This boy is indeed a bit arrogant.

Of course, there could be people with the same nickname; such cases are extremely common online. Fang Qingye had seen several individuals called “East Sea Swordsman” on the internet.

Fang Qingye ignored it and focused on the capelin in his hands, when he heard Jiang Chen continue, “This invincible young beauty claimed she developed a mathematical model and calculated that a stock named Longping High-Tech would soar.”

“That’s utterly laughable. Who uses a mathematical model for stock trading? I’ve been in the market for years and know a thing or two. Just hearing her talk was nonsense. I couldn’t resist telling her off, advising her to stop messing with flashy, useless stuff and instead observe the market more, combining fundamentals with various technical indicators.”

“Did she listen to you?” Wang Simin asked curiously.

“Of course not. She even tried to argue her theory with me, but I have fans in this group. Without me saying much, they tore her apart mercilessly.” Jiang Chen smirked with pride.

At this moment, Fang Qingye was certain the invincible young beauty Jiang Chen mentioned was the Dongguan girl.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Chen to be in that group too.

However, it was a large group with over six hundred members, and Fang Qingye was a perennial lurker who seldom paid attention; they seemed not to have noticed each other.

After finishing the last capelin, Fang Qingye took another one. He knew Jiang Chen was showing off in front of everyone, flaunting his stock trading skills and the fact that he had fans online, especially since he was pursuing Wang Simin.

It was like a peacock displaying its beautiful tail to attract a mate; in stock trading, Jiang Chen’s prowess was his splendid tail.

As for mentioning the Dongguan girl, it was merely to showcase his own level.

This guy was indeed a bit arrogant.

Just then, Song Dahai, who was eating lamb skewers, suddenly said, “Yezi, didn’t you buy some stocks a few days ago? Do you know about this?”

Hearing that Fang Qingye was into stock trading, the topic instantly shifted to him. “Fang Qingye, you trade stocks too? What did you buy?”

Several people looked at him.

Fang Qingye finished the last bit of fish meat, then leisurely replied, “Longping High-Tech.”

“What? Longping High-Tech?!” Jiang Chen was stunned, then burst into laughter.

“Fang Qingye, how could you buy such junk stocks? Why didn’t you ask me first? I could recommend two stocks much better than Longping High-Tech! When did you buy it?”

“Last Thursday.”

“You’re not deeply stuck yet. Tomorrow morning, as soon as the market opens, set a low sell order and cut your losses quick! Trust me!”

But Fang Qingye smiled calmly and said, “First, Longping High-Tech is definitely not junk stock. Second, I also believe it will surge.”

“You believe? Then tell me, did Longping High-Tech rise or fall yesterday?” Jiang Chen retorted.

“It fell,” Fang Qingye answered honestly.

“It plummeted! It hit the limit down! Yesterday, the market closed slightly positive; most stocks rose, but the agriculture sector kept declining, especially Longping High-Tech... And you say it’s going to soar?” Jiang Chen sneered.

“Stock trading—even short-term operations—don’t mean buy today, sell tomorrow, right? I said it would rise; I didn’t say it would rise immediately on Friday!” Fang Qingye smiled.

“Fang Qingye, why are you so stubborn? I’m telling you to cut losses, and you won’t? We’re old classmates, I’m looking out for you!” Jiang Chen said earnestly.

“Exactly, Fang Qingye, just listen to Jiang Chen. We can be at odds with anyone, but not with money,” Wang Simin chimed in.

“Yeah, among us, Jiang Chen has the most experience in trading,” Shao Jing added.

Fang Qingye shook his head, smiling silently, and picked up another capelin.

Seeing this attitude, Jiang Chen was somewhat displeased.

“I’m trying to help you, and you don’t appreciate it!”

“All right, enough,” Jiang Chen said as he picked up a lamb skewer and chewed slowly. “Some people won’t give up until they get beaten to a pulp. Moscow doesn’t believe in tears, and the stock market is no different!”

Throughout the conversation, Qian Xiaoli focused on eating a squid skewer, clearly uninterested in the topic.

Chen Meimei glanced at Jiang Chen, then at Fang Qingye, wanting to say something but held back.

This was just a small episode; the group soon shifted topics. After finishing the meal, they tidied up their utensils and garbage, then drove to the city center of Jinghai. Naturally, the girls were interested in fashionable clothes and went shopping at places like Vientiane City and South Street.

Fang Qingye was uninterested and took Song Dahai’s car to the Xinhua Bookstore downtown, but as expected, he found no books on financial mathematics.

Looks like he’d have to rely on Xia He’s help.

Around four in the afternoon, the group drove back to Nanxin County.

The same arrangement as before: Song Dahai, Fang Qingye, and Chen Meimei in one car.

During the ride, the three discussed the argument with Jiang Chen over barbecue.

“Yezi, I think Jiang Chen has a point. After all, he’s been trading for years and made a fortune with it,” Song Dahai reminded him.

“What, afraid I’ll lose money and won’t be able to repay your loan?” Fang Qingye half-joked, half-serious.

“Not at all. If you lose, so be it—I won’t ask you to repay! It’s only 200,000 yuan...” Song Dahai hurriedly reassured.

“I just think we shouldn’t be too stubborn. It’s not worth jumping off a cliff knowingly!” Fang Qingye said.

“I think buying Longping High-Tech might not lose money,” Chen Meimei suddenly said from the back seat.

“Why?” Song Dahai asked in surprise.

“I don’t invest or trade, but I often follow the stock market,” Chen Meimei explained. “I checked Longping High-Tech’s fundamentals. They announced a net profit of over 80 million yuan in the first quarter, which is excellent profitability for the A-share market. That provides a basis for speculation.”

“There are also rumors in the market about a high dividend payout from Longping High-Tech. I think it’s true. After the ex-dividend date, the stock price will drop, attracting investors. Nowadays, investors prefer low-priced stocks over high-priced ones, which increases liquidity and prevents the stock from becoming a dead stock that no one wants.”

“So, I think Longping High-Tech might not soar, but it may not continue to fall as Jiang Chen said. It should rise somewhat,” Chen Meimei concluded.

“Not bad, Chen Meimei, your analysis is spot on... Why didn’t you say this at lunch?” Song Dahai asked.

“Well, it’s just theoretical analysis. I don’t have practical experience. I can’t compare to Jiang Chen,” Chen Meimei smiled.

“I think what you said is quite good!” Song Dahai replied, then asked Fang Qingye, “Hey, we’ve talked so much, why haven’t you said a word?”

“What should I say?” Fang Qingye smiled. “I definitely agree with Chen Meimei’s view; otherwise, why would I buy Longping High-Tech? Don’t worry, I won’t lose your money, and this time I’ll make a big profit!”

“If you make money, you have to treat us,” Song Dahai said immediately.

“No problem.”

After returning to the county, everyone went home. Fang Qingye got off at the entrance of his teachers’ residential complex, and Song Dahai dropped Chen Meimei off at the Water Supply Bureau staff housing.

The next morning at work, Xia He brought three newly purchased books. Fang Qingye went to her office to thank her and paid for the books, and Xia He politely accepted.

Back in his own office, after working for a while, Fang Qingye took out the books to read.

He decided to start with “Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Finance,” as it was more practical and addressed his immediate questions.

This book used benchmark analysis methods for financial modeling, explaining various quantitative approaches for real-world pricing and hedging of derivatives. Fang Qingye studied the content carefully and couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

When he first read this book in his previous life, it was obscure and difficult; reading it often made his scalp tingle. But after over ten years of practical experience, revisiting it now made it much clearer.

He spent most of the day this way, immersed in the book aside from his work. Even when Zhang Qunying, the newly appointed head of the credit department, passed by his desk, she didn’t notice him.

Zhang Qunying didn’t say anything either.

She had already learned from Xia He that Fang Qingye would be transferred to the general office after his rotation. Since he would no longer be her subordinate, there was no need to say much.

Moreover, Fang Qingye had played a decisive role in quickly solving the deposit theft case at Tenglong Industrial; she felt grateful.

Besides, he wasn’t reading some online novel but financial texts, so it was considered studying.

Around three in the afternoon, Fang Qingye suddenly received a call from Song Dahai: “Yezi, are you on QQ? Jiang Chen is calling you out in the big grade group.”