Chapter 157: Riding Brother Long's Coattails, Shengxin's Springtime

Zhang Long was completely unaware of the meeting between Liang Xue and Luo Man. The finance department at Shengxin did not work overtime in the evenings, and Liang Xue was not in the habit of reporting her whereabouts to anyone after finishing her work for the day.

Even if they were not formally dating—let alone if they were—a couple still needed to maintain a certain degree of freedom and space.

Distance fostered beauty, and a brief parting was as sweet as a newlywed reunion.

……

"What, you don't believe me?"

Seeing Luo Man's gaze turn profound and skeptical, Liang Xue could not help but smile faintly. "Though the two of you are in a relationship, you don't truly know each other."

"You might genuinely feel some genuine emotion for Zhang Long, but it certainly isn't all that deep."

"We're both women, aren't we?"

Luo Man remained silent, offering no refutation. Her emotional trajectory with Zhang Long was far more complex than Liang Xue described. Their union was driven much more by carnal desire and impulse, and from the moment she accepted Zhang Long's patronage, equality was entirely out of the question.

"How do you expect me to act?"

With a slight darkening of her gaze, Luo Man met Liang Xue's detached expression and gave a light chuckle. "It's very simple."

"I will continue to pursue the tourism career I love, traveling across the country and eventually around the world. As for Zhang Long being quite wealthy, isn't that all the better? It will provide wonderful support for me to realize my ideals and plans."

"I am a very realistic person."

Liang Xue narrowed her eyes, as if trying to gauge whether Luo Man's words were true or false, but she could read nothing.

"You certainly are realistic."

A moment later, Liang Xue let out a soft breath. "Even though this is the outcome I wanted to see, hearing you say it so plainly still brings a sense of disappointment. You chose yourself rather than prioritizing Zhang Long, and I have nothing more to say."

"So you don't need to hold back any longer."

Luo Man smiled with an air of non-commitment. "Just as you sought me out today to talk about Zhang Long because you were acting true to yourself, I am pursuing the career I love because I am acting true to yourself."

"If you want to be a full-time housewife, go right ahead. I currently have no desire to devote myself entirely to romance."

"I want to truly live life for myself for once."

Though she did not fully grasp what Luo Man meant by living life for herself, Liang Xue understood the sentiment.

"I've actually known for a long time..."

Luo Man slowly stood up, speaking as much to herself as to Liang Xue. "Zhang Long and I won't make it to the end. To put it bluntly, it's hard for us to ever walk down the aisle into marriage. But even knowing the outcome, I still gave him my body. When it comes to both emotion and career, I want to live for myself and be reborn."

"No matter the outcome, I have no regrets."

……

Qin Miaotong was somewhat bewildered.

That afternoon, she had suddenly received a QQ message from a client named Zhang Long. Although Zhang Long had closed his stock trading account at HSBC, she had never deleted his contact information.

She had even secretly memorized his mobile number, intending to try contacting him after she jumped ship to a new company.

She never expected him to take the initiative and contact her first.

"Phew, Shengxin?"

Qin Miaotong's expression turned rather peculiar. After a brief phone call, she learned that the client Zhang Long had already joined Shengxin as a high-level executive overseeing the analyst department. He was asking if she would be interested in joining Shengxin's trading department as a manager to handle counseling and client maintenance.

As for performance development, he promised that, barring any accidents, it would undoubtedly be much better than her current situation at HSBC.

With Zhang Long there, success was guaranteed.

Oh my god, her best friend Liang Xue had just recently returned to Shengxin to work in finance, and this Zhang Long just happened to join Shengxin as a high-ranking executive in charge of the analyst department. Surely, the two Zhang Longs couldn't possibly be different people?

A few days ago, her best friend had mentioned that the director she reported to was in charge of trading. With the establishment of the trading department, if her performance was outstanding in the future, the director would recommend her for the position of department head.

"Damn, what fate."

For a moment, Qin Miaotong's expression was a tangled mix of crying and laughing. This was ninety-percent Liang Xue's Zhang Long.

He was the exact same person as the HSBC Zhang Long.

……

Goodness gracious, her best friend Liang Xue shared that kind of blossoming romantic dynamic with Zhang Long. Wouldn't this make him a thoroughly reliable, ultra-thick golden thigh to hug in the future?!

His stock trading at HSBC had been nothing short of brilliant—profitable week after week, netting a total of several million, close to ten million.

No wonder he had the capability to enter Shengxin as a high-level executive; such an immensely formidable figure would always be fought over by companies.

"I'm going to Shengxin!"

In that instant, Qin Miaotong made up her mind.

Going to Shengxin would not only allow her to work in the same company as Liang Xue, but it would also give her an indirect and powerful backer behind the scenes. If she performed well, promotions and salary increases would be a piece of cake—her chances would be much higher than those of colleagues without such connections.

A high salary might not always come with a high title, but a high title would definitely bring a high salary in the future, along with far better career prospects.

Zhang Long at Shengxin—she was definitely clinging to this coattail.

……

"Shengxin?"

Actually, Zhang Long hadn't only contacted Qin Miaotong. Gu Su from UBS, as well as the respective advisory managers corresponding to the Junhai Golden Toad clients, had all been contacted. He hadn't reached out to the spot or forex people yet; that would come later—stocks came first.

After all, securities industry employees generally didn't make a lot of money, and bear markets were exceptionally tough. On the other hand, anyone with a bit of capability in spot trading or foreign exchange could make a very substantial and impressive income.

Therefore, stock personnel were much easier to poach.

"Dragon Brother..."

Returning home after work, Gu Su wore a conflicted expression on her pretty face. Her performance at UBS was decent; although many clients rarely traded, when the end of the month rolled around and she needed a little help boosting her metrics, they were always very cooperative.

Moreover, her department head was very good to her. Even though Zhang Long's account had been transferred to a gold-medal analyst for guidance and then withdrawn and closed just days later, she now knew the reason.

Having joined Shengxin as a high-level executive, he naturally couldn't operate a personal account anymore—that violated compliance rules.

"It's so hard to choose."

Half-reclining and leaning against the living room sofa, Gu Su felt tangled and melancholy. On one side was the company where she had worked for years, and on the other was Shengxin with its vastly superior development prospects. With Dragon Brother at Shengxin, could performance development possibly be bad? Would she lack clients to advise or trades to make for commissions? Absolutely not; it would be effortless.

In stock trading, as long as the stock recommendation accuracy wasn't terrible and allowed clients to see hope of making money, they would roar with enthusiasm.

Not to mention that Zhang Long's trading profits had been utterly terrifying—netting tens of millions in just a few months.

Following Dragon Brother meant absolute takeoff!

"Sigh, sob..."

Half-leaning against the sofa, Gu Su stared blankly at the ceiling. In truth, she already had the answer in her heart; if she hadn't been tempted, she wouldn't have hesitated and felt so melancholy. Although her colleagues at UBS were all wonderful, the job simply didn't pay well.

Many colleagues had left in wave after wave, shifting careers into futures, spot commodities, foreign exchange, and so on.

Working in securities during a bear market was just too bitter.

"Forgive me, Amen."

Gu Su silently closed her eyes, a decision gradually forming in her mind. She would submit her resignation tomorrow.

Going to Shengxin to find Dragon Brother offered a far brighter future.

……

Water flows downward, and people strive to go higher.

Faced with Qin Miaotong's resignation, HSBC had actually been prepared for a long time. After all, ever since client Zhang Long had been reassigned to a gold-medal analyst before the New Year and completely closed his account to stop playing soon after, it had deeply broken the young woman's heart.

From the New Year holiday straight through to the post-holiday return to work, she had lacked any enthusiasm, just coasting along like a fisherman mending his nets on alternate days.

So they simply approved her paperwork—go ahead and leave.

On the other hand, Gu Su's resignation at UBS was somewhat more tortuous. First, a bunch of colleagues tried every possible way to persuade her to stay, and the department director flatly refused to nod—he simply wouldn't approve her departure.

"Boss, I've made up my mind."

Though Gu Su was usually cheerful and full of smiles, once she made a decision, she rarely changed it easily. "I want to take a break for a while. I'm a bit tired."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

The director shot Gu Su a disdainful look. "Is work at UBS that busy? You coast along during the day, never work overtime at night, your client trading volume is mediocre, and I've never seen you stressed about anything at the end of the month. What are you even tired from?"

Ahem, Gu Su felt slightly awkward.

Was that really her work attitude at UBS? Absolutely not, okay? She worked very hard.

"I really am tired."

She couldn't explicitly state that she was jumping ship to Shengxin; otherwise, it would hurt her boss's feelings too much. Gu Su straightened her pretty face. "Anyway, if you don't approve it, I'll just skip work and walk out. Whatever little friendship we have left will be gone, and from now on, you won't be seen as a good figure in my heart and eyes."

"In this world, apart from family, nobody belongs to anyone. Besides, it's not like UBS won't spin without me. Please let me go, have mercy on me."

When it came down to this, the head of UBS's trading department looked at Gu Su's resolute little face and let out a helpless sigh.

He actually quite liked this young woman; seeing her every day put him in a good mood—she was quite pleasing to the eye.

Although he had no other improper or romantic thoughts and had always treated her like a little sister, now that she was genuinely parting ways, he felt a lingering sense of melancholy and loss.

Being tired and wanting a rest was just an excuse; with his sharp eyes, she must have found a better place to go.

Never mind, it didn't matter anymore. Whether she continued in securities or shifted to futures, spot commodities, or foreign exchange—

If she wanted to go, let her go. In life, nothing should be forced.

……

March 29, Friday afternoon.

Since the last two days of the month happened to fall on the weekend, Qin Miaotong, Gu Su, and the others would arrive at Shengxin on Monday, April 1st. Zhang Long had already received confirmation—there were no surprises.

Anyone among these individuals who wasn't a fool knew that coming to Shengxin to follow Zhang Long meant a future stacked with both career prospects and wealth.

"Let's welcome Chairman Zhang to say a few words."

Amidst a round of applause, Zhang Long stepped up to the front of the stage, took a soft breath, and smiled. "The investment department's performance has begun to show initial signs of recovery this week. All things considered, our integration is nearly complete, and we will begin our conquest starting next month."

"New order bonuses, client deposit bonuses, trading volume bonuses, commissions, and so on—many of you present witnessed my performance volume back in September and October of last year."

"There's no problem making money in the stock industry; as long as the methods are proper, everyone can produce results."

"Today, the trading department is officially established."

Although next Monday marked the official beginning of April, the trading department could be established in advance. From then on, the investment department would focus exclusively on developing new client orders, while the trading department would concentrate entirely on maintaining those developed clients, encouraging additional deposits, and handling trades.

Specialization leads to mastery and better work.

"I hope everyone will keep pace in the upcoming process. Disregard the bear market; once Shengxin's performance picks up and steadily rises, we will inevitably expand into new teams. As the number of teams grows, we will promote directors to oversee them—for example, one director managing four to five teams."

"The same goes for the trading department."

Zhang Long's gaze was calm. "However, the core remains our frontline market investment department, because without clients being developed, what is there for the backend to maintain?"

"Today, I can make a promise: when the marketing department expands to 10 teams, promotions will happen!"

"Two director positions are up for grabs. Keep it up."

Clack, clack, clack—the six team leaders of Shengxin's market investment department were thrilled. After all, Vice Chairman Zhu was a company executive and wouldn't manage the investment department forever; just like in the past when Shengxin had a scale of over 10 teams, there had been directors overseeing them.

It was only later, during the bleak bear market and the gradual reduction of teams, that those positions were canceled. Now, the opportunity had arrived, and this was fantastic news. A promotion was far sweeter than a raise.

Director Long is awesome! Spring has finally arrived at Shengxin.

Following Dragon Brother meant eating meat and drinking soup. Everyone had been nearly starved by the bear market for so long.

The turning point had finally arrived, and Dragon Brother was forever the greatest!

PS: Begging for monthly votes with a 10,000-word daily output.