Whether he's a kept man or not is beside the point for now.
After settling the bill, Chen Qinglin chose to drive Xu Menglin back to her office.
They hadn't even discussed the main topic yet, so how could he just let her leave?
In fact, Chen Qinglin wasn't just interested in Xu Menglin's looks.
He also had something important he needed her help with.
"I need your help with something."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"Well, you know I bought 30 lots of stock, right? I was hoping you could help me keep an eye on it."
Chen Qinglin remembered that this stock had multiplied tenfold...
But he couldn't recall the exact day it reached its peak price.
He only remembered it happening sometime between late June and July 5th.
Stocks are different from other things.
Half an hour can decide if someone ends up on a rooftop or makes a fortune.
Back then, there were no smartphones, so to get stock information, you either had to go to a securities trading company.
Or you had to sit in front of a computer, refreshing the data repeatedly.
Originally, Chen Qinglin had planned to camp out at an internet cafe.
But Xu Menglin's appearance showed him another possibility.
"Haha, no problem, leave it to me."
Not to mention that Xu Menglin already considered Chen Qinglin her potential boyfriend.
Even if he were just a regular friend, she wouldn't refuse such a small request.
"Which stock did you buy? What's the stock code?"
"'Lü Province Aluminum,' code 600205."
"Huh? 'Lü Province Aluminum'? Why would you buy such a terrible stock?"
Xu Menglin hadn't been working long and wasn't yet a professional fund manager.
But through osmosis, she was quite knowledgeable about various stocks.
"This stock has been continuously hitting its lower limit. Why would you buy it?"
"Haha, isn't hitting the lower limit a good opportunity to buy at the bottom?"
Xu Menglin glared at Chen Qinglin.
Was this scoundrel really a finance major? He didn't even understand this?
"Oh, the entire metallurgy industry is in a downturn."
"Now the country is paying more and more attention to environmental issues, and these highly polluting enterprises will face increasing difficulties."
"If you enter the market now, wouldn't it be..."
Xu Menglin didn't finish her sentence, but Chen Qinglin understood.
He turned his head and looked at Xu Menglin with a mischievous smile.
"Haha, I don't understand any of what you're saying, but I just believe it will go up."
"You... you can't rely entirely on luck when trading stocks, you..."
"Alright, have some faith in me. How about this, let's make a bet."
"How do we bet?"
Chen Qinglin looked at Xu Menglin, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"Let's bet on the stock's performance one month from now."
"If it goes up, you agree to one condition of mine."
"If it goes down, I agree to one condition of yours."
Chen Qinglin's mischievous smile didn't escape Xu Menglin's eyes.
A hint of shyness flashed across the girl's face. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to give Chen Qinglin a chance.
After all, she also had a good impression of this man.
"Okay, then, I'll bet with you."
"Haha, then shall we pinky swear?"
Xu Menglin, blushing, glanced at Chen Qinglin, but still extended her little finger.
The girl had hinted so clearly, how could Chen Qinglin let it go?
Pinky swear? Holding hands was more like it.
After letting Chen Qinglin play with her fingers for a while, Xu Menglin finally pulled her hand away.
"I have to go to work."
"Go ahead. I'm a bit busy these two days. Let's go see a movie in a couple of days."
"Okay, got it. I'm leaving then."
After watching his girlfriend number two leave, Chen Qinglin hummed a tune and walked towards the bus stop in a cheerful mood.
A little hand held, the relationship was set.
He not only gained a beautiful girlfriend but also a free female secretary.
From today onwards, Xu Menglin would surely pay close attention to this stock.
Where else could he find such a good deal?
Good news brightens one's spirits.
When he returned to the dorm, Old Bi saw Chen Qinglin's radiant face and looked utterly bewildered.
"Sixth, what's going on with you?"
"What 'what's going on'?"
"Your mouth hasn't closed since you walked in."
"Haha, kids shouldn't pry into adult matters."
"Damn it, you're putting on airs now, aren't you?"
Yun Tao glared at Chen Qinglin, curling his lips in disdain.
"You're probably messing with some girl again."
Chen Qinglin??
Hiss... was he that accurate? He had just sent a message to Xu Menglin.
"You're getting better at this, kid. What, did Chen Xue 'special train' you?"
Chen Xue was Old Bi's girlfriend.
Uh... she was also Chen Qinglin's ex-ex-ex-ex-girlfriend Chen Xi's cousin.
In a way, it was normal for Chen Qinglin and Old Bi to be close.
They were brothers-in-law, after all, understandable.
"Special training my ass, stop talking nonsense, I have something to tell you."
Old Bi knew Chen Qinglin's character too well and couldn't be bothered with all that trivial stuff.
He couldn't ask yesterday because there were too many people.
Now that the dorm was empty, he still wanted to ask Chen Qinglin about his job.
Yun Tao sat up straight, tossed Chen Qinglin a cigarette, and used the opportunity of lighting it to organize his thoughts.
"Sixth, tell me the truth, brother, what are your plans for work, really?"
"Huh? What other plans could there be? Going back to the county."
"Damn it, can't you be serious for once?"
Yun Tao cursed, disappointed, but still stated his plan.
"You know Chen Xi's feelings."
"With her looks, if she wasn't thinking of you, would she have been single for two years?"
"With her family's connections, what kind of job can't you find?"
"If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll talk to her."
"Haha, do I look like someone who cares about appearances, brother?"
Hearing Yun Tao mention that rose-like girl, Chen Qinglin felt a little wistful.
Just as he described her.
Chen Xi was undeniably beautiful, one of the top few in the entire school.
Her personality was also like a rose, fiery, passionate, daring to love and hate, and with thorns.
After they met on the basketball court, Chen Xi actively and fiercely pursued Chen Qinglin.
With such a good thing coming his way, how could Chen Qinglin refuse?
In less than a month, they fell in love, inseparable.
But alas, although Chen Qinglin came from a rural background, he was a chauvinist at heart.
When that clashed with Chen Xi's pampered princess personality, conflicts naturally arose.
Six months later, they argued over a small matter.
Chen Xi, in her anger, said some harsh words that hurt the young man's fragile pride.
Later, Chen Xi also took the initiative to apologize to Chen Qinglin.
Chen Qinglin hadn't yet experienced the harsh realities of society, so he naturally wasn't willing to indulge the spoiled princess, and instead turned and embraced Xu Lu.
Because of this, Chen Xi was depressed for a full six months, and even now, the girl remains single.
Who she was waiting for, goes without saying.
"I really want to go back to the county."
"You goddamn..."
Seeing that Chen Qinglin was unyielding, Yun Tao took a deep breath and swallowed his curse.
"Fine, I owe you, damn it. You come back to Shancheng with me, and I'll go beg my old man."
"Even if I have to grovel, I'll get you a job."
Chen Qinglin lowered his head to smoke, using the hazy smoke to conceal the emotion in his eyes.
This was a classmate, a brother, and a 'relative'.
"Brother, thanks, but I really want to go back to the county."
Chen Qinglin waved his hand, signaling Yun Tao to listen to him.
"Don't worry, brother won't be suffering back there."
"I've already arranged with Director Wang, and there should be a result in the next couple of days."
"We'll go back and stroll around, make seventeen or eighteen hundred, and after deducting for drinks, there'll still be pocket money."
"Isn't that better than having to endure others' attitudes in the city?"