Chapter 43: Thank you, Manager, for taking us soaring!

"How long is this guy planning to hold onto his short positions?"
There are strict firewalls between the trading departments.
Who made how much, what they bought, and their position sizes are all top secret.
But the risk management department has a god's-eye view.
They know exactly what every trader in the company is doing—it's their job to monitor.
So they know exactly what trump cards Trading Department Seven is holding.
"My god, it's been over a week, and they still haven't closed their positions! They're really holding on! If it were me, my eyes would be bloodshot after just doubling my money, and I'd have liquidated everything and run!"
A young risk control specialist clicked his tongue, his tone full of envy and jealousy.
"So he gets to sit in that position as a big shot, while you can only drool over it."
A colleague next to him grumbled:
"That Manager Su... I think he's really something else. When everyone was bullish, he went against the trend and shorted the market. That kind of courage is undeniable!"
That's right, the Risk Management Department is currently most concerned about Trading Department Seven.
From Su Hao's groundbreaking short-selling against the trend, to the market's sharp decline and countless people losing everything, he remained unmoved, refusing to close his positions...
To be honest, these bystanders in the Risk Management Department are even more nervous than those directly involved in Trading Department Seven. Their hearts are pounding every day.
"Oh my god, this is so nerve-wracking...more thrilling than watching a horror movie!"
"But, they probably won't sell anytime soon, right? Look at this trend..."
"Yeah, look at the stock market right now, it's like a deflated balloon, no sign of a rebound. They'll probably hold on a bit longer, trying to squeeze out the last drop of profit."
Originally, the task was to supervise the traders to prevent them from overdoing it, but these guys in the risk management department had their eyes practically glued to the trading window of Trading Department Seven.
They were all completely absorbed, more focused than if they were checking their own child's final exam results.
"Aren't you doing any work?"
Zhang Wei, the supervisor, finally lost his temper and roared, the sound sending dust flying from the keyboard.
"Didn't you see the traders in the other departments are going crazy, recklessly trading?
If they don't cut their losses soon, they'll lose everything! We need to keep an eye on them, don't let them mess things up!
Department Seven is like a statue, they won't move anytime soon, everyone just go about your business!
Close all the windows in Department Seven!"
"Okay..."
The subordinate responded listlessly, a thousand times unwilling, just about to tearfully close this only window of "office drama"...
Suddenly!
"Hey? Hey hey??" A sharp-eyed young man made a strange sound.
"What is it now? Why are you so jumpy!" Zhang Wei asked impatiently.
"Supervisor! It's moving! It's moving!!"
"What's moving?"
"Department Seven! Department Seven is unloading! They're dumping everything!!"
"!?
Zhang Wei took a leap, his obese body bursting with astonishing agility beyond his size, almost leaping back to his seat.
The long-awaited show has finally begun! Not a second can be missed!
A must-see in the front row!
***
Crackling sounds—!
Click—! Click—!
The long-silent office of Trading Department Seven was suddenly engulfed in a flurry of keyboard clicks and mouse clicks, as if a sleeping war machine had been instantly awakened.
Manager Su Hao's sudden order: Complete liquidation!
This snapped everyone on edge, instantly throwing themselves into the intense trading.
Of course, they weren't novices; they wouldn't recklessly dump all their short positions onto the market at once.
Doing so would instantly drive the price down—that would be foolish.
They skillfully broke down their massive positions into countless smaller orders, selling them to the market in batches, rhythmically, and cautiously.
Ensuring that profits were maximized without causing panic.
"But… Manager, is this really a safe move?"
A young trader, while rapidly executing his trades, whispered to the person next to him.
"Yeah, judging by the market, if it holds today, the price could fall even further... Isn't it a bit too early to close the position now?"
A colleague chimed in, his face filled with confusion and a hint of regret.
There was no way around it; the manager's order today was unusually firm: Complete liquidation!
It wasn't about selling half to see how things went, or keeping a small position for a rebound; it was literally—nothing left!
The market was clearly still falling, the short positions were clearly still rising, wasn't it a bit of a waste to close now?
This thought of "I know more than the manager" had just begun to surface...
"Hiss—"
Liang Haiyuan's cold gaze swept over.
"What did I say before?"
Liang Haiyuan spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but incredibly authoritative:
"Who are you to question the manager's decisions? Execute orders!"
"But...but look at this chart, it's clearly still falling, it doesn't look like it's about to reverse at all!"
The young trader couldn't help but argue, after all, watching "potential" profits slip away was painful.
"So? Can you achieve the manager's rate of return? Hmm?"
Liang Haiyuan raised an eyebrow and countered:
"When the whole world was bullish, he was the only one who dared to go against the market trend and short! Can you do that?"
"Uh, I can't..." The young trader instantly deflated.
Forget one heart, even if he had eight titanium alloy gallbladders, he couldn't handle such a thrilling game.
Therefore, in the eyes of these ordinary people, Manager Su Hao was no ordinary person.
He was a god!
A monster!
They're walking money-printing machines!
A normal person, let alone holding on for this long, would probably have collapsed under the immense psychological pressure and panicked, selling at a loss and running away the night before the stock market crash.
How could they have waited until now, and still calmly issued a sell-off order?
"To be honest, I don't always understand the manager's judgment."
Liang Haiyuan paused, and frankly admitted:
"But their vision is on a completely different level from ours. We can only see a meter in front of us, while they might be looking beyond the atmosphere."
Legend has it that true investment gurus have sharp eyes, able to see through the fog of candlestick charts and predict future trends.
However, after working in this industry for a while, everyone has an unspoken "rule":
No matter how much the big shots boast about their "vision," "strategic thinking," and "value investing,"
most of the time, it still comes down to luck—in short, chance.
"But our manager, his actions, do they seem like they're just luck?" someone muttered quietly.
This is what sends chills down your spine.
Manager Su Hao's decisions don't seem like gamblers making rash bets; they're more like…
precise strikes based on some mysterious algorithm or future perspective, something incomprehensible and unfathomable to ordinary people.
It's as if he's cheating, able to see the standard answer in advance.
"Phew…at least I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Holding onto this short position for so long, my heart was on a rollercoaster every day, I was almost having a heart attack."
One person let out a long sigh.
"Yeah! I've never seen so much money in my life! And it's only been a week! Just a week!!"
The other person, looking at the astronomical profits in their account, was so excited their face turned red.
You have to understand, in the highly competitive and cutthroat world of trading, an average monthly return of 5% is considered excellent.
Achieving a stable 1% return per day would earn you the title of "ace" trader, making you walk with an air of superiority.
But now, looking at the numbers on the screen… from the initial 50 million in starting capital, it had snowballed into…
"…It can only be described as a 'miracle.'"
They couldn't think of a more suitable word.
"Compile all the data, I'll personally report to the manager!"
Liang Haiyuan waved his hand triumphantly.
"Yes, sir!"
Liang Haiyuan took the battle report, painstakingly compiled by everyone with trembling hands, and walked briskly towards the manager's office, humming a little tune.
When did reporting work become so pleasant and exhilarating?
This is the first time in my life!
Su Hao glanced at Liang Haiyuan, who was handing over the data report. The guy was grinning from ear to ear, his face so wrinkled it could trap a fly.
Su Hao wondered: Was he always this cheerful? He always seemed to have a sour face.
“The short selling is a bit of a shame,” Liang Haiyuan began, his tone tinged with a Versailles-like regret:
“As you know, short selling returns basically follow the market trend, with no excess returns. But!!”
Liang Haiyuan's tone shifted dramatically, becoming impassioned:
“Our shorted futures and those put options we bought have exploded! A nuclear-level explosion!”
The put options they bought, at their peak, skyrocketed to an astonishing 20 times their initial value!
Then, at that pinpoint apex, they swiftly and precisely liquidated their entire position, leaving nothing behind.
It's no exaggeration to say that the bulk of their enormous profits came from these options.
After recovering and tallying all the profits from futures, short selling, and options, the final result was—
"A whopping 250 million! Manager!"
Liang Haiyuan's voice trembled with disbelief, as if he had just recited a mythical figure.
"In all my years of trading, I've only ever seen one thing: a 30% return in a month. Back then, I felt like my ancestors were emitting auspicious smoke, bringing glory to my family."
Liang Haiyuan took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited emotions:
"But this… this 500% return… Holy crap! I've never seen anything so outrageous in my life!"
Su Hao himself was also bewildered.
When the company chairman approved the 50 million yuan principal, his initial goal was quite modest:
Just don't lose money, breaking even would be a victory, and if he could even double his money…
he would feel incredibly fortunate.
Now…
It's increased fivefold?
From 50 million to 250 million?
It feels like going out to buy a lottery ticket, thinking you'd be lucky to win five yuan.
Upon checking the prize, he discovered he had won fifty million…
It was too unbelievable.
“Okay, thank you for your hard work.” Su Hao composed himself and nodded to Liang Haiyuan.
“Oh, please don’t say that! I was just a messenger, simply following your instructions.”
Liang Haiyuan was flattered and bowed even lower:
“You’re the one who truly orchestrated everything and put in the hard work! I should be thanking you! Thank you, Manager, for leading us to success! Um, if you need anything, just call me anytime!”
Liang Haiyuan nodded and bowed, his face beaming with the blissful glow of “following the boss means you get what you deserve,” and left satisfied.
Only Su Hao remained in the office.
He stared blankly at the frighteningly long string of zeros on the computer screen.
Using 50 million as principal for trading was surreal enough, but now that money has snowballed to 250 million…
‘Speaking of which, according to company rules, managers seem to get 30% of the profits as a bonus…’
And if their performance ranks first in the entire company, there seems to be an extra super-sized bonus…
‘Holy crap, that…that's how much money?’
He thought about it, feeling his brain go blank.
He still hadn't fully processed the fact that a million suddenly appeared in his salary account last month; it still felt like the bank system had malfunctioned.
Now, a huge sum of money, far exceeding that, enough for him to simply lie down and enjoy life, was beckoning him enthusiastically…
Who could resist that?
‘But…just now…should I really have waited a little longer? Should I have held on a little longer?’
Sigh, indeed, human greed knows no bounds.
Having just made a fortune, he started wondering:
If he had held on a little longer, could he have made even more? After all…
Looking at the technical indicators and market sentiment, now doesn't seem like the best time to sell…
Although he was using every spare moment to frantically study various financial knowledge and try to improve his professional skills,
even with his current rudimentary understanding, he could vaguely sense:
The market seemed to have room to fall further, and his put options looked like they could rise a bit more…
He quickly shook his head, forcefully suppressing the thought of "if only I had waited a little longer," and slammed the monitor off.
The die was cast, the money was in his pocket.
Don't be too greedy!
Know when to stop! Contentment is happiness!
Stop overthinking! You've already made a killing!