Vol. 1 - Ch. 30 - Continuing the Bluff

After confirming the business matters, both of them were in a great mood, and they chatted about each other's life situations."Ah, that's how society is, every unit has all kinds of unspoken rules, it was the same when I was a civil servant before." After hearing the reason for Li Han's resignation, Liu Chang sighed and said, "So you're not working now?"

"Currently, I'm using some extra money for some financial management on one side, and running a cake shop with a friend on the other." Li Han explained.

"What about a girlfriend? You're handsome, and now you have money, aren't you dating someone?" Liu Chang teased.

"I already have a target, and I'm working hard." Li Han said with a smile.

"Oh? I was going to introduce you to someone." Liu Chang said this but suddenly sighed, "But it's better to get married later."

"It seems that those two ancestors in your family have given you a hard time?" Li Han asked with interest, "Is it because of your burger shop?"

"Well, it's not that..." Liu Chang scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Actually, my wife is pretty understanding. Even during the low points of my career, she never criticized me. She encourages me from time to time. But the main challenge is the financial pressure... Our child's monthly daycare costs three thousand, and then there's the car loan, mortgage, utilities... It all adds up to at least ten thousand. If you haven't saved up enough money, definitely don't rush into marriage." 

"So I'm here to invest in you," Li Han said with a smile. Then he glanced at the time---it was already past one o'clock. "Let's leave it at that for today. Follow this plan to reorganize the shop, change the name, and reopen. We'll discuss the details later. I also need to help out at my friend's cake shop."

After saying that, Li Han hurried back to the cake shop.

"I'm back!" Li Han greeted, panting and catching his breath. 

"What's the rush? No one said you had to be punctual," Wang Man retorted, giving him a stern look. Then she neatly wrapped the cake in her hands and handed it to the delivery guy in front of her.

"One should follow through on their promises," Li Han said as he wiped his sweat. Wang Man handed him a glass of water from the water dispenser, and he downed it in one gulp. Then he asked, "Where's Jia Jia?" 

"She went home," Wang Man smiled. "I need to leave early this afternoon, so I'm covering the shop during lunchtime. Tomorrow, I'll take the afternoon shift. You can learn the process later; the three of us will take turns." 

"No problem, I'll go buy an electric scooter the first thing tomorrow." Li Han nodded seriously.

"How did your talk with your friend go?" Wang Man asked with interest.

"It was okay, he'd opened a burger shop, but the business was not very good. I invested a bit, and planned to reorganize and reopen." Li Han explained briefly, "I'll take you to try it later? You like to eat these, right?"

"Sure!" Wang Man agreed cheerfully. "But if it's not tasty, I'll definitely criticize it, okay?"

After finishing lunch, the afternoon at the shop became quieter, with only the occasional food delivery guy coming in to pick up orders.

They could play with their phones and chat casually, while Wang Man was in the kitchen preparing the dough for tomorrow.

It had to be said that if income was not considered, this shop was really suitable for retirement.

In the afternoon, around three o'clock, Wang Man finished preparing for the next day and left. Meanwhile, Li Jia demonstrated the tasks they'd need to tackle next.

Honestly, it's just a matter of enduring until 6 PM, checking whether the kitchen stove is turned off, selling the remaining cake to the person named "Brother Qi," and then locking up the shop before heading back.

"Alright, that's how our job at home is." Li Jia smiled cheerfully and said, "Please guide us in the future." 

"En, let's encourage each other." Li Han nodded.

On Li Han's first day at the cake shop, things ended like that. Overall, it felt pretty good.

Except for being a little busy from seven to nine in the morning, it was very leisurely afterwards.

Plus, they were all their own people, the work was relatively free, and it was okay to go to the stock exchange and bank occasionally.

Once he gained the trust of those old slickers at the stock exchange, the game was all set, he'd just need to issue commands on his phone from the cake shop.

He enjoyed the atmosphere of this shop, and the feeling of being both a security guard and a "behind-the-scenes boss" here was also quite good.

The next morning, before heading to the cake shop, he first arrived at the stock exchange area, ready to deal with that group of seasoned traders. Just as he stepped inside, an arm reached out from the crowd, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him aside.

Li Han took a closer look and found that it was the old slicker from before.

"Good for you kid!"  The seasoned trader, wore an expression like a cop catching a thief, holding Li Han by the wrist.

"Hey there, Uncle! We meet again. Have you changed your mind? Want to buy stocks with me?" Li Han asked with a smile.

His frank and sincere expression made the old slicker a little suspicious. "Kid, do you have a relationship with the dealer behind you?"

"Dealer?" Li Han asked curiously. "What are dealers, and are they similar to traders?" 

"Tsk, you really are a novice..." The seasoned trader furrowed his brow. "So how did you know these stocks would rise? It defies common sense! These stocks were either stagnant or on a downward trend, showing no signs of an impending rise. But after you bought them, it's as if someone behind the scenes was manipulating the stock, pushing it higher. And you claim you're not a dealer?" 

"Hey, I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't understand the trading techniques of those stocks. Just like I told you last time, the essence of stocks is actually investing in a promising company, nothing more." Li Han smiled and said, "As for me, I have my unique method of judgment to find these companies." 

"What method?" The seasoned trader asked sceptically. 

"Uncle, do you know what big data is?" Li Han asked with a mysterious smile.  Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"I've heard of it, but I'm not very clear on the specifics..." The seasoned trader mumbled. 

"Actually, it's an algorithm with various applications. The most common one is recommending similar videos based on the ones you've watched, which you might like." Li Han explained. 

"I know about that. It's what you young folks play with on TikTok, right?" The seasoned trader impatiently retorted. "What does it have to do with stocks?" 

Indeed, big data has another application. For instance, consider collecting various data about a company: its CEO, financials, industry, and background. Then, based on all this data, you can calculate its potential.

The seasoned trader suddenly looked enlightened. "Are you saying you have such a big data set?" 

"Indeed, it's right here," Li Han pointed to his own head and smiled. "So... what do you think, Uncle? Do you want to buy with me? I can't guarantee a 100% profit, but the stocks I've chosen have an 80% to 90% chance of being potential winners. If you follow my lead and invest, you'll definitely end up with steady gains."

In an instant, a hint of wild joy appeared on the seasoned trader's face, but it quickly transformed into wariness. "Is it really such a good deal? With such high odds, would you genuinely share it so generously? Do you know what I've learned in my forty-plus years of life? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Tsk, it's not so easy to fool this old guy after all. Li Han rolled his eyes inwardly and then grinned, "Indeed, it's not that simple. That's why I need your help, Uncle."