"That's a bit of a shame. What does he do for a living?"
Zhou Momo's eyes sparkled with interest the moment Lin Fan's name was mentioned.
"It's fine. Since Dad wants to meet him too, I'll just invite him over to the house sometime."
"As for his job… I'm not really sure. I asked him, but he didn't give a clear answer."
"But I do know he understands futures trading."
Zhou Fusheng raised a curious brow. "Oh? He understands futures?"
Zhou Momo seemed a little proud as she tilted her head and said with a smile,
"A while back, I invested 20 million into futures and ended up losing half of it. I was left with only 10 million."
"Then, at the airport, I happened to run into him again. So, I made a bet—if he could use the remaining 10 million to earn back what I lost, I'd agree to become friends with him."
Of course, she didn't mention the sugar daddy joke. Looking back, she'd definitely taken that one too far.
"And guess what?" she continued gleefully. "In just a short amount of time, he really did earn it all back!"
With a triumphant grin, Zhou Momo turned to her father.
"Hehe~ Dad~ Guess how much he helped me make?"
Zhou Fusheng paused thoughtfully. "I know a bit about futures. It's basically gambling—high risk, high reward. But ultimately, it's about exploiting information asymmetry."
"If he was trading conservatively with hedging strategies, and if he was lucky, I'd say... maybe one to three million in profits?"
As expected of a veteran businessman, he calculated quickly and conservatively.
Zhou Momo giggled and covered her mouth.
"Dad~ I don't know what 'hedging' is, but you're way off!"
She handed her phone over.
Zhou Fusheng took one glance—and froze.
The steel futures account showed a balance of 27.5 million. Starting with just 10 million, Lin Fan had earned a profit of 17.5 million.
"How did he do that?" Zhou Fusheng asked in disbelief.
"He probably got lucky. It was close to market closing time, and honestly, I had no expectations left," Zhou Momo said.
"When I last checked, the price was still dropping. But at the very last moment, the data suddenly reversed and surged."
Zhou Fusheng fell into deep thought.
"A sudden surge before the market closed... Sounds like pure luck."
"But sometimes, luck is a kind of strength, too."
Zhou Momo smiled. "Actually, he earned 35 million in total. When I made the bet, I told him we'd split the profits evenly—excluding the principal."
Shen Qingqiu, who had been standing off to the side, couldn't help but scoff in disbelief.
Starting with just 10 million, turning a profit of 35 million?
Wasn't it just a lucky gamble that made Little Momo take him seriously? What was so special about that guy?
---
Loving Heart Orphanage
"I ended up walking back here without realizing it..."
The world is so big, yet I have nowhere else to go.
Lin Fan stood in front of the old orphanage, his eyes softening with a touch of nostalgia.
Despite everything, this was still the place that made him feel the most at home.
"Xiao Fan?"
A familiar voice called out behind him.
An elderly man, about seventy years old, dressed in simple retro clothes, stood with slightly hunched shoulders. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes shimmered with tears.
"Grandpa Zhou!"
Lin Fan's face lit up as he ran over and hugged him tightly.
This old man was none other than Zhou Mu, the director of the Loving Heart Orphanage—and the one who had treated Lin Fan like his own grandson.
"Grandpa Zhou, I missed you so much!"
Zhou Mu gave his ear a playful tug and scolded gently,
"You missed me, huh? Then why haven't you come to see this old man?"
Lin Fan quickly explained, "Grandpa~ I... haven't been doing so well these past few years. I was embarrassed to come back."
Zhou Mu's face turned stern.
"Just because things weren't going well, you stayed away? I picked you up at the orphanage gate, raised you with my own hands. You think I'd ever look down on you?"
"All I care about is whether you're safe and sound."
Then he sighed. "Forget it. You're back now—that's what matters."
Lin Fan's eyes turned misty.
"I knew Grandpa was the best. That's why this is the first place I came after returning."
He helped Zhou Mu walk inside the orphanage. As he glanced around, the empty halls and quiet courtyards made him frown.
"Grandpa, why does it feel so deserted here?"
Zhou Mu's expression darkened as they walked.
"This orphanage... was always funded by a kind family."
"Just last month, the old man who funded us passed away. His daughter came to give me the news herself."
"What? They stopped the funding?" Lin Fan asked, frowning.
"Even if they did support the orphanage, they shouldn't just stop without making arrangements for the children."
Zhou Mu sat down at the pavilion and gave Lin Fan a light smack on the head.
"Wait till I finish!"
"His daughter didn't want to withdraw. But her father's company was a real estate business. After he died, the company hit trouble. She didn't explain much, but she personally made arrangements for all the children."
"She tried her best to fight the shareholders who wanted to redevelop this area, but... she lost."
Lin Fan's expression softened with guilt.
"...I misunderstood her."
Zhou Mu sighed deeply.
"Xiao Fan, we owe that family too much. You were always a smart kid—do whatever you can to repay that kindness."
"Don't worry, Grandpa. You know me—I never forget the people who are good to me."
But Lin Fan didn't say the rest.
Those who are good to me—I'll be even better to them.
But those who wrong me—I'll make them regret it ten thousand times over.
In his past life, he was too soft-hearted. Always yielding, always patient.
In the end, that only made people take advantage of him.
"Yes, yes, that part of you... it's both a blessing and a curse."
Zhou Mu chuckled.
"Oh right, Grandpa. Do you have her contact info?"
Zhou Mu waved his hand. "How would I remember that? Xiao Kang has it. He's the one handling most of the matters now."
"Grandpa, you're really getting old..."
Lin Fan grinned. "No way! With how strong you still look, I'm sure you'll live to a hundred."
Zhou Mu laughed heartily.
"Come on then, let's go find Xiao Kang. It's been so long—I wonder how much he's changed."
Xiao Kang—Zhou Mu's son and Lin Fan's childhood friend. They grew up like brothers, so close they were said to have shared the same pair of pants.
---