Chapter 13: Promotion!
If you were to ask who truly makes the most money in the securities industry?
Most people would probably blurt out—those high and mighty Directors Senior Executive.
"But that would be a huge mistake!"
A clear and pleasant voice, like a boost of vitality, rang out, dispelling the usual dullness of the morning.
It was Li Huilin again, now facing Su Hao, patiently explaining the ins and outs of this industry:
"When it comes to fixed salaries that are guaranteed regardless of drought or flood, senior executives naturally earn more. But when it comes to the astonishingly variable performance bonuses, also known as commissions, traders are the real big winners, earning far more than them!"
Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the desk.
Li Huilin's voice carried an excitement akin to sharing a secret:
"Therefore, every company internally divides traders into different levels."
"grade?"
"Yes, ranking." Li Huilin nodded: "Just like back in school, you were ranked by grades, and divided into different classes, right? It's the same principle in private equity firms."
I see.
Su Hao suddenly understood. No wonder he always felt that these traders were all on edge, as if they were holding back a lot of energy and wanted to devour each other alive.
The root of the problem lies here—internal rankings and brutal competition.
"Lower-level traders have less capital to manage and less principal. Even if their returns are impressive, their commissions are limited, right?"
Li Huilin gestured with her slender fingers in the air: "Conversely, those top traders at the very top of the pyramid have an astonishing amount of capital at their disposal. Even a small profit can bring in a mountain of commissions!"
Each private equity firm may have different circumstances, but at Fang Huan Investment, where Su Hao currently works, the minimum capital threshold for a trader is one million yuan.
One million. That's just the bare minimum.
Li Huilin lowered his voice and continued with a hint of mystery, "Therefore, companies often sign special contracts with top traders who have exceptionally outstanding performance. I've heard that top traders at other large private equity firms easily earn over ten million a year!"
"Wow... ten million?!" Su Hao gasped, the number seeming to carry a tangible weight, leaving him momentarily stunned: "Just the annual salary?"
"That's just basic stuff. I heard in the US, some people make hundreds of millions!" Li Huilin seemed quite satisfied with Su Hao's reaction, a smile curving her lips.
"However, you have to understand that there's a reason why these people can earn so much. They generate huge profits for the company, so what's a little bit of profit for them?"
Su Hao remained silent.
No wonder so many top students from prestigious universities are desperate to get into this field.
An annual salary of hundreds of millions... This number was too enormous, as unreal as a story from another dimension, making him completely lose his sense of reality.
The air seemed to be filled with a restless, acrid smell, like the remnants of burning money.
People often say that in this world, playing the stock market and investing in real estate are the only ways to succeed.
He didn't quite understand it before, but now he understands it a little better.
Simply sitting in front of a computer, moving the mouse, and typing on the keyboard can unlock such astonishing wealth.
This world is truly insane.
He composed himself and asked curiously, "So... what level is our team, roughly?"
"One of ours? Hmm... it should be the regular version, right?"
Li Huilin thought for a moment:
"What I've heard is that the higher the office floor, the higher the level of the team usually is. You see, in our building, the derivatives trading department's offices are on the top few floors, right? Although it's hard to say for sure, it's generally believed that the traders who deal with derivatives are the ones who make the most money."
"Making that much?"
"Yes, that's right. Let me put it this way: the people over there earn more in a month than we do in a year. Isn't that amazing?"
Next to them are the quantitative trading teams that have started to emerge in recent years.
I heard they're using artificial intelligence algorithms for high-frequency trading, but the specifics... I don't really understand.
The world of stocks is truly complex, profound, and unpredictable.
Su Hao thought to himself.
But it is precisely because of the enormous and suffocating rewards behind it that countless people flock to this arena of fame and fortune, willingly throwing themselves into it, even knowing that it is a cruel game.
The bottom layer consists of countless stepping stones; only those 1% at the very top can truly feast on the enormous wealth.
In essence, this is perhaps no different from what he experienced in the game.
As he was pondering, a calm voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Is everyone here? Let's start today's meeting early." It was Manager Zhou Yi.
"Yes!" everyone responded immediately.
Manager Zhou Yi gestured for everyone to enter the conference room.
Su Hao followed the crowd inside, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of two familiar figures walking in as well.
That was the same trading assistant he had worked with before, someone he would occasionally run into when he was doing errands and odd jobs.
"Let me introduce you," Manager Zhou Yi said, standing at the front of the conference room and scanning the crowd. "This is our new trading assistant."
He paused for a moment, then explained, "As you all know, there was a bit of a problem recently. Several senior traders resigned, which led to the decision to disband a team. These individuals were transferred from that team."
With him and Li Huilin added, there are now four trading assistants? Su Hao's mind stirred slightly.
With more people around, does that mean... he can have a little more peace of mind?
"Manager," someone raised their hand to ask, it was Liang Haiyuan: "Didn't we say that a new full-time trader would be coming today?"
"Yes. But he's not newly transferred." He changed the subject, making a surprising statement: "He was promoted directly from our existing trading assistants."
"What?" A murmur of surprise rippled through the conference room.
Promotion from a trading assistant?
Su Hao's heart skipped a beat, and an unbelievable thought flashed through her mind. Could it be...?
" Su Hao, Li Huilin." Manager Zhou Yi's gaze fell on him and Li Huilin: "From today onwards, you two are promoted to full-fledged traders."
"Ah—!?" Su Hao and Li Huilin exclaimed at the same time, their minds going blank for a moment, as if struck by lightning, frozen on the spot.
Formal trader?
This is so sudden!
"Wait...wait! Manager!"
A sharp voice shattered the brief silence; it was Liang Haiyuan, his face filled with disbelief and anger.
"What did you say? They're promoted directly? Li Huilin may have some seniority, but this promotion is too fast! And Su Hao? How long has he been here?! This is simply... you can't find another company this outrageous!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and his gaze, like a poisoned dagger, slashed fiercely at Su Hao and Li Huilin.
Although Liang Haiyuan's reaction was intense, Su Hao could understand it.
Not to mention him, even I was still dizzy and completely confused about the situation.
The other veteran traders were probably just as astonished and puzzled as he was.
"There are reasons for this decision." Zhou Yi's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was calm: "In the simulated investments we've conducted these past few days, Su Hao's rate of return is the highest in our team. This is one of the reasons."
"Manager! That was just a simulated investment!" Liang Haiyuan immediately retorted, his voice even louder: "Simulation and real trading are completely different things! Just because the simulation performed a little better, you're going to give me the official treatment?"
"This is a done deal. Everyone knows the rules. In this industry, ultimately, only the rate of return matters."
Zhou Yi emphasized his words, his eyes sharpening:
"Also, the team that was previously disbanded, and the funds they were in charge of are now under our management. Do you understand what this means? It means that our team's entire fund pool is now much larger!"
"Then it should be even more so…" Liang Haiyuan wanted to argue.
"Enough." Manager Zhou Yi interrupted him, her voice turning cold and carrying an undeniable authority: "I've said it before, this is a decision already made."
The air in the meeting room seemed to freeze instantly, a heavy pressure spreading through the room. No one dared to utter a word of doubt.
In the suffocating silence, Zhou Yi turned to Su Hao and Li Huilin, his tone softening slightly.
" Su Hao, and Li Huilin. See those two newly set-up workstations over there?"
"Ah, yes..." The two subconsciously followed the manager's gaze.
"That's for you. Our IT colleagues will come over later and teach you in detail how to use those devices and functions. Listen carefully and learn diligently."
Su Hao still feels like she's dreaming.
Really... they really became official traders just like that?
In a daze, he could even clearly hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest and feel a slight tingling sensation in his fingertips.
"Let's get familiar with the environment and understand the operating procedures today. There's no need to rush into trading, understand?" Zhou Yi instructed.
"Yes!" the two replied quickly.
"Alright, meeting time." Manager Zhou Yi waved his hand. "From now on, we'll be handling funds that originally belonged to other teams! If you want to make more money, you'd better be on your guard!"
A meeting, like a sudden storm, swept through the entire team.
***
"Currently, we have installed a total of six monitors for you. If you feel this is not enough, you can contact our IT department at any time to request additional monitors."
The IT department's technical colleagues stood next to Su Hao's brand-new workstation, patiently explaining the seemingly extremely complex set of equipment to him.
The brand-new tables and chairs exude a faint scent of leather and wood, creating a subtle contrast with the cold, electronic smell of the surrounding environment.
"These two in the middle are the main monitors, dedicated to running the trading program. You can place the real-time charts and quote windows here to perform trading operations."
The technician pointed to the two large screens directly in front of him:
"The two on the left are secondary screens, already set up, mainly for browsing news feeds and private equity research reports. The two on the right are used to monitor overall market trends and the price fluctuations of various industries."
"There's... a lot of stuff..."
Su Hao looked at the matrix of screens surrounding him and felt like he couldn't take it all in.
The dense lines and numbers danced on the screen, emitting a cold, bluish light that reflected on his slightly bewildered face.
"Yes. In trading, time is life, and you have to race against the clock," the technician explained. "We've also replaced your keyboard with a special one. Many operations can be completed with a single keystroke, making order placement even faster."
He pointed to the F1 to F12 function keys above the keyboard.
"For example, F1 is the buy command, F2 is the sell command, and the others have corresponding settings. Clicking each one with the mouse is too slow and you may miss opportunities. Before you are familiar with them, it is recommended that you stick the shortcut key description table next to you for reference."
There was also a dedicated numeric keypad on the table, supposedly for faster number input.
"Considering the potential order delays that may occur when transaction volume surges, we have also specially arranged a dedicated high-speed fiber optic line for you."
The technician continued, "The monitor's response time has also been optimized to the extreme, and it must be guaranteed to be within 3 milliseconds. After all, even a one-millisecond delay can make a world of difference."
As Su Hao nodded, he felt a fine layer of cold sweat seeping down his back.
Using such cutting-edge, expensive equipment for real-money transactions...
This was completely different from the demo discs he had played before.
An invisible pressure, like a cold tide, began to spread quietly.
"Finally, we have also set up an alarm system to prevent accidental operations. If your order volume is unusually large, or the price deviates too much from the normal range, the system will sound an alarm. Please pay attention."
"Ah, okay, sure," Su Hao replied.
"At first, you might feel a little overwhelmed, but you'll get used to it quickly." The technician finished his explanation, smiled politely, and said, "Then I'll take my leave now."
Su Hao looked at the six screens in front of him and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Back when he was playing games, he never even used the dual-monitor setup that was standard for others. Now, however, he's gone straight for six monitors.
Moreover, he also noticed that there were nine screens on Manager Zhou Yi's workstation!
He really couldn't understand it; shouldn't three screens be more than enough?
What exactly are those nine screens on the manager's screen?
" Su Hao." A slightly hesitant voice came from the side.
Su Hao turned his head and saw Li Huilin standing in front of her new workstation, her face bearing a similar complex expression to his—a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and a hint of bewilderment.
The two looked at each other and saw a bitter smile in each other's eyes.