Chapter 16: Kind Words Cannot Persuade the Doomed

On Sunday, Zhang Long stayed in. Even though his mutated eyes could now foresee stock rises, falls, and returns, he still needed to study and gather fundamental news on various stocks to prepare for Monday’s opening and his clients’ questions—so much for lying back and earning money with no effort.

Of course, he did sneak in a few breaks to read novels or play games, but that goes without saying.

A balance of work and rest—everyone understands that.

…

“Wow, unbelievable.”

Monday morning, at Shengxin Financial.

Zhang Long’s precognition ability only activated after 9:00. As soon as the meeting ended, he checked, and the result was frustrating—there was no news about Takumi Energy’s merger over the weekend, but after the market opened, it would drop to its daily limit.

Institutions were far more well-informed than retail investors. Even before the 9:30 opening, during the pre-market auction, a flood of sell orders would slam the price down to the limit, controlling the trend.

And this time, there would be no rebound—at best, the price would stabilize briefly by Wednesday.

That’s right, it would break below five yuan.

“Sister Zhang, Takumi Energy is hitting its Monday limit-down again. Let’s wait and see for a day or two. The eighty thousand in your account should suffice for now. Take a look…”

Before the official opening, Zhang Long carefully reviewed several stocks and had new recommendations in mind.

Luck was on his side; this Monday, he spotted three stocks that would see a modest rise, so he recommended these to clients with available funds.

Clients without available funds were encouraged to add more—if you want to make money, you have to follow advice.

“Brother Chen…”

Zhang Long spoke calmly, “There was no official news about Takumi Energy’s merger all weekend, but today’s limit-down at the open clearly shows the process is far from smooth. Be careful—if it tests the five-yuan level again, a big rebound is unlikely.”

“It’s probably a fake-out to lure in bottom fishers for another round. Stay alert.”

“Holding on could mean becoming the sheep for the slaughter.”

…

Monday mornings were always busy for the investment department, but Zhang Long was busier than most. No matter the client’s situation, he could tailor his communication and advice, and the core tasks of trading and encouraging additional funding never changed—everything else was just preparation.

The good news was that five or six clients took his advice and agreed to short-term trades, promising to sell before the afternoon close if profitable.

Moreover, these clients would continue day-trading tomorrow—so long as they could make money, short or long-term didn’t matter.

Ultimately, the only thing clients cared about was profit. Long-term and short-term strategies were just different means to the same end.

If they weren’t making money, holding long-term was torture—watching losses mount every day but unable to let go was even more painful than selling at a loss. That’s why Zhang Long’s advice was always: if there’s profit by afternoon, don’t be greedy, take it and run.

Why such trust? Because whether over two weeks or just one, Zhang Long’s stock analyses had proven impressively accurate—clients who followed his lead made money.

So why hesitate? Just get to work.

If it meant making money, they’d sell in the afternoon after buying in the morning—or even sell the moment after buying. Zhang Long was the boss—his word was law.

“Sister Qian, pay attention…”

He called Qian Caiying, waking her from her sleep, and recommended a tech stock that would yield profit by tomorrow, and after selling, a seamless switch to an environmental stock to sell on Wednesday—fulfilling their agreement.

If all went smoothly and Qian Caiying didn’t renege, she’d have to add another four hundred thousand to her account.

Altogether, five hundred thousand—a major client.

“Alright, got it,” Qian Caiying yawned on the other end. “I played too late last night, I’m exhausted. Just let me know when it’s time to sell, I don’t have time to watch the market.”

“Hanging up now, bye.”

…

“Oh, excellent!” Liang Xue exclaimed with delight. Many clients in the team had added funds today—Zhang Long alone had four clients add over one hundred thousand in total, and other colleagues had fund additions and even new accounts opened.

As long as the analysis was accurate and clients profited, it was easy to encourage them to increase positions.

New accounts were opening, too.

Zhang Long didn’t take on new clients, but his seven colleagues did. With a radar-like analyst like Zhang Long, things were much easier.

He wasn’t stingy with his expertise; he helped as much as he could.

So, except for the earliest client, Bai Xiaoying, the rest began to share maintenance with Zhang Long—if they could save a client, they’d all profit.

One of Zhang Long’s newly funded clients today had originally belonged to Bai Xiaoying—impressive.

Even a small addition was still meat on the bone; every bit of commission counted.

In the third week of September, Liang Xue’s team was more motivated than ever—racing during the day, working overtime at night, and racking up achievements one after another.

As Zhang Long gained more trust, his phone was ringing off the hook.

Decisive clients were fine, but there were always a few who hesitated, wanting analysis of everything yet too timid to act. They were the toughest.

But to Zhang Long, the client was king—he streamlined communication as much as possible to save time, effort, and worry.

“Sister Zhang, it’s your call.”

On the other end, Zhang Lizhen stared at her Takumi Energy shares, unable to part with them. Zhang Long’s analysis was thorough—the merger news was stagnant, and there had already been consecutive limit-downs. If it tested five yuan again, it was likely to break through.

Ouch, it hurt—a real wrench to the heart.

…

“Supervisor Zhang, it’s done.”

Liang Xue’s eyebrows shot up; moments ago, Zhang Lizhen had sold all her Takumi Energy holdings—not a single share left. She’d cut her losses completely.

She’d first bought in at twenty yuan, then averaged down as the price fell, investing a total of one and a half million.

Now, at five yuan, only half a million remained, but she’d stubbornly held on.

Now, she’d let go—bittersweet.

“Let’s hope you’re right,” Liang Xue sighed. “If Takumi Energy doesn’t keep dropping but rebounds, Zhang Lizhen will hate you for life, especially since she’s pregnant.”

Zhang Long broke out in a cold sweat—she made it sound like the baby was his. Still, selling was for the best.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Zhang Long chuckled. “Monday’s eighty thousand is now one hundred thousand, and with the newly freed fifty thousand, there’s one hundred and fifty thousand for short-term trades—the commissions will be hefty.”

“I’ll take good care of it.”

With that, Liang Xue let it go. Solid results spoke for themselves.

When Zhang Lizhen first came to Shengxin at the start of the month, her account had only the trapped one hundred thousand. Now, not only was she out of the trap, but the funds had grown to one hundred and fifty thousand—no wonder she trusted him so much. No one wants to be stuck suffering losses forever.

Now that she was free, her funds could grow even faster. It was up to her now.

As long as nothing serious happened, Zhang Long had a free hand.

“Hey, Brother Chen…”

After hanging up, Zhang Long could only sigh; he’d done all he could. Most clients had obediently dumped Takumi Energy, but the most stubborn, Chen Youwei?

“I won’t listen, I won’t listen.”

Forget it—good advice can’t save the doomed.

Zhang Long had done his best and had a clear conscience. Chen Youwei had money—let him be.

Takumi Energy would stabilize briefly on Wednesday, but by Thursday, it would break below five yuan, and by Friday, it would still be falling. As for next week, that was up to fate.

“Oh, these eyes…” Zhang Long muttered. “Can they really only see five days ahead? Couldn’t you stretch it a little more?”