Chapter 52. Shopping with Liu Pingping

Li Mo’s words left Liu Pingping frozen in place.

For an entrepreneur, nothing is more important than their company.

When her daughter had been building her business, she had gone long stretches without even calling home.

It was fair to say that she had poured all her time and energy into her company.

Liu Pingping understood this well—not just with her daughter, but with all entrepreneurs. They treated their businesses as their very lives because their futures and destinies depended on them.

Yet Li Mo had just said that accompanying her was the most important thing.

This filled her with overwhelming guilt. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had wronged Li Mo.

How could she possibly make it up to him?

“Let’s go to the commercial street in the south.”

After Li Mo spoke, Xiao Liu didn’t ask any further questions.

He knew Li Mo was an unpredictable investor, someone whose actions were always inscrutable. Whatever he did, there was always a reason behind it.

As they walked, Liu Pingping gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

Her eyes stung slightly, and she felt the urge to cry.

Li Mo’s kindness had struck her deeply.

If it had been her own daughter, she would never have been willing to spend time wandering around Shenzhen with her. Her daughter’s time belonged entirely to her career.

Now, Liu Pingping wondered—had she failed in some way as a mother?

In some respects, perhaps she had been a failure.

And yet, despite no longer having any ties to her, Li Mo treated her with such warmth. That kind of care was incredibly rare.

She held back for a long time…

But eventually, a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Li Mo quickly reached over and wiped it away.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” he asked.

Liu Pingping lowered her head, embarrassed.

“It’s nothing,” she said softly. “I just feel like I’ve wronged you.”

“Even though you and Xiaoxiao are divorced, you’ve been so good to me—and to YanYan. It’s as if the divorce never even happened.”

As she spoke, that bitter emotion surged up again, making her want to break down in tears.

“Mom, you were my mother in the past,” Li Mo said. “And you’ll always be my mother in the future.”

Of course, Liu Pingping couldn’t grasp the deeper meaning behind his words.

“Please don’t cry,” he added gently. “We’re going shopping soon, and you don’t want to ruin your makeup.”

Hearing this, Liu Pingping finally regained control of her emotions.

She had always cared deeply about her appearance. Anything that might damage her image was out of the question.

“Xiao Mo, can I ask you something?”

Now, Liu Pingping seemed to have fully accepted her role as Li Mo’s mother-in-law. She even referred to herself as “Mom” naturally.

“Go ahead.”

Liu Pingping voiced the question on her mind.

“Back when you divorced Xiaoxiao, you didn’t seem to have made much money, right? You didn’t even have a job. So how did you become a wealthy boss in just a few months? And now you ride in a Rolls-Royce and live in a huge mansion…”

She really wanted to understand how this had happened.

“Did you become a CEO and secure venture capital funding?”

Liu Pingping was familiar with the concept of venture capital. Unlike many middle-aged people, she kept up with things most didn’t.

“Mom, you really know a lot,” Li Mo remarked, impressed.

His own parents were the traditional, rigid type—unconcerned with appearances and completely unaware of things like venture capital or the internet.

Once, he had bought his father a computer, but the man only used it to play Minesweeper.

“Actually, I’m the one who invested in this company,” Li Mo said.

Liu Pingping couldn’t believe it.

He was the investor?

Where had Li Mo gotten so much money? Even if Su Xiaoxiao had given him everything she had, it wouldn’t have been enough to fund this kind of lavish lifestyle.

“Xiao Mo, where did you get the money to invest…?”

Li Mo didn’t hide the truth.

“After I sold my apartment, I made tens of millions in the stock market.”

This wasn’t a secret. To establish his reputation in investment circles, Li Mo had spread the story of how he made 30 million in a single day.

That was why someone like Mr. Ma had sought him out.

If he had gone to Mr. Ma first, begging for investment, it would have been impossible.

Later, when he continued earning in the stock market, he kept it private and never made such high-profile moves again.

“The stock market?” Liu Pingping was stunned.

“But hasn’t the market already passed its boom period? There hasn’t been much movement in years.”

“I actually made a fortune in stocks myself back in the day.”

Suddenly, she remembered something.

She pulled out her phone and opened the browser.

Using the slow GPRS network, she navigated to NetEase.

She recalled seeing a news article not long ago—about a mysterious trader who had made 30 million in an incredibly short time, becoming a legend.

His astonishing trading skills had since been analyzed in countless articles by economists. Many retail investors now idolized him.

At the time, the news had shocked her, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

Making 30 million in today’s market with leveraged contracts? That was unbelievable.

But now, she was realizing—that person was Li Mo?

How was that possible?

“Xiao Mo, is this article about you?”

Li Mo glanced at the news on her phone and nodded.

“Yes, Mom. That’s how I made my money. The funds for the company came from there too.”

Once Li Mo confirmed it, Liu Pingping’s face flushed with astonishment, making her look even more striking.

So…

The stock market legend was Li Mo!

If she hadn’t come to Shenzhen, she might never have known.

When the car arrived at the bustling shopping district, Li Mo helped the still-dazed Liu Pingping out of the vehicle.

She hadn’t fully processed the revelation from the news article.

Xiao Liu went to park the car, waiting for further instructions, while Li Mo guided Liu Pingping into the mall.

“Mom, are you okay?” Li Mo asked, noticing her distracted state.

It seemed like her emotions had been fluctuating too much lately.

“I’m fine.”

“Good. Let’s focus on shopping for now.”

“I’ll clear out the room across from yours today and turn it into a walk-in closet.”

“Since you’ll be staying in Shenzhen for a while, you might as well buy plenty of clothes.”

As soon as they entered the store, a salesgirl hurried over to greet them.

Li Mo looked like a wealthy man—real confidence couldn’t be faked. And the fact that he was shopping with such a beautiful woman spoke volumes.

“Welcome, sir!” she said brightly.

“We carry all kinds of women’s fashion—black stockings, dresses, blouses, high heels, you name it.”

Then, in a moment of thoughtlessness, she asked, “Is this your girlfriend?”