Chapter One: The Twenty-Yuan Silver Coin

Shen Yan placed his access card on the table. “Numbers can deceive investors. They cannot deceive a due date.” Gu smiled. “Try surviving until one.” An hour later, the bottom of Shen Yan’s cardboard box gave way beneath an awning at Qinghe Secondhand Market. A mug, his employee badge, and a book on credit-risk modeling spilled into the rain. A vendor caught the mug with his shoe. He was in his thirties, wearing a flowered shirt under a military-green raincoat. “Lost your job?” “Is it that obvious?” “A man in a suit at a flea market on a weekday is either unemployed or undercover. You don’t look like you’re arresting anyone.” The vendor introduced himself as Zhou Ye.