Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

In November, Lin Ying's life in Cambridge was the same as always: attending classes, doing exercises, going to the library, being criticized by her tutor Scott, and then going to the canteen to face the silent meals with Lucas.

The only change was that she visited Professor Smith's house more often.

Mrs. Elaine seemed to like her very much, and every few days she would have Matthew or Professor Smith pass on a message inviting her over for dinner.

The reasons are also quite valid.

"Lynn, you're still growing, you can't eat that kind of food from the school cafeteria every day."

When Lin Ying first heard this, she really wanted to tell her that she was already seventeen years old and there might not be much room for her to grow any further.

She didn't refuse, because Mrs. Elaine's stew was far better than the cold, awful stuff in the cafeteria.

That evening, Lin Ying carried a stack of lecture notes to Smith's house.

As soon as I entered, I saw Claire sitting in the living room.

Claire still looked like an elite, but unfortunately her complexion was not good. There was a half-empty glass of red wine next to her and several financial newspapers on the table.

Professor Smith was watching the spectacle from the sidelines.

Seeing Lin Ying enter, he immediately waved: "Lynn, come quick, you've just arrived when Ms. Claire is in the worst mood."

Claire looked up at him: "Father, if you continue to speak in that tone, I will suggest to Mother that you not have dessert for dinner tonight."

Professor Smith immediately sat up straight: "I didn't say anything."

Lin Ying changed her shoes and walked into the living room: "Claire, what happened?"

Claire threw the newspaper on the table: "There's been a collective frenzy in the financial markets."

Lin Ying glanced at the headline on the newspaper.

The October crash caused stock market volatility, traders panicked, and many institutions suffered heavy losses.

Of course she knew about it.

Last month, global markets were bleak, and many people were thrown off balance in a single day.

She didn't rush in because she knew it was too late to make a move at this time.

Claire looked at her: "Lynn, you have to buy me dinner."

Why?

"Because I saved you." Claire pointed at her. "I told you last month not to rush into the market, and you listened. Otherwise, you might be crying in your apartment right now, clutching your bills."

"Then we should definitely invite them."

Claire leaned back on the sofa: "This October has been a black October. There's a young man in my office who said yesterday, while looking at the coffee machine, that he'll never believe in mathematical models again in his life."

Professor Smith sneered, "Very well, he finally understands that mathematics isn't for cleaning up the mess of greed."

"Father, if you say it again, I really will tell Mother."

Professor Smith immediately shut up.

Lin Ying sat down next to her: "Now that October is over and it's November, can I join the competition?"

"You've got some nerve," Claire said, somewhat surprised.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time."

"You can go in." Claire picked up her wine glass. "A lot of good stuff has been driven down by panic buying, and prices are much more attractive than last month. Go ahead and buy if you want, but if you're the one who gets caught buying at the bottom, don't come crying to me."

Lin Ying nodded: "I won't cry, I'll just review the situation."

Claire chuckled at her remark: "You're exactly the kind of person my father loves most; you can even turn losing money into a proof."

Professor Smith complained, "I like her because she's good at math, not because of her money."

"Lynn, if you really want to get involved, you'll need an agent," Claire said.

Lin Ying asked, "Do you have someone in mind?"

"I."

The living room quieted down for a moment.

Professor Smith looked up: "Claire, are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. I need new funding for my business. You need someone who understands the market, knows the rules, and can shield you from trouble; we need each other."

Lin Ying did not agree immediately.

Claire continued, "I won't advise you to throw all your money in; you're a student, and your main focus should be studying. The funds can be divided into two parts: one part can be used according to your judgment, and the other part can be allocated by me."

"What about the commission?"

Claire smiled: "A fixed management fee plus a share of the profits; the specific percentage can be discussed."

Lin Ying stood up immediately: "I'll call my lawyer over."

Professor Smith was surprised by the speed: "Now?"

Lin Ying nodded: "Since we're talking about money, let's not rely on family ties and dinners. Make sure the contract is clear so we can all have pleasant meals together in the future."

Half an hour later, lawyer Vanessa appeared in the Smith family's living room.

When she came in, her coat was still wet with rain.

"Ms. Lin, you'd better really have something important to say." Vanessa placed her briefcase on the table. "I was planning to take a bath tonight."

Lin Ying poured her a cup of hot tea: "Excuse me, Attorney Hart, I need to sign an investment brokerage contract."

Vanessa looked at Claire: "With you?"

Claire nodded: "With me."

Vanessa sat down and opened her briefcase: "Then don't waste your time, Claire. You know I'm difficult."

"I've never thought you were gentle either," Claire rolled her eyes.

The two women exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere instantly shifted to a working state.

Lin Ying sat to the side listening to them go through the contract clause by clause.

Scope of authorization, fund custody, trading permissions, risk disclosure, stop-loss line, information confidentiality, commission rate, and emergency contact mechanism.

Professor Smith sat by the fireplace and started to get a headache after listening for ten minutes.

"Why can't you people in finance and law speak as cleanly as you do in mathematics?"

Vanessa chimed in, "Because there are always people who cheat in real life."

Claire added, "Especially the rich."

Professor Smith had no rebuttal and could only drink his tea.

The contract negotiations lasted until 9 p.m., and the first draft framework was finally finalized. Lin Ying then presented her prepared financial plan.

"I will use six million pounds first."

Vanessa paused for a moment, her pen still in her hand.

Claire glanced at her too: "Are you sure?"

"Confirmed." Lin Ying pushed the paper over. "Of the three million, I'll designate to buy three stocks, in batches; the remaining three million is for you to allocate, but you must maintain liquidity and not use high leverage."

Claire picked up the paper, and after reading the three names, she looked somewhat surprised.

"You've got your eye on these three?"

"Um."

"reason?"

"The industry has a solid foundation, but it has been dragged down by emotions. Prices are ugly now, but it's not garbage."

Claire looked at her with a complicated expression: "Anything else?"

"And also, I like them."

Vanessa smiled. "Ms. Lin, that reason won't be very effective in court."

Lin Ying replied seriously, "That's why I don't plan to go to court."

Claire put the paper away: "Okay, I'll proceed with your three plans as you see fit; for the remaining three million, I'll put together a more conservative plan for you."

Professor Smith, standing nearby, asked, "What do you mean by 'playing it safe'?"

Claire looked at him: "You mean you won't let your precious student be unable to pay tuition next year?"

“She can afford it,” Professor Smith said immediately. “She’s richer than you think.”

Claire signed her name: "Lynn, don't worry, I'll help you reach 20 million pounds sooner or later."

Professor Smith: "Wow, impressive! I wonder whose father's old house is still leaking."

Claire nearly swiped her pen out of her hand.

Mrs. Elaine came out of the kitchen carrying desserts: "Edward, are you provoking your daughter again?"

Professor Smith quickly corrected himself: "I was praising her for her ambition."

"Father, you can fix the leaky house yourself next time."

Professor Smith looked at Lin Ying: "Lynn, you see, people in the financial industry hold grudges."

Lin Ying carefully put away the copy of the contract: "Professor, I don't think you were entirely innocent just now."

Vanessa finished her hot tea, got up, and packed the documents into her briefcase: "The official contract will be delivered to your apartment tomorrow. Ms. Lin, remember, making money is fine, but don't get yourself into trouble; you, the financial advisor, just suffered a huge loss yourself."

Lin Ying nodded: "I remember."

From that day on, Lin Ying's life had an additional fixed task.

Every Friday night, she would receive a trading briefing from Claire; it would include details of which trades were executed, their costs and positions, and the risks involved.

After reviewing the data, Lin Ying would record the key figures in her ledger.

However, she did not reduce her study time because of this.

In early December, the mathematics department suddenly announced a small test. When Lucas heard the news, he was completely devastated.

"Why? Why so suddenly? Aren't they a prestigious school? Shouldn't nobles be more elegant?"

Lin Ying flipped through the handouts: "The test results won't be recorded in your file, nor will they be ranked."

"No ranking, yet they still have exams? What kind of twisted sense of humor is this?" Lucas thought the school was just bored out of its mind!

On the day of the quiz, the number of questions on the test paper wasn't large, but each question was rather difficult.

After Lin Ying finished, she went out and waited for Lucas for a while. The first thing Lucas said when he came out of the classroom was, "I miss Boston pizza right now."

"I miss Hong Kong's beef chow fun."

"Are you going home? When?"

"The sooner the better."

After the tests, the school announced that the Christmas break would be extended from December 9th to January 10th! Upon hearing this, the first thing Lin Ying did upon returning to her apartment was to book a plane ticket! She wanted to go back to Hong Kong!

That evening, she went to Smith's house for dinner and took the opportunity to tell him about her plans.

After listening, Professor Smith asked, "Which day do you want to book?"

"December 10th."

Mrs. Elaine: "What a coincidence?"

Lin Ying looked at her: "Is Madam also going out?"

Professor Smith laughed: "It's not that she's going out too, it's that we're going to Hong Kong too."

Mrs. Elaine placed the soup bowl in front of her: "I've heard Edward talk about dim sum so many times, I'll start to suspect he's making it up if I don't go myself."