435 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

Chapter 435: The Dark Horse Jade Rabbit Monday, September 26th. Today marks not only the start of university classes but also a highly anticipated day for countless stock investors. Last week’s stock market performance was a debacle, and the intensity in forums over the past couple of days had been palpable. Today, Monday, would finally be the day to verify all the hypotheses posed by investors. Would the bull market continue to rise, or would it be manipulated by the hands of capitalists, transforming it into a machine that harvested amateur investors' wealth? Everyone watched the stock market, tense anticipation in the air. Inside dormitory 507, Su Qi's roommates were all present and neatly dressed, apart from Xiao Xiaoxiao, who had gone to attend some classes. They were all fixated on the stock market displayed on the desk. Unlike before, when only Su Qi would pay attention to the market, Gu Panpan and her housemates, having taken Su Qi's tentative advice last week, had all participatively invested and were now collectively watching the screen—after all, everyone wanted to make money! Especially Gu Panpan, who had emptied her savings, investing a total of 12,000 yuan. Nervously, she watched, hoping that her first venture into real-money stock trading wouldn't end in financial ruin. Over the weekend, Gu Panpan had obsessively reviewed forums about the stock market. Although Su Qi had made significant profits in the past and had also invested heavily in this stock, Gu Panpan still felt uncertain and anxious inside—after all, this was her entire life savings on the line. At 9:00 a.m. on Monday, when the market opened, it experienced a fluctuation that could often feel shocking during those initial moments. Watching the Jade Rabbit Jade Stone stock oscillate during the opening, Gu Panpan felt each fluctuation in price was as if it were striking her heart. Su Qi, on the other hand, remained unfazed. She had reviewed the company's financial statements and anticipated the stock would rally within the next couple of days. Until then, one had to maintain a full position, regardless of potential losses, since trying to catch up once it started rising would undoubtedly be too late. By 9:10 a.m., the initial wild fluctuations had settled down, and the stock began a steady path forward. The "Jade Rabbit" stock was as sluggish as last week, oscillating around a 0.3 to 0.4 point gain. Su Qi's gaze was fixed on the overall market, finding the mix of reds and greens unexpectedly intriguing. Outwardly serene, she observed that some stocks that should have been underperforming remarkably sped up, beyond expectations. Checking the company's official forums, she discovered attempts to manipulate sentiment, confirming her suspicion about the depth of deception in the stock market. However, Su Qi opted to keep her observations to herself—after all, who would believe her? Meanwhile, Wang Yun, despite not having returned to her previous job as the Compass Group's investment director, received numerous inquiries from her former subordinates regarding her view on the current market. Wang Yun, knowing that her conflict was with the management and not her team, didn't hold back in sharing her thoughts. Her previous insights regarding Yang Ritian and Yang Zongfan suggested that even if her team relayed her predictions, they likely wouldn't be heeded. Forget it, she thought. Let them find their own way. By the end of the morning session, the "Jade Rabbit Jade Stone" stock indeed saw some gains, albeit marginal ones at only 0.13%. Watching Su Qi, seemingly indifferent despite having invested nearly 40 million themselves, Gu Panpan felt momentarily reassured by the thought that if Su Qi wasn't worried about such a huge sum, maybe her own 12,000 was not as dire. With this in mind, Gu Panpan ordered a big bucket of fried chicken to reward everyone for a morning spent glued to their screens. Perhaps it was because of this delicious offering that, within the first ten minutes of the afternoon opening, the Jade Rabbit stock surged and reached its limit. This caused a celebratory uproar in dormitory 507, leaving everyone too distracted to eat their chicken. Su Qi felt fortunate to have foreseen this and secured her position before the surge. Trying to enter after such a rise would have been nearly impossible. Despite the strong afternoon rally of the Jade Rabbit stock, the rest of the market seemed deflated, with numerous stocks falling continuously until the board closed, painting a landscape more green than it had been at the start of the bull market. Faced with two consecutive days of minor declines, risk-averse investors started to reduce their holdings. Su Qi, however, remained indifferent, ready to ride her high-speed train and not inclined to disembark just yet. On Tuesday morning at 9:30, Jade Rabbit surged once more, hitting the limit quickly. This caught the attention of many, but unless they were amateurs, few would divest from such a promising stock. Gu Panpan’s investment of 12,000 had grown to 14,520 in just two days, an increase of 2,500 yuan that seemed almost magical to her. When Wednesday and Thursday also saw successful cap-ups, her funds reached 17,569.2 yuan. Over four days, Gu Panpan had made a profit of 5,569 yuan, leaving her feeling as though her heart might leap from her chest. Faced with the notorious upcoming Black Friday, and torn by posts on the forums warning of impending crashes, she turned to her idol, Wang Yun, for advice. "Should I sell the stock tomorrow?" Gu Panpan asked. "I see so many posts saying it’s going to fall!" To this, Wang Yun felt pity for the gullibility of small investors being manipulated. If Gu Panpan sold immediately, it would likely be snapped up at a higher bid even if she listed it at 5 yuan per share. Reassured by Wang Yun's explanation, Gu Panpan relaxed. Seeing her young admirer so avidly interested in stock trading, Wang Yun couldn't help but impart more of her knowledge. On Black Friday, due to the Jade Rabbit’s impressive track record, numerous financial institutions and independent investors zeroed in, eager to evaluate whether they should make substantial investments. But by the time they considered it, the stock had once more reached its upper limit, giving no entry room. The one who regretted the most was Yang Hao, Compass Group’s vice president. His team had informed him about the stock early Monday morning, mentioning Wang Yun’s positive outlook. But skeptical of the stock's sluggish profit graph and focusing on its previous excessive financing, Yang Hao had opted for other stocks, which ultimately saw poor returns, leaving him regretful and repeatedly slapping his thighs in lament. With the curtains falling on Friday’s session, September 30th also approached its end. Stocks would break for eight long days, and both investors and university students looked forward to their seven-day vacation. Simultaneously, the duration of Su Qi's "protection card" also came to a close.