Chapter 4: Discovered by My Parents!
"Ugh!"
As if struck by an invisible force, Su Hao shuddered and suddenly opened his eyes.
"Wha…what time is it?"
His consciousness was still fuzzy; he fumbled for his phone and lit up the screen.
"Ahhh…"
A suppressed sigh, filled with endless vexation.
There were still ten full minutes until his alarm was set to go off.
Ten whole minutes! He could have…slept for another ten minutes!
This feeling was all too familiar, as if he had returned to those dark, sunless days of his third year of high school, where every minute of sleep was like stolen nectar.
Sleep a little more? Just ten minutes?
The thought arose, then was ruthlessly crushed by him.
"Sigh…sleep my ass."
He gave a wry smile, perfectly aware of his own disposition.
If he really closed his eyes now, he definitely wouldn't hear the alarm in ten minutes; he'd surely sleep until lunchtime.
By then, let alone going to work, he'd probably have to think for a long time to remember his own surname.
"Ugh…"
As if engaged in a grueling tug-of-war with the entire bed, he gritted his teeth and used all his strength to struggle into a sitting position.
Fatigue permeated his very bones.
"Ugh…I shouldn't have played games so late last night…"
He thought of the big brothers in his guild, old men who, dragging their weary bodies home from work, still had the energy to go online and battle…
That kind of perseverance truly made one…respectful.
"Damn it! I'm going to be late!"
In that moment of distraction, another ten minutes had quietly slipped away!
His heart tightened, and he dared not delay any longer, rushing into the bathroom.
Washing up? Non-existent!
The fastest method—turn on the shower, and icy cold tap water poured down, drenching him! The bone-chilling cold made him shiver violently, instantly waking him up significantly.
He grabbed shampoo with his left hand, haphazardly smeared it on his head, rubbed it a few times, then rinsed it off.
Done!
This method was invigorating!
He shook his wet hair, water droplets splattering, carrying the faint scent of shampoo.
Nostalgia…
If it were back in his freeloading days, at this hour, he'd be 100% still battling exhilaratingly in some game dungeon.
Then, with a body full of exhaustion and satisfaction, he'd collapse into bed and sleep until the world turned dark and the sun and moon lost their light.
Sigh, the good old days were gone forever.
He tidied up at the fastest speed of his life, stepped out of the bathroom, and walked towards the living room.
Then, he paused.
By the dining table, his parents, who should still have been dreaming, were seated upright.
Their eyes were sharp and piercing.
"Hmm? Why are you up so early?" His heart sank. Was it because he made too much noise just now?
"Su Hao, come and sit down." His father's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Su Hao, recently, you've been running out before dawn. Where are you going? Are you really going for interviews? So early in the morning?"
His mother's tone was filled with worry and a hint of scrutiny, her gaze sweeping over him.
What was bound to come, finally came.
Su Hao took a deep breath, as if he had made some kind of decision.
"Uh…actually, I found a job."
"What?!" His mother's voice suddenly rose, "Weren't you going for interviews?"
"Yes, I'm…going to work now."
He had been working at Fang Huan Investment for three days.
For the first two days, he was on pins and needles, completely unsure, not knowing how long this heaven-sent job would last, so he naturally didn't dare to tell his family.
But today, he could tell them.
Because—
He took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table, making a soft "pat" sound.
"What? Fang Huan Investment?" His father's voice also changed pitch, and he suddenly stood up.
"Wait, are you talking about…*that* Fang Huan Investment?" His mother was even more stunned, leaning closer to the table.
Their eyes were fixed on the employee badge and business card that Su Hao had taken out, as if they wanted to burn two holes through them.
"This…is this a real business card?" His father picked up the business card, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, carefully caressing the gold-embossed lettering on it.
"Oh my goodness! It really is an employee badge and business card from Fang Huan Investment…This, what on earth is going on…"
His mother's face was filled with disbelief, her eyes darting back and forth between the badge and her son.
After the initial shock, his mother suddenly grabbed Su Hao's hand, with such force that he winced slightly, feeling the cool, trembling tips of her fingers on his skin.
"A-Hao, did your father and I push you too hard, so you made a fake business card to deceive us?! I know what kind of place Fang Huan Investment is! How could you possibly get into such a top-tier company?!"
His mother's voice carried a hint of panic, as if she had already concluded that her son was telling a monstrous lie.
Tsk.
Su Hao clicked his tongue.
Those words…he really couldn't refute them.
In the past, Fang Huan Investment was indeed a place he wouldn't even dare to dream of, with a threshold so high it could pierce the sky.
But he wasn't lying.
He was, truly, working there now.
It was just that the process was a bit too bizarre.
"This…it's a long story, but I really am working there. And I need to go quickly, Mom. The market opens at 9:30, and I need to get there early to prepare a lot of things."
As a trading assistant, he had to have the awareness of a trading assistant; running errands and doing odd jobs were the most basic requirements.
Serving the senior traders well and ensuring they could also make a fortune today—that was his duty.
Therefore, he absolutely could not be late!
"You're still being stubborn…" His mother was about to flare up.
"Wife, don't you know our son?"
His father, who was standing by, spoke up. He put down the business card and looked at his son, his eyes complex.
"He's a bit lacking in studies, and he's lazy, but he plays games with great enthusiasm…This kid, from childhood to adulthood, has a pile of flaws, but the one thing he truly doesn't do much is lie, especially about big things like this."
"Dad, are you praising me or putting me down…" Su Hao grinned, but his heart felt warm.
"So, son, this is true, right?"
"Yes!" Su Hao nodded vigorously, his eyes firm.
"Good, I believe you!"
His father picked up the Fang Huan Investment business card, as if holding some rare treasure, examining it meticulously, his fingers tracing every word on it.
"The fact that you could get in means you have your own abilities; they saw something in you!"
His father's face showed a long-unseen, genuinely proud smile, "I knew it, my son can definitely do it! Hahaha!"
"Thanks, Dad. But I really can't dawdle anymore, I need to leave quickly."
"Go quickly!" His father waved his hand, "You can't be late for work!"
Su Hao tidied up at the fastest speed and rushed towards the door.
Just as he pulled the door open, his mother caught up to him and shoved two boiled, shelled eggs, a steamed bun, and an apple into his hands.
"Eat on the way, don't go hungry."
The familiar scent carried his mother's unique warmth.
It seemed…he hadn't experienced it in a long time.
"Oh, by the way, you should buy a few suits. You can't wear the same one every day. This weekend, Mom will go with you to buy them."
As his mother spoke, she opened her arms and gave him a tight hug.
This hug, too, had been long overdue.
It carried the faint fragrance of his mother and a solid feeling named "home."
His father, standing behind, also happily came over and clumsily hugged him, patting him heavily on the back twice.
"Work hard, son!"
"If you're too tired, tell us at home, don't just tough it out, okay?"
"Okay." Su Hao's nose inexplicably stung.
Is this what it feels like to be recognized…
His heart felt as if something had gently stirred it, warm and full, dispelling the last trace of chill from the morning.
"Ah, I'm really going to be late! I'm leaving now!"
"Okay! Mom will make your favorite food; call home early after work!"
"Got it!"
He responded, turned, and stepped out the door with light steps.
His steps today seemed lighter than ever before.
***
As soon as he stepped into the trading department office, Li Huilin's teasing voice came over.
"Cutting it close, A-Hao, you're one minute away from being late."
"Phew…thank goodness." Su Hao caught his breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Sorry, Sister Huilin, I should have arrived earlier."
"Heh heh, it's alright." Li Huilin chuckled, waving her hand, "With me covering for you, even if you're late, I'll take the blame for you!"
The refreshing morning began with organizing mountains of reports and documents.
"Yesterday was really…busy as hell, wasn't it?" Li Huilin said, skillfully sorting documents.
"Yes," Su Hao said with lingering fear, "I originally thought the first day of reporting was busy enough, but I didn't expect that to be nothing; yesterday was truly exaggerated."
"Yesterday was a special situation," Li Huilin explained, "Mainly because market volatility suddenly increased abnormally, there was nothing we could do. This kind of situation doesn't happen often, don't worry."
She looked up, subtly observing the newcomer beside her.
Only the third day.
But Li Huilin had to admit, this newcomer really had something going for him.
Any other newcomer wouldn't be able to get a handle on things without a month or so of adjustment, and nine times out of ten, they'd still be clumsy.
But this Su Hao, he was incredibly quick and efficient, and…
How to put it…
Clever?
Yes, clever.
As if he inherently knew what to do and where to be at what time.
Thanks to him, the pre-market preparation work was extremely efficient.
In fact, she could even steal a moment of leisure now, enjoying a hot cup of coffee while standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the scenery.
This was a luxury on busy mornings in the past.
"Oh, right," Li Huilin seemed to remember something, "Yesterday was too busy, I forgot to check the simulated trading account. A-Hao, did you check it?"
"No, yesterday I was busy running around with Sister Huilin."
Documents, coffee, printed materials, snacks…
Yesterday, he pushed a small cart filled with various sundries, scurrying like a spinning top between the various trading teams on the entire floor.
Before, he thought a trading assistant only needed to stay within their own team, but that was completely not the case.
When manpower was tight, especially during drastic market fluctuations, newcomers like them also had to support other teams.
Yesterday was particularly chaotic; he practically became the department's "delivery boy," running his legs ragged.
"I just suddenly thought," Li Huilin picked up her coffee cup and took a small sip, "Instead of letting that simulated investment continue to lose money, it's better to close the position early. Once the adjustment is over, we can have more ammunition to fight back."
"Really?"
"Yes, I'll guide you through the operation and try to make up for the losses. Let me think…last time we bought ST Zhongrun, right? Let's see what the closing price was yesterday…"
Being able to leisurely enjoy a morning coffee in the office was a long-lost simple pleasure.
With this comfort, Li Huilin lightly clicked her mouse, opening the stock price page for ST Zhongrun.
The next second—
"Pfft—!"
A mouthful of coffee sprayed out of Li Huilin's mouth without warning, tracing a startling arc in the air.
Su Hao, sitting across from her, was startled by this sudden "projectile" and instinctively leaned back, then fumbled for tissues to hand over.
"Sister Huilin, are you alright?"
"A-A-Hao…you, quickly look at this!" Li Huilin didn't bother to wipe the coffee stain from the corner of her mouth, her finger pointing at the screen trembling, her eyes wide as bells.
On the screen, the bright red numbers were dazzling—
ST Zhongrun had hit its daily limit…5%!
It was that stock, the one he bought when all the gold stocks collectively plummeted and wails of despair filled the air!