Departure to Shucheng

Of course, everyone expressed disbelief at his honest words.

Chen Xiao didn't mind; he casually brought up an embarrassing story about Mickey, and the attention immediately shifted back to him.

The group drank from five in the afternoon until eleven at night, downing seven or eight bottles of beer each, yet they still weren't ready to call it a night.

The party was split Dutch-style, and like everyone else, Chen Xiao handed one hundred yuan to Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu went to pay the bill and organized everyone to move the party to a KTV.

Many people were already walking unsteadily. Chen Xiao was slightly tipsy, but he felt very relaxed and happy.

There was no friendship purer than what they had right now.

The group walked out of the restaurant, chatting and laughing. They hailed taxis in small groups, agreeing to meet at the entrance of the KTV.

Jia Fan, Mickey, and Chen Xiao were together. Just as they hailed a QQ, another group cut them off and took it.

And they were old acquaintances at that; they had clashed many times back in school.

"Holy crap, Wang Cangju?" Mickey exclaimed.

Wang Cangju turned his head to look, his brows instantly knitting together. He took a breath, ready to speak, but then he saw Chen Xiao, and his expression turned extremely ugly.

Jia Fan quietly stepped in front of Chen Xiao to block him. There were five or six of them, while they only had three. Based on past experience, a big fight was inevitable.

As veterans of these scuffles, none of them felt any fear. There was no retreat, so it was just a matter of who could hit harder.

Chen Xiao's expression remained unchanged. His bodyguard team was nearby; given their professional standards, if they couldn't spot the situation here, they should all be fired.

Seeing Chen Xiao, Wang Cangju clenched his fists involuntarily. Just as he was considering whether to make a move, he suddenly saw a group of burly men in suits appear behind the three of them, looking at him with threatening expressions.

He reflexively unclenched his fists and signaled to the people behind him, "Let's go. We aren't taking a taxi."

With that, he turned and walked away in the other direction.

Jia Fan was puzzled, "Huh? That bastard Wang Cangju, he's going to pass up such a good opportunity?"

Chen Xiao laughed, "Maybe his brain is broken. Let's go."

The three of them then got into a taxi and headed toward the KTV.

This little episode didn't affect their mood to have fun. They sang until one in the morning before the gathering finally ended.

The guys who were heading in the same direction planned to see Xiao Yu and the other girls home. Jia Fan and Mickey agreed to go to an internet cafe for an all-nighter, while the others dispersed.

Huanyu hailed a taxi and shouted to Chen Xiao, "Come on, Xiao Zi, you go first."

"You go first. I'll wait for the next one."

"Damn, why are you being so polite? Hurry up." The enthusiastic Huanyu shoved Chen Xiao directly into the car and tossed 5 yuan to the driver. "Let's go, driver."

Chen Xiao was speechless; he just took it as a chance to relive the sentiment.

Although it was 5 yuan to go anywhere within the county, that didn't include Lanshan Villa.

Because Lanshan was outside the county, about five or six kilometers away.

"Young man, this five yuan isn't enough. I have to drive back empty, so it's at least 20."

Chen Xiao smiled, "Fine, let's go."

The driver was very satisfied this time, "Alright, sure thing."

Then, a QQ, followed by two Land Rovers, drove toward South Lanshan.

However, as they drove, the driver became increasingly nervous. After driving halfway, he stopped the car.

"Yo, young man, I'm not going anymore. There are two cars behind me that have been following me the whole time. Whatever road I take, they take. I stopped, and they stopped too. I feel like they're out to get me..."

Chen Xiao: "..."

The car was cramped, and he felt a bit uncomfortable sitting in it, so he said, "Then pull over to the side of the road. I'll go take care of them for you."

The driver tried to talk him out of it, but Chen Xiao insisted. Thinking it might be good to have a hot-headed kid draw the aggro, he pulled over.

Then he silently observed the situation through the rearview mirror.

He saw the young man walk up to the other car, and before he could even speak, he was "kidnapped" into the car by two burly men who got out...

And one of the big guys was even walking toward him.

"Holy crap! Silencing the witness?"

The driver floored the gas pedal, and the 0.8L engine let out a pathetic roar as he sped off, leaving a trail of dust.

So much so that for many years afterward, he never accepted orders to leave the city again.

The bodyguard who had walked halfway over was confused. He came back holding the 15 yuan, "Boss, the taxi driver ran away. This fare..."

"..." Chen Xiao.

"Forget it. He already took the 5 yuan anyway, which won't even cover his gas. Let's go home."

"Yes!"

The deep night at Lanshan Villa was serene, yet brightly lit.

Except for the bodyguards on duty, most people had already entered dreamland.

The car stopped at the gate, and Chen Xiao quietly returned home and went upstairs to sleep.

Fortunately, he didn't wake Wang Li; otherwise, drinking until two in the morning would have inevitably led to a lecture.

Chen Xiao didn't get up until ten the next morning.

The first news headline he saw upon waking caught him off guard, but then he smiled.

[One of the three major cotton-producing regions located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River will face heavy rainfall in the coming week, putting this year's cotton harvest at risk of reduction.]

"Hahaha, Shi Zhongfu, this really isn't me going against you; it's that even the heavens can't stand a villain like you."

With the reduction in cotton production and supply, the corresponding price would inevitably rise.

He opened the futures trend chart and saw that, sure enough, it opened significantly higher today.

Some were happy while others were sad; those who went long on cotton were high-spirited, while those who shorted it were gloomy.

Inside Shi Zhongfu's trading room, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

They had spent half a month laying the groundwork, wasting so many resources spreading negative news, and spending so much money to crash the market and destroy investor confidence, only for it all to be washed away by the coming rainstorm...

Xing Yanqing's expression was also very ugly. Although this trading failure was caused by weather, the Binhu Yayuan villa the boss had promised was definitely gone.

"Sigh, the prospect of getting Sun Ying's first time has become even more distant."

Thinking about this, Xing Yanqing felt even worse than Shi Zhongfu...

...

As for Chen Xiao, he ate an extra bowl of rice for lunch.

It wasn't because of the money he made in the futures market, but rather that seeing Shi Zhongfu and Xing Yanqing suffer made him even happier than making money.

Two days later, Chen Xiao had earned 240 million from the futures market. Adding that to his previous 3.9 billion, he had a total of 4.14 billion on his account. Of course, a portion of that had already been used to purchase Dayang Group stock.

Chen Xiao didn't know exactly how much Shi Zhongfu had lost, but it was certainly more than his own profit.

After finishing the cotton futures trading, Chen Xiao prepared to set off for West Shu.

He hadn't felt much while at home, but as soon as she heard her son was leaving, Wang Li immediately felt reluctant to let him go.

She gave him a thousand reminders and instructions, never feeling at ease.

After repeatedly promising to take care of his health, stay safe, and call home regularly, Chen Xiao boarded the flight to West Shu.

There, not only were friends like Tang Shaofei waiting, but Xia Yudie was also looking forward to his arrival with great joy.