Chapter 20: Varied Scenes

"Hmm, this layout is quite innovative. It's completely different from other newspapers, and it looks quite comfortable—definitely has some quality…" The newsstand owner's eyes lit up with curiosity as he browsed through the "Jiu Ding Daily."

Next, he habitually turned to the novel section.

He was a fan of martial arts novels, but recently, he had been suffering from a lack of new books, which made him very uncomfortable. Every day, he would look through the newspapers hoping to find a new martial arts novel.

"'The Legend of Qin'? That title is intriguing. Let me see…" The newsstand owner murmured, then began reading.

He was quickly captivated, losing track of time and neglecting his business.

"Hey, hey, boss, it's time for change!"

As the newsstand owner was absorbed in the story, the persistent voice in his ear made him frown. He looked up, took the money from the white-collar worker, quickly gave him the change, and then returned to reading the novel.

The newsstand owner's indifferent attitude didn't annoy the white-collar worker. Instead, it piqued his curiosity. He peered over and saw that the newsstand owner was reading a novel. He wondered what novel could captivate a seasoned book seller. Could it be that a new martial arts master had released a new book?

With this thought, he was also itching to find out. He glanced at the newspaper in the newsstand owner's hand. It had an unfamiliar name: "Jiu Ding Daily." He hadn't heard of it before!

Although puzzled, the white-collar worker didn't think much of it. Since a newspaper didn't cost much, he quickly bought a copy of the "Jiu Ding Daily," paid for it, and started flipping to the novel section as he walked away.

"'The Legend of Qin'? Author Xia Yu? I haven't heard of him. Well, I might as well take a look..."

As he continued reading, his pace slowed, and eventually, he stopped altogether, absorbed in the novel.

Time passed unnoticed. The newsstand owner had already finished the 20,000 words of "The Legend of Qin," and he was left feeling regretful that it was so short—he wanted more.

However, he was also very happy because he had finally found a novel that could make him lose track of time. Although he had never heard of the author Xia Yu before, based on the writing and structure of "The Legend of Qin," it was clear that Xia Yu's skills were on par with famous martial arts novelists like Jin Yong and Gu Long.

"It looks like another martial arts novel master is about to rise. As long as no one poaches him, 'Jiu Ding Daily' seems to be following the path of the old 'Ming Pao.' Sales should definitely not be a problem. I should seize the opportunity to make some money."

With this thought, the newsstand owner hurriedly adjusted the placement of the "Jiu Ding Daily," putting it in the most prominent spot and actively promoting it to other customers.

"Come on, handsome, buy a copy of 'Jiu Ding Daily.' The novel in this paper is really good, and the writing is as good as Jin Yong's. If it's not good, you can hit me."

"Handsome, get a copy of 'Jiu Ding Daily.' It doesn't cost much, and missing out on a masterpiece by a martial arts novel expert is a big regret. Don't let yourself regret it…"

...

Thanks to the newsstand owner's relentless efforts in promoting the "Jiu Ding Daily," the hundred copies quickly sold out. He hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed the number on the newspaper.

"Yes, yes, I'm the newsstand owner from Kowloon… I've sold out of the hundred copies of 'Jiu Ding Daily.' Send more newspapers over quickly, yes… Send a hundred more… No, make it three hundred. Hurry up…"

Meanwhile, the white-collar worker who had bought the "Jiu Ding Daily" earlier had finally finished reading the 20,000-word novel and looked satisfied but still craving more.

"It was really good, but there was too little of it… Hmm, why are there so many people on the street now… Wait… Oh no, I'm late!!" The dazed white-collar worker blinked, then checked his watch. His face changed immediately as he dashed off, completely ignoring his appearance.

On another front, at the entrance of the Kowloon Stock Exchange, two staff members were handing out copies of the "Jiu Ding Daily" non-stop. Anyone entering the stock market received a copy of the newspaper with the financial and business section already turned to, making it easy for them to read immediately.

Xie Dafeng, who was 40 years old, was the investment department manager at a mid-sized securities company, Hengfa Securities. This month, the stocks he had recommended buying had all risen, allowing him to shine in front of the chairman. Yesterday, he received praise from the chairman and a promise of some shares if he continued to perform well. This promise had excited him all night. Despite a sleepless night, he arrived at the Kowloon Stock Exchange full of energy.

He took the "Jiu Ding Daily" handed to him by the staff, initially paying little attention, and habitually looked at the financial and business section.

"Mingheng Industrial Faces Huge Risks, Management Faking Accounts, Serious Losses Already!" 

Seeing the headline, the familiar name Mingheng Industrial made him sit up straight, and he read the title attentively. His heart began to race with anxiety.

Mingheng Industrial was a stock he was very familiar with and had highly recommended. He had invested several million in it this month, and it had already yielded nearly a million in profits. Thanks to Mingheng Industrial's impressive performance, he had managed to shine in front of the chairman and received the chairman's promise. He had planned to arrange for another two million to be invested today. However, upon arriving at the Kowloon Stock Exchange, he saw such a shocking headline.

Concerned about his future, Xie Dafeng could not afford to be careless. He carefully read the article and grew increasingly pale as he did. His lips began to tremble uncontrollably.

"How could this be… I didn't notice any losses with Mingheng Industrial. The data and analysis provided are completely reasonable. It seems Mingheng Industrial really has issues…" As someone well-versed in finance, Xie Dafeng quickly realized that the data and conclusions in the newspaper were accurate. Mingheng Industrial was indeed in trouble, with severe issues like financial fraud. Seeing this, Xie Dafeng's face turned white. He thought of his future and the millions he had invested, and his mind became a blur.