Chapter 40: Zhang Long Trembles: Impressive!

Thursday, November 1st.

While the sun was already high in the sky, Zhang Long was still slumbering warmly in his bed. Meanwhile, at Shengxin—or more precisely, in the trading department—just after nine o’clock, a flood of clients began to submit withdrawal requests. The majority of these clients belonged to Zhang Long, an impressive number indeed.

Though very few emptied their accounts completely, many chose to withdraw a portion, leaving some funds behind.

Chairman You was bewildered. What was going on?

...

“Supervisor Chang, take a look.”

Chairman You’s face was dark with anger. In the early morning alone, clients under Zhang Long’s name had collectively applied to withdraw over ten million. Qian Caiying alone withdrew five million, leaving just three million in her account.

Staring at the summary report, Chairman You’s mood could hardly have been worse. The very first day of the month—what kind of nonsense was this?

“Chairman You, you can’t blame me—”

Chang Song was nearly in tears. “These clients only trust Brother Long. The calls last night already didn’t go smoothly. I thought building trust would take some time, but I didn’t expect so many withdrawals first thing this morning. I’m innocent.”

“Truly, I am.”

Chairman You knew Chang Song was not to blame. It was clear the clients, out of caution, were withdrawing part of their funds to reduce trading risks until they could assess Chang Song’s abilities as a guide—whether he was competent or not—before committing more capital.

Previously, these clients, trading under Zhang Long, would cash out profits from time to time, but always kept a large amount invested to amplify their returns.

“All right, get to work.”

Chairman You waved him away. There was no point in further scolding; what mattered now was proving oneself as quickly as possible.

Moreover, the trading department could not depend on Zhang Long alone. It was imperative to forge a new star as soon as possible.

Originally, Chairman You had pinned his hopes on Chang Song, since all of Zhang Long’s clients had been handed over to him. But now it was clear: Chang Song’s communication skills were too weak. He hadn’t even managed to stabilize things through the transition—he was still far too inexperienced.

Well, he had only been officially promoted to trading supervisor for less than a month. He had yet to find his stride.

So, a new manager for the trading department?

Chairman You’s gaze flickered. Let’s have a competition.

...

“Ah, how comfortable.”

Zhang Long finally woke naturally. Stretching luxuriously, he let out a contented sigh. Sleeping in on a weekday was even sweeter than on weekends—utterly liberating.

He glanced outside at the bright mid-morning sun. Lazily, he found himself reluctant to get up.

Now that he was free from his job, he could fully embrace his laziness.

“Tsk tsk, still so sweet...”

Suddenly, Zhang Long seemed to recall—or, more accurately, remember—something. He licked his lips, as if the taste of Luo Man’s lips lingered.

Last night, beneath the shade of the trees, they had kissed. After two months of living anew, he had finally tasted a bit of sweetness.

Was it three times, or five?

Zhang Long scratched his head, unable to recall how many times they had kissed last night. No fewer than three, certainly. Enough of that—time to get up. Any further recollection would be unspeakable.

...

“What are you daydreaming about, Manman?”

At a suburban branch, Luo Man, with no clients to attend to, was a little absent-minded, even smiling foolishly.

Oh dear, just look at her! This was hopeless.

“Ahem, it’s nothing,” Luo Man quickly replied, her face reddening as she shook her head. But for her colleagues—seasoned veterans in matters of love—her secret was no secret at all. Especially since Luo Man hadn’t returned to the dorm until half past midnight last night, nearly an hour later than usual. The answer was obvious.

“Try to compose yourself,” her colleague said, winking. “If you keep drifting off and grinning, even a pig would realize you’re lovestruck. Bring him out some time so we sisters can meet him.”

“We’ll help you check him out.”

Luo Man coughed lightly and said nothing more. Let them see if they want. As for when to introduce Zhang Long to her colleagues—no, thank you.

Guard against fire, thieves, and best friends.

A little caution never hurt.

...

“Sister Zhang...”

Chang Song’s tone was urgent. Although Zhang Lizhen hadn’t withdrawn any funds that morning, she had stopped trading, opting to wait a couple of days to see how he performed.

Damn, he had no confidence at all.

When he started with the Blizzard team, he’d been stationed next to Zhang Long, simply mimicking his calls.

No need to analyze or deliberate.

Even last month, when the three teams had merged, Zhang Long would still provide short-term trading guides for reference. Now the company only provided standard stock recommendations, and Chang Song truly felt out of his depth.

Before, with Zhang Long at the helm, even if an analysis went wrong, it was the manager’s call—there was someone to take responsibility, so he could act boldly.

Now that Zhang Long was gone, neither Chang Song nor Jiang Hao nor Zheng Peng had any direction.

They had to rely on their own skills.

“Xiao Chang, I’ll wait and watch for now...” Zhang Lizhen’s voice was calm. “You know my situation. My due date is at the end of the month. I’ll observe your analysis these next two days—there’s no rush.”

“That’s all for now.”

With that, she hung up, wasting no words.

Seeing this, Chang Song realized his work that morning was off to a rough start. Anyone who suddenly had a new advisor would be cautious and observe before trading. Only a fool would blindly follow orders.

Of course, there were such people.

Not all clients were vigilant; some, after making profit under Zhang Long’s guidance, had lost the ability to think for themselves. Shengxin was a big, professional platform—just following orders seemed fine.

“Amitabha, please bless me.”

Chang Song prayed that the company’s stock recommendations for the next two days would be accurate. Amen.

After all, Zhang Long used to refer to the company’s recommendations to summarize his short-term guides. The company’s analyst team was indeed strong, so he should trust the company—and himself. If Zhang Long could do it, so could he.

Go for it, Chang Song! You can do it!

...

“Amitabha—damn!”

In a two-bedroom apartment on the Bund, Zhang Long, having gotten up and washed, was filled with excitement and anxiety as he turned on his computer and opened the stock market dashboard. As expected, there was no response.

No surprise there. His “golden finger” had never affected the entire market, not even when he was at the company.

After all, the market as a whole reflected the combined rise and fall of thousands of stocks—it was meaningless. The real money was in individual stocks.

“Damn, what’s going on?”

With trembling fingers, Zhang Long randomly selected a stock on the market interface and clicked in. Three seconds, ten seconds, half a minute, a minute—nothing happened. He felt a wave of frustration.

Then, relying on memory, he searched for a few stocks he’d been able to foresee at work in the previous days. Okay.

He could still only see up to Friday.

But it was useless.

The stock market would be closed tomorrow. If he couldn’t figure out the problem by next Monday, he was finished. Freedom after resignation was great, but what was the point if he couldn’t foresee trades?

“Where is it stuck?”

Zhang Long muttered to himself, pondering.

With the Blizzard team, he could only foresee trades for himself and the clients under his manager, Liang Xue. But after being promoted to manager, overseeing three teams, he could foresee all clients—his ability’s scope changed with his responsibilities.

Now that he had resigned, logically there should be a corresponding adjustment. But where?

“Level 1...”

Beginner, the lowest level.

Looking at the virtual level indicator in the upper right corner of his vision, Zhang Long pinched his brow. Over the past two months, he had simulated countless scenarios in his mind, considering all possible problems after resignation. Since that was the case, time to seek external help!

“Sister Xue, send me a copy...”

Zhang Long contacted Liang Xue and obtained Shengxin’s latest stock recommendation report, intending to see if the new recommended stocks would trigger his foresight ability. If so, it would mean that as long as he operated on any platform with daily stock recommendations, he could use his ability—he could make money trading on his own.

Buzz, buzz.

Moments later, the report arrived.

Zhang Long scanned it quickly, then immediately searched for the newly recommended stocks, clicked to switch to the K-line chart...

“Hoo, hoo—”

“Damn, incredible!”

Zhang Long trembled with excitement. Beautiful!