Chapter 123: A Guaranteed Thirty Percent Return—Try It and You’ll Be Done For

Longpeng Technology and Weiyuan Bio.

A few months ago, while working at Shengxin, I experienced a catastrophic collapse in these two stocks, followed by a long, slow decline. They had barely shown any signs of recovery since. It had taken a great deal of persuasion to convince Zhang Lizhen to dump them back then, successfully sparing her from that massive loss. Now, however, the turning point for these two stocks had finally arrived.

...

"Longpeng and Weiyuan?"

The voice whispering these names wasn't Hongze's Qian Caiying, but someone who had once invested in them. Though not currently active in the market, this person still kept an eye on their old holdings from time to time—after all, with some capital still trapped in those accounts, one couldn't exactly call it quits.

"Stop playing the stock market, seriously."

Watching her daughter show a renewed interest in trading after her postpartum confinement, the old lady grumbled while cradling her grandson. "Even an old woman like me knows that stock trading is just gambling. Nobody ever makes money. You've already lost hundreds of thousands—isn't that enough? Are you trying to lose everything?"

"Zhan Yi doesn't have it easy making money, and his career is in a slump right now. Don't you go adding to the chaos."

"Ugh, I'm just looking."

Scolded by her mother, Zhang Lizhen shrank back slightly. She had no experience with childcare, so her mother had stayed on to help since she gave birth. But sitting at home with nothing to do and no professional skills—what else was she supposed to do besides trade? It was just too boring. And the baby was so annoying, crying all day long.

"If you trade, I'm leaving."

The old lady pulled out her trump card, glaring with a threat. "You can take care of the kid yourself. I'm sure you won't have time to look at any stocks then."

"You should be content that I'm here helping you with the baby. If you can't be, go to the office and help Zhan Yi."

"Fine, we'll see."

Zhang Lizhen didn't want to hear her mother nag any further. She took one last look at the stocks that were still trapped with no sign of rising, and reluctantly shut down her computer. She wondered when the bull market would return; though a few hundred thousand wasn't a fortune, it wasn't pocket change either.

At that thought, a flicker of an idea crossed her mind. She had tried to invite Zhang Long to dinner both before and after her delivery, but he never agreed. She wondered if he had finished his driver's license or his CFA exams. Should she send him a text? If he had already joined a new brokerage firm, it would be even better to follow his lead. Brother Dalong had a sharp eye. Following him meant laying back and earning profit.

...

"Buzz, buzzz~"

A message arrived. Zhang Long glanced at it—it was from Zhang Lizhen. He scanned it and didn't reply. A moment later, the phone buzzed again. Expecting another call from her, he was surprised to hear a different voice. "I didn't agree to this, did I?"

Zhang Long frowned. What the hell?

"It's a service upgrade." The voice of a department director from HSBC explained through the earpiece. "Mr. Zhang, please rest assured. Upgrading to a gold-tier analyst for maintenance and guidance will better assist your stock market trading. Manager Qin will still send you daily stock recommendation reports as before."

"It's just that for technical discussions and analysis, you'll now be liaising with a gold-tier analyst."

"Also, if there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with regarding the guidance, you can communicate with Manager Qin at any time. She will serve as a buffer and relay to ensure better communication with the analyst."

"Isn't this redundant?"

Zhang Long was noncommittal, but he didn't dwell on it. As long as the daily recommendation reports arrived before the market opened, he didn't care who was guiding him—unless that gold-tier analyst was truly incompetent.

"Mr. Zhang, please understand."

"Everything HSBC does is based on your interests and service. When it comes to market experience and technical analysis, the gold-tier analysts are simply superior."

...

"Fine, let's leave it at that."

Zhang Long didn't want to drag it out any longer. "Just don't bother me constantly, that's all."

And just like that, the arrangement at HSBC shifted from Qin Miaotong's sole guidance to a joint effort. Before long, the gold-tier analyst called. They didn't chat much, merely exchanging brief views on the current market and future trading strategies. Zhang Long hummed and hawed through the call before hanging up. He had no interest in listening to long-winded nonsense; every stock had market makers behind it, and if technical analysis were 100% accurate, every investor would be wealthy.

Whether you make money depends half on luck.

From that one call, he could tell the analyst was a staunch believer in technical charts, so he decided to write him off. He’d keep the future calls about "analysis" to a minimum. If it got too annoying, he’d just let them go.

...

"Hehe, thank you, Boss."

At UBS, the charming Gu Su flashed a sycophantic smile at her director. Like HSBC, they were staging a move to change the analyst assigned to Zhang Long. However, Gu Su's boss at UBS had blocked it—not because they wouldn't change, but because they wanted to wait until after the New Year to let his staff earn some money before the holidays.

After all, a gold-tier analyst's income was substantial; there was no need to be so aggressive in snatching it away from employees. In this regard, UBS was better than HSBC, and Jun Cai was also in no rush to replace staff.

Whether Zhang Long's account held 5 million or 8 million, he had met the threshold for upgraded service, but he was trading very well on his own. It wasn't mandatory to bring in a gold-tier analyst, and even if they were constantly "cleaning up" for the trading department, it depended on the situation.

Favors weren't meant to be ignored; they were repaid based on income and urgency. Don't worry, they would be repaid. Of course, the director of the trading department couldn't stall for long—at most, they would have to switch after the New Year.

But Gu Su was already satisfied. Her boss had fought for a two-month buffer for her. During these two months, she didn't have to split her commission from Zhang Long's trades, which meant she could have a decent New Year.

"Stop buttering me up and get back to work."

The director didn't know what to do with Gu Su. The girl was charming, had a beautiful smile, was a smooth talker, and maintained her client base well. Otherwise, if it were any other employee with less ability or a poor attitude, they would have been replaced long ago.

It was hard to make money in a bear market. If the staff had opportunities to earn more through their clients, they should take them.

"Got it, boss!"

Gu Su hopped back to her desk. Looking at Zhang Long's positions on the screen, she saw he had bought several more stocks with his millions. She was thrilled. With such a large amount of capital and such active trading, her commission for the month would be at least ten thousand.

"Hey, Brother Long..."

A moment later, the phone buzzed. Gu Su’s slightly coquettish voice reached Zhang Long’s ears, making him shiver. What was wrong with this girl?

*Amitabha*, he needed to hang up quickly. The girl's mouth and voice were far more powerful than her technical skills. Listening occasionally was fine, but constant exposure was grating.

...

"La-di-da-di-da..."

Before the market closed at 3:00 PM, excluding his other trades, Longpeng Technology and Weiyuan Bio had risen by about 5% today. Zhang Long smacked his lips. "A 25% gain this week, maybe 20% next week. Not bad."

Of course, he had other profitable trades, but none gained as much as Longpeng and Weiyuan. He also bought two losing stocks, but that was just the nature of the game—balancing gains and losses kept things healthy and on track.

Perhaps a massive amount of capital had fled the market before the New Year and was now rushing back in. Regardless, many stocks showed impressive volatility this week and next, providing plenty of profit opportunities.

Between his own three accounts and the capital managed for Hongze, Zhang Long was operating with a total of 41 million. If no better stocks were screened out by next Friday, after subtracting losses and non-profitable positions, this wave would yield at least a 30% profit. Impressive!

A net profit exceeding 12 million. Very stable.

"The stock market is quite thrilling, too."

Zhang Long sighed. Since he started trading futures, he had become a bit lazy with stocks, mainly because futures were not only more exciting but also offered significant profits. If he didn't withdraw the bulk of his profits every week, he could have made an absolute killing.

But looking at it today, with 41 million in the stock market, making money was actually quite effortless. Futures required constant attention from morning until night, leaving one flustered with opening and closing positions. Stocks, on the other hand, only required a couple of hours in the morning and afternoon, allowing for a slow, unhurried approach.

As long as the capital was large enough, mixing and matching multiple stocks in batches didn't just avoid driving up the price of a single stock, but allowed him to sit back and earn while lying down.

He could spend the rest of his time working out, traveling, dating, or just living life. He didn't have to hole up at home all day trading futures, terrified of missing a single wave of profit.

"Financial freedom is close."

Zhang Long whispered to himself. By the end of this month, his assets would definitely exceed 100 million. That was a form of financial freedom. If that didn't count, then a billion or two—he would be free sooner or later.

...

"Buzz, buzzz~"

The next morning, Zhang Long was about to enter the test center for his final driving exam when his phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw it was the gold-tier analyst from HSBC. He didn't answer, switched his phone to silent mode, and handed it to the proctor. After passing today’s test, he would get his license by the end of the month and officially become a certified driver.

The property deed for his two-bedroom apartment on the Bund would also arrive this month. Cars and property—he was finally set.

"A-Long, good luck."

Lin Yuan was nearby. If he passed today, he would finally be free. Lin Yuan was very excited—he was finally going to drive. If it hadn't been for years of diligent practice to overcome his mild sense of direction, he would have started driving long ago.

Damn his naturally weak sense of orientation.

Fortunately, after unremitting effort, he could at least read maps and navigate Shanghai without getting lost, which was enough. He didn't plan on driving to other cities anyway.

And just like that, the final hurdle of the driving exam for Zhang Long and Lin Yuan was cleared. The final theory test wasn't difficult; as long as you paid attention, you could pass.

After the exam, it was noon. He treated Lin Yuan to lunch, they parted ways, and he headed home to continue making money.

"Buzz, buzzz~"

His phone vibrated again. Zhang Long frowned. That gold-tier analyst was truly persistent. He had called several times while the phone was on silent during the exam, and he was calling again now. What on earth did he want?

"Hello, what is it?"

Zhang Long answered impatiently. The analyst's voice came through, sounding anxious yet relieved. "Mr. Zhang, you finally picked up. There's something important I need to tell you. Weiyuan Bio and Longpeng Technology are looking bad moving forward."

"The news is 80% reliable, so try to run before the market closes this afternoon. Don't fall into the trap."

"Oh, really?"

Zhang Long was expressionless, his tone indifferent. Whether the news was true or false didn't matter. It was highly likely they were just trying to scare him into selling so they could collect a commission. Having worked at Shengxin for two and a half years, what hadn't he seen?

"Wanna make a bet?" Zhang Long said softly. "I bet Weiyuan Bio and Longpeng Technology will keep rising until Friday. If you lose, Teacher Yu, stop calling me. It's annoying."

"I'm busy today. You've called one after another. Do you have any idea what harassment is?"

"That's it. Goodbye."

He hung up. Zhang Long’s eyes flashed. If this gold-tier analyst didn't learn his place, he would just cancel his account with HSBC. If they wanted to pump out orders just to earn trading commissions, he wouldn't let them make a single cent.

If you want to try me, you'll pay the price!