My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 5: A Fortune Worth Billions

Mrs. Xu had only stayed at the old house for two days, but when she returned, her face was dark and gloomy, clearly radiating “anger.” “Mom, who upset you?” Xu Dong asked with concern. “Who else but your older sister-in-law!” Mrs. Xu retorted indignantly. Yang Lina seized the opportunity to interject, “What’s wrong with my sister-in-law?” “Your older sister-in-law isn’t the least bit filial—she’s actually started mistreating your dad!” Mrs. Xu exclaimed dramatically. Xu Dong’s expression darkened—this was no trivial matter—and he immediately pressed, “What exactly happened?” Xu’s mother didn’t hold back, recounting in exaggerated detail how Tan Aifang had been skimping on Xu’s father’s meals. The more Xu Dong listened, the angrier he became. He couldn’t help but slam his fist down on the table and exclaim angrily, “My sister-in-law has gone too far. Dad is so old, and they don’t care at all about his health.” “Ah, it’s just fate,” Mrs. Xu said sadly. Yang Lina discreetly tugged at Xu Dong’s arm, signaling him to hold his tongue and not get involved in the family affairs at the old house. Far from holding back, Xu Dong actually poured fuel on the fire: “Mom, if it really comes down to it, why don’t you and Dad just move in with me? I’ll take care of you in your old age.” Yang Lina was completely taken aback. Given her family’s financial situation, how could they possibly afford to play the role of dutiful children? Although Xu’s mother was deeply moved, she still refused: “Never mind. You two have it tough enough as it is. Besides, Ke Ke and Le Le are almost grown women now—it wouldn’t be appropriate for your dad to live here.” Xu Dong hesitated for a moment, then decided to reveal part of the truth: “Mom, don’t be so quick to say no… I’m planning to move our family into a bigger house in a while, and we’ll definitely have room for you then.” Mrs. Xu’s eyes lit up, but she quickly became anxious: “Housing prices in the city are so high—where are you going to get that much money?” Xu Dong, of course, was confident he had everything under control. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got everything planned out. If things go well, we could move in before the Mid-Autumn Festival.” Xu’s mother remained skeptical and insisted that Xu Dong explain himself clearly. After much persuasion, Xu Dong finally managed to talk his way out of it. No sooner had he dealt with his mom than Yang Lina started making a fuss. Xu Dong pulled his wife into the bedroom to have a private chat. “Spit it out. What are you really thinking?” Yang Lina asked. “Don’t try to pull the same trick you used on Mom on me. I’ve never heard of you having any rich second-generation classmates.” Xu Dong gave a wry smile. Sure enough, one lie requires a hundred more to cover it up, so he replied, half-truth, half-lie: “All right, the ‘rich kid classmate’ was made up. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on Mom and Dad.” “So what are you really thinking?” “I plan to sell our apartment first, then take out a loan to buy a bigger one.” Yang Lina immediately looked as if she’d known it all along, but then grew concerned: “We still owe over 300,000 in debt. If we take out another loan, with your salary, when will we ever be able to pay it all off?” Xu Dong reassured her, “Don’t worry. Remember that big deal I closed last time? The Company’s decided to promote me to department manager. From now on, your husband here will be making over 10,000 a month.” “Is that for real?” “Of course it’s true. I’ve been with the Company for six or seven years now. Even if I haven’t achieved much, I’ve certainly put in the hard work. I should’ve been promoted a long time ago.” Yang Lina was instantly overjoyed and practically leapt into Xu Dong’s arms. “You can rest easy now. With me in the family, don’t worry about a thing. I’ll definitely make sure you and the girls never have to go without.” “Thank you, honey!” “We’re one and the same—what’s there to thank me for…” Yang Lina immediately asked, “So when are we going to look at houses?” “We’ll wait until Ke Ke and the others are on summer break. Then the whole family can go together,” Xu Dong replied noncommittally. Summer vacation usually starts in July, by which time the Siheyuan would likely be all tidied up. The matter of moving had been put on hold for the time being, and before long, it was already the end of May. Early in the morning, after breakfast, Xu Dong took his laptop to the brokerage firm where he had opened his account; today was the big day when he would liquidate his entire portfolio. Just as he remembered from his previous life, Luxi Pharmaceuticals’ stock price had been soaring for over a month, and its momentum remained strong. Xu Dong planned to cash out while the going was good, to avoid any last-minute surprises. After all, with him—this “butterfly”—in the picture this time around, who knew if his good fortune might turn to misfortune. At 9:30 a. m. , the stock market officially opened as usual. Sitting in the VIP lounge, Xu Dong sipped the free coffee provided by the brokerage firm while keeping a close eye on the trend of Luxi Pharmaceuticals’ stock price. After more than a month of steady gains, Luxi Pharmaceuticals’ stock price was now on the verge of breaking through the 2,000 yuan mark—a rise of more than 90 times compared to the price Xu Dong had paid when he first bought the shares. Just as Xu Dong was watching, Luxi Pharmaceuticals’ stock price rose another one percent. At this rate, it was certain to break through the 2,000 yuan mark today. Without hesitation, Xu Dong placed a large sell order for 100 lots. In less than a minute, this large sell order was immediately snapped up by buyers, and the stock price continued to rise, completely unaffected. Encouraged by this, by the time the morning session closed, Xu Dong had sold off more than 500 lots of stock in successive transactions, cashing out a total profit of approximately 138 million yuan. As soon as the market opened in the afternoon, Luxi Pharmaceuticals’ stock price smoothly broke through the 2,000 yuan mark, followed by another sharp rally, ultimately hitting the daily price limit. Xu Dong seized the opportunity to list all his remaining shares for sale, immediately cashing out more than 30 million yuan. At this point, Xu Dong had finally liquidated his entire position, cashing out a total of 168 million yuan. “Over 100 million—round it up, and that’s 200 million.” Xu Dong clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails pierced the palm of his hand, but he didn’t feel a bit of pain. Two months since his rebirth—had his net worth unknowingly surpassed 100 million? Xu Dong felt as if he were living in a dream at that moment; the daydreams of his youth had finally come true. This was, for God’s sake, over 100 million in cash! Even after “clocking out” and returning home, Xu Dong still couldn’t calm down. “Dongzi, Dongzi, what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” At some point, Xu’s mom had returned from picking up the kids from school. Seeing her younger son’s flushed face, she couldn’t help but worry. Xu Dong finally snapped out of it. He tried to control his emotions and made up an excuse on the spot: “Mom, I’m fine. I just closed a big deal this afternoon—I’ve almost got enough money to buy a new house.” “Really?” Xu’s mom shared in his joy. “That’s wonderful news! I’m going to call your dad right away.” With that, she headed to the balcony to make the call. “Daddy… Daddy, are we going to move soon?” little Ke Ke asked in a clear, high-pitched voice. “Yes! Once summer vacation is over, we’ll be living in a big house,” Xu Dong promised, a genuine smile spreading across his face.