Li Sitong looked at Xia Yingluo in puzzlement. "What did you want to see me about, being all mysterious?"
Xia Yingluo said, "Yesterday, Ye Chen went to the amusement park with me because it was the anniversary of my parents' death, so I wanted him to keep me company…"
Only then did Li Sitong realize that Xia Yingluo was afraid she'd misunderstood.
Recalling last night's ambiguous scene with Ye Chen, Li Sitong's face reddened instead.
"Silly girl, you don't need to explain. We both like Ye Chen; it's only right that he spends time with you or with me. I'm not that selfish."
Xia Yingluo was startled for a moment, then nodded hard.
"Mm, if Ye Chen keeps you company, I won't get mad either."
The two girls smiled at each other.
Love on campus is pure.
In their hearts they both wanted to protect that innocence.
Whether that innocence is love or friendship… Li Sitong arrived home and saw her father's car parked in the yard.
She paused. "Dad's back early today!"
Li Li nodded with a smile. "Mm, the company was quieter today, so I came back earlier."
In truth, that was just an excuse.
Ever since the news about the subway line and the development zone broke, his phone had been ringing off the hook.
All the calls were from property developers looking to cooperate.
But Li Li turned them all down.
He and Ye Chen had drunk too much last night; memory of the latter half was hazy, and he worried he'd said something improper.
"I didn't… say anything I shouldn't have, did I?"
Li Sitong replied irritably, "No, you just kept calling me Classmate-Bro."
Li Li's weathered face flushed.
Great, I still embarrassed myself.
He'd meant to get Ye Chen drunk and fish for information, only to end up drunk himself.
Now he could only look for clues from his daughter.
"Si Tong, come here. Daddy wants to ask you something."
Li Li waved, indicating for Li Sitong to sit beside him.
"What is it?" Li Sitong tossed her backpack onto the sofa and sat opposite Li Li.
She stared at him in confusion; something felt off with her dad today.
"Si Tong, you said the other day that our company's market cap would rise sharply, right?" Li Li said slowly.
That prediction had now become reality.
The moment news of the development zone and subway broke, their company's stock hit the daily limit-up at the opening bell.
In other words, their market value had jumped ten percent in a single day.
That day, when Tiancheng Group's stock had been about to hit the Limit down, Ye Chen had gone all-in; Li Sitong had actually been worried.
Yet less than ten minutes after Ye Chen bought, Tiancheng Group's share price rocketed straight to the Limit up price.
Only then did Li Sitong realize how amazing her Boyfriend was.
Li Li said, "If you hadn't reminded me, I probably wouldn't have bought that land. Now our stock's locked at the daily limit, and I reckon it'll keep climbing for several days."
Li Sitong brightened. "So I'm going to make a ton more money!"
Hearing her father's words, Li Sitong was over the moon.
Hehe, my Boyfriend's incredible.
He could calculate it that accurately.
If the stock keeps hitting limit-up every day, Tiancheng Group's market cap should easily double.
By then his capital could double again.
"You bought shares in our own company too?"
Li Li asked, startled.
Li Sitong nodded. "Mm, Ye Chen and a few other classmates and I put all our bitcoin winnings into it."
As she spoke, her eyes shone with pride.
After this wave, she'd be a solid tens-of-millions rich girl.
And every cent would have been earned by herself.
"So your classmate knew long ago that the land would become a development zone with a subway, right?"
Hearing his daughter's words, shock was written all over Li Li's face.
He had to be sure about this matter.
Because the information was far too important to him.
Li Li even felt that from the start he'd been nothing but a pawn, while Ye Chen was the one playing the game.
Ye Chen had first passed the tip to him through Li Sitong, prompting him to buy the land, then gone all-in himself.
Li Sitong shook her head. "He didn't tell me that; he only said our company would appreciate sharply within a week and that we should buy its stock."
"But I figure he must have known the news—otherwise why would he gamble everything on the shares?"
Li Li nodded. "Si Tong, does your classmate come from a powerful background?"
To him, Ye Chen's background had to be extraordinary; how else could he know such precise information?
After all, the authorities had kept the news tightly under wraps; even a property tycoon like himself had heard nothing before the official announcement.
"Huh? You mean my classmate has some powerful backing?"
"Impossible—my classmate's parents are just ordinary workers."
Li Sitong stared blankly at her father.
My Boyfriend's that amazing—how could I not know?
After three years at the same desk, Li Sitong knew Ye Chen's situation very well.
Ye Chen's parents were ordinary laborers, a regular family.
"An ordinary family? Impossible—how else could he know with such certainty that my company would appreciate?"
Li Sitong thought for a moment and said, "If anything's not ordinary, it's my Boyfriend—he's not only handsome but also knowledgeable and has a great eye for investments."
As she spoke, a trace of pride showed on her face.
Hehe, the more she praised the boy she liked, the more outstanding he seemed.
Besides, Li Sitong had an ulterior motive.
The more outstanding Ye Chen was, the less likely Old Li would interfere with their romance.
The more Li Li listened, the stranger it felt. "Si Tong, in all these years, I've never heard you praise anyone like this!"
Hearing his daughter praise another boy, Li Li felt a twinge of sourness.
From his daughter's tone, Li Li could tell the family cabbage was about to be carried off.
"I haven't—everything I said is true." Li Sitong protested, her face red.
Inside, she was already starting to panic.
Oh no, I got carried away showing off my Boyfriend; Old Li must be suspicious now.
But Old Li seems to like Ye Chen too—he probably won't try to separate us.
Li Li gave Li Sitong a meaningful look, then nodded and stopped pressing her.
Seeing her dad drop the questions, Li Sitong finally exhaled in relief.
"By the way, did your classmate say how high our share price might climb?" Li Li continued.
Li Sitong thought for a moment. "He didn't give an exact number, but he said our company's value would roughly double—about a 105 to 110 percent gain."
"Only a bit more than double? That doesn't sound like much." Li Li shook his head.
After all, with such positive news, a mere doubling wasn't enough for him.
Only then did Li Sitong remember something. "Oh right, my classmate said it would take two weeks for our market cap to double."
"As for after two weeks, he didn't say—he mentioned he'd sell off the shares once the two weeks were up."
"Two weeks—and he's that certain?"
Li Li felt somewhat unconvinced.
After all, Ye Chen was still a High School student—could he really predict the share price of a listed conglomerate that accurately?