Chapter 39: The Most Beautiful Woman in Harbor City

"Mr. Zhou, the finance department just called to say that the twenty million has been transferred to your linked account at Fenghui Bank," Manager Wei said respectfully to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming nodded. "Thank you, Manager Wei."

"You're welcome. It's our duty," Manager Wei said. "Mr. Zhou, making twenty million during this stock market crash surely shows your exceptional insight. If you have any interest in continuing to trade futures, Fenghui Futures Company will provide you with comprehensive services. Or if you have other investment intentions, we can also make connections for you."

Zhou Ming responded with a simple "Thank you, but that won't be necessary," and then left Fenghui Company with Lin Muqing. As they exited the building, Zhou Ming noticed Lin Muqing seemed lost in thought and asked, "Muqing, what's wrong?"

Lin Muqing shook her head and then turned to Zhou Ming, murmuring, "Twenty million. Did we really make twenty million? This can't be a dream, right?"

"Muqing, we're definitely not dreaming. We truly made twenty million, and this is just the beginning. We'll make even more in the future!" Zhou Ming said. Seeing Lin Muqing's disbelief, he took her hand and added, "If you still don't believe it, I can kiss you, and you'll know it's real."

Zhou Ming said this with a playful smile and leaned in, but Lin Muqing instinctively took a step back, her cheeks flushing red. She shyly responded, "Zhou Ming, what are you doing? There are so many people around!"

"Does that mean I can kiss you when we're back at the hotel without anyone around?" Zhou Ming teased.

Lin Muqing quickly denied, "Of course not! You little rascal, stop twisting my words!"

Zhou Ming laughed. He wasn't really planning to kiss Lin Muqing; he just wanted to bring her back to her senses. After all, the impact of twenty million was enormous for people of this era. Even though Lin Muqing knew they would make this much from the futures market, it was still overwhelming.

Seeing Zhou Ming's smile, Lin Muqing was both annoyed and amused. "Stop laughing. What's so funny? Wang Yunlong is still waiting for our news!"

Zhou Ming slapped his forehead. He had almost forgotten that he had asked Wang Yunlong to contact the best fund company from the five he had selected after reviewing them last night, to discuss acquisition matters with their CEO. Zhou Ming quickly headed back to the hotel with Lin Muqing.

Back at the hotel, Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing booked a private room and then went to a window-side table on the second floor of the tea house. Lin Muqing turned to Zhou Ming and said, "Zhou Ming, even though I've been reading about funds these days, I still don't quite understand what a fund is."

"Muqing, there's no need to force yourself. Just a month ago, you hadn't even touched financial matters. It's not realistic to understand it all so quickly," Zhou Ming advised. "Different professions require different expertise. I think you're more suited for administrative work. You can take your time to understand this, as long as you get a general idea."

"But I don't even understand the basics," Lin Muqing insisted.

Zhou Ming had to explain, "Simply put, a fund company is a partnership where a group of people put their money into a person or an institution, entrusting them to invest on their behalf. The institution that helps them invest is the fund company."

"Why don't these people invest themselves? What if they lose money?" Lin Muqing asked.

"That's what I meant by different professions requiring different expertise," Zhou Ming said. "Think about it. If we hadn't met Wang Yunlong, would you know which stock to buy to make a profit and when?"

Lin Muqing shook her head. Zhou Ming shrugged. "Exactly. Not everyone can be like Wang Yunlong, who studies and tracks every stock's performance daily. Not everyone has his financial expertise, so we need professional fund companies."

"Besides, when buying and selling stocks, we might incur losses, especially during major events like this stock market crash. People who lost everything even committed suicide," Zhou Ming continued. "But with a fund company, it's different. Their investments are diversified, and since there are many investors, the risk is spread out. Thus, individual losses are less severe."

Lin Muqing thought for a moment and nodded. "That makes sense. So, if you buy a fund company, and let Wang Yunlong and Sun Wei work for you, wouldn't you make a lot of money?"

"Of course. Maybe if I give him five million, he could return twenty billion in twenty years," Zhou Ming joked.

Lin Muqing chuckled at Zhou Ming's comment. At that moment, the sound of high heels clicking approached. Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing turned to see two women walking towards them. One was older, looking in her thirties or forties, dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, while the younger one wore a very stylish dress and large sunglasses, exuding elegance and a hint of mystery.

The two women reached Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing's table. The older woman said to Zhou Ming, "Hello, sir. I'm Wu Mei, Zhao Lin's manager. This is our reserved spot. Could you please move?"

Zhou Ming's eyes brightened. So the young woman was Zhao Lin!

He had noticed her before but didn't recognize her with the sunglasses. Now that Wu Mei introduced her, he realized this woman was Zhao Lin!

Zhou Ming felt excited. In his previous life, Zhao Lin was his ideal goddess, renowned as the most beautiful woman in Harbor City and a model of Asian beauty. He had never seen her in person before, but now he unexpectedly encountered her at the hotel.

However, it wasn't surprising since the Victoria Hotel was a five-star hotel in Harbor City. Zhao Lin had been in the industry for a few years and was somewhat famous in Harbor City, so it was normal for her to be here for social events.

"Miss Zhao, it's a pleasure to meet you here. I—"

Before Zhou Ming could finish, Lin Muqing interrupted with a displeased tone, "Zhao Lin, right? I'm sorry, but I don't know you, and we were here first. No one told us this spot was reserved. Why should we give it up?"

Lin Muqing's tone made Zhou Ming's heart skip a beat. She was clearly jealous. It seemed his reaction made her misunderstand, but he couldn't explain that he was just a fan of Zhao Lin and not interested in her romantically. Besides, Zhao Lin was the most beautiful woman in Harbor City, and Zhou Ming felt he didn't deserve her even with his two million.

Wu Mei was displeased and said, "Miss, I've already made it clear. I'm Zhao Lin's manager, and this spot was reserved long ago. This is a spot Zhao Lin often sits in. Please move."

Lin Muqing was adamant. "I made myself clear as well. I don't know you or Zhao Lin. No one informed us this spot was reserved. Please don't cause trouble here!"

Wu Mei's anger flared. She looked Lin Muqing up and down and said, "Judging by your accent, you must be from the mainland?"

"And if I am?" Lin Muqing countered.

Wu Mei retorted, "No wonder you're so rude and uncouth. There's no place for mainlanders to act up here in Harbor City!"

Wu Mei, irritated, was about to lunge at Lin Muqing. Zhou Ming stood up quickly, but Zhao Lin intervened, pulling Wu Mei back and saying, "Mei Jie, let it go."

Zhao Lin's voice was magnetic and soothing. As she spoke, she took off her large sunglasses, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face. Even Zhou Ming, who had seen many beautiful women, felt his heart skip a beat. The other men in the tea house were equally mesmerized, their eyes glued to her.

"Let it go? Zhao Lin, remember you're a star. You should maintain your dignity and poise. Don't waste your time on these uncultured mainlanders. This is Harbor City, not the mainland!"

Wu Mei scolded Zhao Lin and then turned back to Lin Muqing and Zhou Ming. "Listen up, you mainlanders. Don't say I didn't warn you. We're waiting for a powerful big brother. If you upset him, you might find yourselves dead on the street tomorrow with no one to help you. And you, you little bitch, might end up being sold to a Golden Triangle village and turned into a sex slave!"