The rookies stood guard at the mountain peak.
The veterans bought the dip halfway up the slope.
This was the final norm of the 'big bull'!
Over the next half month, the market plummeted from a high of 6100 to a low of 5300!
The comment section buzzed with reversals—some were getting scared.
But only a little... scared.
Most people started buying the dip, averaging around 5500.
...
Experiencing this historic event firsthand,
Young Master Cao learned a great deal. Even without relying on his dream memories, he could calmly analyze key insights.
He also saw the logic behind the decline.
This drop was actually a slaughter.
Or rather, the village proactively pricking the bubble ahead of time!
Policies began aligning to assist...
Perhaps anticipating something.
Over the next month,
The market kept falling, all the way back to 4800.
At this point, half the crowd was still buying the dip, convinced they’d hit rock bottom... (╯︵╰).
...
...
Day 329 of Young Master Cao’s cushy life as a rich second-generation heir.
Bliss!
Eyes open.
Three daily reflections.
Blame the system...
Reflections complete!
Today was January 1st, 2008!
New Year’s Day.
A fresh start!
Since the dream began, 578 days had passed.
Why remember so clearly?
Because of those three daily reflections—no drifting through life aimlessly, every day filled with purpose.
The dream had started in June of the year before last...
He could still vaguely recall Old Cao’s flashy antics, hooking up with a Shanghai auntie, the father-son heart-to-heart that ended in a money-driven split.
A year and a half had flown by in the blink of an eye,
As if nothing had changed.
But in reality,
Young Master Cao had become a 'billionaire.'
Well.
That figure was a bit inflated.
Including the funds under his management, it totaled over ten billion.
His personal account? Just shy of five billion!
The bigger the capital, the smaller the moves—otherwise, the impact would be too great.
So,
Young Master Cao diversified his personal funds for hedging.
For instance, while the broader market trended downward, blue chips like Maotai kept climbing, steadily rising.
A must-buy.
Hold for at least a decade.
Learning from Old Ba in the U.S.—this was value investing!
Another portion went into shorting.
The public funds followed suit, racking up daily wins on both sides.
...
"Happy New Year!"
After washing up, Young Master Cao greeted the handsome devil in the mirror with a faint smile.
Downstairs, the family had gathered.
The atmosphere at home remained unchanged—no stiffness just because Young Master Cao had struck it rich.
After all, Eldest Sister’s poker face was impenetrable; even if her heart raced, her expression rarely betrayed it.
Second Sister couldn’t care less about money.
As for The Third and The Fourth?
Carefree souls!
"Mom, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, son."
Ren's Mother doted as always, gifting him another car key—this time, a Maserati!
Old Cao seethed with envy, practically green with jealousy.
"Eldest Sister, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year." She gifted him a belt.
"Second Sister, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year." Second Sister’s tone was icy as she handed him a boxing glove.
What’s this?
Looking for a fight?
Where’s the maturity?
He’d made it clear—training was for fitness and mental discipline, not brawling.
Cao Cheng saw right through the gift’s meaning.
But he played dumb.
No point engaging. Keeping her on edge was more fun.
"Third Sister, Happy New Year. You’ve worked hard these months." Managing the new company was no joke—sometimes even busier than Eldest Sister.
Pioneering ventures were tough.
Even with professional managers, oversight was crucial.
"Happy New Year, little brother!!" Third Sister’s voice was the sweetest, her affection for Young Master Cao undeniable. She even pulled him into a warm hug.
Her gift? A computer.
She remembered his love for tech.
"Fo—Happy New Year." Cao Cheng sped through the word, skipping "sister" entirely.
Under everyone’s gaze, he couldn’t very well call her "little sis."
Then came the hug.
Cao Cheng whispered in her ear, "Happy New Year, Fragrant Little Sister."
The Fourth let out a soft, defiant hum.
But no gift.
The Fourth was truly wild.
A total outlier.
But...
Young Master Cao had gifts for everyone.
"I’ve got presents too..." He turned to fetch them.
"Hold it."
Old Cao stopped him with a glare. "Did you forget something?"
"What?" Cao Cheng blinked, feigning innocence.
Old Cao narrowed his eyes, pointing at himself. "Me?"
"You what?"
"Damn brat, don’t stop me—I’m starting the year with a beating..." Old Cao reached for his belt.
Ren's Mother intervened. "It’s the New Year. Let it go."
"Seriously?" Old Cao was exasperated. "You’re still spoiling him? No New Year’s greeting? Where’s the respect? The filial piety? If we don’t discipline this kid now, when?"
Cao Cheng was technically in the wrong.
But Ren's Mother stood her ground. "It’s the holidays. He’s still young. Drop it. Don’t make a scene—is it really worth hitting him?"
"..." Cao Cheng was stunned.
Ren's Mother, you’re something else.
Is the "four-word leniency" meme traced back to you?
The original enabler of "spare the rod, spoil the child"?
Love it!
Cao Cheng grinned. Teasing Old Cao was a daily ritual—eating, sleeping, and riling him up.
Once the joke ran its course, he properly wished him well.
Then came the gifts.
'Mystery' tea.
No labels, no details—but everyone knew it was premium.
And wooden carvings.
A full family portrait set, one for each, even Old Cao.
Proof of Young Master Cao’s filial devotion.
Truth was,
Cao Cheng had plenty more treasures.
Lately, he hadn’t hit any jackpots, but small wins piled up. After the system upgrade, loot box quality improved.
The items inside had leveled up too.
At least two tiers better than before.
But,
Some things weren’t meant for sharing—not even with "family."
So,
Either handed over in secret or kept under wraps entirely.
The timing wasn’t right.
Even after nearly a year under the same roof, secrecy was paramount—no room for slip-ups.
...
New Year’s Day called for tangyuan!
Symbolizing unity.
The family grew more harmonious, more like... a family.
Even Second Sister wore a faint, rare smile, toasting freely.
A natural drinker, she outdid herself today.
Yet never tipsy.
Cao Cheng had once challenged her—without his storage cheat, he’d have lost.
Even then, three pounds of baijiu barely fazed her, just a slight daze—nowhere near her limit.
A beast!
People’s constitutions varied wildly.
Young Master Cao’s stats were nearing 100—superhuman by any measure, likely surviving a direct bomb hit.
But even that couldn’t guarantee outdrinking her.
Post-dinner, New Year’s Eve specials!
Second Sister sat unusually close, her leg brushing against his as she murmured, "You’re heading to Hong Kong tomorrow?"
"Tang Xin told you?" Cao Cheng side-eyed her.
Second Sister snorted lightly, "Are you two together now?"
"Don't talk nonsense! We're going to survey the market, open accounts in Hong Kong, and make some investments—preparing to expand into the international market!"
Short selling.
It’s still better to do it abroad.
It’s 2008, and the tipping point of the crisis—when it fully erupts and spirals out of control—isn’t far off.
This time, if I don’t make at least a few billion dollars, I’d be too embarrassed to call myself a stock trader.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
