Ghost Stocks

Synopsis

What kind of person is he? He has no earth-shattering supernatural powers, yet he can be called a national hero amidst the dust and grime of the world!

What kind of people are they? Beneath their humble bodies, they still maintain noble character and pure and beautiful hearts.

An elegant figure stands silhouetted against the hustle and bustle of the world. Slightly melancholic, yet exuding a composed and graceful air…

The First Part: Introduction to Deception and Deception

In the spring of 1997, in May, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou was teeming with tourists, and incense smoke filled the air. This place was originally a secluded valley on the shores of West Lake, with beautiful, not-too-high mountains and clear, not-too-deep waters—a perfect place for monks to cultivate themselves. However, after tourism became a major economic pillar, the mountain paths were no longer bustling with eminent monks, but with laypeople who came seeking fame and fortune, some for sightseeing, others for pleasure. Feng Junzi was one of these laypeople.

It was around two or three in the afternoon, the busiest time for tourists. Feng Junzi had just reached the mountain gate amidst the throng when he was surrounded by a group of vendors carrying incense and candles. "Boss, please have an incense stick. The Bodhisattvas at Lingyin Temple are very efficacious; you can't pray empty-handed."

Feng Junzi enjoyed studying metaphysics but was not a Buddhist. He hadn't originally planned to worship Buddha; he was simply curious about the legendary place where Ji Gong practiced his cultivation. Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere around him, or perhaps to escape the harassment of the vendors as quickly as possible, Feng Junzi spent twenty yuan on incense and candles and slowly walked into Lingyin Temple.

At historical sites like Lingyin Temple, ordinary worshippers are not allowed to light incense and candles inside the halls. Instead, several large incense burners are placed on either side of the courtyard outside the halls for visitors to use. Incense and candles are offered in separate burners. The incense burner resembles the alchemy furnace of Laozi in TV dramas, with lit incense sticks inserted into the ash inside the burner. The candle burner is like a small pavilion with a row of candlesticks made of iron frames, topped with a roof with upturned eaves at the four corners.

Although Feng Junzi offered incense and candles, he didn't sincerely worship Buddha. He merely lit and placed the candles hastily along the way. Many believers, after offering their incense and candles, naturally crowded into the entrances of the various halls to wait in line to kowtow, and Feng Junzi squeezed in to join the crowd. When it was Feng Junzi's turn, he simply walked to the prayer mat, looked up at the Buddha statue, bowed, and even wore a nonchalant smile.

At the time, Feng Junzi didn't know what he had done wrong. Later, his friend Professor Song lectured him: "How can you go to worship Buddha like that, sneaking around like that? Either you should just be a tourist, or you should properly burn incense and worship Buddha according to Buddhist rituals. This is not a matter of faith or not, but a matter of respect."

Unfortunately, Feng Junzi didn't understand this principle at the time. As he walked out of the final Medicine Buddha hall, he casually lit the last incense sticks and candles, then turned to leave. At that moment, he thought to himself, "These believers prostrating themselves on the ground are a bit ridiculous. If kowtowing could solve everything, wouldn't there be no trouble in the world? I certainly don't have any..."

As soon as Feng Junzi's thoughts reached this point, he heard a "ding" sound in his ears, like a temple bell ringing right in the center of his forehead. The echo reverberated throughout his mind, and for a moment, he could see nothing but flashes of golden light. It took him a long time to regain his senses.

If someone had been standing nearby at the time, they would have witnessed a bizarre scene: a person, having finished offering incense and candles, turned to walk towards the gate, and suddenly stopped, as if frozen in mid-air. This wasn't a miracle, but rather the fact that the person's forehead had struck the very corner of the incense burner's eaves with considerable force, causing the entire metal burner to clang. Simultaneously, the person abruptly stopped, and something flew past them, landing five meters away on a bluestone slab.

The flying object was Feng Junzi's glasses. Feng Junzi seemed stunned by the impact, taking a long time to recover. He then realized his forehead had hit the eaves of the incense burner, but he was even more confused. He shouldn't have been in that position, but the eaves of the incense burner seemed to have suddenly grown a section, landing squarely on his forehead. Suddenly, the two words he had just been thinking of—"kowtow"—came to his senses, and he was startled.

Feng Junzi initially suspected it was just a coincidence, but two other things made him question his suspicions. First, his forehead hit the metal very hard; normally, it would be strange if a small head didn't grow out, but strangely, there wasn't a single scratch, not even a bruise, as if nothing had happened. Second, his glasses flew five meters away and landed on the hard stone slab, but they didn't break, not even a tiny scratch. These were almost impossible, but they were indeed true.

Feng Junzi glanced back at the Buddhist temple and realized that there was no need to go back and kowtow a few more times; the previous kowtow had been heavy enough. He didn't know if this was a warning from Buddha or a joke from Bodhisattva. From that moment on, Feng Junzi remembered a principle: you may not believe in some things, but you must not disrespect them; you may not care about Buddhas, demons, or gods, but you must never deceive them, and even less should you easily provoke them!

Part 1: Deceit and Deception, Chapter 1: Five Thousand Pairs of Left-Foot Leather Shoes

What is a beautiful woman? Simply put, it's a good-looking woman. What kind of woman is a good-looking woman? A woman admired by most men is a good-looking woman. By this standard, Qin Xiaoya is undoubtedly a beauty among beauties; at least, she's the kind of woman admired by many men, including Feng Junzi. The allure of beauty seems to have been infinitely exaggerated by writers. Legendary beauties seem to be beautiful at all times; for example, Xi Shi was most beautiful when she frowned and clutched her heart. But Qin Xiaoya's current appearance is definitely not very attractive.

Qin Xiaoya was on the phone, her voice a little hurried. Her once neatly trimmed hair was now disheveled, draped messily over her shoulders, with a strand even stuck to her forehead by sweat. As she spoke into the microphone, her bright eyes widened slightly, and her sexy, slightly curved nose was wrinkled a little crooked, ruining her otherwise exquisite features. The person on the other end of the line was Feng Junzi.

Qin Xiaoya is only twenty-six years old, but she is already the owner of a clothing market. Xiaoya Clothing Market is located in a high-traffic area of the Binhai Commercial Street. The two-story store mainly sells fashion and high-end leather shoes, but its main business is wholesaling clothing to northern regions of China.

Over the past two years, Qin Xiaoya has developed a habit of always calling Feng Junzi whenever she encounters a problem. Feng Junzi isn't a businesswoman; he's a securities analyst. He doesn't like being disturbed when he sleeps in late, but Qin Xiaoya is an exception. Even if she sounds anxious and agitated on the phone, he listens patiently.

As soon as the call connected, Qin Xiaoya blurted out, "Feng Junzi, I'm in trouble!"

Feng Junzi: "Xiaoya, don't be anxious, tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

Qin Xiaoya then blurted out, "I bought a batch of shoes, five thousand pairs, a very large quantity."

Feng Junzi: "What's wrong with the shoes?"

Qin Xiaoya: "The purchase price is two hundred yuan a pair, and almost all of my working capital is tied up in it. I'm doomed now."

Feng Junzi still couldn't figure it out, so he had to ask one question at a time: "Is there a problem with the quality of the shoes? Did you buy a defective product?"

Qin Xiaoya: "The quality is not a problem. It's a Taiwanese design, and the materials, design, and workmanship are all quite good. It's a high-end product, and the purchase price is definitely very cheap."

Feng Junzi: "Is there something wrong with where it came from? Was it confiscated?"

Qin Xiaoya: "No, I bought it from a wholesaler in China."

Feng Junzi: "Was it lost during transport, or damaged in the warehouse? Or was it stolen?"

Qin Xiaoya: "No, something strange happened."

Feng Junzi: "What strange thing is it? Tell me quickly," Feng Junzi said, getting a little anxious.

Qin Xiaoya took a breath and finally slowed down her speech, saying each word carefully: "After the goods arrived at the warehouse, when we were about to open them and put them on the shelves, we found that they were all left-footed shoes. Five thousand pairs, ten thousand shoes, were all left-footed shoes!"

Part 1: Deceitful Deception 2: Beauty, Don't Invest in Stocks

Feng Junzi sat in Qin Xiaoya's office, listening to her recount the origins of the five thousand pairs of left-foot leather shoes. Qin Xiaoya's emotions were much more stable now, and her tone was much calmer. For some reason, Feng Junzi really enjoyed sitting there listening to Qin Xiaoya talk, hearing her recount various events happening in the business world, even though these things seemed to have nothing to do with him. He simply loved this feeling.

Feng Junzi and Qin Xiaoya hadn't known each other for very long, and their acquaintance was rather accidental. About two years ago, Qin Xiaoya took about a million yuan and wanted to try her luck in the stock market. She sought out Feng Junzi, who was quite well-known in the securities consulting industry at the time. A million yuan wasn't much money in the stock market, but for Qin Xiaoya, it represented the majority of her assets, so she was very cautious, even taking it very seriously, and specifically sought Feng Junzi's advice.

However, Feng Junzi only said one thing that greatly disappointed her: "Based on your situation, I suggest you don't invest in stocks now. You should use this money to continue running your clothing business properly."

Qin Xiaoya was naturally unwilling to give up. She believed that Feng Junzi was putting on airs; all so-called experts with a bit of fame liked to put on airs, playing hard to get with clients who came to them, while also using it as a way to raise their consultation fees. So she approached Feng Junzi a second time, not to visit him, but to invite him out to dinner. However, Feng Junzi gave her the same answer. Qin Xiaoya not only didn't listen to her advice, but became even more convinced that Feng Junzi was truly capable and different from others, so she invited him out to dinner a third time.

Feng Junzi also had the flaws that most people have. Faced with Qin Xiaoya, a young woman who was by no means unattractive, and who had repeatedly invited him to her home, this time he didn't keep his distance as usual. Instead, he drank a few more glasses. A man who has drunk a few more glasses in front of such a woman naturally becomes more talkative and expressive. He shared many of his innermost thoughts with Qin Xiaoya, and only then did Qin Xiaoya believe that Feng Junzi's suggestion was his true thought.

What happened next made Qin Xiao

……