Chapter 19 - Anyone who plays finance is a big shot

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Kun." "Not at all. I just got downstairs myself." When they met downstairs, Lu Liang was about to head to the parking lot to get his car. "Hop in my ride. It's parked right at the gate—saves you from getting lost," Meng Changkun suggested. Dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers, he patted his paunch and beamed, looking in high spirits. In contrast, Lu Liang seemed preoccupied, his mind still stuck on that voice in his head. If it had only given him one tip, he wouldn't have been so hung up on it—he'd have treated it like winning the lottery. But it had guided him twice: first to becoming a millionaire, then to doubling his fortune in one go. That taste of easy money was addictive, impossible to shake off. He wasn't ready for that voice to vanish. "Brother Lu?" Meng Changkun's voice jolted him back to reality. "Whatever you say, Brother Kun." Meng Changkun led Lu Liang to the west gate of the residential complex, where a black Maybach was parked by the curb. "Xiao Liu, head to Landmark Tower," Meng Changkun told the driver as they settled into the back seat. He turned to Lu Liang. "Not feeling well? You seem a bit out of sorts today." "Just thinking about work stuff—nothing major," Lu Liang sighed, forcing a smile back onto his face. He'd made a home in Shanghai when he had nothing to his name. Now that he had over twenty million yuan in cash, what was the worst that could happen? If he never heard that voice again, he could always retire to some small town and live out his days in peace. "Brother, I don't think I ever asked—what do you do for a living?" Meng Changkun asked, curious. "Not much these days. Just trade stocks, watch the markets," Lu Liang replied openly. "Wow, you're full of surprises! Anyone who plays finance is a big shot," Meng Changkun exclaimed in shock. He'd guessed all sorts of professions for Lu Liang, but never a full-time stock trader. Finance was the pinnacle of all industries—every other sector either served it or aspired to it. When a new trend emerged in society, the financial markets were always the first to react. But the waters ran deep in this game. He'd once invested several million yuan himself, only to lose nearly every penny. After that, he'd stuck to venture capital—investing a few hundred thousand here and there in startups. Most folded, but if even one made it big, selling his shares could net him millions. "You're too kind, Brother Kun. I'm no big shot—just a small fry picking up scraps from the real tycoons," Lu Liang said soberly. At best, he was a high-net-worth retail investor—a nobody compared to the true power players in the market. "Don't sell yourself short. Everyone starts small," Meng Changkun chuckled, but he filed that information away and didn't press the topic further. Finance was a treacherous field—not just because the rules were complex, but because scammers lurked around every corner. He'd seen it happen to friends: a so-called "stock trading guru" would lure them in with small-cap stocks—companies with market caps of just a few hundred million yuan, easy to manipulate with a few million in capital. The scammers would entice their marks with quick profits, then coax them into leveraging their positions with off-market margin loans or investing in unregulated private platforms. Once the marks were on those private platforms, the scammers could manipulate gains and losses with a few keystrokes—even if the marks saw ten million in profits on paper, the money was trapped, nothing but fake numbers. One of his friends had lost tens of millions this way—half of it company funds. In the end, he'd had to sell everything he owned and borrow from everyone he knew just to avoid jail time. The money was gone forever, of course—servers and masterminds were all based overseas. "Brother Kun, what's the name of the film we're here for today?" Lu Liang asked, picking up on Meng Changkun's wariness. It was only natural—there was no such thing as a free lunch, but traps were everywhere. If someone offered you a "foolproof" money-making scheme, you had to ask yourself: why me? Don't they have friends or family? Why give me the chance to get rich? Meng Changkun thought for a moment. "Old Wu mentioned it—Disc Fairy vs. Pen Fairy, yeah, that's the one." "..." Lu Liang stared blankly, then blinked. "A title like that screams 'lots of beautiful women'." Meng Changkun roared with laughter. "You bet it does! Otherwise, why else would we be here?" He added, "Though the lead roles—male lead, female lead one and two—are already locked in. We're mainly auditioning for female leads three and four." Lu Liang asked casually, "The ones with locked-in roles—are they the kids of big shots, or someone's mistresses?" "Ahem—Brother, no need to be so blunt," Meng Changkun coughed awkwardly, his smile turning forced. Lu Liang gave him a grin that said we both know the score. "Female lead one, or two?" Meng Changkun snickered. "Female lead two. Graduated from the Film Academy last year—young, and wow, that body." Let's be real—with a title like that, the movie was doomed to flop. He'd only invested in it to boost his mistress's career. "Respect, Brother. You know how to live," Lu Liang said, feigning admiration. "I'll let you pick a few scripts later. These young starlets—they're very 'hardworking' if they want a shot at the silver screen," Meng Changkun said with a knowing smile. "Everyone wants to be a star—adored by millions, making money hand over fist." "But there are so many performing arts schools across the country. Being pretty and having a great figure is just the baseline. Without connections, and without being willing to 'work hard'—how can they catch our eye?" "And the best part? It doesn't cost us a dime out of our own pockets." Lu Liang raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Investing in movies is a business. Did you think I'd dip into my own savings?" Meng Changkun said. "Got it," Lu Liang nodded, instantly understanding. It was the same logic as buying cars, houses, even private jets in the company's name—enjoy the perks, let the company foot the bill. At ten o'clock sharp, they arrived at the 16th floor of Landmark Tower—Haomeng Film Production Co., Ltd. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, their eyes were met with a sea of fair, shapely legs and ample cleavage. Two dozen young women—all gorgeous, all around twenty years old—lined the room. Lu Liang could have sworn he'd walked into a high-end private club by mistake. "This is Wu Tianzheng, General Manager of Haomeng. Wu, this is Lu Liang—my friend," Meng Changkun introduced them flatly, making it clear who held the upper hand in their relationship. Wu Tianzheng broke into a wide smile. "Mr. Lu, a pleasure! Please, call me Xiao Wu." He knew exactly who Meng Changkun was—rumor had it he'd been a millionaire for over a decade. His friends were not to be trifled with. In the entertainment industry, the more wealthy backers you knew, the more powerful you were. Wu Tianzheng made sure to keep his posture humble. "Mr. Wu, nice to meet you. I'm just here to tag along with Brother Kun. Don't let me distract you from your work," Lu Liang said. "Old Wu, Brother Lu seems interested. Later, show him a list of the films we're looking for investors on," Meng Changkun said, wanting to test Lu Liang's depth. If he was just a poser—or worse, a scammer—he'd never put his money where his mouth was, and wasn't worth befriending. "Absolutely, Mr. Lu! Please take a seat, I'll grab the materials right away!" Wu Tianzheng's face lit up like a Christmas tree. A potential investor—exactly what he needed. Making friends with rich folks really did pay off.