Chapter 25: Oh wow! Payday!

The department managers picked up the document with skepticism and began flipping through it rapidly.
Then, their expressions shifted from doubt to shock, and finally to a stunned, ghostly silence.
The document displayed a string of unbelievable profit figures.
“Mr. Li… your data… even if you’re going to Photoshop it, can’t you at least put in a little effort? This is way too exaggerated!”
“No… just five days? Five days to earn this much?! This… this is obviously fake, who would believe it!”
These guys, who are clearly experts, were now spouting nonsense.
No wonder, the data was indeed so outrageous it made one question reality.
"Hey! You guys," Li Jian slammed his hand on the table, exasperated:
"Falsifying trading volume and returns? That's a fucking economic crime! It's a straight path to jail! I'd have to be crazy to do something like that!"
"Then...you mean...what's written here...is all true?!"
"No...5 days! An 80% return in just 5 days?! Is that even possible?!"
That's a real five million in capital, turned into nine million in just five trading days!
Even a printing press couldn't do that fast!
And this wasn't achieved through long-term holding or value investing.
From day one to day five, every single penny of profit was snatched from the market through rapid in-and-out short-term trading!
“Yeah, it sounds illogical, right?”
Li Jian sighed, a complex look in his eyes:
“To be honest, I still can’t quite believe it. I’ve been in this industry for so many years, I’ve seen all sorts of people, but something like this… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Even Li Jian said so, so the rate of return seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
The department managers were completely dumbfounded.
“But…but isn’t he…the ‘princeling’? Isn’t he a ‘connected’ employee?”
“I don’t know his exact relationship with the chairman,” Li Jian shook his head:
“But I’m certain of one thing: the chairman hired him because he saw his abilities. That’s beyond doubt.”
Li Jian clearly remembered that at the internal meeting attended by several of the company’s top leaders, the chairman himself said:
That newcomer is truly capable.
These words came from the chairman’s mouth.
"Hmm... Come to think of it, our chairman's personality doesn't seem like the type to casually install cronies..."
"But...but...even if he's incredibly capable, 80% in 5 days...how did he even manage that?! And it's all short-term trading! What's the difference between that and having supernatural visions to predict the future?!"
What's even more chilling is that even if you could briefly see a few seconds into the future, it might not be enough for ultra-short-term trading where transactions are executed in seconds!
By the time you see the future, react, and place an order, it's too late; the price has already skyrocketed!
"Alright, now, no objections, right?" Li Jian waved his hand, shooing away flies:
"What's our company motto? 'Speak according to ability, earn money based on skills!' This guy... even if he's a 'princeling,' he still earned his money through hard work, it's only right!"
"..."
The department managers collectively fell silent, each one like a mute who had swallowed bitter herbs, not daring to utter another word.
"So," Li Jian added meaningfully,
"From now on, no matter what happens, I hope everyone can remain calm and stop making a fuss."
"Uh? What's going to happen next?" Someone keenly caught the key phrase.
"You'll find out next week. Alright, alright, get out of here! Get back to work!"
Li Jian gave a "secretly confidential" look:
"Look at those newbies, they're raking in bonuses, and you department managers, are you just going to sit back and watch, starving?"
A group of department managers, dazed and confused, were kicked out of the director's office.
Standing in the corridor, they looked at each other, their minds still blank.
Just then, one of the department managers, as if suddenly remembering something, muttered to himself:
"Um... I remember... company policy says traders... can apply for transfers to other departments, right?"
"Huh?"
"!?!"
In an instant, all the department managers' eyes met again.
Those eyes were exactly the same as when they were outside the director's office, full of tacit understanding and... a new target!
The next second, no one knows who started it, but everyone, as if they'd heard the starting gun, took off running towards Trading Department One!
Just kidding!
A goose that lays golden eggs, and "super-double" golden eggs at that, is currently in that department downstairs!
If not now, when?!
Grab them!!!
***
Logically, Saturday is the legal rest day for working people.
But for these miserable traders, the word "weekend" is often just a beautiful myth.
It's not that the company is forcing me to work overtime.
The main problem is that there's just too much data to process on Saturday and too much preparation for next week's market.
If I don't work hard on Saturday, I'll be scrambling next week.
So, coming to the company on weekends is basically an unspoken rule in the industry; everyone knows it.
But today, Su Hao received special treatment.
"Su Hao! You're amazing! Our department's savior! A living saint!"
"That's right! Su Hao, you can just relax at home tomorrow! We'll handle the data processing! Huh? You can just lie around at home and count your money! Hahaha!"
"Yes, yes, Su Hao, don't bother coming to work on Saturday. Just rest at home. I'll pack up the data we've compiled over the weekend and send it to you!"
Yesterday, before leaving get off work, the senior employees in the department practically kowtowed to him.
Everyone rushed to take on all the odd jobs, insisting that he stay home and rest today, strictly forbidding him from stepping into the company.
The reason was simple: Su Hao, this dark horse, had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and single-handedly pulled their department's previously stagnant performance to the sky.
Now, not only is he spared the fate of being yelled at by his boss, but his end-of-month performance bonus is also secured!
So, if Su Hao went to the company now, his treatment would probably be comparable to that of a triumphant general returning home—a true team hero's treatment.
*Ding-a-ling*
Just then, his phone rang.
Su Hao picked up his phone and saw a push notification from his bank app.
[Deposit Notification: Fanghuan Investment Company has transferred funds to your account…]
Wow! Payday!
Su Hao clicked his tongue in amazement. These people in finance really know how to cut corners.
Not only do they work on Saturdays, but they even manage to arrange paydays perfectly on the weekend—their efficiency is phenomenal.
With the excitement of winning the lottery, he opened the bank app.
And then…
“…?”
Su Hao froze, feeling as if he'd been hit hard on the back of the head with a brick; stars flashed before his eyes.
His eyes widened, staring intently at the string of numbers on his phone screen, as if he couldn't recognize Arabic numerals anymore.
Wait a minute… what the hell is this?
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions…
One million?! RMB?!
He felt that even getting the best equipment in a game wouldn't be worth that many gold coins.
Let alone RMB!
Now, it lay there, naked, in his bank account balance, pushing his reality-sensing system to the brink of collapse.
He had indeed heard that once promoted to a full-fledged trader, he would receive a percentage of the profits he generated.
Plus, this month, he had truly turned the tide, pulling the team's performance to an unbelievable height…
So, he had a general expectation that he would receive a substantial sum this time.
“But…but this is too…a million?!”
He had never seen so much money in his life! Su Hao felt his hands trembling, as if he had Parkinson's.
Ring ring ring—!
Just as his mind went blank, still processing this sudden windfall, his phone didn't just ring with a text message notification this time; it rang directly.
Su Hao jumped in fright, his hand slipping, almost dropping the phone.
"Holy crap! Who is this?! You scared the hell out of me... Holy crap! The Chairman?!"
Su Hao hurriedly answered the phone, his voice trembling and fawning:
"President Huang! Ah no! Brother Huang! My dear brother!!"
The familiar, slightly amused voice of President Huang came from the other end of the line:
[Heh, Hao, did you receive your salary?]
"Yes, yes... Brother, no, this... is this a system error? This number... is too outrageous!!" Su Hao felt like he couldn't even speak properly.
[The profits you generated this month are truly outrageous.] President Huang chuckled on the other end of the line:
[The starting commission rate for a formal trader is 20%. Plus, you were named the best trader of the month this time, so there's an extra bonus. There's also the department bonus, so all things considered, it'll be a little over a million after all.]
Holy crap!
Su Hao finally understood why so many people were desperate to get into the trading industry.
This is fucking amazing...the speed at which he's making money is like he's cheating!
[Alright, let's not talk about that now.] Boss Huang's voice returned to its relaxed tone:
[How about we get together for a meal sometime? Perfect timing, I also have something I want to talk to you about.]