Ch. 541..550
Life at the Top Chapter 541
The futures for the price of cotton suddenly began to increase after it had fallen from the peak.
The rise in trend was even steeper than its drop.
In a quick moment, the price had already increased by 1,800 Somer Dollars. Not only did it surpass the previous peak, but it seemed to be going strong as it continued to rise.
“It’s rising! It’s rising!” John shouted in surprise.
Kai stared at the market. Not only had all his losses returned to his account, but he had earned a few hundred thousand dollars as well.
If he sold his futures now, his 800,000 capital would become 1.48 million excluding procedural costs.
“It’s been less than an hour since the market opened. In only a few minutes, less than 20 since I entered the market…”
Kai stared at Jasper with disbelief.
As a man who worked in finance, he was no stranger to the stock market and futures.
However, despite working in it for so long, this was the first time he found out how much fun the futures market could be.
In less than 20 minutes, he now had almost twice his capital.
Not even by printing money could he earn so much so quickly!
“How… How are you so certain that it’ll rise?” Kai was stunned and truly impressed with Jasper. His tone when he asked the question was humble and polite as if he was asking his teacher for help.
“Domestic cotton production has been expanding these years, and this year’s output has accounted for 23% of the world’s total cotton production.”
Jasper clicked on the statistics on the authoritative statistics website. Pointing at a report, Jasper spoke coolly, “So a 40% decrease in cotton production this year would directly cause a shrink in worldwide cotton production.
“The previous increase was a reaction within the domestic market, but the international market hadn’t reacted yet.
“So we just needed to wait for the prices in the international stock market to rise. The funds and hot money will then flow toward the source of this entire incident, that is our domestic futures market.”
Jasper chuckled before continuing calmly, “If the country has enough funds to raise the price of cotton by 16% in around 20 minutes, how much do you think it’ll rise when the international funds enter?”
Jasper’s words stunned the entire office.
After a long while, Samuel ground his molars and broke the silence in a dark voice, “You’re just lucky this time!”
“He managed to turn a 98% loss in the account to a profit of twice the amount lost in an instant. I’m pretty sure this is more than just luck,” John sneered at Samuel and spoke.
Samuel harrumphed silently, but he was internally stunned by Jasper’s ability to turn the tables around. However, he still put on a stubborn front. “Don’t forget that Jasper is supposed to earn six million today, or he’ll still be the one losing.”
Samuel glared at Jasper and scoffed. “Don’t look so happy so quickly. Do you think prices can grow seven times from what they started as? What a joke!”
Jasper ignored Samuel and stared at the market changes on the screen before him. He was trying to recall everything he could about this incident from his past life.
From what he remembered of his past life, the domestic futures had reached a peak of 23,800 for the price of cotton. Later that afternoon, after the country came to an agreement with a few others about cotton import trade, the prices began to drop in retaliation.”
If this were shares, then such a huge amplitude in a day would surely earn a lot of money.
After all, shares bought today could only be sold tomorrow. It was the only procedure.
Yet the futures market was different. Purchase and selling could be done at any time, regardless of its precedence.
As a result, huge amplitudes in price would generate a huge profit margin.
Life at the Top Chapter 542
“Keep increasing your positions. Use the funds you just earned to form a pyramid chain of positions,” Jasper suddenly spoke.
The futures market had a very unique trading rule, which was investors were allowed to buy futures with the profit they earned—if any—even though they had not closed their positions yet.
In one way, this greatly increased their profits. Yet at the same time, it also added to their risks.
For example, after a revenue total of 1.48 million with his capital of 800,000, Kai had earned a profit of 680,000. He could use his profits to buy more futures.
However, doing so meant that Kai was putting himself at a higher risk.
After all, the moment the prices dropped beyond the position line, then Kai would end up having to liquidate as well.
Jasper’s instruction had Kai’s heart lurching in his chest.
While he was afraid of risks, Jasper had also just displayed his skills. As such, Kai stopped hesitating and clenched his jaw, doing as Jasper instructed.
Beside them, Samuel scoffed. “What kind of f*cking idiotic tactic is this? I’ve never seen anyone so unafraid of death like you. You’re going to have to liquidate the moment the prices drop by 500 Somer Dollars if you buy in now.
“Listen to my advice, Jones. Just close your position. Leave now and you’ll still have your 680,000 profit. Or you’ll end up losing that 800,000 capital in a bit.”
Already high-strung, Kai was easily pissed. He coldly replied, “I don’t need your opinions about how I’m supposed to use my money.”
Kai had already completed the buy-in by the time he finished speaking.
After that came Samuel’s sarcastic comments while Kai and John watched in fear as the cotton futures price continued to rise steadily.
There were slight jumps and drops, but the price remained at around 16,000 Somer Dollars the entire time.
It was around noon when Jasper stood to stretch. “Time for the market to take a break. Everything else will continue in the afternoon. Let’s eat first.”
Samuel scoffed. “I’d like to see how you’re going to die later!
“I can’t help but feel excited thinking about how you’re going to pay me six million Somer Dollars this afternoon.”
Kai glared at Samuel coldly and turned to Jasper. “Should we eat lunch in a nearby hotel, Mr. Laine?”
Jasper shook his head with a smile. “It’s alright. I don’t have the habit of leaving the area when I’m trading, so let’s just order food in the office. Have someone send three portions of food in, please.”
Kai was stunned. He had planned to treat Jasper to something nice, so he was a little lost now.
Take-out food seemed too sorry a meal.
However, John interrupted with a smile, “Just listen to Jasper, Kai. Take-out food for three.”
Kai glanced at Samuel who was flushing bright red at the moment and understood. Laughing aloud, he agreed. “Alright. I’ll have someone get it done.”
Still, there was no way Kai would actually order take-out, so he had an employee head over to the booked hotel and order the dishes from there.
In no time, delicious dishes were placed all over a table that had been put together in the office.
However, there were only three sets of cutleries even though there were four people in the room!
Seeing how Jasper, Kai, and John had each found a seat for themselves and began to happily chat with one another while eating, Samuel paled in envy and anger. He had been purposely left behind!
“How dare you humiliate me like this?!” Samuel roared with his jaw tight.
Life at the Top Chapter 543
Jasper picked up a piece of fish and placed it into his mouth. He looked at Samuel who was furious and spoke in a shocked tone, “Why are you still here, Mr. Ray? Did you want to eat with us too? Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier, Mr. Ray? We would’ve prepared a set of utensils for you too.”
Kai almost laughed aloud. Although he was joyful, he pretended to look sad. “That’s right. I would’ve brought you to a large hotel for a meal if I knew you were eating with us, Mr. Ray.
“How could someone as formidable as Mr. Ray eat take-out with people like us?”
John asked Samuel mirthfully, “Are you hungry from watching us eat, Mr. Ray? While I do want to let you sit, we don’t have another chair or another set of cutleries. If you don’t mind, Mr. Ray, you could wait until I’m done to use my chair and cutleries?”
Bang!
Samuel slammed a palm on the table and glared at the three of them furiously. He was seething, and he spat out the words from the gaps in his teeth. “Have your fun now, but I’d like to see if you three can still smile this afternoon!
“There’s no way you can earn six million. I’ve been investing for more than a decade and there has never been a time since I started working in this line of business that I’ve seen a seven-fold increase in prices! You’re going to screw yourselves over, just you wait!”
“If you don’t welcome me here, fine! I can leave. But I will be back when the market reopens in the afternoon. I’m gonna claim that six million Somer Dollars from you!”
With a furious expression, Samuel turned to leave.
“Hold on, Mr. Ray.”
Jasper’s voice sounded.
Samuel halted and turned his head to sneer at Jasper. “What’s this, begging for mercy now? Sure, it’s not too late yet. Kneel before me and beg and then hand me the six million. I can consider leaving you alone if you do that.”
Jasper took a sip of his drink and spoke calmly, “You’ve misunderstood, Mr. Ray. I wanted to remind you to bring your checkbook when you come back in the afternoon. Six million and not a cent less.”
The corner of Samuel’s lips twitched as his gaze grew cold. His furious expression was slowly darkening as well.
“How about you worry about yourself first?! You’d better be able to take that money out later or I won’t be blamed for f*cking you over!”
Samuel then turned and walked out the door.
Kai quietly asked Jasper after Samuel left, “Mr. Laine, are you certain about later?”
Jasper asked calmly as he ate, “Why, are you scared?”
Kai replied solemnly, “Of course, I’m scared. I’m putting my entire net worth and my life on the line here, but I won’t doubt you anymore, Mr. Laine. This is just pure nerves.”
Jasper smiled. “Before today, you two probably thought that it’d be impossible to earn six million with 800,000 in a day, right?”
Kai shared a look with John and replied in embarrassment, “Indeed. After all, I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Turning 800,000 into six million was nothing. In two years, a venerable master would appear in the futures market, turning 1.2 million into 40 million in the short span of half a month. This was a record no one managed to break even until Jasper reincarnated.
Not that Jasper would tell the two of them that, of course. The man merely smiled and replied, “But you have hope now, don’t you? I’d say it’s worth the gamble if you’re hopeful. Miracles won’t happen to you if you’re not willing to take the risk or pay the price.
“Taking a step back, let’s ignore your 800,000 dollars for a moment. I have six million Somer Dollars and my dignity on the line here, so I’ve got this.”
Kai exhaled deeply at Jasper’s words and replied firmly, “Alright then, Mr. Laine. I’ll do whatever you say later in the afternoon. I won’t hesitate anymore.
“I know that I lost out on a few hundred thousand this morning when I hesitated for two minutes, but it definitely won’t happen again later.”
Jasper nodded. “It’s good that you know.”
The market had a lunch break of two and a half hours. Lunch took up about half the time, leaving more than an hour left before the market reopened.
Jasper lay on the sofa and spoke, “I’m taking a small nap. Wake me up when it’s time.”
Jasper then closed his eyes to rest.
Life at the Top Chapter 544
Looking at this scene, Kai pursed his lips slightly and asked John, “Is… is Mr. Laine always this laid-back?”
John gave a wry chuckle. “Perhaps extraordinary people have extraordinary traits.”
As he spoke, John lay down on another sofa and advised, “You should also rest for a little. We still have business to handle in the afternoon.”
Kai grimaced and replied, “I’m not in the mood for taking a nap. Both of you go ahead and rest; I’m going to look up some news on the internet.”
Kai sat down in front of the computer as he said this. He began checking through and scrutinizing every bit of news related to the poor cotton harvest.
When the groggy Jasper was woken up by Kai, it was already 1.29 pm, just one minute away from the markets opening.
At practically the same time that Jasper woke up, the office door was pushed open, and Samuel walked in with a sneering face.
He took out a cheque from his breast pocket and slapped it down onto the table noisily, saying with lofty arrogance, “Open your sorry eyes wide and take a good look at this. It’s a cheque worth 6 million dollars. Take it if you think you have the chops.”
As he spoke, Samuel then sneered at Jasper. “It’s not too late right now for you to admit defeat and beg for mercy. If not, when you lose everything in just a little while, I won’t let you off so easily!”
Jasper did not even spare Samuel a glance. He turned to look at Kai and asked, “Has the market opened? What’s the price?”
Kai began eyeing the screen nervously. When he heard Jasper’s questions, he immediately responded, “The market’s open. It’s gone up by 20 bucks. It’s not that big of a margin.”
Compared to 16000 dollars, an increase of20 bucks increase was, in truth, rather mediocre.
Jasper was about to say something when Kai suddenly shrieked, “There’s a long green line—it’s rising. A large buy order just came in—it’s still rising! It’s 17000 now!”
Jasper furrowed his brows. He walked over to the computer and saw that at present, the price of cotton futures had surged to 17050 dollars for every tonne and it was still going up.
In his previous life, the cotton futures had finally stopped at a price of 18980 dollars. It was then followed by an announcement and a sudden drop. The closing price that day had ended up being 12600 dollars.
Firmly remembering these crucial numbers, Jasper ordered, “Use the profits to keep buying in and adding to the position.”
They had already pyramided once that morning. If they were to do it again, the risk would be extremely high.
This time, however, Kai did not hesitate at all and used the profit they made from the surge in price to buy in again.
Samuel eyed Jasper coldly. He did not say anything this time; he merely bided his time patiently and waited to see when this young brat would lose everything.
This was such a high-risk venture that even a veritable god of stocks and shares would not dare play in the market. Did a callow youngster like Jasper think that he could?
Right after that, the price continued going up, from 17000 dollars to 17500 dollars, and then to 18000 dollars. It was like a slap in Samuel’s face.
With one resistance point after another being broken, it was as if the flow of capital had gone mad, and everyone was beginning to rush into the futures market to get a piece of the pie.
Samuel stared at the 18800 dollar price and felt his heart race with trepidation and alarm.
In disbelief, he looked at Jasper, who had been calm and composed since the very beginning. His own heart was beating wildly.
At this moment, Samuel was not the only one—Kai and John were also about to lose their minds.
An hour into opening and their initial capital of 800,000 had grown to 3.9 million!
While Kai and John were trying to find words to express how much they worshipped Jasper, Jasper himself still maintained a tense expression.
“Now, close the position and sell it all off. Then, start shorting it..”
Jasper’s words hit all three people present like a lightning bolt from the blue.
Life at the Top Chapter 545
In Jasper’s previous life, the ceiling price of the cotton market this time was locked at 18,980 dollars then.
However, the price now was 18,800 dollars.
It seemed that there was still about a 200-dollar profit margin, but Jasper had never been an overly self-assured person.
This was because he found that his influence in the present time and space was becoming increasingly greater as he made use of his memory from his past life.
He had no way of guaranteeing that the price of cotton would be locked at 18,980 dollars this time around. If they missed the opportunity, leading to a monumental crash in the price, it would be difficult even if they wanted to sell it off by that time.
Regardless if it were his own investment or if he were helping Kai to ride out his difficult time, he would not rely on his past memories anymore.
When it came to profits, it was enough to be able to gain the most of it. One should never become too greedy for the leftovers.
At this moment, however, Jasper’s decision had stunned the three of them including Samuel.
Seeing the price suddenly spiking exponentially, Jasper informed them that they should close their position.
They could take it as safekeeping by taking the profits into their pockets.
Going against the trend and short selling, however, what the heck was this move?
Samuel’s heart was drumming at first, afraid that he would lose his say, but when he heard what Jasper said, he could hardly resist the frenzy he felt. He let out a hearty laugh.
“Have you gone mad? You want to short sell at a time like this? Hahaha, what a joke! You really think you can predict the future?”
Samuel’s expression was taunting and showed his delight. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid that you’re unable to earn six million and will lose the bet, hence why you’re now deciding to take a wild risk? Hahaha, young man, I may not like you but I have to say that you’re courageous.”
Taking in a deep breath, Kai looked at Jasper with a questioning gaze.
Jasper furrowed his brows and said out loud, “Did you forget what you told me before?”
Kai was filled with excitement from head to toe. He had indeed made up his mind back then that he would do whatever Jasper asked of him.
In this present situation, however, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that there would be an increasing trend. Jasper, on the other hand, wanted to act against the trend. Kai was in a dilemma.
“Kai, listen to him!” John said eagerly.
He was the one who had the most faith in Jasper, given he had seen Jasper perform miracles with his own eyes before. He could very well make it happen again.
With a sigh, Kai cussed before immediately doing as Jasper said.
“You’re mad, you’re all mad!”
Samuel looked at Kai as he closed their position before quickly selling it short. At last, he let out a hysterical laugh. “Though it’s good that you’ve gone mad. How would I win otherwise? This is so ridiculous, to actually be selling short at a time like this. Hahahaha!”
Regardless of what Samuel said, Kai had already completed the entire transaction.
Meanwhile, the entirety of the futures market had not fluctuated at all despite Kai’s entry of millions of dollars. It was like a drop of water in the ocean, there was not even a splash.
The transaction had been successful, but at this moment, the price of cotton was still rising.
Even though the increase was no longer exponential, people with discerning eyes would be able to tell that a rising trend like this would continue for a period of time.
Kai looked at the backend of his account. The numbers were red and in the losses. His complexion was pale.
In just a short moment after he closed his position, he had lost 400,000 dollars from his 3.9 million capital.
Although they were all profits, Kai still felt his heart bleed.
So much so that his thoughts were constantly churning. If he had not forcibly liquidated the position and held onto the remaining 3.5 million, he could have sustained himself through any of the imminent difficulties.
However, these were all just thoughts. If he had really done that, John, the only friend he had left, would definitely be the first to turn against him.
Life at the Top Chapter 546
Jasper, who was willing to lend him a hand during his most critical time, would never look at him again.
Taking a deep breath, all Kai could do now was to pray for the price to drop quickly.
However, things did not turn out as he wished. The price of the cotton futures continued to rise, slowly but surely.
As though to deliberately provoke Kai and Jasper, Samuel had gotten someone to send in a few luxurious meals at some point.
Samuel clicked his tongue and sighed as he sat on the sofa, eating caviar. “Ah, this is delicious, but it’s a little expensive. You two could still afford to eat it before this, but after today, I’m not sure.”
Kai gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at Samuel. He hated that he was unable to pounce at Samuel and beat him up.
Jasper, on the other hand, had been looking at the computer screen. He could not be distracted no matter what Samuel did.
When it was 2:30 p.m., the business department of the authority website that Jasper had been paying attention to finally published an information message.
[Half an hour ago, our country successfully signed a series of trade treaties with three neighboring countries, which includes the bulk cotton trade. It is predicted that after obtaining this batch of imported cotton, the future domestic cotton market will not suffer a major impact due to the lack of harvest.]
Kai almost leaped up with just a few words.
“Oh my God! This announcement!” Kai exclaimed, his voice cracking. His sudden yell surprised Samuel so much that the caviar in the latter’s hand fell to the ground.
No longer caring about the caviar, Samuel got up from the sofa and hurried to the computer.
One should never look down on the extent of the capitalists’ interest in the news. When Samuel ran over after the news was published, there was already a response in the capital in the futures market.
It fell!
It dipped off the edge of a cliff!
The price of cotton that had been steadily rising saw a reverse in the direction of its arrow and went into a precipitous decline as though someone had stepped on it mid-air.
The price of cotton had collapsed rapidly in a short period of time. A straight, downward line formed on the stock market chart.
Who knew just how many who planned to take advantage of the wave of the current market trend to make a big profit were now crying in anguish after having their accounts emptied in a snap?
Countless individuals were going bankrupt with every single second.
At the same time, there were also a very small number of people like Jasper who were earning abundantly with every single second.
Jasper noticed that although the trend of the cotton market was the same as that in his previous life this time, the final price was not 18, 980 dollars. Instead, it had begun falling from 18,977 dollars.
Although the difference of only three dollars was innocuous, it was a good wake-up call for Jasper.
He could not be emboldened by his memories of his past life all the time. Many things had already changed in this life.
The impact of these changes would become greater as he grew his wealth and influence.
The price of cotton fell below 14,000 dollars from 18,877 dollars in just half an hour.
It was as if Kai and the others were able to feel the devastation and cries of countless people across the screen.
However, Kai had no other thoughts now. He could only look at Jasper as if he were a god.
“Mr. Laine, I’m thoroughly impressed. if anyone could foresee the future in this world, it would definitely be you,” Kai murmured.
Jasper chuckled. Seeing that the book capital had already reached 6.2 million, he said coolly, “You can be filthy rich in the previous second and penniless the next. You can be in high spirits in one moment before the world comes crashing down the next. This is the futures market—the riskiest, most thrilling game.”
Looking up at Samuel who was completely stunned, Jasper got up and picked up the check on the table. He said indifferently, “Thank you, Mr. Ray, for the gift.”
Life at the Top Chapter 547
Samuel stared at the garish numbers on the computer screen blankly. He felt like a mouthful of blood was rushing from his stomach straight to his throat.
“How is it possible? How is this possible!?” Samuel yelled in disbelief.
“How could 800,000 possibly turn into six million in a day? This is impossible! It’s a ruse, it must be a ruse!
“Did you deliberately use fake software to deceive me?” Samuel glared at Jasper fiercely and roared madly.
“Your imagination isn’t bad,” Jasper praised.
Kai, on the other hand, was not so good-tempered. He decided to close the position of the futures quickly before immediately withdrawing the money.
He pressed into the text message on his phone notifying him that 6.8 million had been credited into his account and then threw the phone in front of Samuel.
“Open your eyes and take a good look. Could this text message be faked?”
Samuel looked at the genuine text message on the phone and was completely dumbfounded.
“No way!”
Samuel thought of something and suddenly exploded. He stared at Jasper and growled, “Give me my money back!”
Samuel was rich compared to ordinary people, but it was not to the point where he could throw six million away like this.
Otherwise, he would not have gone to great lengths to try taking a 30% commission from Kai, much less stay in the office all day just for this bet with Jasper.
Samuel was worth a little more than ten million at best. Taking six million away from him at once was tantamount to taking away half his life.
In a fit of rage, Samuel completely tossed his dignity aside and reached out to grab the check from Jasper’s pants pocket.
However, John stepped in and stopped in front of Jasper. John, who was tall and strong, looked very intimidating. He glared at Samuel and said, “What’s the matter? You were willing to gamble but are now unwilling to admit defeat? You still wish to commit robbery in broad daylight?”
Samuel’s face turned red with anger. He roared, “This is clearly a damned trap that the two of you had deliberately set up to trick me into the game! I won’t accept it!”
“Mr. Ray.”
Jasper spoke coolly.
“You seem to not understand something.
“No one dragged you into this bet. It was you who wanted to join in. Besides, until half an hour ago, you had been very sure that you would win and even fantasized about how you would spend the six million that you thought I’d lose to you, right?”
Samuel gritted his teeth so hard it creaked. He stared at Jasper coldly and said, “Kid, it’s easy for you to take my money but it won’t be easy for you to spend it. Since you dare take my money, beware of not being alive to spend it.”
“Oh? It looks like Mr. Ray is planning to play some tricks?” Jasper chuckled and said coolly.
“Back then when Hugh lost the bet with me, even he didn’t dare owe me the bargaining chip he lost to me, let alone you?”
Samuel’s eyelids jerked upon hearing these words.
Samuel knew all too well the kind of person Hugh was.
It was Hugh who had held him down and made him forever the second-best in Faith County.
It was not that Samuel did not think of forcibly taking over the leading position. He had even tried several times but was oppressed by Hugh every time, making him suffer heavy losses.
Later on, Samuel became too afraid of Hugh, and only then did he give up his idea of fighting against Hugh.
However, Hugh had suddenly lost one day. It was an unexpected opportunity for Samuel. Not only did he take over most of Hugh’s businesses, but his own business had also flourished.
Samuel once thought he was the chosen one. Even though he did not make a move against Hugh, Hugh still dropped from the top of the ladder on his own.
Yet now, when he suddenly heard Hugh’s name from Jasper’s mouth, Samuel was a little confused.
“Who exactly are you?” Samuel stared at Jasper and spat out the words through gritted teeth.
“Samuel Ray, you’ve been too proud and unbridled all this while, which has made you supercilious. You don’t put anyone in your eyes at all.”
John said to Samuel coolly, a playful smile on the corner of his mouth.
Life at the Top Chapter 548
“He’s called Jasper Laine. Why don’t you go back to Faith County and find out who screwed Hugh Lewis over? That’s why merely for you, it’s still a little too soon. ”
Samuel heard this and felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Jasper Laine… He had heard of this name.
Faith County’s most famous stock god of the year. He heard that Jasper had even clashed with Hugh Lewis back then.
However, who the hell was Jasper Laine? He had never met him before.
That was because Jasper had already set off for the province when he returned from somewhere else. Later on, Jasper had been in Harbor City and Swallow Capital for some time before only returning recently.
There were rumors that Hugh had been taken down by Jasper, but Samuel only turned his nose at it.
He had fought Hugh for so many years when he was at Faith County and never once won.
Yet, some guy who had crawled out of God knew where could?
The truth was right in front of his eyes now, however, and Samuel had no choice but to believe it.
Immense shock and fear shrouded him. When Samuel raised his head to look at Jasper again, there was no longer the overweening attitude from half a minute ago.
“Mister… Mr. Laine, I… I didn’t know you were…”
Samuel was even fumbling over his words.
He really could not muster up the courage to offend the person who could easily bring down Hugh Lewis.
“It doesn’t matter who I am.”
Jasper glanced at Samuel and said faintly, “I had no interest in you, yet you were the one who kept looking for me for trouble.”
Samuel was almost in tears. He stooped down, apologized to Jasper with all his might, and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Laine. I was truly blinded by anger just now. I didn’t expect you to be Kai’s patron. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to trouble you even if I were given three shots of liquid courage.”
Jasper said indifferently, “I’m nobody’s patron. It just so happened that John asked me for help this time. Not to mention, Kai has quite a good character and is unlikely to be beyond redemption for just a single mistake.”
“Yes, yes, it’s as Mr. Laine has said.” Samuel did not dare refute him and continued pandering.
Jasper stood up. He walked toward Samuel and said with a smile, “Do you still want to take back the six million dollar check?”
Samuel’s expression was bitter. He had really messed up this time, and there was no chance for him to even say that he felt wronged.
“No, no, I dare not. I was willing to bet, so I’ll admit defeat.”
“That’s great. I would like to thank Mr. Ray for his generosity. Coincidentally, I will pass this money to a relative of mine to invest in a hotpot business. Once it’s successful, you have to come support it.”
Samuel’s face went taut. He did not know what Jasper meant but still replied carefully and respectfully, “Of course, I’ll definitely be there.”
“Alright, the matter here is resolved. I have to head back first.” Jasper stretched his waist and bade farewell to Kai and John.
Kai hesitated before saying, “Mr. Laine, I only need six million. The 800,000…”
“Just keep it. With this personality of yours, you will still suffer plenty of losses in the future. I don’t care about the 800,000.” After saying this, Jasper left.
Kai was stunned. He did not know whether to cry or laugh.
Turning his head away, Kai said to John, “What should we do with the 800,000 dollars? I can’t possibly keep it. Mr. Laine has already helped me so much. It’s the same as him saving my entire family’s lives.”
“Isn’t it simple? It’s going to be New Year’s soon. You could find an excuse to give a New Year’s greeting and deliver the money to his door. It would be a gesture of good faith and thoughtfulness,” John patted Kai on the shoulder and said with a smile.
Kai nodded in agreement and then said with a sigh, “It’s so amazing. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed in Mr. Laine’s ability. Not even in my dreams. It’s such a shame that I doubted him before. I was such a… snob.”
As soon as Jasper walked out of Kai’s company, his phone rang. It was Wendy calling.
“Jasp, where are you? I’m at your place.”
“Where are you? I’ll come pick you up now!”
Life at the Top Chapter 549
After Jasper had picked Wendy up, she sat in the Bentley’s passenger seat and blushed as she said, “Jasp, my dad said he would like to invite your parents to dinner after Christmas.”
Jasper smiled as he said, “That’s a good thing. When?”
“There are only four or five days before Christmas, so probably three days after that. Do you have any relatives you need to visit then? We can make further arrangements regarding the date,” Wendy answered gently.
Jasper thought for a moment before saying, “No, we don’t have any relatives to visit this year. My family has already discussed it among themselves. They were worried I wouldn’t have time, so my relatives will be coming over instead.”
Wendy blinked. “Is it because you’re rich now?”
“If you’re either powerful or rich, you’ll get special treatment as long as you check off one of these boxes,” Jasper said gleefully.
Wendy huffed and asked confusedly, “But my family home is always silent during Christmas, and my relatives rarely come visit. I used to be so jealous of the other kids because they got so much money during Christmas.”
“Didn’t your parents give you any?” Jasper asked.
“Of course, they did. Never anything less than 10,000 Somer Dollars,” Wendy answered naturally.
Jasper, “…”
Back in the 90s, one was considered rich if they had more than 10,000 dollars in their account. Yet, the amount of Christmas money Wendy’s family gave was equivalent to an entire family’s savings?!
“I used to get ten or 20 Somer Dollars when I was younger. Then, when my family’s financial situation improved, I got around 50 to 100 Somer Dollars. You get 10,000 Somer Dollars in one go and you’re still jealous of other people?” Jasper asked gloomily.
Wendy replied confidently, “I meant that other people received money from many relatives, unlike me. I only ever received money from two people, my mom and my dad. After I lost my mom, my dad would give me 100,000 dollars every year to make up for it.”
“I don’t understand how you rich people live your lives,” Jasper said gloomily.
Both Sally and Charlie were extremely happy to see Wendy. Even Charlie, who was usually sullen, smiled happily at her.
“Wendy, why didn’t you let me know you were coming over in advance? I would have prepared you some food in advance. Have you eaten yet?” Sally took Wendy’s hand in hers and smiled as she talked to her.
It was not their first time meeting, so Wendy had long since become close to Jasper’s parents. Back when Jasper was in Harbor City, she had often come over to accompany them.
“I’ve already eaten.”
Wendy sat down and glanced meaningfully at Jasper.
Jasper then told his parents about how Dawson wanted to treat them to dinner.
“Ah, your dad was just nagging me about this two days ago. He said we should find a chance where we can all sit down and have dinner together. At least the parents on both sides could get to know each other better,” Sally said excitedly.
“I didn’t expect Wendy’s father to bring this up so soon. Charlie, shall we travel to the province three days after Christmas?” Sally turned and looked at Charlie.
Charlie was the head of the family, so they needed to get his approval.
After a moment’s thought, Charlie replied, “I’m fine with the date. Nothing else is more important than this. But Jasper, you should book the hotel we’ll eat at. I’ll pay for the meal.”
Wendy blinked and was just about to speak when Jasper tugged on her arm, saying, “It’s how we do things here. It doesn’t matter where we go. Besides, it’s a must for the man’s parents to pay. It wouldn’t make sense for the woman’s parents to make the arrangements.”
Finally realizing what was going on, Wendy said angrily, “What do you mean by the man and the woman?! My dad just wants to get to know your parents!”
As they chatted, Wendy heard from Sally that she was planning on going Christmas shopping. Thus, she readily volunteered to accompany Sally.
Life at the Top Chapter 550
“Sally, I heard that a supermarket on the west side of town is having a huge sale now. Everything is at least 75% off, and there’ll be lucky draws too. Let’s go together!”
Jasper was startled when he heard that and glanced suspiciously at Wendy. “The supermarket on the west side of town? That’s where Tefa City is. The only supermarket there besides the one your family owns is Walmart, right? Not only are you not going to shop at the supermarket you own, but you’re going to fund your competition’s supermarket instead?”
Wendy huffed and said, “I’ll go wherever the cheaper options are. Isn’t that right, Sally?”
Sally was tempted as well. “75% discounts, and there’ll be lucky draws too. What a bargain!”
Jasper sighed as he watched the two women excitedly plan their day.
Wendy was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Back in the days where few families had savings up to 100,000 dollars, she was already receiving 10,000 dollars as presents.
As for his mother, he transferred around 50,000 to 60,000 dollars to her bank account as an allowance every month. She should have at least 500,000 to 600,000 dollars under her name now.
Yet, these two women were still attracted by discounts.
However, Jasper still felt grateful. He knew Wendy was doing this to please his mother, who had been born in a rural area and had to be frugal her entire life.
Jasper merely reminded them to be careful before he let the two women set off excitedly.
The issues that his mother previously had with her daughter-in-law, which had plagued Jasper in his past life, did not seem to exist this time around.
Julian naturally trailed after Wendy when they arrived at the front door.
Ever since what had happened the last time, Jasper would arrange for Julian to protect Wendy unless there were any special circumstances.
Sally also knew Julian as the silent but sincere bodyguard. She smiled at him as she said, “Jul, pick out anything you need later. I’ll pay.”
Julian blushed as he said, “Mrs. Laine, Jasper pays me quite a high salary. I can’t even finish spending it.”
As Sally dragged Wendy toward the door, she said, “Get your sister to come and celebrate Christmas with us. The two of you don’t even have any other family members to spend it with. It must be lonely.”
Julian said awkwardly, “Mrs. Laine, it’s fine. We’ve always celebrated Christmas this way.”
“Alright now, just go along with my plans.” Sally was insistent.
Julian seemed like a reliable person to her, and both her son and future daughter-in-law’s safety were in his hands. It only made sense for her to treat him well.
Besides, the two siblings did have quite a pitiful life…
Just then, Charlie beckoned for Jasper to sit down beside him on the couch.
“I have something to discuss with you,” Charlie said as he frowned.
When he saw the solemn expression on his father’s face, Jasper hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Charlie seemed to be having difficulty bringing it up.
Jasper grew uneasy as he hurriedly asked, “Dad, there’s nothing you can’t tell me. No matter what happens, you should always let me know about it.”
Charlie grunted for the longest time before he finally muttered, “Wendy’s from a rich family, and I even heard that her dad’s a tycoon. Should we prepare anything when we meet him? Should I get a new outfit? I’m worried I might embarrass you.”