No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 19

In the remaining twenty-plus days, Jiang Mu taught Shu Luo how to play basketball, and his own stock investments showed significant gains.

The 2008 financial crisis devastated many companies and businesses, but it also saw a reversal of fortune for many.

For example, Shu Luo’s dad and Jiang Mu’s mom.

Jiang Mu’s mom, an independent woman, found it hard to raise a child alone, but she had an impressive academic background and extensive experience as a jewelry designer. She had her own studio where she created designs for jewelry companies. Her success after returning to China put Jiang Mu’s grandparents’ minds at ease, so she had them move in with them for the summer.

Shu Luo’s dad’s company headquarters were in the United States, but it had many subsidiaries in China. This year, he was appointed president of the S-City subsidiary, which led to a big jump in his career and a significant improvement in his family’s quality of life.

Shu Luo’s maternal grandmother was in a nursing home in the US, but because Shu Luo’s dad was transferred back to China, she was also brought back so she wouldn’t be left without family to care for her.

Both Shu Luo and Jiang Mu were high achievers, getting into a top-tier high school and preparing for the new semester. They became minor celebrities in their residential community.

In addition, Shu Luo had a sweet disposition. He would often take his grandmother to the garden downstairs to chat with the other seniors, telling jokes and singing songs for them, becoming a favorite among the older residents.

As for Jiang Mu, the handsome mixed-race boy was also a familiar face in the neighborhood. Many young girls were drawn to him, and even some married women would blush and praise him when they saw him.

With his good looks, great physique, academic excellence, and kind temper, he was considered the ideal boyfriend.

The two families, Shu Luo’s and Jiang Mu’s, who lived right across from each other, were well-known in the community. Everyone recognized them and wanted to get to know them. When people are good, others naturally want to be close to them.

One morning, Shu Luo’s mom and Shu Luo were getting ready to go out. School was starting in two days, and she needed to buy things for him. Since he would be living in the dorms in high school and Jiangcheng’s rules were quite strict (they could only go home once a month), his mom had made a list of all the things he needed the night before.

Shu Luo looked at his mom’s enthusiasm helplessly, not wanting to dampen her spirits.

“Luo Luo, do you need to bring a pillow?”

While they were shopping, Shu Luo’s mom would ask him if he needed anything as they passed each store.

“Mom, I’m not a girl. I don’t really need that many things. You can just cram everything into my suitcase when we’re done,” Shu Luo said. He wasn’t a fan of shopping, but he couldn’t refuse his mom.

His mom glanced at him. “That won’t do. You’ll be living at school. I have to make sure you have everything so that you don’t have to run back later if you forget something. It’s much easier to get it all done at once. Oh, by the way, do you want to buy some clothes?”

“We’ll be wearing school uniforms. Please don’t get me so many things; I’ll just make a mess of them anyway,” Shu Luo said, his head already spinning from the thought of his mom’s endless list.

“I’ve already told A Mu to keep an eye on you. How can you be so grown up yet so careless? It’s a good thing A Mu is there. If you were a girl, it would be so much better. I could just marry you off to A Mu and have peace of mind,” she said.

Shu Luo touched his nose, not knowing what to say. “Should I go get a sex change then?”

His mom gave him a playful tap on the head. “You brat! If you dare to get a sex change, I’ll beat you to death!”

Shu Luo pouted innocently. “But you’re the one who said it would be better if I were a girl. You’re the one who started it, so why am I the one being scolded?”

Tears welled up in his eyes, making him look pitiful.

His mom glared at him. “I’d rather have another baby myself than have you change sexes.”

“What? Mom, are you going to have another one? That’s great! You won’t be bored at home all by yourself. Let’s have a little sister. I want a little sister,” Shu Luo said excitedly, as if it were already a done deal.

His mom had actually considered it, since she was still young.

“Okay, okay, let’s go. We still have a lot of things to buy,” she said.

Shu Luo could only purse his lips and continue to accompany his mom on her shopping spree.

At Jiang Mu’s house, meanwhile, his mom asked, “A Mu, how have your stocks been doing lately?”

Jiang Mu’s mom knew he was investing in stocks, a skill he had picked up from being around his dad when he was younger.

“They’re okay. I’m getting ready to do a reshuffle in a few days,” he said.

His mom was surprised. A reshuffle? It seemed like the past month had been a good learning experience for him.

“Which company did you invest in?” she asked.

“Guoheng Technology,” he replied.

Jiang Mu’s mom seemed to be deep in thought. “That e-commerce company?”

Jiang Mu nodded. “With the popularization of the internet, online business is becoming more and more popular with consumers. However, this stock hasn’t risen much, and many small investors are starting to sell. I plan to buy more while the price is low.”

“Are you sure? It seems like the company’s situation hasn’t been great lately,” she said.

“That’s why I wanted to borrow some money from you first. I want to buy a large amount, enough to get some shares.”

His mom looked at him thoughtfully. It seemed he had his father’s blood in him after all. He was so bold. At his age, he was already playing the stock market, and for high stakes, too. But she admired that her son had such ambition. There weren’t many kids his age who would even think about something like this.

“How much do you need?” she asked.

“Not much, about one hundred thousand. That should be enough,” he said, enough to build his foundation and lay the groundwork for his future.

One hundred thousand… he was really brave to ask for that much.

Though the amount was not small, his mom chose to trust him. Although she was worried, she still hoped her support would help him learn and gain something.

Guoheng Technology Group, a company that primarily operated in e-commerce and online shopping platforms, was just one of many similar companies that had popped up in recent years. After Alibaba, many new companies had emerged like mushrooms after a rain, but they also failed just as quickly.

Jiang Mu had studied a lot of data on these companies. He hoped to turn speculation into investment and short-term into long-term gain. He wanted to acquire shares in a company like this and find a way to make it stand out among the many other online shopping platforms.

Guoheng Technology was the key. Buying its stock was the key.

Suddenly, Jiang Mu thought of a problem. Since his mom was his legal guardian, any stocks he bought would be in her name.

“Mom, if I buy the stocks now, they’ll be in your name, so you’ll have to be there to sign the contract.”

“You seem pretty confident,” she said. “I’ll transfer them to you when you turn eighteen.”

Jiang Mu nodded. Since he wasn’t of legal age, this was the only way for now.

Everything he was doing now was for a not-so-distant future, to build a beautiful vision.

Yes, a beautiful vision.

But would everything go so smoothly?

Jiang Mu looked at the documents in his hand, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, at the mall, Shu Luo was half-dead from exhaustion.

His mom, a true shopaholic, didn’t stop for a second. She would buy anything that looked suitable, and she even bought some things for Jiang Mu.

Their clothes could be considered “couple’s outfits,” with the same colors but different sizes.

“Luo Luo, take this to A Mu when we get home. Make sure to bring it to school when the semester starts, okay? You can wear these during evening study sessions instead of your uniform, so you don’t wrinkle your uniform,” she said.

“And this sunscreen. Remember to put it on during military training, do you hear me? I don’t want you to come back looking like a piece of charcoal. I was even thinking of asking for a leave of absence for you; I don’t know if you can handle it,” she continued.

“I also bought you a pair of running shoes for military training. They have soft soles, so it’ll be more comfortable to stand at attention in them.”

“And also…”

My heavens, this mom was truly worried sick about her son.

“Mom, Mom, you’ve been shopping all afternoon. I’m starving. Can we please go home?” Shu Luo said, his shoulders slumped, with five or six bags in his hands.

His mom also felt they had been out long enough, so she nodded, and they finally headed back.

“Sigh,” Shu Luo said, letting out a sigh of relief. It was finally over.

After dinner, Shu Luo took the bags and went to find Jiang Mu.

When he arrived, Jiang Mu’s mom said he was in his room, so Shu Luo trotted over.

He knocked on the door and went in.

Jiang Mu was sitting at his desk, reading a book and using his computer. He was so focused that he didn’t even hear Shu Luo knock or come in.

Seeing that Jiang Mu didn’t react, Shu Luo tiptoed to the bed, sat cross-legged, and watched him work.

“Ah, two years have passed in the blink of an eye. How did this guy grow so much taller?” he thought to himself. “Being mixed race really is different.”

The closer he looked, the more handsome Jiang Mu seemed to have become. No wonder so many girls liked him.

Jiang Mu seemed to sense someone next to him. When he turned his head, Shu Luo’s fair face was right in front of him, and he froze.

They were so close that they could feel each other’s breaths. His heart seemed to skip a beat before it started beating faster.

Shu Luo was also startled by his sudden turn.

“Oh my gosh, you scared me! Why did you suddenly turn your head?” Shu Luo exclaimed, falling backward onto the bed.

Jiang Mu adjusted his breathing, smiled, and looked at him. “Why are you here? I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You were too focused. You didn’t hear me knock, so I just came in,” Shu Luo said, pulling a navy blue striped T-shirt with a naval emblem on the chest from the bag.

“Is this for me?” Jiang Mu asked.

Shu Luo nodded. “My mom bought it for you. I have an identical one. Hehe, we’re wearing matching shirts.”

Jiang Mu’s dimples appeared faintly, and his hand suddenly felt an urge to touch him.

“Haha, please thank my godmother for me,” Jiang Mu said.

He took the shirt and felt how thoughtful Shu Luo’s mom was, but at the same time, he also felt a little depressed. “Sigh,” he thought. “This is… something I don’t know how to handle.”

Looking at Shu Luo’s still-childish face, he knew he had to be patient.

“He’s still so young, and so am I. There’s still a lot of time,” he told himself. “Time will prove everything. I will also work hard to prove whether my persistence is right.”