#Stellar Plummets 43% in Four Days

#8 Trillion RMB Vaporized – What Does That Even Mean?

#A Single Protest Halved Stellar's Market Value in Just Four Days

#Rumors of a $300 Million Short with 50x Leverage on Stellar

#Was the Pre-Crash Shorting of Stellar Done by a Chinese Investor?

The next day, these hashtags dominated the trending topics on Weibo.

The internet was in an uproar!

Even people who didn't understand stocks were terrified by the sheer scale of the situation.

While a 43% drop might not sound alarming to some, the evaporation of over 8 trillion RMB in just four days was enough to leave even casual bystanders stunned.

The revelation that someone from China allegedly used 50x leverage to short Stellar before its collapse sent shockwaves through the online world.

• "What the hell? 8 trillion RMB gone? That's insane!"

• "At 700,000 RMB per Stellar car, this loss is equivalent to over 10 million cars. Unreal!"

• "I wonder if those who invested in Stellar stocks are crying into their knees right now!"

• "No need to sympathize with those who went bankrupt investing in Stellar. If they could afford Stellar stocks, they weren't ordinary people anyway!"

The internet erupted in admiration for a protest led by a woman from Shanghai, with some commenters declaring:

• "Shanghai's queen! She single-handedly wrecked half of Stellar in just four days. Absolute legend!"

• "Look at Stellar now—arrogant no more! Get out of the Chinese market already!"

• "Praying for Stellar's stock price to keep dropping!"

The alleged $300 million short with 50x leverage was a hot topic:

• "If this is true, that's a god-tier move! A 2,150% return means turning $300 million into $6.45 billion—over 40 billion RMB in just four days. Was this really one of us, a Chinese investor?"

Speculation about the short strategy abounded:

• "To bet against Stellar with $300 million at 50x leverage, especially when the company's future looked bright—could this have been part of a well-thought-out scheme? Could the Shanghai protest have been staged?"

• "Idiot! How can you stage something like brake failures on numerous cars worldwide? And Stellar's crash isn't as directly tied to the Shanghai protest as you think!"

All other trending topics—celebrity scandals, concert mishaps—were utterly overshadowed.

The entire internet was consumed by debates over Stellar's $8 trillion evaporation and the alleged Chinese short-seller.

Even Chen Yinuo, shocked by the news, couldn't fathom that her own husband was behind the short.

Early Morning at the Villa

Despite going to bed at 4 a.m., Ye Chen woke up early.

When he saw the trending topics, his brows furrowed.

He had no intention of being identified as the person who shorted Stellar.

Such exposure would undoubtedly bring unwanted attention and complications.

After finishing the breakfast his wife lovingly prepared, he called Li Changfeng.

"Hey, Brother Ye! Up so early?" Li Changfeng's voice was full of energy.

"Couldn't sleep after making billions in just a few days, huh?" Ye Chen joked.

Laughing, Li Changfeng replied, "Exactly! Following your lead, I made tens of billions. I'm still buzzing!"

"Your $1 billion short has netted you 21.5 billion RMB. The funds will hit your account this afternoon—same account as before?"

"Yes, the same account." Ye Chen's tone turned serious. "Changfeng, the internet is abuzz with claims that the person who shorted Stellar is Chinese. Could this lead back to you?"

"Don't worry, Brother Ye. It's impossible to trace back to me directly. Only specialized authorities might uncover that it originated in China, but I've taken every precaution to ensure our anonymity. Even if I were somehow exposed, I'd never reveal your involvement without your consent!"

"Even without you saying anything, many could guess it's me," Ye Chen noted.

Li Changfeng hesitated, then admitted, "That's... true. But without government-level scrutiny, the trail stops at me. And $300 million isn't enough to draw their attention."

"That's good to hear. Exposure at this stage wouldn't benefit anyone, even though everything we've done is legal."

Post-Stellar Moves

After hanging up, Ye Chen leaned back on the sofa, unfazed by the whirlwind of earning over 200 billion RMB in four days.

With the funds secured, his major projects—like the Mid-Mountain Development—were fully financed.

Other ventures, like Jianghu Hot Pot, required negligible capital. His tech ambitions and future plans were already taking shape in his mind.

"Time to shift focus and lay the groundwork for a technological era," Ye Chen murmured, entering a deep state of planning.

Later That Afternoon

In a dim hotel room near a kindergarten, the scene was a mess of empty liquor bottles, takeout boxes, and lingering cigarette smoke.

A telescope by the window was pointed directly at the kindergarten gates.

"Can you stop sniffing so loudly? It's driving me insane!" one man shouted.

"Do you think I enjoy this? If I don't sniff, it'll drip into my mouth!" the skinny man retorted, looking miserable.