A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Keystone Technologies was, for all intents and purposes, a junk stock. Its glory days were long gone. After Kyle Warren led the entire research team to walk out, its stock price had plummeted. Even though the company later implemented recovery measures and shifted its focus, the stock price only saw a minor rebound; its gains were never very large.

Keystone Technologies had originally focused on software development. By abruptly cutting its most profitable business to change the company’s direction, it had lost the trust of the outside world. Its stock price languished, going nowhere. It was safe to say the stock had no potential. But on the second day of the competition, Keystone Technologies’ stock suddenly soared, hitting its daily limit.

The launch of a new product gave investors a glimmer of hope. Consequently, the stock price of a communications company that partnered with Keystone Technologies also multiplied. The two stocks Seraphina Sterling chose seemed unremarkable, but their growth was explosive. This was practically unheard of in the stock market. After all, there had been absolutely no prior indication. Even the market commentators were stunned by such a sudden surge.

But how on earth had Seraphina Sterling seen it coming?

“So this is what you wanted to ask?” Seraphina Sterling had thought he must have had something truly important to discuss to have followed him, but she never expected it to be about such a trivial matter. ‘It’s less than a trifle.’ “What if I told you I chose them after deep deliberation? And what if I told you I picked them at random? What meaning does the answer hold for you?”

“Of course it matters. If it was the result of deep deliberation, then that proves you’re an incredibly talented person. If it was just a random choice, then it only proves that you got lucky this time.” Preston Patterson admired talented people, especially in the world of stock trading.

“Mr. Patterson, what if I told you I foresaw the opportunity, acted decisively to buy in, and even ignored the Marshal’s advice? Would you believe me?” Seraphina Sterling lifted her head to meet his scrutinizing gaze. ‘This man is really something. He obviously won’t believe a word I say, yet he still felt the need to come over and ask!’

“I don’t believe you. You’re just a freshman. We’re more than halfway through the semester, but you’ve only studied the most basic theoretical knowledge. You haven’t touched a single specialized course! Besides, even the market commentators couldn’t predict such a massive shift in these two stocks’ prices. How could you possibly have seen it coming?”

Preston Patterson had been wrestling with this issue for some time. He felt deeply conflicted. After agonizing over it for two weeks with no resolution, he had finally taken the initiative to ask.

“I’m on very good terms with Nadia Chapman. Did it ever occur to you that I might have cheated? That she picked them out for me?” Seraphina Sterling asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him.

“I did consider it. But I don’t think even Nadia Chapman could have figured out the real reason for these two stocks’ rise.” Preston Patterson, though talented, was also quite arrogant.

Seraphina Sterling felt a strong urge to roll her eyes at him. He was wasting so much of her time on such a pointless question. “I suggest you stop agonizing over it. Whether I’m talented, just got lucky, or cheated—the winner between us will be decided when the market closes tomorrow afternoon. Or could it be that you saw the powerful surge in the stocks I bought and now you want to concede?”

“Concede? How could I?” Preston Patterson’s arrogance flared up again. “Even if Keystone Technologies and that communications stock are performing well, the Apex Antique Collections stock you picked hasn’t moved at all! In contrast, the three stocks I chose are performing much better at the moment. There are only twenty-four hours left until the results are revealed. I’m definitely going to win this time!”