Chapter 19: Only the Big Players Play Finance

"Brother Kun, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's fine, I just got downstairs myself."

Upon reaching the ground floor, Lu Liang met up with Meng Changkun and headed toward the parking lot to get his car.

"Take my car. It's parked right at the entrance, so you won't have to worry about finding the way," Meng Changkun suggested. He was dressed in shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers, his belly protruding as he beamed, clearly in high spirits.

In contrast, Lu Liang seemed preoccupied, his mind lingering on the matter of the "voice."

If he only had one chance, he might not have been so anxious, treating it like winning a lottery. But having experienced it twice—first becoming a millionaire, then doubling his wealth—the sensation was addictive. He wasn't ready to face the prospect of the voice disappearing.

"Brother Lu?" Only after Meng Changkun’s prompt did Lu Liang snap back to reality. "Brother Kun, whatever you arrange is fine."

Meng Changkun led Lu Liang to the west gate of the residential complex, where a black Maybach was parked.

"Xiao Liu, head to the Diwang Building," Meng Changkun said to the driver after they settled into the back seat. He looked at Lu Liang and asked, "Are you not feeling well? You seem a bit off today."

"Just thinking about some work stuff, but it's nothing major," Lu Liang exhaled, forcing a smile back onto his face. Back when he was penniless, he had managed to settle down in Shanghai; surely, with over twenty million in cash, he would be fine. If he couldn't hear the future anymore, he could just retire to a small city—it wasn't the end of the world.

"Brother, I don't think I know what industry you're in?" Meng Changkun asked, curious.

"I haven't been doing much lately, just trading stocks and watching the market," Lu Liang replied candidly.

"A hidden master, I see. Everyone in finance is a big shot," Meng Changkun remarked, surprised. He had imagined many professions, but never a full-time financial trader. Finance was the pinnacle of all industries; every sector either served it or aimed for it. If a new trend emerged in society, the financial markets were always the first to react. However, the waters in that industry were deep. He had invested millions once before and nearly lost everything. Eventually, he settled for venture capital, putting hundreds of thousands or a million into startups. While many failed, if just one succeeded, selling the shares would net him millions.

"Brother Kun, you flatter me. I'm no big shot. I'm just trailing behind the real players, picking up the crumbs."

Lu Liang was rational; he was, at most, a wealthy retail investor. In front of true titans, he was still a nobody.

"Don't sell yourself short. Everyone starts small," Meng Changkun said with a chuckle, though he remained cautious and steered the conversation away from the topic.

The financial world was treacherous, not just because of its complexity, but because it was crawling with scammers. Meng Changkun knew of several real cases. A friend of his had once met someone claiming to be a financial trader. Initially, the man led his friend to trade on the Small and Medium Enterprise board, where the market caps were small—only a few hundred million—so a few million or even a few hundred thousand could sway the market. The scammers would attract a few "marks," spend a little capital to manipulate the market, let the marks get a taste of success, and then slowly entice them into off-market financing or private trading platforms. Once involved in a private platform, the gains and losses were entirely at the whim of the scammers, who could alter the data with a flick of a finger. Even if you saw a profit of a million from a hundred thousand, you could never withdraw the funds—it was all just fake numbers. His friend had been swindled out of tens of millions, half of which was company money, and he only avoided prison by selling off his assets and borrowing money everywhere. The stolen money was never recovered, as the servers and the core group were all overseas.

"Brother Kun, what's the name of this film today?" Lu Liang noticed Meng Changkun's guarded demeanor.

It was only natural. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch, but there are plenty of pitfalls. If someone introduces a sure-fire way to make money, one should ask: why them? Don't they have family or friends? Why offer this opportunity to you?

Meng Changkun thought for a moment. "I think I heard Old Wu call it 'Ouija Board vs. Pen Spirit.' Yes, that's the one."

"..." Lu Liang was speechless. He blinked. "Just by the name, I can tell there will be plenty of beauties."

Meng Changkun laughed heartily. "For sure, otherwise why would we go?" He added, "The lead actors and the second female lead are already set, though. We’re mainly auditioning for the third and fourth female roles."

Lu Liang asked out of the blue, "Those who are already set—whose children are they, or whose mistresses?"

"Ahem! Brother, let's not be so blunt," Meng Changkun said, looking embarrassed, his smile turning unnatural.

Lu Liang flashed a knowing grin. "The first female lead, or the second?"

Meng Changkun chuckled. "The second. She graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy last year. So young, and such a great figure."

The film's title sounded like a flop. If it weren't for the sake of boosting his little mistress, he wouldn't have bothered investing.

Lu Liang looked at him with feigned admiration. "You really know how to play the game, Brother."

"I'll let you pick a few scripts later. These young girls are very 'diligent' just to get on the big screen," Meng Changkun said, smiling with the tone of an experienced man. "Everyone knows being a star brings fame and quick money. But there are so many art schools across the country, and being pretty with a good figure is just the baseline. Without connections, and if they aren't willing to be 'diligent,' how could they ever catch our eye? And the best part is, we don't even have to spend our own money."

Lu Liang was puzzled. "How do you mean?"

Meng Changkun explained, "Investing in films is a business move. You didn't think I'd pay out of my own pocket, did you?"

"I understand," Lu Liang replied. It was the same logic as using company funds to buy cars, houses, or private jets—he enjoyed the perks, and the company picked up the tab.

At ten in the morning, they arrived at the 16th floor of the Diwang Building, home to Haomeng Film Production Co., Ltd. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were met with a sea of fair, long legs and plunging necklines. Over twenty young, beautiful women, mostly around twenty years old, gave Lu Liang the illusion that he had wandered into a high-end private club.

"Wu Tianzheng, General Manager of Haomeng. This is Lu Liang, my friend," Meng Changkun introduced calmly. It was clear that in his relationship with Wu Tianzheng, he was the dominant party.

Wu Tianzheng beamed. "Hello, Boss Lu. Just call me Xiao Wu." He knew Meng Changkun well; rumors had it his net worth reached over a hundred million a decade ago. His friends were certainly no small fry. In the entertainment industry, the more financial backers you knew, the more power you held, so Wu Tianzheng kept a very humble posture.

"Hello, Manager Wu. I'm just here to tag along with Brother Kun. Don't mind me, please continue with your work," Lu Liang said.

"Old Wu, Brother Lu seems a bit interested. Why don't you list the films currently seeking investment for him to look at later?" Meng Changkun intentionally wanted to test Lu Liang’s depth. If he was just a hollow shell or the kind of scammer he suspected, he wouldn't invest, nor would he be worth befriending.

"Yes, of course! Boss Lu, please have a seat. I'll go get the documents," Wu Tianzheng said, his face lighting up with a wide smile. This was a potential goldmine; he knew that knowing more wealthy people always brought great benefits.