In the VIP room, Zuri removed her coat and the facade she wore on her face, sitting down at the computer.
Damian was beside himself with excitement. "Zuri, you're incredible! I think it's more than just a sixth sense—you practically predict the future."
Over the past month, his skepticism had turned into complete admiration. Zuri was simply amazing. Take the "Palm Cloud" stock, for example. She consistently timed the market perfectly, knowing exactly when to buy and sell.
Following her lead, Damian had made a killing, his savings jumping from tens of thousands to over a million. The sudden influx of wealth had only deepened his obsession with the stock market and his respect for Zuri.
"Zuri, check out the Palm Cloud stock—how much longer will it keep rising?" Damian's face was flushed with excitement.
As she settled at the desk, he eagerly poured her tea and offered snacks.
Zuri focused on the screen, her eyes scanning intently.
Damian stood by, silent and anxious, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbing her.
He thought Zuri was contemplating the stock, unaware that she was running through various ways to manipulate him.
Trust—the first step was complete.
Next, it was time for phase two. She could hardly wait.
Zuri smiled, her pleasant demeanor contagious enough to lift Damian's spirits as well.
Seeing her smile, Damian felt elated. He couldn't help but ask, "Is it going to rise again?"
If it did, his assets would increase by tens of thousands more.
With the stock market set to close for the Lunar New Year, the situation was uncertain. They needed precise judgment to decide whether to play it safe or take a risk.
Zuri took a sip of tea. "No. We'll sell all our shares before the market closes."
Damian felt a pang of reluctance and greed. "But the stock is so hot right now. If we sell, we might not get back in."
"Sell," Zuri said calmly, selling all her shares without hesitation. They were snapped up by eager investors as soon as they hit the market.
The stock had attracted a horde of speculators, even drawing in typically cautious investors.
Seeing her decisive action, Damian sold his shares too. The surge of cash in his account brought a smile to his face.
"So, what's our next move?" Damian asked eagerly.
Zuri shook her head. "I don't have a sense of it yet. We need to wait."
Once the time was right, the opportunity would present itself.
She glanced subtly toward the door. Suddenly, there was a knock. Zuri stood up to answer it, while Damian stayed at the desk, engrossed in his research.
Two staff members entered, heading straight for Damian.
"You must be the Little Stock God," one of them said, looking at Damian with awe.
"We've admired you for a long time. It's great to finally meet you."
The unexpected visitors, full of flattery, left Damian stunned. He looked at Zuri, who shook her head slightly.
Damian understood—she didn't want anyone to know she was the true "Little Stock God."
Damian turned to the two newcomers. "You've got the wrong person. I'm not the Little Stock God."
They didn't believe him.
"No need to lie to us. We know it's you. We've done our research; the Little Stock God is in this room, and it's not her." The man pointed at Zuri, dismissing her because of her young age.
Damian, unable to argue, insisted, "I really am not."
They laughed, unconvinced. "Come on, help us out. What's a good stock to invest in?"
"Just tell us, will you?"
"We know the drill—ten percent of the profits go to you."
Damian glanced at Zuri, who gave him a subtle signal. A month of working together had built a basic understanding between them.
He got the hint and pointed to the stock Zuri had been watching. "That one might rise."
The two men were thrilled, taking his suggestion as an indirect confirmation of his identity.
"Thanks a lot!"
"Yeah, thanks."
After getting what they wanted, they left but not before pestering Damian for his phone number.
Once they were gone, Damian breathed a sigh of relief, eyeing the cash on the table. "What do we do with this?"
"Keep it," Zuri said casually.
Damian shook his head. "I can't. It's meant for the Little Stock God, and that's not me."
Zuri sat across from him, looking sincere. "I never wanted to be a stock god. It was just a game. You saw what happened; they preferred to believe you. The stock market can only make so much money. The real profit lies elsewhere."
Her gaze shifted to the cash on the table.
Damian paused, understanding dawning on him.
"You're saying we should pool everyone's money and invest it, taking a cut of the profits?"
Zuri nodded. "That's what financial firms do, both at home and abroad. The profit-sharing varies, but the concept is the same. Why not do the same? With proper management, we could easily earn billions in a year."
The mention of billions ignited a fire in Damian, but a sliver of caution made him ask two questions.
"What if we lose?"
"How accurate do you think my sixth sense is?" Zuri countered.
"Very accurate, almost magical," Damian admitted. "But what if we slip up?"
"No one can guarantee a sure thing. Even financial firms don't. We just have to be upfront with our clients."
Damian nodded, understanding.
"But how can we convince people to trust us with their money?"
"Because you're the Little Stock God," Zuri smiled.
Damian realized they were planning to use the "Little Stock God" persona to attract investors.
"Those two who just left—if they make money, they'll spread the word. Once enough people follow you and profit, your reputation will be solid."
Damian nodded again. She was right; if twenty or thirty people made money, others would follow.
This was the butterfly effect in action.
Zuri watched his reaction and continued painting a grand vision, steering him toward her carefully laid-out plan.
This is my new book “The Superstar Wants To Slack Off”
Please give me your strong support, everyone!
At the bustling financial center of FX Ventures headquarters in Megapolis, the doors of the largest conference room swung open, and a man led a group of executives out.
Everyone instinctively kept half a meter behind the man at the front, Nolan. He accepted a file from his assistant, Grayson, and skimmed through it rapidly.
"Confirm someone is manipulating the market illegally. Send the materials to the securities commission for investigation."
"Yes, sir," Grayson noted quickly.
"Have you identified the Little Stock God in Oceanic City?"
"Yes, it's a university professor named Damian. His main hobby is stock trading. This time, with the Palm Cloud stock, he made over a hundred million."
"Send me all his past records," Nolan ordered.
Nolan quickly reviewed Damian's profile, which meticulously documented all his stock transactions. Even Damian himself wouldn't know his trading history as well as this file did.
After finishing, Nolan frowned.
"Is the investigation accurate?" Nolan asked, skeptical.
Grayson nodded. "Yes, we've verified it. BOSS, could he have had insider information to make such precise trades?"
Entering his office, Nolan sat on a leather sofa and opened his laptop. His gaze fell on surveillance photos of Damian at various locations, but something else caught his eye: a small, bundled-up figure in the background.
He flipped through the photos, noticing that in two of them, the figure appeared with Damian. The person was heavily disguised with a mask and hat, making it impossible to see their face. An ordinary person wouldn't have noticed this inconspicuous figure.
"Come take a look," Nolan beckoned.
Grayson approached and studied the photos.
"Do you recognize her?" Nolan pointed to the blurry figure.
Grayson squinted, trying to place the familiar silhouette. Suddenly, an image from his memory matched the figure's eyes.
"It's her!" he exclaimed.
Nolan smiled. "It's that girl."
Interesting indeed! That little girl was full of surprises.
Grayson hesitated. "Could the Little Stock God in Oceanic City actually be her?"
The idea was shocking, almost unbelievable.
Since the second surge in the Palm Cloud stock, their company had been monitoring it, particularly noting one account. The account's owner had made precise buy-and-sell decisions. If they weren't an insider, they had an extraordinary eye and sensitivity to the market—exactly the kind of talent their company valued.
To find out if this person was the real deal, they would need to observe them for a while.
Nolan chuckled. "No need to guess; it's her. The other guy, Damian, is likely just a front."
Meanwhile, in Oceanic City, Zuri had no idea that her perfectly executed plans had been so easily deduced by others.
The difference in thinking between the clever and the genius was vast.
Grayson couldn't help but remark, "It's incredible!"
Could she be another financial prodigy?
Grayson looked at his boss, then at the photo of the girl wrapped up like a cocoon, feeling both disbelief and a strange sense of envy.
He had always been the "other people's child" parents talked about, a model student from elementary school through to his Ph.D. Everyone considered him exceptional, and he had believed so too—until he met his boss. It was then he realized there were always people more capable than him.
Above the clever, there are geniuses.
This financial genius shouldn't be so common, yet now they seemed as plentiful as cabbages.
Looking at Nolan, then back at the youthful girl in the photo, Grayson felt an odd sense of being overshadowed.
For the first time, Grayson understood what it felt like to be overshadowed by the "other people's child."
Nolan pointed at Zuri's photo. "I want to meet her."
Grayson understood. "I'll make the arrangements."
Five minutes later, in Oceanic City's Lin Family estate, Zuri was lounging in the courtyard, basking in the sun. Her phone, left inside, was ringing incessantly.
Passing by her door, Saira heard the ringtone. After ensuring no one was watching, she slipped inside.
The familiar room brought tears to Saira's eyes, resentment welling up. The phone's ringtone snapped her back to reality.
She picked up the phone, seeing a series of 999999s on the caller ID—a sure sign it wasn't an ordinary call.
On a whim, she answered. A male voice came through.
"Hello, is this Miss Zuri?"
Saira responded quickly, pretending to be Zuri.
"I'm Grayson, the assistant to the CEO of FX Ventures. Our CEO, Mr. Feng, would like to meet with you. Would you be available?"
Hearing FX Ventures and Mr. Feng, jealousy surged within Saira.
Meet? Ha! Dream on!
Saira's gaze shifted to Zuri, lounging outside. She clenched the phone tightly.
Grayson, receiving no response, asked again, "Miss Zuri, are you there?"
"I'm not available. Don't call me again," Saira snapped, hanging up.
Grayson stared at the phone, puzzled. Something felt off about the conversation. Instead of calling back, he sent a heartfelt message.
Saira, about to leave, heard the phone buzz again. She returned, deleted the message without reading it, then had a thought.
Saira's fingers danced over the screen, a slight smile playing on her lips.
After sending the message, she deleted it and blocked the number.
Feeling satisfied, Saira left the room.
Nolan, leaving his office with a briefcase, approached Grayson's desk.
"Any news?"
Grayson hesitated, unsure how to report the situation.
Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Speak."
Grayson coughed, silently holding out his phone.
Nolan took it, reading the message. As he did, his expression hardened in shock.
This is my new book "The Superstar Wants To Slack Off"
Please give me your strong support, everyone!
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT