Chapter 6: Target—Number One

Afternoon, tumultuous and unpredictable.

Zhang Lizhen’s heart felt as though it had ridden a roller coaster, unable to bear the strain. After the market reopened, WeiYuan Biotech suddenly accelerated its decline, and despite several attempts at recovery, it couldn’t halt the downward spiral, ending in a striking shade of green.

Longpeng Technology was somewhat resilient; although it didn’t hit the limit, it closed down by 7.5%, just shy of the floor.

As for Tohai Energy—remarkable.

...

"Xiao Zhang, thank you."

Zhang Lizhen still felt lingering anxiety, finally convinced by Zhang Long’s accurate predictions. Selling WeiYuan and Longpeng early was a wise move, allowing her to avoid heavy losses.

Following his advice, she bought 500,000 yuan worth of Tohai Energy at -2%, which closed up 3%. A reversal.

A 5% return, 25,000 yuan.

For the first time since she started trading stocks, she enjoyed a straightforward profit; a surge of inexplicable excitement and vitality filled her. Zhang Long, her younger brother, was truly impressive—steady and precise.

Had she not sold WeiYuan and Longpeng, she wouldn’t have had funds to buy Tohai at a low price, and the losses would have compounded.

Exhilarating—how wonderful it is to make money.

"Zhang Jie..."

Zhang Long’s voice was gentle. "It’s you who should be thanked for your trust in Shengxin and me. Don’t get too excited; you’re pregnant, and your emotions shouldn’t fluctuate excessively. From here on, just relax and follow the rhythm of the market. Believe in yourself."

"Rest well, and wait patiently."

Zhang Lizhen knew the market had just closed, and Zhang Long would have many calls to make. Not wanting to take up too much of his time, she thanked him again and ended the call, though her heart was far from calm. For the first time, she had sold stocks to avoid a major dip and bought at the bottom for an immediate profit.

Fortune had turned; pregnancy truly brings luck.

"Son..."

With a joyful expression, Zhang Lizhen stroked her rounded belly, radiating maternal glow. It was fate: pregnancy and meeting Zhang Long.

Fortune comes with pregnancy, never deceived.

She hoped everything would go smoothly from here, with daily profits and eventually breaking even—recovering her 3 million principal before the due date, still three months away, by the end of November.

May the Bodhisattva bless her—Amen.

...

"Brother Chen, there’s still a chance..."

Zhang Long spoke gravely. "Tohai Energy has strongly tested the five-yuan support for two consecutive days; things usually don’t happen more than three times. Tomorrow may be the last chance. Once it begins a strong rally, chasing the rise will be difficult. If you have spare funds, seize the opportunity at tomorrow’s opening."

"Sister Yu, my own sister..."

"Hesitation now would mean missing out. Things don’t happen more than three times; tomorrow is Wednesday. If you don’t act, buying at the bottom and breaking even may be out of reach for us."

"Brother Wang, ..."

"Sister Liu, ..."

One call after another.

Zhang Long, energized, called clients, combining two days’ worth of analysis and market movements, striving to win more trust. Tomorrow, those who should sell, sell; those who should add funds, add funds. Take action.

Trust Brother Long—make big money.

Liang Xue and other team members watched, amazed. They had never seen Zhang Long so driven, his calls to clients brimming with confidence and vigor. With such contagious energy, any client trapped in losses would want this kind of assistance.

Whether they could break even was another matter; just having such a broker gave them confidence.

Even if they still lost, they would accept it.

"Sister Qian, where are you?"

"Sorry..."

Hearing this, Zhang Long knew trouble was coming. Sure enough, things changed. "I got rear-ended in traffic, dealing with it now. Let’s reschedule another day, I have to go."

"Alright, Sister Qian."

After hanging up, Zhang Long chuckled. Whether the rear-end was real or not didn’t matter; she wasn’t coming, and he hadn’t expected much anyway. No big deal.

That deal fell through—on to the next. Plenty of clients are waiting to be fed.

Spread the wealth, Brother Long is here.

...

"Brother Long, you’re on fire..."

After dinner, the team gathered to chat. Faced with admiration from colleagues, Zhang Long remained humble. "Just braving the analysis, clients need confidence. Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and guess right."

"Anyway, the heavily trapped ones have been stuck for years, even the lightly trapped ones for half a year or months. Clients’ hearts are already tough—if my analysis is wrong, they’ll forget it soon enough."

"Alright, back to work."

Zhang Long didn’t boast, just said what people liked to hear. Self-praise only breeds envy, and he played up his guesses, not seeking to be a guru.

Sharing some experience is fine, but obligatory help is out of the question—no sharing clients, period.

Among colleagues, unless the client is truly dead, no one easily gives up or shares. As long as they still trade occasionally, even if stuck, they won’t share commissions. Such is human nature.

Reviving a thoroughly discouraged client is very difficult. Had Zhang Long not gained his "golden finger," regaining clients’ trading confidence would not have been so easy.

Take care of his own clients first, then those under team manager Liang Xue; the rest, depends on their insight.

No signature, no sharing—sorry.

"Hello, Sister Ma..."

Thus, Zhang Long plunged into overtime, seizing the momentum.

Once his clients were mostly rescued and returned to normal communication and trading, he could leave work as usual. It shouldn’t take much longer—those he couldn’t reach or who didn’t respond to any stimulus, he wouldn’t force.

Only mutual trust brings mutual gain.

Besides, who knows how long he’ll stay at Shengxin? Once he’s fully understood his golden finger, if it works when he trades alone, he’d leave at once. Working for commissions is hardly rewarding.

Even elementary school kids know which to choose.

...

September 5th, Wednesday.

A new day begins again.

Just after 9:00, a client under Zhang Long deposited funds, but trading wasn’t yet possible. Skipping the opening auction meant waiting until 9:30 for the official market opening and then trading freely.

Before 9:30, three clients added funds. Mr. Chen, compared to yesterday’s 100,000 yuan, added another 900,000. Generous—truly wealthy.

"Rest assured, Brother Chen..."

Zhang Long called, "Tohai Energy opened up 3.5%—there’s still plenty of room to rise. If you trust the market, don’t hesitate; hesitation is a trader’s worst enemy."

Chen Youwei, reticent by nature.

But he always answered calls, firm in his opinions. His account held five or six trapped stocks; no matter how Zhang Long persuaded him, he refused to sell at a loss. Yet after Zhang Long’s accurate two-day analysis of Tohai Energy, he added a total of one million yuan, investing it all.

The other two clients who added funds before the opening: one added 200,000 yuan, the other 350,000.

Both bought Tohai Energy.

Zhang Long, having seen the five-day forecast for this week on Monday, knew the potential returns could exceed 20%. If they bought on up days, sold, then bought again after a dip, short-term trading could boost returns to over 30%. But few clients would obey so precisely, unless they trusted him deeply.

After all, each buy and sell incurs commissions and other fees. Without full trust, such moves shouldn’t be made lightly.

Otherwise, if the client’s profits are eaten by fees and taxes, trust would inevitably break.

Even in win-win situations, the client comes first.

"Hold until Friday, no problem..."

Zhang Long warned clients, "Tohai Energy’s trend suggests it’ll stay strong until Friday. But since the market pauses over the weekend, it’s hard to predict beyond that. Watch Friday afternoon—if there’s a reversal, it’s best to sell first."

"This way, even if there’s bad news over the weekend, Monday’s opening won’t bring losses. If good news is missed, no matter; just look for another opportunity."

"Operate steadily, don’t be greedy."

Zhang Long gave both good and bad advice; ultimately, the choice was up to the client, and he left it at that, moving on to more calls.

First week of September—run first to win.

September performance target: Number One.