Toot Toot—

The ferry's horn brought Chen Yinuo back to reality.

For the wealthy residents of these high-end residential areas, this breathtaking Pearl River nightscape might be mundane.

But for the working class, it was pure enchantment.

"Do you like it here?"

Just as Chen Yinuo came back to her senses, Ye Chen was already standing beside her. His gaze, fixed on the horizon, was calm and indifferent, betraying no emotion. The only thing in his smile was a trace of wistful melancholy.

"You still haven't told me where the money came from. 20 million yuan—this isn't 2 million!" Chen Yinuo's voice trembled.

There wasn't the slightest excitement or joy in her tone, despite now living in a luxurious home. Instead, all she felt was worry.

Just a month or two ago, loan sharks were banging on their door, threatening violence over a 270,000-yuan debt.

Now, only a couple of months later, Ye Chen was driving a Mercedes G-Class and had purchased a 20-million-yuan riverside mansion.

How could she possibly accept or process such an unimaginable turn of events?

"Relax, it's all legitimate," Ye Chen said with a wry smile, though deep down, he sighed to himself.

Ever since he'd decided to surprise Chen Yinuo, he had planned to reveal part of the truth. After all, pretending to be poor forever wasn't sustainable.

Before Chen Yinuo could ask more questions, Ye Chen continued proactively, "Remember when I told you about that antique market find?"

"You mean the one where you said you got lucky?"

"Yeah. I found a rare piece, and the profit from selling it allowed me to reserve two units in Jinlin Mansion. A few days later, the property prices there soared, and I earned 4 million yuan. Then I helped Zhang Jingshan with something, and through that, I got introduced to your boss, Li Changfeng.

"Li invited me to see the world, and we went to a jade gambling market in the western suburbs."

Seeing Chen Yinuo's growing unease, Ye Chen quickly added, "Don't worry, I wasn't gambling seriously. I only went along for fun. Zhang Jingshan insisted I pick a stone to open, saying any profit would be mine, and if I lost, it'd be on him. I couldn't refuse, so I picked a discarded stone. Who knew? It turned out to contain top-grade jade! A gem dealer bought it on the spot for 24 million yuan!"

Chen Yinuo was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"This... this sounds like a fairy tale," she stammered, utterly at a loss for words.

Unfazed, Ye Chen continued, "That same day, news broke that Sihai Group might be in serious trouble. Investigations into multiple charges were underway. Your boss, Li Changfeng, who's skilled at stock manipulation, saw it as an opportunity to short Sihai's shares. He and Zhang Jingshan decided to jump in, and when they asked for my participation, I handed them all 24 million yuan I had just earned.

"I figured, if it went south, it would even the score with Zhang Jingshan anyway. But not long after, Sihai Group really ran into major issues. I'm sure you've heard about their plummeting stock prices. A few days later, Li Changfeng suggested we exit, and just like that, I made another 20 million."

Ye Chen's tone remained casual, as if narrating an ordinary event. But inwardly, he was chanting prayers. He had no choice but to let Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng shoulder all the explanations.

"Hopefully, I'll just have to give them a heads-up later," he thought.

The calmer Ye Chen appeared, the harder it was for Chen Yinuo to disbelieve him. Based on her understanding of him, his expressions and tone didn't match how he acted when lying.

And even if he were lying, he wouldn't drag her boss, Li Changfeng, into it—that would be shooting himself in the foot.

Besides, she knew Li Changfeng was indeed a stock market expert.

"So, what you said must be true," she concluded, though she still wondered, How did you even meet someone like Li Changfeng?

"You've connected with Li Changfeng now?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, through Zhang Jingshan. We went to the jade gambling market together."

"Then does my promotion to Business Cooperation Team Leader have anything to do with you?" she pressed, frowning.

"No way!" Ye Chen denied quickly. "You were promoted before I even met him. How could it be related?"

Not wanting her to overthink, Ye Chen carefully concealed the truth about her promotion.

Hearing this, Chen Yinuo relaxed.

"Alright, keep going," she said.

"Where was I?" Ye Chen asked.

"You'd just mentioned making 20 million on Sihai Group's stock."

Nodding, Ye Chen resumed, "At that point, I wanted to tell you everything. But given where our relationship stood back then, I knew you wouldn't believe me. Worse, it might have caused more trouble. So, I kept quiet."

"What happened next?"

Ye Chen smiled. "Next, I overheard that Hengda Group might build a soccer stadium in the distant suburbs. During a meal with Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng, we analyzed the situation and realized that area would likely see major development.

"Sure enough, after investigating, we found strong signs that the government might extend a subway line there. So, I took all the money I'd earned with their help and invested it in land there."

Chen Yinuo gasped audibly. That afternoon, the city government had just announced plans to extend Subway Line 10 to the outer suburbs.

Hengda Group also confirmed the stadium's location in that area.

"So, you bought the land before all this news broke?"

"Exactly. The day after the purchase, Hengda Group approached me to buy the land. I refused their initial offers, but after a few days, they gave in and paid ten times the original price."

Chen Yinuo stared at Ye Chen in shock.

Her thoughts raced back to two moments: the late-night "negotiation" where he'd said he wanted 400 million while the other party offered only 20 million, and the phone call on her mother's balcony where Ye Chen had claimed not to discuss anything under billions.

"Those were Hengda Group?!"

Ye Chen gave a wry smile. "I wasn't hiding it—I just didn't know how to explain it to you in a way you'd believe. Even I find it all surreal."

She took a deep breath. "So, Hengda really paid ten times the price?"

"Yes. That's when I decided to invest in the Wuxia Cream project. I've already hired experts to set up a lab and started scouting manufacturing facilities. The whole plan will cost one to two hundred million, tops. That's why I bought this house, Yinuo. You've suffered enough these past years. Let's leave all that behind and start fresh."

Though parts of Ye Chen's story begged for scrutiny, Chen Yinuo chose not to press further.

As long as the money wasn't acquired illegally, she was content.

Besides, with names like Zhang Jingshan, Li Changfeng, and Hengda Group involved, Ye Chen couldn't possibly be making it all up.

Even the most far-fetched online novelists wouldn't dare write such a story.

"I can't believe it... even novels wouldn't dare go this far," she murmured, dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, in a brand-new 120-square-meter apartment in Jiangzhou, a room packed with people roiled with anger.

"Zhong Jianshe, you scoundrel! Come out and explain yourself!"

"You think hiding behind a locked door will save you? We'll tear it down if we have to!"

"How could you do this to us, Zhong Jianshe? You've betrayed the entire village!"