Chapter 90: A Sharp Plunge, Is It? Then Catch It!

He set his take-profit and stop-loss, then headed out.

Zhang Long did not place his take-profit at the rebound high of 6,410, but at 6,400 instead. That round number was the sort of level ordinary people naturally thought of; there was no need to try to catch every last tick.

As for how the spot market would move after the take-profit in the evening, that could wait until he came back. Opportunities were never in short supply.

...

“How have you been lately?”

“Not bad. Pretty good.”

After crossing the river by boat, Zhang Long went straight to a leisure cafe and took a seat by the window. The person he had arranged to meet was his former superior, Chairman Zhu. As for why they were meeting, he already understood.

“I heard you’ve been studying for your driver’s license and the CFA lately. How is it? Confident about passing both?”

“Mm, no problem.”

Zhang Long took a light sip of hot water and smiled faintly at Chairman Zhu. “I’ll say it first. I’m definitely not going back to Shengxin. Don’t waste your effort.”

“As for anything else, we can talk about it later.”

His bluntness, and his decision to cut off the conversation at the root, left Chairman Zhu stunned and rather speechless.

He wouldn’t even hear the conditions before refusing?

“Don’t you want to hear the terms?”

Zhang Long shrugged and shook his head. “No terms could be better than the freedom I have right now. Could Shengxin offer me a salary of over ten million a month, with complete freedom to clock in and out whenever I want? If so, I’d certainly agree.”

“If I didn’t, I’d be a fool.”

“The fool would be the one offering those terms.”

Chairman Zhu could not help snapping back irritably. “Shengxin doesn’t even earn ten million in a whole year, and you want ten million a month? Only someone dreaming in broad daylight would think of that.”

“Do you hate Shengxin that much?”

“No. I don’t hate it.”

Zhang Long shrugged again. “I don’t hold any grudge against either Chairman You or Shengxin. It’s just that it conflicts with my personal plans. To be honest, I’ve already opened my own account and started trading stocks on my own. I can’t go back to the industry now.”

“So I’m sorry.”

Hearing this, Chairman Zhu frowned. “Having the ability to analyze objectively doesn’t mean you can make money trading on your own. Haven’t you understood that after so long at Shengxin?”

“Before long, you’ll get trapped in it too.”

...

Whether it was the stock market, futures, funds, or foreign exchange, there were indeed a few retail investors who made real money, but they were vanishingly rare. Even if one made a profit ninety-nine times, a single loss that was not cut in time could trap them completely.

That was why no platform truly worried about customers making money. In truth, it was almost impossible for them to be the ones left out.

Even if you started out winning, all it took was one moment of carelessness and one disastrous loss, and you were finished. Everyone in the industry knew that.

Zhang Long might have decent objective analysis skills, but that did not mean he would trade well on his own. Even if he could make money for the first three months, what about six months, or a year?

A steady job, high pay, and a high position were still the most cost-effective and the most sustainable choice.

As someone who had been through it all, Chairman Zhu had eaten more salt than Zhang Long had eaten rice. That was no exaggeration at all.

“It’s fine. If I lose, I’ll take the loss.”

Zhang Long let out a soft breath. “Maybe in your eyes I’m the kind of person who won’t turn back until he hits the wall, but who in their youth doesn’t want to fight for their future?”

“Whether I work for someone else or trade stocks, it’s all a life choice. At the very least, I’ve struggled for what I want.”

“As for the outcome, I won’t regret it.”

Hearing that, Chairman Zhu knew Zhang Long would never return to Shengxin, nor would he go to work for any other company for the time being. He had set his mind on wading into the muddy waters of the stock market himself, even if it meant breaking his head and bleeding for it.

Yes, who in their youth did not want to make a real push for their future, to pursue a better and freer life? It was just that very few succeeded, and most were left scarred.

Would Zhang Long be an exception? No one knew. Even if the probability of failure was as high as 99.99 percent, so what?

He had tried. He had fought. He would not regret it.

“All right then. I wish you success.”

Some things were better said face to face, which was why Zhang Long had come in person. Seeing that persuasion was impossible, Chairman Zhu no longer insisted that he return to Shengxin and instead offered his blessings.

As for whether he could succeed, that would depend on Zhang Long’s own skill and luck. His blessings alone meant nothing.

“Thank you, Chairman You. The same to you.”

Zhang Long smiled and returned the blessing sincerely.

...

“Impressive, Brother Long has taken profit.”

“At 6,400, just as it hit that level.”

After finishing his chat with Chairman Zhu, Zhang Long returned home after stopping downstairs for dinner on the way. He did not even need to check the market screen to know the position had already been closed at take-profit. Without hesitation, he immediately opened a 50-lot short position and did not even ask Huayin.

The previous rebound had been predicted to stop at 6,410, which meant upward momentum was insufficient. In other words, shorting was not a bad call; it was worth taking a blind gamble on.

Predictions for spot trading did not follow any fixed time cycle. They only depended on swing profits, and the time span could be long or short.

As for how far the drop would go, the natural target was 6,300. But should he add to the position if it showed profit along the way?

Zhang Long scratched his head. No, he would not.

Seeing 6,300 and actually being able to fall to 6,300 were not the same thing. Unless Huayin sent him an operation suggestion to forecast it, he could not be sure.

“Damn, that’s aggressive.”

“He didn’t wait to see whether it could climb back near yesterday’s 6,450 before shorting? He’s addicted, isn’t he?”

“Too strong. Absolutely insane.”

Faced with Zhang Long opening another 50-lot short position not long after just taking profit, the Huayin trading department had nothing but amazement and exclamations. What else could they say about someone this independent and this aggressive? As long as he didn’t lose too badly and die on the spot, then good for him.

The customer had a great time trading, and Wang Jing, the adviser, was making commissions and enjoying herself too. It was infuriatingly enviable.

It was no longer merely envy, but jealousy.

Zhang Long was a client who had made the appointment himself through the official website, and by coincidence he had been assigned to Wang Jing. That was how the rule worked for self-referred clients.

But most of the time, even if such visiting clients successfully opened an account and deposited funds, the amount was only in the hundreds of thousands.

And when they traded, they were miserly and painfully slow.

Not like Zhang Long, who was independent, bold, and traded in large size.

Wang Jing had landed such a client for free. Yesterday her commission had already broken two thousand, and today it looked like it would be plenty more. If nothing went wrong, in a month she would at least make tens of thousands.

Jealous eyes were turning red.

...

“Jing, I’m jealous.”

“Treat us this weekend, okay?”

Faced with her colleagues’ noisy teasing, Wang Jing could only cough awkwardly and smile before nodding. When others made a lot of money, they also treated people, so naturally she would not be an exception.

The only difference was that the others usually had not picked up a great client for free, whereas her Zhang Long really had fallen into her lap.

The department director had the authority to assign major clients to employees who managed them well, but that referred only to clients developed by the front-end marketing team, not self-referred ones.

Self-referred clients varied widely in size, and it mostly came down to luck. This time, landing Zhang Long was pure luck.

Luck, when it handed something to you for free, often made people more jealous than earning a client through sheer ability and getting them to add capital and trade more.

Even in a workplace full of warmth and smiles, that was still how it went.

“Huh? Brother Long didn’t add to the position?”

Suddenly, the latest client trade screenshot flashed in the group chat, and a colleague voiced confusion. It was eight o’clock now, and silver had fallen again from 6,400 to below 6,350, but Zhang Long had not added while in profit. That was a little unexpected.

“Normal. He’s being cautious.”

“No one knows whether it’ll drop all the way to 6,300.”

Just like that, silver kept falling until before the U.S. market opened, when it reached around 6,300. Out!

Zhang Long’s 50-lot short position, after subtracting spread, fees, and other costs, made a net profit of about 80 points, two hundred thousand!

“Beep, beep beep~”

Zhang Long asked a question over chat, and when Wang Jing saw that he was asking whether to expect a rebound or further decline, she only thought for a moment before typing out a suggestion for him.

Go long!

“What the hell is rising?”

Zhang Long shuddered, baring his teeth in disbelief. The prediction result was utterly unexpected.

It plunged. A complete collapse!

As soon as the U.S. market opened, it crashed hard.

No need to wait for a third prediction. This plunge alone would net him another three hundred thousand, which meant his goal of making five hundred thousand in net profit today had already been achieved ahead of schedule.

So what about the remaining third prediction?

Why not raise the target a little and grab a rebound after the drop? If there was money to make, he’d make it. If not?

Then he would use the third prediction and fight his way back.