Chapter 82: A Win-Win Situation—Discarding All Shame

Lunch was, once again, on the house.

This made Zhang Long, who had just arrived at the meeting spot, silently apologize. This time the venue was a teahouse-style restaurant, and he had to admit that Caiying Qian always picked good places.

A window-side booth, tranquil surroundings.

...

"You really are something else."

No sooner had Zhang Long sat down than Caiying Qian, dressed smartly in white today, greeted him with a cold snort. "You keep some things even from your little girlfriend Liang Xue. What a waste."

"If I didn't think you had some ability, I'd tell Liang Xue not to have anything to do with you."

"Thank you for the compliment," Zhang Long replied with a fake smile and a shrug, offering no further explanation. He knew he would become even more of a nuisance in the future, and with Caiying Qian's temper, things could easily get explosive. Today, he needed to set some boundaries, just in case the wealthy Ms. Qian decided to go all out later.

"This is a draft of the partnership proposal."

Without unnecessary small talk, Caiying Qian handed over a printed document. Zhang Long glanced at it, then smiled faintly. "I'm afraid that's not going to work."

Caiying Qian was about to frown when Zhang Long waved his hand. "I've already opened a third account."

"No more slots to register at Hongze."

"What are you up to?" Caiying Qian was a bit surprised. Zhang Long had only been gone from Shengxin for a month, and he already had three stock accounts? How much capital did he have to split it like that? Unless he had tens of millions, it seemed unnecessary.

"In any case, no more accounts available," Zhang Long said, spreading his hands. "According to your plan, I can trade stocks on the Hongze platform, but I won't be responsible for any stock recommendations or reports. There'll be no other communication or interference between us."

"But the proposal needs amending. Any profits in the discretionary account go to me."

"You can keep all the commissions for Hongze."

Caiying Qian was about to protest, but Zhang Long interrupted her again. "Losses are not my concern! At least give me an account with a balance of ten million. If I wanted to cash out and run, you could always freeze the account from the back end."

"I'm not responsible for anything."

...

The partnership proposal Caiying Qian had drafted was no surprise to Zhang Long—it was the simplest form of discretionary management, which he could accept, as long as he bore no responsibility.

Whether this shrewd little mouse could manage the investment department well was her own problem.

With a discretionary account, if Zhang Long made a move, he would buy at least three to five stocks at a time; one might profit while the others broke even or lost.

He wouldn't be responsible for stock tips or any other notifications—it was up to Caiying Qian to handle things as she saw fit.

For example, if five stocks were bought today and Caiying Qian only managed to recommend one or two of them correctly, that was luck. If she guessed wrong, she had only herself to blame.

Zhang Long wouldn't make things too easy for Caiying Qian, but not too hard either.

With Liang Xue in the investment department as a buffer, feedback and control would be readily available.

As for how much profit the discretionary account made, it didn’t matter to Zhang Long. He already had three accounts making money and didn’t care about the little extra from Hongze. It was all by chance.

He would operate casually—bringing in hundreds of thousands to a million or so each month would suffice, and he could adjust at will.

Working with Caiying Qian was primarily a way to maintain a connection—a means of keeping up the relationship.

At the same time, it was a form of compensation.

Liang Xue’s move to Hongze wasn’t just about the job; she had a purpose. If Zhang Long eventually started his own firm, she would likely lead half of Hongze’s investment staff to jump ship. There was a high chance this would happen.

At the very least, those Shengxin employees who had followed Liang Xue to Hongze would almost certainly leave with her, he was confident of that.

Moreover, if Hongze’s performance secretly backed by Zhang Long improved, Liang Xue would know very well the real source of business wasn’t Hongze, but Zhang Long. She wouldn’t hesitate to leave.

Of course, this was just the initial plan, and adjustments would be made as circumstances changed.

...

"You’re really full of yourself."

Caiying Qian laughed, though there was more resignation than mockery. "Looks like I guessed right. You have a sixth sense—a sharp intuition for stocks. That’s enough."

"I’ll redraft the contract."

Sixth sense? Zhang Long was taken aback.

But seeing her put trust in him so readily, he didn’t dwell on it and spoke again.

"Ms. Qian, there’s one more thing."

She paused, and saw Zhang Long raise a finger. "For this partnership, you’ll owe me a favor. In the future, you’ll have to agree to do one thing for me. If you can’t accept this condition, the deal’s off. I guarantee it won’t put you in a difficult position."

A favor? One thing?

"Do you have no shame?" Caiying Qian’s face darkened. "You’re not satisfied with taking all the profits from the account? Now you want to squeeze a favor out of me too? You really are more dog than dragon, what a joke."

"No joke," Zhang Long shrugged. "Ms. Qian, whether you want me as a consultant or for discretionary management, you’ll earn more."

"Without me, I suspect Hongze’s November numbers won’t look so good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so insistent on keeping me, nor would you have offered Liang Xue such good terms to switch firms. You know the pros and cons."

"I’m not in a hurry—losing one account to play around with doesn’t matter to me."

Again, so infuriatingly confident.

...

Caiying Qian gritted her teeth. Every major firm in the industry struggled with performance. Shengxin had destroyed itself; if Hongze’s performance were good, the last few years wouldn’t have been so mediocre, and the company wouldn’t have ended up in Ling Zhiqing’s hands—currently not worth much.

With Zhang Long’s support in October, performance wasn’t explosive, but at least there were bright spots.

After he left in November, things fell apart.

Though still better than Shengxin’s situation, customer transactions and new business were both far worse than in October and the decline continued.

That’s why she was so determined not to let him go.

...

"Hey, I won!"

Afternoon, at Liang Xue’s one-bedroom apartment.

Zhang Long strode in as if he owned the place. As for the bet about meeting with Caiying Qian at lunch, Liang Xue remained indifferent—there was no wager the previous night anyway.

"Hmph, feet up," Liang Xue grunted while mopping the floor.

Zhang Long simply kicked off his slippers and half-reclined on the sofa, quite at ease.

He looked around at the tidy, spotless apartment, and thought about his own messy, grimy two-bedroom. No wonder Luo Man had complained about his sloppiness last time—the difference was like cloud and mud.

"It just doesn’t feel right."

After finishing the cleaning, Liang Xue placed a plate of freshly sliced fruit on the coffee table. "Hongze isn’t a big company. If I really do lead people to jump ship, Caiying Qian will lose it and come after you."

"Besides, I might not be able to establish enough authority in the department for people to follow me."

"It’s fine," Zhang Long shook his head. That’s why he wanted Caiying Qian to owe him a favor and agree to one request.

Perhaps things would change down the road, but for now, the plan was set—no room for sentimentality.

After all, business was just business.

Caiying Qian was in it for profit, not for any affection for Zhang Long. In this partnership, Hongze and Caiying Qian would only gain more, and if performance improved, they’d inevitably expand, so even if Liang Xue took half the team with her, it wouldn’t do lasting harm.

At worst, they’d just return to their previous size, but would have gained plenty of profit and resources in the meantime.

A win-win situation—Caiying Qian and Hongze would win first.

Then Zhang Long, Liang Xue, and their group would win next.