Chapter 10: The Gamble!

Several major clients shared by Liang Xue had yet to receive a call from Zhang Long—he’d simply been too busy that morning. The larger the amount of capital involved, the more opinionated the clients tended to be; when their stocks were trapped, they wouldn’t easily cut their losses, and to get them to add more funds, a strong foundation of trust was necessary—something that couldn’t be established in a day or two. There was no rush; it would take time.

But Liang Xue signaled: someone was here to see him.

…

Qian Caiying.

Last week, she had stood Zhang Long up—supposedly on her way to the company for a face-to-face meeting, but an unexpected fender-bender had kept her away. Liang Xue hadn’t really believed that excuse, but now, here she was.

She had initially deposited half a million, but after only a few trades, her account was stuck in the red and had remained untouched ever since.

In the reception room, dressed in a style that was both simple and fashionable, Qian Caiying appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, exuding the air of a wealthy heiress—a surprise to Zhang Long. The bag she placed on the table, if it wasn’t a knockoff, would have cost at least a hundred thousand; it was a top brand.

“Sorry for missing our appointment last week…”

Qian Caiying offered a hint of apology. “The rear-end accident on my way here was real—the front of my car was totally smashed in. But I took care of it over the weekend, so I’m here today.”

“I have just one question.”

Zhang Long and Liang Xue listened silently.

“My initial deposit of five hundred thousand was barely touched before getting trapped in your platform's stocks. Now there’s less than two hundred thousand remaining. How can you guarantee my interests with five million? Losing a few hundred thousand is one thing, but a few million is no joke.”

She shrugged lightly. “Don’t bother with empty promises. It’s a bear market now, and making money isn’t easy. I may be rich, but I’m not a fool.”

“To be honest, I have accounts at other platforms as well—fifty thousand each, just to test the waters.”

“The result? All losses.”

Zhang Long and Liang Xue exchanged a glance, knowing exactly what Qian Caiying was after: a guarantee. She didn’t care about losing tens of thousands, but millions—she couldn’t risk that so lightly. Why should she entrust five million to Shengxin? Could they guarantee her a profit?

If not, there was nothing left to say.

…

“Sister Qian…”

Liang Xue remained silent. After a brief pause, Zhang Long said, “The only way to guarantee a profit is to put your money in the bank and collect interest—assuming a temp worker doesn’t run off with your principal.”

“If you’re looking for guarantees, you won’t find them at any company, not even with mutual funds.”

“All I can say is: it’s entirely up to you.”

Qian Caiying raised an elegant eyebrow. Oh?

Zhang Long smiled. “If you trust us, then add to your investment. If not, that’s fine. Investing is a two-way street—there are no guaranteed profits here.”

“Don’t you want the five million?”

“I do. But I’m not desperate for it.”

He smiled again. “I won’t bend over backwards to please you just because you’re my client. Other companies may greet you with a smile even if they’re dissatisfied, offering apologies left and right. But I, Zhang Long, won’t do that.”

“If you believe in us, let’s continue our cooperation.”

“Last week, I suggested you pay attention to Tohai Energy—it went up more than twenty percent. It hit the limit down at today’s opening, but it’s still worth watching. The acquisition won’t be abandoned easily, and after the drop, a rebound is likely—perhaps by Wednesday or Thursday. Care to take a gamble?”

“Oh, trying to goad me?”

Qian Caiying arched her brow again, but her gaze toward Zhang Long had changed. Interesting.

“If you want to see it that way, so be it,” Zhang Long replied seriously. “The choice is yours—even if my analysis is on point, you’re under no obligation to follow it. The customer is always right, after all.”

Liang Xue watched quietly, smiling to herself.

“Alright, I’ll take the bet.”

After a brief pause, Qian Caiying broke into a grin and stood up. “I’ll deposit one million this afternoon and wait to see if your Tohai Energy rebounds.”

“You get three chances—if you don’t lose money and actually profit in three trades with this one million…”

“The five million will follow immediately.”

…

Qian Caiying’s arrival was just a minor episode for Zhang Long. There was no pressure at all—he simply waited for the five million to fall into his hands and for another major client to join his roster.

That afternoon, work continued in a flurry of activity.

“Supervisor Zhang, the deposit’s in!”

Around two o’clock, Liang Xue exclaimed in surprise—Qian Caiying’s account had received a deposit of one million. The weight lifted from everyone’s shoulders; she hadn’t been bluffing.

Though she had the air of a bold, wealthy heiress, you never really knew if it was all just an act.

Until the money landed, it was all just talk.

“Keep up the good work…”

Zhang Long accepted the charge. No need to be reminded—he was already motivated, relishing the feeling of building trust, securing more funds, and having clients who followed his guidance. Ultimately, it would all show up in his commission.

He did a quick calculation: if all went well, his commissions for the week would exceed forty thousand, shooting him right into the top three.

And there was next week, and the week after—September’s total would not be less than two hundred thousand.

“Hello, Mr. Song…”

Zhang Long began reaching out to the major clients Liang Xue had shared with him—four in total. The first two didn’t answer, but the third picked up.

He introduced himself, explaining that he would now be working alongside Liang Xue, and encouraged the client to reach out with any needs.

He kept things brief—no long-winded speeches. After analyzing the client’s holdings, he recommended a few stocks to watch, laying the groundwork for trust. He was adept at the process.

He then called the fourth major client—again, the routine was much the same as before.

These clients were highly independent and had faith in their own technical analysis. Gaining their recognition wouldn’t be easy; it would take time and patience.

…

In this way, Zhang Long’s work proceeded in an orderly fashion, with calls continuing nonstop all afternoon.

XX Pharmaceuticals ended the day up 4.5% after a trading halt.

Clients who had trusted Zhang Long’s recommendations and recognized that “focus” implied “buy” were all delighted—so this is how easy it is to make money; all you have to do is listen.

…

“Brother Long…”

Bai Xiaoying’s tone was a bit shy.

Though the day had gone smoothly, Zhang Long still had to work overtime in the evening, following up with clients. During his after-dinner break, his colleague Bai Xiaoying approached him, bashful.

“What is it?”

From behind her back, Bai Xiaoying produced a bottle of a certain energy drink, handing it to Zhang Long as she spoke shyly. “I have a few clients I’d like you to mentor—would that be alright, Brother Long?”

Petite, with big, blinking eyes.

“Of course—I don’t mind,” Zhang Long replied, accepting the drink with a smile. “I can’t promise I’ll mentor them all to success, but I’ll do my best.”

Other team members had already been referencing Zhang Long’s scripts to maintain old clients, and a few had even managed to revive dormant accounts, though not many.

So there was really no need to share clients unless you couldn’t salvage them yourself—better to keep the commission. But if you lacked the energy to mentor them, sharing was no problem either; you never knew when you might land a big fish.

“Alright, no problem.”

Bai Xiaoying nodded vigorously.

With last week’s and today’s achievements, Zhang Long’s abilities were beyond question. He now had over ten clients who had been trapped in losses but had since added more funds, totaling over three and a half million in new investments—not a small sum.

And it was still early in the month. If he kept this up, he’d easily break ten million before month’s end.

That was enough to rival the output of an entire team.

In a bear market, acquiring new clients was no easy feat—most people preferred to leave their money in the bank or buy low-risk mutual funds rather than invest in stocks. With no way to short-sell and profits hard to come by outside a bull market, those who wanted action might as well play futures, where you could bet on both rises and falls.

Yet in such an environment, Zhang Long was still getting trapped clients to add more funds, one after another. This ability spoke for itself; there was no reason to hesitate about sharing in the profits.

After all, if you couldn’t move these clients yourself, handing them off could lead to a pleasant surprise if they were revived.

“Alright, let’s get to work.”

Zhang Long took a deep breath—here we go.

The more calls he made, the more money would come his way.