti-inflammatory drugs in recent years, and they work much better than foreign alternatives. If you want to make some pocket money, it's a decent investment."

What he did not say was that the pharmaceutical company would later develop a new anti-cancer drug and soar to incredible heights. However, a drug poisoning incident in the 2000s would cause it to decline beyond recovery. Still, its early stock performance had truly been astonishing.

"Really?" Shen Ze's eyes lit up.

"What kind of peak do you think it can reach?" He Jin asked as well.

"It should be able to reach twenty points." Xue Chen thought for a moment before answering.

Hiss! Everyone sucked in a breath. They had thought that after this slump, the stock market would need some time to recover.

They had never expected it to reach such heights again.

"Then when would be the best time to invest?" Xie Tian asked.

"I think September to October would be best. But the market fluctuates a lot, so I can't be certain. Making a little money should be fine, though," Xue Chen answered.

Just as they were discussing whether to put in some money and give it a try, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance.

They turned around and saw a crowd gathered around a young man who had just entered, each of them wearing a fawning expression.

"Qin and the others aren't here yet. Why did the one surnamed Fu arrive first?" Xie Tian asked the others.

Xue Chen merely withdrew his gaze and asked, "Did something hold them up?"

"I don't know. They said they'd be here at seven, but it's almost seven-thirty now." Shen Ze looked at his watch and spoke in confusion.

"You guys stay here. I'll call and ask. How come none of them are here?" Just as Xie Tian was about to stand up, Fu Hengzhou, who had been speaking with a group of so-called high-society figures by the entrance, walked toward Xue Chen.

"What a coincidence, running into you again. Are you interested in..."

"Yes, as the host, I should be the one looking after Young Master Fu." Xie Tian swiftly pulled Xue Chen behind him, stepped between them, and said with a smile.

Fu Hengzhou looked Xie Tian up and down like a mother hen protecting her chick. Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Xue Chen's outfit today, and a flicker of admiration passed through his gaze. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Not at all. It's rare to meet someone as thick-skinned as you." Xie Tian's smile did not reach his eyes.

Fu Hengzhou: "..."

Beware

The banquet was awash in dazzling lights and wine. Introduced by Old Master Xie, Xue Chen chatted happily with the guests. When they heard about his recent gains in the stock market, they could not help viewing him in a new light. Even some who had heard he came from the mainland and had initially looked down on him now wore smiles.

"Why are you here so late?" Xue Chen was chatting with several guests when he spotted a few people hurrying over from afar and asked with a smile.

Qin Zhou smiled, took the champagne Xue Chen handed him, and said, "Ask him yourself. We spent the entire evening dealing with his problem."

Xue Chen followed his gaze to Fang Jimin. "What happened?"

"Don't mention it. We ran into a lunatic halfway here. She suddenly dashed out from the roadside. If I hadn't reacted quickly enough, I'd either be at the police station or in the hospital right now." Fang Jimin shook his head helplessly. His heart was still pounding wildly. The more he thought about it, the more he had to praise his own quick reflexes. Otherwise, he would probably be in jail having tea by now.

"Is the person all right?" Xue Chen asked. He looked Fang Jimin over as well and found no injuries on him.

"She was fine. Luckily, I reacted fast. I nearly knocked her to the ground. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable." Fang Jimin patted his chest in relief. "I asked where she was from, but she wouldn't say. I said I'd take her to the hospital, but she slipped away in an instant. We looked around for her afterward but couldn't find her, so I suspect she came from over there. These days, unless someone truly can't survive anymore, who would swim over here?"