A Thought Away from Heaven

"What could possibly have you so worked up?"

Zhou's father knew his assistant well.

If something wasn't truly urgent, he wouldn't be in such a panic.

Even during the five consecutive stock market crashes a few days ago, the assistant hadn't lost his composure like this.

Realizing this, Zhou's father's expression turned grave. Something big must be happening at Zhou Pharmaceutical!

The assistant, still catching his breath, stammered, "Chairman... Zhou's... Our subsidiary, Zhou Special Ling Company, after the new drug launch... the stock price plummeted, and just now it nearly hit the limit down!"

"Zhou Special Ling? That name sounds familiar..." Zhou's father stroked his chin, thinking for a moment, before looking at his assistant in confusion. "Aside from that, have any other companies under our Zhou Pharmaceutical Group been affected?"

The assistant shook his head. "No, sir. The rest of the twenty-plus companies under Zhou Pharmaceutical have all performed strongly in the stock market today, with the overall market value increasing by five percent compared to last month!"

Hearing this, Zhou's father exhaled a long breath. "I thought it was something major. Just one subsidiary's stock hitting the limit down—why are you so panicked over such a trivial matter?"

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then reminded him kindly, "Chairman, Zhou Special Ling—remember, you specifically asked me to keep a close eye on this company and report any issues to you immediately..."

Zhou's father paused, his eyes narrowing. The assistant instantly held his breath, not daring to make a sound, fearing he might interrupt his boss's thoughts.

Zhou's father spoke gravely, "Is this the Zhou Special Ling that Qiao'er mentioned yesterday? Did its stock really plummet as she said?"

The assistant nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir, and it happened right after our subsidiary launched its new drug. Normally, after a new drug launch, our stock should have risen by at least five percent. But instead, it's dropped, and in less than an hour, it's nearly hit the limit down. This situation is highly unusual!"

Zhou's father squinted even more. "So you're saying... that brat Tang Ao might have been right this time?"

The assistant nodded, then quickly shook his head. "Chairman, I don't know."

Zhou's father looked up at his assistant, who had been with him for many years. This was the first time the assistant had directly admitted that he didn't know.

"However, I believe this is more likely a coincidence. Even without our headquarters' attention, Zhou Special Ling's financial strength is robust. According to feedback from the subsidiary, they've already initiated an emergency buyback, and the stock price is expected to recover soon."

Hearing this, Zhou's father's expression grew darker. "Do you remember what Qiao'er said to me on the phone? That brat Tang Ao told her that Zhou Special Ling's stock price would drop by thirty percent. You're the market analysis expert—what do you think the chances of that happening are?"

"Zhou Special Ling's new drug launch went smoothly, there's no negative news in the market, and it's backed by authoritative medical journals. Right now, large numbers of individual investors are entering the market..."

The assistant looked at Zhou's father, his confidence gradually returning. "With the financial and brand strength of our Zhou Pharmaceutical, and after analyzing it from all angles, I believe the chances of a thirty percent drop are zero. No competitor has the ability to suppress Zhou Special Ling's stock price by thirty percent—not even Tang Ao's Tang Group could pull it off."

"Based on my professional analysis, within an hour, Zhou Special Ling's stock price should bounce back and might even hit the upper limit!"

Hearing this, Zhou's father's squinted eyes slowly opened.

In all these years, the assistant's judgment had never been wrong.

"Tang Ao, that brat, is really lucky. If Zhou Special Ling's stock doesn't drop by thirty percent... then Qiao'er has definitely been deceived by him! When that happens, I'll make sure the Tang family gives me an explanation!"

...

Meanwhile, in a hospital break room, Dr. Chen stared at his phone, his heart pounding.

Just moments ago, Zhou Special Ling's stock had plunged by ten percent.

The entire pharmaceutical sector was buzzing, and investors who got wind of the news were spreading the word.

In just five minutes, Dr. Chen had received over a dozen calls, each friend urging him to buy into Zhou Special Ling's stock before it was too late.

Opportunities to make a fortune in life are few and far between.

Dr. Chen already knew from those calls that two of his friends had even taken out high-interest loans to leverage their purchases of Zhou Special Ling stock.

It was either luxury homes and fancy cars or a dive into despair.

A thought away from heaven, a thought away from hell.

Dr. Chen was tempted.

Having just sold off a mutual fund, he had a significant sum of cash, though it hadn't yet been credited to his account...

Driven by some unseen force, and after constant persuasion from friends who traded stocks with him, he borrowed 200,000 yuan from his best friend, promising to repay it when his mutual fund money arrived tomorrow.

Thanks to his timely sale, the recent stock plunge hadn't affected him, and he'd avoided nearly 20,000 yuan in losses.

Maybe this was what people meant when they said good things happen to good people.

A message arrived—it was from Dr. Chen's girlfriend of many years.

Her family was urging them to arrange a meeting between the parents next week.

The dowry wasn't an issue—the years of affection between them had earned Dr. Chen the approval of her parents. But the one sticking point was the house...

Her family had their eyes on a school district property, with a down payment of 500,000 yuan.

Knowing how difficult it was for him, his girlfriend had transferred 100,000 yuan into his account—her entire savings since starting work.

With his 200,000 yuan saved over the years, Dr. Chen now had 300,000 yuan, still 200,000 short of the 500,000 yuan down payment.

His retired parents had nearly exhausted their savings putting him through university, graduate school, and a doctorate. Even if they dipped into their pension, they could only give him an additional 100,000 yuan.

A hundred thousand yuan short.

And by next week...

He had to come up with the money. Otherwise, his girlfriend's family wouldn't wait any longer.

If this dragged on, his girlfriend would be classified as an older woman by the time she had children.

Driven by a mix of desperation and determination, Dr. Chen opened the stock trading app and furrowed his brow as he stared at Zhou Special Ling's stock.