Series: Reborn as a Wayward Heir

Late April, 1990. In the staff housing compound of Haishi’s Second Silk Factory, on the fourth floor of Building No. 3, Unit West, a strikingly good-looking boy of about seventeen or eighteen was sprawled lazily over the corridor railing, sunbathing and daydreaming. Today was Thursday—a workday. At his age, people were usually in school. High…

Jiang Luo hadn’t eaten something this bland in years. And instant noodles, on top of that—nothing tasty about them. In his last life, he ate freshly hand-pulled noodles every day, topped with a mix of meats and vegetables. The flavor wasn’t even comparable. Not that anyone could blame him for being picky. He’d always been…

Jiang Luo found himself laughing at how he used to be. He even flashed a smile, raised a brow at the girl, and tossed out a casual line: “Your eye shadow looks great today.” The girl giggled and playfully scolded him. “When does it not look great?” She went back to her work, and Jiang…

Jiang Luo’s promise didn’t sway him one bit. Not even close—his ass was worth far more than that. He didn’t answer right away because his mind was busy working. Lu Fuhua’s uncle, Xue Zhizhong… what kind of “friend” did he have that needed this level of accomodation? Xue Zhizhong was a well-known figure in Haishi,…

When Jiang Luo bought in, Dian Vacuum was at 59.8. By the time the trading office closed that day, it had climbed to 63.3. According to the local old-timers at the brokerage—grandpas and aunties alike—making money on stocks was effortless compared to working a regular job. If it went up, great—you earned. If it went…

When he put the suit on, he couldn’t help but think: whoever owned this must be huge—broad shoulders, tall—because the suit was enormous. On him, it looked like a kid wearing adult clothes. He squeezed through the crowd, holding the trading slip in his hand. After a while, the clerk behind the counter finally took…

Zhang Xiangping said again, “You still expect him to show filial respect? Dream on! He’s flown off—gone without a word!” “You’d better put your hopes on your own biological son!” Even so, they still had to look for him; otherwise, they couldn’t explain to Zhao Guangyuan and Su Lan. After all, this was someone else’s…

“I’m not saying Mingshi is bad.” Su Lan said, “I mean Jiang Luo. I’m worried he might do something rash. That kid has a strong-willed personality. Could he be thinking—he should have gone to Fudan University, but because of the mix-up, it was Mingshi who went instead?” Zhao Shuo muttered under his breath, “Would he…

Jiang Luo added, “Don’t worry. Three days from now, I’ll pay you back in full—plus half of whatever profit I make.” With that, he turned and headed off to fill out another order sheet, rushing to get one more trade in before the brokerage closed. Huo Zongzhuo stayed where he was, one hand in his…

Huo Zongzhuo chuckled again. He’d figured it out by now—Jiang Luo might look young, but he was anything but naïve. When they arrived at the Hilton and entered the restaurant, Huo made yet another discovery: Every time Jiang Luo stepped into a new place, he’d lift his eyes and scan the surroundings. But there was…

Jiang Luo got in the car, still feeling baffled. In this lifetime, Huo Zongzhuo was treating him exceptionally well. The moment he heard that, he felt great—turns out he’d get taken out for dinner again. Jiang Luo didn’t bother with the seatbelt. Back in those days, no one checked anyway. He leaned back in the…

Jiang Luo had zero intention of paying Zhao Shuo any mind, but when he heard the rustling behind him and Zhao Shuo’s voice, he suddenly spun around, marched back, grabbed the glass of lemon water he’d been drinking, and—without a moment’s pause—splashed the whole thing right into Zhao Shuo’s face. Zhao Shuo: “…” Everyone else:…

Jiang Luo had just taken a bite of his steamed bun when he arrived at the Jing’an brokerage the next morning. The place was packed. The counters were overflowing with people, the entrance was jammed, and the giant screen in the lobby was nothing but a sea of red—so red it looked like it might…

Lü Fuhua scooped up the cash on the desk. “In business, you gotta have at least some basic integrity, right?” He had already switched to another face. Jiang Luo tore up the IOU right in front of him and looked at the man, his voice quiet. “Count it carefully. It’s eleven thousand total. Not a…

He stared at him, stunned. After a few seconds, he finally managed to squeeze out a question. “Why are we even going to Wencheng?” Jiang Luo shot him a sideways glance, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Took you long enough to wonder.” “Just say it.” Wang Chuang jabbed him lightly with an elbow. Only…

Wang Chuang’s parents got the call from the school while they were still at the factory. They were stunned—and furious. They didn’t even need to think about it; they knew immediately their son must’ve run off with Jiang Luo. So instead of going home, they marched straight through the factory to find Zhang Xiangping and…

220 bucks?! His parents worked at the silk factory—each of them barely made 310 yuan a month. Instinctively, Wang Chuang grabbed Jiang Luo’s arm. “We’re really staying here? This expensive? This expensive!?” Jiang Luo was in the middle of taking out money and glanced back at him. “?” Wang Chuang’s eyes said: We’re staying HERE?…

His mind drifted briefly—to Huo Zongzhuo. China was drowning in excess production of everyday goods. It wouldn’t be long before Huo Zongzhuo started hauling airplanes out of the still-intact Soviet Union, trading domestically made daily necessities for Soviet aircraft. It later became famous as the “Daily Goods for Airplanes” deal. With that move, Huo Zongzhuo…

Jiang Luo didn’t find anything strange. He just let the corner of his mouth twitch slightly—Boss Zhang didn’t know them, didn’t know where they came from. Of course he wouldn’t invite them straight to the tea table without checking their “background” first. Once they were seated at the tea table, Boss Zhang started boiling water…

“You need to send the goods from the train station to Haicheng. If you’re going to be there, of course I’ll be there too.” “Once the shipment goes out and the train heads for Haicheng, I’ll pay you right then. Where could I even run? Run where?” Hearing that, Boss Zhang mulled it over. It…