19. A Treacherous Arrow (With gratitude to Old Yang, Lord Dan, and the alliance leader!)

After a brief exchange among them, they wasted no time and immediately returned to their work. After all, this was the peak period for orders—the higher the peak, the greater their earnings would be in a month’s time.

Money has always been the most powerful motivator.

What surprised Chen Ling most, however, was that Bu Chunsheng, when he returned with his bedding, also brought along a laptop.

“You bought it yourself?” Chen Ling asked in astonishment.

Bu Chunsheng nodded matter-of-factly. “Of course, a computer is essential! I saved up for ages before finally biting the bullet and buying one.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Zhang Peng teased from the side. “Unlike certain people who keep applying for financial aid and never get it, our Brother Sheng here never even bothered to apply.”

Chen Ling felt a wave of embarrassment, and his estimation of Bu Chunsheng rose yet again—poverty inspires change, he’s willing to invest in himself, and he follows his chosen path with unwavering determination.

“We really found a gem this time!”

He had been worried about not having enough computers, but now, with Bu Chunsheng ready to work, the issue was solved. Without a computer himself, Chen Ling felt out of place among the busy trio, so he quietly grabbed his notebook and headed to the school’s electronic reading room.

Though called a “reading room,” it had actually been leased to a private owner and operated as an internet café. The proprietor also managed the entire student dormitory’s network, earning a considerable, steady income.

Without competition, there was naturally no pressure to upgrade, so the hardware in the reading room lagged behind other internet cafés; its only advantage was low prices.

After securing a computer from the network manager, Chen Ling tucked himself away in an unused corner and began gathering information—details long forgotten or never known.

This step was both crucial and necessary. Even knowing that a tidal wave of cash was about to flood the market, he needed to determine what he should do, what he was capable of, and how best to proceed…

Without sufficient information for analysis, no answers could be found!

“Being reborn is exhausting… Wasn’t this supposed to be just a game?” Chen Ling muttered to himself, lighting a cigarette and starting his search for real estate development projects in Linjiang City.

He wasn’t looking to get involved in development—at least not yet. He wasn’t so overconfident as to think two million was enough to enter that arena; even twenty million wouldn’t grant a seat at the table in real estate development.

He intended to continue as a scalper, just as he’d promised: to grow bigger, stronger, and reach new heights.

In the world of scalpers, the most lucrative business was selling apartment reservation codes.

That was precisely why he had gone out of his way to befriend Zeng Fucai; soon, he’d need a legion of scalpers to help him rake in profits.

...

“At this point in time, the effects of the financial crisis are starting to spread domestically, and overall economic growth has slowed, so it’s no surprise that Linjiang City’s market feedback for the first half of the year is lackluster,” Chen Ling thought, reading a news report. It stated that real estate transactions in Linjiang City during the first half of 2008 had dropped 54.44% compared to the same period in 2007—a staggering, halving decline.

From this, and considering the broader international environment, it was clear that the entire market would be on a downward trajectory for the next couple of years.

But Chen Ling remembered that after the Four Trillion Plan was announced in November, property prices in Linjiang City soared, and by 2009, in just a single year, the average price had jumped from over twelve thousand to over eighteen thousand—a truly wild surge!

It was in those few subsequent years that prices skyrocketed to absurd heights, forcing the newly graduated Chen Ling to use his parents’ life savings to buy a home—the final straw that led him to despair.

But this time, things would be different!

“It seems I need to prepare early—before the Four Trillion Plan is announced, I must acquire as many apartment reservation codes from development projects as possible, then sell them off once the plan is released.”

“I recall seeing many reports later about scalpers striking it rich with these codes, suddenly becoming wealthy. The market exploded so quickly that the relevant regulations couldn’t catch up, making this practice entirely legal…”

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

With his overall direction set, Chen Ling threw himself into research, methodically investigating each district, categorizing projects by location, type, and price, and organizing them accordingly.

The dazzling prospects of profit made him increasingly excited, and he lost himself in the work. By the time he finished compiling the list of upcoming projects, his stomach was growling—it was already past eight in the evening.

He glanced at his phone and found two unread messages. One was from Liu Xinyue: “I had braised pork for dinner tonight, but I find myself liking meat less and less. I don’t like pork, nor lamb, but I do like you, because you are the meat closest to my heart!”

Chen Ling smiled, replying, “I worked so hard to get into college, intending to care about the world, but your appearance has made me care only for one person…”

He opened the second message, from Zhang Peng: “Hey, Chen! That Deshang Foot Spa was actually shut down! I heard the owner ran off right after getting out of the police station—now even the police can’t find him… You’re amazing!”

“Shut down?” Chen Ling frowned. He had meant to report Jin Youde’s foot spa, but had gotten so caught up in gathering evidence that he’d forgotten about it. How had it been closed, then?

“Could it be… another enemy of Jin Youde’s? That’s the only explanation.”

As he walked back to the dorm, Chen Ling reminded himself—when you’re riding high, thinking yourself invincible, it only takes one small misstep to overturn everything.

Jin Youde was a perfect example: when things went well, he was a Mercedes-driving boss, but once trouble struck, he was reduced to a fugitive, hiding from everyone!

This world is never short of hidden daggers; only by treading carefully can one sail long and steady.

...

After wolfing down two loaves of bread bought downstairs, Chen Ling returned to his dorm.

Since the business hall was already closed, the other three were free as well. Zhang Peng and Bu Chunsheng were chatting animatedly, while Bao Zhenhai was still busy on QQ.

Chen Ling laughed. “Bao, aren’t you tired? You’ve been at the computer all day!”

“Tired? Not at all!” Zhang Peng replied with a grin. “He’s been busy adding a ton of girls on QQ these past few days, so he’s having the time of his life!”

Bao Zhenhai scoffed. “What do you know? Cast a wide net, catch more fish—better to err on the side of excess than miss the chance!”

“With that dumpling face of yours? Hahaha! But that kid Ruan Hui…” Zhang Peng said to Chen Ling, “He’s getting stranger and stranger.”

“What do you mean?” Chen Ling raised an eyebrow.

Bao Zhenhai picked up the thread, deriding, “He posted on QQ and on the school network saying, ‘A poor kid suddenly gets rich, a petty person gains power, a flash in the pan, nothing more.’ If you ask me, he’s just asking for a beating. No wonder he doesn’t dare come back to the dorm! If he does, I’ll teach him a lesson…”

“That’s pure bitterness,” Bu Chunsheng commented, seeing through it at a glance.

It was a trivial, laughable matter, but Chen Ling suddenly felt a surge of vigilance…

He knew all too well—jealousy can transform a person entirely.