booktalesy Chapter 98: Crisis and Opportunity
Chapter 98: Crisis and Opportunity
By the end of August, the rice paddies were already beginning to turn yellow.
A few farmhouses covered with white ceramic tiles occasionally flash by in the distance.
Lin Bei thought of something else.
The 25 million in his bank account is an astronomical figure for an ordinary college student.
But Lin Bei knew that wasn't enough.
The 08 financial crisis has begun to spread globally. After the Olympics, the domestic stock market will experience a significant correction, and the real estate market is also about to reach a freezing point.
A crisis is a disaster for most people, but for those who have cash on hand and know where the reserves are, it is a golden opportunity to snag a bargain.
If those 25 million had been invested at the right time, they could have multiplied several times or even ten times.
Lin Bei mentally reviewed the stock codes of those stocks that bucked the trend and rose during the financial crisis, recalling his memories from his previous life.
I've also thought of a few more locations that are expected to see a surge in prices next year.
At that moment, the boy with the gold-rimmed glasses next to him coughed.
Lin Bei turned her gaze away from the window and saw the boy secretly glancing at the two best friends diagonally opposite her.
He pretended to look at the train timetable in his hand, glancing up at it every time he turned a page.
Then turn the page and take another look, repeating the cycle, like a squirrel testing its prey.
Finally, he took a deep breath, stood up, straightened his collar, walked to Song Qingning and Su Qianqian's seats, and spoke in what he thought was the most natural tone:
"Hey, you guys are going to university in S City too, right?"
"How about we add each other on QQ and get to know each other? We can hang out together in the future."
Song Qingning was chewing half of her potato chips when she looked up at him, then continued chewing without saying a word.
Su Qianqian didn't even look up. She took a book out of her bag, turned to the page with the bookmark, and continued reading.
It was as if the voice just now was part of the train's public address system.
The bespectacled boy, rejected after trying to strike up a conversation, gave an awkward laugh. He took two steps back to his seat, his ears turning slightly red.
Lin Bei found his appearance somewhat amusing.
He quickly recalled in his mind that he seemed to have done something similar when he first entered university in his previous life.
I once handed a note to a girl in the library, and she replied, "Who are you?"
He understood that feeling of being rejected by the air.
He turned his head to look at the boy with glasses, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "Bro, that's not the way to approach someone."
The bespectacled boy paused for a moment, then asked, "Then... how should I style it?"
"Watch closely." Lin Bei stood up from beside him and walked to Song Qingning and Su Qianqian's seats.
Then, he rested one hand on the back of the seat, looked down at Song Qingning, and spoke in a very casual tone:
"Hey beautiful, can I exchange contact information?"
"You can contact me if you can't sleep at night in the future."
Song Qingning looked up at Lin Bei and instantly understood.
She took her phone out of her bag, opened QQ, and said with a smile, "Sure, but don't turn your phone off tonight."
The boy wearing glasses stared at this, his mouth forming an "O" shape.
Is that... all it takes?
After Lin Bei returned to his seat, he lowered his voice and looked shocked: "It's not... just that simple?"
"It's that simple." Lin Beiyi nodded firmly: "Just go straight for the ball. If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't."
"Being friends is no big deal."
Lin Bei sat back in his seat and leaned the back of his head against the chair.
Then, looking out the window, the scenery had transformed into a continuous range of mountains.
Soon, Lin Bei heard Song Qingning and Su Qianqian giggling from across the room.
Although they tried their best to keep their voices down, they could still chuckle to themselves.
Because they heard Lin Bei's words, they knew that he wasn't telling the truth.
Although what Lin Bei said was indeed correct.
But this also requires modeling.
If you're handsome, not only will you be able to strike up a conversation with someone, but girls will also be able to chase after you.
……
The journey of several hours passed by unnoticed amidst the clanging of wheels on the rails.
The scenery outside the window gradually changed from rolling mountains to industrial parks on the outskirts of the city, and then to densely packed residential buildings on the edge of the city.
Over the train's public address system, the train conductor's accented voice announced the stations:
"Attention passengers, we are about to arrive in City S. Please take your belongings and disembark."
Lin Bei pulled Song Qingning's briefcase out from under the car seat.
Song Qingning used a clip to secure the half-eaten bag of potato chips and stuffed it into the side pocket of her backpack. She then checked her seat again to make sure she hadn't left anything behind.
Su Qianqian closed the book she had read most of, put it in her canvas bag, and stood up to straighten her skirt.
The three people squeezed out of the carriage with the flow of people.
The moment I stepped onto the platform, a dry, hot wind from this unfamiliar city hit me.
The exit was packed with people, and the area outside the railings was crowded with people waiting to pick up passengers.
Song Qingning tiptoed around the crowd and sighed, "There are so many people."
Lin Bei dragged his briefcase at the front. Just as he rounded the iron railing at the exit, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
It was Lao Gao calling.
"Old Lin, have you arrived yet?" Old Gao's voice was mixed with the noise in the background and the sound of wheels rolling over the stone road.
"I've arrived at school, found a dorm, and my roommates are all pretty nice..."
"By the way, I have a roommate who looks a lot like you, even their hairstyles are similar."
"Have you arrived yet?"
"Just arrived, about to take a taxi to school." Lin Bei tucked his phone between his ear and shoulder, freeing his hand to retract the handle of the briefcase.
"Alright, you guys settle in first," Lao Gao said. "We'll get together again when I get there this weekend."
Lin Bei nodded: "Okay, we'll talk about it after military training."
Old Gao chuckled twice on the other end of the phone and then said, "Message me when you arrive."
Then, he hung up the phone.
Lin Bei put his phone back in his pocket, looked up and saw Song Qingning and Su Qianqian already standing in the taxi waiting area waving at him.
A mint green taxi pulled up in front of me.
The driver, a woman in her forties, got out of the driver's seat and helped them put the briefcase into the trunk.
Lin Bei got into the passenger seat, while Song Qingning and Su Qianqian got into the back.
Soon, the car merged into the slow-moving traffic in front of the exit.
The taxi turned out of the train station square and drove onto a two-way four-lane main road in the city.
The streetscape of S City slowly unfolded from both sides of the car window. The city here was much better developed than Lin Bei's hometown.
There aren't many tall buildings on either side of the road, but they are very neat. The roadside trees are trimmed plane trees, and their canopies form a green archway overhead.
While waiting at a red light, you can see long queues outside newly opened milk tea shops on the roadside, and a banner with "Olympic Special Offer" hanging in front of the sports brand store next door.
Even the mannequins in the shop windows were wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters printed on them.