Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 485: I'm Not Returning to China

After Vipshop went public in the United States in 2012, its stock price lingered around the four-dollar mark for quite a long time before steadily climbing in 2013.To be honest, during this period, Eastern companies listed in the US were generally on a steady upward trend. Investors during this phase weren't worrying about making or losing money, but rather about how to make even more money.

This was especially true after 2014, when an internet frenzy swept through China. A huge crowd of people kept echoing the sentiment that even a pig could fly if it stood in the center of a whirlwind.

But in reality, the vast majority of the capital remained firmly in Wall Street, manipulated by the big financial tycoons.

While Boss Ma dominated the domestic scene, most of the capital began to transition toward China's internet industry, yet there were only a handful of listed domestic e-commerce companies.

Vipshop was considered a highly mature enterprise among them.

Of course, during the same period, there were also a few other famous companies like Yiche.com and Dangdang.

However, when it came to corporate management structure, Vipshop was clearly much more solid.

Back in 2012, they had already begun self-funding and building their own warehousing systems. For the entire year of 2013, their net revenue reached 1.4 billion US dollars, equivalent to over 10.6 billion yuan.

The sudden surge in the second half of 2014 was heavily fueled by the release of their mid-year financial report in June. Their net revenue for the first half of 2014 hit 2 billion US dollars, roughly 16 billion yuan. In just half a year, they had already surpassed their total revenue for all of 2013 by fifty percent.

That year, JD.com and other famous domestic e-commerce giants flocked to list in the US. But compared to these companies whose internal structures were still somewhat ambiguous, the Wall Street tycoons took a moment for careful deliberation.

They decided to pump up Vipshop first.

And so came the second half of 2014, when this Eastern e-commerce company managed to stand out from the crowd.

Charging ahead from 120 dollars in June 2014, the stock forcefully pulled up to 200 dollars in barely less than a month.

This afternoon, both Zhou Yuwen and Lu Wanting had their hearts in their throats. Lu Wanting had even fallen into despair, fearing that the five million US dollars might vanish in an instant. Yet, right at that moment, a shockingly massive bullish candlestick shot straight up.

It surged fiercely in the final fifteen minutes.

By the time the market closed, it had broken through ten percentage points in one fell swoop.

Zhou Yuwen currently held two percent of Vipshop's stock, which was now worth one hundred and twenty million US dollars.

In just a single day, it had risen by ten percent.

In other words, twelve million!

Zhou Yuwen asked Lu Wanting how much money they had made today.

Lu Wanting excitedly informed him: twelve million!

"We made twelve million US dollars!"

Zhou Yuwen laughed and tightly embraced Lu Wanting, who was clad in black stockings.

A man's ambition expands alongside his possessions. Cupping Lu Wanting's face in his hands, Zhou Yuwen planted a fierce, loud kiss on her forehead.

"We're rich!"

"Tonight, I'm treating you to dinner! I'm taking you to the most luxurious restaurant in New York!"

"Mhm!"

Lu Wanting's face was flushed red. Completely dizzy with excitement, she did not find Zhou Yuwen's actions inappropriate in the slightest.

This was the true charm of a capitalist society.

In a mere day, Zhou Yuwen had earned twelve million US dollars—equivalent to over ninety-six million yuan!

His personal assets had doubled instantly.

By that night, it was no longer a secret that Wall Street capital had decided to enter the market for Vipshop.

Vipshop also announced its subsequent layout that day, such as suddenly spending one hundred and ten million US dollars to acquire a seventy-five percent stake in Lefeng.com.

This move effectively granted them a direct monopoly over the e-commerce cosmetics market.

Most importantly, this one hundred and ten million US dollars came from a highly renowned financial consortium, which released a powerful signal to the public.

That same night, well-informed insiders received news that today's massive surge in Vipshop was driven by the presence of Wall Street's financial predators.

In a flash, countless speculators leaped into action upon hearing the news.

Vipshop's stock abruptly became blazing hot.

At this point, apart from buying on the secondary market, a larger crowd opted to purchase directly from current shareholders. Other than shares transferred by the founding team, the only options were scattered individual stakeholders.

But when everyone finished crunching all the numbers...

They discovered that there was actually a natural person who held a two percent stake in Vipshop at this crucial moment.

Everyone froze in shock.

Who was this person?

Who had sold him that one percent chunk of stock?

The seller in question stated that they were clueless as well.

They only knew that the buyer's boss was surnamed Zhou.

Surnamed Zhou?

He had been continuously sweeping up Vipshop stock on the secondary market since two weeks ago.

Who on earth was this guy?

All at once, every faction keeping an eye on Vipshop dispatched their subordinates, desperate to dig up information on this mysterious shareholder.

Now that Vipshop's foundation was set in stone, a further price surge was merely a matter of time.

It was simply unacceptable to them for that two percent to remain in Zhou Yuwen's hands.

They hoped to spend a premium price to purchase it directly from him.

Over at the Sky Garden Hotel in New York, Zhou Yuwen treated Lu Wanting to a lavish Western dinner. For tonight, he had booked the entire establishment.

Beyond the French window hung an astonishingly massive moon.

There was only a single table set in the restaurant.

An entire live band serviced Zhou Yuwen alone, serenading them with the world-renowned classical piece, "Salut d'Amour."

Lu Wanting was deeply flattered, murmuring that Zhou Yuwen had spent far too much on this.

"I shouldn't be the one here at a time like this. I think Su Qing would be much more suitable."

"It's fine. This glory belongs to you; after all, you are my trader," Zhou Yuwen chuckled. With a gentlemanly flair, he pulled out a chair for Lu Wanting and invited her to sit.

Lu Wanting was still wearing the same professional suit skirt she had worn during the day.

Truth be told, it looked rather out of place in this romantic setting.

But what did that matter?

As Lu Wanting took her seat, Zhou Yuwen's angle offered him a perfect glimpse of the snowy white expanse at her collar.

Her black professional suit was undeniably tailored to cinch her waist and accentuate her bust. Such a design made Lu Wanting's chest appear even more perky, and combined with the black lace edge, the sight was immensely alluring.

Most captivating of all were the beautiful legs wrapped in black stockings hidden beneath the table.

When Zhou Yuwen had ushered her to her seat, he had placed both hands securely around her waist to guide her down.

Lu Wanting clearly felt his subtle little moves.

Yet, she didn't find them repulsive at all.

Today, the twelve million US dollars had thoroughly stimulated their nerves, making both of them much bolder than usual.

Before Zhou Yuwen, Lu Wanting was like a devout believer.

She looked at the effortlessly calm Zhou Yuwen with a hint of confusion. "You seemed to know long beforehand that Vipshop was going to surge. Why?"

Zhou Yuwen replied that it wasn't exactly that he knew it beforehand.

Anyway, out of so many stocks...

"This was the only stock that inexplicably drew me in. Call it luck, I suppose," Zhou Yuwen smiled.

At this moment, he was indeed riding the crest of success, basking in the euphoria of his triumph.

Today was merely the beginning. For every day following this, Vipshop would continue its upward climb. There was still a fifty percent room for growth.

In 2015, Vipshop's peak valuation would hit 17.9 billion US dollars. With his current two percent stake, Zhou Yuwen's ultimate profit would sit at around 350 million US dollars.

As his first bucket of gold overseas, this was absolutely perfect.

Zhou Yuwen noted that he had made it clear to Lu Wanting long ago: if he failed this time, he would just write off the five million and return home obediently to live as a wealthy gentleman.

But if he succeeded, he would establish his own investment firm right here in New York, specializing in stock market investments. And naturally, in the later stages, he would assist domestic companies with going public.

Vipshop could bring Zhou Yuwen an income of two hundred million US dollars, but this was only the starting line.

In the future, there would be two billion, three billion.

"Of course, I can't do this alone. I need someone to help me. Wanting, everything is fate. I finally understand why I met you in this life. You are my absolute best proxy."

"Stay in New York and help me, will you?" Zhou Yuwen spoke with profound sincerity. He moved to Lu Wanting's side, gently taking her hand as he made his earnest request.

Lu Wanting's hands had been resting on her beautiful legs clad in black stockings.

Therefore, when Zhou Yuwen reached for her hand, his fingers naturally brushed against the silky texture of her stockings.

However, Zhou Yuwen's eyes brimmed solely with an intense desire for Lu Wanting herself.

Lu Wanting still felt a sliver of hesitation, genuinely believing she didn't possess that level of talent.

But Zhou Yuwen assured her that talent was secondary.

"What matters most is obedience. Will you be obedient?"

"I..."

Gazing up at Zhou Yuwen before her, Lu Wanting found it incredibly difficult to shake her head.

The legendary myth of twelve million US dollars in a single day—Lu Wanting knew that an opportunity like this would only come once in her entire lifetime.

She didn't want to miss it.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lu Wanting looked back at Zhou Yuwen.

Ultimately, she found herself nodding. "If you need me to."

That night, inside the luxurious hotel room.

Lu Wanting's phone was ringing non-stop.

Zhou Yuwen was undeniably overexcited today and had consumed quite a bit of liquor. He had originally been dressed in a full suit and tie, but the suit jacket had long since been tossed aside. His strong physique stretched against the fabric of his white shirt, and his tie had been violently yanked loose.

Drenched in red wine, the two of them grew increasingly wild.

It started with drinking, but later on, Zhou Yuwen domineeringly yanked Lu Wanting right onto his lap, his large hands forcefully squeezing her voluptuous thighs.

Then, he took a deep gulp of red wine before feeding it directly into Lu Wanting's mouth, lip to lip.

Lu Wanting accepted his advances meekly, her gaze slowly blurring with intoxication.

Under Zhou Yuwen's rough and domineering control, she gradually lost herself in a swirl of lust and confusion.

In fact, while still in the hotel, Lu Wanting had been thoroughly explored by Zhou Yuwen's touch.

Even her black stockings had long since been torn open.

By the time they returned to their room, both knew exactly what was about to happen.

Zhou Yuwen had already gone to take a shower.

Stepping back into her own room, Lu Wanting managed to regain a fraction of her senses.

Her head was spinning slightly.

Right then, her phone rang again.

It was already nine o'clock at night. Peng Xiaoyong always called around this time.

Lu Wanting stared at the incoming call on the screen.

She was no longer hesitating between playing the role of Zhou Yuwen's prospective sister-in-law...

...or obediently serving as his secret lover.

Lu Wanting connected the call.

Peng Xiaoyong's voice filtered through the speaker: "Why did you take so long to answer?"

"Hm?" Lu Wanting let out a soft murmur.

"Have you been drinking?" Peng Xiaoyong instantly deduced her state from the sound of her voice.

"Oh, hehe." A deep blush colored Lu Wanting's face at that moment.

Propping herself up with one arm, she leaned heavily against the table.

Still in her high heels and dressed in a sleek black uniform...

...her posture perfectly showcased her feminine curves.

Peng Xiaoyong furrowed his brow. "Why did you drink so much? Where is Yuwen?"

"Oh, him. He's taking a shower," Lu Wanting replied lazily.

"Did you two have a business dinner today?" Peng Xiaoyong asked.

"Hehe." Lu Wanting simply giggled twice, offering no explanation.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get a straight answer, Peng Xiaoyong sighed and quickly followed up, "You're coming back to China this week, right?"

Slouching languidly against the desk, the alcohol clouded Lu Wanting's consciousness. Only her panting sound grew noticeably heavier.

Soon enough, Zhou Yuwen emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered.

He was entirely bare, save for a single bath towel wrapped around his waist.

As Lu Wanting gazed at the half-naked Zhou Yuwen standing before her, the sound of Peng Xiaoyong's voice crackling from the phone seemed to sharpen her senses considerably.

She abruptly cut off Peng Xiaoyong's rambling.

"Xiaoyong."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not returning to China," Lu Wanting declared.

She hung up the phone and, as a finishing touch, powered it off entirely and tossed it aside.

"What do you mean?"

"Hello? Wanting? Are you there?"

"Wanting, are you there?"

Peng Xiaoyong had been eagerly anticipating Lu Wanting's return, dreaming that once she came back this time, the two of them would officially be together.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect her to suddenly drop a bombshell like that.

Seized by sheer panic, Peng Xiaoyong frantically redialed her number, only for an automated voice to inform him moments later that the phone he was trying to reach had been turned off.

His panic skyrocketed. Suddenly, he remembered that he could still call Zhou Yuwen's number.

He hurriedly punched in the digits.

Zhou Yuwen's phone began ringing non-stop in his room.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yuwen wasn't in his own room.