Chapter 55: Helping Others at the Cost of One’s Own Misfortune

The entire Suien District was in an uproar.

“They say someone made hundreds of thousands in one go during yesterday’s treasury bond trading!”

“I heard that too! Hundreds of thousands! I’ll never earn that much in my whole life! If I’d known, I’d have sold everything I owned to buy a few personal bonds myself!”

“So, who exactly is this person who made such a fortune?”

Every street, every alley, every nook and cranny buzzed with the same conversation.

No one failed to discuss the astonishing trade, and everyone speculated about the mysterious figure behind it!

The city was brimming with curiosity and envy toward the person who swept through the trading hall with a single move.

This sensation soon spread beyond Suien District, following the roads out to Weiling City.

“A genius! To make such a bold and unique choice while everyone else was lost in confusion—this is truly a prodigy of finance! The future is limitless for such a person! Find them, no matter what, I want them found!”

The city’s top officials, upon hearing the news, were equally shocked and excited.

After all, at that time, the very concept of finance was just beginning to emerge.

People of this kind were exceedingly rare throughout the country.

And now, Weiling City had produced one—an exemplary figure who made a fortune by taking a calculated risk right from their very first venture!

With just twenty thousand, they netted hundreds of thousands!

If such a person were willing to work for the authorities, Weiling City could be led down a path of prosperity!

Far away, in the provincial capital, a man in his sixties stood by the window of the official compound.

His gaze was deep and far-reaching.

“To think that little Weiling City could hide such talent!”

This man was none other than the Governor of Huaiyuan Province.

Since the treasury bond trading was a first-time experiment, the market had only been open for a single day before being shut down—waiting for all sides to react before making further decisions.

Naturally, as the highest authority in the province, the government was paying close attention.

Thus, Wu Ya’s remarkable success quickly caught the governor’s eye.

But his reaction was, of course, different from that of the mayor of Weiling. He couldn’t very well lower himself to compete with his subordinates for talent!

Meanwhile, at the very center of all this commotion, Wu Ya himself had already set to work.

“Hello, I received the materials you sent last time. Let’s discuss the price.”

As for the trade itself?

He remained utterly calm.

It was, to him, nothing more than a rigged game—what was there to be excited about?

Thirty thousand—an astronomical sum in that era—was hardly worth mentioning a few decades later.

Wu Ya—

A modestly successful businessman in his later life, thirty thousand was nothing new to him.

“Mr. Wu, our factory’s sales price is fixed and cannot be discounted! But we can offer you a year of free maintenance and fifteen spare parts.”

It was the same syrupy-voiced saleswoman, her tone sweet as ever, yet unmistakably firm and unwilling to bargain.

Wu Ya smiled.

No discounts? Nonsense.

In all his years, he’d never seen anything that couldn’t be bargained down—it just meant the temptation offered wasn’t enough.

“Miss, I hope you’ll reconsider the price. Better yet, consult with your manager. I want to buy three assembly lines, all at once.”

Three assembly lines in one go?

There was shocked silence on the other end of the line.

For a long time, not a sound.

Wu Ya became impatient.

“Miss? What’s wrong, don’t you want the order?”

His tone betrayed his annoyance.

Was three assembly lines really so shocking? Enough to leave her speechless and at a loss?

She couldn’t even form a reply.

“Oh, yes, of course! I apologize, Mr. Wu, that was rude of me. I’ll go to my manager right away. No matter what, I’ll make sure he gives you a better price—we can’t lose a client like you!”

She snapped out of her daze, apologizing repeatedly before quickly hanging up and sprinting out of the office.

She’d be crazy not to—three assembly lines amounted to more than a million!

This was a major client—a client of a lifetime!

Back then, commissions were only just becoming common for salespeople like her.

If she closed this deal, she’d be the first in the equipment factory to meet the annual sales target!

Management would value her, of course, but the real draw was the cash bonus—at least several thousand!

Soon after—

“Hello, Mr. Wu, this is Lan Yaoming, the factory manager. Our saleswoman tells me you want to purchase three assembly lines—the most advanced, upgradeable models?”

The factory called back.

“That’s right. But your prices are a bit hard for me to accept.”

Since the manager was being direct, there was no need for him to beat around the bush.

At thirty-five thousand per line, three would total a hundred and five thousand.

Never mind whether it was cheap or expensive—

He didn’t have that much cash at the moment.

Asking for the manager was just a way to test the waters.

As long as there was room to negotiate, everything could be worked out.

“For each assembly line, I can offer you a discount of two thousand. If you’re interested, why not come to the factory so we can discuss in person?”

Face-to-face.

Lan Yaoming answered Wu Ya carefully, offering a concession so as not to lose the client, but leaving himself some room, in case Wu Ya had other motives.

After all, for such a large transaction, it was impossible to settle everything by phone alone.

If the other party refused to meet in person, they must be up to something—maybe even a competitor fishing for information!

“Very well. I’ve already booked tonight’s train ticket. We should be able to meet tomorrow afternoon.”

Knowing there was room for negotiation, Wu Ya hung up the phone.

Then—

“Heh, it’s time I paid a visit to Liu Qian’s house. I can’t let her face this alone!”

A wry smile tugged at his lips.

Yesterday, in the branch trading hall, his attention was entirely on the big screen.

So were Liu Qian’s, and Huang Silu’s, who had caught Qiao Yaqing’s favor.

No one noticed the figure standing behind the two of them.

When the results finally came in and the whole room erupted, Wu Ya had planned to slip away quietly with Liu Qian.

But then—

“What are you two doing here?” A stern face appeared before them, voice edged with displeasure, stopping Wu Ya in his tracks.

“And you are…?”

“Dad, what are you doing here?”

Before Wu Ya could finish his question, Liu Qian’s flustered voice made his head spin.

This man was Liu Qian’s father?

This was trouble!

Though he and Liu Qian had both graduated from high school, in those days, courting at their age was still considered scandalous.

People would talk behind their backs.

He could completely understand Liu Qian’s father’s dark expression.

But anxiety welled up inside him all the same.

“Damn it, what rotten luck today. Am I helping Huang Silu only to bring disaster upon myself?”