Chapter 215: Chapter 129: It’s My Treat_2
With this in mind, sincerity trumped any tactics.
Beyond that, in 99% of situations, skill was king.
One had to admit that after improving various social skills to Level 3, and with a foundation of experience and psychology, Han Lie had indeed become a master of emotional theory.
He had thoroughly integrated this knowledge, transforming from a terminally clueless guy into an utter scumbag of a player—his path was certainly broadening...
After settling the bill, he slowly made his way to the roadside and said goodbye to Pan Ge.
"Girlfriend, how about a farewell kiss?"
These three words instantly made Pan Ge’s eyebrows shoot up.
"HUMPH!"
She tilted her chin up slightly, letting out what seemed like a disdainful snort, but the angle of her profile was rather suggestive.
Han Lie understood, understood all too well.
So he decisively rubbed her little head through her cap and said cheerfully, "If you don’t want to, forget it. I’ll go find Xi Luting later. Alright, go home, your car is here."
Yet Pan Ge didn’t get angry. Instead, she smirked cunningly—utterly adorable and cleverly playful.
"Don’t think I don’t know Xi Luting is on the outs with you. If you have the guts, call her to the hotel to keep you company. I promise I won’t get mad. As if!"
Han Lie’s smile stiffened.
How did she find out?
"Stumped, aren’t you?"
Pan Ge extended her index finger and gently tickled Han Lie’s chin with her clear, lustrous nail.
"It’s a weekend, and she hasn’t asked you out, nor has she been pestering me. Is that normal? I didn’t block her from seeing the gym photo, yet she acted like she didn’t see it. Is that normal? Ha, you think you can hide your little love history from me? Let me tell you, it’s impossible!"
WHOA!
There was an astonishing force behind that little fist, truly astonishing.
Han Lie was quite impressed by her intelligence and sensitivity, but he couldn’t help but want to laugh inwardly.
You’re indeed formidable, only granting the two of us a single chance. But you really don’t understand my ability to seize opportunities...
"Fine! You said it!"
Han Lie put on an act of being provoked and somewhat infuriated, which made Pan Ge even more smug.
She was a lightweight in every other respect, yet her pettiness was utterly genuine.
"Alright, alright~~~ I’ll behave!" Han Lie quickly made his promise.
...Even though it wasn’t worth a penny in reality, his attitude was top-notch!
Pan Ge pursed her lips and smiled, satisfied as she opened the car’s back door.
"Bye-bye! Wait for my news."
...
That afternoon, he quietly wrote several smutty Chapters and then ate spicy crawfish with Yu Yun.
When it was time to pay the bill, Naiyun was visibly pained, her eye twitching.
And the scoundrel himself was smiling even more joyously.
In fact, Han Lie wasn’t lacking the money for daily meals anymore, but he just loved to make Yu Yun pay from her living expenses.
With women like her, you had to make them keep giving until it hurt. The more you did that, the less willing they were to give up.
It was the sunk cost fallacy; Brother Ergou had shared it many times on TikTok.
Of course, Yu Yun, a true master of the subtle game, had now reached a whole new level.
Recently, she hardly talked about feelings with Han Lie anymore. She simply kept him company, sharing ordinary little things, complaining about Xi Luting and Fang Feifei, and showing concern for Han Lie’s studies and life, just like a close friend.
Goodness, she was really playing the long game... That line would need to stretch for several years at least.
But, I have to say, this version of her was exceptionally addictive.
Obedient, sensible, gentle, considerate, a good conversationalist, perceptive... All damn virtues!
Plus her alluring looks, the uniquely spectacular bosom, and the long, serpentine, hook-tipped tongue...
Han Lie often suffered torments of desire.
After the meal, he didn’t dare linger with her; he beelined for the gym.
But just as he entered, Lisa started flirting with him again.
"Hey, Han! Your girlfriend didn’t come today?"
Han Lie made a casual joke, "What? She’s not here, so your interest in me has resurfaced?"
Lisa was impressively fierce.
"Yes! Lock your room door tight later, because once my libido kicks in, I might just burst in and fuck you on the floor three or four times! I mean, at least three or four times!"
Han Lie fled in panic.
Once these foreign women got comfortable with you, they were truly hard to handle. You just couldn’t figure out whether you were seducing them, or they were just using you as a temporary tool...
After working out seriously for two hours, Han Lie left the gym amidst Lisa’s catcalls and the inexplicable laughter of the coaches...
Han Lie didn’t return to the dorm.
Staying in the presidential suite was a better option at night. Although Dan Zihao and his group would hardly dare to come again, it was best not to take unnecessary risks.
Pan Ge had already stirred the pot considerably; getting beaten up for sympathy now served no purpose.
Before sleeping, Han Lie had originally planned to try out the spa.
However, upon further thought, he remembered that this Marriott’s spa center seemed to be an outsourced brand, not self-operated.
According to the gurus of later times, the self-operated spa centers of luxury five-star hotels offered the epitome of enjoyment, whereas outsourced ones were usually subpar. Because they had to pay high franchise fees, the service was poorer for the same price. There were only two ways to recoup those fees: raise prices or cut costs.
As a result, they paid masseuses lower commissions, so the most skilled and attractive ones were more inclined to work at the self-operated spa centers of luxury five-star hotels.
Of course, everyone knew the ultimate way for a spa center to make money—
More... ’extensive’ services, of course! And it wasn’t limited to either gender. There were some hotel spas where male masseurs easily earned a hundred thousand a month...
Han Lie, pure as ice and jade, naturally wasn’t willing to accept that kind of service, so he sensibly went to bed.
Before sleeping, Pan Ge sent a message.
"Done."
What reassuring words!
Han Lie wasn’t stingy with praise and responded warmly, "Well done! I knew you could do it."
"HUMPH, HUMPH!"
She sent two pouting emojis and then didn’t pester Han Lie much, chatting briefly before going to bed.
This girl was truly nice. If only she were a little more magnanimous, she’d be perfect as the main wife.
After a couple of wistful thoughts, Han Lie tossed his phone aside and went to sleep.
「The next morning.」
As soon as he woke up, Han Lie sat down in front of the computer.
Today was Monday, the first official day of the small-scale live trading competition.
Among his opponents were master retail traders as well as a new generation from securities and fund companies.
Most had a similar goal: make a name for themselves, get poached or switch jobs, and land an annual salary in the tens of millions.
Don’t assume that top traders necessarily have to operate as independent speculators; that’s not always the case. Most prefer to become fund managers or operate private equity. Investing with other people’s money made it easier to display one’s true abilities, and the earnings were substantial.
Managing a hundred million in private equity, if the market was good, a portfolio could double in a year, and the operating team could even get a 40% share—that’s 40 million. Based on contribution, the person in control could easily take home 20 million.
And the shortcut to becoming that person in control was to achieve good results in important live trading competitions.
But that wasn’t easy.
The small-scale live competition starting this week would eliminate everyone outside the top five. A negative profit at the weekend settlement meant elimination. If losses hit the 6% red line, elimination was immediate, without waiting for settlement.
It would take seven grueling weeks of competition to decide the final candidates advancing to the main live trading finals. One could only imagine how fierce the competition at this stage would be.
The good news was that Han Lie had already picked his target.
The bad news was, the target gapped up 7% at the opening bell and, within a minute, hit its upper trading limit and stabilized there...
He could still buy in if he forced it, indeed.
However, during the call auction phase, Han Lie had carefully reviewed recent hot stocks and felt that the overall market sentiment today was a bit off.
Without overthinking, Han Lie closed the trading interface; he wasn’t playing today.
He just sat there watching, all morning.
Sure enough, the broader market gradually began to crumble, with everything sinking.
Approaching noon, as the situation became clearer, Han Lie was congratulating himself on his perceptiveness and wisdom when Wang Xiaotian suddenly called.
"Young Master Han, where are you? The guys and I were rude yesterday, and we’d like to treat you to a meal. What do you think?"
Is Pan Ge making her move?
That was the first thought that flashed through Han Lie’s mind.
After pondering for a moment, he laughed heartily. "I’m at the hotel monitoring the market; it’s not convenient to go far. How about this, Brother Wang, you guys come to the Marriott. I’ll arrange it. How does that sound?"
Wang Xiaotian’s phone was on the table, on speaker. He looked back at Fang Tongzhi, seeking his opinion.
Fang Tongzhi nodded slowly, whispering, "It’d be good to take a look."
"Then we’ll trouble you, Young Master Han. We’re on our way. We’ll contact you when we arrive."
With that settled, Han Lie immediately called Nata and had a grand spread of ten dishes and two soups prepared in the suite’s dining room.
I went to the hospital in the morning; I’d only woken up a short while ago.