Chapter 121: Two Cities Clash for 23 Million Gold, Brother Long Forever Unmatched!
62 million!
This was Zhang Long’s final account balance last month, including the portion of stocks not yet cashed out.
However, he would need to visit the BMW dealership’s 4S store over the coming weekend to finalize the car purchase. After spending 1.5 million, he would still have 60.5 million left—still a considerable sum.
...
“2 million, deposited!”
At Huiyin Trading Department, Wang Jing was delighted.
When Zhang Long withdrew all funds from his account on Monday, she wasn’t entirely convinced he wasn’t worried. Although his trading volume didn’t drop in the last two weeks of the previous month, his profits had decreased significantly. Yet, he was still making money, wasn’t he?
As long as there were profits, most people wouldn’t stop trading lightly. It was thrilling and lucrative—what could be better?
After three anxious and uncertain holiday days, she had been waiting since returning to work for Zhang Long’s deposit and trades. Now, at last, she could relax.
Two million was no small amount; the trading volume would be substantial.
She wondered, though, if the company would acknowledge or withhold the commission of 600 to 700 thousand after tax from last month.
No point worrying about it.
“This should put things at ease.”
At Dingxin Trading Department, Yu Na breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zhang Long’s 2 million deposit ranking third on the client deposit list flashing in the group chat.
Though she had confidence in Zou Ming’s reassurances that Zhang Long wouldn’t stop trading easily if he was making money, there was always a chance.
Seeing Zhang Long deposit 2 million again and enter the market with half his position as usual, she was completely reassured.
“Mm-hmm, finally at ease.”
Zou Ming trembled with relief. Only he knew how anxious he had been during the three-day New Year holiday, even with Yu Na’s company, constantly tormented by worry. Now, he could finally relax and stop being so unsettled.
Good—Brother Long was forever a legend.
Similar praises echoed at Runde and several other spot trading platforms, each seeing a 2 million deposit and trading from Zhang Long across nine spot platforms.
Client Zhang Long was truly under the spotlight.
“Geez, exhausting.”
At Bund Dragon Residence, Zhang Long exhaled lightly, massaging his wrist. Managing nine trading interfaces was hectic. Fortunately, the spot market hadn’t fluctuated wildly just then, allowing him to enter half positions with minimal point differences.
His position was excellent. This wave would bring considerable profits; after reaching his target, he could reverse and profit from a second wave. The market was very active after three days of closure.
“Huh? What the...”
Suddenly, Zhang Long’s eyes widened in astonishment.
...
At Hongze, business was booming.
Whether Zhang Long’s proxy account made profits or not didn’t affect the company’s performance. Hongze didn’t emphasize how much client funds remained; it was pointless.
Funds brought in emotionally at month-end usually left some behind at the start of the next month—never all withdrawn.
But owing favors softened their stance; if clients didn’t trade, could they be forced? Could they be controlled?
The initiative in communication shifted.
“Bought three stocks?”
Zhang Long’s proxy account moved, with a total of 15.5 million funds seeing one-third gradually deployed. Last month, this account netted 5.5 million—a 55% profit on a 10 million principal. Considering it was a bear market, that was astonishing.
Qian Caiying no longer doubted Zhang Long’s ability; he clearly had hidden talents. But no need to probe—aligned with Hongze was enough.
Starting with 15.5 million this month, how much could they earn after four weeks of trading?
Qian Caiying was curious, eager.
Of course, leaving last month aside, she herself would follow Zhang Long’s trades this month. Though pocket money was limited, earning something was better than nothing.
As for Hongze’s clients following trades, that was off-limits to avoid disturbing the market too much.
Besides, even recommending Zhang Long’s picks wouldn’t guarantee success—human nature varied.
Some clients wouldn’t trade, some would watch, and some would stubbornly hold losing positions. So even with Zhang Long’s radar, results were limited.
Otherwise, if everyone blindly trusted and followed trades, the profits could be substantial.
Now, gains and losses balanced out.
No more hesitation—she began preparing today’s curated stock pick radar for clients to boost performance development.
“Whoa, 5 million?”
“Uh, must be seeing things.”
At HSBC UBS, Qin Miaotong and Gu Su were startled, mouths agape. Not only had Zhang Long not withdrawn last month, but he added funds again today as the stock market reopened.
Five million—truly wealthy.
But excitement quickly replaced shock. More funds meant more trades—how wonderful!
“Brother Long, love you, don’t stop!”
...
“Rainbows always appear after storms.”
At Bund Dragon Residence, Zhang Long sighed inexplicably. The stock pick reports from several platforms were impressive today, perhaps thanks to the analyst teams spending the three-day New Year holiday researching and filtering picks. Out of twenty or thirty recommendations, nearly half were poised to rise, some significantly.
There was plenty of money in his bank card; he didn’t want to allocate too much to spot accounts, but the stock accounts were no problem.
Among retail investors, some had tens or hundreds of millions. His few million accounts were nothing. Thus, HSBC, UBS, and Juncai each deposited 5 million.
Nine spot accounts totaled 18 million deposits; three stock accounts added 15 million—quite extravagant.
His bank card still held a substantial balance. The BMW purchase would only cost 1.5 million; Liu Yurong’s studio storefront was 15 million—still not enough to spend it all.
Moreover, spot account profits would be withdrawn to the card once reaching certain levels, continuing to grow.
How much could he earn by month-end? It was impossible to estimate precisely now—just see how much more he could squeeze out.
For some reason, his heart fluttered intermittently.
“Buzz, buzz buzz—”
His phone vibrated with a call. Zhang Long snapped back to reality and swiped to answer. Moments later, he hung up with an ambiguous expression. Were spot traders really this greedy?
The stock platforms—HSBC, UBS, and Juncai—had never called to suggest switching advisors.
Instead, spot trading’s high fees and lucrative advisor commissions attracted constant envy.
Truly absurd—everyone wanted a piece of the pie.
“Buzz, buzz buzz—”
His phone rang again. Zhang Long frowned, seeing a different number this time. Which platform or salesperson was this? He swiped to answer.
“Hello, Mr. Zhang? This is...”
“No, no need.”
After hearing the pitch, Zhang Long’s face darkened. Moments ago, he had praised the stock platforms, yet now an HSBC director was calling to replace Qin Miaotong.
Utterly speechless. Didn’t he just add 5 million? Was it necessary to be so envious?
Annoyed, he thought, “Forget it, I’ll cancel and switch.”
...
“Really, nothing happened?”
In the afternoon, Sophie visited Liu Yurong’s rented suburban home. Well, Liu Yurong had specifically called her over to prove she had been at her best friend’s place last night.
After her daughter left for school, her mother napped in the spare bedroom. Sophie could no longer hold back and asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous. What could happen?”
Teased, Liu Yurong’s face flushed then darkened. She didn’t know what had transpired but was certain nothing had happened physically. Whether Zhang Long had secretly touched or kissed her was another matter.
She couldn’t think about it or ask—silence.
“Looks like a gentleman.”
Sophie clicked her tongue and said with a lingering look, “Buying a house for 5.2 million, a car for 1.5 million, and now a studio storefront for 15 million—maybe you should just go along with it. This second-generation heir isn’t bad.”
“Hmph, why don’t you go along with it?”
Liu Yurong scolded, glaring, “You trusted me with a stranger so easily last night? Using my virtue to test a fiery young dragon?”
“I really want to smack you.”
...
“Ahem, it was an accident.”
Sophie shrank her neck. “How was I to know a playboy would suddenly show up last night? Someone in the private room must have seen you and tried to curry favor by sending a girl. Thankfully, I quickly summoned the divine dragon.”
“A handsome young dragon, no less.”
Liu Yurong was drenched in sweat and gave up arguing with Sophie, deciding to treat last night as a dream.
“Will you keep freelancing?”
Suddenly, Sophie furrowed her brows. “If Zhang Long doesn’t invest in your studio, buying property alone can only be a short-term fix. You want to transition to animation, right? Maybe you should discuss it more deeply.”
“What if he takes a liking to it?”
“We’ll talk about freelancing then.”
Hearing this, Liu Yurong’s gentle eyes dimmed slightly. “If it can ease the immediate pressure, that’s enough. The rest can wait; it can’t be forced.”
...
Making money made him happy; making big money made him even happier.
For Zhang Long, whether stock or spot trading, aside from clicking a few buttons, it was all about watching profits and losses as his account balance steadily grew.
The three-day New Year holiday had been boring; today, Friday, the markets opened and he made money, but it was still dull.
Last night, anger sparked by Liu Yurong kept him tossing and turning in the living room before finally falling asleep.
“Going to the BMW 4S store tomorrow?”
He sent a message to Lin Yuan. The car dealership would be open over the weekend, unlike weekdays when they took compensatory days off—like Sophie, who had worked three days during the New Year car show and took today off.
But he’d be working Saturday and Sunday.
“Sure, 1:30 p.m.”
Lin Yuan replied shortly. At the car show, they had only paid the deposit; the full payment would be made after signing all paperwork at the dealership 4S store. The show didn’t have time to serve one or two customers thoroughly—mainly just to process orders.
Of course, some would regret their orders post-show, requiring communication with the 4S store.
Most conscientious dealers would refund, but rarely.
“Luxury top model for 1.5 million?”
At Tengda, Chen Youwei frowned upon hearing Lin Yuan’s early request for reimbursement.
High-end configuration was enough—why the top model?
“An extra few hundred thousand isn’t much.”
Lin Yuan shrugged. His uncle had allotted him 1.2 million; an extra 300,000 wasn’t much. He regretted showing off in front of Zhang Long and was now being scolded.
“A few hundred thousand is still money!”
Chen Youwei’s face darkened, eyes flashing. “Hmph, do you think money just blows in the wind?”
“My friends and I already agreed.”
Lin Yuan straightened his neck. “He casually paid 1.5 million in full; I can’t lose face, and certainly not lose yours, Uncle.”
“Oh? Flattering me hard, huh?”
Though the flattery was clumsy, it was true—he couldn’t let Chen Youwei lose face.
“Who’s this new friend?”
Seeing Chen Youwei agree to reimburse 1.5 million for the car, Lin Yuan sighed in relief, then chuckled, “Met while getting my driver’s license. The guy’s alright, called Zhang...”
ps: Today’s two updates total 6,000 words.
Next chapter for the 500 monthly ticket goal: a 4,000-word bonus update, to be posted after waking or in the morning.
－－－－－－Aside－－－－－－
Please support with monthly tickets! At 1,000 tickets, two bonus updates; at 750 tickets, one bonus update can be released early. Let’s go!
7,017k words total.