Chapter 24: Employee of the Month!

The end of the month is traditionally a day when smiles light up the faces of working people.
After all, who doesn't eagerly await the moment their paycheck arrives after a month of hard work?
This is especially true for the traders at Fanghuan Investment.
It's their day to see their results and receive their rewards; theoretically, everyone should be beaming with joy.
Of course, the thought of having to crawl to work on this damned Saturday inevitably dampens the joy, leaving a slight unease.
However, the atmosphere today is particularly strange; an unusually heavy atmosphere permeates the office.
"Hey guys, let's hear from you... which department met their targets this month?"
"Met targets? Dream on! The market's been like a freefall this month!"
"We should be grateful for any positive returns! I heard most departments lost a fortune, all negative figures!"
As usual, performance rankings are announced at the end of the month—which team came out on top, which trader was the star of the month.
The company will naturally reward the top-performing teams and individuals handsomely.
However, if the entire team suffers heavy losses, or fails to even reach the company's minimum monthly target, even if you're the best of the worst, you'll receive nothing.
The company's internal "passing grade" is a 5% monthly return, with expected targets between 5% and 15%.
But frankly, teams that can achieve 15% in a month are extremely rare. Unless there's a once-in-a-century bull market, this target is basically a pipe dream.
Moreover, this month, the market trend has been entirely volatile and downward, making trading extremely difficult.
Pessimistic predictions have already spread throughout the office: It's estimated that you can't even find a single department that can reach the 5% passing grade!
"Have you heard? Even those options department bigwigs who used to be rolling in money have suffered a major setback this time!"
"Hey, those bastards, they're usually like they're on vacation at work, incredibly lazy. But this month, they're all working like crazy, putting in overtime every day. Why? Because things are really urgent!"
"Holy crap, how much did they lose? I bet nobody expected the market to get this volatile!"
"Isn't it all because of that recent nickel ore saga? They've probably gotten a real taste of the market's 'risk'!"
"I mean, do we even have time to worry about others? Our own department is the hardest hit! I bet not a single department can meet their targets!"
So, basically, everyone's tacitly agreeing to give up.
This month's "Best Trader of the Month" award is definitely vacant; as for the bonus, forget about it.
"Huh? Wait... what's this?"
Just then, the company's OA system popped up with a company-wide announcement.
The title read: "Notice Regarding the Announcement of the Best-Performing Team in the Trading Department This Month."
"What the hell?! In this market crash, someone can actually make money?!"
"They even met their performance targets?! Really? Are you kidding me?"
A group of traders, their faces filled with disbelief, frantically rushed to their computers and clicked on the glaring announcement.
They wanted to see which phenomenal team could defy the odds in this hellish environment.
Upon closer inspection—
[Monthly Best Team—Transaction Department One]
"Department One? Wait…Department One is…"
"The department Zhou Yi leads?!"
"Holy crap! Old Zhou is amazing! How did that bastard manage that? He's usually so quiet, but he's been secretly making a fortune?!"
In everyone's memory, Zhou Yi was a quirky oddball with a barely noticeable presence.
The department managers' group dinner?
He didn't go, saying he was afraid of gaining weight and affecting his muscle definition.
He was usually very taciturn, like a silent gourd.
Who would have thought that while the rest of the department was in turmoil, his department was secretly counting money?
Not a single word leaked out!
"Wait a minute! Guys, do you think…could this be related to that?" A well-informed guy suddenly lowered his voice.
"Which one?"
"That... 'Young Master'! Wasn't he assigned to Old Zhou's department a while ago?"
"Oh—! Holy crap, you mean...insider manipulation? Resource allocation?"
"Exactly! What's even more outrageous is that Old Zhou actually promoted that 'Young Master' to a full-fledged trader in no time! That's...perfect timing for clinging to his coattails!"
Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to instantly understand.
No wonder!
No wonder Old Zhou's department stood out even in this market crash!
This wasn't just impressive performance; this was a merit-making award tailor-made for the 'Young Master'!
It was a politically correct award given to Zhou Yi for his active cooperation and support of the 'Young Master'!
"Heh, why not just give this month's top trader award to that 'princeling' too? Let's make the performance more convincing!" someone sarcastically remarked.
"Holy crap! No way?!" someone nearby suddenly exclaimed.
"Huh?"
"He...he really hit the nail on the head! It says it in the announcement: Monthly Top Trader—that 'princeling'!"
"What the hell?! Really?!"
A joke had become reality!
The office erupted in chaos.
Even if you are the "princeling," even if the company wants to promote you, this is just too blatant!
You see, the announcements for "Best Team" and "Best Trader" are posted on the company intranet, visible to everyone!
The company's original intention was to set an example and motivate other traders.
To show everyone "the other kid," and then have them eagerly rush into the market to compete.
And now?
This isn't an incentive!
It's a blatant stab in the heart, a naked provocation!
"This is going too far!"
"We could accept giving their department an 'Best Trader' award, even if we had to swallow our pride. But this 'Best Trader' award is based on individual returns! How the hell do we explain this? Did that new 'princeling' single-handedly defeat all of us? What a load of rubbish!"
This time, the company has truly crossed the line, lacking any semblance of sportsmanship.
The department managers, already seething with anger due to this month's dismal performance, are now absolutely furious.
They exchange glances, their eyes clearly conveying: "This is intolerable!"
"We need to talk about this!"
"That's right! As the leaders, we have to step in! Otherwise, what if some newbie is parachuted in and they all mess things up like this? How are we supposed to survive? It'll be a vicious cycle!"
The unwritten rule in the underworld is to avoid messing with those "princelings" or "connected" individuals.
But these guys had worked hard to climb to their department manager positions, and if they united, they had the guts to complain to their superiors.
Who did they complain to?
Naturally, their boss—the department head, Li Jian.
And so, a group of resentful department managers marched in a large group towards the director's office.
"Oh, looks like everyone's got plenty of free time today? What's with all this commotion, coming here like a bustling market?"
Li Jian leaned back in his large executive chair, a playful smile on his face as he looked at the department managers blocking the doorway. He'd clearly expected them to come.
"Mr. Li, it's Saturday..." one department manager said awkwardly.
"Go home on Saturdays! What are you doing here? My little office is already cramped, and you're all crammed in here, aren't you creeped out? Get to work! Look at your performance this month, you're all practically broke, and you still have the nerve to stand here?"
Li Jian launched into a tirade without holding back.
Well, looks like the boss isn't in a good mood either.
"Mr. Li... we really can't talk about the performance figures. But, you saw that announcement on the internal network, right? This... this is just too outrageous!" one of the bolder department managers couldn't help but speak up.
“Outrageous? What’s outrageous?”
“Just that one… to be honest, their performance is probably about the same as ours, right? And that new ‘princeling,’ he’s been promoted to trader like a rocket, and now he’s the top trader of the month? This… this doesn’t make sense, Mr. Li!”
Li Jian knew exactly what these guys were up to.
They didn’t dare directly challenge the chairman; they wanted him, the director, to take the fall and relay their message!
They wanted him to shoulder the banner of “justice” for them!
“Sigh, back in the day…” Li Jian suddenly changed the subject, his gaze drifting into the distance, reminiscing about the bygone days:
“Back then, we had a huge electronic screen in the middle of our office, constantly displaying who made the most money and who lost the most. Tsk tsk, that was exciting, full of fighting spirit! Don’t you think?”
Old-school private equity firms did indeed do that.
But times have changed, and the culture is different now.
That kind of real-time performance competition is too likely to break a trader's mentality. Once they get carried away, they're prone to making irrational and reckless moves, and in the end, everyone's ruined.
"Mr. Li, why did you suddenly bring this up..." The department managers were a little confused.
"What I mean is, if that thing were still around, you wouldn't have needed to block my door today."
Li Jian withdrew his gaze and refocused on the group's faces:
"It saves me from wasting my precious time, and it saves you from making a fool of yourselves here."
"Huh?"
Before they could react, Li Jian grabbed a stack of documents from the table and slammed them onto the coffee table in front of them.
"I knew you guys would come running here, all red-faced and ravenous. Here, I prepared this for you."