That 570,000 in commission was sweet!

Jin Xia had never expected Song Ming, a man about to graduate from college, to be so indecisive.

She had laid a chance to make money right before him, but he just wasn't up to it!

If she hadn't lived through her previous life, she would seriously have doubted whether Song Ming was really the man who would become a god of the stock market ten years later.

"I don't like forcing people."

Jin Xia slowly set down her coffee cup and glanced at the time on her phone.

She could only give Song Ming another five minutes. Any more time spent trying to persuade him would simply be a waste of her life.

If he insisted on refusing to become her assistant, all she could say was... it wasn't meant to be.

"I know your father started out in building materials, but the plunge in steel prices in the first half of this year cost your family quite a lot of money."

Jin Xia paused before continuing, "Ten thousand is just your base salary. If every trade you make earns me a profit, you'll receive a ten percent commission. It's nowhere near enough to cover your family's losses, but it will be enough for you and Song Li to live on."

Sitting across from her, Song Ming kept his head lowered, remaining silent without saying a word.

That's right. My sister started college this year. Her living expenses, and the household expenses...

Jin Xia hadn't told Song Ming that his mother would soon be diagnosed with an illness.

That would be when the Song family truly reached the point of total collapse.

Song Ming suddenly stood and extended a hand toward Jin Xia, saying solemnly, "I do need money. I hope we can work well together."

Jin Xia had no intention of shaking his hand. Instead, she adjusted her posture, taking on the air of someone in charge.

She opened her laptop and placed it on the table. The market would open soon.

"Try using the million in this demo account first. Work out how to short and buy the dips to turn that million into three million. This is a test of your ability to do the job. If you can't manage it, then I'm sorry."

Jin Xia turned the laptop toward Song Ming beside her.

Song Ming stared at the constantly flashing, fluctuating numbers on the screen, looking particularly excited.

His eyes stayed fixed on the monitor, his hands resting lightly on the keyboard.

For Jin Xia, entering the stock market was only a way to make quick money through short-term trades. In truth, she found every trade tedious and dull.

Song Ming was different. He even took out his phone, frequently making notes.

"Look, based on the historical charts, a ten percent pullback is usually followed by an upswing. But now that it's reached this point, with a large M bottoming out, this is a good opportunity if you want to go short."

Song Ming's fingertips trembled, and he hesitated, not daring to click buy.

He turned to look at Jin Xia. "Should I try making one trade first?"

His tentative tone was like that of a child asking a parent.

Unable to help herself, Jin Xia curved her red lips into a smile. "Yes."

As Song Ming worked, he muttered, "You want me to use this million to quickly make three million in profit. Stocks are currently continuing a slow decline, most likely because investors are buying the dip. But trading is about to halt, and the major companies are all about to finish work..."

If I buy now, at 3.5 times leverage, three million will be a matter of moments!

Song Ming's fingers flew across the keyboard.

Focused on buying and selling, he spoke to himself, oblivious to everything else. "This is my first time dealing with stocks, or a demo account, for that matter. But by my calculations, there's a very good chance your million could become eight million before the market closes."

Song Ming began with a short-term trade, buying and selling rapidly. In just a few minutes, the account balance had risen from one million to one and a half million.

Having tasted success, he grew considerably bolder.

"Next, I'll take a heavy position and hold. Retail investors are buying like crazy, and the institutions finish work in five minutes... This is the best opportunity!"

Song Ming's eyes shone as he looked at the calculations after increasing the leverage.

Jin Xia watched everything Song Ming did. Even after seeing him turn one million into one and a half million in mere minutes, her expression remained unchanged.

Money in the stock market was nothing but a bubble. Unless it became actual cash in hand, it was only a string of numbers.

The iced Americano in front of Jin Xia was almost gone.

Just then, an astonished cry came from behind her. "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... Six million seven hundred thousand! Jin Xia! I've exceeded your target!"

Jin Xia froze in surprise, then turned to look at the laptop screen.

Her gaze settled on the trading section, where she witnessed Song Ming's "miracle" that day with her own eyes.

In less than half an hour, one million had actually become six million seven hundred thousand!

"Not bad."

Jin Xia smiled, put away the laptop, and slowly stood. "I'll transfer your share to you shortly. Come see me at this time tomorrow afternoon."

"My... my share?"

Song Ming looked utterly bewildered.

Jin Xia had clearly said she was giving him a demo account to try out. Why would she be giving him a share of the profits?

Song Ming watched Jin Xia's retreating figure as she rose and left with her head held high, then looked at the large transfer on his phone screen.

Even his father couldn't bear to give him this much money!

Yet Jin Xia had transferred 570,000 straight to him.

Such an enormous sum!

"D-did you make a mistake? Why did you suddenly transfer so much money to me?"

The phone in Song Ming's hand felt like a hot potato, and he flung it onto the table.

Jin Xia had no intention of hiding it. Even if she didn't tell Song Ming the truth, he wasn't an idiot. After a few trading sessions, he would certainly discover that it wasn't a demo account at all.

"That wasn't a demo account."

As soon as Jin Xia's succinct words fell, Song Ming sprang to his feet in excitement. "I didn't tell you earlier because I was afraid it would put pressure on you."

His face was full of disbelief. "You mean I spent this whole afternoon working as a trader?"

"If you think you're capable of doing this job, sign the contract."

Jin Xia unhurriedly took a fountain pen from her bag, then quickly scrawled her name on the employment contract.

Just as she was about to hand it to Song Ming, something occurred to her. "Aside from managing my stock trades, I'll also contact you if I need anything else."

"Contact me?"

Song Ming pointed at his gold-rimmed glasses. "Besides this... what else can I do?"

Jin Xia stared at Song Ming for a few seconds. She was actually rather curious herself. Song Ming looked so clueless-how exactly had he made a name for himself throughout Wall Street in her previous life?

Song Ming pointed to the last line of fine print at the bottom of the contract. "'Do not contact the boss unless necessary.' What does that mean? Aren't I your assistant?"

"Exactly what it says."

After speaking, Jin Xia glanced at Song Ming again. "Go buy yourself a better computer. I'll reimburse you."

"I already have an Alienware at home. Its performance is maxed out. I bought it for my birthday last year. It's top of the line!"

A trace of pride crossed Song Ming's face.

To his surprise, Jin Xia rejected that outright. "I'm telling you to buy another computer for work. Can you guarantee your gaming computer doesn't have any Trojans or viruses?"

"Well..."

Song Ming frowned. If he became Jin Xia's assistant, that meant he would also have to buy stocks for her and act as her trader.

She had handed him a million to short the market with on their very first meeting. Wouldn't the cash flow he handled in the future be even greater?

After a moment's hesitation, Song Ming slowly raised his eyes to Jin Xia. "Can I ask you a question? This is our first meeting. Why do you trust me so much?"