016 Public Ridicule

“Why are you calling me?” Fang Qingye sounded a bit puzzled.

“It’s about the stocks again. Check it out yourself—I’m busy at work. Bye... Hey, buddy, you can’t set up stalls there! Move along quickly!”

A burst of noise followed on the phone.

In those days, mobile stock trading wasn’t widespread yet. Apps like Tonghuashun hadn’t appeared, and the loan department’s computers couldn’t access the internet, so Fang Qingye had no idea how the stocks were performing today.

Hearing Song Dahai’s words, Fang Qingye logged into QQ on his phone and saw dozens of unread messages in the high school grade group chat.

So lively?

He clicked in and found they were all discussing stocks. Jiang Chen had @mentioned him several times.

Seeing Fang Qingye offline, Jiang Chen was mocking him in the group.

“Fang Qingye, you didn’t listen to me. Look, Longping Hi-Tech dropped another two points today—two consecutive declines, haha!”

“Fang Qingye, I admit you had better grades than me in high school, but when it comes to stock trading, you’re nowhere near.”

“Take advice while you’re full... cut your losses before you end up losing everything, even your underwear, haha...”

Jiang Chen’s words sparked immediate agreement from others, ridiculing Fang Qingye as a clueless novice.

“Compared to Jiang Chen, Fang Qingye is way behind in stock trading.”

“Exactly. Among our high school classmates, who’s as good as Jiang Chen at stocks? I respect him for that alone!”

“Fang Qingye is just plain dumb.”

...

Of course, there were also supporters of Fang Qingye, Song Dahai among them, who even used voice chat—probably busy at work and unable to type.

Fang Qingye suddenly noticed Bai Ou, who rarely spoke in the group, unusually chiming in today:

“Jiang Chen, we’re all high school classmates. If you truly want to help Fang Qingye, why not message him privately or call him? What’s the point of saying these things in the big group? Showing off your skills?”

“From a psychological perspective, this behavior is called ‘psychological compulsion’ or ‘megalomania.’ It usually stems from a lack of intrinsic self-worth and feelings of inferiority! Showing off is often a way to mask one’s insecurities and anxieties, seeking external validation and praise to satisfy one’s vanity... Jiang Chen, is that you?”

Wow... impressive.

Fang Qingye remembered Bai Ou as a quiet, gentle girl in school; now she had become sharp-tongued?

Oh, right, she studied law.

Naturally, Jiang Chen took offense and started arguing with Bai Ou in the group again.

This guy’s crazy—biting anyone he sees?

Fang Qingye couldn’t watch any longer and immediately @mentioned Jiang Chen in the group.

“Jiang Chen, I can’t watch the market at work. How much volume did Longping Hi-Tech have today?”

Seeing Fang Qingye’s message, Jiang Chen dropped his argument with Bai Ou and replied immediately.

“Oh, Fang Qingye, you’re finally online—about 73 million. What’s up?”

“Amplitude?”

“12.4%.”

“Turnover rate?”

“1.57%.”

“MA5?”

“52,100.”

“MA10?”

“52,000.”

...

The group fell silent, only the chat between Fang Qingye and Jiang Chen scrolling rapidly.

After Jiang Chen finished sharing the MACD indicator data, Fang Qingye’s messages stopped suddenly.

After a moment, he popped up with a new message:

“Jiang Chen, how about a bet?”

“A bet on what?”

“I bet Longping Hi-Tech will rise tomorrow, at least 4 points!” Fang Qingye typed.

“Oh yeah? What if you lose?”

“I’ll treat everyone in the group to dinner tomorrow night! You choose any restaurant in Nanxin! If you lose, vice versa!”

Fang Qingye’s words exploded in the QQ group, messages flooding the screen.

“Fang Qingye, are you serious?”

“Damn! Is he crazy? This is the class of 2003 high school grade group! Though most of the 15 classes aren’t in the group, there are still 482 members! Even if half are away studying, working, or in Nanxin, that’s about 240 people.”

“Excluding those who don’t live in the county seat, at least 200 remain. After accounting for those busy or unable to come for various reasons, still 100 people! That’s 10 tables!” someone started calculating.

But another quickly shot back:

“Hey, you’re discriminating against those of us from the countryside, huh? If those two dare to bet for real, I’ll take the bus to the city just to eat one meal!”

Others began planning where to host the feast:

“How about Dingcheng Grand Hotel? They have good dishes, and the prices aren’t too high. I went there for a banquet last month—700 yuan a table, excluding drinks.”

“What? 700 a table isn’t expensive? Ten tables is 7,000 yuan, plus drinks and cigarettes—that’s over ten thousand! You’re ruthless!”

“Heh, treat the rich, this is a rare opportunity.”

Some even joked that just eating wasn’t enough—they’d have to go karaoke afterward, adding that to the tab...

The group was buzzing, usually silent members suddenly chiming in.

Jiang Chen was stunned, staring blankly at the screen. He hadn’t expected Fang Qingye to pull such a move.

Thousands of yuan... His monthly salary was just over 2,000. Although his family was wealthy, losing that much at once still stung.

More importantly, why should he?

Why should I treat you all?

And why was Fang Qingye suddenly so confident?

What was his basis?

Could the data have given him some insight that the stock would rise tomorrow?

Jiang Chen tried to calm himself, secretly opening Tonghuashun to take a closer look.

After ten minutes, a faint smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s face—he seemed to understand why Fang Qingye was so certain.

It was just a triple bottom forming on the daily K-line, with the lows gradually rising, so he thought it would surge?

What a joke!

He immediately opened QQ and @mentioned Fang Qingye in the group:

“Fang Qingye, I’ll bet with you! Just as you said! If Longping Hi-Tech rises more than 4 points tomorrow, I lose! Otherwise, you lose! The loser will host a few tables at Dingcheng Grand Hotel, 700 yuan a table. Deal?”

“Okay!” Fang Qingye replied immediately.

“Fang Qingye, how about we add something?”

“Add what?”

“Since we’re treating, be generous—after dinner, go karaoke! The loser keeps paying!”

“No problem!”

The bet was set, and the group erupted again, messages rolling in a torrent.

“They’re serious!”

“Real men, true men, treating money like dirt. Respect!”

Followed by dozens of fist-bump emojis.

“Don’t just talk big when you’re not paying...” someone shot back.

More meticulous minds began considering details:

“What kind of liquor? We need to decide, otherwise what if the winner makes the loser buy Moutai or Wuliangye? And which KTV? What drinks, what fruit platters? We need to be clear since we’re betting!”

“Then why don’t you make a suggestion?” someone chimed in.

“Alright, I’ll reluctantly do it. We’re all classmates, so let’s not be too harsh. How about Blue Yanghe Classic Dream Blue liquor?”

“What? You call that not harsh? A bottle costs at least 200 yuan. If a table drinks two bottles, how much does that cost?!”

...

“Haha, Fang Qingye, you’re doomed!” Jiang Chen’s message suddenly appeared among the flurry, and the screen quieted instantly.

“Fang Qingye, you just saw a triple bottom on the K-line and thought it would go up? I’m telling you, that triple bottom is fake—a trap set by the major players to lure in buyers. The price will keep falling! There’s no bottom, only lower lows! You’re sure to lose!”

“That’s true, it’s not a textbook triple bottom, but the major players aren’t trapping—it’s a genuine rally! How else would I know the overall trend of this stock recently?” Fang Qingye read Jiang Chen’s aggressive tone in the group and smiled faintly.

However, he had no time to reply because while reading the QQ chat, he was also on a long-distance call with a girl.

It was Bai Ou calling from Shencheng.