Chapter 19: You dare touch the imperial relatives?

Like all private equity firms, Fanghuan Investment places paramount importance on risk control, bordering on obsessive sensitivity.
They pursue long-term, stable returns, not fleeting short-term windfalls.
Because everyone knows that trying to get rich overnight in the stock market is like running naked into a casino.
The end of greed often leads to devastating losses that can destroy everything.
Therefore, Fanghuan Investment always adheres to cold, hard mathematical models, betting only where the risk is lowest and the return is most secure.
Like a sophisticated pump, they attempt to steadily extract profits from the market's dynamics.
And precisely because of this, once traders get carried away and start losing control of losses,
the risk control managers, with their eagle-like eyes constantly glued to the screen, will not hesitate to press the "pause" button, cutting off the chain of losses with swift and ruthless action.
"Well, another day of wailing and howling."
Manager Zhang Wei rubbed his temples. A heavy atmosphere, a mixture of coffee, cigarette smoke, and despair, filled the office.
The continuous decline seemed endless.
While some skilled traders could profit from short selling, it was ultimately a high-stakes gamble, a test of both keen insight and daring.
After all, a decline isn't a straight line; it's a constant back-and-forth between rebounds and drops. A slight miscalculation could mean a real financial loss.
Zhang Wei had just frozen several traders' accounts when the internal phone on his desk rang shrilly. The name "Liang Haiyuan" flashed on the screen.
【“Zhang! You suspended my trading?!”】 The voice on the other end was like a thunderclap.
"Hmm." Zhang Wei's tone was flat, as if he were commenting on the weather. "Liang Haiyuan, your account has already lost 4%. According to the rules, you have to stop."
[“Bullshit! How many years have I been doing short-term trading? We old guys can hold on until 5%, right? Give me some face!”]
Liang Haiyuan's voice was filled with impatience and disbelief.
“The market isn't good today, don't get carried away.” Zhang Wei's voice remained calm, carrying a businesslike indifference:
“That's enough for today. Calm down, it's better for everyone.”
[“You! You fucking…”]
Click.
Zhang Wei hung up before the other party could finish his curse.
He didn't want to hear another word.
But this was just the beginning.
Immediately afterward, the traders whose trading privileges he had cut off started calling in one after another, wailing and screaming.
[“Zhang Wei! Can you give me another chance? Just 1%! Give me another 1%! I promise I can win it back! Really!”]
A voice, trembling with tears, sounded like a gambler who had lost everything.
[“Old Zhang! Save me, brother! If I don’t make any money today, I’m packing my bags and leaving this month!”]
This one sounded even more pitiful, directly playing the victim.
Zhang Wei listened expressionlessly, thinking to himself: These guys are really no different from those gamblers who have lost all their money and are trying to borrow more to win it back.
Of course, he wasn’t entirely unable to understand their situation.
The job of a trader sounds glamorous, but in reality, it’s no different from being a freelancer.
They sign personal contracts with companies and share profits according to a percentage.
This is why news of exorbitant salaries occasionally breaks.
But what if there's no profit?
What if there's even a loss?
The lost amount will be deducted proportionally from future bonuses.
Or, they might be fired outright.
Cold rules, devoid of any emotion.
The financial industry is that ruthless.
And in risk management, it's even more cold and unyielding.
Perhaps a trader is currently down 3%, but given time, they could indeed turn things around.
But the cold statistics mercilessly point out that in most cases, they will only lose more.
Because once their mindset is unbalanced, their judgment becomes clouded, leading to even worse trades, like sinking deeper into quicksand.
Therefore, every trader has a preset loss threshold. Once reached, the system automatically alerts, the risk manager manually confirms, and trading is immediately halted! No room for negotiation!
“Sigh, I can’t help it, it’s my duty,” Zhang Wei said calmly, his fingers flying across the keyboard, processing the next alert.
If he, as the risk manager, failed to supervise effectively, leading to escalating losses,
the ultimate responsibility would be a severe blow to Zhang Wei’s head in the form of a performance review, enough to completely destroy his career.
“Hmm?”
Just as Zhang Wei was routinely dealing with these frantic tasks, suddenly, his brow furrowed.
His gaze was drawn to a frantically flashing alert in the corner of the monitor. The red notification was beating rapidly, like a heart attack, far exceeding the normal level in both intensity and frequency.
His eyes widened in shock.
“What the hell is this?!”
The screen displayed an outrageous operation: someone had used a massive five million RMB!
And—completely ignoring all risk control, they had poured all their funds into a single futures contract like water being poured on it!
Not only that, this person was making dizzying buy and sell transactions, fluctuating wildly, almost instantaneously, every second!
“Holy crap! Where did this lunatic come from?!” Zhang Wei’s heart pounded, and he blurted out.
Short-term trading?
No problem.
Many traders make trades every few seconds; it’s part of their basic skills.
But!
Using 100% of his capital, without any diversification, betting solely on futures, and doing this kind of ultra-high-frequency short-term trading?
This suicidal approach was unheard of in his entire career!
It’s like throwing your life away!
Pure suicide!
“Wait, this guy…”
Zhang Wei instinctively wanted to click “Terminate Trade,” he had to stop this guy before he squandered five million RMB!
However, when his gaze fell on the name of the crazed trader, his movements abruptly stopped, his fingertip hovering over the button.
"Su Hao... is that the guy from last time?"
Memories flashed back instantly.
He was that new trader, also employing zero-risk management, investing in only three stocks, yet inexplicably achieving astonishing returns.
Back then, he'd wanted to warn him, but Zhou Yi from the trading department stopped him, saying, "Don't worry about it."
Zhou Yi had also given him a meaningful warning: if he was really curious, he should ask his direct supervisor, Manager Pan from the Risk Management Department.
But then he got busy and forgot. He never expected this to happen today…
“…” Zhang Wei stared at the frantically jumping numbers on the screen, then glanced at the name “Su Hao,” a vague feeling of unease creeping over him.
An intuition prevented him from pressing the stop button, a chill running down his spine.
He took a deep breath, stood up, and strode quickly towards the office of Pan Xun, the Risk Management Department Manager.
“Manager,” Zhang Wei’s voice was a little hoarse.
“Hmm? What is it?” Pan Xun didn’t even look up, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
“Someone… uh… used all their capital, about five million, to do high-frequency short-term trading on a single gold futures contract.”
“Oh?” Pan Xun paused slightly. “Gold prices were doing quite well today. As long as the risk was managed properly, it wouldn’t be a big deal…”
“The problem is,” Zhang Wei interrupted, his voice even lower, “he didn’t do any risk management whatsoever. Five million, all in at once, all out again, repeatedly.”
Before he finished speaking, Pan Xun abruptly looked up, his face ashen, slammed his hand on the table, and growled:
“Isn’t that insane?! And you still have time to ask me?! Stop it right now?! What are you waiting for?! Have you lost your mind?” His face trembled with agitation.
“Yes, I was planning to do that too,” Zhang Wei continued, forcing a smile, “but the operator was that new… trader. Manager, do you know him?”
“What? A newcomer?” Pan Xun frowned.
It’s a private equity firm; newcomers coming and going is normal.
But if the person who pulled off such a shocking move was a new trader…
His face, previously contorted with anger, suddenly cooled as if doused with ice water.
The anger subsided, replaced by a coldness and gravity.
“That trader, is his name Su Hao?” he asked in a deep voice, his previous anger gone.
“Yes, it’s him. He was the same one last time, buying three stocks with zero risk control. I wanted to warn him, but Zhou Yi from the trading department stopped me, saying it was fine.”
Zhang Wei nodded quickly, adding:
“He also said… if I was really curious, I could just ask you.”
“…” Pan Xun’s expression turned extremely grim, shifting between light and shadow, as if he were chewing on something bitter.
Zhang Wei cautiously observed his superior’s expression, his ominous premonition growing stronger.
It was an expression mixed with embarrassment, helplessness, and even a hint of… apprehension.
After a long pause, Pan Xun finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse: "...Ignore him."
"Huh?" Zhang Wei was stunned. "But...that's five million! Are we just going to let him run wild like that?"
"Yes." Pan Xun's tone was resolute, carrying an undeniable weariness: "It's better for you and for me."
What kind of talk was that?
Zhang Wei was completely dumbfounded.
Normally, this manager would have been furious, wanting nothing more than to rush over and smash that man's computer!
Looking at Zhang Wei's bewildered eyes, Pan Xun lowered his voice, leaned closer, and almost whispered:
“That trader… was someone… placed there by higher-ups.”
“Ah…could it be…”
Zhang Wei instantly understood, his heart sank, and a terrifying guess surfaced in his mind.
“You’re right.” Pan Xun’s gaze was sharp as a knife, full of “you know what I mean”: “It’s that kind!”
A crony!
The crown prince!
Royal relative!
No wonder!
No wonder Zhou Yi said those things!
Zhang Wei’s mind suddenly cleared, but he also felt a chill.
“I think that old fox Zhou Yi probably doesn’t know how to handle this either, so he’s just letting it run its course.”
Pan Xun continued in a low voice, his tone tinged with helplessness and apprehension:
“Even the trading department is hesitant to touch this hot potato. If our risk management department rashly intervenes and something goes wrong… we’ll all be finished! Do you understand what I mean?”
“But… what if he loses all the money? Won’t the higher-ups hold us responsible for our risk management negligence?”
Zhang Wei was still worried.
The risk was too great!
“We can only pray that that doesn’t happen.” Pan Xun sighed:
“What else can we do? Stop his trading now? Okay, go ahead and stop it. Can you handle the trouble that follows?”
“I… can’t.” Zhang Wei honestly admitted.
Let alone a mere supervisor like him, even Pan Xun, the manager, probably couldn’t handle it.
“Then pretend you didn’t see it.” Pan Xun patted his shoulder, his tone softening slightly:
“Xiao Zhang, you’ve worked so hard all these years, it’s not easy. Don’t ruin your future over this, it’s not worth it.”
The manager’s words were like ice water poured over him. Zhang Wei silently returned to his seat, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
His heart was still pounding wildly, as if it would jump out of his throat.
What if… what if he hadn’t been able to hold back and pressed the stop button…
“Phew—” He let out a long breath, just thinking about the consequences made his scalp tingle, a wave of fear washing over him.