Chapter 6

◎Malicious Intent◎

At noon, Fan Qi bought a burger from McDonald’s. In the afternoon, following the brokers’ advice, she headed to the stock exchange. Naturally, she couldn’t enter the trading floor, so all she could see were the off-floor counters set up by various brokerage firms. Each counter had a stack of promotional brochures—some detailing the trading process, others listing commission rates. She collected as many as she could, watching investors come and go, buying and selling stocks at the counters. The display screens overhead continuously scrolled through stock prices, but the data barely updated.

Curious, Fan Qi asked an elderly gentleman nearby about the delay.

“The prices are only updated twice a day—once in the morning and once in the afternoon,” he replied.

Twice a day? At that rate, even a hen could turn into a duck before the next update.

After the market closed, Fan Qi left the exchange and walked to the waterfront. She sat on a bench, letting the sea breeze clear her mind. Forget about tracking large transactions, individual trade volumes, or stock fluctuations—she couldn’t even access real-time prices.

Given these constraints, her only option was to work within the available data and trade on a medium-term cycle. Medium-term trades didn’t require precise entry and exit points. Between 1986 and 1987, Hong Kong’s stock market was in an explosive bull run, skyrocketing from 1,700 to 3,800 points. Making money through medium-term trades wouldn’t be a problem.

But as a short-term trader, sitting on stocks in the middle of a bull market? That would make her itch like crazy.

What now?

In this city, the original owner of her body only knew Director Wang and a few people in the entertainment industry. And now, she has offended that director. Not that it mattered—his interest in her wasn’t professional, and she had no intention of selling herself just to satisfy her trading itch.

This stock market was both familiar and foreign to her. If only she had been thrown into the year 2000 instead! At least then, online trading was available—a computer and an internet connection were all she’d need to access the market.

Fan Qi buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed by frustration.

Just then, a street musician nearby began strumming his guitar, singing:

“Life is full of joy, yet tears are inevitable…”

“Here we meet, under Lion Rock…”

“Through laughter and sighs, we move forward…”

Hearing the song, Fan Qi stood up. Maybe she had just risen to success too soon, and fate wanted her to experience some setbacks.

After he finished, she pulled out a five-dollar bill and placed it in his guitar case before heading toward the subway station. At a newsstand near the entrance, she bought several newspapers.

Standing inside the subway car, she unfolded the evening paper to check today’s financial news. But before she could read, she overheard two people nearby discussing it:

“Did you see? That actress Fan Qi went to Changxing Brokerage with just twenty thousand bucks, demanding service from their top broker.”

“Talk about brainless. Just because she’s gotten a little famous, she thinks she’s someone important?”

“She even said she wasn’t interested in marrying into a wealthy family. Does she really think someone who built a career off seduction can just walk into high society?”

Fan Qi lowered her newspaper and glanced at the one they were reading—it was the same one she had bought. She flipped to the entertainment section, but before she could read, she heard someone call her name.

“Fan Qi?”

A few heads turned. Some passengers recognized her, and soon, many were looking her way—including the two who had just been gossiping.

Fan Qi smiled politely. “Excuse me, let me check out this gossip about myself first.”

The article claimed she had shown up at the well-known brokerage firm Changxing with only twenty thousand dollars, demanding service from their top broker. It also mentioned her remark about not caring for Hong Kong’s wealthy elite.

It had taken mere hours for her words at Changxing to make it into the city’s mainstream press?

Finishing the article, she looked up.

One of the passengers asked, “Did you really walk in with just twenty grand and demand service from their top broker?”

This… That Chanel-clad stockbroker was truly the pettiest person she had ever met.

Fan Qi shook her head. “Let me give you a live reenactment.”

Someone chuckled. “Alright, go ahead.”

“My Cantonese isn’t great, so bear with me.”

From ringing the doorbell to the conversation inside, she acted out both roles, perfectly mimicking the broker’s disdainful expressions. She finished with her own parting words—her refusal to marry into wealth and her suggestion that the broker wash her mouth out with toilet cleaner.

When she finished, she shrugged. “That’s exactly how it happened. I had no idea that woman was their top broker. But tell me, why couldn’t she just speak properly? And how did the story get twisted this badly?”

“If that’s what really happened, then it’s not your fault! She was rude.”

“Yeah! Why was that stockbroker so arrogant? Did she tip off the tabloids herself?”

“Changxing has a stock commentary column in this paper. They’re pretty tight with this newspaper.”

“That makes sense! I mean, no one’s dumb enough to actually do what the article says.”

Then, someone turned to her and asked, “So… do you really not want to marry into a wealthy family?”

Fan Qi smirked. “You think marrying into wealth is as easy as getting on a subway? Just step inside?”

The passengers laughed.

“Exactly! Do you know how hard it is to marry rich?”

A voice suddenly cried out, “Ah! I missed my stop!”

Fan Qi startled. “Oh, I need to get off too—excuse me!”

She squeezed her way through the crowd, but just as she stepped off the train, she heard someone call out, “Miss Fan.”

Turning around, she saw a woman in professional attire holding a briefcase.

“You are…?”

“Are we neighbors?” The woman pointed to the tall building ahead. “I work for the stock market column at Wing Shun Radio.”

She took out a business card from her bag. It turned out she was He Xiumin, the host of that segment. “Your performance on the subway just now was brilliant. Can I interview you?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s go to the tea restaurant nearby.”

Following He Xiumin, Fan Qi entered the tea restaurant. She ordered a cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea and a butter pineapple bun, while Miss He ordered a coffee and a sandwich. Taking out a recorder, Miss He played back Fan Qi’s impromptu performance from the subway. Though the recording lacked the live expressions and was accompanied by background noise, it still captured the essence.

“Miss Fan, your explanation in the subway was very compelling. I recorded it just now. Would you mind if I use this for our program?”

Since there was no distortion of facts, Fan Qi nodded. “Of course.”

“After watching your performance, I completely understand. Our program has received numerous complaints from investors about how major brokerage firms treat small retail investors poorly, offering them almost no service.”

Fan Qi nodded. “I can understand their strategy of prioritizing large clients with substantial capital. After all, the 80/20 rule applies—20% of customers generate 80% of the profits. But the way some of their employees behave is appalling. And what’s worse, they even fed a twisted version of the story to the paparazzi. That’s truly disgraceful.”

“I see.” He Xiumin took a sip of coffee. “Miss Fan, are you interested in investing in stocks?”

“I’ve been paying attention to the stock market ever since I came from the mainland. But before, I could barely afford to eat. Now that I’ve earned some acting fees, I want to learn how to make money work for me, so I was looking for a reliable brokerage.” Fan Qi’s tone was sincere.

“Did you know that Changxin is one of the most well-known brokerage firms in the industry?” Ho asked.

“No, I don’t know much about this field. I thought that to invest in stocks, one had to go to a brokerage and find a stockbroker. It wasn’t until later that I realized small investors like me can simply use the over-the-counter service to place trades.”

“That’s right.”

“After my experience today, I realized how big the information gap is between retail investors and large clients. It’s understandable that brokerages allocate their resources to high-net-worth clients. But from my perspective, if a firm provided better services for retail investors, addressed common issues, and offered more market insights, it could attract more commissions in the long run…”

Fan Qi and He Xiumin continued discussing the challenges faced by small investors. Surprised, Ho asked, “Miss Fan, you’re saying you’ve only just started learning about stocks?”

Fan Qi knew she would soon demonstrate her trading abilities, so she needed a reasonable explanation. “I’ve been reading newspapers and keeping up with the stock market for some time.”

“Just from reading newspapers, you’re able to articulate all this? Your intuition is remarkable.” He Xiumin turned off the recorder and stood up. “Thank you for the interview.”

“I should be the one thanking you. But if this segment airs, perhaps it would be more fitting to introduce me as ‘Fan Qi, the aspiring investor.’ What do you think?”

“That makes sense.” He Xiumin smiled. “But whether this interview gets broadcast still depends on my superiors’ approval. So, don’t thank me just yet.”

“You’ve already helped me, so I’m grateful nonetheless.”

He Xiumin took out a notepad. “Leave me your contact information?”

Fan Qi wrote down her home phone number. “I’ll be home in the evenings, but I might not be reachable during the day.”

“Got it.”

They parted ways. Though they lived in the same building, each side had its own entrance. Fan Qi walked toward the western entrance, while He Xiumin used the southern elevator.

Back home, Fan Qi took a shower and laid out the brochures she had collected from the exchange. She organized the information into her notebook. Whether trading short-term or mid-term, everything came down to understanding the market—it was just a matter of different strategies. Preparing thoroughly was never a bad idea.

Suddenly, the telephone rang. Fan Qi picked up, and her agent’s voice came through the receiver.

“Weren’t you supposed to be waiting tables? What were you doing at a brokerage firm? Fan Qi, are you out of your mind? Do you think stockbrokers are as easy to deal with as entertainment agents? Top-tier brokers are guests at the tables of the wealthy. Do you think your little bit of money is even enough for them to buy a bottle of wine?”

“Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait! Didn’t you reach out to a fashion brand? WO contacted me today—they want you for an ad.”

“You tried to push another artist on them, didn’t you? But they insisted on me?” Fan Qi asked with a teasing tone.

Caught red-handed, the agent snapped, “You think cozying up to Mr. Feng will let you climb to the top?”

Fan Qi let out a short laugh. “Are you already senile? Didn’t the tabloids just publish a story saying I have no interest in marrying into a wealthy family? Anyway, cut the nonsense. Am I taking this ad or not?”

Her agent managed a dozen struggling actors, each earning a meager $400 per gig. He himself barely scraped by with a monthly income of three to four thousand. Now that Fan Qi was gaining popularity, he had hoped to become her exclusive agent. But after she offended Wang Shao-Yang, what future did she have? That said, a commission was still a commission. Since the client specifically wanted Fan Qi, he had no choice but to comply—who would turn down money?

“Tomorrow at 10:30 AM, meet me in front of Heli Tower.”

“Alright.” Fan Qi hung up.