Chapter 12: Girlfriend?

Zhang Long, the classic underdog comeback. Among the eight team leaders in the investment department, he had always been ranked at the bottom in terms of performance. He thought he was destined to be eliminated, but to everyone’s surprise, he managed to turn his fortunes around and stage a dramatic rebound.

This left the two lowest-performing supervisors among the other seven teams in a tight spot—now their own jobs were on the line.

Life seemed unfair, and they felt utterly dejected.

...

“Brother Long, help me out, will you...”

Jiang Hao, the supervisor of the neighboring team, was in a similar predicament; their monthly performances were often at the bottom, and after weathering hard times together, they’d formed a decent camaraderie, sometimes even kidding around.

But this time, seeing his down-on-his-luck brother rise against the odds, while he himself was left struggling alone, Jiang Hao couldn’t help feeling anxious, no matter how optimistic he usually was.

“Uh, how am I supposed to help?” Zhang Long scratched his head. “Honestly, I just got lucky—blindly guessing and hitting the jackpot. I analyzed based on technical patterns and fundamentals, gave bold recommendations without fear of being wrong, earned the client’s trust, and guided them to increase their investments. That’s all.”

“You’re always pretty accurate with your analysis anyway. Just be a bit more assertive with the clients—even if they’re barely hanging on.”

It was always easier said than done.

Stock prices often moved according to technical or price support levels, and if you paired that with fundamental analysis, you could generally predict trends. The hard part was pinning down exactly when and by how much prices would rise. That uncertainty made it difficult in practice.

Because of this uncertainty, when talking to clients, one lacked confidence—always telling them to “keep an eye on it,” so even when opportunities came, they slipped by, helplessly watching gains pass them up.

If one could just be a bit more decisive, even if the call was wrong, it wouldn’t matter much—after all, in a bear market, there isn’t much upside anyway.

“Easier said than done,” Jiang Hao sighed. Even if his analysis was sound, he still felt nervous when encouraging clients to invest real money. If the market plunged, the losses could be brutal.

Moreover, even when clients bought the right stocks, they often refused to sell, holding out for bigger profits—there was nothing he could do.

Fully obedient clients were rare.

“Then you’re doomed.” Zhang Long spread his hands. “If you don’t have confidence, why should your clients trust you enough to follow your lead? Once you get past that mental hurdle, you’ll be fine. If not…well, there’s nothing I can do.”

...

That evening, as usual, he worked overtime.

Zhang Long knew perfectly well that once he figured out how to truly leverage his golden finger, he’d eventually resign and move on. But for now, working overtime meant earning more money; every client interaction pushed his work forward, culminating in more transactions.

Doing one’s job, day in and day out, was not just about making money—it was a matter of attitude.

“Xue…”

Chatting idly with Liang Xue, Zhang Long glanced at his team’s evening work performance and shook his head. “You’re spoiling everyone too much. Whenever there’s a problem, you step in to help directly. That way, you’ll never train any real experts. Sometimes, people need to hit a wall before they can truly grow.”

“Too much coddling will only breed incompetence.”

Zhang Long brought this up because he knew he’d be leaving eventually. If Liang Xue didn’t change her management style, once he was gone, the team’s performance would inevitably slip back to the bottom, and with another round of departmental layoffs, the outcome was predictable.

Liang Xue was by no means incompetent—otherwise, she wouldn’t have developed so many high-net-worth clients in the past. Her only flaw was being too kind, never pushing her staff, always stepping in herself.

“I know,” Liang Xue replied, giving her own team a look. “The market’s been tough, and it’s hard to develop and maintain clients. Most people are just going through the motions, settling for a base salary that covers their needs. Wasn’t that your attitude before? If you hadn’t been on my team, you probably would have been let go long ago.”

Zhang Long broke out in a cold sweat—he couldn’t argue.

His former self had truly been useless, and it had nothing to do with the team atmosphere. He was just passive and uninspired. He never tried to guide or push clients, leaving transactions to chance, and never once asked for additional investments. Had he been in any other team, he wouldn’t have lasted this long.

“Everyone has potential,” Liang Xue said with a faint smile. “Didn’t you wake up and start working hard? You’re earning money for yourself—don’t worry about others.”

“For now, I don’t really need the money.”

...

Dawn. Thursday.

Zhang Long’s morning proceeded smoothly. Around ten-thirty, the receptionist called to say someone was looking for him. By then, most client calls were finished, so he got up to go.

“Looking sharp,” Luo Man’s eyes brightened. It was her first time seeing Zhang Long in a suit. Though he was a bit thin, his tall, lean frame wore it well.

“So are you,” Zhang Long replied with a shrug and a smile. The Shengxin lobby had a rest area, and Luo Man, with her long hair and fresh, casual outfit, was striking—undoubtedly the office beauty.

She also ranked among the top three campus beauties.

Honestly, in a company as big as Shengxin, there were few women more attractive than Luo Man. Even the receptionists and passing colleagues couldn’t help glancing over, curious.

Ahem—was she Supervisor Zhang’s girlfriend?

“Did you promote me?”

“Uh, no.”

Hearing this, Luo Man rolled her eyes. She’d figured he wouldn’t publicize her, but it hardly mattered. Now that she was here, word would spread soon enough. She pulled out a credit card application and handed it to Zhang Long.

Opening a credit card was simple: an application, a photo holding one’s ID, and a work badge from the employer.

The credit limit depended on the bank’s review—savings, debts, monthly salary, and so on. But Zhang Long didn’t care; whatever amount he got was fine.

“Supervisor?”

Noticing his badge, Luo Man’s eyes sparkled—he wasn’t just a regular employee.

“It’s just a title,” Zhang Long answered without looking up. There was no need to explain the details to her—it wasn’t important whether she understood. What mattered was that people were starting to gather, wondering what was going on.

...

“What’s all this commotion?”

A department director passed by, frowning.

By then, Zhang Long had finished the application, Luo Man had taken his ID photo, and the request was submitted via tablet. Done.

She was processing applications for others now.

Many employees carried their IDs with them, and when word spread that a bank rep was on site issuing cards, a crowd formed.

“Why are you processing cards here?”

“Supervisor Zhang’s friend…”

The receptionist explained quietly. If it had been a random salesperson, she would have been shown the door, but since it seemed to be Supervisor Zhang Long’s girlfriend from the investment department, she turned a blind eye—after all, his performance was among the best.

“Control the flow of people,” the director instructed, frowning again. “Don’t let everyone gather in the rest area—three or five at a time is enough. Tell Supervisor Zhang this is a one-time thing. Next time, do it in the hallway.”

The company didn’t mind employees opening credit cards, but not inside the office—take it outside.

“Your girlfriend?” Liang Xue teased.

Passing by while Zhang Long was filling out the form, she’d seen the pretty Luo Man, and she was clearly not the fiancée from before. A new flame?

“Uh, no,” Zhang Long shook his head. “We were classmates in college. She works at a bank now and is under performance pressure.”

He didn’t say more.

Even if there was something between him and Luo Man, he wasn’t about to broadcast it. A girlfriend isn’t something a man brags about—only a wife is worth mentioning. There was no need to talk about passing acquaintances.

“Got it,” Liang Xue replied noncommittally with a smile. “She’s quite pretty, and her eyes are clear—I doubt she’s the materialistic type. Good luck.”

“I think I’ll apply for one too.”

Suddenly, Liang Xue rummaged in her bag for her ID, giving Zhang Long a teasing glance.

Forget it. Zhang Long gave up trying to explain. Gossip between men and women is always a tangled mess—the more you explain, the worse it sounds. Let Liang Xue think what she wants; the innocent are always innocent, and for now, he was certainly innocent.

As for the future, that would have to wait and see.