November 24th, Saturday.

Today was a day off, and Meng Chang didn’t have much work on hand. After all, the promotional work for “Real Estate Agent Simulator” was already fully prepared—everything was ready, just waiting for the final push.

However, this weekend he wasn’t staying at home but had gone out to meet an old classmate who had just returned from abroad, whom he hadn’t seen for two years.

The two arranged to meet at a nearby Slackin’ Internet Café.

“Fan Xiaodong! Over here!”

Seeing his old classmate enter, Meng Chang raised his hand in greeting.

Fan Xiaodong was quite tall, wearing a long coat that gave him a somewhat British look.

When he saw Meng Chang, his face immediately broke into a smile.

However, following that smile, a trace of surprise quickly appeared on his face.

After sitting down in the café area of Slackin’, Fan Xiaodong asked with confusion: “Brother, it’s been two years since we last met. How did you end up like this?”

“I heard earlier that you had secured investment and started your own fast food brand that was doing really well. What’s the situation now?”

Fan Xiaodong and Meng Chang were college classmates who had shared bunk beds and had an extremely good relationship.

Both were very intelligent people who were always on the same wavelength no matter what they did, and both were undoubtedly outstanding students at school.

After graduation, their paths completely diverged. Meng Chang chose to stay in China, joining a large company to accumulate experience while watching for an opportunity to start his own business. Fan Xiaodong, on the other hand, went abroad to study and currently worked at a financial company in America.

In Fan Xiaodong’s impression, Meng Chang had always paid great attention to his appearance, giving off an elite aura from the inside out.

Moreover, he had heard that Meng Chang had founded a fast food brand in China that was thriving, which made Fan Xiaodong quite envious.

After all, although he worked at a financial company with a substantial income, it still couldn’t compare to the expected income of someone like Meng Chang who had succeeded in entrepreneurship.

But as for what happened afterward, Fan Xiaodong wasn’t quite clear.

For one thing, he himself had been very busy with work, and for another, after Meng Chang’s business failed, he had quietly cut off contact with most friends and classmates. At Tenda, he had secluded himself in intense study, so the two hadn’t shared updates on their situations.

It wasn’t until Fan Xiaodong was about to return to China that he reconnected with Meng Chang, specifically detouring to Jingzhou to meet him.

Upon meeting, Fan Xiaodong was surprised—what had happened to Meng Chang?

Although his spirit still seemed vibrant, he had clearly become much more unkempt and was no longer as meticulous as before.

And in terms of his aura, he seemed to have changed as well.

Whether his entrepreneurial venture had succeeded or failed, Meng Chang had no reason to be in his current state.

Based on Fan Xiaodong’s understanding of Meng Chang, if his business had succeeded, he would definitely be making a big show of it, with his tail up in the air. If his business had failed, he would most likely be dejected and unable to recover.

But his current state… it felt much more peaceful, much more calm.

What was going on?

Meng Chang smiled, called over the server to order two cups of coffee, and then said, “Cold Face Girl failed, and I was left with a mountain of debt. But there was one good thing.”

Fan Xiaodong was taken aback. “There was a good thing? What good thing?”

He was surprised, as he was well aware of the risks of entrepreneurship in China. When Meng Chang mentioned a mountain of debt, it was definitely not a small number.

Meng Chang paused, then said, “I met a master.”

“You know Mr. Pei from Tenda, right? Although my business venture was crushed by him, he also taught me many things. I feel like I’m about to complete my apprenticeship.”

“Once I graduate, not only will I be able to easily repay all these debts, I’m sure I’ll be able to make a comeback!”

Fan Xiaodong was silent for a moment. “…It’s good that you can maintain such an optimistic attitude.”

“But I still don’t understand. Why are you thanking Mr. Pei when he outmaneuvered your business? And you say you learned from him?”

“This sounds a lot like Stockholm syndrome or being manipulated…”

Meng Chang’s mouth twitched slightly. “Don’t talk nonsense. Do I look like that kind of fool?”

“I can tell the difference between being brainwashed and learning something real.”

“Anyway, it’s too complicated. What I’ve learned is too profound to explain in just a few words.”

“Let’s talk about you instead. How’s work recently?”

Fan Xiaodong took a sip of coffee. “It’s okay. Just drifting abroad, not living well but not starving either. The income is decent, but in the environment I’m in… no matter how much you earn, it’s never enough.”

“In my spare time, I occasionally dabble in American stocks. At least I can make a little money that way.”

Based on Meng Chang’s understanding of Fan Xiaodong, he knew this was definitely modesty. What Fan Xiaodong called “a little money” might be several years’ salary for some wage earners.

But Meng Chang didn’t think Fan Xiaodong was showing off. After all, they were both similar types of people. Once you start making a lot of money, your sense of scale for money becomes less sensitive. It’s possible that this amount really was just “a little money” in Fan Xiaodong’s eyes.

Speaking of American stocks, Meng Chang suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, isn’t Home Group listed on the American stock exchange?”

Fan Xiaodong nodded. “Yes, it’s been performing quite well recently. Do you want to buy some? I can help.”

Meng Chang immediately shook his head. “Buy? Of course not. If you trust me, I’d suggest shorting it.”

Fan Xiaodong was stunned. “Short? Home Group just released their third quarter financial report at the beginning of this month, showing good development, including small increases in various metrics like market share.”

“Given Home Group’s current market share, it’s too early to say that other similar companies could pose a threat.”

“The previous ‘formaldehyde apartments’ controversy has basically subsided and didn’t cause serious damage. The stock price that had fallen earlier has started to rise back up. There don’t seem to be any major public sentiment events coming up in the near future. On the contrary, their recent promotional activities have created good buzz.”

“From every angle, it looks like there should be a small upward trend. How could you short it?”

Shorting, in simpler terms, is betting on a price drop—you make money when the stock falls and lose money when it rises.

Moreover, shorting carries extremely high risk, with theoretically unlimited losses.

Shorting Home Group under these circumstances—was he tired of living?

Meng Chang took a sip of coffee. “The specific situation is difficult to explain in a few words.”

“All I can say is that the project I’m working on now could potentially deliver a devastating blow to Home Group’s reputation, creating a massive public relations crisis for them.”

“Of course, exactly to what extent this will work is hard to say, given that Home Group is such a massive enterprise and it’s difficult to cause serious damage. But I have some confidence that this controversy won’t be small.”

Fan Xiaodong blinked. “The project you’re working on now?”

“How much funding do you have that could cause a major public relations crisis for Home Group?”

“Have you caught them doing something illegal?”

Meng Chang shook his head. “There’s no direct evidence of them breaking the law, nor any major scandals.”

“I can’t disclose the funding, but it’s substantial.”

“But that’s not the point.”

“To generate sufficient attention and create a PR crisis, there are more sophisticated methods.”

“I can’t give you detailed explanations now, and it would be difficult to explain clearly anyway. All I can say is, if you trust me, you might consider using some money that’s not too important to short Home Group. If you lose, don’t blame me; if you win, just treat me to a meal.”

“If I had money on hand right now, I’d definitely put my entire fortune into shorting it.”

Fan Xiaodong found it hard to believe. “That confident?”

Meng Chang nodded. “That’s right.”

“Where does this confidence come from?” Fan Xiaodong asked.

Meng Chang stated firmly, “It comes from a higher-dimensional perspective.”

“On the surface, Home Group is a behemoth, but they actually have fatal weaknesses at their core. It’s just that most people can’t identify them or don’t have the capability to exploit them.”

“Because either they don’t have the volume and influence, or they’re not clean themselves.”

“But Mr. Pei happens to have both the ability and the intention.”

“This is a method that only Tenda can use, and I happen to be the executor.”

Fan Xiaodong didn’t ask any more questions and fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, he nodded. “Alright! I’ll take out some money to short it a bit. I trust you!”

“If I lose, I won’t blame you. If I win, I’ll split the profits with you!”

“With our relationship, there’s no need for formalities. In the future, if you have more accurate information like this, you can tell me, and we can make money from these big companies together. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

If anyone else had told Fan Xiaodong to short Home Group, he definitely wouldn’t have believed them.

But he and Meng Chang were old classmates who trusted each other, and he knew Meng Chang was very smart. Although his ventures were sometimes risky, the risks and returns were proportional.

If he was speaking so confidently this time, there must be a reason.

Besides, people like him generally had a much stronger desire for opportunities than the average person.

Meng Chang nodded without saying much more. After all, by the end of the month, things would become clear.

Fan Xiaodong asked again, “Wait, you said Mr. Pei has this intention, and you happen to be the executor? Does that mean Mr. Pei has already shorted the stock too?”

Meng Chang hadn’t expected this question and was momentarily at a loss for words. “I don’t know about that.”

“However, I haven’t heard that Mr. Pei has ever dabbled in the stock market. If he wanted to, he could easily open his own securities or fund company, and I believe many would be lining up to give him money.”

“Maybe he’s at such a high level that he doesn’t care for these low-level tricks.”

“Whether he uses his money to make games, produce films, develop physical industries, or make investments, none of these would necessarily earn less than playing the stock market, and they carry less risk because his success rate in these ventures is so high.”

Fan Xiaodong nodded. “That’s true. If someone can achieve 100% success in entrepreneurship and venture capital—things that usually have a one-in-ten chance of success—why would they play the stock market? It’s just people like us who count on the stock market to make some quick money.”

“So, when will this PR crisis you mentioned break out?”

Meng Chang thought for a moment. “The end of this month or the beginning of next month. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact date, but it won’t be later than the 15th of next month.”

Since “Real Estate Agent Simulator” would need some time to ferment in public opinion after its release, Meng Chang wasn’t certain exactly how long this would take. If things moved quickly, it might explode in two or three days; if slower, it might take a week.

But in any case, it wouldn’t drag on too long.

Fan Xiaodong quickly said, “That’s precise enough! I’ll arrange it right away!”