Chapter 60: Victory Earns the Club's Young Beauties

Day broke, and the sun was already high in the sky.

Zhang Long woke up naturally, having stayed up past midnight playing games last night. Now, it was already past ten when he finally roused.

There was no need to check—the moment Yunfeng Technology was listed, the main funds had pushed the price up during the pre-market auction. At the opening bell, it hit the price ceiling; even if retail investors wanted to buy, there was nothing to be had.

But tomorrow would be different. The price would rise at the open, but not directly hit the ceiling, so retail investors would have a chance to get in.

...

“Sister Liu, this is the last chance.”

At the Shengxin Trading Department, the atmosphere was lively as ever—everyone was energetically chasing clients for funds and facilitating trades. Chang Song’s tone brimmed with confidence and certainty. “Although Yunfeng Technology hit the ceiling right at the open today, the main funds are weakening. I expect there will be an opportunity tomorrow. We have to seize it.”

“If we can get in on Thursday and make a profit by Friday, we’ll get out—the potential gains far outweigh the risks.”

“Sister Liu, please act quickly.”

Not only Chang Song, but all eight staff members in the trading department were busy making calls; the air was electric.

“This is how work should be,” Director You commented as he wandered over. He was pleased with the trading department’s atmosphere these past two days. If the team lacked morale and confidence, how could clients be expected to trust them?

Whether Yunfeng Technology rose or fell was of little importance; the priority was to get the clients’ money in. Once the funds were in, trading could begin in earnest. If not Yunfeng, there were plenty of other stocks to push.

“Old Guan, keep it up.” Director You clicked his tongue, but Deputy Manager Guan merely curled his lip. “The front office isn’t lacking in energy compared to your back office. As long as we keep this up for a while, new orders will soon pour in.”

“I just hope your eight counselors can handle the influx. If things get too hectic, there’ll be trouble.”

“No problem—I’ll just borrow some of yours,” Director You replied with a quiet laugh. The front office sometimes had staff better suited for analysis and support, and if so, he’d simply transfer them over. The back office would never be short of people.

In theory, the front office focused more on sales and client development, while the back office specialized in analysis and support.

“Fine, just don’t mess things up,” Deputy Manager Guan said, relaxing his shoulders. “Bear markets are tough for everyone. Be gentle with the clients—if there’s another major crash, they’ll be completely finished.”

“Getting orders isn’t easy. Cherish them.”

...

Director You’s feelings about cherishing clients were unknown, but Zhang Long knew that Yunfeng Technology’s rally was a one-off shot.

The bear market environment meant that no stock could rise too much. Even if the main institutions pushed prices up, there would always be a limit; no one was running a charity.

So this Friday, Zhang Long planned to sell off all his Yunfeng holdings and cash in his profits.

...

“Fine, you’re good, very good.”

His phone buzzed—Zhang Long glanced at it. It was a message from Qian Caiying, who had sent stock recommendations yesterday and today, but he hadn’t replied.

The woman had too much of a temper. Best not to engage until she had cooled off completely. At most, by the end of this week, starting next week, Qian Caiying would stop pestering him and quiet down.

Even a wealthy woman like Qian had her own pride.

Perhaps in her eyes, asking Zhang Long for help was a great favor; after all, most people didn’t even have a way in to seek his help, let alone curry favor. So being ignored these past few days had made her lose her temper.

But so what? Did it matter?

“Sigh, I need to open another account.”

He finished reading the stock recommendations from HSBC and UBS, but found not a single good pick. Qian Caiying’s recommendations from the past two days were also complete duds.

If he hadn’t stumbled upon the demon stock Yunfeng Technology by chance on Monday, how would he have traded at all this week?

So, he needed to open another account.

With this in mind, Zhang Long automatically dismissed Qian Caiying’s Hongze Financial. The small firm’s analysts lacked real ability—that had been proven. Yunfeng Technology on Monday was likely a lucky guess, an accident.

Her recent string of misses was the real situation.

Since there were no other stocks worth trading before Friday, he might as well look for other brokerage platforms. Starting next week, he’d have three sources of stock recommendations to consult.

Cast a wide net to catch more fish; it never hurts.

...

“Golden Toad, Jun Cai?”

Zhang Long browsed financial company platforms online. He’d also recently joined a few stock trading groups and asked which platforms offered the best service.

Many platforms were recommended, but the most reputable were Golden Toad and Jun Cai.

These two were even larger than HSBC and UBS, and their stock recommendation reports were highly accurate.

Well, relatively accurate compared to smaller firms.

“They’re a bit far away.”

Zhang Long frowned. Both Golden Toad and Jun Cai were located in the old city center, not near the Bund or Lujiazui. The city government was there too, so it wasn’t a bad area.

He checked online—the trip would take at least an hour by taxi, assuming no traffic.

The subway would take about the same, with a transfer.

Still, despite the hassle, Zhang Long submitted an online appointment. Tomorrow was Thursday and he had nothing else to do, so he’d make the trip and decide which account to open.

After finishing up with HSBC and UBS, his total funds would reach 4.5 million, enough to spread around.

...

He hadn’t expected his profits to suddenly soar; he’d planned to wait a while before opening a new account.

Indeed, plans never keep up with changes.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Zhang Long’s eyes narrowed. The chat group was discussing whether Yunfeng shares were worth chasing. The platforms were enthusiastically recommending them, encouraging people to chase the rise.

“Don’t chase, it’s dangerous,” someone replied. “If you chase highs and sell lows in a bear market, will you cut your losses or not?”

It was a serious issue. Chasing highs wasn’t scary, but if you didn’t cut losses after chasing and the stock dropped, you’d be stuck—unable to sell as it kept falling, and hope would slowly die away.

In a bull market, chasing highs was fine; in a bear market, it was a disaster.

...

“Buy and run, that’s fine.”

Zhang Long saw that the one asking about Yunfeng Technology was the same guy who’d recommended Golden Toad and Jun Cai. After a moment’s hesitation, he replied in the group chat, “If there’s a chance tomorrow, you can try, but no matter what happens on Friday, profit or loss, you must get out—don’t hold the position.”

“The weekend brings endless changes. If the institutions pull out on Monday, you won’t be able to get out in time.”

He said his piece and left it at that.

Though Zhang Long stopped speaking, with so many people in the group, someone else picked up the thread. “Dragon Knight makes sense—don’t be greedy or reckless.”

Uh, Dragon Knight was Zhang Long’s online handle.

He actually felt a bit embarrassed by the nickname, but since his previous self had used it for years, it was awkward to change now. After checking, he found there was no “Legend of the Condor Heroes” or “Return of the Condor Heroes” in this world, so no one would associate it with any stories.

So he kept using it.

“I want to buy, but I’m scared to buy.”

The same guy sent a crying emoji. “In these years of the bear market, I’ve lost so much my girlfriend ran off with someone else. If I get trapped again before crossing the river, it’ll be tragic.”

Dumped by his girlfriend? That bad?

But being so cautious was no good. Zhang Long decided to give him a push. “You’ve already got nothing to lose—what are you afraid of? Single and lifting weights—fearless!”

“If you win, you can party with young models at the club. If you lose, you can haul bricks at the construction site. Just remember, don’t get greedy if you make a profit.”

“Oh right, if you win, let me know.”

Zhang Long, feet propped up, typed with a flourish. “Those clubs with young models are full of hidden dangers, brother. Let me test the waters for you first—no need to thank me.”

This drew a wave of mockery, but Zhang Long ignored it. Group chats were always lively fun.