Chapter 040: A Chance Encounter with Gu, Signing Him First

"Why isn't the boss back yet? Could he have been caught by the shareholders and made to teach them the national anthem?"
"He deserves it, really—serves him right for not letting us share the spotlight."
Qin Yuelan and Gao Ran stood on the balcony, gazing at the bustling crowd below, picturing Zhang Tianfeng trapped in some ridiculous predicament, and could not help but snicker to themselves.
They had planned to go to the trading hall with Zhang Tianfeng, but he hadn't called them along, causing them to miss out on a spectacular drama.
Gao Ran, in particular, was fuming.
When she learned that the stock prices had soared, she was utterly bewildered; then, hearing from Qin Yuelan about Zhang Tianfeng's odd ways—always taking unconventional approaches to make money, yet never failing to profit—she couldn't help but regret not joining him.
Since inheriting Hengsen Investment from Qin Lin, she hadn't taken a single step.
The company was teetering on the edge of a cliff; one wrong move could mean total ruin. She dared not act rashly.
"He's here, he's here!" As Gao Ran pondered, a car from the Huo family pulled up outside the hotel.
Qin Yuelan instantly perked up. "Ranran, I still want to make money with him; I don't dare say anything, but you could speak up for me."
"I don't dare, either."
"Why not?"
"Weren't you always asking me what the upper circles are like? Did you see that license plate?"
Seeing Zhang Tianfeng step out of the car with the license plate engraved deep in her memory, Gao Ran was utterly stunned.
She never expected that the little fellow who piqued her interest was actually connected to the Huo family of Hong Kong.
Such a giant—her own most admired father could only look up to them!
When the door opened, she saw the two women seated on the sofa.
Zhang Tianfeng forced a bitter smile. "Can't you two ask before coming into my room? I have some privacy, you know."
If any of his quirks were discovered, he would be doomed.
"What’s a single young man afraid of? Hiding beauties in a golden house? Relax—this is normal for the wealthy. Men, you know, once they get rich, they turn bad."
Gao Ran spoke with a calm, knowing air, as if she understood men deeply.
Zhang Tianfeng retorted, unwilling to accept defeat, "Some women turn bad, then get rich."
"Yes, you're right."
"Huh? Is the little pepper out of steam today?"
In the past, Gao Ran would have scolded him mercilessly, but today she surprisingly let it pass.
Just as he was wondering, Gao Ran brought over a glass of water and grinned slyly. "Boss, I’m so broke I can’t even afford a meal. Won’t you take me with you to make some money?"
"Oh, so you’re here to ask for a favor."
Zhang Tianfeng sat down on the sofa, smiling. "First, massage my legs. If you please me, I'll tell you."

"All right, sir~"
Gao Ran knelt down, her eyes coy, and gently kneaded the muscles in his calf.
"Sir, I’ve already massaged you—will you tell me now?"
"Not enough, keep going."
"Okay~"
Their banter left Qin Yuelan dumbfounded.
She already thought Hong Kong men and women played pretty openly, but her acquaintance and friend were clearly even more outrageous.
Role play? "Sir," "your humble servant"—what next, a maid, a bodyguard, and a flower thief?
The soul of romance novels burned fiercely within her; Qin Yuelan was already imagining a melodramatic story between Zhang Tianfeng and Gao Ran.
Time ticked by; in the blink of an eye, five minutes had passed.
"You really opened my eyes today," Zhang Tianfeng said.
Gao Ran’s compliance truly surprised him. He dared not boss her around any further, lest she continue with tricks that would exhaust him.
"I spent a long time today talking to a very important guest and learned a great deal."
"If you really want to make money and can control yourself, tell me how much capital you still have."
"Um... about a million?" Gao Ran counted on her fingers, looking adorably clueless.
Zhang Tianfeng said, "Split it in half. Use 500,000 to buy Chinese concept stocks and hold until year-end; the profit should be enough for you to splurge for a whole year."
"And the other 500,000?" Gao Ran asked expectantly.
"Keep it aside, wait for an opportunity to grab some easy money."
"Boss, can I join you too?" Qin Yuelan asked meekly.
"Of course. When the time comes, I'll call you."
Zhang Tianfeng stood up and stretched. "If you want to cash out, I suggest waiting until the end of the month. If you don’t need the money, hold till the end of the year—the returns will exceed your expectations."
"All right."
"Any other questions? Let’s go, let’s buy some things."
"Look downstairs first, then decide whether to go out."
Zhang Tianfeng went over for a look—wow, what a crowd! They stood below, feverish, blocking the traffic.
"The Stock God! The Stock God is here!"
"Stock God, I sang the national anthem and just won the lottery—thank you!"
"Stock God, how much longer will the Hang Seng Index rise? Which stock should I buy?"
"Stock God!"

The chorus of "Stock God" echoed thunderously. Zhang Tianfeng fled back to the room, clutching his head.
This was getting out of hand; he hardly dared to go outside now.
"Better change clothes. If you don't have any, I can lend you some."
Women's clothes? No! Zhang Tianfeng vehemently refused.
In the end, the three disguised themselves and left the hotel, never to return. Their things would be taken care of by someone else.
Leaving the hotel and the crowd behind, they returned to the vibrant streets of Hong Kong.
After a meal at a street stall, they hailed a taxi to the city's largest electronics market.
Here, if you had money, you could get any electronic product, domestic or foreign—as long as you could name it and state its origin, they'd procure it for you.
Brand-new mobile phones, piled high in glass cases, with streams of customers coming and going—some carrying bags, some with sacks, obviously big clients, buying dozens at a time.
Countless small buyers crowded every corner of the market, creating a scene of prosperity and peace.
They wandered for a long while until they found, in a slightly secluded spot, a familiar large-headed LCD screen.
In this era, mobile phones were the hot item, costing over ten thousand each—the wealthy businessmen didn't care at all.
But computers were another matter; their price was high, and their use wasn’t yet widespread in China. Lenovo had only just begun to rise, and it would be another two years before computers became commonplace.
As a result, computers remained expensive and neglected.
When customers approached, the shop owner became excited.
"Handsome, which computer are you looking for? I have Lenovo series sets, 286 to 586, and assembled machines as well."
"If you can name the hardware, whatever’s currently available, I can get it for you."
The owner was a fair-skinned young man, with neat short hair, thick brows, and big eyes.
Zhang Tianfeng paused, then murmured, "Gu?"
"Hey, you know me?"
In 1993, Gu was still drifting in society—he'd worked as an employee, been a boss, and even gone to jail for loyalty.
This very year, Gu would enter TVB's fifth actor training class as an auditing student, and next year, officially join TVB and debut.
Zhang Tianfeng paused, then turned to Gao Ran. "Have you ever thought of starting an entertainment agency?"
"You want to..."
Yes, Zhang Tianfeng wanted to sign Gu before anyone else. Such a patriotic artist must not slip away.
Moreover, Zhang Tianfeng already had an idea: since Redhair stubbornly refused to approach Zhou Mei, he could let Gu play the role of a wealthy boss and enact a handsome man strategy tailor-made for Zhou Yuan’s wife.