That evening, after finishing her shift and changing into her own clothes, Yang Tao headed home. Right behind her, He Wenjie followed closely in a taxi. After locating the residential complex where Yang Tao lived, he found he couldn't follow her up to her apartment, but he watched the elevator go straight up to the 19th floor before stopping, quietly forming a plan in his mind.
Early the next morning, He Wenjie went back to Yang Tao's complex. By giving the building manager a thousand yuan, he easily obtained the tenant information and contact details for the apartment directly across from Yang Tao's.
He Wenjie called the tenant immediately. Moved by his persistence and promised a twenty-thousand-yuan compensation, the tenant readily agreed to sublet the place to him.
Even though he had rented the apartment, he still had to stay at the hotel for now; staying at the hotel was the only way to manufacture opportunities to cross paths with Yang Tao and get acquainted.
For the next few afternoons, He Wenjie stopped wandering around. Instead, he ordered a cup of coffee at the place where Yang Tao worked to look for an opportunity. Of course, he didn't just sit there like a fool. To attract someone like Yang Tao—a naive dreamer who romanticized love—adopting an artistic persona was an excellent choice.
He Wenjie browsed around a bookstore and, on the recommendation of the store owner, bought a philosophy book with a very literary title. The contents didn't matter; what mattered was the high-sounding title, which instantly gave off an air of sophistication.
Sure enough, three days later, this handsome young man who sat in the cafe every afternoon reading a book finally caught Yang Tao's eye. He Wenjie could feel her glancing in his direction.
Why did he only go read in the afternoon? It certainly wasn't because He Wenjie couldn't wake up early—it was because Yang Tao was simply too busy in the mornings.
Seeing that his objective had been achieved, the book—whose pages were practically falling out from being flipped through so many times—had fulfilled its mission. He Wenjie pulled out his laptop and started checking the stock market.
Over the past half-month, the breakout stock he had bought had surged by more than a hundred percent, exceeding his expectations. He promptly cleared his position and cashed out. When checking the monthly charts earlier, he had noticed the stock's upper shadow, and with the month-end gains already hitting a hundred percent, a pullback was all but guaranteed in the second half of the month. It was best to exit early.
His account now held over eleven million yuan. Leaving ten million untouched, he transferred the remaining odd million of over a million into his card. In just half a month, the initial one million he started with was practically gone, so this was a timely replenishment.
After some thought, He Wenjie went to another brokerage firm to open a trading account, this time also activating trading privileges for Hong Kong and US stocks. He still felt somewhat uneasy with the A-share market, but he had no such reservations about the Hong Kong and US markets.
Right now, he had two A-share accounts, one US stock account, and one Hong Kong stock account. He would keep one million in each of the two A-share accounts to hunt for breakout stocks, throw the remaining eight million into the Hong Kong market for a fierce battle, and then divert funds into the US market once he had accumulated enough capital.
Neither the Hong Kong nor the US stock markets had daily price fluctuation limits; just thinking about it was exciting.
The next day, after waking up, He Wenjie went downstairs to get some food. As it happened, a wedding was being held at the hotel today, and through the glass, He Wenjie could see the lively wedding ceremony taking place outside, while Yang Tao stood inside by the window, watching everything unfold.
At a glance, He Wenjie knew his opportunity to strike up a conversation had arrived. He finished his meal quickly, downed the juice in his cup in one gulp, gathered his emotions, and walked over to the window, pretending to watch the wedding ceremony. "It's so lively today," he said.
Knowing that He Wenjie was staying in one of the hotel's long-term rooms and often seeing him reading or working on his computer there, Yang Tao already had a favorable impression of him. "It really is lively today," she replied. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I often see you working here after meals."
"Of course not. I wouldn't really call this working. I just came to Beijing not long ago and am still figuring out what I want to do next."
"Oh? Are you here to live in Beijing, Mr. He? I thought you were just here on a business trip."
"Please, stop calling me 'Mr. He.' My name is He Wenjie, just call me by my name, Manager Yang."
"You know me?"
He Wenjie pointed a finger at Yang Tao's name tag, which displayed her name and position. Understanding what he meant, Yang Tao smiled to show she knew.
"So, what kind of job are you planning to find around here, He Wenjie? Judging by your appearance, you must be very capable. I'm sure plenty of high-end headhunting companies have been contacting you."
"I used to work in finance, but the industry competition was just too stressful, so I quit after saving up some nest egg. After resigning, I've just been trading stocks at home to keep myself busy. Actually, I'm planning to open a shop in Beijing. On one hand, it gives me something to do, and on the other, it diversifies my investments."
"What industry are you planning to go into?"
"My initial plan is to open a fitness club, so I'll have a place to work out even without leaving the building."
"Really? I actually have a friend who is a fitness coach. If you need, I can introduce you two."
*Of course I know you have a fitness coach best friend,* He Wenjie thought to himself. *How else would I find an excuse to contact you again if I didn't bring this up?* "Is that so? That would be fantastic, Manager Yang. Would it be convenient for me to get your contact info? I've rented a place outside and am currently getting it cleaned up, so I'll be moving out once my lease here ends. Having your contact info would make it easier for us to stay in touch."
"Of course," she said, and the two exchanged contact information.
"I think I'll just call you Yang Tao. Yang Tao, I don't really have many friends in Beijing, so I'll probably have to trouble you in the future. I hope you won't mind including me if you and your friends go out to hang out sometime."
"No problem at all. When you have time, you should teach us a bit about financial management too. Even though I don't have much savings right now, it never hurts to learn beforehand."
While they were talking, the wedding had reached the vow-exchange segment. The two stood side by side by the window, watching quietly. Yang Tao's eyes gradually grew moist.
Having kept an eye on Yang Tao the entire time, He Wenjie reached out and handed her a tissue. "I didn't expect you to be such a sentimental person."
Yang Tao took the tissue. "You must think I'm making a fool of myself."
"Actually, I quite envy you."
"What is there to envy about me?"
"Staying true to your original aspirations, I suppose. I've long forgotten when I started becoming so cold and detached."
"You don't look like a cold person at all, from the looks of it."
"When you deal with numbers for too long, you end up turning into a machine yourself."
"Is that why you resigned?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I figured if I kept going, I'd end up depressed. Life is more important than money."
As they were chatting, a hotel employee walked over. "Manager, someone's looking for you over here."
"Alright, I'll be right there," Yang Tao said. "He Wenjie, I need to go handle this."
"Sure, go ahead. We'll keep in touch when you have time."
After Yang Tao left, He Wenjie saw no reason to stay and watch. He planned to head out in the afternoon to scout for a storefront. Since he had already claimed he was going to open a fitness club, he had to make some kind of move. Stocks made money way too fast; he needed to find ways to spend it.