Chapter 20
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: Superclubs2
After arriving at the event hall for Zhong Ming Funding’s anniversary celebration, Chen Yuan was led to a VIP room on the second floor. Initially, the one who was supposed to attend this celebration was an Associate Director but since he has some urgent matters to attend to, the company asked Chen Yuan, who has just recently returned from his training at his company’s headquarters overseas, to attend instead.
Chen Yuan had a short chat in the VIP room with some of the executives he knows before going out of the room to receive a call on the corridor just outside the VIP room.
Chen Yuan had an overlook of the whole venue on the corridor. The event hall was already quite crowded and lively. Chen Yuan was in no rush to return to the room after he hung up the call. Instead, he leaned on the railing.
Soon, he noticed a person.
That person was probably an employee from Zhong Ming Funding, he was wearing a navy blue, slim-fit suit, currently facing the side and talking to his colleague beside him, his face shining with a bright and clear smile.
He was very lean. He had very fair skin and his hair looked soft and fluffy. He had an appearance that made people want to get close to him, and could easily lure out a person’s desire to protect. He looked very young, even his every movement had a hint of young and fresh campus life, his facial features bright and charming whenever he smiled.
Chen Yuan could see his side profile and neck clearly, and a simple grey collar peeking out of his white shirt. Even though it was one of the simplest and most common designs, it was very eye-catching.
Chen Yuan could not help but stare a little longer, only to shake his head after a while, feeling resigned, and walked back into the VIP room.
Chen Yuan and Zhong Ming Funding’s Assistant Manager Qian were schoolmates from the same school. They also came from the same province, keeping in touch since they met each other by chance back at home. He never thought that the person who caught his attention was Assistant Manager Qian’s subordinate.
At this very moment, Lu Chuiqing can hear his heart beating wildly in his chest.
He has never thought of how he would react or feel if he is to meet Chen Yuan again. Actually, he thought he had already cut off his only connection to Chen Yuan a long time ago.
Even without him, there will be someone else who would love Chen Yuan the way he did in the past during the beginning of their relationship. And he will finally have his own life and career goals he can pursue. Lu Chuiqing initially thought that since the moment he decided not to take part in that study project during his university days, his and Chen Yuan’s lives will become like parallel lines, with no chance of their paths ever crossing in the future.
But now, a certain butterfly, seemingly taking pleasure in teasing others, has flapped its wings, leading Chen Yuan to him once again.
Lu Chuiqing can not verbalise what exactly he is feeling at that moment, surprise, panic, nervousness, guilt, nostalgia… everything else except for joy.
The things Chen Yuan had given Lu Chuiqing was too profound, there is no way he could forget everything in merely three short years. The goodbye the previous him could not say before he left, the regret from loss, and the overwhelming pain from the loss of his child, everything is tearing his heart apart, causing him to feel a sharp pain deep inside --
But what use is there?
That person is not the same person as the Chen Yuan who is currently standing right in front of him. The two of them now are merely two strangers. Those words that Lu Chuiqing could not say in time in his previous life, will never leave his mouth in this lifetime.
Song Wenxin quickly comes forward and greets Chen Yuan while Lu Chuiqing lags half a beat. He secretly pinches his palm and lifts his head, his name card in his hand as he greets, “Hello, Manager Chen.”
Chen Yuan looks at him as he purses his lips slightly, his expression reserved. Chen Yuan smiles, thinking that he must be nervous given their first meeting. He accepts Lu Chuiqing’s name card and replies gently, “Hello.”
Shuo Zheng’s Executive Gao smiles as he talks to Chen Yuan, “Manager Chen, you have just returned recently, didn’t you?”
Chen Yuan replies, “Yes, I came back in late July.”
Assistant Manager Qian, “Manager Chen, how is it usually arranged for people like you who are sent to the overseas branch for training?”
“Our company usually has one training like this every two years, which takes about half a year every time.”
Assistant Manager Qian teases, “I guess I can call you General Manager Chen soon?”
Chen Yuan laughs, “You flatter me.”
“Let me treat you to a meal when you’re free. Don’t decline, you just came back so we should have a welcome celebration.”
Such important training at the company’s headquarters is definitely for cultivating the future core management for their subsidiary company. Those people who are sent to those training will usually come back and work another year as a manager in some important department. After that, there is a high chance for them to get promoted to becoming one of the core management personnel.
Hearing Assistant Manager Qian’s words now, Lu Chuiqing recalls belatedly that in his previous life, Chen Yuan was only an Assistant Manager of the training department. He only transferred to the Business and Administration department as a Manager afterwards, it was after Chen Yuan’s overseas training during the fourth year of their marriage.
Compared to their current timeline, it was only the second year of their marriage. And yet, the current Chen Yuan has already achieved what he could only achieve in another two years in his previous life.
Lu Chuiqing is surprised, could it be that Chen Yuan had pushed back his opportunity to attend the management training that only comes by every two years for the sake of their marriage?
He had never heard Chen Yuan talk about this before.
Or rather, Chen Yuan had never talked to him before regarding his work, regardless of it being positive or negative, joy or trouble, Chen Yuan never spoke a single word about it.
At home, he was merely a gentle husband.
But precisely because of that, Lu Chuiqing, as Chen Yuan’s wife, had little to no understanding of Chen Yan’s work life, so much so that even Chen Yuan’s friends who he had not met for many years, would have a better idea of his career.
Lu Chuiqing wished Chen Yuan would say what was on his mind from time to time, it did not matter what, but Chen Yuan would always smile and tell him not to worry. It seemed like he had already considered everything and there was no need for Lu Chuiqing to know anything at all, no worries at all. He only had to stay by his side with ease.
But that was not what Lu Chuiqing wanted. He wanted to share every aspect of the person he loves, no matter what, and not be a forever well-protected and fragile pearl inside the soft meat of a seashell, with no knowledge and connection to the outside world.
Chen Yuan is exactly the same as what he remembers, the same gentleness. For a split second, Lu Chuiqing feels as if he has returned to his past, back to being lost and bewildered.
The conversation did not carry for too long before Manager Qian bid her farewell. Lu Chuiqing nods his head slightly and says his goodbyes to Chen Yuan too, his words are polite yet filled with a hint of distanced respect. He turns around and leaves together with Manager Qian.
What he does not know is the fact that Chen Yuan’s eyes remain on him for a while longer.
The anniversary celebration continued until eight at night. Lu Chuiqing returned home straight away after the celebration ended. He opens the door to his bedroom, lies in bed and lets out a long sigh.
Has Chen Yuan been well in recent years? How is his life without him? Does he already have a lover?
But there is no point for Lu Chuiqing to know the answers to these questions. The current Chen Yuan has no connection to him at all now. The him from the previous life has ended together with that car accident, no one is the same anymore.
The emotions he felt from meeting Chen Yuan again gradually cools off, Lu Chuiqing finally feels a small sense of relief. There is no point for him to look back upon his previous life anymore, the current him has a whole new life ahead of him.
Li Chuiqing pats his own cheeks and decides to find something to do to distract himself. He sits in front of his desk and opens the stock and bonds software on his computer.
Bo Da’s incident is still swirling in Lu Chuiqing’s mind. He is unable to confirm whether or not that incident will happen again in this life, but he feels like he should be able to spot some clues from the company’s current situation.
Lu Chuiqing opens up all the information on Bo Da Materials. He quickly realises that in Bo Da Materials’ latest financing announcement, they have announced their decision to issue 90-days short-term financing bonds.
As for the value of those bonds, it is sitting at twenty million, to be exact.
Lu Chuiqing’s heart tightens. He quickly downloads the company’s seasonal reports and confirms that the accounting firm in charge of their accounts is indeed Shuo Zheng Accounting Firm.
Starting from this year’s first season report, Bo Da Materials has already clearly indicated that they have fourteen billion in cash, and the results of Shuo Zheng Accounting Firm’s audits are all the same every time; no complaints.
Lu Chuiqing has taken the accountancy exam before. He clearly understands what the implications are behind that “no complaints”. It implies that every single auditor from the accounting firm considers this company’s financial report to be trustworthy, that the company’s report accurately reflects the actual state of affairs of their finances.
No wonder Shuo Zheng Accounting Firm was ordered to stop operations for investigation! A whopping fourteen billion dollars worth of funding, who else to investigate if not them? Perhaps, they may even be working with Bo Da Materials’ stockholders to fabricate those numbers!
Judging from this, Lu Chuiqing can almost confirm that there will be a steep fall in Bo Da Materials’ stocks by the end of this year.
Now, Bo Da Materials’ stock prices are still soaring, the market price is at about ninety billion dollars now, which is estimated to exceed a hundred billion at its peak. Lu Chuiqing remembers how the prices went straight to a single digit, nearly 90% of the market value evaporated.
Lu Chuiqing can not help but think, what if he tells Xiao Zhan this information--
It is a once in a blue moon opportunity for short-selling.
He promised Xiao Zhan, that he will definitely look for ways to repay him for all the help he has provided.
But, there is no way he can tell Xiao Zhan of what he knows directly like that. Xiao Zhan has to be insane to believe in Lu Chuiqing’s borderline suspicious, spy-like behaviours.
The problem is, he really has no other way of providing enough evidence to prove his claims. Although it is possible to discover some traces in Bo Da’s financial reports, Lu Chuiqing has also learnt to account before, but it is not something he can do alone. Without a proper accounting organisation, there is much information that he cannot access.
Besides, Xiao Zhan has always invested many resources into research in the early stages whenever he decides to short-sell a company. From what he knows, just to short-sell Qifu Provision’s stocks, Value Scan had utilised nearly five hundred researchers. There is less than half a month before the issuance of bonds, and only two months left before the rest of the incident follows, there is not enough time.
In reality, a short-selling report is not necessary because Bo Da Materials will expose themselves when they are unable to pay for their debt, naturally leading to a steep fall in their stocks. Perhaps… he should ask Xiao Zhan to use his personal assets instead?
Given Xiao Zhan’s financial power and aptitude, he will have no problem short-selling. Although it is not possible to borrow as much with his personal assets as compared to using his company’s assets, there is no need to go through the company’s official procedures, and all the profits from this particular short-selling will only belong to Xiao Zhan…
…Although it feels a bit underhanded, in truth, it is not wrong.
Lu Chuiqing stares restlessly at Bo Da’s various trade information. He is hesitant about whether or not he should tell Xiao Zhan about this, or how he should tell him about this.
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Author’s note:
Although some readers may be curious about why Xiao-Qing* doesn’t short-sell despite having the information. That is because there is a very strict audit on the capital and financial market transaction for short-selling. Xiao-Qing himself does not play with the stock market, nor does he have that much money, so it is impossible for him to short-sell, not in his lifetime.
(T/N*: Xiao-Qing = Little Qing = Lu Chuiqing. The author’s nickname for Lu Chuiqing.)
On another note, Manager Chen did love Xiao-Qing a lot, he was definitely not a bad man, just that his way of showing his love was a bit self-centred. He did notice Xiao-Qing’s emotional and mental changes after their marriage, he merely did not mention it. He only hoped that Xiao-Qing could continue to stay beside him and live with him in the way he likes.
Chen Yuan isn't a bad man, but I wouldn't necessarily call him a good man either. He's a man who chose a partner he could control and even restrict. While Lu Chuiqing was technically an adult when he got married, he clearly lacked experience and was head over heels in love, which affected his ability to make rational decisions and to plan for contingencies. To me, Chen Yuan's behaviour smacks of cradle-robbing. It's good that their paths split never to converge again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chapter ❤
I agree with you. Both were at fault imo. Chen Yuan was being too self-centred while Chuiqing gave the whole of himself out too easily. No matter how much he loved Chen Yuan, I don't think it was a good decision for him to rely completely on Chen Yuan. They are still two separate people, after all. I think there shouldn't be any finger pointing anyway, which Lu Chuiqing also mentioned. They were just not suited for each other and I am glad Lu Chuiqing realised that.
DeleteI am glad you enjoyed it! xo