Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 230 The World Is Deep

Time always flies when you're chatting on the phone.

I felt like we hadn't chatted for long, but when I checked the time, it was already past 10 o'clock, and my phone battery had dropped significantly.

The three of them have been talking for about an hour since they received the call.

Considering the hot weather, it's not good to let Ai Liang stay outside in the sun all the time.

After agreeing to talk again next time, Yang Xingyue asked Ai Liang to hang up the phone.

At the same time the call ended.

Ye Qing walked out of the classroom as if she were clocking in right on time.

She held a glass of water in her right hand and a bag of whole wheat bread in her left.

Ye Qing saw Ai Liang on the balcony and greeted her with some surprise: "Are you still on the phone?"

"Just hung up the phone."

Ai Liang put away her phone and said.

"Phew, that's good. It would be terrible if my appearance on camera caused a misunderstanding."

Ye Qing unpacked the bread and handed it to Ai Liang: "Do you want some?"

Ai Liang shook her head: "I'm not hungry yet."

Ye Qing didn't stand on ceremony with him and simply withdrew her arm, without trying to force Ai Liang to have a piece or anything.

She took out a slice of bread, folded it in half, and took a big bite.

Eating snacks in the classroom is almost an unwritten rule.

The temperature is high now, and the classroom is stuffy with the air conditioning on. If the smell of various snacks spreads...

Imagine someone farting in the elevator.

Moreover, Ye Qing felt embarrassed, so while everyone else was studying, she grabbed a bag of bread and started munching on it.

Looking at the large bag of bread, enough for two people to have breakfast, Ai Liang couldn't help but ask, "You're hungry again less than five hours after you just had breakfast?"

Is this guy's stomach from another dimension?
Was eating that bowl of noodles this morning a complete waste?

Ye Qing said vaguely, "You don't know how strong my digestion is."

Ye Qing chewed four or five times and swallowed the bread with cold water: "Noodles don't keep you full for long, and they digest quickly. The little bit of noodles I had this morning wasn't enough."

This is simply because you can eat a lot!

Ai Liang was speechless.

He had never seen anyone with such a huge appetite before, whether in this life or the last.

This is the first time I've encountered this in real life.

Ye Qing drank half a glass of water in one gulp: "Hmm, the conditions at Experimental Middle School are really good. There are even disposable cups in the water dispenser. I just wonder if anyone will refill them after they're used up."

"Generally speaking, this is the class monitor's job. The class monitor is responsible for purchasing class supplies."

"Huh? Does this mean there will be a charge later?"

Ye Qing speculated maliciously, "Look, the school gives subsidies to the top classes every month. The expenses over three years are not small. They have to find a way to recoup the costs."

Ai Liang's lips twitched slightly: "The school allocates funds for disposable cups, brooms, rags, and other common classroom supplies. They're free, no money required."

"Each semester, the school allocates funds to each class to purchase public supplies. The amount of the allocation is determined according to the class's overall quality score, with key classes receiving more funds."

This money is managed jointly by the homeroom teacher and the class monitor. If the class is missing anything, the class monitor will take the class to buy it, and then write a list of items and submit it to the homeroom teacher along with the invoice.

Don't worry about any extra charges.

Ye Qing stared blankly at Ai Liang: "Where did you see that? How come I don't know about it?"

Ai Liang glanced at her sideways: "It's in the student handbook issued by the school, you just didn't read it."

"Huh? Nobody usually watches that kind of thing!"

Ye Qing found it unbelievable: "You actually read it all the way through?"

Only by understanding the rules can we utilize them.

Ai Liang thought for a moment and gave a simple example: "If you can memorize all the laws of the Asian Union, getting rich will no longer be a dream."

"Young man, your thinking is a bit dangerous."

Ye Qing was biting into her bread when she suddenly thought of something and paused for a moment.

"You didn't actually memorize the Asian Union's legal code, did you?!"

Ai Liang exudes an air of wealth in every aspect of her life, from clothing and food to housing and transportation.

Although Ye Qing herself has never bought designer clothes, she often browses online stores.

Ai Liang's clothes and shoes, even the cheapest ones cost over two thousand.

Cell phones and earphones are even easier to identify; they're all the latest models.

Even the bowls and chopsticks at home are the kind that cost several hundred yuan a set.

When shopping at the supermarket, he always only looks at the quality and not the price, and he never even glances at the discount section when buying groceries.

Based on Ye Qing's understanding of Ai Liang, the money he spent was definitely not pocket money given by his parents.

It's highly likely that he earned it himself.

Then the problem is coming.

A boy who will turn sixteen in a month.

Without relying on parents or working, where would I get so much money?

Ai Liang rubbed her temples, looking slightly a headache: "What are you thinking? I'm not so idle as to memorize the Asian Union Code."

"They didn't say a word about where the money came from..."

Ye Qing said meaningfully.

Ai Liang: (ー`ー)
Ai Liang looked away: "I made money from stocks."

"I was just joking, just asking casually."

Ye Qing waved her hand, indicating that Ai Liang didn't need to worry about it.

If you keep asking, I won't answer you.

Ai Liang thought to herself.

The vast majority of Ai Liang's savings came from Mu Si's share of the profits.

A small portion of the bounties come from the black market.

Only a very small portion of the pocket money is earned through stock market information.

The ratio of the three is approximately 8:1.5:0.5.

The intelligence split given by Mus is self-explanatory.

The bounty was something Ai Liang would do in the two years before his retirement. After killing someone, he would occasionally take the evidence and go to claim the corresponding reward.

Almost every person who died at his hands had their head sold for a high price by his mortal enemies.

At that time, a new profession even emerged: following behind the hermits and picking up the heads of others.

Unfortunately, the pioneer of this industry was hung up and dried out after only two deals.

After the hermit kills someone, he comes to collect his reward, and the black market has no objection.

After all, he killed the person, so he has the right to receive this reward.

In most cases, the client will not withdraw the reward.

Because no matter what, the target is indeed dead.

Regardless of who did it, or whether they were after the bounty, their goal has been achieved.

The client wouldn't risk exploiting loopholes to withdraw the reward and fall out with the black market for such a small amount of money.

Since the person is dead and the reward has been paid, the hermit will not come to collect the reward in most cases.

So who got the bounty?

You know everything.

You have no ability but dare to impersonate someone to claim a reward. You've threatened the interests of the managers. If we don't take you down, who will we take down?

Do you really think the black market is a charity?
So don't think you're very smart and always assume you've found a business opportunity that no one else has.

No matter what industry you're in, the waters run deep.

While munching on her bread, Ye Qing asked, "By the way, is it really possible to make that much money from stocks?"

Ai Liang looked at Ye Qing with the same gaze one would give a leek: "You want to try?"

Ye Qing shook her head like a rattle-drum: "No, no, I don't have the guts. I was just asking."

"In the stock market, if you don't have certain connections or intelligence capabilities, it's best not to get involved. It's like the lottery; it's all about fleecing retail investors."

Ai Liang couldn't help but recall the days when he used his superpowers to make money in the stock market.

In the stock market, it's not a problem to make a few hundred thousand or a million or two by speculating and making money through intelligence.

However, without a certain network of connections, the chances of making big money are very low.

For example, you get definite news that a certain stock is going to rise, so you frantically invest tens of millions of yuan in it, dreaming of getting rich overnight.

What awaits the next day is likely a sharp drop.

Whether or not you can make big money is entirely up to the few giants in the stock market.

Giants eat the meat, large enterprises gnaw on the bones, and managers and section chiefs drink the first soup.

Retail investors took a sniff outside and thought, "It smells really good."

Retail investors with connections can only catch a whiff of the potential profits from their networks; dreaming of making a killing is just that—dream.

As for the role of connections...

Imagine you travel back from the future and learn that a certain company will become one of the world's top 500 companies.

So I invested in this company in advance.

But believe me, without connections, you won't get a piece of this pie.

They will dilute your shares during the financing process and then use various means to kick you out.

Don't expect anyone to show you any favors.

There is an invisible hand in the market that is constantly adjusting and controlling it, and the future is not static.

However, this can also earn a lot of money.

People who have no ambition and just want to coast along should be content with being a billionaire.

Here's a joke.

After learning the winning lottery numbers, someone traveled back in time and excitedly bought several lottery tickets, hoping to win a prize in the millions.

On the day of the draw, however, it was discovered that all the winning numbers had changed to a different set of numbers.

Is it funny?
It's hilarious, isn't it?

Ai Liang attracted a lot of attention when she first opened her account.

Out of respect for Ai Zhe and Feng Yue, they made things very convenient for him.

Ai Liang only figured out everything after her abilities went berserk and her mind-reading ability went out of control.

Indeed, there are smart people who can make money from the stock market, and Mus is one of them.

However, the vast majority of people are just韭菜 (leeks, a metaphor for easily exploited people), and these韭菜 (leeks) happen to lack a clear self-awareness...

Ahem, enough of this nonsense.

For people who have no money, no background, and no ability, cryptocurrency is the eternal god!

Ye Qing succinctly summarized: "Hmm, I don't really understand, but in short, the stock market isn't a good place, right?"

"More or less." Ai Liang nodded.

Ye Qing continued munching on her bread: "More than the stock market, I'm curious about whether the person who just called you was your girlfriend."

Ye Qing turned around, her face full of curiosity: "She's a very pretty young lady."

"No," Ai Liang denied outright.

This smartphone does not use a privacy screen.

Ye Qing was sitting right behind him; she only needed to glance up to see the phone screen.

This phone isn't a work phone; there's nothing shady on it.

Even if others see it, so what?

Just like many people lock their chat history and other data in their accounts, they worry about their privacy being leaked if their accounts are stolen.

Many hackers were speechless after seeing this.

Please, we hacked your account just to post phishing links and scam messages.

I have absolutely no interest in your private matters.

No one commissioned you to steal your privacy, so how much is your privacy worth?

Only someone who's had too much time to spare would waste time looking at this stuff.

"Really not?"

Ye Qing leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "If we were just ordinary classmates, we wouldn't have been chatting for this long, would we?"

She nudged Ai Liang with her elbow with a teasing look on her face: "You may have a smug personality, but you're handsome after all, how could you not have a girlfriend?"

"...No matter what you say, she and I are not in that kind of relationship."

Ai Liang said calmly, "Don't tell me you can't tell. I'm explaining a problem to her."

Ye Qing smiled apologetically: "Haha, just kidding. But it seems like the other party doesn't think so?"

"The girl's expression was like she had eaten two pounds of honey; she was so pure, well-behaved, and adorable that it made my heart flutter."

Ye Qing couldn't help but marvel, and then took out a piece of bread from the bag.

Then, putting what she had just learned to use, she quoted Ai Liang's answer: "Don't tell me you can't tell that she's interested in you."

Ai Liang was speechless.

Within his small circle, due to his personality, no one would bring this matter up openly.

Because Ai Liang seems like the kind of person who, once you make things clear, you can't even be friends with them anymore.

Neither Ma Yu nor Fang Xiaoxiao would be as blunt as Ye Qing.

Ye Qing wasn't part of that circle, and she'd known Ai Liang for quite some time.

Some of her innermost feelings were known only to her, a netizen she had never met.

Ai Liang is, in essence, more lonely than anyone else.

Therefore, Ye Qing always speaks frankly and directly about many things, never beating around the bush.

"I have made it clear to my friends that I have no intention of dating for the time being."

Ai Liang picked up her notebook and tucked it under her arm: "And I'm also very careful about boundaries when we're together."

Ye Qing thought about how Ai Liang kept her distance when walking and riding in a car when she first moved in, and nodded in full agreement.

"You neither take the initiative nor refuse, why do you seem like a jerk?"

Ai Liang rolled her eyes at her: "I've already rejected you enough, both openly and subtly."

Ye Qing patted Ai Liang's shoulder and said perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, he really is a sinful man."

Ye Qing's attitude left Ai Liang speechless.

Three years of junior high school.

Ai Liang has given countless hints.

She refused to eat in the cafeteria without Ma Yu and Fang Xiaoxiao by her side; she refused all date invitations on weekends except for tutoring sessions; she refused to walk together after school...

Near the school, people even keep a two-meter distance when walking.

With such an obvious attitude, anyone with eyes can see what Ai Liang means, unless they're a fool.

But Yang Xingyue acted as if nothing had happened and continued to invite Ai Liang with great enthusiasm.

This gave him a huge headache.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's hurry back to the classroom and review our lessons. If we get squeezed out of the honors class, we won't get our monthly stipends."

Ye Qing crumpled the empty bag into a ball and stuffed it into the paper cup, then threw the paper cup into the trash can.

"I finished learning the high school curriculum a long time ago."

"Yes, yes, I know you're a genius, but are you planning to stand in the sun outside the school gate until noon when school lets out?"

Ye Qing looked up at the sky: "In this sweltering heat, aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke?"

Ai Liang: =_=
Inside the classroom.

Yi Wenna had been secretly watching the doorway.

He got angry again after seeing Ai Liang and Ye Qing enter the classroom at the same time.

(End of this chapter)