After Pan Xing completed the payment, Liu Yutong received the news immediately.
She was somewhat surprised.
Was this guy really that straightforward? He just swiped his card and settled the bill without hesitation?
The amount on that bill was at least three million.
It seemed she had underestimated his depth.
Originally, she thought Pan Xing might come knocking on her door to question the bill—what kind of meal costs three million?
Unexpectedly, he paid it without a single word of complaint.
A man of considerable generosity.
This made her reassess the true financial strength of the Yilian Society, and by extension, Pan Xing himself.
Even if the Yilian Society was currently in a weakened state, their financial resources were still nothing to scoff at.
Soon after, Liu Yutong dropped another bombshell announcement.
The company would be offering 50 million shares for subscription this time, priced at three yuan per share.
Currently, Wanlong Hui's total shares were divided into one billion, with a valuation of three billion yuan.
Previously, the company had already released 20 million shares for subscription. This time, the scale was even larger—50 million shares at once.
The previous 20 million shares hadn’t been fully sold yet, with a few hundred thousand still remaining.
After all, not everyone could casually pull out a hundred thousand yuan in one go.
When Liu Yutong made this announcement, the core members erupted in excitement.
During the last subscription, they had bought shares at two yuan apiece, with a buy-one-get-one-free deal—effectively reducing their cost to just one yuan per share.
And now, in such a short time, the share price had already doubled.
For example, if someone had invested 100,000 yuan to buy 100,000 shares back then, those shares were now worth 300,000 yuan.
Even without considering dividends, this was more profitable than stock trading.
Of course, that was only true for those who didn’t understand the stock market.
"I never imagined my net worth would jump to 300,000 just like that."
"Same here! Back in the day, I wouldn’t have dared to dream of this. Even if my parents worked all year without spending a single cent, they’d only save 30,000 or 40,000 yuan. But now, after just half a year following the Young Miss, my net worth is 300,000—almost ten years of my parents’ income!"
"My parents are farmers back home. Their yearly earnings from selling crops might barely reach 10,000 or 20,000. What I’ve made in these few months equals more than a decade of their work."
"My parents run a small shop, and they barely make 100,000 a year..."
"The Young Miss is too good to us. It’s like she’s afraid we won’t have enough money..."
"If you haven’t bought company shares yet, hurry up! As the finance guy, let me tell you—Wanlong Hui’s overall valuation is definitely at least four billion. Buying now means a guaranteed profit of one yuan per share. Buy 10,000 shares, and you’re already 10,000 yuan richer. Plus, the Young Miss promises to distribute no less than 20% of the profits as dividends every year. If next year’s dividends hit 100 million, with the current total shares, 10,000 shares would get you 1,000 yuan. That’s way better than a bank deposit!"
"So my 100,000 shares would get me 10,000 in dividends?"
"Exactly! And that’s just based on a 100-million-yuan dividend. If the company performs exceptionally well, the dividends could be even higher. This doesn’t even account for potential share price appreciation."
"Holy crap! Then I’m going all in! Once our company’s valuation hits billions or trillions, I’ll at least be a millionaire!"
"Think bigger! At that point, you’d be looking at tens of millions, not just one."
"Damn! I’m going home right now to… ahem… ask for money to buy more shares!"
"..."
Amid the heated discussions about the new round of share subscriptions, one person remained unusually quiet.
"Brother Tao, did you buy all 100,000 shares last time?"
"No, I only bought 20,000."
"What? Just 20,000? Did your parents refuse to support you? If money’s tight, borrow some! Otherwise, you’re missing out on tens of thousands!"
"My parents are just ordinary farmers—they don’t have that kind of money. Besides… never mind. 20,000 shares isn’t bad. Even without counting my salary, my net worth is already 60,000 yuan. That’s enough to get married."
"You’re being too modest. The subscription price was just one yuan per share. Not going all in is such a waste."
"..."
Zhang Tao took a deep breath as he watched the Young Miss standing on the stage.
He was already content with his current life.
His monthly salary wasn’t bad, and today, he had received a 5,000-yuan year-end bonus plus an extra 8,000-yuan performance reward for his outstanding work.
With nearly 20,000 yuan in cash and shares worth 60,000, he was easily among the wealthiest of his peers back in the countryside.
The reason he wasn’t planning to invest more in shares was simple—his father was seriously ill, and hospital expenses were costing over a thousand yuan every day.
It was almost ironic. In the past, he had been a lot like Zhang Kai, the rebellious son of Old Man Zhang Jianguo—carefree, reckless, and constantly at odds with his parents.
He used to find them annoying, always nagging, and he rarely went home.
But after following Yun Cheng to join the Young Miss, he slowly began to change.
Especially after what happened with Zhang Kai, he realized just how wrong he had been and vowed to work hard to support his parents.
Later, he went home during a break—partly to visit them, partly to borrow money for shares. He believed the company’s shares would rise in value, securing a better future for himself and his family.
No one in Wanlong Hui doubted the Young Miss. The benefits they enjoyed and the money they made all came from her.
Their trust in her was absolute.
Zhang Tao was no exception.
But when he returned home excitedly not long ago, instead of getting the money, he received devastating news—his father had cancer.
His father, not even fifty, now lay emaciated in a hospital bed, while his mother wept day and night.
The cruelest irony? The disease was discovered during a paid blood donation.
Some hospitals organized paid blood drives during shortages, offering 100 yuan and a 10-kg bag of rice. His father had gone for it.
Who would’ve thought that trip would lead to a cancer diagnosis?
Strangely, before the diagnosis, his father could still work in the fields. But afterward, it was as if all his energy had been drained, and his condition deteriorated rapidly.
The only silver lining was that the disease had been caught early. The survival rate for the next five years was high, and if it didn’t recur, he still had a decent chance of living into his seventies or eighties.
But even treatable, the costs were far beyond what an ordinary family like theirs could afford.
Zhang Tao had already spent his 20,000-yuan savings on shares. The rest of his money would go entirely toward his father’s treatment.
Lost in thought, he was suddenly snapped back to reality by a voice calling out to him.
"Brother Tao! Brother Tao! Ma Da’s looking for you!"
Zhang Tao quickly composed himself and hurried over.
"Brother Ma, what do you need me to do?"
Ma Da immediately pointed to a large cardboard box placed by the door.
"Inside are survey forms. After the young lady finishes her speech, gather a few people to distribute them. They need to be collected by tomorrow before work ends."
"Got it, Brother Ma."
Zhang Tao walked over, but when he saw the contents of the survey forms inside the box, he froze in place.
At the very top of the form, bold letters read: [Wanlong Association Employee Family Background Survey].
