Chapter 24: Four Madwomen

As for whether they saw anything or not—everyone, regardless of their own answer, chose to silently let the matter pass. Then, conversation shifted to other topics.

After wandering through various subjects, the group’s attention finally settled on Ouyang Bingbing’s health.

“Bingbing, are you feeling better?” Wang Xinrou asked.

“Much better!” Bingbing replied with a smile.

“It’s all your fault for inviting Bingbing to go swimming! Do you even realize what season it is?” Wang Xinrou complained, casting an accusing look at Li Yingying and Lin Ying.

“Don’t blame them—it was my idea!” Bingbing countered. “You’d disappeared these past two days! We had to find something to do!”

“Hehe…” Wang Xinrou grinned. “These past two days have been simply spectacular for me!”

“Spectacular?” Li Yingying glanced over at He Tian, who was sitting quietly to the side, and laughed. “Oh, I get it! With such a handsome guy accompanying you, it would be hard for things not to be exciting!”

“Xinrou, you promised you’d let Bingbing have this handsome man!” Lin Ying joked.

“Oh, come on!” Bingbing blushed, unable to hide her embarrassment.

“Enough of this! He’s a person, not some commodity you can just hand over!” Wang Xinrou protested, clearly having second thoughts.

Beside them, He Tian felt a wave of emotion well up inside. At last, someone was acknowledging he wasn’t just an object! All this just because of one glance—now he hardly dared to speak.

“Bingbing, stand up for yourself! You see, she’s going back on her word!” Li Yingying egged Bingbing on, eager for more chaos.

“That’s enough!” Bingbing’s cheeks went even redder, desperate to end the topic.

Wang Xinrou, noticing Bingbing’s reaction, grew quietly wary. Was this girl truly interested? No way! I haven’t even had my chance yet—I can’t let Bingbing get ahead of me!

“Everyone, pay attention!” Wang Xinrou called out, drawing their focus. “Now, I’m getting to the main point! This concerns each of you.”

“It concerns us?” Lin Ying looked at her in surprise.

“Of course!” Wang Xinrou lifted her chin proudly. “We’re best friends. No matter what happens, I always think of you all first.”

He Tian couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. That’s a bit of an exaggeration… “No matter what happens”? That covers a lot of ground. If things ever turned a bit risqué, would Wang Xinrou really be thinking of Li Yingying and the rest? Obviously not! So clearly, she’s just saying what sounds good.

“Out with it!” Li Yingying urged, intrigued.

Bingbing, too, looked curiously at Wang Xinrou.

“I made a hundred million in the past two days!” Wang Xinrou announced, raising a slender, almost translucent finger.

“Monopoly money, right?” Bingbing was the first to express doubt.

“Exactly! A hundred million in two days? Unless you robbed a bank or your sister gave it to you,” Lin Ying chimed in, clearly skeptical.

“Oh, come on!” Wang Xinrou snapped. “You really don’t believe me? I’m telling you the truth! It took less than two hours to make a hundred million! And it wasn’t Monopoly money—it was real currency! I, Wang Xinrou, wouldn’t lie to you about something like this! If you don’t believe me, ask He Tian!”

Immediately, Bingbing, Li Yingying, and Lin Ying all turned to look at He Tian. Wang Xinrou was left speechless. Not believing was one thing, but did they have to make it so obvious? At least spare her some dignity.

“I can vouch for her—it’s all true,” He Tian confirmed, giving them the facts.

“See? Did you hear that? And you still don’t believe me! Tell me, when have I ever lied to you?” Wang Xinrou began to show off.

“But…” He Tian interjected, “to be precise, Xinrou watched me make a hundred million.”

“Hahaha… Xinrou, and you said you weren’t lying!” Li Yingying burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. It must be said, though her face was ordinary, her figure was anything but. The way she laughed, bending forward and back, was enough to inspire all sorts of thoughts.

“He Tian! Was it necessary to tear down my story?” Wang Xinrou glared at him, then explained to the others, “Fine, I admit it. The money was made by He Tian, and I was just there to see it! But still, the opportunity came about because of me! And most importantly, the money is now in my hands!”

“Wow… you’re already in charge of the family fortune!” Li Yingying teased.

“You little imp! Get out of here!” Wang Xinrou said, exasperated. She had to admit, when it came to boldness, Li Yingying outdid her. In fact, out of the four of them, Wang Xinrou only ranked third—just a bit bolder than Bingbing.

Who was first? Lin Ying. Don’t be fooled by her shy, well-behaved demeanor around strangers. Those who knew her realized Lin Ying’s courage and boldness were astonishing. She just hadn’t shown it because He Tian was present, which made Li Yingying stand out more.

“Truthfully, now that the money is with me, He Tian has said we can use it however we want—to play at any business venture. Ladies, surely you understand what that means?” Wang Xinrou smiled.

“Invest in us?” Bingbing looked at her in shock, then glanced at He Tian. This was a hundred million! Not a mere hundred yuan, but an enormous sum—something most people would never see in a lifetime. And He Tian had simply handed over control to Wang Xinrou? How could they not be astonished?

“That’s right!” He Tian nodded.

“Amazing! I’ve had my eyes on a restaurant nearby for ages! If we managed it, we’d do a hundred times better than the current owners!” Lin Ying’s eyes shone with excitement.

“With this money, we could work with the school and district to revamp the snack street outside! Make it official! Just collecting rent would be a goldmine!” Li Yingying was equally animated.

“I want to invest in the stock market!” Bingbing’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the computer on the table.

“Okay!” Wang Xinrou snapped her fingers. “I know all of you grew up in this environment! So I’ve decided to invest in you!”

“Lin Ying, how much would it take to buy out that restaurant?” Wang Xinrou asked seriously.

Lin Ying thought for a moment. “To simply acquire it, about a million should suffice. To expand and do it properly, three million. And I’ll say this now—within six months, I’ll open a branch. Within a year, five branches!”

“Excellent! I believe in you! You’ll surpass your father and leave him in the dust!” Wang Xinrou gave her a thumbs up.

“Absolutely! I’ll show them for not supporting me!” Lin Ying nodded, full of confidence.

“Yingying, I know your family is in real estate, and so are you! You’ve mentioned this idea before, but it’s a complicated field with many connections needed. Can you handle it?” Wang Xinrou asked.

“The snack street is out of the way, and its clientele is all students. I’ve done my research! Plus, I have a secret weapon. Li Kai should do his part too—I want to see if he’s truly sincere about me,” Li Yingying declared confidently.

“Haha, are you planning to use your charms? Or do you genuinely like Li Kai?” Wang Xinrou laughed.

“That guy has been chasing me for over three years—since the start of high school. This will be his final test!” Li Yingying smiled without denying it.

“Looks like our dorm will soon have its first taken woman! So, how much do you need?” Wang Xinrou smiled, looking every inch the wealthy patron.

“About twenty to thirty million in total. If we hurry, everything could be up and running after the New Year!” Li Yingying had clearly thought through the numbers many times.

“Alright, you get thirty million! If it’s not enough, ask for more!” Wang Xinrou waved grandly.

“Bingbing, you get fifty million! Use it to play the stock market as you like!” She then turned to Bingbing.

“Alright!” Bingbing could barely contain her eagerness.

“I’ll also be contacting the school to set up a student entrepreneurship fund! I want to establish the biggest and best investment company!” Wang Xinrou revealed her ambition.

He Tian watched the four of them, feeling as though they’d all gone mad. But seeing Wang Xinrou’s demeanor, he knew now was not the time to voice his doubts. He could only keep them to himself for now. Well, even if this was just a game for them, it was all easy money anyway. Letting them gain some experience wouldn’t hurt.

“Xinrou, business is business—what are the specific terms?” Bingbing asked.

“Lin Ying, I’ll invest five million in you for a fifty-one percent stake in your restaurant. For one year, no matter how much further investment is added, the share stays the same. After that, we’ll renegotiate. How about it?” Wang Xinrou seemed like a different person.

He Tian almost thought he was seeing Wang Xinmeng’s shadow in her. Clearly, both sisters had a talent for business.

“No objections! I’m the sole investor in mine anyway. This is perfect!” Lin Ying grinned. She was getting the better end of the deal, but there was no need to mention that now and risk their friendship.

“Yingying, thirty million—the same, I want fifty-one percent of the snack street project!” Wang Xinrou said.

“Xinrou, you’re a huge help! Don’t worry, I’m certain your returns will far exceed your investment!” Li Yingying was raring to go.

“As for you, Bingbing, I trust you. You’re my exclusive trader! Regardless of the results, you get a five percent commission. If there are losses, I’ll take them. But remember, no jumping ship!” Wang Xinrou told Bingbing.

“Then you’re stuck with me!” Bingbing nodded, deeply moved by the trust placed in her.

Wang Xinrou laughed joyfully. Mission accomplished!

“Four crazy women,” He Tian thought to himself with a sigh.