A few days later, Tian Dahua brought back good tidings: "The loan has been approved!"

Lin Jingzhe was especially careful to always maintain his composure in front of Tian Dahua. At this moment, he was leisurely brewing tea and merely smiled in response to hearing the news.

He offered the broker a small cup of crystal clear tea. "Try it?"

Seeing his complete lack of concern over the loan process, Tian Dahua felt ashamed of his own excitement. He hurriedly took a sip of tea.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as he began to praise, "Such a tasty tea! This pu'er must be from a particularly good year—I'm afraid the price must be equally amazing!"

His grandfather had a weakness for tea. Lin Jingzhe deliberately brought one compressed tea cake to reinforce his "well-bred" persona. Therefore, he just gave a faint smile. "It's not easy to acquire good tea; it should be appreciated. Talking about the price is vulgar."

Tian Dahua was at a loss for a second before he let out a laugh, "Ha ha, indeed! Talking about the price is vulgar!"

His smile was so wide it almost split his face in two, but inwardly, he couldn't help complaining, 'Talking about the price is vulgar?' You can only say this because you're swimming in money, young master!

However, since he was unclear about Lin Jingzhe's background, he would never say this out loud. His face returned to a more natural expression and he commented, "Mr. Lin, most people I know who are your age like to drink red wine and such. It's really unexpected that you'd be fond of tea."

It's because alcohol is too expensive. Lin Jingzhe lowered his gaze and replied, "An elder at home likes it. I guess I was influenced by him."

An elder? Probably the patriarch of the family, Tian Dahua noted in his mind. His eyes swept over the seemingly ordinary tea set on the table. "Then, since Mr. Lin enjoys tea so much, I'll look out for tea sets—maybe I'll be able to find a good one for you!"

"No need, I've never been particular about tea sets." Lin Jingzhe waved a hand, dismissive. "When drinking tea, one should focus on the tea, not what is holding the tea."

Actually, he was just spouting bulls.h.i.+t—the truth was that good tea sets were too expensive. He didn't have much money now and needed to count every penny, what kind of tea set could he buy? His grandfather had several nice ones but he didn't dare take them with him, for fear of breaking them during the long and arduous journey.

Nonetheless, Tian Dahua was obviously fooled, and stared blankly for a moment, stunned. Lin Jingzhe smiled and poured him another cup of tea.

The broker cautiously held the cup, slowly sipping from it. After hearing Lin Jingzhe's words, he felt that the tea in his mouth seemed extraordinarily flavorful.

On the small clay stove, the mineral water in the copper pot boiled, creating steam that made the pot lid rattle melodiously. As Lin Jingzhe brewed tea, he chatted with Tian Dahua, discussing  recent international news, including some local developments. Then, he clicked his tongue as if something had suddenly occurred to him—

"Mr. Tian," he said, "I just remembered that Shen City Stock Exchange is going to open soon, right?"

"Yes," Tian Dahua answered promptly. "Are you interested in stocks, Mr. Lin?"

"Oh, I've traded some stocks here and there. You're a very resourceful person, Mr. Tian—perhaps you'll be able to get me in?"

Tian Dahua smiled. "It's not that there isn't a way, but… Mr. Lin, we're friends already, so let me give you some friendly advice: I suggest you wait and see. The exchange hasn't opened yet and n.o.body knows what its prospects are. The stock market crash a few years ago is still fresh in my mind."

Lin Jingzhe knew that he was talking about Black Monday, a worldwide financial market system disaster in 1987, which began with a sudden crash in the New York stock market. Countless stockholders went bankrupt, and that tragedy spooked domestic investors. In 1990, the stock market in China was still in its pilot stage; with such a horrific example of what could happen if things went wrong, everyone was extremely cautious.

Lin Jingzhe disregarded Tian Dahua's warning. "I know about that, but why should I be afraid? I'm just going to play a little."

Tian Dahua both admired and feared people with this mindset. He knew they came from entirely different social strata: what he had to cautiously trudge through, afraid of traps that might lead straight into an abyss, in some people's eyes, was but a shallow puddle that could wet their shoes at most.

So he nodded, not bothering to waste his breath. "All right, if you're sure, I'll get in touch with my contacts. I can't guarantee whether you'll profit or make a loss, but at least you'll be able to trade."

Lin Jingzhe nodded, then changed the topic to several wine brands that were recently gaining popularity in China.

He knew that Tian Dahua was a businessman—since he had agreed to his demand, he was at least 80% sure he would succeed in getting him in. Although the popular, hard to obtain stock warrants hadn't appeared yet, it didn't mean that trading stocks was easy. The main reason for this difficulty was slow and inefficient procedures and the small number of stocks available for purchase.

Lin Jingzhe didn't have much time. Before long, he would start university and would have neither the time nor the energy to keep up with the stock market in Shen City.

The loan was approved on Monday, so that same afternoon, Lin Jingzhe was accompanied by Tian Dahua and arrived at the bank. After receiving his updated pa.s.sbook, he saw a digit followed by a string of zeros.

For a moment, Lin Jingzhe had difficulty breathing. He felt a heavy burden settling on his shoulders, almost crus.h.i.+ng his body. For most people in this era, 500,000 yuan was an astronomical figure.

But he didn't reveal any abnormalities in front of Tian Dahua. After confirming the figure, he generously gave Tian Dahua 3,000 yuan in cash.

All Tian Dahua did was run about and speak with a few of his acquaintances, nothing too challenging. He felt that even without his help, it wouldn't be hard to borrow this sum with Lin Jingzhe's background, so he tried to give it back, embarra.s.sed: "This…this is too much."

"Just consider this as me treating you to a drink, Mr. Tian," Lin Jingzhe blocked his hand. In a tone brooking no arguments, he continued, "I'll bother you to take care of things when we go to the stock exchange anyway. Besides, we're friends already, this much money is nothing."

Tian Dahua ended up nodding and putting the money away. He planned to invite his "acquaintances" out for a meal as soon as possible and have a talk with them—he didn't come across a customer as generous as Lin Jingzhe very often, so he was willing to put in 120% more effort to smooth the way and handle whatever Lin Jingzhe asked of him.

500,000 yuan.

When Lin Jingzhe got this money, he only had a few thousand of his original 20,000 left. He had calculated everything almost to the cent and would not spend any more money than what was absolutely necessary while he was on such a tight budget, just in case any unexpected situations occurred.

When the half a million arrived, he promptly proceeded with the next stage of his plan: taking his buddies to buy a new wardrobe.

Deng Mai's clothes were pa.s.sable, but Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang's were too worn-out. This wouldn't do for the role Lin Jingzhe wanted them to play.

He went to the mall, found a brand with clothes that were more reserved in style, and bought outfits for each of them.

All three were tall, and muscular due to their love of sports. In addition, though Deng Mai's darker complexion didn't detract from his good looks, it made him look older than his actual age.

As soon as they put on the casual clothes Lin Jingzhe selected for them, the high school students disappeared without a trace—in their place were three strapping young men. When they stood there, silent with their arms folded, they looked quite intimidating.

Gao Sheng squinted at the mirror. He was shocked by the change; he never imagined that he could have this kind of aura.

Zhou Haitang belonged to a gang for a few days, so he had mastered the thuggish look. As he glanced around with slightly narrowed eyes, he seemed ready to knock people out at a moment's notice.

If Gao Sheng was the brains and Zhou Haitang was the muscle, then Deng Mai was the one who got rid of the corpses and eliminated evidence. The smile on his face was friendly but gave off a slightly sinister feeling that something unpleasant was likely to happen.

Lin Jingzhe was very satisfied. "From now on, you can accompany me."

Deng Mai had a flash of intuition: "Are we going to act as your bodyguards, Big Bro?"

"Bodyguards?" Gao Sheng blinked, taken aback, then grabbed Lin Jingzhe's arm. "Are you being bullied?"

Zhou Haitang came up from behind, also looking angry—no one was going to bully Lin Jingzhe on his watch!

The shop clerks, scared by the situation which seemed to be turning violent, kept glancing over at the equally alarmed security guard.

"……" Lin Jingzhe pushed Gao Sheng's hand off, helplessly saying, "No, why would you think so?"

It took him a lot of effort to convince them otherwise and Gao Sheng still confirmed it several times before he finally shut up, though it was obvious he didn't completely believe him. He'd been Lin Jingzhe's protector since childhood, for more than a decade now, and it had already become second nature to him.

One of the reasons Lin Jingzhe took his friends with him was to let them see a wider world and to not let opportunities they may encounter in this magical era pa.s.s them by due to ignorance and timidity. In their last life, Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang were successfully accepted by a new gang after their first one collapsed and even climbed to positions important enough to learn many of its secrets. They were obviously capable.

Lin Jingzhe wanted to help them develop this potential. They didn't need to become rich and powerful, but he hoped that, at the very least, they wouldn't be as impoverished as they were now.

As for Deng Mai—this fellow was the all-round talent, with an ability to instinctively know what to say in different situations with different people; his EQ was so high that Lin Jingzhe, an ordinary person, was in awe. If he was cultivated early, his future achievements would be much greater than simply owning several bars in a few small cities.

Lin Jingzhe knew he was about to throw himself into battle.

In the Shen City of 1990, people from the light and dark side mingled together, and there were many speculators trying to fish in troubled waters. He was young, an outsider, and came to Shen City alone. Until now, he had acted low-key and might not have attracted anyone's attention yet, but after attending the opening of Shen City Stock Exchange, his safety would definitely become an issue.

At present, he had neither the connections nor the money to hire a bodyguard. He could ask Tian Dahua, but who knew if the person he found would be reliable? Although he cooperated with Tian Dahua, he didn't trust him, so he would never rely on him with issues concerning his personal safety. As such, the most logical choice was to have his friends accompany him. When these tall and fit young men stood together, they looked threatening enough to deter most people from messing with him.

The clothes Lin Jingzhe chose for himself were more casual, light-colored and loose. The dress s.h.i.+rt had traditional knot b.u.t.tons, giving it a Chinese feel.

Cotton and linen fabrics were breathable and comfortable to wear at the height of summer. When Lin Jingzhe left the fitting room, his friends' eyes opened wide. He looked in the mirror and suddenly wanted to laugh.

This outfit screamed that the person who wore this treated money as dirt. He looked like an immortal straight out of a cultivation novel.

Enveloped in loose clothing, he cut a stunning figure. His waist was narrow, his legs were long, and his thin shoulders formed a graceful line. The clothes s.h.i.+fted slightly when he walked, as if a burst of fresh air was brus.h.i.+ng against his body.

Deng Mai stammered, "It looks good, very good, it looks… it looks…"

He didn't quite know how to describe it, but he felt that the Lin Jingzhe, who had been different from them since the very beginning, after changing his clothes, suddenly seemed even further away, too high to be reached.

It was a fine, cloudless day. The heat was still bearable as the sun had yet to reach its zenith. Tian Dahua had to stand in front  of the stock exchange building's entrance for a while before the person he was waiting for appeared.

Lin Jingzhe seemed to bring with him a cool, refres.h.i.+ng breeze. Tian Dahua almost felt the wind hit his face; it took him a moment to snap out of the daze. He promptly stepped forward to greet him, exclaiming, "Mr. Lin, you… you look very different from usual!"

He took a closer look at Lin Jingzhe's appearance. The young man had visited the hairdresser—his hair was barely an inch long now, revealing his exquisite facial features and the elegant shape of his skull.

From their first encounter, Lin Jingzhe's manner was so imposing that Tian Dahua had never paid close attention to his looks. It was only at this moment, that he truly noticed his appearance.

Lin Jingzhe's beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowed when he smiled. His eyelashes were long enough to cast a shadow on his cheeks, his lips were rosy, and his teeth were pearly white. His chin was rather pointy, but when combined with a bit of baby fat still left on his cheeks, it made him look like a little innocent white rabbit.

"Today is the grand opening of the stock exchange, so it's only natural to pay a little more attention to my looks, no?" he asked.

"No, that wasn't what I meant," Tian Dahua rushed to explain, smiling obsequiously. "It's just that you look even better than usual when you dress up, Mr. Lin. Your temperament doesn't seem like that of a businessman at all, more like a celestial being."

Lin Jingzhe laughed as if he was flattered. He clapped the man on the shoulder. "Celestial being, huh? Then I guess my blessing will let you earn a fortune."

Tian Dahua smiled and bowed, jokingly paying respect to him. His eyes fell behind the youth. "They are…?"

The three friends had been trained by Lin Jingzhe these past few days. Now, they didn't even glance at Tian Dahua, standing still with their hands behind their backs.

"Well, when going out, one must always stay safe, right?" Lin Jingzhe replied with a smile. "It's hot outside, shall we go in?"

As expected of the truly rich—one bodyguard is not enough!

Amazed, Tian Dahua couldn't help looking the three young men up and down. As he did, his eyes met the gaze of the darker-skinned one. The bodyguard squinted but didn't speak, only revealing a shallow smile. 

As if a chilly wind had suddenly blown in, Tian Dahua got gooseb.u.mps. He quickly averted his gaze and led Lin Jingzhe into the building, afraid of being even the least bit neglectful.

The author has something to say:

Deng Mai: This big brother looks rich. h.e.l.lo, big brother! *smile*

Translator: Eques

Editor: Luoshenhua