Chapter 33: Deep Out-of-the-Dot Put Options!

The aroma of hot coffee, tinged with a subtle bitterness, quietly filled the air.
Ah...
Zhang Wei, the risk manager, leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh, savoring this long-lost, almost stolen moment of leisure.
While the trading department remained bustling, an unusual calm permeated the risk management office.
Just a few days ago, the scene was entirely different—the entire department was like a tightly wound machine, everyone on edge, working non-stop.
Simply because the market had experienced a period of violent, epileptic-like volatility.
Those traders, blinded by greed, once their minds clouded, attempted reckless gambles beyond the limits of risk.
Zhang Wei and his team had to act like the most vigilant sentinels, striking with an iron fist the moment they saw the danger.
Trading prohibited! Warning messages! 24/7 monitoring! Every moment was like walking on thin ice.
But today, none of that was necessary.
Because almost all traders, like sharks smelling blood, swarmed into the booming stock market!
As the stock market soared, with most stocks frequently hitting their daily limit, the risk management department naturally became a quiet, unproductive office.
Therefore, Zhang Wei could now leisurely savor the aftertaste of his coffee.
—At least, until just a moment ago.
“Supervisor,” a slightly hesitant voice broke the office silence from behind, “about that… newly established Department Seven…”
Department Seven?
Zhang Wei’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
A name and a vague impression flashed through his mind.
Oh, that place.
The new department managed by Su Hao, the mysterious newcomer, internally referred to as “the Crown Prince.”
"What's wrong?" He turned his chair around, asking calmly, but a vague premonition lingered in his heart.
"Their transaction records... something's very wrong, extremely wrong!"
His subordinate's voice carried barely concealed confusion and unease.
"Wrong?"
Zhang Wei frowned slightly, pausing as he put down his coffee cup. A hint of impatience flickered in his voice:
"Hmph, let me guess? The same old trick again, betting all their money like madmen on a single stock, gambling their lives away, huh?"
He'd seen this kind of reckless behavior countless times.
“No, supervisor, it’s not some simple high-stakes gamble.”
The subordinate immediately denied it, his voice even lower and more grave:
“They…they are concentrating a huge amount of money into a stock that nobody in the market is interested in, or rather, avoiding like the plague! I’m worried about the excessive risk, and I’ve already sent a warning message according to procedure, but…they seem to be completely ignoring our warnings!”
“Hmm…” Zhang Wei subconsciously took a breath, feeling the air seem to thicken.
He frowned, and said in a deep voice, “Wait, pull up the detailed data so I can take a look.”
Su Hao.
This name seemed to carry an invisible pressure, making Zhang Wei’s heart sink slightly.
This man…his background was unfathomable, and his style of doing things was even more unconventional.
Let alone Zhang Wei, even the shrewd and manipulative head of their risk management department wouldn't dare to touch him in the slightest.
There were even rumors that within this hierarchical company, the only person who could truly restrain and manage him, besides the high and mighty chairman, was probably none other than the chairman himself!
It was precisely because of this elusive relationship and background that Zhang Wei had previously chosen to turn a blind eye to the new manager's somewhat "outrageous" actions, unwilling to actively invite trouble.
However—
When he saw the trading data his subordinate had retrieved, the clearly displayed fund flow chart and position list on the screen, Zhang Wei simply couldn't believe his eyes!
"This…what the hell is this?!"
He almost roared out, his eyes fixed on the screen, his pupils contracting instantly!
The glaring green loss numbers on the screen felt like cold needles, pricking his eyelids!
Trading Department Seven!
Su Hao's Trading Department VII!
All of their investment actions were completely contrary to the current market's frenzied pursuit of mainstream trends!
It was a complete, 180-degree...reverse divergence!
"He's only been a manager for a few days, barely settled in, and he's already pulling these outrageous stunts?"
Zhang Wei's mind was in turmoil, filled with shock and uncertainty:
"Could it be...this kid is going crazy again?!"
"Short-selling stock index futures...massive short selling...he even...bought a huge amount of deep out-of-the-money put options?!"
Zhang Wei's voice trembled with shock, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
“Yes, Supervisor,” the subordinate’s voice was strained with disbelief:
“As you know, the stock market is currently experiencing an unprecedented super bull market. Everyone is scrambling to get in, frantically trying to make money by riding this unstoppable wave. But… but Department Seven has chosen the exact opposite direction!”
Zhang Wei, of course, understood the current market trend! Better than anyone else!
It wasn’t just the traders charging into the fray; the risk managers responsible for backing up and controlling risk also had to be like the most astute hunting dogs, accurately sniffing out and firmly grasping the current market trend!
Only in this way could they make the most accurate judgment at crucial moments—when to decisively stop potentially out-of-control trading, and when to remain still and let it develop freely.
“Where others avoid like the plague, fearing even the slightest contact, they’re doing the opposite, pouring such a huge amount of money in like water…”
A flash of lightning seemed to strike Zhang Wei’s mind!
All the doubts instantly connected!
He understood instantly!
Su Hao! That audacious bastard! All his actions pointed to a chilling possibility—
He was gambling! Gambling that the seemingly invincible, booming stock market was about to crash!
"He's insane! He's absolutely insane!"
This thought exploded in Zhang Wei's mind like a thunderbolt, causing him to blurt it out instinctively.
What a joke!
Open any financial newspaper or website now, and you'll be bombarded with optimistic predictions and rosy outlooks for the stock market!
Countless experts and analysts confidently assert that the market index will at least double again! Even higher!
In this atmosphere of nationwide euphoria, you simply cannot find a single, not even the slightest, bearish warning!
This is the only indicator right now!
The golden rule that everyone must follow!
'Could it be... because he was just promoted to manager so quickly, eager to prove himself, and the pressure led to a lapse in judgment?'
'Or... is this guy just a complete egomaniac, totally immersed in his unrealistic fantasies, making such an incredibly foolish, suicidal decision?'
Zhang Wei's mind raced like lightning.
Yes, such an astonishing speed of promotion must be accompanied by unimaginable pressure.
Perhaps this forced him to produce extraordinary, even shocking, 'achievements' to silence public criticism.
Or, more likely, it was simply a self-serving one-man show; he made a misjudgment that could drag the entire team, along with that enormous sum of money, into the abyss!
"Manager, what...what do we do now?"
The subordinate's voice pulled Zhang Wei back from his chaotic thoughts, his tone filled with anxiety and unease:
"Should we...should we immediately use our authority to revoke all their trading orders and forcibly stop their operations?"
The Risk Management Department's authority within the company is far greater than outsiders imagine.
Their decisions can even supersede those of some department heads.
If they determine that a transaction carries an uncontrollable and enormous risk, even if the other party holds a higher position, as long as the Risk Management Department intervenes to forcibly stop it, the transaction absolutely cannot continue.
However...this rule becomes ambiguous, or even...completely ineffective, when dealing with certain special individuals.
When the target that needed to be stopped was Su Hao, someone even the department director feared, and who might even have direct access to the company's highest levels, the situation changed completely.
“…” Zhang Wei fell silent.
The only sounds in the office were the hum of the computer fan and the faint noise from other departments in the distance.
He subconsciously looked up, his gaze falling on his nominal superior, Director Pan Xun, not far away.
The notoriously smooth-talking Director Pan was currently looking down, pretending to be completely absorbed in the screen.
Seemingly sensing Zhang Wei's gaze, Director Pan's gaze, which had been fixed on them, paused slightly, then somewhat unnaturally…deliberately averted.
“Sigh.”
A barely audible sigh escaped Zhang Wei's lips.
He finally waved his hand, his voice carrying a weariness and helplessness he himself hadn't realized.
“…Let him be.”
“Ah?! Supervisor!”
The subordinate stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
“But…but what if! What if that money…that's a whole fifty million! What if it's all lost?! Right now, the only account in the entire company with that much money in its seventh department…is a glaringly pale green!”
“Xiao Wu,” Zhang Wei’s voice was hoarse, as if each word had taken immense effort:
“In this company…sometimes, no, many times…
You have to pretend you didn’t see anything.
You have to pretend you didn’t hear anything.
Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.
Don’t meddle in what you shouldn’t meddle in.”
His gaze seemed to pierce through his subordinate, looking towards a more distant place, his tone carrying an almost cruel sense of reality.
“Now, that’s the time.”
He had never imagined that one day he would utter such words.
These words were filled with compromise, helplessness, and even cowardice.
But what could he do?
That was reality. Even a risk management department with the power of life and death always had forbidden zones it couldn't touch, areas it had to circumvent…
'However…'
The chilling number resurfaced in Zhang Wei's mind.
'Fifty million… isn't that bet… a bit too damn big?!'
A chilling feeling involuntarily crept over him.
A newly established team, burdened with high hopes, seemed… poised to be annihilated the moment it was born, without even a ripple.