The next morning, Sun Sheng was woken up by his internal clock.
Sunlight filtered through a gap in the curtains, casting a long, narrow, bright spot on the desk.
Tiny dust motes floated in the air, and everything was quiet and peaceful.
He opened his eyes, without the slightest hint of confusion.
Everything from last night wasn't a dream.
A slight soreness spread through his body, a normal reaction to lactic acid buildup after high-intensity exercise, and proof that his young body was still quite fragile.
But this soreness, to him, felt as familiar as a long-lost friend.
It proved he was still alive, still able to fight.
He rolled out of bed, his movements light, and after a quick wash, he changed into his school uniform and left his room.
In the living room, his mother, Zhou Hui, was placing a steaming plate of buns and a bowl of millet porridge on the dining table.
His father, Sun Jianjun, sat on the sofa, sipping tea and watching the morning news.
This was the morning of a perfectly ordinary Chinese family.
"You're awake? Come eat breakfast, you have your monthly exam today, don't be late," Zhou Hui called out.
"Got it, Mom," Sun Sheng replied, taking a seat at the dining table.
He quietly ate his buns, his mind racing.
He wanted to go to America, to enter a top-tier boxing gym, to receive the most scientific training and nutritional supplements.
The foundation for all of this required money.
A sum that, for this ordinary working-class family, was a massive amount.
He had to act.
The first step in stock trading was to convince his "investor"—his father, Sun Jianjun.
Sun Jianjun ran a small hardware store, was hardworking and honest, and somewhat stubborn. He had always been wary of stocks, considering them "improper business" and speculation.
Getting money from him would be like pulling teeth from a tiger.
After finishing breakfast, Sun Sheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, taking a deep breath.
"Dad."
"Hmm?" Sun Jianjun didn't even lift his eyelids, focused on the news on TV.
"I want to borrow some money from you."
As soon as he said this, the air in the living room seemed to freeze.
Zhou Hui stopped clearing the dishes, looking at her son in surprise.
Sun Jianjun finally shifted his gaze from the TV to Sun Sheng, his brow furrowed.
"Borrow money? You're a high school student, what do you need money for?"
"Investment," Sun Sheng replied concisely.
"Investment?"
Sun Jianjun looked as if he had heard the biggest joke. He put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.
"Do you know what investment is? Don't spend all day at school listening to useless things. Your job is to study hard, get into a good university, and don't think about all this nonsense."
This was the expected reaction.
Sun Sheng didn't rush. He calmly met his father's scrutinizing gaze.
"Dad, our school is holding a 'mock stock trading competition' recently, and the teacher encourages us to learn more about financial knowledge. I've researched it a bit and find it very interesting, and I'm quite confident."
This was the excuse he had thought of last night, half-true, half-false, and the easiest for people to accept.
"You're using real money for a mock competition?" Sun Jianjun's brows furrowed even deeper. "Nonsense!"
"Dad, I'm not being nonsensical."
Sun Sheng's voice was steady and strong, carrying a maturity and confidence unsuited to his age:
"I've found a stock I like, called Tencent Holdings. I believe it will see a very significant increase in the next few months."
"Tencent? Isn't that the one that runs QQ?"
Sun Jianjun was not unfamiliar with the name; the computer in his hardware store had QQ installed for contacting some clients.
But he still didn't believe it: "A chat software, how much can it really go up? Xiao Sheng, I'm telling you, the stock market is a very deep place, nine out of ten people who go in lose everything. You're better off focusing on your studies than anything else."
"Dad, I know you don't believe me. But I want to make a bet with you," Sun Sheng threw out his trump card.
"A bet?"
"Yes."
Sun Sheng looked directly into his father's eyes, "You give me this month's living expenses, and all the New Year's money I've saved since I was little, about five thousand yuan, right? Give it all to me. I'll open an account myself and buy this stock.
If I make a profit after a month, all the money I earn is mine. If I lose, starting next month until the college entrance exam, I won't ask for a single penny of living expenses, and I'll come home for lunch every day."
This bet stunned Sun Jianjun.
He knew his son; although a bit reserved, he was never one to joke about such things.
Especially today, the certainty in his son's eyes made him waver slightly.
Five thousand yuan wasn't a small amount, but if it was truly lost, it was just a few months' living expenses, still within his acceptable range.
But what if... "Jianjun, don't listen to him, the child is just fooling around."
Zhou Hui, on the side, grew anxious and tried to mediate.
Sun Jianjun waved his hand, stopping his wife's words.
He pondered for a moment, re-examining his son. Today, Sun Sheng was indeed different.
That steady demeanor, that unquestionable look in his eyes, made him feel unfamiliar, yet also a strange sense of trust.
"Alright."
Sun Jianjun finally slapped his thigh. "I agree. But the money is from me, so the transaction must be done in front of me. After school this afternoon, I'll go with you to the brokerage."
He was still uneasy and decided to supervise personally.
Sun Sheng's heart swelled with joy; he knew the first step was a success.
"Okay, it's a deal."
In the afternoon, the monthly exam ended.
Sun Sheng didn't go home but waited at the school gate for his father, who arrived on an electric scooter.
The father and son walked in silence to a securities company branch in the city center.
The trading hall in 2012 was far from as deserted as it would be in later years; there were still some retail investors gathered, pointing at the red and green K-line charts filling the screens.
The account opening process went smoothly. Under the guidance of the staff, Sun Sheng quickly completed all the procedures using his ID card and a newly opened bank card.
Sun Jianjun followed along the entire time, looking at the complex forms and agreements, still feeling that this whole thing wasn't very reliable.
The last step was the bank-securities transfer.
Sun Jianjun counted out five thousand yuan from his wallet and deposited it into Sun Sheng's bank card.
When Sun Sheng transferred all five thousand yuan into the securities account on the trading software, Sun Jianjun's heart still tightened.
"It's that... Tencent Holdings, right?" Sun Jianjun asked.
"Yes, code 00700," Sun Sheng skillfully entered the code.
The K-line chart and real-time stock price of Tencent Holdings appeared on the screen.
"Buy! Buy all of it!" Sun Sheng gave the command without hesitation.
"Aren't you going to look again? Think again?" Sun Jianjun couldn't help but advise.
"No need to think, Dad, trust me."
Sun Sheng pressed the confirm button.
The transaction was successful.
His account now held over twenty lots of Tencent Holdings shares.
After doing all this, Sun Sheng let out a long sigh of relief.
He knew that from this moment on, the first golden brick had been laid on his future path of combat.
These five thousand yuan, in the near future, would turn into fifty thousand, five hundred thousand, or even more!
On the way home, Sun Jianjun remained silent.
He couldn't understand where his son got such confidence.
Could he really be a Genius?
Sun Sheng, however, felt incredibly relaxed.
With the financial worries resolved, the only thing he had to do now was train.
Back home, he locked himself in his room and took out his phone from his backpack.
He didn't look through the answers to the mock exams but instead found a phone number he knew by heart.
Zhenwei Martial Arts Gym, Coach Zhang Lei.
(Forgive me, I don't play the stock market, and I just learned that one can't buy Hong Kong stocks domestically. Let's just assume the protagonist bought another stock and made money! It's too much trouble to change now.)
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