Chapter 105: Bathing: No Peeking

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Whether Liang Xue heard Luo Man's voice, Zhang Long didn't know, but she should have heard the knocking.

Forget it—overthinking was pointless.

Inner beauty or outer beauty, both women were more or less interested in Zhang Long. Rather than actively choosing, it was better to passively accept and spare himself the agonizing deliberation.

...

"Want to leave work early?"

The sudden voice from Hongze nearly startled Liang Xue. She turned to see Qian Caiying, standing at the corner behind her with a calm expression, unknown when she had arrived.

Coincidence—she truly hadn't meant to eavesdrop.

"Uh, no need."

Liang Xue shook her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

However, Qian Caiying met Liang Xue's gaze and clicked her tongue. "I do know today is Zhang Long's birthday—I saw his ID card when we signed the entrustment agreement. I figured Zhang Long wouldn't actually celebrate it, but I didn't expect you to stay late for overtime."

"You two really aren't seeing each other?"

Liang Xue's face reddened again as she gave a slight shake of her head. This question was a bit hard to answer. The relationship hadn't been made explicit, but they had shared a pillow and kissed; it hovered somewhere between mutual fondness and not yet deciding whether to accept it.

More than friends, less than lovers? Perhaps that was it.

"Ah, then you're in trouble."

Qian Caiying shrugged with a sigh. "This guy's birthday today—he's probably having a candlelit dinner with some girl right now, and after eating and drinking his fill, something's bound to happen, naturally enough."

"Uh, that can't be."

Liang Xue laughed awkwardly. Their earlier phone call had touched on the topic of staying overnight—Qian Caiying must have overheard.

"Anything's possible."

Qian Caiying gave a noncommittal shrug, then her eyes sparkled with a sudden idea. "How about I take you to the Bund and see if Zhang Long lets you upstairs? Test it out."

"Of course, if nothing's going on, fine—I'll leave and you can stay to celebrate Zhang Long's birthday. But if something really is going on..."

"No need, thank you."

Qian Caiying's words were cut off before she could finish, as Liang Xue interrupted with a steady exhale, her voice firm. "Whether something's going on or not has nothing to do with me. Thanks for the offer, Manager Qian."

"I'm going to work."

With that, Liang Xue strode toward the Blizzard team's work area, her steps light yet carrying a hint of determination.

Qian Caiying silently shrugged. Silly girl.

...

"Wow, this smells amazing."

At the dining table in Longju, Zhang Long smacked his lips in appreciation.

Four dishes and a soup weren't much, but they were plenty for two people. He still hadn't prepared any staple food like rice—on this point, Luo Man and Liang Xue were surprisingly consistent: no carbs at dinner.

Fortunately, Zhang Long was used to it. Besides, staying home didn't involve any strenuous physical activity.

Eating dishes, drinking soup, and adding some wine was enough.

"Since it smells amazing, eat plenty."

Luo Man's lovely eyes sparkled, the corners of her lips curving into a beautiful arc. "Finish it all—no leftovers."

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"Pfft, of course there won't be leftovers."

Zhang Long met Luo Man's gaze, letting out a light snort through his nose. "I'll eat and drink my fill, then we can get some exercise. Just want to say in advance—no running off. Whoever runs is a puppy."

"A dog's mouth can't produce ivory."

Faced with Zhang Long's subtle but blatant words, Luo Man rolled her eyes and gave him a slight glare. What a straight man.

Just eat and drink, let things happen naturally, get it?

Unfortunately, Zhang Long didn't get it, nor did he want to. He'd rather lock Luo Man in with his words first, so she couldn't suddenly change her mind at the last minute—like "oh no, I have something urgent"—slamming the brakes on the highway at high speed is bad for the car; easing off the gas and backfiring could set the engine on fire. Unpleasant.

"Hum—" Glasses clinked gently.

After a small sip of red wine to moisten his throat, Zhang Long picked up his chopsticks and dug in, while Luo Man chewed slowly in small bites, occasionally placing food into Zhang Long's bowl—the very picture of an obedient wife tending to her returning husband.

The scene was warm and harmonious, punctuated by shared laughter over topics from their university days.

"Hum—" Glasses clinked again.

Time slipped by, and a rosy flush crept across Luo Man's cheeks, while Zhang Long's gaze grew increasingly heated. Then, suddenly, a startled exclamation burst out: "Holy shit."

Zhang Long bolted up and dashed toward the study in the second bedroom—the sell order had already hit its take-profit target.

One more buy order, then done.

...

"Damn, that's intense."

At Dingsheng Trading, Yu Na exchanged a glance with Zou Ming, who couldn't help but shiver. Zhang Long had been activated today, and every single trade he'd made was profitable. Just now, a heavy position of 60 lots short had netted 80 points in profit before hitting take-profit. That was absolutely wild.

And what was even wilder—Zhang Long's name had appeared again among the open positions: a half-position buy order of 30 lots.

Today's total: 150 lots.

"You two and your luck..."

Yu Na let out a light breath, clicking her tongue with envy. "The client made a killing on his first day, and you, the clueless assistant, got a free boost in commissions without lifting a finger."

"Really makes a person jealous."

It wasn't just Yu Na who was envious—several colleagues across the department were casting sour looks.

A two-million account, not only walking in through the door on his own but trading like a beast. Impossible not to be jealous.

150 lots of trading volume—commission over ten grand!

Even if Zhang Long made some bad trades and lost a bit next, the wins and losses would still generate plenty of volume before the day was done. In other words, Zou Ming was pocketing at least tens of thousands in commissions for free. It was simply unjust.

"He won't pick up the phone—nothing I can do about it."

Zou Ming coughed awkwardly. When the short order was up thirty or forty points, he'd sent a text hinting he should exit. When it hit fifty or sixty points, he'd called, but the call wasn't answered. Sure, Zhang Long was doing great and trading aggressively, but Zou Ming was uneasy.

What if he held a losing position big sometime? What then.

"Discretionary clients—don't overmanage."

Yu Na had clients like that too, the self-directed type. Their wins and losses mattered, sure, but what mattered more was the process—the thrill of the swings.

Money's no object; what they're playing for is the adrenaline.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

Zou Ming nodded like a pecking chick. As long as Zhang Long traded well, he'd send more analysis alerts and make fewer calls.

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All good—no pressure being his assistant, totally fine.

...

"Are you trading futures?"

At the Bund's Longju residence, Luo Man stood by the study door without entering, watching Zhang Long's profile as he worked busily at the computer. A question of curiosity slipped out.

At this hour, the futures night session had just opened. He'd dropped everything in such a fluster, interrupting their tender moment—so clueless about romance.

"Phew, done."

A short while later, Zhang Long executed trades across his three spot-account portals, each buying roughly half a position. He didn't set take-profit high—just 30 points of net gain. If he exited on gains, combined with his earlier trades, he'd make 1.2 million today.

At that point, his Huiyin account balance would reach 2.7 million, Dingxin 2.4 million, and Runde slightly more at 2.5 million.

Total earnings for the two days this week: 1.6 million.

Not much, but not little either.

Of course, if prices fell and he was stopped out, Zhang Long wouldn't count it—he'd just work harder to earn it back tomorrow. Tonight, he had no more time for trading. Time for the real business.

The mood had been perfect just now, and being forced to interrupt was aggravating. Even if the trades were winning, it still stung.

"All done?"

The computer shut down, and Zhang Long rose, walking toward the door. Luo Man, still leaning against the doorframe, rolled her eyes lightly as she asked, curious about what he'd been doing.

"Yeah, done."

Zhang Long stepped close and wrapped an arm around Luo Man's curved waist, his breath still carrying the aroma of red wine. "I've got nothing left to distract me now, so down below—shall we keep eating, or soak in the bath for a bit?"

"Hmph, you pervert."

Luo Man's cheeks burned with a mix of wine flush and embarrassment as she shot Zhang Long a glare. Talking about "down below" like that—a little wine and he had no filter, his true nature showing through.

"I'm going to shower."

The wine wasn't finished but was close to the bottom. Continuing the interrupted meal held no appeal, so Luo Man pulled free from Zhang Long's embrace to shower first, adding, "Clean up the dining table."

"And no peeking."

With that, she turned and walked into the bathroom.

But Luo Man didn't stop to think about where she was. Even if the bathroom door was locked from the inside, a key could open it.

A moment later, Zhang Long, having swiftly and simply cleared the table, appeared outside the bathroom door. Listening to the rushing sound of water inside, his nose began to warm.

He took a deep breath, gave a slight shudder, then reached out and pressed down on the door handle. Locked, as expected.

Ahem. He pulled out the key, fitted it into the lock, and turned. A soft "click" echoed through the air.

Amitabha, mercy be praised. Go in or not?

PS: Wuwuwu, I truly didn't mean to cut off the chapter—it's just that I hit the word count. Forgive me / doge saves life.

The second update tonight will come a bit earlier. Sweat.