"That's why I say it's practically picking up money. Wouldn't you say making money this way is even easier than picking it up off the ground?"
"At the rate you're going, making money really is easier than picking it up. But why do you transfer the vast majority of your funds out every month? If you kept a bit more capital in play, wouldn't you make even more?"
"Heh, that's the part I can't talk about."
"Come on, brother, treating me like an outsider, are you?"
"If I tell you, you have to promise not to pass it on."
"In your mouth and into my ears, I guarantee a third person will never know."
"I only keep ten million in my account for safety. At the rate I'm making money, if I don't control the principal, the people up top will sooner or later catch onto me. Besides, half of what I make has to go toward greasing palms; they simply don't allow me to leave too much principal in my account."
"You have inside information?"
"Heh, without a few tricks up your sleeve, how could anyone accurately predict every single stock fluctuation?"
"Brother, can't you drop a little insider info for me?"
"You? No, you don't meet my criteria for a business partner."
"A business partner? What do you mean? You have other plans in mind?"
"Heh heh, let's drink, let's drink."
Seeing that He Wenjie refused to say any more, Zhuang Yan had no choice but to suppress his racing excitement. This couldn't be rushed; he had to take it step by step. Besides, it was still unclear whether He Wenjie actually had inside information. Since He Wenjie made his living by fooling the people around him, his guard was naturally much higher than other people's.
When He Wenjie returned home, he saw Yang Tao deep in concentration, sketching something at the desk. He took off his coat and walked over. "Taozi, what are you doing?"
"You're back. Why do you smell like alcohol? Just how much did you drink?"
"Just enough, and I can still appreciate the peerless beauty of my Taozi."
"Smooth talker. Go take a shower."
"No, you're coming with me."
"No way. The bathroom is so tiny two people can't even turn around in it, and besides, if you come in with me, will I even be able to take a proper bath?"
"When we buy a house, we'll definitely get one with a big bathroom. For now, come help me measure things out." Without waiting for a refusal, he pulled Yang Tao toward the bathroom. Naturally, a rhythmic symphony followed.
A few days later, while He Wenjie was in the middle of contacting vendors to buy equipment, he received a phone call. "Boss, Zhuang Yan has arrived at the gym. It's two o'clock in the afternoon right now, and Lan Weiwei gets off work at three. Do we have time?"
"Plenty of time. Keep an eye on him, I'm heading over now."
At ten past three, He Wenjie arrived at the gym where Lan Weiwei worked and asked the receptionist for her. Not far away, Zhuang Yan spotted He Wenjie, frowned, and quickly scrambled to find an inconspicuous spot to hide and observe him.
Lan Weiwei had just finished tidying up and was getting ready to go out shopping with Zhuang Yan when she suddenly saw He Wenjie standing at the entrance. Her expression instantly turned tense. She wanted to hide, but He Wenjie happened to turn his head and spot her, leaving her with no choice but to walk over with a seemingly normal expression to greet him while constantly glancing around. "What brings you here?"
"Oh, I just happened to be passing by. I'm in the middle of buying equipment lately, and suddenly remembered I had some questions I wanted to ask you. Do you have time right now? If you do, let's find a place and talk it over."
"I... I'm sorry, I have plans later. Would tomorrow work instead? I'm free tomorrow, today really isn't convenient."
"No problem, tomorrow it is. I came in a rush today, I'll have Taozi coordinate a time with you tomorrow."
"Great, let's settle on that then."
"All right, I'll be off."
After He Wenjie left, Lan Weiwei let out a sigh of relief. Zhuang Yan also stepped out from his hiding spot and asked, "Who was that guy talking to you just now?"
"He's the boyfriend of a close friend of mine. He wants to open a fitness club and came to me with some questions."
"Open a fitness club? And he has to ask you for info?"
"Don't get me wrong, he used to be in finance and later quit. From what my friend told me, he makes his living playing the stock market these days, and recently he's been wanting to invest in some physical businesses, which is how he came up with the idea of running a fitness club."
Hearing Lan Weiwei's explanation, Zhuang Yan let out a breath. When he first heard that He Wenjie wanted to open a gym, his immediate thought was that there was something fishy about him. But after hearing Lan Weiwei's explanation, everything suddenly felt completely reasonable. With how much money he made every month, even after giving away the lion's share, he would still have a monthly income of several million. Pouring that much cash into a physical business was a perfectly logical choice. Now, his belief in He Wenjie's identity was even stronger.
After leaving the gym, He Wenjie called Yang Tao. "Taozi, where are you?"
"I'm having coffee with Jiao Yang. Are you done with your stuff?"
"Yeah, just wanted to ask where you want to have dinner tonight."
"Dinner? How about I text you the address and you come over? The pizza at the place we're getting coffee is pretty good."
"Done, I'm heading over now."
Before long, He Wenjie appeared before the two of them. After exchanging greetings with Jiao Yang, He Wenjie sat down next to Yang Tao.
Yang Tao asked, "How did you get here so fast?"
"I was nearby. I just went to see Lan Weiwei to ask her a few things about fitness equipment."
"Weiwei? Then why didn't you bring her along?"
"She said she had plans today and asked me to make an appointment with her tomorrow. Sounds like she went to see her boyfriend."
"Weiwei's boyfriend? Did you see him?"
"Nope."
Jiao Yang chuckled. "Weiwei's boyfriend is even more mysterious than you. We've asked about him many times and never laid eyes on him. He's either away on business or stuck in meetings."
"Is that so? Probably because she's guarding against fire, theft, and her best friends. Weiwei probably feels like her boyfriend is too catch-worthy and has a bit of a crisis mentality."
"Why do I feel like you're low-key patting yourself on the back? Taozi, did you catch that? He's saying you don't appreciate him enough."
"Yeah, I caught it too. How come I never noticed you were this narcissistic before? Did you recently meet some pretty young girl that's made your confidence skyrocket?"
"No, no, no. In my eyes, our Taozi is the absolute best. How could those flashy, cheap women out there ever compare to you?"
"Even though that was laid on pretty thick, I like it."
"Ooh, ooh, ooh! Please mind the atmosphere in a public place, okay? Single people have human rights too!"
After finishing their meal and parting ways, He Wenjie and Yang Tao headed home together. "Wenjie, I feel like a useless person lately, just idling about all day long. Do you think I'm going to become completely disconnected from society like this?"
"How long have you even been resting? I remember you saying you'd been working at that hotel ever since graduation. If I were you, I wouldn't even start thinking about work until I'd taken a solid half-year off."
"Is that the same thing? You quit your job and can trade stocks, but what can I do? I can only go around shopping and drinking coffee every day."
"What, are you afraid I'll go broke and won't be able to support you? Don't women love shopping?"
"I can't go shopping every single day. I just feel uneasy inside."
"I know what you're worried about—you're scared you won't find a job and will lose touch with society, right? Well, the first gift I prepared for you is almost ready. Tomorrow, I'm going to give you a surprise."