IMGH Chapter 35

Invest with Caution

After that day, Jiang Yi had indeed stopped saying those strange things and had shown no more shameless, provocative behavior. Yet Qiu Rui, who should have felt relieved, was instead weighed down by an inexplicable heaviness.

After getting caught in the rain, Jiang Yi had been sick for quite a few days, listless and unable to muster any energy.

“Big bro, you’ve been going at it too much, haven’t you! How’d you end up looking like a consumptive!”

Jiang Mingxuan set the fruit basket on the table and knitted her brows slightly as she looked at her big bro, who had already gone through an entire box of tissues. “Big bro, weren’t you perfectly healthy before? How’d you suddenly fall apart like this!”

Jiang Yi rubbed his throbbing forehead and said weakly, “Xuan Xuan, could you watch your mouth and stop cursing me all the time?”

Jiang Mingxuan let out a disdainful snort. “Your little sister came all this way to see you, and you don’t even appreciate it!”

“You never show up without a reason. Out with it — what did you come to see me for?” Jiang Yi knew his little sister far too well. Jiang Mingxuan never appeared without cause, and even knowing he was sick wouldn’t have been enough to make her come out of the goodness of her heart.

Jiang Mingxuan giggled. “Big bro, can’t I just come see you for no reason?”

“If there’s no reason, then head on home. I need to sleep.” Jiang Yi said this as he flopped back onto the sofa, making a show of dozing off.

Jiang Mingxuan grabbed his arm and said anxiously, “Big bro, don’t sleep — keep me company and chat for a bit!”

“What do the two of us have to chat about? I’m a sick person. I need rest.” Jiang Yi shot Jiang Mingxuan a sideways glance. “Either say it or don’t, but if you’re not going to talk, hurry up and go home.”

Jiang Mingxuan inwardly marveled at her brother’s sharp eyes, stuck out her tongue, and said, “Big bro, I came this time because I need a favor from you.”

“Let me be clear — I have no money!” Jiang Yi stared at Jiang Mingxuan with a look of alarm and pressed both hands tightly over his wallet. “I haven’t even paid this month’s internet bill yet. The Content Supervision Bureau has started cracking down lately, my writing got banned and still hasn’t been unlocked, and my manuscript fee hasn’t come in. Don’t go getting any ideas about my money!”

Jiang Mingxuan rolled her eyes. “Big bro, is that really all you amount to? The little bit of money you have isn’t even worth my time.”

Seeing that Jiang Mingxuan hadn’t come to borrow money, Jiang Yi let out a breath of relief, though his hands still didn’t leave his pockets. “So then tell me — what did you come to find me for?”

****

“I told you not to put money into the stock market, and you just wouldn’t listen!” Jiang Yi looked at Jiang Mingxuan with frustrated disappointment, and lectured, “Do you know what kind of place that is? You go in full of joy and come out half-dead. Whatever money you have, you throw it in there — do you even understand the situation? Do you understand the market?”

Jiang Mingxuan hung her head and protested, “It was that girl from my office who got me into this. She said she knows how to read fortunes, and this time she told me to buy Minnan Pharmaceuticals — said the stock was guaranteed to make money.”

“Minnan Pharmaceuticals…” Jiang Yi murmured. “Wasn’t that stock doing pretty well not too long ago?”

Jiang Mingxuan’s already drooping head sank a little lower. “That girl told me to cash out a few days ago. I could see the upward trend was so good that I wanted to hold on a few more days to earn a bit more — but who knew that a few days ago, from the moment the market opened, it just kept plummeting. It’s hit the daily loss limit several days in a row now!”

Jiang Yi was speechless. The finger he pointed at Jiang Mingxuan trembled and trembled.

“They say the greedy get swallowed whole — why didn’t you listen to that girl!”

Jiang Mingxuan said anxiously, “How was I supposed to know this stock would drop so hard! I just wanted to earn a little more!”

Jiang Yi pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed. “How much did you lose?”

Looking at Jiang Yi’s darkening expression, Jiang Mingxuan shrank her neck and said quietly, “Not that much?”

“Not that much — how much is not that much?” Jiang Yi glared with displeasure. “Even now you still won’t tell me the truth!”

Under Jiang Yi’s piercing stare, Jiang Mingxuan murmured haltingly, “About a hundred thousand yuan!”