Chapter 16: Spanking Her Little Bottom
“Second or third?”
Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
He had already liquidated his entire position, with 20.38 million yuan available in his securities account and nearly ten million yuan in profits.
Whether the market makers chose the second or third strategy, there would certainly be another small wave of activity to come.
Because several billion yuan from institutions were still invested; they wouldn’t dump their holdings before cashing out.
Lu Liang’s family business was small and modest. Having ridden the big wave, he could exit quickly without suffering losses no matter what.
With this realization, he no longer hesitated. He deployed half of his capital—about 10 million yuan—buying back at 30.98 yuan, pushing the stock price to break through the 31 yuan mark once more.
The time was now 2:50 p.m.
At No. 129 Huanghe Road—known to the public as a location, but in the financial world, this was the headquarters of Southwest Securities’ Magic City Exchange.
Here sat an institution overseeing several funds and managing over 30 billion yuan in assets.
“Damn it, who on earth is this?”
The fund manager at No. 3 Hewlett was furious. Alongside the managers at No. 12 Banquan Road and No. 24 Wenzheng Road, three fund managers had pooled over 600 million yuan to engineer a major rally in Zhongwen Online stock.
Yet, just as they were about to reap their rewards, someone broke the unspoken rules, exiting early.
Though one or two tens of millions wasn’t much, it disrupted their plan and sharply increased their costs.
After painstakingly patching the gap and bringing the plan back on track, the other side struck again.
“Old Zheng? Or Old Zhou?”
He suspected a mole; otherwise, the timing of the cash-out was too perfect, as if their positions were being monitored.
But on second thought, a mole seemed unlikely—after all, it was only a few tens of millions, while their total investment surpassed 600 million.
If they failed to exit promptly, market panic could ensue, leading to a stampede of selling and trapping their entire 600 million.
They wouldn’t be so naive.
“Damn vultures.”
Eliminating other possibilities, the culprit became clear.
In the stock market, retail investors with large capital are often called “big players,” but the institutions usually refer to them as “vultures.”
They normally scavenge the leftovers, but now emboldened, they had taken a bite of the fresh meat—and still were not satisfied.
At the same time, calls came in from No. 12 Banquan Road and No. 24 Wenzheng Road; their suspicions aligned, and they no longer doubted each other.
“What now?” asked No. 12.
“Sell now? Trap him inside?” proposed No. 24.
No. 129 was furious but could only shake his head. “No matter, stick to the plan.”
Though angry, he was powerless. The other side had liquidated once before; this time, the buying funds were even less, probably under ten million.
They wouldn’t change their plan just because of the opponent; they could only drive the price higher afterward to make up the loss.
“Each raise another 20 million yuan to push the stock above 40 yuan...”
…
At exactly three o’clock in the afternoon, the market closed.
Countless retail investors who hoped for a miraculous turnaround at the close were disappointed.
Zhongwen Online ended the day at 31.30 yuan, down 1.55%.
“Is it the second scenario?” Lu Liang murmured.
If nothing unexpected happened, the stock would likely open lower or drift downward tomorrow, rebound next week, and then the rally would end.
He felt somewhat let down—the institutions inside clearly lacked the boldness of those behind Baofeng Technology.
Had there been a violent surge at the close or a dramatic high-low flip, this could have been the “Baofeng 2.0.”
But evidently, they didn’t dare—probably afraid of being summoned by the Securities Regulatory Commission.
Lu Liang tidied his notes and left his study, catching the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread.
Several plates of pastries were set on the dining table, just out of the oven.
“I guessed you’d be out soon,” Zhang Qian said as she approached the water bar, smiling. “Tea, coffee, or a soft drink?”
“Coffee, please.”
Lu Liang came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek. “You really can do everything.”
“A man’s heart and stomach—got to keep hold of at least one of those.”
“Feels like I’m caught by both.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Zhang Qian beamed as she handed him the coffee. “My vacation’s over; I have to go back to work tonight.”
“So soon? Not staying a few more days?”
Lu Liang felt reluctant. After being so well taken care of these past days, suddenly being alone again felt strange.
“If I don’t work, will you support me?” Zhang Qian teased.
“Of course I will. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”
Lu Liang was serious; he had considered it. Spending an extra seventy or eighty thousand yuan a month wasn’t a big deal now.
“Forget it, save that talk for younger girls.”
Zhang Qian smiled warmly.
She knew her situation well. If she were younger by a few years, she might have agreed; but now, it was impossible.
“Young girls aren’t as tempting as you,” Lu Liang said, dropping the subject. Being a long-term running partner was nice enough.
“What about Lili?” Zhang Qian’s smile turned teasing.
Last night, Lu Liang had accidentally switched his phone to speaker mode, and she overheard Li Manli’s voice—the little girl kept calling “Brother, when will you come back?” in the sweetest tone.
“She’s doing well, and so are you.”
Lu Liang replied seriously, avoiding further explanation.
“Men…” Zhang Qian rolled her eyes and sighed.
Suddenly, her phone rang. Her expression changed instantly.
“Brother Liang, I have something to do; I have to go.”
Lu Liang wiped the smile from his face. “Need any help?”
The caller ID showed “Teacher Lin.”
Over the past few days, Lu Liang had learned that Zhang Qian had a seven-year-old daughter in first grade.
If she hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have guessed it.
Zhang Qian hesitated. “If you’re not busy, I might have to trouble you.”
“Talk while we go,” Lu Liang said, grabbing his car keys and following her out.
Zhang Qian nodded. “First to the elementary school.”
Usually, her mother helped take care of the child, but the teacher had just called.
Her mother had fallen while picking up the child and was taken to the hospital.
It was urgent at the time, so they left Zhang Yun at school.
On the way, Zhang Qian kept calling for updates and said she was heading there immediately.
Lu Liang stepped on the gas, seemingly running a red light.
Outside the elementary school stood a delicate-looking little girl who resembled Zhang Qian a bit, shyly standing beside the teacher.
Zhang Qian got out of the car, and the girl ran up, clutching her legs, face streaked with tears.
“Mama, is Grandma okay?”
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Grandma is fine. We’re going to the hospital right now to see her.”
Zhang Qian thanked the teacher, who had just spoken with the hospital. Fortunately, it was only a bone fracture, which relieved her.
The teacher waved her off hurriedly. “No need to thank me. Hurry to the hospital.”
Zhang Qian helped her daughter, Zhang Yun, into the car.
Before she could say anything, Lu Liang asked, “Which hospital?”
“City Third Hospital,” Zhang Qian replied, pulling Zhang Yun close. “Sweetheart, say hello to Uncle Lu.”
“Hello, Uncle Lu. My name is Zhang Yun. I’m seven and in first grade.”
The little girl was well-behaved.
“Good girl, don’t cry,” Lu Liang gently stroked her head. “We came in a hurry, and I didn’t prepare a gift. Uncle will take you shopping later, alright?”
The girl’s big eyes shimmered with tears.
“Uncle Lu, are you my mom’s boyfriend?”
“Sweetheart!” Zhang Qian scolded sharply.
“Isn’t that right?” Lu Liang shot a glance at her but then smiled kindly. “Uncle Lu is your mom’s boyfriend. Next time she scolds you, just quietly tell Uncle Lu, and Uncle Lu will give her a little spanking.”
“Lu Liang!” Zhang Qian was both embarrassed and angry.
“Really?” The little girl’s eyes lit up. She obviously wanted to ask more but was silenced as Zhang Qian covered her mouth.