Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

When Qi Tongwei left Pengcheng Securities, he specifically asked the scalper for a business card.

When the scalper saw that he had asked for his business card, he first approached him with a fawning smile.

"What's your surname, boss? How many stocks do you own?"

Qi Tongwei took the business card, smiled, and spoke in a neutral tone.

"More than 3,000 shares of Shenzhen Development Bank."

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on the scalper's face vanished instantly.

He curled his lip, waved his right hand, and replied impatiently.

"Oh, so you're a retail investor... What do retail investors need business cards for? Don't interrupt my business..."

Qi Tongwei was so angry he laughed.

In less than two seconds, two completely different expressions appeared.

This was the market in the 1990s—a stark reality, a raw portrayal of the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

Qi Tongwei stared at the scalper and asked in return.

"Three thousand shares, you're not buying them?"

The scalper scratched his back with the antenna of his mobile phone and looked Qi Tongwei up and down.

"Are you really going to sell?"

His voice was soft, but full of doubt.

Qi Tongwei waved his hand lightly, then turned and left.

"I'll sell when the price increases more than twentyfold..."

Behind him, the ox sneered and dragged out a single word.

"Damn it~"

Twenty times? In the eyes of scalpers, Qi Tongwei was a madman, a daydreaming madman.

......

The train from Pengcheng to Bianxi City departs at 9:30 pm.

This time, Qi Tongwei didn't buy a hard seat; instead, he took out his letter of introduction and bought a sleeper berth.

The reason for buying a sleeper berth is simple: the train ticket for check-in can be reimbursed.

After buying the tickets, Qi Tongwei checked the time; it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

He simply walked into the waiting hall and found a quiet spot to while away the time.

In this era, without mobile phones, the only ways to pass the time are playing cards, reading books, and reading newspapers.

Since he had no card-playing partners, Qi Tongwei could only read books.

He was engrossed in reading a copy of "Zizhi Tongjian" (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government).

A sudden commotion erupted at the entrance of the convenience store in the waiting hall.

"It's gone up! It's really gone up a lot!"

"This isn't just a price increase, this is insane!"

"Holy crap! It went up 52 percent in one day! This is insane!"

Qi Tongwei put down his book and squeezed into the crowd.

The TV is broadcasting today's financial news.

Shenzhen Development Bank saw its highest-ever increase today, at 52%!

Qi Tongwei's lips unconsciously curled up.

He knew he had won.

On this trip south, he outpaced the market and arrived before Shenzhen Development Bank went crazy.

Finally, at 9:10, Qi Tongwei had his ticket checked and boarded the train.

When he found his bunk, there were already two people sitting in the compartment.

One was older, around fifty years old, and the other was younger, around forty years old.

The two men were both in lower bunks, so they must know each other. They were sitting at a small table drinking.

A newspaper was spread on the small table, on which sat a bag of peanuts and a large bag of beef jerky.

Qi Tongwei nodded to the two of them as a greeting.

The days of travel had left him physically and mentally exhausted.

Even though he is young and strong, his body is starting to feel the strain.

He threw his luggage on the top bunk and wanted to go to bed.

But before he could climb into bed, the older man called out to him.

"Young man, it's still early, don't rush to sleep. Come on over and have a drink to refresh yourself."

Qi Tongwei initially wanted to refuse, but the phrase "to relieve fatigue" made him somewhat tempted.

Firstly, drinking a little alcohol can indeed help you sleep.

Secondly, the two of them were drinking and making a ruckus downstairs, so I couldn't get any sleep.

When you're out in the world, you're all just ordinary folks, so Qi Tongwei didn't mince words.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, brother. I'll get a drink from you two..."

As he spoke, he took out tea eggs and braised peanuts from his bag, placed them on the table, and sat down casually.

The three of them drank and chatted, secretly observing and probing each other.

After some conversation, Qi Tongwei learned that the older man's surname was Wang, and the younger man's surname was Bai.

Judging from his speech and demeanor, he must be someone working within the system.

As for the rest, Qi Tongwei didn't ask any further questions.

He knew that it was best not to speak too intimately with someone you barely knew, and he was able to keep that distance.

After a few drinks, Old Wang's face was flushed.

He smiled and gave Qi Tongwei a thumbs up.

"Young man, I didn't realize you could hold your liquor so well."

Qi Tongwei didn't stand on ceremony and responded with a smile.

"Northeast tiger, Northwest wolf, can't outdrink the little lamb of Handong..."

This offhand rhyme instantly livened up the atmosphere.

The three of them clinked glasses and burst into loud laughter.

The drinking session was very enjoyable.

The three chatted about current affairs and local customs, and before they knew it, it was late at night.

As midnight approached, the drinking party ended, and everyone went to bed.

Qi Tongwei slept very soundly.

Firstly, he had been drinking. Secondly, he was genuinely exhausted.

The next morning, Qi Tongwei was awakened by a low arguing sound.

"Old Wang, there's really no other way. The city only has so much funding, and the shortfall is too big..."

The speaker was a middle-aged man surnamed Bai, whose voice trembled slightly and whose emotions were somewhat agitated.

"These are all excuses. Chairman Mao once said, 'There are always more solutions than problems!' Ultimately, it's just a matter of cadres not doing their jobs..."

It was Old Wang who answered, his voice low and tinged with anger.

Qi Tongwei rubbed his eyes and casually replied.

"I think Brother Wang is right, it's just that the officials are not doing their jobs... they have no ideas..."

The abrupt remark silenced the cubicle instantly.

Two pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on Qi Tongwei, who was on the upper bunk.

The middle-aged man surnamed Bai frowned slightly, his expression displeased.

He was about to reprimand him when Old Wang lightly kicked him, snorted coldly, and said nothing.

Old Wang looked at Qi Tongwei, who had rolled over and gotten out of bed, and asked him a question.

"Oh? They say even a clever cook can't cook without rice. Tell me, how do we get out of this situation without money?"

Qi Tongwei yawned as he climbed down from the top bunk, answering as he took out his toiletries.

"If you don't have the funds, you have to find a way... Let's not talk about anything else, just take Jingzhou as an example."

"This year's welfare lottery tickets cost two yuan each. They sold 230 million yuan worth in six months..."

He turned around, glanced at the two people who were stunned on the spot, and grinned.

"Hey guys, could you watch my luggage for me? I'm going to wash up first..."

After this little incident, Old Wang and the middle-aged man surnamed Bai didn't argue again for the next few days.

Whenever they had the chance, they would chat with Qi Tongwei, asking him all sorts of questions.

Where did they come from? Where are they going? Where did they graduate from? How old are they? Where do they work?

The two asked very detailed questions, getting almost everything out of Qi Tongwei.

No matter where the conversation starts, it always veers towards economic development and lottery operations.

Since the journey was boring anyway, Qi Tongwei was happy to have someone to chat with.

What's more, their beef jerky is really delicious.

Qi Tongwei chatted and talked nonsense with the two of them.

We talked about everything from central-local relations to local development, from economic construction to people's livelihood and welfare.

As Qi Tongwei got into the conversation, the two men became increasingly alarmed.

They discovered that the young man wasn't just chatting; he was making economic forecasts.

Moreover, the young man's prediction of the time period was exceptionally accurate; he said it would be 2010 in just one day.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the train finally slowed down and pulled into Bianxi City Railway Station.

Qi Tongwei breathed a sigh of relief.

He even started rambling about the real estate economy.

If he doesn't reach his destination soon, he'll have to resort to talking about the internet economy.

In 1990, talking about the internet economy? He could be locked up and used as a research guinea pig.

The long and bumpy journey has finally come to an end.

Qi Tongwei packed his simple luggage, got up, and prepared to get off the bus and report for duty.

He had just lifted his foot when the middle-aged man surnamed Bai grabbed him.

"Xiao Qi, what's the rush? Aren't you here to report for duty in Bianxi City? Let's go together, it's on our way..."

(To the person who keeps urging me to update, I really can't keep up with your pace. You finish reading each page in 10 minutes... I can't write anymore...)