"No way! I can't just accept defeat like this. I won't stand for it!" Ding Jing said through clenched teeth. "Even if I lose, I want to accept it willingly! I want it to be a complete and utter defeat!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Yi Anguo said with a touch of helplessness. "What kind of loss would it take for you to be convinced, to consider it thorough? You came up with the original terms yourself. I lend you three million, and after a year, you pay back nine million. If you fail, you spend your life at my service, even bearing my children without complaint. Half the time is already up, and only now are you telling me you won't accept it?"

Ding Jing knew she was being unreasonable, but what choice did she have? It wasn't that she was incompetent. It was because repaying her debt, funding her mother's surgery, and covering the post-operative care had not only eaten up half a year but had also depleted nearly all her funds.

Now, no matter how capable she was, she was useless without start-up capital. It's like they say, even the most clever housewife can't cook a meal without rice! No matter how skilled a woman is, she can't make fragrant, fluffy rice if you don't give her any! How could I willingly admit defeat under these circumstances?

So what if I have to be shameless for once? So what if I'm being irrational? What does it matter?

Ding Jing moved forward, sat on Yi Anguo's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and boldly kissed him.

"You're a grown man, bullying your own woman. What's so impressive about that? Even if you win, it's nothing to be proud of! If you're going to win, win honorably and openly!" Ding Jing said with dissatisfaction after the kiss.

After spending some time together, Ding Jing had come to understand Yi Anguo's character and temper. Besides, their relationship was a far cry from what it once was. For her to dare approach him and ask for help, she must have been confident she had him figured out.

When a girl becomes a woman, when a young maiden becomes a young wife, the change isn't merely superficial. It is a complete transformation of body and soul, a journey from naivete to maturity. It's true growth. Her entire psyche and demeanor would become different, far more mature than before.

Yi Anguo could only give a bitter smile. "It's precisely because I care for you and like you that I want you to stay. That's why I don't want you to leave me. If I help you win, but you leave me because of it, then tell me, what should I do?"

Ding Jing was stunned by his question, unsure how to respond. If I say he should help me, doesn't that imply I want to leave him? Why would he help me then? On what grounds? Anyone else, including myself, probably wouldn't be willing to help in this situation! But if I say he shouldn't help me, then how can I win?

Even if she was willing to stay with him, she had to at least show him her talent and ability, to prove she was worth keeping around. If she couldn't, she would be nothing more than a decorative vase by his side.

And what would be the point of that? I'd be just a pretty accessory. Such an outcome was not something Ding Jing wanted, nor was it something she could ever accept.

All those years of arduous study, earning a Ph.D. in Finance and a Master of Laws from a prestigious American university, pouring my heart and soul into my education to the point I never even had a proper romance—was it all just to become some man's beautiful vase? The price is too high, the outcome too cruel. My entire life's education would be useless, all those years of study wasted. Who in their right mind would be willing to accept that?!

"How about this," Ding Jing said after some thought. "Regardless of the final outcome, I'll concede defeat. I'll stay by your side and won't leave. I'll dedicate myself to helping and supporting you, and I'm willing to bear your children."

She knew that according to their original agreement, she had already lost, one hundred percent. Since she was bound to lose sooner or later, admitting defeat now wasn't impossible. It was just that the loss felt too unfair, and she was deeply unwilling to accept it.

"But!" she continued, "could you give me some money to invest? Let me at least prove my own abilities. Even if I do stay with you, I don't want to be just a pretty vase.

"I know you don't lack for women, and that I'm not the only one. In fact, I'm the oldest one among them.

"Although I'm very confident in my current looks and charisma and don't think I'd lose to any of them, I also know that women age quickly. Youth and beauty aren't eternal; they can't be held onto. Sooner or later, you'll fall for a girl who is younger and prettier than me.

"That's why I don't want to just be a dispensable vase by your side. I hope to become your right-hand woman, so that one day, even when I'm old and my beauty has faded, you still won't be able to leave me."

Yi Anguo nodded. "Proving yourself is simple enough, but three million is too little. I'm prepared to give you one or two hundred million in capital to buy shares of Penguin Corporation on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. What do you think?"

Ding Jing immediately replied, "Penguin Corporation, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange? That stock has been rising since August, and its price is already over six yuan, which is a relatively high point. Buying in now is not a wise decision. I believe the stock price will gradually decline over the next month or two. It will likely fall back to a price slightly higher than its previous low, at which point its decline will halt and it will begin to rebound."

"I've been studying the Hong Kong market recently, focusing specifically on Penguin Corporation's stock trends, so I'm very familiar with it."

Yi Anguo nodded. "In August, the price dropped below 3.40 yuan, falling below its initial offering price. Since you've studied this stock, tell me, what price do you predict it will fall to, and how long will it take?"

"I estimate it will drop below 4.50 yuan, and it will take between a month and a half to two months. That will be the optimal time to buy," Ding Jing said after careful consideration.

"For a long-term investment, I'm very optimistic about this company's stock. With the rapid growth in registered users for Penguin Corporation's chat software, the soaring number of concurrent online users, the increasing prevalence of computers, the launch of Mobile Penguin, and the sharp rise in the company's gaming revenue, its stock price is bound to rise continuously in the future.

"Short-term trading is filled with uncertainty, but if you can hold steady, it's a guaranteed profit. That's because, in the long run, as Penguin Corporation continues to develop, its stock is certain to keep climbing. The worst-case scenario is that your funds get tied up temporarily, preventing you from cashing out at will."

"So, you're very optimistic about Penguin Corporation's future, then?" Yi Anguo asked with a smile.

Ding Jing nodded. "Of course. When planning a long-term investment in a stock, you're betting on the company's growth prospects. That's what true investing is. In theory, buying a company's stock and holding it for the long term is an affirmation of the company's value. That's called value investing.

"But if you're just trading stocks, that's short-term speculation. It's all about getting in and out quickly. To put it bluntly, that kind of trading uses a capital advantage to manipulate price fluctuations in order to fleece the retail investors. With enough capital and a large enough holding, you're basically acting as the market maker."

Yi Anguo nodded, feeling that Ding Jing had a point. To retail investors, he was probably the so-called market maker behind the National Liquor Shares stock. After all, even if there were other market makers involved with National Liquor Shares, their influence probably couldn't compare to his!

Although Yi Anguo never intended to be a market maker, his sheer volume of capital meant his buying and selling could indeed sway the stock's direction.

But what could he do about it? He couldn't just give up on buying National Liquor Shares because of that, could he? And he couldn't just hold on to the stock when he knew the price was about to drop, right? He was an investor, after all. How could an investor give up on profits that were clearly within reach?

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