Chapter 51: Is this world insane?

Trading Department, Director's Office.
Director Li Jian hasn't been having an easy time lately.
The recent stock market crash had thrown the entire department into chaos, leaving everyone overwhelmed and feeling like his hairline had receded three centimeters.
"Who's here?" he asked his secretary without looking up, rubbing his temples.
"Reporting to Director Li, it's Manager Su Hao from Trading Department Seven."
"...Hmm?"
Li Jian looked up abruptly.
Su Hao?
That name was practically legendary within Fanghuan Investment!
The hottest star, bar none!
The one who, amidst the widespread devastation and despair, managed to turn a mere 50 million yuan into 250 million yuan through contrarian trading!
A prodigy!
A monster!
Not to mention, this "crown prince," personally appointed by the chairman, enjoyed the trust of upper management and practically had a protagonist's aura!
"Quick, quick, please...no, let him in!"
Li Jian stammered, quickly straightening his tie and sitting up straight.
Strange, even though the other person was of a lower rank, why did he feel so nervous?
Li Jian knew in his heart that it wasn't just because the other person had powerful connections, but more importantly, because of their incredible money-making ability!
In the financial industry, whoever makes money is king.
Profitability is the greatest power; this is an irrefutable truth.
"Good morning, Mr. Li. I'm so sorry to bother you so early."
Su Hao pushed open the door and greeted him politely, his attitude neither servile nor arrogant.
"Ahem," Li Jian cleared his throat, trying to project a superior's air, though he felt a little lacking in confidence.
"Ah, not at all! I'm always available, Manager Su! Please, have a seat. What would you like to drink?"
"No, thank you, Mr. Li. The market opens soon, and I have to get back quickly. Let's get straight to the point." Su Hao got straight to the point.
Li Jian thought to himself, "That's great! Being around you is so stressful! I'd better finish quickly and leave!"
"What is it? Go ahead."
"Well, our Seventh Department is planning to use all 250 million this time."
"What?! All...all in?"
Li Jian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his voice instantly rising an octave, almost cracking!
"Yes," Su Hao nodded, his tone as calm as if he were saying, "The weather's nice today."
"But considering the capacity and limitations of the domestic stock market, it feels a bit restrictive, so we're planning to temporarily shift our main focus to the foreign exchange market. This requires your approval..."
Upon hearing this, Li Jian calmed down slightly.
250 million... indeed, it's a bit too risky to operate freely domestically.
Saying goodbye to the vast ocean of foreign exchange makes sense.
"But...why foreign exchange? Seriously, with these results, you could practically slack off and play games all month without anyone saying anything, right? Why the fuss?"
"Uh...I was just killing time anyway." Su Hao scratched his head, giving a harmless smile.
"Perfect timing. I was planning to make some moves with the Euro."
"The Euro? Wait a minute," Li Jian's nerves tightened instantly, "Because of the Greek situation?"
“Hmm.” Su Hao nodded. “So I’d like to ask you to apply for a foreign exchange trading account for our department. I’m planning to… short the euro over there.”
“Short the euro?” Li Jian gasped, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Short the euro? Wasn’t that betting on the euro falling?
But right now, because of that global economic turmoil, risk aversion was rising, and the euro had been appreciating against the dollar, hadn’t it?
Going to short the euro now… unless—
An utterly absurd yet chilling thought flashed through Li Jian’s mind.
“You…you don’t think…” his voice trembled slightly, “that Greece is going to go bankrupt, do you?”
“Yes.”
Su Hao’s answer was casual.
But it was like a bombshell, almost making Li Jian choke, nearly causing him to bang his head against the ground.
He stared intently into Su Hao’s eyes, trying to find a trace of wavering or uncertainty.
However, there was none.
Those eyes held only unwavering certainty and confidence, as if he could already see the Greek flag falling.
But Greece defaulting?
A sovereign nation in the Eurozone, just going to default on its debts?
What kind of international joke is this?!
Li Jian felt his worldview being utterly shattered.
“You…you're involved in forex…are you planning to use those 250 million…for short-term trading?”
Li Jian pressed on relentlessly, hoping for a negative answer, his voice hoarse.
“Yes.” Su Hao answered crisply.
“Thud—”
Li Jian felt like he'd been punched again; a second wave of dizziness washed over him, and the back of his neck went completely cold.
‘This guy is absolutely insane! Utterly insane!’
He roared inwardly.
Normally, any subordinate who dared to propose such a "far-fetched" plan would have been slapped across the face and yelled at the door:
"Get the hell out of here! Stop having this madness!"
But the person before him was Su Hao.
The prodigy who accurately predicted the market crash when everyone was bearish and raked in hundreds of millions in profits.
Was this guy's judgment really just ravings?
Or...did he really see something others couldn't?
Li Jian was caught in a fierce internal struggle.
Reason told him it was utter nonsense, but Su Hao's past record of seemingly invincible success made him hesitant to dismiss it.
"..." After a long silence, he spoke with difficulty, almost squeezing out a few words through clenched teeth,
"It takes some time to open a forex trading account... I'll try my best to expedite the process and get the channel open for you as soon as possible."
"Okay. I'll wait for your news. Thank you, Mr. Li."
Su Hao bowed politely, turned and left the office, leaving Li Jian alone.
Li Jian watched Su Hao's seemingly ordinary, even somewhat nonchalant, back as he walked away.
He was completely bewildered, wondering, "Who am I? Where am I? Has the world gone mad?"
After a long while, he slumped into his chair, staring at the ceiling, his forehead covered in cold sweat, muttering to himself:
"How...how should I report this to my superiors?"
Could it be:
"Reporting to the boss, our department has a truly insane genius!
He's planning to use hundreds of millions of dollars as 'fun beans' to gamble on ultra-short-term trading in the foreign exchange market, just for the thrill!
He's crazy, so I'm going to go crazy too!
He's betting on Greece going bankrupt...
What do you think... should we approve this?
I need an answer online, it's urgent!"
Just imagining that scene made Li Jian feel like his career might be entering its final countdown ahead of schedule.