Chapter 11 What a joke!
"Have you heard? With this market downturn, it seems a few of our guys have lost their nerve, quit, and are no longer working."
Inside the office, people were whispering about the latest gossip, and a faint smell of tension filled the air.
"Ha, when has this kind of thing ever been rare in the market?"
Another voice chimed in, its tone devoid of emotion, as if it were nothing new:
"We use data to predict stock prices, that's true. But to be honest, someone who can calculate this thing with absolute accuracy is in the realm of gods! If you get flustered and your hands and feet go weak when trading because of this little fluctuation, then it's better to get out sooner rather than later."
Investing, in the final analysis, is a battle of willpower and composure.
I don't know who said it.
This massive stock market is essentially a stew of human greed and fear.
At times, he becomes mad like a wildfire, sweeping away all reason;
Panic sometimes sweeps across like an iceberg, freezing all courage.
Many companies that look like empty shells with terrible financial reports can still see their stock prices soar to new heights, breaking through the ceiling.
And how many companies with solid financial resources and stable operations have stock prices that are languishing on the ground, barely alive, which is frustrating to watch.
All of this silently reveals:
What drives stock price fluctuations is often not the company's own strength.
More often than not, it's driven by emotions, dreams, greed, and fear!
Human hearts are like reeds in the wind, swaying uncertainly, fragile and fickle.
In such a volatile and unpredictable world, if you can't even keep your own composure, then you're not qualified to do anything in the securities industry.
This is especially true for private equity traders like them, whose decisions every minute and every second can determine their life or death.
If one's mindset falters even slightly, it can lead to utter ruin. One thought can lead to heaven, another to hell, and one has absolutely no control over one's destiny.
Inside the Chairman's Office, Huang Fengwen, the head of Fang Huan Investment, looked up at the subordinate who had just given the report, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger:
"Has the battery issue been resolved?"
"Yes. After several twists and turns, we finally managed to stop the losses in time." The subordinate quickly replied, speaking faster.
"The market did overreact to the breaking news. Later, after the news was fully digested by the market, the bubble burst relatively quickly. Of course... some losses were inevitable."
"It's already a blessing that we were able to stop the losses to this extent and get out in time."
Huang Fengwen spoke indifferently, his fingers unconsciously tapping the mahogany tabletop, producing a dull "thump-thump" sound.
"Look at the American market. That's what you call exciting. There's no limit to how much it goes up or down. There's no ceiling and no floor. That's a real meat grinder!"
Unlike their domestic counterparts who were timid and hesitant, the Wall Street wolves played much more aggressively, and short selling was commonplace for them.
Over there, the rules are even wilder.
If you misjudge the situation and get off to the wrong pace, no matter how great you were or how big your company was, you might be wiped out in a flash, leaving nothing but ashes.
There, there are no daily price limits like those in China to protect the market.
Victory or defeat, profit or loss, depends entirely on skill, courage, and... that elusive luck.
Huang Fengwen let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if the bones in his body were about to fall apart.
He slumped heavily back into the large, expensive executive chair, his neck tilted back, his head resting on the back of the chair, his eyes somewhat vacant, staring blankly at the pale, cold ceiling above him.
The light made his eyes feel a little sore.
Fang Huan Investment, the warship he built himself, is sailing at an unprecedented speed, making great strides toward becoming a top-tier private equity firm.
The company is thriving, its momentum is very strong, and it looks incredibly successful from the outside.
But the more this happened, the stronger his feeling of walking on thin ice became.
Every step felt like walking on a frozen lake in winter, with a distinct, heart-wrenching crunching sound underfoot.
He knew that the slightest carelessness, the smallest mistake, could cause the seemingly solid ice to collapse instantly, dragging him and his warship into the icy abyss, from which there would be no return.
The stock market is such a hellish place; calling it the devil's roulette wheel is an understatement!
The pyramid you painstakingly built may collapse in just a few minutes or even seconds, shattering into nothingness, all because of a momentary lapse in concentration, a slip of the hand, or a foolish decision!
"Damn it..." he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with exhaustion and an indescribable anxiety.
He reached up and rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling as if countless bees were buzzing in his head.
"I have to play a couple of games later, otherwise I can't calm down."
Only in that virtual world where one can fight and settle scores at will, can the heavy anxieties and pressures of reality, which are almost enough to crush a person, be temporarily cast aside.
This is the only reason he is addicted to games, and it is also one of the few pressure relief valves he has found for himself.
A moment of respite, or rather, a brief escape.
However, in a flash, a figure jumped into his mind without warning.
"I wonder... Su Hao, how is that kid doing now?"
Huang Fengwen's brows furrowed involuntarily; it was a name that gave him a headache.
To say that you don't want any special treatment is to deceive yourself.
It's simply unrealistic to completely abandon the idea.
Who told this kid to be a "connected" person whom he personally contacted, under pressure, and blatantly forced into the position?
Those shrewd people down there, which one of them doesn't know their place?
For this reason, he specifically instructed his secretary to keep a close eye on Su Hao's situation and to report to him immediately if there were any "signs of trouble" or "special circumstances"...
Knock knock—
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door.
"Mr. Huang, may I come in for a moment?"
Wow, just like that, speak of the devil and he appears.
It was the secretary's voice, always so humble yet composed.
Huang Fengwen sat up straighter, cleared his throat, and composed himself: "Come in. What is it?"
The secretary pushed open the door, holding a thin document in her hand, and stood in front of the desk:
"Ah, it's about Su Hao. Didn't you previously instruct us to keep a close eye on him, and to report to you if anything... um,'special circumstances' occurred?"
Huang Fengwen's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, and a bad premonition welled up inside him:
"Yes, that's right. What happened? Did that kid get into trouble?"
Several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant:
Did you get into a fight with your colleague?
Or did he just arrogantly argue with his boss?
No way... That kid seems pretty clever and knows how to handle things. Although he's a bit green, he doesn't seem like the kind of brainless troublemaker.
Besides, how much trouble could a new trading assistant who has only been with the company for a few days cause?
The secretary gently placed the document on the table in front of Huang Fengwen.
Huang Fengwen took the document with suspicion, glancing at it casually.
Then...
His pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had been pricked by a needle!
His brows furrowed sharply.
"Wait... what the hell is this?"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with incredulous astonishment, "A full-fledged trader? Su Hao? Become a full-fledged trader?"
The contents of the document were completely unrelated to his earlier guess.
The secretary maintained a professional composure and nodded slightly.
"Yes, Mr. Huang. There have been quite a few traders leaving recently, and in order to fill the vacancies in a timely manner, the company has decided to promote a few outstanding newcomers. Mr. Su Hao... is on this promotion list."
"I—fuck you!" Huang Fengwen nearly crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball! He abruptly raised his head, his eyes practically spitting fire:
"Are these bastards out of their minds? Or have they all gone mad?"
How can a new employee who can barely even read a candlestick chart be promoted to a trader who uses company funds to operate real accounts?
What a joke!
He almost slammed his fist on the table and ordered someone to bring the director of the trading department in charge of this matter, as well as that damned Zhou Yi, to his office immediately!
He gave me a good scolding!
But... his hand, which was halfway raised, abruptly stopped in mid-air.
"...wrong."
He narrowed his eyes, the anger in them gradually replaced by a complex and incomprehensible light, and his mind began to race at an unprecedented speed.
The people below...
They couldn't possibly be unaware that Su Hao was someone Huang Fengwen had planted.
Especially Zhou Yi, who was directly in charge of training Su Hao...
I imagine you've had a pretty tough time lately.
Should we treat this "Buddha" with utmost care, given its unclear background and unknown depths, every day?
Or should we pretend we don't know and just handle things officially?
Should we secretly give them some special treatment to make ourselves seem like we know how to get things done?
Or should we ignore it to avoid getting burned?
He must have been so worried that his hair was almost turning white. He racked his brains and came up with this "indirect" method, which seemed absurd but was actually well-intentioned, to test his attitude.
As for the trading department director who ultimately signed off on the list of promoted employees…
Hmph, he's probably just pretending not to know what's going on, and who knows what he's cursing under his breath!
But there was nothing he could do; after all, this person was placed there by his boss, Mr. Huang.
Huang Fengwen gave a self-deprecating bitter smile: "If you don't know what to do, you can just come and ask me..."
But then I thought, a trading department director, eagerly approaching him, the big boss, and cautiously asking:
"Mr. Huang, what exactly is the meaning behind that 'connected' person you put in earlier? How should we treat him?"
The scene... thinking about it, it's indeed quite ridiculous, embarrassing, and utterly disgraceful.
"So...Mr. Huang, what you mean is...?"
Seeing his ever-changing expression, the secretary cautiously asked for instructions.
Huang Fengwen waved his hand, his anger completely dissipated, replaced by a playful expression:
"Forget it, let it be. Let them be."
"Huh?" The secretary was clearly taken aback. "You...you're really going to promote him to a full-fledged trader...?"
"Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it."
Huang Fengwen leaned back in his wide chair, rubbed his temples, crossed his hands over his stomach, and spoke with a tone that was both helpless and matter-of-fact:
"In the end, this is my fault. I didn't explain things clearly back then, and just threw the person down there without any explanation. It's normal that the people below misunderstood and caused some trouble."
He even thought to himself that this... seemed pretty good.
It was a lucky accident.
Perfect! Let's take this opportunity to let Su Hao plunge headfirst into this treacherous and cutthroat market, and experience firsthand how hot and agonizing investing really is!
Letting him get a few hard slaps from reality doesn't seem like such a bad thing...
Anyway, that kid knows absolutely nothing about investing; he's a complete novice.
Did Zhou Yi really promote him expecting him to immediately take on a major role, charge into battle, and earn excessive profits for the company?
Bullshit!
It's nothing more than making a gesture, showing him how arrogant he is:
"Look! I haven't treated your person badly at all! I promoted her directly to a full-fledged trader! Isn't that generous?"
Huang Fengwen knew exactly what was going on; how could he not understand the subtle tricks his subordinates were up to?
" Zhou Yi certainly knows what's going on," he said calmly to his secretary.
"He wouldn't dare hand over the real money he's managing to that kid Su Hao. He's probably just giving him a nominal position, a token amount of money to practice with, and just to put on a show for everyone."
"That's settled then. You, continue to keep an eye on his situation and report back immediately if anything happens."
"Yes, Mr. Huang," the secretary replied respectfully, then quietly withdrew and gently closed the door.
Silence returned to the office.
Huang Fengwen's lips curled into a barely perceptible, slightly mischievous smile.
He could almost picture the stunned expression on Su Hao's face when he suddenly heard that he had been promoted to a full-fledged trader.
A complete novice who can barely recognize candlestick charts is suddenly told he has to actually do real trading...
Haha, no wonder he was totally dumbfounded! He'd be incredibly brave if he didn't pee his pants!
Then what?
Most of the time, they're flustered and confused, randomly operating on the colorful screen, and then losing all their meager credit limit.
At that time, this kid will definitely be all crestfallen, feeling like the sky has fallen and he has let down the company, and even more so, the "guild leader" who had the foresight to recognize his talent and give him such a great opportunity.
Um...
Then, at that time, I will make my dazzling debut!
Like a true, all-knowing elder brother, he patted his shoulder in a calm yet world-weary tone and said earnestly:
"It's okay, young man. You always have to pay your dues on the road to growth. This little setback is nothing."
Ah! What a perfect script!
This is the demeanor and style that Su Hao believes the omnipotent, god-like "Chairman" should have!
Thinking of this, Huang Fengwen felt inexplicably much better.