Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

The branch office is located in Hankou, on the second floor of an office building. The storefront is decorated in a grand style, with the words "Free Stock Account Opening" posted on the glass door.

Su Yu pushed open the door and went in. A few people were sitting sparsely in the hall, all of them middle-aged and elderly stock investors, staring at the market information on the large screen on the wall.

In 2004, the market was still at a low level, with the Shanghai Composite Index hovering around 1400 points, a year away from the 998-point bottom in 2005.

Su Yu knew that the A-share market was about to usher in a bull market that would last for two years, eventually reaching 6124 points.

However, Su Yu didn't come to open an A-share account today; he wanted to buy Hong Kong stocks; to be precise, Tencent Holdings.

Su Yu found the account manager, a young woman in her late twenties surnamed Wang, who had a sweet smile.

"Hello, I would like to open a Hong Kong stock account."

Manager Wang was taken aback: "Hong Kong stocks? Do you have a Hong Kong bank card?"

"No, but I've seen the regulations; mainland residents can open accounts through the Stock Connect program with Hong Kong, right?"

Manager Wang shook his head: "The Hong Kong Stock Connect is not yet open. Sir, what you are referring to is the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, which will be available when... well, it's not available now. Currently, mainland residents who want to buy Hong Kong stocks can only open an account in Hong Kong in person or find a Hong Kong brokerage firm to handle it for them."

Su Yu frowned; he had forgotten about this. The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect was only launched in 2014, so it was indeed inconvenient for mainland residents to buy Hong Kong stocks in 2004.

"Is there any other way?"

Manager Wang thought for a moment and said, "You can find a Hong Kong securities company; they have mainland agency business. Our CITIC Securities has a branch in Hong Kong and can help you open a Hong Kong stock account, but you will need to go to Hong Kong in person to sign and confirm."

Su Yu considered it for a moment. Go to Hong Kong? He was an eighteen-year-old high school graduate without a Hong Kong and Macau travel permit or visa, which would take at least half a month to process; he didn't want to wait that long.

"Are there any other options?"

Manager Wang lowered his voice: "If you trust me, I can help you open an account remotely through one of our colleagues in Hong Kong."

Su Yu thought for a moment, "Give it a try for me, I'll pay whatever it takes."

Manager Wang nodded, had him fill out a bunch of forms, photocopy his ID card and bank card, and then had him sign an agency agreement.

Before leaving, Manager Wang told him, "It should take about a week to open. Mr. Su, which Hong Kong stock would you like to buy?"

Tencent.

"Tencent?" Manager Wang thought for a moment. "The company that makes QQ? It just went public not long ago, and its stock price has been falling. Are you sure?"

Su Yu smiled and said, "I'm sure."

He left the sales office and took a taxi back to the hotel.

......

Back in his hotel room, Su Yu organized all the receipts and contracts and stuffed them into his backpack.

He calculated the funds again: 2.1 million yuan in principal, and he wanted to leverage it three times.

Triple leverage means you put up one unit of capital, and the brokerage lends you two units.

With a principal of 2.1 million and an additional 4.2 million in funding, the total is 6.3 million.

HK$6.3 million, at a share price of HK$3.7, can buy 1.7 million shares.

Upon hearing about 1.7 million Tencent shares, Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. He called Manager Wang and asked if he could do leveraged financing.

Manager Wang was silent for a few seconds. "Mr. Su, are you sure? Triple leverage is extremely risky. If Tencent's stock price drops by 30%, you will lose all your principal."

"I know, can you do it?"

Manager Wang said somewhat seriously, "Let me ask around for you. How much principal are you planning to invest?"

"Two million one hundred thousand, multiplied by three, total funds six million three hundred thousand."

Manager Wang was silent for a few seconds. "Mr. Su, at your age, I suggest you reconsider doing such a large leverage."

"I've thought it through, please ask around for me."

Three days later, Manager Wang called back: Financing is possible, with an annual interest rate of 5%, and the collateral is the stocks you purchased. You'll need to sign a financing agreement and provide proof of assets. Also, because the amount is quite large, you'll need to come to the branch office in person to sign the agreement.

Su Yu prepared all the materials and went to the business department early the next morning.

When signing the agreement, Manager Wang asked him one last question: "Mr. Su, are you really sure? Six million three hundred thousand is no small sum."

Su Yu picked up the pen and signed the agreement.

"I've made up my mind."

.........

The account was activated on July 10th.

Su Yu logged into the Hong Kong stock trading system and found Tencent Holdings' stock code 0700.

Share price: HK$3.71.

He placed an order to buy 1.7 million shares at an average price of HK$3.71.

At the moment the transaction was completed, Su Yu stared at the holdings figures on the screen, his palms sweating profusely.

He owns 1.7 million shares of Tencent, worth HK$6.37 million, which is slightly over RMB 6.3 million. Of these, HK$2.1 million was his principal, and HK$4.2 million was borrowed.

Su Yu took a deep breath and closed the trading software.

He knew Tencent's stock price would rise, from HK$3.7 to over HK$700, a nearly 200-fold increase.

He also knew that was more than a decade later.

During this period, Tencent's stock price will fluctuate countless times, and it even halved during the 2008 financial crisis.

Su Yu has one peculiar characteristic: he never regrets the decisions he makes.

In his past life, he dropped out of school at sixteen and went south. No one supported him, but he persevered on his own. Later, when he became an internet celebrity, everyone criticized him, but he still persevered. Although he eventually collapsed, it was his own doing, not external pressure that broke him.

In this life, he has a complete family, clear premonitions, and a considerable amount of capital. If he's still afraid of this and that, he might as well just find a place to lie down and retire.

Wait, he originally wanted to lie down.

Su Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly, put his phone in his pocket, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed to the train station.

........

From leaving home to returning home, it took a whole week.

When Su Yu opened the door to his home, it was already evening on July 11.

The setting sun shone through the west-facing window, bathing the living room in an orange-red hue.

His mother, Li Xiulan, was sitting on the sofa watching TV when she heard the door open. She turned around, and her expression changed from surprise to anger.

"You actually know how to come back?!"

Su Yu paused in changing his shoes. "Mom, didn't I say I was going to a classmate's house?"

"Playing around for a week? You didn't even make a single phone call? Do you know how worried your father and I were?" Li Xiulan stood up, her voice rising. "Your homeroom teacher called the house! She said your college entrance exam scores are out, do you even know that?!"

Su Yu was stunned for a moment. His college entrance exam score?

After he traveled back in time, he focused all his attention on the script and driving practice, completely forgetting about checking his scores.

"Mom, what score did I get?" Su Yu asked with a grin.

Li Xiulan glared at him: "Can't you check it yourself? Are you going to take an exam or go on vacation?"

Su Yu quickly ran into the room, turned on the computer, and logged into the website of the HUB Provincial Education Examination Authority.

Enter your admission ticket number and ID card number, and the page will redirect.

Su Yu, science stream, total score 566.

Chinese 128, Math 102, English 137, Science 199.

Su Yu stared at the score, his mind racing.

What level was 566 points in Hubei in 2004? He wasn't quite sure, but it certainly wasn't low.

The original owner had a good foundation to begin with, and with the extra effort he put into studying for the college entrance exam in the month before, this score was a normal performance.

The question is, what is the minimum score for academic subjects in the photography department of Beijing Film Academy?

He remembered that the admission notice said his score was around 340, but 566 was far above the cutoff.

Forget about Beijing Film Academy, you could probably even get into a top-tier university.

Su Yu was staring blankly at the screen when Li Xiulan's voice came from the living room, "Your homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhou, called. Call him back."

Su Yu dialed the phone number of his homeroom teacher, Lao Zhou.

"Hello, Teacher Zhou, this is Su Yu."

"Su Yu, you've finally shown up." Old Zhou's voice sounded a little anxious. "Have you checked your college entrance exam results?"

"Checked, 566 points."

"566 points, that's a good score. It's 5 points above the first-tier university cutoff, so you can try for a 211 university, like Hubei University or Three Gorges University."

Old Zhou smiled and continued, "I'm telling you this because I wanted to ask you, didn't you apply for the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy? Did you pass it? If you did, your academic scores are definitely good enough. If you didn't, you need to quickly consider applying to other schools; you'll be filling out your applications soon."

"I passed the art exam; I'm going to study photography."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Lao Zhou's voice rose an octave: "Passed?"

"right."

Old Zhou laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, then hurry up and fill out your college application, don't delay. Let me tell you, with your score, you're guaranteed admission to the Beijing Film Academy's photography department."

........

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu walked back to the living room.

Li Xiulan wasn't as angry anymore, but her expression remained tense: "What did your Teacher Zhou say?"

He said my academic performance was good enough, and I would have no problem getting into the Beijing Film Academy.

Li Xiulan's expression finally softened a bit, but she still glared at him: "Do you know how many times your dad has called you these past few days? He's busy at the construction site, but he's still worried about your grades. And you, you've been out having fun for a week and haven't even called once."

Su Yu lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.

Just then, the sound of a key turning came from the doorway. Su Jian'an pushed the door open and entered, dressed in gray and wearing a hard hat. He saw Su Yu, paused for a moment, and then his face darkened.

"You're back?"

"dad."

Su Jian'an took off his safety helmet and put it on the shoe cabinet, then walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"What score did you get?"

"566".

Su Jian'an paused in his smoking motion. "Is this enough for Beijing Film Academy?"

That's enough.

Su Jian'an took another drag of his cigarette, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.

He didn't say anything like "You did well on the test" or "Not bad," he just said calmly, "That's good."

In the evening, Li Xiulan cooked a large table of dishes: braised pork, steamed fish cake, braised prawns, water spinach with garlic, and a bowl of tomato and egg soup.

For the first time ever, Su Jian'an drank two glasses of baijiu, one to himself and one to Su Yu.

"Son, your mom told me you got 566 points on the exam." Su Jian'an held his wine glass, his face flushed. "I, as your father, don't have much education; I didn't even graduate high school. I'm so proud that you got into university, and even some film academy."

Su Yu picked up his cup and clinked it against his father's.

"Dad, I may not become a great director in the future, but I promise I won't let you down."

Su Jian'an smiled and downed the wine in one gulp.

Looking at his father's smiling face, Su Yu suddenly felt a surge of complex emotions.

In his previous life, he had no father. His parents divorced when he was two years old; his mother left and disappeared without a trace, and his father died in an accident at a construction site a few years later. He grew up with his grandparents and couldn't even remember what his father looked like.

Now, he has a complete family.

Su Yu picked up his wine glass, then put it down again.

He poured himself a cup of tea, raised it, and said, "Dad, Mom, I'll drink this instead of wine. Thank you."

Li Xiulan's eyes reddened slightly, and she turned her head away to wipe the corner of her eyes.

Su Jian'an patted him on the shoulder without saying anything.

.......

That evening, Su Yu returned to his room and turned on his computer.

On QQ, Anxi's avatar was lit up.

Anxi: "I heard the college entrance exam results are out. What did you get?"

Su Yu smiled and typed: "566".

Anxi sent a surprised emoji: "So tall? Aren't you an art student?"

Su Yu retorted smugly, "Can't art students get high scores? I'm a top student."

Anxi sent an eye-roll emoji: "Fine, fine, you're amazing. Then you should have a sure thing in Beijing Film Academy, right?"

"It's safe."

Anxi sent a happy emoji: "Great! When you come to Beijing, I'll treat you to a meal."

As Su Yu looked at that sentence, he suddenly remembered something.

Anxi knew nothing about his lottery win. She knew even less about his purchase of Tencent stock. In Anxi's eyes, he was still that poor student, living off her "chatting fees."

Su Yu hesitated for a moment and did not mention winning the prize.

"Okay, you treat me then, I'll pay the bill."

Anxi: "You're paying? Where did you get the money?"

Su Yu: "The fee you paid for chatting is basically you treating me, haha."