Chapter 21: September Income

Daybreak, September 28.

The trading on the last day of the month was rather sluggish; some clients chose to refrain from further action. With the nine-day suspension looming for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, few wished to risk any losses before the market closed. Zhang Long understood and did not push.

…

“Sister Zhang…” Zhang Long’s tone was relaxed. “If you’re itching to trade, just make a move today. But it’s best not to hold any positions by the close, whether in profit or loss. Nine days of suspension is too unpredictable.”

“Alright, got it.” Zhang Lizhen replied with a smile, following Zhang Long’s stock recommendation to make her purchase. What was special about this Friday? Lately, she’d been doing intraday trades, selling before the afternoon close. There were wins and losses, but overall, she was steadily making money, and that was enough.

Long-term and short-term trades both aim for profit, and with intraday operations, she could avoid the anxiety of holding overnight. No positions meant sleeping peacefully. Unlike before, when stocks trapped in her portfolio would trouble her every time she looked at them, leading to sleepless nights. Now, she had completely bid farewell to insomnia; intraday trading was king.

“Brother Chen…” Zhang Long analyzed rationally, “As the holidays approach, volatility will be intense. It’s best not to hold new positions before the afternoon close, to avoid unknown risks.”

“Short-term trading is about quick in and out, mainly catching rebounds after a drop. Don’t be greedy.”

“Just keep pace and follow the rhythm.”

Chen Youwei remained noncommittal. He’d heard these lines a thousand times as a veteran trader, but Zhang Long’s short-term trading was intriguing. He’d followed for three days, and at least by the close, he was up. Not bad—the market sense was sharp.

“Sister Qian…” Zhang Long smacked his lips and laughed. “First off, happy holidays. Let’s end today on a high note. Watch for brief notifications this afternoon, so you don’t miss the selling window.”

“Your five and a half million turned into six and a half—that’s the advantage of big capital. No need to thank me.”

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to work.”

…

All morning, Zhang Long was on the phone.

Currently, more than thirty active trading clients were under his name. Handling calls alone was overwhelming, so many clients who trusted him completely would follow his stock recommendations sent by brief messages, make their purchases, and then wait for Zhang Long’s follow-up call, so as not to miss the right moment.

Otherwise, if every trade required a phone call, he would never keep up, no matter how hard he worked.

This kind of discipline was reserved for those who fully trusted Zhang Long—simple and efficient.

Of course, without continuous profits, and with daily stock recommendations being ambiguous, most clients wouldn’t pay much attention. After all, the advice was always something like “focus on the rebound,” vague at best.

If they really just “focused,” they’d miss out on profits and regret it later.

Now, more and more clients were joining the ranks of those who fully trusted Zhang Long. To them, his daily stock recommendations were a treasure trove; they executed them strictly.

“Thank you, Xiao Zhang.”

“I’ll recommend you to my friends during the holiday, bring you some new clients.”

“Thank you, Brother Wang.”

Zhang Long was calm and indifferent. This wasn’t the first time someone offered to introduce clients, nor would it be the last. While human nature is to profit alone, it’s also natural to show off success, or sincerely try to help friends escape their losses. Motives vary.

However, Zhang Long never initiated requests for client referrals himself. After all, he wouldn’t be doing this much longer.

October and November.

It didn’t matter if new clients came in—two months were enough to help all his previously trapped and losing clients recoup their losses, then leave without any burdens. For once, he could play the good guy, call it doing a good deed.

Life can afford to pause for two months.

…

“Sister Xue, how’s it going?”

Zhang Long was spirited, full of anticipation.

The market had closed, marking the end of September’s performance. After making a few wrap-up calls to clients, he was no longer busy. Meanwhile, Liang Xue was tallying his performance—capital inflows and trading commissions.

“Phew, very nice.” Liang Xue let out a soft breath and looked up, her bright eyes shining. “Total inflow just over twenty million, total commission a bit over two hundred and fifty thousand. Do the math—you’ve made quite a bit.”

At her words, Zhang Long immediately felt at ease. By the end of the first three weeks, the inflow was about fifteen million.

The fourth week had seen a considerable boost, though many clients withdrew funds yesterday, so after the additions and subtractions, it settled at twenty million—which was still substantial.

Trading commissions: thirteen thousand in three weeks, and unexpectedly, twelve thousand in the fourth. Worth celebrating.

The investment department awarded weekly and monthly bonuses, mainly based on inflows and trading volume.

Zhang Long had won both in previous weeks.

Tomorrow was Saturday, but with the Mid-Autumn Festival make-up work, both weekly and monthly awards would be presented. With such outstanding results, he would certainly receive a generous bonus.

Cash awards are tax-free, unlike commission deductions. With a total commission of two hundred and fifty thousand, at thirty-five percent, that’s about eighty-seven and a half thousand.

Personal income tax is tiered, starting at three percent for amounts over thirty-five hundred, up to forty-five percent for amounts above eighty-three and a half thousand. For the range between thirty-five hundred and eighty-three and a half thousand, the total tax deduction is twenty-two and a half thousand. Right.

Everyone has a duty to contribute to the nation’s development.

Zhang Long returned to his desk and calculated. Base salary plus commission after tax totaled around seventy thousand, and cash awards for weekly and monthly achievements came to roughly fifteen thousand, for a final sum of eighty-five thousand.

“Huh, not quite a hundred thousand?”

Zhang Long grumbled inwardly—so little.

Working hard by day and overtime at night, a month’s sweat only amounted to eighty-five thousand. Truly, employment is the most exhausting. Never mind, just two more months to endure.

October and November—finish the job and leave.

…

“Lively.”

That night, after dinner, Zhang Long didn’t go home immediately but wandered along the Bund. The initial thrill of moving to a new city had faded, but occasional relaxation, breathing the river breeze and watching the bustling crowds, was pleasant.

The Magic City—brilliant and splendid.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day approaching, at least half the crowd were tourists, and the proportion would rise during the holidays. The streams of people were immense.

But Zhang Long wasn’t one to join the crowd; he wouldn’t squeeze into the festival throng. Staying home was just fine.

Reading, binge-watching, gaming—perfectly satisfactory.

“Hmm hmm hmm…”

On a bench, Zhang Long absentmindedly scrolled through his phone. His mind was distracted; he’d felt inexplicable restlessness last week, and now, with the week’s work finished and fully relaxed, that restlessness grew.

He scrolled to his chat window with Luo Man—the last message was from mid-month, reporting home safely after a trip to the amusement park. Since then, no contact; silence.

He’d seen Luo Man several times in the first half of the month, gone out together for two weekends, without thinking much of it.

Last week, there was no reaction; this week, still nothing—so he was starting to overthink, inexplicably.

“Phew, fishing, is it…”

Zhang Long exhaled, shook his head to clear the restlessness. Luo Man’s recent posts were work-related, nothing else.

“Alright, hold it in.”

He stood up and went home.

Luo Man’s sudden silence, unless it was purely for previous card performance, suggested ulterior motives—a classic case of fishing.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so close and friendly at the amusement park, then become completely indifferent afterward.

It was a matter of who would crack first.

Men are naturally drawn to beauty; even seeing a stranger on the street, they can’t help but glance. Let alone former classmates or colleagues—easy proximity breeds affection, even feelings.

As for Luo Man, he had felt attraction in university; she was, after all, the prettiest girl in class. But knowing the gap, he hadn’t dwelled on it.

Now, even with a soul replaced, Zhang Long wouldn’t deny that if he really wanted a relationship, it’d be fine.

Of course, he would never take the initiative.

If Luo Man really was interested, whether for money or for him, it didn’t matter. In this age of casual marriages and divorces, thinking too far ahead is pointless.

If it’s suitable, and they get along, that’s enough.