CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 64: THE IMAGINATIVE LITTLE CUCUMBER

Han Lie suddenly escalated the conversation, bringing the topic to a sublime level. Xi Luting couldn’t handle it anymore.

Dreams!

What an inspiring word!

Eighteen-year-old boys and girls are at the perfect age to believe in dreams.

Tell them society is dark, and they’ll immediately believe it completely, filled with righteous indignation, as if the whole world is beyond redemption.

But mention dreams to them, and their eyes will light up, as if they can’t wait to go out and save the world.

This is the inevitability of youth.

Xi Luting was quite a calm and rational girl, yet Han Lie still managed to stir her emotions.

The key wasn’t how the scumbag man was bragging.

The key was, the scumbag man had actually done it.

No one could understand so much for no reason—names like the President of Hongyuan or Sun Mingxia from the Fixed Income Department were ones Xi Luting had never even heard.

Even across the entire school, perhaps no one else paid attention to such news.

Han Lie must have gone through arduous studies, consistently followed trending news, and persevered in independent thinking to have reached his current heights.

And he was only eighteen this year.

So, when did he start treating this as his dream?

It must have been at least three years ago, during his first year of high school!

The real reason behind his intelligence but poor academic performance has finally been found!

No wonder Han Lie matured so early and is so composed.

This man harbors great ambitions, acts decisively from a young age, and treats beautiful women as fleeting distractions—he’s bound for greatness!

The early stage of an overbearing president should look like this.

I really didn’t misjudge him!

Our great writer, Xi Luting, started to let her imagination run wild again, elevating Han Lie to an absurd level in her mind, yet she still firmly believed it...

It was quite amusing.

But Xi Luting didn’t think there was a problem at all; on the contrary, she was overjoyed.

The scumbag man took the initiative to ask me!

And he didn’t hide anything when chatting with me, saying whatever came to mind; isn’t this a sign of fondness?

When dealing with Yu Yun and Fang Feifei...

AH?!

The scumbag man is open to being a kept man?!

The moment Xi Luting thought of Naiyun and Fang Feifei, she snapped out of those charming, fanciful thoughts, cursing herself silently—

Hey! Show some spirit!

Don’t be fooled by the scumbag man; he’s not a good person!

She quietly touched her hot earlobe and casually threw out a question, "So, can small retail investors like us, who don’t have much influence, also make money in the market?"

Purely a question for the sake of conversation, just making small talk, right?

Han Lie chuckled inwardly, but his face remained serious.

"Of course you can. Now is the best time.

The state’s regulation on large capital is getting stricter, and the crackdown on market manipulation is becoming more severe.

The market environment is increasingly fair, but the techniques of most stock investors have not evolved to the corresponding level.

Therefore, countless dark horses will rise to the occasion and claim their share of this lucrative pie.

Why can’t you and I be among them?"

Xi Luting had only asked casually, yet she was once again shaken by Han Lie’s ambition.

Because this time, the scumbag man had deliberately included her.

Xi Luting had never thought that she could make money in the A-share market.

In her eyes, this market was mysterious, dangerous, rife with insider trading and power rent-seeking—a highly controlled gambling den.

So, in her previous life, when the bull market arrived, she was indifferent at first and later struggled with indecision.

By the time there were enough cases to prove that money could really be made, the best opportunities had already passed.

Less than a month after entering the market, she was firmly trapped.

A complete sentry standing guard.

Stupid?

Indeed, a bit.

But this wasn’t just her problem.

Even in 2025, many people still believed the stock market was controlled and that it was impossible to make money without insider information.

People who held this view included university students, professors, and elites from other industries.

Conspiracy theories are a natural part of human nature. However, anyone who has seen the internal data of a securities firm would understand that, regardless of the market period, about 5% of investors consistently make stable profits. In bear markets, they earn less or might incur small losses. In bull markets, they increase their positions and earn significantly. During transitions between bull and bear markets, they take profits, withdraw most of their capital, and continue to trade conservatively. Every brokerage house has such veteran investors—not necessarily highly skilled, but consistently steady.

The masters of the new era are even more formidable. In the next decade, at least thirty renowned private traders will make a name for themselves, starting with small capital like 15,000, 50,000, or 80,000 yuan and growing it to tens of millions, or even 200 to 300 million. They then operate scrupulously in short-term trading, sometimes making a killing, sometimes getting trapped by retail investors. Furthermore, formidable individual investors like Zhang Jianping, Yang Lianming, Fan Hui, Li Xinghua, and Ge Weidong play the long game, following trends and often making 500 to 800 million yuan on a single stock. Every time they secure a large profit, they face scrutiny from the Securities Regulatory Commission. Among them, Fan Hui was found to have a minor infraction and fined over 30 million yuan, but the other major individual investors were clean, their earnings all legal and within the scope of their market understanding.

I predicted that the new energy industry had growth potential, so I positioned myself early on and just waited honestly—what could be wrong with that?

Conspiracy theorists might ask again: what if the major shareholders don’t drive up the stock price and try to swindle each other?

Bullshit!

In the new era, a stock’s surge is driven by consensus, combined capital, and collective emotion. Where are those highly controlling market makers nowadays?

Something that’s meant to rise will rise; nobody can suppress it.

Sometimes even unworthy stocks rise, and then the economic investigation departments get a bonus, always catching a whole bunch of people like Xu Xiang, Ye Fei, Old Niu, Wu Chengze... all involved in the same scandal.

Han Lie, having experienced future regulations, knew better than anyone what could and couldn’t be done.

Taking Little Cucumber flying was certainly part of what could be done.

It wasn’t possible to fly too high, but she had to be given a taste of sweetness, right?

Whether she could survive after her social demise depended entirely on how much she enjoyed the flight and whether she had a blast...

Keeping her happy was Brother Lie’s only way to survive...

Xi Luting had no idea about the despicable thoughts running through Han Lie’s mind; she was still excited.

"Can I do it too? But I don’t know anything at all."

"You’re so smart, why not?"

"HEHE! Then will you teach me?"

Xi Luting grew more and more excited. When she looked at Han Lie, her eyes sparkled with a seductive light.

If it had been an impatient rookie, he probably wouldn’t have been able to control himself and would have wanted to go further.

However, Han Lie—a dabbler in psychology, an expert at push-and-pull tactics, and a sly master—clearly wouldn’t be so reckless.

At the critical moment, Master Lie decisively increased the distance between them.

"I can teach you, but you have to pay tuition."

Xi Luting felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, and she instantly calmed down.

"How do I pay? You’re not short on meal tickets right now!"

TSK TSK, that comment obviously carried some resentment.

Han Lie must have left his sense of shame in the dormitory, as he replied with utmost justification, "Can you compare to them? When they treat me, it’s out of friendship. When you treat me, it’s an act of filial piety..."

SMACK!

Xi Luting’s face flushed red with anger. She smacked Han Lie on the back so hard that her own palm went numb.

"Filial piety my ass! Aren’t you annoying?!"

She was furious! Absolutely furious!

Once the profanities started flying, it meant she was genuinely enraged, not joking around.

"Holy shit! Are you trying to murder your own master?!"

The pain sent a jolt through Han Lie’s scalp, but despite his cursing, his mood wasn’t bad.

Little Cucumber was becoming less reserved, which was great.

She might not even realize it herself, but Han Lie, her classmate for four years, knew her personality all too well.

It was common for this girl to curse, but she had never laid a hand on a boy.

Why else would he praise her for being good at maintaining distance?

If things continued like this, her boundaries would gradually lower, and sooner or later, the distance would become negative.

HAHAHAHA...

"Master? You think you’re worthy? Did I agree? A bit of idle chatter and you really think you’re someone important! As for today’s breakfast, that’s all you’re getting. Not a crumb more, so dream on!"

Xi Luting’s face was flushed as she rattled on, her protests fierce and spirited.

She put up a fierce verbal resistance, but it was mostly for show.

The next time Han Lie sought her out, she would probably still complain but then obediently pay up.

This was all before Han Lie had achieved any tangible results. Once he did, the power dynamic would become even more imbalanced.

Of course, no matter the situation, she would continue to talk tough.

Isn’t everyone a proud, undaunted tsundere deep down?

Han Lie hopped around, hissing and laughing, as the pain finally subsided. Just as he was about to tease her again, Little Cucumber’s phone suddenly rang.

"Who’s calling so early in the morning?"

She pulled out her phone and saw an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Xi Meng? Ah, yes, that’s me!"

"Yes, I’m at Shanghai International Studies University. You can come directly to the east gate!"

"Okay, okay, thank you so much for your trouble. Thanks!"

Hearing her responses, Han Lie had an inkling.

YO HO! Looks like that generous gift from good ol’ Brother Ham has arrived...

Xi Luting had no idea what was being sent and felt exceptionally lighthearted.

After hanging up, she tilted her head playfully toward Han Lie, "Let’s go. Accompany me to get a package first, then we can come back to eat. It’d be good to open it in the cafeteria; I need to use that thing urgently..."

Her movements were truly graceful and cool.

But Brother Lie suddenly covered his face, his body shivering as he barely held back his laughter.