Eleanor decided to complete the side quest first: investigating Liam's social circle. In her past life, she had known nothing about his "business associates," only aware that he frequently attended parties and dinners with various people. She had never suspected those individuals might be complicit in his financial fraud. Now she realized they were likely his accomplices, key pillars supporting his deception. Only by mapping out his social network and finding leverage over these people could she fully understand Liam's vulnerabilities and prepare for her next moves.
She opened her computer and searched for Liam on social media. His account was set to private, accessible only to friends. But this posed no challenge for Eleanor—she remembered his password from her past life: their "anniversary date," once a symbol of romance, now a bitter irony. On a whim, she entered it; the page loaded, and she found herself logged in.
She scrolled through his recent posts. Over the past month, he had shared numerous photos from parties and galas, featuring several well-dressed men who appeared to be business professionals. She took screenshots of each face, then used a search engine to find their identities, inputting their facial features and any possible names she could infer.
The first man was quickly identified as Marcus Hale. In the photo, he had his arm around Liam's shoulders, grinning widely—as if they were close friends. Eleanor's research revealed Marcus was the owner of Blackstone Investments, a firm that had invested $5 million in Liam's company the previous year. Liam had bragged to her at the time about his "wide connections and strong capabilities" for securing such a "great investment." But Blackstone had a notorious reputation, with numerous online reports accusing it of "predatory lending" and "illegal fund-raising." Several small business owners had even claimed they were driven to bankruptcy after borrowing from Blackstone.
"So Liam's company has been struggling with cash flow for a long time—he's even resorted to borrowing from loan sharks," Eleanor frowned, documenting Marcus's details—company name, address, contact information, and links to negative news—in a file. She suspected Marcus could be a crucial breakthrough in taking down Liam.
The second man was Dylan Cole, a partner at an accounting firm that audited Liam's company's annual reports. In her past life, Eleanor had been unable to understand even the basics of audit reports. But after studying the system's financial materials, she now knew how critical their accuracy was to a company's survival. If Dylan was colluding with Liam to issue falsified audit reports and cover up the company's financial gaps, Liam could continue deceiving investors and prolong his fraud.
Eleanor researched the accounting firm's past clients, discovering that several companies it had audited had later been exposed for financial fraud—only to escape consequences each time with flimsy excuses. "This firm is just as corrupt," she noted, adding Dylan's information to her file. She planned to investigate the firm's relationship with Liam's company further.
The third man was Oliver Reed, CEO of a real estate company. The photo showed him and Liam at a construction groundbreaking ceremony, both in formal suits holding shovels, smiling broadly. Looking at the image, a memory suddenly surfaced—Liam had mentioned partnering with Oliver on a real estate project in her past life, describing it as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune." He had urged her to invest her grandfather's trust fund, claiming, "This could set us up for life." She had nearly agreed, only to be stopped by the trust's terms: she could not access the funds until she turned 25. Now she realized the project had likely been another scam, designed to steal her trust fund and plug Liam's company's gaps.
"Three targets identified," Eleanor sighed in relief, looking at the organized information in her file. Marcus Hale (loan shark), Dylan Cole (corrupt accountant), Oliver Reed (real estate CEO)—all had close financial ties to Liam and were likely complicit in his fraud.
She encrypted the file and saved it in a hidden folder on her computer. No sooner had she finished than the system's voice sounded: "Side Quest 'Investigate Liam's Recent Social Circle' completed. Reward: Information Insight upgraded (now predicts 7-day stock trends), 50 System Points."
Sure enough, the interface showed the Information Insight function had been updated—predictions now covered 7 days with a 92% accuracy rate. Eleanor felt a surge of satisfaction—this would allow her to make longer-term, more stable investments, increasing her chances of completing the main quest.
She turned her attention back to the main objective: growing
73,500to
150,000 in 30 days—more than doubling her funds. This would require at least two high-yield trades, or one extraordinary windfall.
She opened the system interface to check the day's stock predictions. Among the four options, Galaxy Tech caught her eye—it was predicted to rise 35-40% over 7 days following the announcement of a partnership with a major international tech giant (92% accuracy).
A 35-40% gain! The number made Eleanor's heart skip a beat. This was the highest return she had seen yet. If she seized this opportunity, her funds might double overnight, making the main quest nearly effortless.
But she knew high returns came with high risks. Galaxy Tech's stock was currently priced at $62.5 per share, with a large market capitalization. Driving a 35-40% increase would require massive capital inflows and a game-changing positive announcement. While the system's prediction of a "partnership with an international tech giant" had a 92% accuracy rate, unexpected issues—failed negotiations, changed terms, or market overhyping—could cause the stock to plummet after a brief rise, resulting in heavy losses.
Instead of rushing to buy, Eleanor spent the afternoon researching Galaxy Tech thoroughly. She studied its annual reports, news coverage, and industry analyses, even reading comments from analysts and investors on professional financial forums. She learned the company specialized in AI chip research and production, with strong technical capabilities and several core patents—but limited market share due to its lack of international distribution channels, confining its products to the domestic market and restricting profit margins. A partnership with a major global tech firm would open international markets, triggering explosive growth in sales and profits—making a 35-40% stock price increase entirely plausible.
"It's worth the risk," Eleanor decided after careful consideration. She kept
10,000asanemergencyfundandinvestedtheremaining
63,500 in Galaxy Tech—buying 1,016 shares at $62.5 per share.
After completing the purchase, Eleanor felt surprisingly calm. She closed her stock trading app and returned to studying the Financial Basics Handbook. Over the next few days, she checked Galaxy Tech's price only once daily, focusing instead on learning and monitoring the company's latest developments and market rumors.
Galaxy Tech's stock did not rise immediately as she had hoped. Instead, rumors emerged claiming "partnership negotiations have hit a dead end and may fail," causing the price to drop 5% on the third day—from
62.5to
59.4.
Seeing the decline, Eleanor's heart raced, cold sweat breaking out on her palms. She stared at the numbers on the screen, her mind flooded with doubts: Should she sell now to limit losses? Would the price drop further if she held on? Could the system be wrong? The fear of losing her assets—so vivid from her past life under Liam's deception—washed over her, threatening to overwhelm her.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm as she activated the system's newly unlocked "Market Sentiment Analysis" function. The interface showed current market sentiment was dominated by "panic" and "hesitation"—many retail investors were selling out of fear, but institutional holdings remained stable, with even slight increases in some positions.
"This is just short-term volatility—a panic sell triggered by rumors, not a fundamental issue," Eleanor analyzed. She recalled her research: Galaxy Tech had strong technical capabilities, and the partnership would benefit both parties. The chances of successful negotiations were high. Clenching her teeth, she decided to hold on, refusing to be swayed by short-term market fluctuations.
Over the following days, Galaxy Tech released no official statement to address the rumors, and its stock price fluctuated between
59and
61. Though anxious, Eleanor persisted—studying financial knowledge daily while monitoring Galaxy Tech's updates, waiting for news of the partnership.
On the morning of the seventh day, just as the system's prediction period was about to end, Galaxy Tech suddenly issued an official announcement: "Our company has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with global tech leader Apple to jointly develop next-generation AI chips, with a total investment of $1 billion. The 5-year agreement will see initial funds disbursed within one month."
The stock price soared the moment the announcement went live. It opened at
61.2,roseto
75 within an hour (18.7% up), hit
80.5bythecloseoftrading(28.888.6—a 41.8% increase, exceeding the system's 35-40% prediction.
Eleanor's hands trembled as she watched her account balance—her
63,500investmenthadgrownto
114,700, a
51,200profit.Addingthe
10,000 reserve, her total funds reached $124,700.
She needed just
25,300moretoreachthe
150,000 target, with 23 days remaining—plenty of time to close the gap.
"Host has achieved a single-trade profit exceeding $50,000. Unlocked 'Elite Investor' Achievement. Reward: 200 System Points, Market Sentiment Analysis function activated," the system announced in its usual mechanical tone, yet somehow conveying a hint of satisfaction.
Eleanor closed her computer and stood, walking to the window. Night had fallen, and the city's lights twinkled like dancing flames in her eyes. She was getting closer to her revenge. Liam, every debt you owe me—I will collect it, one by one. And you will pay the ultimate price for what you did in my past life.