She knew that the computers in the internet café would be the key tools for changing her destiny. Although the road ahead might be fraught with the unknown and risks, she had no way out and could only forge ahead bravely.
She had already deposited the four thousand yuan in cash into an ATM this morning when she left home.
"Boss, turn on a computer for me, somewhere secluded."
The internet café owner was naturally happy to oblige; after all, early in the morning, apart from the customers who had stayed overnight, the place was quite deserted.
However, glancing at Guan Yao's ID card, he couldn't help teasing, "Well, just turned eighteen?"
Guan Yao gave him a cold look. "Are you running a business or not?"
She then briefly scanned the interior of the internet café. "I can see several kids in your café right now. Would you like me to be a public-spirited citizen for once?"
The owner broke out in a cold sweat, wishing he could slap his own mouth. Why did he have to run his big mouth for no reason?
This young girl looked gentle, delicate, and easy to bully, yet who would have thought that every word out of her mouth was a killing blow?
If he were reported and found to have harbored, condoned, and accommodated underage internet users, a week of business suspension for rectification would be unavoidable.
Thinking of this, he hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"I just meant that you look young, miss."
"You're pretty and attractive, and so young, it's really..."
The owner was making it up on the spot, and naturally ran out of words after just a couple of sentences.
Guan Yao just kept staring at him.
She stared for a while until the owner began to feel pins and needles all over.
He offered a dry laugh. "How about this? I'll give you an extra one hundred hours of game time. Please forgive my offense just now, all right?"
Only then did Guan Yao nod with satisfaction. "Good."
Under the owner's cautious gaze, she walked over to her seat.
That was more like it. She was no longer that naive girl from her past life who could be offended so easily.
If she had let that go further, would someone even more outrageous have committed not just verbal offenses, but physical ones too?
Never compromise easily—this was her creed in this lifetime.
...
Looking at the seat before her, Guan Yao shook her head helplessly.
The vicinity was permeated with a sickening, mixed odor, the floor was sticky, and quite a bit of trash was scattered around.
The lighting was dim and flickering, as if it might go out at any moment.
The seat Guan Yao was assigned to had several holes in the cushion, exposing the dirty sponge inside.
The computer in front of her had several obvious scratches on the screen, the letters on the keyboard were heavily worn, and many of the keys were sticky.
There was nothing for it; she simply couldn't afford a computer herself, otherwise she wouldn't be suffering through this.
After mentally preparing herself briefly, Guan Yao sat down in front of the computer.
She pressed the power button. As the screen lit up, her heart hammered violently in her chest.
Her palms were covered in sweat, and she gripped the mouse tightly, her knuckles turning white.
She started by browsing recent news to see if it matched what she knew from her past life.
Sure enough, as soon as any financial website was opened, everyone was reveling in the recent bull market.
However, only Guan Yao knew that such revelry had only a few days left.
Before long, countless people would be jumping off rooftops.
Among them were peaceful, middle-class families who had gotten sucked into the stock market due to the fanaticism of those around them. At first, they slowly made some money as the bull market progressed, which was immediately followed by an even more frenzied state of mind.
Human nature is greedy.
Especially when such greed is rewarded, it becomes even more unhinged.
Of course, besides middle-class families, there were even more gamblers at the bottom of society.
Their stock trading was actually no different from their daily lives; it was just changing the venue of their gambling.
In fact, the ones who jumped off buildings the most were big bosses. The moment they opened their eyes every day, countless people were waiting for their money just to eat.
If a boss had a bit of a conscience, his business couldn't last long.
Yet even a black-hearted boss would be tormented by memories of his past romantic escapades and decadent luxuries. Thinking about the kind of life he would have to live for the rest of his days, jumping from a rooftop became a viable option in the face of such stark contrast.
...
Just like that, Guan Yao's thoughts drifted until the market opened at nine-thirty.
Opening the webpage of a certain Tian Tian fund, the stock market data on the computer screen churned and jumped like a whirlpool in a turbulent river. Her gaze was locked relentlessly onto those flashing rows of numbers.
Inside the internet café at that moment, smoke swirled, and the air mingled with the smells of cigarettes and instant noodles made Guan Yao feel somewhat suffocated.
The café's business had begun to liven up. The clamor of the people around her, the clacking of keyboards, and the noisy sound effects from video games rushed in like a tide, but Guan Yao was completely immersed in her own world.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her rapid breathing still betrayed her inner tension.
In her mind, memories of the 2015 stock market from her previous life flashed past like a slide show. She knew she could not afford the slightest mistake; this was her only chance to change her destiny.
With trembling fingers, she slowly moved the mouse and clicked on the stock trading software.
The moment the software opened, that familiar yet unfamiliar interface made her heart race even faster.
She registered, then entered her account number and password. Her hands trembled slightly; every press of a number was like the striking of fate's bell.
The moment she logged in, she felt as though she were standing on the edge of a cliff of destiny, and this single step would determine the direction of her future.
Finding the trading interface for the Shanghai Composite Index, her eyes instantly lit up.
She checked the time once more: June 8th. There were still four days until the 5,166 points at the close of June 12th that she remembered.
These four days were both the dawn of hope and a period of agonizing waiting for her.
"Now is the time!" Guan Yao shouted inwardly, and without hesitation, she entered the purchase amount—four thousand yuan, her entire savings accumulated through thrift.
With every number she entered, she could feel her heartbeat accelerating.
The instant she pressed the confirmation key, her heart skipped a beat, as if time had frozen for that fraction of a second.
The noise of the entire internet café seemed to vanish in that moment, leaving only the sound of her own frantic heartbeat.
She stared intently at the screen, not even daring to blink, afraid of missing a single fraction of a second.
Finally, the words "Transaction Successful" appeared on the screen.
She let out a slow breath, leaned back against the chair, and gazed at the computer screen. Her eyes held both the exhaustion of intense tension and boundless anticipation for the future.
She knew very well that over the next few days, her destiny would be tightly bound to this Shanghai Composite Index.
During these four days, the stock market could change unpredictably, and any minor fluctuation could determine her success or failure.