Chapter 30: Half a Small Goal Achieved Two years ago, Chinese "Dama" famously bought 300 tons of gold, taking on Wall Street’s giants and earning a place in history. Their victory against Goldman Sachs even inspired the creation of a new English term: DAMA. Back then, they defied the odds and overwhelmed their opponents, forcing Goldman to admit defeat. Now, with the wind at their back, their strength was unstoppable. Gold prices were surging relentlessly, with domestic increases driving international gold prices and impacting the London Gold market. At 3 PM, the domestic stock market closed with the Shanghai Composite Index falling back to 4823.48 points, a sharp 6.85% drop. This day would undoubtedly go down in history. Across the three major boards, 3,124 stocks were down, with 1,250 stocks hitting limit-down. Only a handful of newly listed stocks remained in the green. Lucky retail investors who had secured IPO allocations flaunted their gains, while others lamented their losses. Chinese Online was utterly crushed, lying flat at its floor price. The three main institutions managing the stock could only watch helplessly, their plans for an orderly retreat completely derailed. They had been carefully exiting positions, sticking to a steady schedule, when a single regulatory directive buried the entire market. Even if they wanted to escape, there was no way out. “You’ve had so much coffee today. Why not take a hot bath first to relax?” Li Manli suggested. “I’ll run the bath for you,” she said cheerfully. After extended exhaustion, just like prolonged hunger, the body sometimes felt numb to its needs. Lu Liang found himself craving a warm soak and a proper massage but lacked the energy to go out. It seemed Li Manli had read his mind. The moment he stepped into the bathtub, she followed him into the bathroom. Smiling mischievously, she crept behind him. “Brother Liang, let me give you a massage.” Lu Liang turned to look at her and couldn’t help but laugh. “When did you buy so many ‘unique’ outfits?” She was now dressed in a deep red garment with camellia patterns and a wide blue sash around her waist—reminiscent of summer festival yukatas often seen in anime. The outfit, however, was not a true yukata. Bending slightly, she revealed a glimpse of skin through the neckline, hinting that she wore nothing underneath. “Didn’t you tell me to research the market and understand audience preferences before becoming a video creator?” “So, I did some research and found that most viewers on that platform are into anime culture.” “Cosplay outfits get way more views than regular clothes,” she exclaimed proudly. “I’ve only uploaded two videos and already have 3,000 followers!” “Keep it up. When you hit 100,000 followers, start streaming, and I’ll be your top Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience. There was nothing wrong with leveraging her strengths. Her looks were undeniably an advantage. Feigning seriousness, he teased, “I remember Boa Hancock is quite popular, right?” “You mean Hancock? You like her? I’ll buy a costume for next time!” “She’s alright,” Lu Liang said with a sly grin, closing his eyes as he reclined. Li Manli’s hands, however, were clumsy, failing to hit the right spots. He had to guide her through the process until the water turned tepid. Wrapping himself in a robe, he said, “I’m going to sleep. Don’t wait for me for dinner.” Despite her temptations, his body and mind were too fatigued to entertain any other thoughts. He woke in the middle of the night to a quiet house. After freshening up, he returned to his study to continue his journey toward becoming a multimillionaire. By 4 PM, the Asian session for London Gold had ended, and the European and American sessions had taken over. During his rest, gold had risen by 12 points, though it briefly pulled back by 17 points due to opposing trades. By 1:30 AM, international gold prices stood at $1470.25 per ounce, leaving 47 points of potential gains remaining from the voice’s prediction. "Thirty hours, 47 points of growth. Where’s the next catalyst?" Lu Liang refrained from opening new positions, instead scouring news for the spark that would ignite the next rally. Although he had once been decent at English—nearly passing Level 4 in university—years of neglect had dulled his skills.