Chapter 4: The Winter Cold and the Dawn

Zhang Lizhen had left.

Before 15:00, "Tide Energy" had entirely made up for the morning's decline, closing with a 2% gain by the end of the trading session.

When this result came out, not only Zhang Lizhen, but even Liang Xue and the director were left trembling. Their analysis and predictions had been spot on, as if they were cheating.

Astonishment. Incredulity.

...

"Hello, Brother Wang..."

"Hey, Sister Liu..."

"I called you this morning but couldn't reach you. I sent you a message about following 'Tide Energy.' You must have seen it. The way it made up for the morning's loss and closed up 2% indicates it's likely forming a bottom. Once the bottom stabilizes..."

Zhang Long was busy, making call after call.

He had either phoned or texted his clients in the morning based on their funds and stock holdings. Some messages were about their own positions, others recommended keeping an eye on Tide Energy. Now that the expected result was favorable, he had to seize the momentum to bolster clients' confidence.

No one who plays the stock market dislikes catching the bottom.

Tide Energy's price was low, and the potential for it to rise was substantial. Whether to buy was another matter; regardless of whether the bottom was forming, it was certainly worth watching.

Stock prices only rise with an influx of capital. Only when people believe a bottom is forming will they buy—that's human nature.

To convince clients to buy at the bottom, you must give them enough reasons.

"Brother Chen..."

"Putting in only eighty or a hundred thousand is meaningless for catching the bottom. If you're unwilling to sell other holdings, even hitting the bottom with Tide Energy might not break you even. The opportunity is right in front of you; miss this village and there won't be another inn."

"Sister Yu..."

"There are three essentials to catching the bottom: price, support, and yield. Tide Energy currently has all three. I'm only this anxious because I see you as my own sister. If you can't bear to cut your losses, that's fine, but if you have idle funds, don't miss it. The opportunity is just these next couple of days. The bottom won't wait for anyone."

Zhang Long sounded as if he'd been injected with adrenaline.

Building on the groundwork laid with clients in the morning, he needed to follow through this afternoon. This work was crucial to testing and developing his golden finger; he had to explore every angle and probe every possibility to prepare for the future.

Whether or not he would be eliminated didn't matter.

What mattered was to earn some money over this month while gradually shaping a plan for his future—for three years, five years, and the rest of his life—not letting his days slip by meaninglessly.

"Sister Qian..."

Zhang Long reasoned patiently, "It's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but if the stock doesn't rise, there's nothing I can do. Right now there's a chance to make some money. I can't say for sure if you'll break even, but at least if there's a big rally, we won't have missed out."

"I'll be waiting for good news from you tomorrow."

...

Time was simply not enough.

From the afternoon close onward, Zhang Long was making nonstop calls. Many clients who hadn't answered in the morning now picked up. Whether it was diagnosing their holdings or judging Tide Energy's performance today, his words sounded like prophecies cast in iron.

The opportunity to catch the bottom was right before them.

Whether they believed or not, at least today's analysis and judgment rekindled a spark of confidence in many clients.

...

"Brother Long, you're on fire..."

"I am on fire," Zhang Long replied.

Chang Song's desk was right next to Zhang Long's, and he whispered with Bai Xiaoying from the adjacent seat. The two of them were most aware of Zhang Long's state while making calls that afternoon. Tide Energy's performance today had been excellent, but from Zhang Long's mouth, it sounded like the bottom was a certainty and a big rally was just around the corner.

You have to understand, among the stocks recommended daily by the analyst team, it's not as if none are at their bottom, but most fail and continue to drop. Some have even fallen from a few yuan down to mere cents—a total collapse.

If Tide Energy failed to bottom out, it would either continue oscillating around five yuan or take a sharp dive.

If you failed to catch the bottom, there was nothing more to say.

"Phew—"

Zhang Long let out a long breath.

He had many clients, but only a few were trading normally. Those calls were straightforward. The rest were either stuck in losing positions or didn't answer at all. For them, he would either give up or try again during overtime in the evening.

It was six o'clock. Time to get off work.

"Heading out?"

Just as he was about to make a move to slip out for the day, Liang Xue appeared silently. "You're in good shape. Take advantage of this momentum tonight and reach out to a few more clients. Also, Zhang Lizhen has been assigned to you—at least touch base this evening. If you wait until tomorrow morning, it'll be too late."

"Come on, you can do it!"

Zhang Long felt drained. He didn't want to work overtime.

...

"Moving?"

"Yes, that's right."

The building's cafeteria was closed in the evening, so Zhang Long and Liang Xue went down to a nearby fast-food place. Rice bowls, noodles, vermicelli—they had everything, and the taste was decent.

"You live too far away."

Liang Xue spoke rapidly. "Spending three hours commuting every day is too much. It's a waste of time. This month is critical—you should consider moving closer, ideally within half an hour."

"Alright," Zhang Long nodded.

Before, he would never have moved. After all, if he was planning to resign or be eliminated for poor performance, moving would be a hassle and a waste of money. But now, with renewed confidence in improving his performance, moving made sense.

"Xue, will there really be layoffs?"

Zhang Long asked out of curiosity. "It's one thing for regular employees to be cut, but they're also letting go of two team managers, both of whom are veterans. Isn't that a bit much, or is it for real?"

"It's real."

Liang Xue's chopsticks paused briefly. "But performance is performance. Attitude and effort are just as important. If you can't even push yourself, you might as well give up. If you're eliminated, so be it. Understand?"

"Alright, let's eat."

Zhang Long responded and began eating.

Liang Xue's meaning was clear: even under the pressure of performance-based layoffs, they would also consider personal attitude. If someone gave up just because their performance was lagging, there would be no attempt to keep them.

...

In the industry's winter, if you lack confidence and resilience, you might as well change careers sooner rather than later.

So, after dinner, Zhang Long returned to the office to keep calling clients. There were hardly any people in the investment department who left on time—everyone was working hard.

It was the first week of September; everyone was at the starting line. Even those who would eventually give up would only do so in the fourth and final week.

Maintain relationships with old clients.

Follow up and stimulate interest in potential clients.

As long as you survive this winter, dawn will come.

...

"I really do need to move."

That night, Zhang Long returned to his rented room close to eleven. After washing up and relaxing, he had to sleep—he needed to catch the bus by 7:30 in the morning. If any part of the route was delayed, he'd be late and lose his perfect attendance record.

Of course, he could skip overtime at night, as long as he didn't mind poor performance and getting eliminated—it was his call.

"Heh, love."

In the bathroom, Zhang Long washed up and showered.

He'd originally rented there because it wasn't far from the Fan family. Otherwise, with no subway entrance nearby, getting to work required a bus ride first—a torment for any office worker. Although sharing the rent was indeed cheap, overall it wasn't worth it.

But now it didn't matter. Over the next few days, he'd look for a new place online while working and move over the weekend.

This apartment—he no longer cared for it.

"Damn, just as I thought."

After finishing up, Zhang Long turned on his computer.

As a securities professional, he couldn't open a stock trading account. With no close friends or family, even borrowing an ID was difficult, so he tried looking into trading futures or forex. After staring at the interface for a long time with no results, he gave up.

Apparently, at Level 1, he could only foresee stock price movements and returns—nothing more for now. Surely the level could be upgraded.

Besides, if he quit and left the industry, would he be able to open his own account and predict freely?

His backside and kidneys ached with frustration.

He'd thought that, with 3.52 million in hand, he could take off quickly. But now it seemed not so easy. Even after striking it rich, he still had to follow the rules and work hard. Otherwise, this money would barely cover a down payment on the Bund. In a regular district of the city, it might be enough to buy outright, but nowhere near the bustling Bund.

If he was going to buy, it had to be a prime property in a premium location.

No need to rush—he could take his time, experimenting with various methods and simulations over the next month. Who knew? There might be a bug to exploit.

"Ah well, time to sleep."

With his fantasy dashed, Zhang Long crawled dispiritedly into bed. He had to get up early for work tomorrow. His golden finger had its limits, but as his level increased, more features should unlock—more comprehensive, broader in scope.

A good life is built step by step.

Fly too high too fast, and you're bound to crash.