Chapter 219: Meticulous Analysis

Liu Yue’s eyes narrowed coldly as she fixed her gaze on the disobedient student standing beneath the podium.

The classroom had grown tense, as if the very air was pressing down on everyone. The other students sat motionless, frozen like cicadas in the dead of winter, not daring to make a sound.

That strange, suffocating atmosphere lingered for about thirty seconds—until a sudden outburst shattered the silence from the direction of the computer lab.

“It dropped! Holy crap, it really dropped!”

“No, this isn’t just a dip—it’s a cliff dive!”

Hearing the commotion, Liu Yue finally shifted her glare away from Wang Haoran and turned toward the main display screen.

Projected on it was the live feed from Wang Haoran’s terminal. The stock he had just purchased had indeed begun to plummet—fast.

Within minutes, it triggered a circuit breaker and halted trading altogether.

The bubble stock, bloated and long overdue for collapse, had finally burst.

Liu Yue’s head tilted slightly as she looked back at Wang Haoran, disbelief flickering in her eyes. “How did you know this bubble stock was about to crash?”

With her level of expertise, she could certainly tell the stock was risky. But being able to pinpoint the exact moment of its downfall—that was something even she couldn’t do.

All eyes in the room turned toward Wang Haoran, each student quietly awaiting his answer.

“Guesswork,” Wang Haoran replied lazily, clearly uninterested in giving a detailed explanation.

Liu Yue, of course, didn’t buy it. “Impossible. That can’t be guesswork. Tell me how you saw it coming.”

She softened her voice, coaxing him with a sweetened deal. “If you tell me, I’ll let you do whatever you want during my classes. Come late, leave early—anything.”

That finally piqued Wang Haoran’s interest. He leaned back, then began speaking slowly.

“After electric vehicles hit the market, M-nation began heavily subsidizing the industry. But those companies that cashed in on the subsidies didn’t develop anything meaningful. That led to a bubble. Reducing the subsidies was only a matter of time.”

Liu Yue nodded. “That much I could see too. But how did you predict

exactly

when M-nation would cut its EV subsidies? There’s been no formal announcement at all. Don’t tell me you know someone in their government—someone feeding you intel.”

Wang Haoran chuckled. “I don’t need insider access. All I had to do was notice the news that a massive new oil field was recently discovered. Because of its location, it’s hard to determine whose jurisdiction it falls under. But knowing M-nation’s usual attitude, they’ll definitely muscle their way in.”

“And if they’re going to intervene militarily, that means increasing their defense spending. Based on their latest financial disclosures, they can’t afford it. So what’s the most convenient pool of funds they can cut? The bloated EV subsidies, of course.”

He tapped a few keys, pulling up the stock’s price fluctuation graph. “Once you know their financial priorities are about to shift, the rest is simple. Before any official decision is made public, capital firms always get a whisper. To minimize their losses, they’ll dump their shares—and dump them hard.”

“They jack up the stock price at the opening bell, make it surge like crazy to attract greedy newcomers. That’s when the bubble reaches its peak frenzy. And when the whales begin offloading large blocks of shares, that’s your signal to sell everything at once.”

Wang Haoran’s unique ability to foresee market trends twenty-four hours in advance not only lets him see price movements but also the reasons behind them.

So for him, this kind of analysis was almost too easy.

Liu Yue stood there, stunned by his clear and methodical breakdown. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

She had read the same news stories recently—about the oil field, about the budget deficits—but she’d never connected them back to the EV sector. That leap in logic, that chain of causality… it had never occurred to her.

Suddenly, she clapped.

A crisp applause broke the silence.

【Ding. Favorability from Female Lead Liu Yue +10. Current Favorability: 30 (Very Friendly)】

【Ding. Host has influenced the plot’s trajectory. Gained 500 Villain Points!】

The students below followed suit, clapping both in awe and in shame. How could a fellow freshman be operating at such a level? The gap between them wasn’t just wide—it was a chasm.

In the corner, Lin Chen sat stiffly in his seat, his face dark.

That was supposed to be

his

moment to shine. Yet once again, Wang Haoran had stolen the spotlight.

Or rather—

again

Wang Haoran had stolen it.

Ever since Lin Chen transmigrated, everything had been going smoothly. He has been showing off, basking in the light of his protagonist’s halo.

But after Wang Haoran appeared, nothing had gone right.

He was the protagonist, wasn’t he? So why was it like this?

A bone-chilling thought suddenly struck him—

what if  I am not the protagonist after all?

What if Wang Haoran is?

While Lin Chen was spiraling into existential dread, Liu Yue wrapped up the class.

“This concludes our practical session. Anyone who ended the day with a loss—you’re on sanitation and miscellaneous duty from now on.”

“For those who earned between 1% and 6%, you’ll be standing during class going forward. As for Mu Zhaozhao and Wen Jing—excellent work, both of you. Well done.”

Then her gaze slid back to Wang Haoran, filled with open admiration.

“Wang Haoran achieved a return rate of 104.6%. That breaks the highest record I’ve ever seen in one of my practical sessions, even surpassing my own peak one-hour yield. So I’m officially granting him classroom privileges—late arrivals, early exits, the works. However…”

Her tone shifted as she narrowed her eyes.

“However, don’t let this go to your head. One big win doesn’t mean you’re ready for the real battlefield. You’re still far from what it takes to be a top-tier trader.”

Wang Haoran raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly defines a ‘top-tier trader’ in your book, Professor Liu?”

Liu Yue didn’t hesitate. “You currently have just over ten thousand in your account. If you can turn that into a million within one month, then I’ll consider you top-tier.”

She added, “Of course, I know how difficult that is. Even when I started out, it took me

half a month

to grow ten thousand into a million.”

The implication was clear—if someone could match even half her skill, they’d qualify as a peak-level operator.

Wang Haoran caught her meaning instantly and responded with a grin, “Multiply by a hundred? I won’t need a month. Two weeks is enough.”

Liu Yue’s eyes narrowed with a playful sharpness. “If you fail, I’ll revoke your privileges—and you’ll be standing during class too.”

Her gaze bore into him, daring him. “So which is it—one month, or two weeks?”

Wang Haoran shrugged. “Actually, I thought it over again and changed my mind.”

Liu Yue smirked, thinking she’d won. “That’s more like it. A young man shouldn’t be so arrogant.”

But just as that smug smile curled her lips, Wang Haoran finished his sentence, “One week is all I need.”

The smirk froze. Liu Yue was a proud woman. She had taken

two weeks

to accomplish that feat back when she first started out—and now Wang Haoran claimed he could do it in

half

that time?

Was he saying that

two of her

equaled

one of him

?

Her beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously. “Are you serious?”

Wang Haoran’s smile was calm and steady. “As real as gold.”

Liu Yue scoffed, shooting back with a sneer, “If you actually manage that, I won’t be your teacher anymore—I’ll call

you

teacher.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Wang Haoran replied with a chuckle. “If that’s what you want, I’m happy to oblige.”

Liu Yue let out a cold laugh, waving him off as though dismissing a child’s joke. “Class dismissed.”