Chapter 35 - A hardworking guy is super hot!

After dinner, Lu Liang sent Zhang Qian and her daughter home. It had been an eventful day, and on the way back, Zhang Yun nestled in her mother's arms and drifted off into a deep sleep. Lu Liang carried her upstairs to their apartment, tucked her into bed, and gently closed the door behind him. Turning to Zhang Qian, he said, "Let me know once you've made up your mind. I'll go with you to sign the contract." A transfer fee of 1.3 million yuan for a business that raked in a monthly net profit of 80,000 yuan—it was definitely a solid investment. With over 10 million yuan in cash on hand, Lu Liang figured it was high time he invested in some real assets of his own. "I'll spend the next few days doing more research," Zhang Qian replied cautiously, not about to make a rash decision. Hesitating for a moment, she added, "Brother Liang, if you don't mind, I'd like to invest some money too." Lu Liang smiled and asked, "How much are you thinking of putting in?" He'd figured out why he liked Zhang Qian so much. She was fiercely independent—both in spirit and financially—never wanting to rely entirely on anyone else. It probably stemmed from her past experiences, raising her daughter alone and naturally developing a strong sense of insecurity. Unlike Li Manli, that carefree 19-year-old who only worried about her own needs. "40%? Or 30% would be fine too," Zhang Qian said, carefully gauging his reaction. Lu Liang chuckled. "40% if you want more, 30% if you prefer less. Either way works for me." He had no interest in managing the day-to-day operations; he just wanted to be a hands-off investor—and use this as an excuse to maintain a long-term relationship with Zhang Qian. The exact percentage of shares didn't really matter to him. It was nearly 8:10 PM, and Lu Liang prepared to leave. The American trading session would open at 9:00 PM Beijing time. The Asian and European sessions earlier that day had been uneventful. The current price of London Gold stood at $1,458.55 per ounce—still $58.70 away from the target price he'd heard in the future voice. No doubt some unexpected event was about to unfold in the Americas, triggering another sharp rally in international gold prices. Suddenly, Zhang Qian wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his back. "Brother Liang, why don't you stay the night?" She didn't care about the labels anymore. Even if it meant being his secret lover for the rest of her life, it would be worth it—as long as he treated her daughter well. "Some other time. I really do have things to take care of tonight," Lu Liang said, turning around and pulling her into his arms. Their eyes met, and in her gaze, he saw emotions he'd never seen there before. "The door code is 889912. The spare key is hidden on the top shelf of the fire cabinet outside the door," Zhang Qian whispered, tiptoeing to kiss him passionately. "You can come anytime you want. This is your second home." "Alright. I'll come see you two once I'm done with this busy period," Lu Liang nodded. Eyes were the windows to the soul, and in that moment, Zhang Qian's gaze was genuine—no longer guarded or distant. It was filled with such intense affection and tenderness, unlike anything he'd ever seen in his life. His marriage to his ex-wife had been little more than a business arrangement, and she'd been the one to break it off unilaterally. "Naughty… Hehe." A childish voice suddenly piped up from inside the room, catching them off guard. They quickly pulled apart. "Go take a bath and do your homework now that you're awake," Zhang Qian said, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, like a lover caught red-handed. Lu Liang walked over casually, patted the little girl's head, and said, "Xiao Guai, Uncle has to get back to work at the company. I'll come see you soon." "When is soon?" the little girl asked, staring up at him with big, innocent eyes, eager for a definite answer. "Hmm… Today's Thursday. How about this weekend?" "Pinky promise!" "Pinky promise." Before leaving, Lu Liang acted just like the man of the house—kissing Zhang Qian on the cheek in front of their daughter. "I'm off." "Bye~" Zhang Qian watched him go, her eyes full of affection, standing at the doorway until he stepped into the elevator. "Mommy, can I call Uncle Lu 'Daddy' from now on?" the little girl suddenly asked, her eyes shining with hope. Zhang Qian fell silent for a long time. For once, she didn't dodge the question. Kneeling down in front of her daughter, she asked earnestly, "Xiao Guai, do you want him to be your daddy?" "Yes! I like Uncle Lu!" The little girl bounced with excitement, chattering away about how Lu Liang had stood up for her at the school office that afternoon. In that moment, she finally understood what the word "father" truly meant—not just a term from her textbooks, but someone like a towering mountain or a sheltering tree. "Then you have to be a good girl, and next time I'll ask Uncle Lu what he thinks," Zhang Qian said. "I'll be the best girl ever!" the little girl nodded vigorously, her face lighting up with a bright smile. ... Meanwhile, Lu Liang returned to his own place. "Manli, make me a cup of coffee," he called out, heading straight for his study without a moment's delay. As the clock struck 9:00 PM, the previously quiet London Gold market suddenly roared back to life. Lu Liang lifted his loss-making locked positions at the current price of $1,458.55. As soon as his 1,540 contracts hit the market, his total losses instantly jumped to $653,300. His average entry price was $1,462.85, meaning every one-point movement translated to a profit or loss of $154,000. With a margin deposit of 5.62 million yuan, Lu Liang could withstand a 27-point drop before facing a forced liquidation. This time, he was going all-in—pouring every penny he'd earned from his previous trades back into the market, principal plus profits. A net worth of 100 million yuan was too tempting to pass up. While it wouldn't be his only chance to strike it rich, it was certainly the best one. A few minutes later, Li Manli knocked on the door and walked in, holding an iced Americano. Being her usual playful self, she plopped down on his lap and stared at the colorful charts on the screen. "What's all this?" "Kind of like stocks," Lu Liang replied, knowing she wouldn't understand the complexities and not bothering to explain further. He wrapped an arm around her waist, his eyes never leaving the screen. "What does the -$730,300 mean?" Li Manli asked. She'd already started thinking of herself as his girlfriend and wanted to learn more about his work and his world. "Exactly what it says—I've lost $730,300," Lu Liang smiled. The price had just dropped another 0.5 points, adding an extra $77,000 to his losses. "I remember that $ symbol—it's US dollars, right?" Li Manli stared at the screen in a daze, her voice suddenly trembling. If the -$730,300 in the top left corner was his loss, then that nine-digit number at the bottom must be the total amount of money in his account. A nine-digit number starting with 2… in US dollars. Her head spun, unable to wrap her mind around the conversion. Lu Liang grunted in acknowledgment, not bothering to explain that it was his capital after applying 100x leverage. Li Manli's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, her gaze softening to a liquid glow. "Honey, can I take a photo?" She was dying to post it on her social media and show off a little. Lu Liang's expression turned cold for a split second, but he quickly forced a smile. "Sure, but don't take my face or my positions." He remembered that Li Manli was still in touch with Zhou Xiaoqi—just a few days ago, she'd even invited Zhou over for a home-cooked meal. The two were friends, and Zhou was Meng Changkun's mistress. It wouldn't hurt to let Old Meng know that his investment in Lu Liang was paying off handsomely. Overjoyed, Li Manli scrambled to stand behind him, angling her phone for the perfect shot. "Honey, your profile looks so handsome when you're drinking coffee." She snapped a flurry of photos, then sifted through them, keeping four of the best ones. "Let me see," Lu Liang said, deleting two of them and keeping only a blurry profile shot and one that showed just a corner of his account—displaying the profit and loss without revealing his position size. And on this photo, instead of showing a loss, his account was suddenly in the black. Current profit: +$3,581,700. Just moments earlier, the London Gold market had suddenly skyrocketed. A massive bullish candle shot straight up, surging 28 points in a relentless upward rally. Lu Liang's account had instantly flipped from a huge loss to a huge profit. "Th-this… this is a profit of over three million? US dollars?" Li Manli stared at the screen, her eyes wide with shock. "Now leave me alone, and close the door on your way out," Lu Liang said, not bothering to spare her another glance as he searched for the reason behind the gold price surge. Li Manli nodded nervously, not daring to disturb him further. She even took off her slippers and tiptoed out of the study. Barefoot, she ran excitedly through the living room and back to her bedroom. Flopping down on the bed, she stared at the photos and giggled to herself. This was the kind of life where millions were made or lost in the blink of an eye. Grinning from ear to ear, Li Manli couldn't wait to post the photos on her social media, along with the caption: **A man who works hard is so handsome!** As soon as the post went live, it instantly blew up with likes—far more than her late-night posts of pretty scenery ever got. Those posts had been nice to look at, but people quickly forgot about them. But this post was the real deal—cold, hard cash. Over three million US dollars. That was over twenty million yuan. With that kind of money, you could buy a house, a car, and invest in a shop in any city in the country, living a life of luxury and ease. No one dared to imagine just how much money Lu Liang must have in total to be making profits of this magnitude. Zhang Qian was the first to like the post. Right behind her was Zhou Xiaoqi…