Chapter 33: 033 Can’t Back Down
“You know as well, for me, one mobile phone is nothing at all. Considering that you won’t need much time to get more money from me, this phone doesn’t even count as a gift; at most, it’s just a small favor.”
After Lu Qi said this, Wang Heng couldn’t find a suitable reason to refuse for a moment.
Moreover, he thought of another train of thought—if he acted ungratefully, wouldn’t it cause Lu Qi to have a bad feeling toward him? Then the thing to do wouldn’t just be accepting the mobile phone she gave; he might as well make more requests and push his luck?
So Wang Heng said, “Then thank you, Sister Lu… By the way, Pei Ningle wants to go home, but she has no money left. Sister Lu, would you sponsor a train ticket?”
Pei Ningle next to him was dumbfounded. She felt she was someone lacking emotional intelligence, but even so, she wouldn’t do something like asking for both a mobile phone and money.
However, Lu Qi agreed very readily: “Of course no problem. Anyway, it’ll be deducted from your remuneration; I’ll keep the account.”
Wang Heng: “?”
Seeing Pei Ningle casting another grateful look, while Lu Qi casually hailed a taxi without a care, Wang Heng felt something was off. Wasn’t it agreed to use pushy behavior to reduce favorability? How did it turn into pulling in a debt for himself and boosting another girl’s favorability?
Then he could only follow the two girls into the taxi and head straight to the airport.
————
Pei Ningle stood in the bustling terminal building, looking at the security checkpoint not far away, yet unable to take a step.
Just now, Lu Qi had bought her a ticket for the nearest flight home, then took a taxi with Wang Heng and left. This carefree style of coming and going without checking the meter made the penniless young girl very envious.
“Thank you, but I… really don’t want to just go back like this.”
Pei Ningle murmured to herself.
The more she thought, the more she felt that if she obediently got on the airplane and went home tonight, what awaited her would certainly be a hopeless life and a boring future. Of course, she could go to school while playing music in her spare time, but Pei Ningle had never been a diligent child from a young age. If she just muddled through at school, her motivation for making music definitely wouldn’t match being driven by the pressure of life; she was very clear on this point.
“Maybe you think I’m a fool, but…” The young girl suddenly had a sudden inspiration. “Wait, I can refund the airplane ticket!”
Pei Ningle realized that although the refund money wasn’t much, it was enough to get by for a few days. Then find a temporary job like resident singer at a bar and continue writing her own songs—wouldn’t that work?
“That’s it. If it still doesn’t work, buy the cheapest train station ticket and go home!”
The young girl steeled her determination, then looked around for a while, and suddenly realized another problem.
She grabbed the nearest airport staff member: “I’d like to ask, um… where should I go to refund an airplane ticket?”
————
Wang Heng was brought by Lu Qi to the shopping mall street in the city center.
This was the most prosperous commercial district in all of Rongdu, with various big brands clustered together, and naturally no shortage of merchants selling mobile phones.
“Which brand do you want to buy, Apple or Samsung?”
At the doorway of several mobile phone specialty stores, Lu Qi asked this.
Wang Heng was somewhat hesitant.
At this point in time, domestic phones hadn’t gained momentum yet; the market was mainly dominated by foreign juggernauts. Their flagship quality was of course good, but the price was a bit high, really not matching his current needs. One had to know, the big rise in Bitcoin was still two months away, and during this time, as long as the money he earned was continuously invested, he could get six or seven times the return.
If it was for buying a better mobile phone and buying even one less Bitcoin, it really made one’s heart ache… At such a time, he couldn’t help but miss certain cost-effectiveness brands.
Wang Heng hesitated, and Lu Qi watched him hesitate.
After a while, Lu Qi finally couldn’t hold back and asked: “I already said I’d front the money first—what else do you need to think about? Your work remuneration is at least in units of ten thousand; which mobile phone here can’t you afford?”
Wang Heng: “I…”
Lu Qi suddenly thought of a certain possibility: “Wait, you’re not still thinking of buying Bitcoin, are you?”
Wang Heng nodded.
Lu Qi was simply incredulous and questioned: “You really think Bitcoin can surge? You’re that certain?”
Wang Heng still nodded.
Lu Qi frowned slightly and said: “I know about Bitcoin too, and I also know that lately many people have been questioning it. It’s been around for a few years now; investors should pretty much understand its benefits and risks. I don’t see any reason for it to rise soon. So, can you explain why you’re bullish on Bitcoin?”
Wang Heng was slightly dazed. In his impression, when Lu Qi led meetings in the company meeting room, she had this exact demeanor: confident, rational, not overly aggressive, yet impossible to take lightly.
“Sorry, it’s hard to explain; it’s a kind of intuition.”
Lu Qi was somewhat astonished: “Intuition?”
Wang Heng: “Yeah, I’m absolutely sure it will rise, this year. And it must be sold before New Year’s Day. So if it’s about changing phones, I’d rather wait until New Year’s Day.”
Lu Qi: “You’re that certain?”
Wang Heng: “That certain.”
Lu Qi stared at him, quieted down, seeming to be in contemplation. Moments later, this older sister type spoke again, her tone carrying a profound feeling:
“Since you’re so confident, alright, I’ll bet on you once too. I have some spare money in my account; leaving it in the bank, I’m afraid it’ll depreciate, and I don’t have time for investment, so I’ll take a portion out to gamble.”
This time, it was Wang Heng’s turn to be stunned: “You’re buying Bitcoin too?”
Lu Qi patted his mind: “You can buy Bitcoin, or not; you choose. I’ll specially open an account, put one hundred thousand in, and hand it to you. On New Year’s Day, I’ll check your work achievement. How about it?”
A 【danger】 symbol seemed to flash before Wang Heng’s eyes. They’d only known each other a short time, yet Lu Qi trusted him so much—this omen was really too bad!
He hurriedly waved his hand and refused: “I think it’s not workable! Think about it—what if it loses? I can’t pay it back.”
Lu Qi smiled: “One hundred thousand is less than three months of my salary; it’s nothing to me. And if you lose, just record it on the account and repay me with code. Anyway, I know your identity and school; I’m not worried you’ll run.”
“Cunning. No matter what, you won’t have any loss.”
“Of course. But if you make money, after subtracting the principal, one-third of the profit is yours.”
Before Lu Qi finished speaking, Wang Heng swallowed.
One hundred thousand, all used to buy Bitcoin, in two or three months would turn into… six or seven hundred thousand. Of the five or six hundred thousand profit, he could take one-third.
In other words, nearly two hundred thousand income, within three months.
Wang Heng controlled his emotion and said as calmly as possible: “Since you have the guts, I definitely won’t back down.”
