Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 600: The Jiang Family's Crisis

To be honest, the feasibility of Su Qing shorting the Jiang family's overseas assets was incredibly low. If the Jiang family's foreign holdings had consisted purely of fixed-income investments, or if they had simply maintained a slow and steady approach, she would have had absolutely no chance.However, the current head of the Jiang family—Jiang Xinyi's father—had been managing their assets abroad. He was not satisfied with mere stock investments; a significant portion of their portfolio was allocated to futures trading. He capitalized on intraday market fluctuations, frequently buying and selling to profit from the price differences.

Su Qing took advantage of this by shorting the Jiang family's futures contracts, forcing them to suffer massive losses in a very short period.

It was a double-edged sword, a tactic that would cost her dearly even as it damaged her enemy. First and foremost, short selling required a massive amount of capital backing, especially when executing such large-scale market operations.

The Jiang family's funds were neither overwhelmingly large nor insignificantly small. They had at least one billion invested in futures. For Su Qing to successfully drive market fluctuations against them, she needed a capital reserve at least ten times that amount—which meant ten billion.

Even ten billion was still within a controllable range.

Zhou Yuwen's financial institutions had been developing for over a year now, and it was impossible for him to handle every single detail personally. Back when Lu Lin was kidnapped, they had to ask Zhou Yuwen for thirty million because Tao Tian and the others had no authority over the funds. However, Lu Wanting and Su Qing were specifically in charge of the overseas operations. In the financial market, opportunities vanished in the blink of an eye. If they had to rely on Zhou Yuwen's direct orders for everything, there would have been no point in specially training Lu Wanting.

It was important to remember that Su Qing was also a Reborn Person. When she had first returned to the past, she did not fully understand the market and bought Bitcoin online, ending up losing everything. But it had been three years since her rebirth; it was impossible for her not to have grown since then.

Having spent three years abroad with Lu Wanting, she had gained a solid understanding of the investment business. She certainly was not lacking money and naturally made her own investments. Zhou Yuwen currently held shares in various tech companies, big and small, and he definitely was not the sole mastermind behind discovering all of them.

Take, for example, several apps and software programs specifically targeted toward women.

Zhou Yuwen knew nothing about them; it was Su Qing who had advised him to invest. Over the past year abroad with Lu Wanting, Su Qing had undoubtedly earned Zhou Yuwen a substantial amount of money.

Ten billion might have been a bit steep, but with her foresight and financial backing, she could definitely scrounge up a few billion.

While Su Qing's investment acumen could not compare to Zhou Yuwen's, she at least knew that converting all her available funds into Bitcoin was a foolproof strategy.

So this time, she was absolutely ruthless in her decision to snipe the Jiang family.

She was indeed utilizing Zhou Yuwen's funds, but the Jiang family only had around two billion in capital. By going head-to-head with them, Su Qing stood to lose two billion at most. If that happened, she could simply pay out of her own pocket to reimburse Zhou Yuwen. What was the problem with that?

Su Qing had already discussed this matter with Lu Wanting beforehand.

No matter what, she was determined to teach the Jiang family a lesson!

Liu Jing had brought this upon herself.

Yes, Su Qing was the type to seek revenge for the slightest grievance.

Liu Jing had humiliated her with five hundred thousand back then, so why shouldn't she return the favor?

It was still the beginning of the New Year. Su Qing told Lu Wanting that she would independently manage some funds this year and would make up for any shortfall regardless.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wanting merely offered a nonchalant smile. "That won't be necessary. It will take a week to resolve at most, and we might not even take a loss."

Lu Wanting explained that the Jiang family was primarily dealing in relatively low-risk stocks and futures. The only reason they were plummeting so drastically was due to their deliberate short selling.

As soon as the prices dropped low enough, they would swoop in and buy the contracts back.

While they might not make a massive profit...

"But we absolutely will not lose money."

Lu Wanting possessed absolute confidence regarding this point and even winked at Su Qing.

Hearing this, a hint of a smile finally broke through the solemn expression on Su Qing's face.

Lu Wanting then continued, pointing out that rather than worrying about profits or losses...

"I think what you need to consider right now is how you are going to explain this to the boss."

In truth, Lu Wanting had initially considered contacting Zhou Yuwen.

She had called him once, but the call did not go through.

Coupled with the fact that everyone has their own biases, Lu Wanting had been alone in a foreign country and only had Su Qing for company at the start. She was naturally closer to Su Qing. What was wrong with wanting to help her?

It was only when they actually put the plan into motion that she felt they might be playing a bit too recklessly.

She could only imagine how furious Zhou Yuwen would be when he found out.

Su Qing, however, remained indifferent. She declared that if Zhou Yuwen was truly angry, he could come and find her himself.

"I don't think I did anything wrong,"

Su Qing stated stubbornly. She thought to herself, 'Doing this is also helping Zhou Yuwen wear down the Jiang family's resilience. Otherwise, how could Jiang Xinyi ever be perfectly willing to be with him?'

Lu Wanting offered no evaluation of Su Qing's reasoning, simply asking if she wanted to continue.

Su Qing told her to proceed.

Consequently, the second round of fierce attacks officially began.

In just one short night, twenty-five percent of the Jiang family's overseas assets evaporated—nearly five hundred million!

This was wealth that three generations of the Jiang family had painstakingly accumulated bit by bit.

Listening to the reports from his subordinate managers, Jiang Xinyi's father felt his heart bleed. He even began to suspect that this was his wife deliberately retaliating against him.

He was going to divorce Liu Jing!

Even if it meant splitting their assets, he wanted a divorce!

"Liu Jing, if this matter isn't resolved, we are getting a divorce! I would rather let you take half of everything than watch helplessly as you ruin the Jiang family."

Liu Jing was terrified upon hearing those words. "What do you mean 'ruin'? The situation hasn't even been properly investigated yet. How can you be so arbitrary?"

"Hmph!"

Jiang Xinyi's father said nothing more and abruptly hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Liu Jing had not slept a wink all night either. Staring at the financial reports, she found it hard to believe it was real. She even wondered if her husband was intentionally deceiving her.

But that didn't make sense.

When Jiang Xinyi woke up in the morning and saw her mother looking completely devastated, she asked in confusion, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Jiang Xinyi recalled that her mother was supposed to be targeting Su Qing, so why did she have such an expression now?

At that moment, Jiang Xinyi's heart skipped a beat. 'Could it be that Mom failed?' she thought.

Looking at her daughter's innocent face, Liu Jing felt the urge to cry but had no tears left to shed. "Xinyi."

With that, Liu Jing embraced Jiang Xinyi.

It was crucial to note that just moments ago, Jiang Xinyi's father had firmly spoken the word "divorce."

She knew that he had other women on the outside.

She had even educated Jiang Xinyi about this, telling her that as the wife of a wealthy family, one had to possess a certain level of magnanimity. So what if Zhou Yuwen had other women?

Yet, she had never imagined that her own husband would one day seek to divorce her.

He was willing to go through with it even if it meant splitting their assets.

How could she not break down?

With red, teary eyes, Liu Jing recounted everything to Jiang Xinyi.

Hearing the news, Jiang Xinyi was stunned.

She wasn't overly concerned about her father wanting to divorce her mother. Instead, she was fixated on the fact that their family's overseas assets had been sniped, evaporating by five hundred million in a single night!

That genuinely took Jiang Xinyi by surprise.

Even as a daughter of a wealthy family, five hundred million was an astronomical sum.

Gone, just like that?

What on earth was going on?

Feeling deeply wronged, Liu Jing rubbed her red eyes and said, "Your dad insists that I offended someone out there."

"But how could I possibly offend someone with that kind of power? It's clearly just an excuse he's making up."

Jiang Xinyi remained silent upon hearing this, faintly guessing the truth. Seeing her daughter's expression, Liu Jing asked what was wrong.

"Do you also think it's because of me? Aside from offending that girl named Su Qing, who else have I crossed?"

Liu Jing undeniably felt aggrieved. In her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined that Su Qing would be capable of manipulating such a massive amount of funds.

But Jiang Xinyi replied, "Su Qing might not be capable of it, but someone else is."

Liu Jing's heart skipped a beat. "You mean Zhou Yuwen?"

Jiang Xinyi nodded.

In that instant, all the color drained from Liu Jing's face. She simply could not believe it was true, nor did she dare to dwell on the possibility.

Shaking her head, she muttered, "No, that's impossible, right?"

"How could Zhou Yuwen possibly do something like this just for a girl... It's impossible."

"Isn't he afraid of offending our family?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xinyi couldn't help but laugh.

She said, "Mom, if this continues, do you think there will even be a Jiang family left?"

Those words violently jolted Liu Jing awake.

That was right.

What Jiang family? While the other party was effortlessly flipping clouds and overturning rain in the financial markets, their side had already bled five hundred million.

If this kept up, the Jiang family would be completely wiped out. What was there left to offend?

Only then did pure panic set in. Liu Jing hurriedly asked Jiang Xinyi what they should do.

Jiang Xinyi replied that at this point, their only option was to ask Zhou Yuwen first.

"Yes, yes, quickly, go ask him!"

Jiang Xinyi dialed Zhou Yuwen's number, but the call did not go through.

It wasn't that Zhou Yuwen's phone was turned off; rather, he had been receiving too many calls. Plus, considering he was officially meeting the parents, he had set his phone to silent mode.

The meeting with the parents had gone incredibly smoothly.

Zheng Yanyan's parents were exceptionally welcoming.

This was perfectly normal. After all, someone like Zhou Yuwen was the absolute ceiling when it came to prospective sons-in-law. Who wouldn't be fond of him?

In fact, on the very first night after meeting them, Zhou Yuwen directly stayed over at Zheng Yanyan's house. Naturally, he slept in the guest room, but Zheng Yanyan couldn't resist sneaking in during the night anyway.

The first day consisted merely of sharing a meal with Zheng Yanyan's parents and engaging in some lighthearted family chatter.

Zhou Yuwen treated all his parents-in-law equally. When he visited Qu Jing's family previously, he bought them a car and a house. Now that he was in Jingcheng, he intended to buy a car and a house here as well, and perhaps pick up a traditional courtyard house while he was at it.

Zhou Yuwen suggested that since he and Yanyan would be heading abroad in the future, the two elders could accompany them if they wished. If they preferred not to, they could simply stay here and enjoy their retirement.

During his trip to Jingcheng alone, Zhou Yuwen spent several hundred million on properties. With such financial might on display, Zheng Yanyan's parents had absolutely no objections. Zheng Yanyan's mother even held Zhou Yuwen's hand and declared warmly, "A woman follows her husband no matter what. Wherever you go, Yuwen, our Yanyan will follow. She will always defer to you!"

Watching her mother's pleasant and agreeable demeanor...

Zheng Yanyan couldn't help but feel a twinge of disdain.

By the second night, Zhou Yuwen had openly moved into Zheng Yanyan's bedroom.

Zheng Yanyan was undeniably thrilled over these past two days.

Whether it was her parents' attitude toward her or the way her relatives treated her, everything had changed.

Zheng Yanyan had now become the veritable little princess of her family. Countless relatives were singing her praises in the family group chat.

One relative even gushed, "Ah, Yanyan is so capable."

"Since Yanyan is so capable..."

"Why don't you see if you can introduce someone just like Zhou Yuwen to your younger sister?"

Hearing this made Zheng Yanyan feel physically sick.

Did they think someone like Zhou Yuwen was as common as cabbage? That they could just find another one on command?

Naturally, Zheng Yanyan did not coddle these relatives and immediately fired back.

It was around this time that Zhou Yuwen finally noticed the six missed calls from Jiang Xinyi.

Finding it strange, Zhou Yuwen called her back. "Hello, Xinyi? Did something happen?"

Jiang Xinyi's anxious voice came through the line. "You finally answered! If you hadn't picked up, my mom would have gone completely insane."

"Huh?" In his impression, Liu Jing was a highly dignified, wealthy Madame. Jiang Xinyi's words caught Zhou Yuwen off guard.

"Is it Yuwen? Did Yuwen pick up?"

Liu Jing had been hovering right beside Jiang Xinyi, a clear indicator of just how poor her current state of mind was. Liu Jing genuinely couldn't understand it; just last night, she had been seething with anger toward Zhou Yuwen.

She had likely even cursed him viciously in her heart.

After all, Zhou Yuwen wanted her daughter to be the other woman!

What mother could possibly accept that?

Tolerating the fact that Zhou Yuwen had other women was already pushing her limits, yet he actually dared to make Jiang Xinyi his mistress?

If Zhou Yuwen had been present at the time, Liu Jing undoubtedly would have given him a severe tongue-lashing!

But now, all that remained in Liu Jing's heart was sheer panic.

She snatched the phone and asked in a deeply aggrieved tone, "Yuwen, how could you treat our family this way?"

"I know you like that lass named Su Qing, but you can't help her scheme against our family, right?"

"Su Qing might be your woman, but our Xinyi has been with you from the very beginning too! Even if our Xinyi is older than you, her feelings for you are genuine!" Liu Jing's voice grew more pitiful with every word.

Zhou Yuwen, however, was thoroughly bewildered. "Wait, Auntie, what are you talking about? I don't quite understand."

Liu Jing felt even more slighted, suspecting that Zhou Yuwen was just playing dumb.

At that moment, Jiang Xinyi hastily took the phone back. "Mom, go get some sleep. You haven't rested all night. Let me talk to Zhou Yuwen."

Hearing Jiang Xinyi's voice again, Zhou Yuwen grew even more perplexed. "Hello? Xinyi, what exactly happened?"

Holding the phone, Jiang Xinyi replied, "No, well, actually..."

Jiang Xinyi then recounted everything that had transpired with her family the previous night.

Upon hearing the details, Zhou Yuwen felt surprisingly calm inwardly, though he feigned a shocked tone on the surface. "Something like that actually happened?"

"You didn't know?" Jiang Xinyi asked curiously, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief. She had genuinely feared that Zhou Yuwen was behind it.

Zhou Yuwen answered, "I've been with Yanyan this entire time. I had no idea anything had happened."

Jiang Xinyi pondered for a moment before asking, "Then do you think Su Qing could be the one behind this?"

Zhou Yuwen appeared to consider the question seriously. "Well, my private equity funds have always been managed by Wanting and Su Qing. To be completely honest, they certainly have the financial capability to snipe your family."

"Tell you what, let me give them a call and ask about it first."

"Could you please hurry..." Jiang Xinyi was visibly anxious now.

If this continued any longer, her parents' marriage would likely be beyond saving.