Back at the apartment.
After taking a shower and changing clothes, Yang Jian finally rid himself of the faint stench of death that seemed to linger on him.
Having spent several days in Huanggang Village, he felt as if the scent of death was growing stronger on him. This change wasn't just physical; mentally, he was no longer fearful of corpses, death, or blood.
It was as if he was born to adapt.
Beyond that, the psychological changes were the most terrifying.
It seemed like Yang Jian and the evil ghost inside him were slowly merging.
When he walked out of the bathroom,
Jiang Yan, sitting in front of the computer, looked at him with an expression as if her parents had just died and said, "I'm freaking out. I feel like I'm about to go bankrupt."
Yang Jian asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Yan said, "Remember you asked me to trade gold last time?"
"If you hadn't brought it up, I almost would've forgotten. I made a deal this time, earned some money, and was going to give it to you to manage," Yang Jian said. "Just like last time, trade gold."
Jiang Yan quickly interjected, "It's no longer possible to trade gold now. Domestic and international gold trades are all under control. It's allowed to buy but not to sell. The money we made last time, over three million, is all tied up in it, and now it's completely stuck."
"Where did you get so much money?" Yang Jian asked.
Jiang Yan said a bit sheepishly, "Loans, I borrowed a bit."
"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease," Yang Jian said.
"What are you relieved about?"
"Your lesson learned, I've decided not to trade gold anymore. It seems that countries are already starting to regulate the financial markets, and the situation is getting more serious. It's best to convert the money at hand into tangible assets, otherwise, I'm afraid of severe devaluation later, like ten thousand yuan for one bun," Yang Jian pondered for a moment.
This crude way of making money through stock speculation was no longer viable.
If he could notice this, then those in the financial world must have caught wind of it much earlier.
With countries now intervening strongly, trading gold is probably like throwing money into the water.
Although he wasn't knowledgeable about finance, he had heard some explanations from Jiang Yan recently.
"Ah, hearing you put it that way, I feel like I can't survive, I'll have to eat dirt. What about all the interest? I feel like I have to sell my house to pay off the debt," she said.
Jiang Yan was on the brink of tears; she lay back on the bed, rolling back and forth hugging a pillow.
"Seeing you , I don't know why, but I feel a bit happy," Yang Jian could not help but take a little pleasure in her misfortune.
"Did you already get some insider information? Why did you withdraw all your funds that day?" Jiang Yan suddenly sat up and looked at him suspiciously.
Yang Jian said, "It's difficult to explain this situation to you. Sometimes when people are unlucky, they can even fall to their deaths while walking. Just accept it, you're not destined to get rich in this life."
"No, no, that's the money I earned from working hard, and now I'm in a pile of debt. How am I going to live in the future?" Jiang Yan grabbed her head, at a loss.
Suddenly, she thought of something and set her sights on Yang Jian, "By the way, how much money did you make this time?"
"Just over ten thousand," Yang Jian said.
"I don't believe it. You're so capable, you even cleared out Manager Li's wife's private stash. You've been running around for a week, how could you have possibly made just over ten thousand? You must be lying to me," she said.
Jiang Yan said, "Tell me, come on, I'm your accountant after all. If I don't know about your cash situation, how can I manage your assets for you?"
Yang Jian thought for a moment, "Just over ten thousand."
"Not much, 550 million," Yang Jian said.
Jiang Yan, startled, leaped from the bed, her eyes wide and mouth agape as if she had seen a ghost, "Five hundred million? What on earth have you been doing these few days, you didn't rob a bank, did you?"
"Robbing a bank isn't as fast as what I make, and besides, stealing five hundred million would require hitting a few bank vaults. Plus, it's illegal and could easily land me in prison. I'm meant to become the boss of Dachang City, why would I do something so criminal?" Yang Jian said.
"You're right; robbery definitely isn't as lucrative as what you earn," Jiang Yan couldn't help but swallow and her eyes lit up.
Before, Yang Jian was worth around twenty million, which made him modestly wealthy at best. But now with over five hundred million, he was truly wealthy.
Not only had she secured a solid support, but it was also a golden one.
She was set for life.
"Now that you have so much money, can you maybe lend me some? It's an emergency, I'm about to starve," she pleaded.
Jiang Yan leaned over, wrapping her arm around his, pressing her mature body against him deliberately, with a coquettish and tempting tone.
Yang Jian said, "These days there are people who borrow money from parents, friends, banks, but who ever heard of borrowing from their boss? Besides, next month I'll give you your salary, at the highest market rate. Don't worry, you won't starve to death."
"Don't be like that. When the money from the stock market comes in, I'll pay you back. Plus, if I can't pay off my debts, they'll take back this house, and then you'll have nowhere to live," Jiang Yan pleaded desperately.
"Your words remind me, I was actually planning to buy a house a bit away from the city center today. I won't be living here in a few days," Yang Jian said.
"Don't, don't, can't you forgive my slip of the tongue? How about this, five million, no, ten million, just give me ten million, and I, I will..." Jiang Yan's eyes flickered, suddenly resolute.
Yang Jian asked, "You'll what?"
"I'll mortgage myself to you, from now on I'll be your person, working for you," she said, her face reddening even though she was usually rather thick-skinned.
Pretending to work was just a cover for being kept.
"You wish, marrying off at your age? Looking for a long-term meal ticket, aren't you? In my view, in no more than ten years, I'll have to let you go, because by then, you'll be older and won't be able to keep up with the work efficiency." Yang Jian flatly refused.
Jiang Yan almost spurted out blood when she heard this.
Who says I can't get married with my youthful beauty?
I treat you like a man, but you treat me like a maid. Are you blind? Don't you want a beauty like me?
If I hadn't set my sights on you, kid, let alone ten million, even fifty million... well, fifty million I might consider.
"You can't just watch me die, right? The debt collectors will definitely come to collect, and by then, I'll be dead..." Jiang Yan felt like she was going to fall apart.
It wasn't long since she had flaunted her wealth at the class reunion.
If others found out she was being chased for debts, she'd lose all her dignity and wouldn't be able to face anyone ever again.
Moreover, she was even ready to sell herself to pay off her debts, and yet Yang Jian still looked down on her, complaining she was too old.
Though there is a bit of an age difference, it's not my fault; it's simply because Yang Jian is too young.
"Even if you don't want to live, you still have to work." Yang Jian said, "Once you've handled this matter for me, you can go and die if you wish."
Jiang Yan stared at him oddly.
Now, she was beginning to doubt whether Yang Jian had any humanity left. She was in such a pitiful state, yet, with all his wealth, he wouldn't even help her out?
"What else do you want me to do?" she asked weakly.
Yang Jian said, "I plan to give you four billion in cash to manage. You must exchange all this money into gold as soon as possible, and I'm not talking about gold stocks; I mean physical gold."
"What are you buying so much gold for? You can't even eat it," Jiang Yan asked in surprise.
"With your intelligence, there are some things I really don't want to explain to you. Just go ahead and do it, I'm not asking for a penny from you. If you handle this well, I might consider giving you a bonus," Yang Jian said.
Upon hearing about a bonus.
Jiang Yan, now penniless from being trapped in the stock market, immediately leaped to her feet and asked, "How much are you planning to give me as a bonus?"
"How about five million?" Yang Jian considered for a moment.
Jiang Yan immediately hugged his neck excitedly and gave him a peck on the face, "That's great, I knew you wouldn't leave me for dead. Love ya, cutie pie."
Yang Jian wiped the saliva off his face.
"Whatever the condition, I'll agree to it," Jiang Yan pledged confidently.
"I'm a reasonable person; I don't expect you to work out of kindness. If you do well, I can reward you with five million, but you mustn't embezzle a penny when buying the gold. You must try to get it for the lowest price possible, don't mess around. If I find out you've been up to anything, you know what the consequences will be."
Yang Jian's hand gently touched her delicate neck while his eyes glinted with a hint of eeriness and indifference.
A trace of fear involuntarily appeared in her eyes.
Even though she usually got along well with Yang Jian, deep down, she was still full of awe for him.
He was the kind of man you loved and feared at the same time.
It was exactly this quality that gave off a unique charm that even he was unaware of.
A charm that men in modern cities lack, and what fascinates women the most... that is strength.
Daring to save people in a haunted mall, relying on his brains and ability to imprison a ghost that drove people to despair.
Daring to pull out a gun on Zhao Kaiming who came looking for trouble.
Daring to entrust billions of funds to her, a mere accountant, to manage.
Any of these feats were not something an ordinary man could accomplish, even Boss Tang who could easily fire her, or Manager Li in his presence, were like caterpillars learning to walk.
"Don't worry, I will definitely do it. I have classmates working in banks, some clients who own jewelry stores, and some resource channels. As long as I have sufficient funds, I guarantee to convert your four billion into gold in the shortest time possible," Jiang Yan said, her body tense with seriousness.
"Good, this card has over five billion in it. Transfer four billion yourself, and wire the remaining fifty million into a bank account belonging to Yan Li," Yang Jian said, touching her neck, feeling some cold sweat breaking out.
He smiled, "Don't be nervous, after all, I'm not Evil Ghost, I won't do anything to you."
"I'm not nervous. I'm just curious why you're giving fifty million to Yan Li," Jiang Yan asked.
"I owe him," said Yang Jian.
He was still very credible. When he had fooled Yan Li with a fake makeup box, it was out of necessity, just to survive.
Since they had previously agreed to split the money from the sale of the Headless Ghost Shadow, now that he had the money, he couldn't renege on it.
"Alright, that's settled then. Get busy these next few days, but not today, it's too late. Go take a shower," Yang Jian said.
Jiang Yan's face turned red, and she obediently went to take a shower with a soft 'oh'.
No memory at all, still so easy to deceive.
Yang Jian looked at the big soft bed and his face showed a victorious smile.
While she was showering, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.