Ex-wife becomes the world's number one hacker

Jiang Yin held up her phone to show Tang Ning and Li Tianmu a picture of the rock face that Jian Tingyun had sent her.

After enduring several days of hardship, the two suddenly perked up.

"It's this area," Li Tianmu said confidently. "It's these rock walls that block signals, which is why they lost contact. Brother Jinxing also said they wouldn't be able to contact them tomorrow, so this makes sense."

"But tomorrow is Friday, we can't start fighting on Friday," Li Tianmu continued. "If we release all the evidence we have on Friday, they will have the whole week to launch a public relations counterattack."

"Yes, let's wait until Monday and finish this quickly, aiming to complete the battle within the next week." Tang Ning's eyes shone brightly.

Li Tianmu nodded: "But we can't just wait around. Starting tomorrow, we'll let some information out and release some clues."

"Yes, Plan A is activated," Tang Ning said.

With the great battle about to begin, a sense of ceremony was needed before the battle, so Li Tianmu suggested that everyone shout a slogan to boost morale.

He declared emphatically, "A financial war is about to break out!"

Tang Ning then waved his hand and said, "Use candlestick charts to bury them!"

Jiang Yin thought to herself: Why does this look a bit like a couplet? Well then, I'll just write the horizontal inscription myself.

"Victory is certain! Victory is certain!" She raised her fist and swung it forcefully in the air.

"We will win!" The three friends clasped their hands together.

On Friday morning, the air carried the characteristic anxiety of the period leading up to the stock market opening.

Tang Ning and Li Tianmu sat upright in the small conference room, like two loaded guns silently sitting in front of the screen, while Jiang Yin sat to the side watching the battle.

Tang Ning glanced at the clock on the wall: "It's 9:30. Time to fire the first 'smoke bomb'."

Li Tianmu nodded, his fingers flying across the keyboard: "Don't worry, this bullet won't kill anyone, it will just make everyone feel that the wind direction is wrong."

After saying that, he pressed the "send" button.

Instantly, several anonymous accounts simultaneously posted a discussion thread on various financial forums and social media platforms, using drastically different writing styles:

[A review of a listed chip company: Revenue rose sharply quarterly, but operating cash flow continued to decline. This perfectly balanced curve defies normal business principles.]

Without naming names or mentioning Xingxin at all, industry insiders could immediately see the clues.

On the screen, the post had only been up for a minute when it instantly garnered over a hundred views.

Tang Ning pointed to the screen: "Look, professional investors have already started paying attention."

Li Tianmu chuckled: "The first thorn has been planted."

Xingxin's stock price opened up 0.5%, but continued to decline, closing down 0.3% in the morning session.

Trading volume increased slightly, but there was no sign of a sharp drop.

In front of the computer, the numbers flashed green and red, like gently swaying wind chimes, giving a sense of tension without causing things to get out of control.

Less than five minutes later, another shadow account posted in the Weibo finance section:

Have you noticed that a certain chip company, which has been listed for over a year, has seen its accounts receivable increase by more than 250% year-on-year, while its operating cash flow is negative? It seems like they manipulated financial statements to meet post-IPO performance targets.

The comment section instantly went viral:

"So aggressive? Is this to boost sales figures?"

"Which company... could it be one I have a large stake in?"

"Looking at the data alone does raise suspicions."

Xingxin's stock price subsequently declined slightly, falling to -0.5% at one point during the session before stabilizing.

Tang Ning and Li Tianmu exchanged a glance: the market had already sensed it, but hadn't panicked yet. The battle had begun, and the opportunity had only just begun to unfold.

At 2 p.m., the light in the conference room was tinged blue by the computer screens.

Tang Ning stared at the screen, her fingers lightly tapping the keyboard: "The second wind is coming."

Li Tianmu took out a censored sales contract fragment from his notebook and handed it to Jiang Yin: "This image only shows the key sections; it doesn't directly say it's Xingxin, but it contains information."

Jiang Yin took the document and whispered, "This... feels a lot like the performance-boosting contract used when we went public."

Tang Ning nodded: "Yes, those who understand it can smell the difference. Retail investors may not understand it, but professional institutions will pay attention."

At 2:15 PM, several anonymous accounts posted on forums and Weibo's finance section:

[I reviewed a chip company's contracts from last year, which were listed for over a year. The amounts were staggering, but the company seals appeared to be photocopies, and the client information was incomplete. I won't name names; you can judge for yourselves.]

The comments section exploded:

"Really? The contract seal is a photocopy? That doesn't seem right..."

"For companies that have been listed for more than a year, this may be one of their methods to maintain or boost their performance."

"You can tell which company it is without even naming it... Could it be Xingxin?"

"I've heavily invested in it, and I'm starting to get nervous."

Jiang Yin's eyes widened: "What will quantitative analysts and institutions do when they see this?"

Li Tianmu stared at the order book, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Let's cut our losses a little first, test the market, you see."

Xingxin's stock price fluctuated slightly after opening up 0.1% at midday, briefly falling to -0.8% before recovering slightly to close at -0.5%. Trading volume was slightly higher than in the morning but remained within the normal fluctuation range.

Tang Ning pointed at the screen: "The quantitative analysis program has started operating, and institutions are also observing. The market has already smelled blood, but hasn't panicked yet."

Li Tianmu explained, "Because no names were mentioned, the market could only speculate. Public opinion fermented over the weekend, and Monday was the real eye of the storm."

Jiang Yin looked at her two partners who were focused on the market: the bowstring for battle was already drawn taut, and the arrows were waiting for the opening bell on Monday.

.......

Meanwhile, Xingxin Technology.

At 3 p.m., chief trader Chen Hui sat in front of his computer, his brow furrowed as the numbers on the screen jumped: trading volume was slightly higher than usual, and the stock price had fallen slightly by less than 1%.

He subconsciously clicked on several forums and the finance section of Weibo, and saw anonymous posts:

[A chip company that has been listed for over a year has contracts with suspected duplicate seals and an abnormally high growth rate in accounts receivable...]

Chen Hui felt a chill: this was a typical sign of suspected financial fraud, a signal that would alert institutions.

He quickly organized the data and opened Excel: accounts receivable increased by 280% year-on-year, operating cash flow was negative, and some contract dates and amounts were "too neat".

He took a deep breath. Department Manager Wang was away on a business trip and had not returned. As the chief trader, he had a responsibility to report any unusual activity to the company's senior management in a timely manner.

Chen Hui knocked on Sun Lifeng's door and handed him the report:

"Secretary Sun, this is an anomaly we discovered this afternoon: the stock price dipped slightly, but trading volume increased. I'm worried the market might be starting to suspect short selling."

Sun Lifeng took the document, glanced at it, and then calmly said, "I'll take the report. You've observed very carefully. I'll report to General Manager Shen immediately."

Then, he took another financial statement and knocked on Shen Lan's door:

"Mr. Shen, this is the financial statement for this quarter that you requested."

As Shen Lan took the financial report and opened it to look at it, Sun Lifeng placed Chen Hui's report on Shen Lan's desk:

"Mr. Shen, the trading department has noticed some normal technical fluctuations in the stock price today, and there have also been some speculative posts in the market without any evidence. Chen Hui is being cautious and has prepared a report."

Shen Lan, beaming as she looked at the financial report Sun Lifeng had just handed her, casually remarked, "Is it worth reporting stock price fluctuations of a fraction of a percent? Those forum posts are just noise; ignore them. Our fundamentals are so strong, what's there to be afraid of?"

Sun Lifeng nodded and said, "Understood. I will have the trading department continue to observe, but not overreact, so as not to send unsettling signals to the market."

"Yes, that's right." Shen Lan didn't even look up.

Subsequently, in front of Shen Lan, Sun Lifeng gave Chen Hui the instructions that Shen Lan had given him.

Chen Hui frowned: "But people on forums and Weibo have already started discussing it. If the public opinion continues to ferment, it may escalate..."

Sun Lifeng reiterated his earlier statement: "There's no need to overreact for now. President Shen said we can handle it ourselves. Don't be nervous, just keep an eye on things and record the data."

Chen Hui's heart sank: no one really took it seriously, and he could only watch helplessly as the risk slowly brewed.

He sighed inwardly: the company was overconfident, and when the market showed slight movement, no one stepped in to support the price in advance.

He began to carefully record every unusual activity: every increase in trading volume, every anonymous post questioning the market, and every discussion in the comments section.

He had a bad feeling, but all he could do now was observe and record.