His aim was perfectly clear. A big spender like Jin Xia bought an old villa at the drop of a hat, as casually as buying groceries. Buying a scrap recycling station as well would hardly be a big deal, would it?
Jin Xia sank into thought. Uncle Zhang, who sold scrap, had watched her grow up.
Uncle Zhang had lived alone all these years. His wife had died young, and his son had long since started a family of his own. At his age, he was probably looking to buy a home with his retirement in mind.
His family's scrap recycling station occupied at least five hundred square meters.
Once such a large yard was demolished, the profit per square meter would multiply dozens of times over.
"Miss Jin, here's what I was thinking. That scrap recycling station is only five hundred thousand, including the yard. If you buy it and connect it to the little courtyard next door, it would be excellent value, whether you turn it into a guesthouse or build your own home. Though the location is a little out of the way..."
The agent spoke at length, continuing to list the advantages of the property at the scrap recycling station.
Jin Xia barely hesitated. "Draw up a property purchase agency agreement for me. Let me know when payment is due."
She was brief and to the point, without so much as a single unnecessary word.
The agent froze, dumbfounded. Even buying groceries called for at least a little picking and choosing...
Wasn't she being a little too quick about this?
Jin Xia put the paperwork for both properties into her bag, then turned and strolled straight out of the real estate agency and got into the car.
An He looked at her, delighted. "Xia, the old villa called. They said all the furniture has been installed."
"All right. Let's go."
Jin Xia unhurriedly pulled out her seat belt and fastened it, then opened her laptop.
As she browsed the latest news online, she thought back over her memories of her previous life. The timing of those major events was gradually being confirmed.
Investors were still caught up in the frenzy of A-shares soaring sky-high. Some said the plunging prices were a golden opportunity, a reversal to let more people aboard. Only she knew that before long, the A-share bubble would burst.
After several days of careful observation and study, Jin Xia felt that short selling was not out of the question.
She still had eight million in her account. She would take half of it for short-term trading, getting in and out quickly...
An He drove while Jin Xia worked rapidly in the back seat.
At two thirty that afternoon, as soon as trading opened, signs that something was wrong gradually began to appear.
The rapidly plunging candlestick chart was like a roller coaster...
People online kept frantically posting, urging investors to buy in as soon as possible.
After all, the miracle of A-shares a few days earlier was still vivid in everyone's minds.
Some people still "had their heads on straight": "I think the market's getting a little off track. Everyone should buy rationally. I'll put my money in batches and watch how things go first."
What difference was there between buying in batches and taking a heavy position?
In the end, it would all be a bubble.
Jin Xia began entering her security key commands and raised her leverage to five times.
This time, she was not as reckless as when she first entered the stock market. Much more cautious, she placed the four million in two batches.
The stock market's candlestick chart was so green it made people's hearts race with anxiety, yet Jin Xia remained steady as a rock. Watching the constantly fluctuating numbers, all she could feel was the thrill of adrenaline...
Four million entered at the peak, all in short positions, with leverage raised to five times!
An He stepped on the brake and brought the car to a steady stop in the parking space outside the old villa. "Xia, we're here."
"Okay."
Jin Xia kept her eyes fixed on the laptop screen.
At three thirty, when the market closed, the four million she had entered with had already become twenty-one million!
She finished wrapping things up and logged out of her account.
"I just transferred a hundred thousand to you. Remember to check."
Jin Xia bent down and stepped out of the back seat, giving An He the reminder in an even tone.
She said it so casually, as though she had merely ordered An He a cup of milk tea.
"You transferred another hundred thousand to me?"
Utterly stunned, An He quickly took out her phone, unlocked it, and checked the transfer notification on Zhifubao.
A hundred thousand...
Had it really landed in her account again, just like that?
She hurried forward, following behind Jin Xia. "Xia, what is this...?"
"Your pay."
There was not a ripple on Jin Xia's serene face. She raised her hand and glanced at the time on her phone. "You don't need to come over for the next few days. I'll be home. I won't be going out."
"O-okay."
An He stood rooted to the spot, at a loss. Through their brief time together, she had gained some understanding of Jin Xia's personality.
Since Jin Xia had said the money was her pay, she would not take it back.
Still, having received two hundred thousand in less than half a month on the job, she felt a little uneasy.
"Then call me if you need anything. I'm good at cleaning, too."
An He scratched her head and spoke with an awkward smile.
Jin Xia shook her head, declining. "No need. I've hired a cleaner."
"Then get some rest early."
An He did not know what else she could do for Jin Xia, so she could only stand there and watch her go inside.
The first thing Jin Xia did upon returning to the old villa was take off her clothes and soak in the comfortable bathtub.
She lit a scented candle and placed it on the windowsill. As mist swirled around her, a refreshing fragrance filled the air.
Looking into the distance, she could see a vast sea of flowers outside the window.
Living in a house like this was no longer simply living, but an exquisite pleasure.
Wrapped in a bathrobe, Jin Xia went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice.
Holding her juice, she walked barefoot across the floor, feeling the softness of the handmade wool carpet from Nepal.
Her phone chimed.
It was a friend request.
Jin Xia glanced at it and set down the crystal glass in her hand. "Roommate 319" stood out clearly in the friend request list.
Memories of her previous life surged into her mind in an instant.
This had happened before, too, but back then, Jin Xia had already arrived in Harbor City.
The moment she saw the friend request from Roommate 319, she had chosen to ignore it almost without thinking.
She had thought that, having attended a socialite training course, she was destined to marry into a wealthy family, while her classmates were destined to be mere passersby.
So much so that the first thing she did upon returning was move out of the dormitory as quickly as possible and rent a studio in an upscale apartment building near Haida University. She had even cut ties with her roommates.
Throughout her four years at university, Jin Xia had either taken leave or skipped classes. She had nearly failed to graduate...
Thinking about it now, she had been unbelievably stupid.
In this life, she would make sure to experience the campus life she had missed in her previous one.
Because money had been tight back then, despite her excellent grades, she had ended up choosing medicine through a twist of circumstance.
If she studied hard and focused on medicine, she might have a chance to get to know leading figures in the field in the future. That way, perhaps there would be hope of treating the director's illness.
After all, every mentor at Haida University had an extraordinary background. Countless people could not meet them even after paying exorbitant consultation fees, pulling strings, and begging everyone they could.
Jin Xia gathered her thoughts and tapped the screen to accept the friend request.
The other person sent a message almost instantly: "Hi, classmate! My name's Zhang Niannian!"
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