"Are you sure this stock will go up?"
Su Yuqing's fingertips hovered over the keyboard, the cold glow of the monitor reflecting against her tense jawline. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the top-floor office, the neon lights of the financial district still flickered at three in the morning, resembling a cluster of prying electronic eyes.
Lin Mo turned his phone screen toward her, the system interface emitting a faint blue light. "The MACD golden cross has already formed, and main force funds are quietly entering the market." His voice was lower than usual, his thumb unconsciously rubbing against the crack on the edge of the screen—left there last week when Chen Hao had "accidentally" knocked over the champagne pyramid.
"But Huafeng Technology just released a loss report." Su Yuqing brought up the financial report page, the red numbers shocking to the eye.
"That's exactly the opportunity." Lin Mo suddenly grabbed her wrist, and both of them froze. He quickly let go, tracing a candlestick chart in the air. "Look at this volume-price divergence; it's clearly a market maker washing the shares. The system predicts major favorable news will be announced within seventy-two hours."
Su Yuqing's eyelashes cast delicate shadows across her cheeks. Ever since that night on the rooftop, this was the first time they had been alone. The blue light of the monitor suddenly flickered violently, and a bright red pop-up window appeared:
[Temporary Quest: Seize Food from the Tiger's Mouth]
[Objective: Earn 20 million within 72 hours]
[Reward: Unlock Level 2 Financial Database]
With a chime, the securities account suddenly logged in automatically. Lin Mo's pupils contracted sharply—the system had actually taken direct control of Su Yuqing's private account. The glaring balance of "3,284,572.22" was spinning wildly.
"What did you do?" Su Yuqing stood up abruptly, her leather chair crashing against the bulletproof glass curtain wall.
Lin Mo's Adam's apple bobbed. The cartoon avatar of the System Spirit suddenly popped up and winked at him. "Don't worry, Host. I've won the Milky Way Stock Trading Championship, you know~"
***
The electronic screens in the securities trading hall alternated between red and green. Chen Hao loosened his Armani tie, staring at the suddenly high-volume minute chart of Huafeng Technology. "Trace this IP." He tossed his tablet to his assistant; on the screen was the positioning light spot of Su Tower.
Three hours ago, surveillance footage from the VIP room showed Su Yuqing's account suddenly going all-in on a junk stock. The corners of Chen Hao's mouth twisted—this did not fit the style of that calculating, iceberg beauty.
"President Chen, I found something interesting." Securities manager Wang Lei pushed the door open, a encrypted folder tucked under his arm. "Miss Su has been frequently contacting her good-for-nothing husband lately."
Chen Hao ground his cigar into a scarlet arc in the ashtray. "That live-in son-in-law who isn't even qualified to attend family meetings?" He suddenly recalled Lin Mo's abnormal behavior at the celebration banquet, his gaze turning as sinister as a viper discovering its prey.
"Arrange an 'accidental encounter'." Chen Hao pressed the buzzer under his desk. "I want to see for myself what tricks this husband and wife are playing."
***
Lin Mo's temples throbbed. The system interface suddenly flashed a yellow warning:
[Emergency Maintenance Notice]
[24-Hour System Upgrade]
[All functions suspended during this period]
"You've got to be kidding me!" He slammed his fist onto the desk; Su Yuqing's account was currently floating a profit of 12 million. Outside the window, dark clouds pressed down, the muggy heat before a rainstorm making his shirt cling to his back. His phone vibrated—an unknown number sent a location: Jinmao Securities VIP room, with the message: Care to discuss your wife's account anomalies?
The elevator's mirrored walls reflected Lin Mo's pale face. He touched the USB drive in his suit's inner pocket, which contained the evidence of the Chen Group's tax evasion downloaded by the system this morning. The moment the metal doors opened, he heard the final electronic voice of the System Spirit: "Remember, Host, the real trader..."
The voice cut off abruptly.
***
The crystal chandelier illuminated the VIP room like an operating theater. Chen Hao twirled a gold-plated lighter, two documents placed before him: one was Su Yuqing's account statement, and the other bore the title "Su-Chen Marriage Alliance Letter of Intent."
"I heard you predicted Huafeng Technology's limit-up?" Chen Hao pushed a glass of whiskey across the table, the clinking of the ice cubes sounding like some kind of countdown. "I'm curious, where does a live-in son-in-law who didn't even finish college get insider information?"
Lin Mo's fingertips traced circles in the condensation beading on the rim of the glass. The system maintenance countdown displayed in the corner of his retina: 23:47:32. He suddenly smiled. "Does President Chen know why market makers always wash shares on stormy days?"
A thunderclap exploded outside the window. Wang Lei rushed in hurriedly. "Huafeng Technology just made an announcement—they've secured a military quantum communication order!"
Chen Hao's glass froze mid-air. Lin Mo slowly stood up, straightening his wrinkled cuffs. "Because the rain washes away all traces." His phone suddenly lit up; Su Yuqing had sent a text message: "Account profits have exceeded 20 million. Father wants to see you."
The rain poured down in torrents. As Lin Mo stepped into the elevator, he heard the crisp sound of Chen Hao shattering his glass. The moment the metal doors closed, he saw Wang Lei quietly taking his photo.
***
On the top floor of Su Tower, Su Zhiyuan stood with his back to the door in front of the panoramic windows. The city in the storm looked like a scrambled chessboard.
"Twenty million in three days." The old man didn't turn around, his cane tapping the floor. "That's enough to buy out your entire hometown county."
Lin Mo's shirt was still dripping wet. The system maintenance countdown blinked at the edge of his vision: 23:12:05. He suddenly noticed that Su Zhiyuan's computer screen was displaying Huafeng Technology's top trader list—and the Su family holding seat was prominently featured.
"You knew all along this stock would go up." Lin Mo's voice was strung as tight as a bowstring.
Su Zhiyuan finally turned around, his hawk-like eyes piercing. "What I'm more curious about is why Yuqing's trading techniques..." He slid his tablet across; on it were the precise buy and sell point markings on the minute chart, "...are identical to that demon stock you traded seven years ago before dropping out of college?"
Lin Mo's blood froze instantly. That was the biggest stain of his life, and also the fuse that led to him becoming a live-in son-in-law of the Su family. Lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the outline of a handgun protruding from the old man's drawer.
"Next week's charity auction." Su Zhiyuan tossed over a gold-stamped invitation. "Chen Hao specifically named you to attend. Don't disappoint me."
As the elevator descended, a bloody warning suddenly flashed across Lin Mo's retina:
[Abnormal data rollback detected]
[Maintenance time extended to 48 hours]
[Danger Level: ★★★★]
His phone vibrated, and an unknown number sent a photo—taken seven years ago in a college dorm, a young Lin Mo smiling at a screen full of stock codes. The shooting angle indicated that the photographer had been standing right at his bed.