After making a quick call to his wife, Chen Yinuo, and explaining the situation, Ye Chen left the house in a hurry.

This time, however, he didn't bring Wang Meng or Zhu Wu along.

Zhang Family Manor

Carrying bags of ingredients, Ye Chen arrived at the Zhang family's home.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the former Party Secretary, Zhang Weimin, the old man promptly kicked him into the kitchen.

As dusk fell, under Ye Chen's meticulous preparation, three dishes and a soup were served, steaming hot, on the table.

"Old Secretary, where's the talent you mentioned?" Ye Chen asked.

"What's the rush?" Zhang Weimin glared at him impatiently before helping himself to the deliciously fragrant dishes.

"Xiao Ye, there's a rumor going around. Recently, someone from China shorted Stella's stock, earning more than 20 times the profit in just four days. Have you heard about this?" Zhang Weimin suddenly asked with a playful glint in his eyes as they ate.

"Huh?" Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat. "Of course, I've heard about it. Why?"

"What kind of person do you think would have the guts to make such a bold, contrarian move? I don't know much about stocks, but I've seen enough news about Stella to have a general impression. Considering Stella's momentum and stock price, only someone truly audacious would dare to short it," Zhang Weimin said, his eyes twinkling as he studied Ye Chen.

Catching the sharp, meaningful look in Zhang Weimin's eyes, Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He realized the old man was suspicious of him.

"Old Secretary, your words seem to be beating around the bush. Are you implying that I'm the one who shorted Stella?" Ye Chen asked, feigning a relaxed tone.

"They say, and I emphasize 'say,' that the profits from that 50x leveraged short ended up flowing into Jiangzhou's banking system. Of course, very few people know about this," Zhang Weimin said, his tone growing more teasing.

"Old Secretary, you might as well just call out my ID number directly. Are you sure you're not convinced that it was me? I'm really curious—do you think I'm some sort of genius?" Ye Chen shook his head and smiled wryly.

"Yes, you rascal, you are indeed a genius! I've lived over 80 years and never met anyone quite like you," Zhang Weimin replied bluntly, leaving Ye Chen momentarily speechless.

"Aren't you overestimating me a bit, sir?" Ye Chen chuckled helplessly.

But the old man didn't seem to think so. After taking a bite of steamed fish, he said, "I tested that brat Jingshan about it. He thought he'd covered his tracks perfectly, but who am I? I'm his grandfather—I've watched him grow up. I can tell what he's thinking just by the way he moves. While he was involved in the Stella short, he clearly didn't have the capability to orchestrate it. My only conclusion is that he followed your lead and rode your coattails!"

Zhang Weimin chuckled and continued, "Let me finish before you say anything. Previously, you shorted the Sihai Group stock, and soon after, Sihai ran into trouble, causing its stock price to plummet. Then you acquired Jinzhong Village, and shortly afterward, the subway was extended there. Hengda Group had to pay you a premium—ten times the original price—to develop it. I won't list other examples, but let's just compare these events to the Stella short. First, there was the 50x leveraged short, and then Stella had a major incident, leading to a 40% drop in its stock price within four days. Under such similar circumstances, can this really be a coincidence?"

Under Zhang Weimin's logical deductions, Ye Chen had no counterarguments.

Even though Ye Chen was an old hand with two lifetimes of experience, he found himself unable to refute Zhang Weimin, who had spent decades in politics.

It wasn't a coincidence.

Looking into Zhang Weimin's sharp and perceptive eyes, Ye Chen had no choice but to admit it.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you're from the future. How else could you know that Stella would face such problems?" Zhang Weimin narrowed his eyes.

"The signs of trouble at Stella were evident long ago. Complaints about their brake malfunctions had been piling up, even if they were suppressed. Eventually, the issue was bound to explode. Whether due to competitors, capital manipulation, or other reasons, there were too many factors that could trigger Stella's downfall. That's why I took action. As for using such high leverage, my gut told me that when Stella's stock hit an unprecedented high, it was the perfect moment for capitalists to strike," Ye Chen explained.

"And what if you'd guessed wrong?" Zhang Weimin asked.

"With Yiren Ruxue as my cash cow, even if I was wrong, it wouldn't hurt me too much. But if I missed the opportunity, I'd definitely regret it," Ye Chen replied.

"That's gambling," Zhang Weimin said, setting his chopsticks down.

Ye Chen stayed silent.

However, Zhang Weimin sighed, shaking his head as he looked at Ye Chen. "Xiao Ye, haven't you learned enough from past lessons? If you want to take risks in business, I won't stop you, but the stock market is just legalized gambling in a fancy disguise. With your current status, steady progress for a few more years will make you a household name across China. Why take such heart-pounding risks? Is it really worth it?"

Ye Chen could only smile bitterly in silence, misunderstood by the old man.

If he didn't know how events would unfold, he would never have taken such risks.

So, this wasn't gambling at all.

But he couldn't explain that to Zhang Weimin—not a single word of it.

He could only lower his head and say, "Old Secretary, your advice is absolutely correct."

"It's not advice; I just don't want to see you waste your potential. They say every trade has its master. If you were a professional trader, fine. But you're a businessman, a highly promising one at that. Don't abandon your strengths for temporary gains," Zhang Weimin said earnestly.

"You're right, Old Secretary," Ye Chen replied.

"You sound agreeable, but you still seem unconvinced," Zhang Weimin said, puzzled.

"Everything you've said is true. How could I not agree?" Ye Chen smiled and shook his head.

"Fine, fine! You probably understand these principles better than I do," Zhang Weimin sighed. Then he changed the subject. "Forget the big lessons. Tell me, how much did Jingshan make this time?"

After taking a sip of soup, Zhang Weimin waited for Ye Chen's response.

"Probably tens of billions," Ye Chen replied casually.