18: Chapter 18 Clearing the Bar

Over the next five days, his mother shared some good news with him.

His father's condition had stabilized, and he only needed to remain in the hospital for observation and recuperation for a while longer.

His mother couldn't help but shed tears as she spoke, and she told Jiang Chen not to worry and to focus on his studies at school.

She also blamed herself immensely, saying they were a burden to him.

Jiang Chen spent a long time comforting his mother.

With the weight finally lifted from his heart, his next goal was to make good money, buy a house, and bring his parents to Jiangcheng.

However, the daily wealth intelligence seemed to have fallen into a lull after the recent payout.

The few pieces of intelligence were lukewarm, with the most profitable day yielding only three hundred yuan.

But since that last meal, Jiang Chen and Su Wanqing had much more to talk about.

The frequency of their chats increased significantly.

But his focus these past few days was entirely on that stock.

For these five days, Jiang Chen kept his position locked and didn't move a muscle.

The trend of Xinghan Jinyuan was almost exactly as the intelligence had described.

Opening high, hitting the limit, changing hands, and hitting the limit again.

The daily market performance was incredibly stable—so stable that many who wanted to chase the trend but couldn't catch up were left beating their chests in frustration.

Countless retail investors were flooding the stock forums.

“I missed out on the first day and I'm crying in the bathroom.”

“I can't even touch the daily limit now. I'm speechless.”

“Those who looked down on this stock before now have faces swollen like steamed buns.”

“Brake! Brake! I haven't even gotten on board yet!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen sat in the last row of the classroom, his fingertips lightly tapping the desk, his expression calm and unruffled.

He knew very well that when the temptation was at its peak, it was the best time to exit.

On the fifth trading day, Xinghan Jinyuan opened again at a 20% limit up, with a massive volume of buy orders and an imposing momentum.

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate for a second and opened the trading software.

He sold his entire position.

System notification: Order executed.

The account refreshed instantly.

Total assets: 933,120 yuan.

After deducting the 300,000 yuan in margin capital and interest,

He had made a net profit of over 600,000 yuan from this wave.

From 75,000 to over 600,000.

Five days.

Jiang Chen took a deep breath; his fingertips didn't tremble, and his heartbeat remained steady. He only felt a sense of grounded stability.

He closed the software and stuffed his phone into his pocket, as if concluding a thrilling battle.

At this moment, he was just an ordinary college student who needed to relax and escape the tension of the week.

Today happened to be Friday.

As soon as the afternoon bell rang, Wang Hao immediately stuck to him like a piece of taffy.

“Chenzi! We have to relax on Friday! My buddy booked a booth at a bar. Let's go! I'll show you a good time!”

Jiang Chen rubbed his temples and shook his head slightly.

“Bars are too noisy.”

“Then where do you want to go?”

“A quiet bar.”

“Alright! We'll do what the boss says!”

The two took a taxi straight to a highly-rated quiet bar downtown.

The storefront was low-key. Upon pushing the door open, warm yellow lights cascaded down, and lazy jazz music drifted through the air. There was no deafening bass, only the delicate clinking of glasses.

Most of the patrons were white-collar workers relaxing after work or professionals returning late from overtime. The atmosphere was quiet and healing, a perfect place to release emotions.

Jiang Chen picked a corner seat by the window. Just after placing his order, his gaze swept casually around the room and suddenly froze.

At the innermost part of the bar counter sat a familiar figure.

She wore a light coffee-colored turtleneck knit sweater paired with neatly tailored black straight-leg pants. Her long hair was loosely tied in a low bun, with a few stray strands hanging by her cheeks.

The light fell on her profile; her features were clean and elegant, yet carried the cold beauty characteristic of a Yujie.

Su Wanqing

It was Su Wanqing.

But at this moment, she had shed the sharpness and composure she displayed in the classroom, revealing a rare vulnerability.

Five empty cocktail glasses sat before her, and the sixth was more than half gone. Her cheeks were flushed with a slight post-drinking red, and the corners of her eyes were slightly moist.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, her gaze dazed, and her eyes held an inescapable exhaustion and gloom.

She wasn't here to relax; she was here to drown her sorrows.

Wang Hao followed his gaze, his eyes widening instantly, and he lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Holy crap... Chenzi, isn't that Teacher Su Wanqing? Why has she drunk so much? She looks like she's in a terrible mood!”

Jiang Chen's heart tightened slightly.

He understood immediately.

This commercial area was a gathering spot for white-collar workers, and Su Wanqing's home was likely nearby.

On a Friday after work, finding a corner to have a few drinks and vent some emotions was perfectly normal.

However, he had never seen Su Wanqing like this.

That Yujie teacher, who was always organized, calm, and exuded a powerful aura, now looked as if her emotional defenses had been breached, her vulnerability heart-wrenching.

“Wait for me here.”

Jiang Chen dropped those words and stood up, heading straight for the bar counter.

Wang Hao called out anxiously from behind in a low voice.

“Hey, hey, hey! She's drunk! Don't walk right into the line of fire!”

Jiang Chen didn't stop.

He sat down gently on the bar stool beside her without speaking immediately.

The warm yellow light washed over Su Wanqing's tipsy profile. Her eyelashes were moist, like a thin mist, reflecting the faint glint of tears in the light.

She looked up blankly.

The moment she realized it was Jiang Chen, Su Wanqing visibly stiffened, and her drunkenness cleared by thirty percent.

She instinctively raised her hand and lightly tucked a stray hair behind her ear, trying to hide her vulnerability.

“Jiang Chen?”

Her voice was soft but carried a hint of panic. “You... why are you here?”

“I came here with a classmate to relax.”

Jiang Chen's gaze swept lightly over the empty glasses in front of her, his voice kept very soft—not offensive, yet firm enough.

“Teacher Su, you've had quite a lot to drink.”

Su Wanqing pursed her lips and slightly pulled her glass back, trying to regain her usual elegance and composure.

“It's nothing.”

She gave a light chuckle, but there was a trace of exhaustion in her laugh. “It's Friday, I just came out for some air.”

Jiang Chen didn't call her out.

He raised his hand and said calmly to the bartender, “A Whiskey Sour, light ice.”

Jiang Chen chose a cocktail with low alcohol content and a smooth taste; it didn't seem too distant, yet allowed him to accompany her with just the right amount of tact.

Then he sat quietly beside her, not too far and not too close, just at a safe distance.

He didn't press her or pry; he just stayed there steadily by her side.

Like a lamp, he quietly illuminated her emotions without trying to push them aside.

This restrained companionship acted like a soothing balm.

Su Wanqing's nerves, which had been tense all week, finally began to relax.

She remained silent for a long time, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold rim of her glass, before she finally spoke softly. Her voice was raspy from the alcohol, as if she were finally shedding her day-long disguise.

“My family has been pushing me to go on blind dates for nearly half a year now.”

Jiang Chen turned his head slightly and listened quietly.

“From Monday until now, my mom has been sending WeChat messages and calling every day, repeating the same few lines over and over. 'You're not young anymore,' 'Stop being so picky,' 'Just settle for someone decent,' 'It'll be hard to get married if you wait any longer.'”

Su Wanqing smiled self-deprecatingly, a layer of moisture welling up in her eyes.

“This afternoon, she directly arranged a blind date for me on Saturday. She even sent over the guy's profile without even asking if I was willing.”

“All day today—during class, grading assignments, in meetings—the messages on my phone never stopped.

They were all from my family—persuading, forcing, lecturing...”

She took a breath, her tone carrying a long-suppressed sense of grievance.

“I've spent so many years studying and working hard, not so that when I reach a certain age, I can be picked over like a piece of merchandise.”

“But they don't understand. They just think I'm disobedient, arrogant, and unfilial.”

This was the reason she had hidden away in a quiet bar to drink.

It wasn't professional failure, but the pressure from family and moral kidnapping.

The lack of understanding from family was more exhausting than any external attack.

Jiang Chen listened quietly, not interrupting her venting.

He didn't offer the perfunctory remarks or lectures that others his age might have.

He simply acted as a listener, steadily absorbing her emotions.

“I'm not saying you shouldn't get married.”

Jiang Chen spoke softly, his voice steady and certain. “But marriage shouldn't be about appeasing your family, and it certainly shouldn't be held hostage by age.”

He looked at her gently, his gaze clear and earnest:

“You deserve to wait for someone who respects you, understands you, and is on the same wavelength as you. Someone who won't devalue your life just because of your age.”