This Bad Luck is Awesome!

Back home, Chen Mo looked at the autographs he’d brought back, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.

Heeding Pan Kejia’s suggestion, he decided to sell the autographs—which he personally considered worthless—to Ai Yikun’s fans.

The photos might have been worthless to him, but in the eyes of Ai Yikun’s fanatical fans...

These autographs were treasures they would pay a fortune to snap up!

’But how do I sell them to Ai Yikun’s fans?’

He wasn’t a fan of Ai Yikun, nor had he ever joined a fan club or anything of the sort.

’I have no connection to his fans, so how am I supposed to sell these to them?’

"I’ve got it."

It seemed Chen Mo had a sudden flash of inspiration; he knew just what to do.

He opened Weibo and searched for [Ai Yikun’s Super Topic].

He clicked into the Super Topic and saw it was filled with Ai Yikun’s fans.

He scrolled through a few pages and discovered the fans in the Super Topic were incredibly active.

Fans were posting and commenting at nearly every moment.

The topics of discussion were all over the place; they talked about anything and everything.

Most of it was praise, things like "He’s so handsome," "He works so hard," and "Ai Yikun, such a perfect gentleman."

It was clear this was a gathering place for his core fanbase.

He had found his target customers with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ai Yikun... no, wait. ’Our boy’s’ personally signed autographs, limited awards ceremony edition, authenticity guaranteed. In-person exchange available in Modu. Limited quantity, first come, first served. DM me with an offer."

Chen Mo drafted a post, typing out the copy.

He had typed "Ai Yikun" out of habit but then remembered this was the man’s own Super Topic.

So, to match the style of the Super Topic, he changed it to "our boy."

You had to admit, he was meticulous.

He then took a picture of the autographs on his desk and posted it along with the text.

Luckily, Ai Yikun’s Super Topic didn’t have a level requirement for posting. Otherwise, he would’ve had to check in for a few days just to level up.

By then, Ai Yikun’s career might have already imploded.

The moment his post went up, it was seen by a ton of people who immediately showed interest.

"A level 1 new account? Is this for real? You really have our boy’s autographs?"

"Judging by the picture, those really are the limited-edition photos from the awards ceremony."

"The signature looks like his, too. His handwriting is so stylish and distinctive."

"If this is real, I want one! I’m going to put his autograph right by my bed!"

"I want one too! OP, how much are you selling them for?"

"..."

Soon, Chen Mo’s post was flooded with comments.

Some were skeptical, while others recognized Ai Yikun’s handwriting.

Many people expressed their interest in buying one.

Chen Mo patiently replied to every person with a simple "DM."

He remembered seeing people ask for prices online, and the sellers, those assholes, would always just reply with "DM."

Back then, it always made him want to curse them out.

He never thought he’d become the very person he despised.

’Can’t be helped. If you want to get the highest price, you can’t just post it in the comments.’

’You have to make them DM you individually. That’s the only way to drive the price up, like an auction.’

Sure enough, he soon started receiving direct messages.

"Hi, I’m a college student. Could you sell me one of the autographs for 100?"

Chen Mo replied, "You’re not worthy of being his fan."

’What a joke.’

After that, more DMs started rolling in, all with different offers.

Some offered a few hundred, while others went as high as one or two thousand.

"Hi, I’m in Modu too. Can we do an in-person exchange?"

"If I can confirm they’re authentic, I’m willing to pay 20,000 per photo. I’ll buy as many as you have."

Just then, a particular DM caught Chen Mo’s eye, and the contents surprised him.

’Holy crap, 20,000 for a single autograph.’

’Is Ai Yikun’s star power really that strong?’

’He looked so pained when he paid me back yesterday. Don’t tell me that was just an act?’

But then again, he didn’t seem to be faking it.

He guessed Ai Yikun’s team probably didn’t mass-produce autographs to cash in on fans, all to maintain his "elite" image.

Curious, Chen Mo clicked on the person’s profile, and a look of sudden understanding crossed his face.

"Ah, a fan site master."

Chen Mo knew that many celebrities had these "site masters," who were essentially fan leaders.

These site masters were usually well-funded and had extensive networks within the fandom.

She could buy them from him for 20,000 a piece and probably turn around and sell them for an even higher price to some wealthy fans.

"Deal. I’m free at noon today."

Chen Mo replied.

’Ai Yikun’s career could implode at any moment,’ he thought. ’It’s best to get rid of these as soon as possible.’

’Twenty thousand a pop, and I have twenty of them. That’s 400,000.’

’Not a small sum by any means.’

’If Ai Yikun gets canceled in a few days, that 400,000 will vanish into thin air.’

After they agreed on a time and exchanged contact information, Chen Mo logged out of Weibo.

He pulled up Xia Shiqing’s number and gave her a call.

"Hello?"

Her cool, composed voice came from the other end of the line.

"Liquidate our position in Hongyin Jingtong."

Chen Mo didn’t elaborate, just told her to sell.

"Alright."

Xia Shiqing agreed without a second thought.

There was no hesitation, no questions asked.

Pan Kejia would have at least asked a few questions, but Xia Shiqing wouldn’t ask a single thing.

She trusted Chen Mo completely. She would have believed him even if he’d told her the god of stocks wasn’t Warren Buffett, but the US President.

After hanging up, Chen Mo went to make himself some breakfast.

He had no plans to short Hongyin Jingtong’s stock.

For one, shorting A-shares wasn’t easy; not every stock was eligible for short selling.

And as it happened, Hongyin Jingtong was not one of the eligible ones.

And for another, he didn’t know exactly when Ai Yikun’s scandal would break.

It could be today, or it could be tomorrow.

It was even possible he and that woman would drag things out for a few days.