NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2:
Chapter 2: Short the Stock! Surprised, the Cat Turns into a Beautiful Woman!:
Lu Fei was slightly taken aback. “Kidnapped?”
Zhou Song replied, “No, I heard she ran away on her own.”
Lu Fei shrugged, uninterested. “What’s the deal with rich girls running away from home?”
Zhou Song clicked his tongue. “I don’t know. CEO Xu doesn’t even have a partner. They say she’s never been in a relationship.”
“Well, it’s none of my business,” Lu Fei said flatly. “If you don’t have anything important, don’t interrupt me while I’m making money.”
Lowering his voice, Zhou Song added, “I think you should try to find her. You’re pretty smart. Maybe you’ll find her and get to know her in advance.”
Zhou Song’s tone turned mischievous. “With your looks, I bet you could win CEO Xu over.”
As Zhou Song rambled on, his excitement grew. He had already spun a whole romantic storyline in his head.
Lu Fei cut him off, decisively, “That’s a waste of time.”
Meeting the CEO by coincidence? Even the worst romance novels wouldn’t come up with something that absurd. Done with the conversation, Lu Fei hung up the phone.
He immediately went into action, withdrawing 500,000 yuan as a security deposit.
The tabby cat, who had been watching, leaped onto the table, trying to block his keyboard.
Lu Fei looked at the cat and asked, “What’s your problem? Don’t think this is a good idea?”
The tabby didn’t respond but sprawled out across the keyboard, trying to stop him.
“Xin’an Energy’s stock is rising,” Lu Fei explained. “It’s mainly due to conflicts within the board of directors.”
“Wang An, the founder, and Tang Jin, the largest shareholder, are both trying to seize control.”
The tabby’s ears twitched.
“Hmm, as expected of an investment analyst, he’s aware of this insider news. I’ve heard about it too.” Thought the cat inwardly.
Lu Fei continued, “There’s also talk that state-owned assets in Yang city might get involved and compete for shares. To seize control, they’ll need more shares, so big players are buying up stocks, pushing the price up.”
The tabby cat was confused, ‘If you know all this, why are you shorting the stock? Are you doing charity work?’
“But here’s the thing,” Lu Fei added. “In April this year, Xin’an Energy lost 95% of its European orders. And now they’re about to face a patent lawsuit.”
Lu Fei pulled up two patent documents. One was from Junqi Energy, the other from Xin’an Energy. Both patents were related to lithium batteries. Junqi applied for theirs on July 6, 2012, while Xin’an applied for theirs on May 8, 2014. The core elements of both patents were very similar.
“Xin’an Energy is skating on thin ice with this patent,” Lu Fei said. “It’s walking a fine line between infringement and non-infringement. Junqi could sue them—or not.”
The tabby’s expression grew serious. This was indeed a huge risk.
‘But the patent is six years old—why would there be a lawsuit now? ‘
“I did some digging,” Lu Fei continued. “Junqi Energy partnered with Wei’an Auto this year to create a new power system, which uses that patent. Junqi values this system, so they won’t allow Xin’an to keep playing with the edges. They’ll file the lawsuit within a month.”
After explaining, Lu Fei picked up the tabby and placed it on his lap. The cat was stunned but obediently lay still.
Lu Fei opened his stock index futures account. Shorting stocks couldn’t be done through regular accounts—it required a stock index futures account, which had strict requirements, including a minimum principal of 500,000 yuan.
Lu Fei had a total deposit of 710,000 yuan, so he placed 500,000 into the futures account. Shorting required a 60% margin, meaning with 500,000 yuan, he could short up to 830,000 yuan worth of stock.
He went all-in, shorting 830,000 yuan worth of stock. Now, all he had to do was wait for the price to drop.
After dinner and a shower, Lu Fei went to bed, while the tabby settled into its bed in the living room.
…
Around 5 a.m., the tabby woke up and quietly crept toward the door. It had deliberately chosen this time, knowing the streets would be empty and Lu Fei would be fast asleep. It was the perfect time to escape.
Just as it was about to leap up and open the door, there was a loud bang!
A cloud of smoke rose, and suddenly, the tabby cat had turned into a human!
She was 1.68 meters tall, with snow-white skin and long, silky black hair cascading down her back. Her delicate feet and pink-tinted nails were as beautiful as they were striking.
“I… I changed back?” Xu Yan muttered in disbelief.
At 5 p.m. the previous evening, she had been about to head home from work when, in the underground parking lot, she inexplicably transformed into a cat. Then, Lu Fei took her home. She had resigned herself to the idea of living as a cat forever.
But now, she was human again.
Overcome with emotion, Xu Yan nearly cried but quickly composed herself. Lu Fei would be waking up soon, and… she was naked.
Xu Yan glanced around and spotted Lu Fei’s clothes hanging on the balcony drying rack. “No way. I can’t wear some random guy’s clothes.”
Her face flushed with embarrassment, but in the end, she had no choice.
She grabbed his clothes, slipped them on, and turned on his computer. Logging into her messaging app, she sent a text to her assistant, Zheng Yiyi.
“Pick me up at the gate of Yujing Haoting Community on Minghua Road.” She typed.
After sending the message, Xu Yan carefully deleted any traces of her activity on Lu Fei’s computer. She then tiptoed to the door, grabbed a pair of his shoes, and quietly left.
She felt like a girl sneaking out of her boyfriend’s house after spending the night.
At 5:20 a.m., the streets were still quiet. The security guard at the entrance of the community gave her a knowing look, clearly assuming she had spent the night with someone.
Outside, a Porsche 911 was already waiting. Zheng Yiyi, a plain-looking but elegantly dressed woman, stepped out of the car.
“Damn! CEO Xu! Whose heart did you break? Dressed like that this early in the morning?” Zheng teased. “Are you finally falling in love?”
Xu Yan’s face flushed as she thought about Lu Fei. She quickly dismissed the thought and muttered, “Shut up and drive me home.”
Right now, Xu Yan had something far more important on her mind. Lu Fei’s financial analysis had surprised her. She needed to check if he was right!