Chapter 46: Shengxin on the Brink of Catastrophe

Not in the country.

That was Zhang Long's reply. Sheng Xin still wanted to test Zhang Long's attitude, and as Chairman Zhu had predicted, he was blunt and straightforward, his excuse cold and perfunctory.

Of course, it was understandable for Zhang Long to be upset; for now, it was best to appease the client and arrange for a face-to-face meeting. But whether it would yield results remained unknown.

...

"Go for it, 2.5 million."

Before the market closed that afternoon, Zhang Long didn't sell his holdings but instead withdrew the idle 2.5 million in cash. HSBC immediately received the request.

What sort of maneuver was this? Qin Miaotong was taken aback. The trading had been proceeding normally—why the sudden withdrawal?

"Hello, Brother Zhang..."

The trading manager called. Without waiting for her to speak, Zhang Long already knew what she wanted to ask. "I need the funds for something. By Thursday at the latest, one million will be deposited back. That's it."

He hung up.

Qin Miaotong took a few deep breaths, her chest rising and falling, utterly speechless.

She hadn’t even managed to say a word.

It wasn’t just about inquiring regarding the cash withdrawal; she also needed to provide a risk warning. Temporarily withdrawing 2.5 million wasn’t an issue, but the account was now fully leveraged.

Generally, it’s inadvisable to use more than half your available funds for trading; two-thirds is considered the upper limit.

Now, with the account fully leveraged, the risk was enormous.

"Independent and self-responsible."

That was Qin Miaotong’s assessment of Zhang Long. He was efficient with account opening, funding, and activation. Even today, his trading and withdrawal were decisive—making him harder to manage.

For a trading manager, the more compliant the client, the more commission they could generate—higher bonuses.

After all, in a bear market, fees everywhere were cheap; only during a bull market frenzy would they hike the prices.

"Sigh, how disheartening..."

Qin Miaotong sighed. Zhang Long had set up his account by himself, so the commission she could earn from his onboarding was at the minimum tier. Moreover, with his 3 million activation fund, he enjoyed a commission rate of 0.025%, making her prospects even grimmer.

Well, looks like it’s another month on a shoestring.

Oh, you bear market, please turn bullish soon.

...

Sheng Xin was bustling that afternoon.

Just as expected, several more clients arrived around market close. Anyone willing to come in person tended to have a low tolerance for loss, unable to cope with the bleeding, and were both difficult and highly emotional.

Seven clients—no fewer than seven.

"It was better with Xiao Zhang..."

Of the seven, four had previously been Zhang Long’s clients. During their conversations, they realized that all of them had made profits under Zhang Long’s guidance—the only difference was how much.

This stirred up even more intense feelings.

"Where’s Xiao Zhang?"

One client glared, "Looks like Sister Zhang was right. Sheng Xin resents Xiao Zhang’s guidance because he was too good—helped us recoup losses and make profits, and you weren’t happy. You’re just like those shady shell companies, swallowing clients’ funds and not letting anyone profit."

"Is this a rigged bet?"

The financial markets are a wild place.

Some small platforms and operations are notorious scams—an open secret. Newcomers might be fooled, and even experienced investors might take the bait for lower fees. But most people still trusted big, legitimate companies with standard fees.

Sheng Xin’s fees and corresponding funds were not cheap, and the company was undoubtedly above board. Yet now, clients suspected otherwise.

Some believed Sheng Xin was deliberately embezzling funds, secretly running a profit-and-loss model against clients—if clients made money, Sheng Xin lost, and vice versa.

So, if the clients were profiting, Sheng Xin would have to lose—hence, Zhang Long, being too capable, had to be dismissed.

"Call the police, file a report!"

Another client fumed, "I refuse to believe a company this black-hearted, only letting clients lose and never win, can escape scrutiny. I’ll bring in journalists and expose you—just wait."

Three women make a drama.

It was unrealistic to keep the clients from meeting each other; they clustered together on their own accord.

Three men and four women—especially the women, whose fighting spirit was in no way inferior to Zhang Lizhen’s, acting with utter forcefulness.

This was exactly the type Sheng Xin feared: unreasonable, shrewish, and impossible to reason with. Legal arguments were useless. When they were with Zhang Long, they all made money—now, with new guidance, they immediately started losing.

There was no room for empty talk; the only thing that mattered was the losses.

...

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Chen Youwei was startled.

After handling some company matters, he came to Sheng Xin. The trading these past two days had been wild—his investment in Tohai Energy had plummeted, leaving him deeply trapped.

But by following Zhang Long’s short-term trades with nearly two million, he’d managed to keep his losses minimal.

If only Tohai Energy rebounded, he’d come out with a considerable overall profit—so he was just waiting.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Long suddenly left.

Well, so be it. But the new advisor assigned to him was utterly useless—indecisive, incompetent. Nearly half of his two million in short-term trades had evaporated from yesterday to today. It looked like the decline would continue—he couldn’t take it anymore.

But what really surprised him was seeing a vaguely familiar figure at Sheng Xin—it was Zhan Yi’s wife.

Goodness, her belly was so big now?

"Eh?"

Zhang Lizhen was also taken aback.

There were already plenty of clients at Sheng Xin, so she didn’t need to raise her voice. Besides, as a pregnant woman, she had to watch her emotions. So, it was enough to join forces and pressure Sheng Xin until they relented—she could take it easy.

She never expected, as she was calmly sipping water and watching the others argue with the management, that the next client to come in would be Chen Youwei—President Chen, the ruthless boss.

What a coincidence. He must have lost a lot.

After all, as the owner and president of a major company, he wouldn’t bother to come in for losses of just a million or two.

"Uh, do you two know each other?"

Another client noticed the surprised, familiar looks exchanged and waved them over. "Perfect, the more the merrier. Strength in numbers—come, have a seat."

And so, Chen Youwei was seated beside Zhang Lizhen, though neither of them spoke.

They sized each other up, each with their own thoughts.

...

"Brother Long, help me!"

Chang Song was nearing his breaking point. Of the ten clients who had come in, five were now under his care—they had all previously been Zhang Long’s clients. He really couldn’t handle them.

And those who hadn’t come in person weren’t exactly content either; they were just calmer or too lazy to visit.

But on the phone, they let their anger fly—scolding harshly.

"Don’t worry, you won’t die from this."

Zhang Long reassured him with a cheerful laugh. "No matter how big the problem, it’s Sheng Xin’s business. You’re just an employee. Guiding trades isn’t against the rules—what’s there to fear? It’ll be fine."

Still, being cursed up and down by a crowd of clients was an unpleasant experience.

There was nothing to be done—he had to ask for help.

"Brother Long, I beg you, help me..."

Chang Song’s voice was almost tearful—not feigned, but genuinely on the verge of tears from all the abuse. "The clients who come in can be handled by the company, but I still have to call the others to calm them down. What should I do? I can’t pacify them."

"If I don’t answer or respond, they just curse me."

Zhang Long himself had been through this—after a client lost money, giving them the standard company platitudes only made things worse. They were already upset, and being passed around was infuriating. Who wouldn’t curse?

What clients wanted was a solution, or at least a clear plan—not vague reassurance and empty words. Even advising them to cut their losses was a kind of solution.

Unfortunately, most people dared not make decisions for clients, not even to make clear suggestions for them to choose from.

If nothing went wrong, it was fine—but if something did...?

"Just take a break."

Before Zhang Long could reply, Liang Xue’s voice came through the phone. "Director You wanted me to arrange a meeting with you, but I refused. Don’t bother."

"That’s it."

The call ended, presumably because Liang Xue didn’t want Chang Song pestering Zhang Long for help anymore—they’d have to handle it themselves.

Without trials and tribulations, how can you grow?

"Heh, Director You?"

On the balcony, Zhang Long gazed across the river at Sheng Xin’s office building. Ten clients had come in, vowing not to leave until their issues were resolved—how would they handle it?

If even one case wasn’t resolved, the whole thing would blow up.

“Serves them right.”

A glint flashed in Zhang Long’s eyes.

Let it explode!