Chapter 10: A Once-in-a-Century Investment Genius?

Perhaps sensing the intense, probing gaze, Su Hao, in the distance, seemed to notice and subconsciously glanced in their direction.
But only for a moment, like a startled rabbit, he quickly and stiffly turned his head back, continuing to bury himself in his work.
"Should I... just go and ask?" Zhou Yi wondered.
"No way." He quickly dismissed the idea. "Even if I asked, it would probably be pointless."
This kid is slippery.
He's completely evasive about his relationship with that high-ranking chairman, refusing to utter a word.
When asked about his stroke of genius with ST Zhongrun last time, he simply attributed it to two words—"luck."
This kid clearly has no intention of sharing his investment "secrets," not even the basics of a demo account.
“But…” Zhou Yi watched Su Hao deftly perform the menial tasks—printing documents, distributing reports, even pouring coffee—his movements meticulous and earnest. ‘Even doing menial tasks, he’s working so hard…’
This stark contrast stirred Zhou Yi’s doubts and curiosity, like ripples spreading across a lake after a pebble was thrown in.
Su Hao.
Just who is this kid?
Could it be… that the chairman secretly discovered him, deliberately placing him at the grassroots level, preparing him to become a top talent who would one day achieve great things?
But looking at that unremarkable, even excessively shabby, resume… it doesn’t match up at all.
“No.”
Zhou Yi’s eyes narrowed sharply, and he made a decision instantly.
Since the other party was unwilling to be honest, he wasn’t the type to pry or force things.
Zhou Yi would never allow his team to have a useless person occupying a position without contributing anything.
However, he couldn't tolerate someone with extraordinary talent being buried in mundane tasks like serving tea, making copies, and so on!
That would be a desecration of talent! A crime against the company!
"It seems I have no choice but to personally intervene, use some methods, and forcefully pull him out of this quagmire..."
Although there was still a considerable amount of time before the afternoon trading session closed, Zhou Yi had already made up his mind.
He abruptly stood up from his chair, his burly body exuding an undeniable aura, and strode off in a specific direction.
***
"Bang—!"
A dull, resounding thud echoed, sending a chill down one's spine.
It was Manager Zhou Yi; as he left his seat, his large, fan-like hand seemed to slam heavily on the table.
Zhou Yi, his face dark, radiating a terrifyingly oppressive aura, strode out of the office.
His back view looked as if he were about to fight someone to the death.
Su Hao was even a little worried that the manager's bulging muscles might smash that poor desk to pieces.
"Wow... the manager seems pretty angry too," Li Huilin patted her chest, still shaken, and whispered to Su Hao.
"On a day like this, with the world collapsing, who can feel any joy?"
Su Hao gave a wry smile, then, remembering something, quickly lowered his voice:
"Sister Huilin, you taught me before, the key to survival in situations like today..."
"Hmm? You remembered it all? Tell me about it?" Li Huilin raised an eyebrow.
"First, never grin! Second, shoulders down, never puff out your chest! Third, lower your head and act like a subservient child, never make eye contact! Right?"
"That's right! You're teachable!" Li Huilin nodded approvingly. "Good memory, all my years of care and guidance haven't been in vain! Haha."
"That's for sure! I've made it this far thanks to Sister Huilin's careful guidance, hehe."
"Shh—!" Li Huilin quickly put her index finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, while nervously glancing around. "Keep your voice down! I said no laughing!"
Her tense appearance made Su Hao immediately stop smiling.
The atmosphere at the company today was indeed unusual.
Everyone looked like a thoroughly enraged bull, ready to charge at any moment, their eyes bloodshot to varying degrees.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung in the air, filled with hushed curses and irritable complaints.
“Speaking of which,” Su Hao touched his nose, somewhat puzzled, “the manager glared at me fiercely before leaving…have I done anything wrong lately?”
“Probably…” Li Huilin tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then guessed, “is it because you naturally have a rather…smiling face?”
“Uh…I’ll have to be careful.” Su Hao quickly composed himself, trying to appear even more “gloomy.”
Sigh, for powerless, low-level employees struggling at the bottom of the food chain, always at risk of being used as punching bags, the only way to survive in this storm of fear was to keep a low profile.
They prayed this damned storm would pass quickly, so they wouldn’t get splattered with blood.
"Sigh, I really want to get promoted to a full-fledged trader soon..."
Li Huilin sighed, then her eyes lit up as if she remembered something. "That's right! My demo account! I have to check it!"
Li Huilin frantically pulled up her demo trading account.
She only glanced at it.
Her face instantly fell, her features contorted in pain, like she'd swallowed a fly.
"It's over...!" she wailed. "I was too busy today and forgot to check the market... all the money in my demo account plummeted along with the battery stocks! I'm even losing money!"
Seeing her heartbroken and dejected appearance, Su Hao felt a surge of curiosity.
He casually opened his own demo account to see how he was doing.
He only glanced at the prominent candlestick chart and the numbers next to it.
He instantly gasped.
"Holy crap...!"
The blazing red, soaring candlestick chart, almost piercing the screen, made his heart skip a beat. He nearly cried out, instinctively covering his mouth with his hand.
Hearing his commotion and seeing his shocked expression, Li Huilin assumed he had suffered similar heavy losses. She quickly snapped out of her own grief, patted him on the shoulder, and kindly offered words of comfort:
"Su Hao, you lost money too? Don't be too sad, it's just a demo account, virtual money. Consider it tuition for practice, it's okay. Come on, let me see how much you lost..."
"Ah, Sister Huilin, um... you'd better not look..." Su Hao tried to stop her, his expression a little embarrassed.
"It's okay, it's okay, what's wrong with looking?" Li Huilin leaned in nonchalantly, "I won't laugh at you, let me see... Wow—!"
When her gaze focused on Su Hao's computer screen, and she saw the name of the stock and the glaring "+10%" next to it...
She let out a scream several times louder than when she lost money, her eyes wide open, as if she had seen a monster!
"Wait, wait a minute! The daily limit up? The GEM stock you bought... it hit the daily limit up?"
"I... I told you not to look..." Su Hao scratched his head helplessly.
Li Huilin stared at Su Hao from head to toe with an expression of utter disbelief, as if he were an alien. Her voice was filled with a shocking, mind-blowing disbelief:
"Su Hao…you, you tell me honestly, are you…you one of those legendary…once-in-a-century…investment geniuses?"
"No…I…"
"Aaaaah! How utterly embarrassing! I'm such an idiot!"
Before Su Hao could explain, Li Huilin suddenly covered her face with her hands, letting out a series of desperate wails:
"I actually, actually, for so many days, in front of someone like you…some kind of investment genius, flaunted my low-level, shallow, nonsensical introductory knowledge!! I was like a fish trying to teach a fish to swim! Like trying to teach a master swordsman to use his axe in front of Guan Yu!"
"No, no, Sister Huilin, really not!" Su Hao tried to explain, half-laughing and half-crying. "What you taught me all along has been really useful, golden advice! Invaluable experience! I've benefited immensely!"
"Waaaaah..." Li Huilin wouldn't listen, still immersed in immense shame. "You must have been laughing at me like crazy back then! Right? You must have been thinking, 'What a fucking idiot!'"
"Really not! Sister Huilin!"
"No way!" Li Huilin abruptly lowered her hand, looking at Su Hao with unusual determination, making a startling decision, "From today onwards! You! Su Hao! Protect me! I, Li Huilin, will follow you from now on!"
"Oh! Sister Huilin! Please forgive me! Stop it!" Su Hao was completely helpless, waving his hands and begging for mercy.
***
Meanwhile, in the director's office of the investment department.
"Mr. Li, may I have a few minutes of your time?" Zhou Yi knocked and entered, his voice as steady as ever.
“Hey, Zhou Yi.”
Director Li Jian, behind his desk, was overwhelmed by a pile of documents. He looked up at Zhou Yi, somewhat surprised:
“The trading session isn’t over yet. What’s the rush that’s got you here at this hour?”
“You know the market like this,” Zhou Yi walked over and sat down opposite him, “What can I do besides sit there and stare? I’ve already taken care of all the urgent matters.”
“Heh. True. So, what’s the rush?”
Zhou Yi didn’t beat around the bush. After sitting down, he got straight to the point:
"Mr. Li, I'd like to promote one of our new employees to a full-fledged trader."
"Hmm?" Li Jian, who was reaching for a water glass on the table, paused, raised an eyebrow, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes:
"I was just about to pour you a glass of water... You're really direct. Suddenly wanting to promote someone? I thought you were here because of this Indonesian nickel mine mess."
"Our department is alright," Zhou Yi said calmly, "We took precautions beforehand, so the losses weren't significant."
"Yeah, your department is alright... but those other bastards are a different story! Who knows how big a hole they're going to create this time... Damn it! I'm going to be driven crazy by these little brats sooner or later!"
At this, Li Jian's temper flared up again. He rubbed his throbbing temples in frustration:
“I’ve told them so many times, be cautious! Be cautious! They’re all like starving ghosts reincarnated, only focused on those tiny profits! They’re picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons!”
“Sigh, I can understand,” Zhou Yi replied nonchalantly, “Back then, the whole market thought it was a good opportunity.”
“Alright, alright, I know it’s not really your fault.”
Li Jian waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to continue this unpleasant topic. “It’s all those sons of bitches in Indonesia’s fault, stirring up trouble for no reason, messing around with production cuts!”
Taking a breath, he turned his gaze back to Zhou Yi, asking with a scrutinizing tone:
“So, who did you say you wanted to promote? In your department… is there any newcomer who’s qualified enough? I don’t remember.”
“A young man who just joined not long ago,” Zhou Yi replied.
"Haven't been here long?" Li Jian's eyes sharpened instantly. He leaned forward slightly.
"Wait... Zhou Yi, you're not talking about... that 'princeling' who was forced in by the higher-ups, are you?"
"Yes, Mr. Li." Zhou Yi nodded calmly, his expression unchanged.
Hearing this affirmative answer, Li Jian's expression instantly became extremely strange.
He looked his trusted subordinate, known for his straightforwardness and disdain for scheming, up and down, his tone filled with disbelief and undisguised sarcasm:
"Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi... you're something else! You've really impressed me! What? I didn't realize you'd started learning to read the situation, knowing to curry favor and choose sides?"
The sarcasm in his words was almost palpable.
It's no wonder he made that connection.
A complete newcomer, hired through connections and less than a week into the job, with no track record and no experience, is being promoted to a full-fledged trader responsible for handling large sums of money and taking on independent risks?
This is absolutely unprecedented in the hierarchical and meritocratic history of Fanghuan Investment!
Who would believe it if it weren't to curry favor with the person behind the "crown prince"?
"You misunderstand, Mr. Li."
However, facing Mr. Li's barbed questioning, Zhou Yi's expression remained as calm as a deep pool:
"My request to promote him is not for that reason."
"Oh? Why is that? Could it be that this 'young master' is actually a once-in-a-century investment genius, overlooked and unrecognized?"
Li Jian raised his eyebrows even higher, his tone more suspicious:
"Because you, his discerning mentor, have recognized his talent, is that why you're so eager to give him a ladder to instant success?"
Zhou Yi met Li's gaze and nodded firmly:
"Yes."
"...What the hell?" Li Jian wondered if he'd misheard, rubbing his ears.
Zhou Yi, however, seemed oblivious to his reaction, repeating clearly in a statement of fact:
"I said, he is indeed someone with exceptional talent and intuition in investment."
Li Jian was completely stunned, mouth agape, staring blankly at Zhou Yi.
He knew his subordinate, Zhou Yi, all too well.
This guy had absolutely no sense of humor, as rigid as a granite block, always serious, uncompromising, and utterly authoritative, no matter the time or place.
"Since he said that with such certainty..."
"You...what makes you so sure?" Li Jian's voice involuntarily turned serious.
"This newcomer, Su Hao, has participated in two of our internal simulated investment assessments since joining the company."
Zhou Yi said, taking a printed document from a folder he had brought with him and handing it over.
"These are the results reports from the two assessments."
Li Jian took the document with some skepticism, his gaze falling on the paper.
One glance was enough to make his pupils contract sharply, his face contorting with disbelief and shock:
"What? ST Zhongrun, with its consecutive limit-up days... and now... GEM? These two... these two biggest speculative stocks in the market recently... were both picked by him, that newcomer?"
"Yes," Zhou Yi nodded in confirmation. "Although he insists it was just good luck. But, Mr. Li, when you personally mentored me, didn't you often say something like this?"
He paused, looking into Li Jian's eyes, and said, word by word:
"You said—one success could be luck, but hitting the right point twice in a row at crucial moments is definitely not just luck; there must be some inevitability behind it."
This kid... of all times, he had to bring up old grievances to shut him up!
Li Jian felt a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples, slammed the report on the table, and asked in a deep voice:
"Zhou Yi, this is no small matter! Can you bear this responsibility? What if it turns out you were wrong, and this kid has squandered all the company's money?"
"Mr. Li, wasn't he someone the chairman personally invited and specially arranged to come in?"
A barely perceptible smile seemed to appear on Zhou Yi's lips:
"If something goes wrong, I'm sure the chairman... will personally handle it and resolve it properly, won't he?"
"You—! You brat!" Li Jian almost choked on his words.
Zhou Yi, however, seemed oblivious to Mr. Li's expression, continuing with an innocent look that seemed to say, "I'm doing this entirely for the company's sake," and "I strictly followed your instructions," adding:
"Besides, I learned this from you. Didn't you teach me not to put all my eggs in one basket? My own basket will continue to follow your advice, only investing in low-risk 'safe assets'."
The implication was that even if Su Hao messed up, Zhou Yi's own part would be sound and wouldn't cause major problems.
Responsibility? The bulk of the blame would naturally fall on the chairman who had brought in the people.
"..."
Looking at Zhou Yi's serious face and listening to his earnest nonsense and effortless shifting of blame, Li Jian finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, exasperated by this stubborn and cunning guy.
"...Get lost!" he cursed irritably, but that was tantamount to acquiescing.
Zhou Yi.
This kid, still the same as before, stubborn and single-minded, but at crucial moments, he really knows how to grasp the key points and use leverage.
Well then, let's see what kind of trouble this "crown prince" who he values ​​so much can stir up.