Chapter 53: A Knee Inexplicably Hit by an Arrow

'Greece is in a time difference with us, I think it's about 5 hours...' Su Hao calculated in his mind.
It's still early morning there; the roosters haven't even crowed yet.
Besides, even if those Greek deadbeats really intend to throw the rug out and publicly announce, "We're not paying back the money,"
it won't be confirmed until the agreed repayment date.
Right now, there are still a few days of grace.
'Could it be... we've laid our trap too early?'
A thought flashed through his mind.
What if, just what if, his prediction is wrong, and Greece backs down and doesn't default?
That would be a huge mess.
Pah! Pah! Pah!
No way!
He immediately banished the thought from his mind.
He can't scare himself!
His intuition has been tested countless times in the market!
So far, it's never failed him!
Occasionally, his emotions would fluctuate a little, which was only natural.
After all, he wasn't an emotionless AI.
Compared to his former self, who was easily alarmed, he was now as steady as a rock!
"So, at the very least, we'll have to sit here and wait for several days to see the results?"
He figured that Greece might resort to delaying tactics, begging for a few more days to extend the repayment date.
In that case, they'd be completely idle, just staring at each other, their eyes practically glued to the screen.
"Since I'm just killing time anyway, how about... I read a book?"
Having made up his mind, he pulled out a major investment book he'd bought long ago to "cultivate his mind."
Titled as the "bible" of the investment world: *The Intelligent Investor*.
The author, Benjamin Graham, is hailed as the "father of value investing."
The core ideas of the entire book boil down to a few points, repeated over and over:
【See through the phenomena to the essence, focus on the intrinsic value of a company!】
【Don't be blinded by the fluctuating prices in the market, keep your eyes fixed on the value itself!】
Especially, the author repeatedly emphasizes in bold:
【Never be led by the nose by short-term market fluctuations!】
【Short-term trading? That's speculation! That's gambling! That's a crooked path!】
In layman's terms: Short-term traders who chase highs and sell lows every day, you'll end up badly!
“…” Su Hao rubbed his nose, feeling like he'd been shot in the knee for no reason.
He understood all the principles in the book; the logic was clear, the arguments rigorous—it was practically the political correctness of the investment world.
Identify the company's value, hold long-term, be a friend of time, and wait for the results—even the legendary investor Warren Buffett wholeheartedly agrees.
The problem is… this theory doesn't quite work in the Chinese stock market!
Good companies don't necessarily have good stock prices, while junk companies can see their stock prices skyrocket due to various hype.
Because the market is too speculative, everyone is focused on quick, short-term gains.
The entire market is permeated with a "live for today, for tomorrow we may die" mentality.
"Value investing is good, and I know it's right, but…" Su Hao scoffed,
"Holding onto a stock for five, ten, or even decades just to wait for a so-called 'value reversion'?!"
He shook his head; just thinking about it made him cringe.
That would take immense patience and an incredibly boring life!
He probably wouldn't do something like that in his entire life!
Not to mention, their trading department, which relies on short-term speculation, is inherently incompatible with "value investing"!
Everyone's a "quick shooter," who's going to play the "war of attrition" with you?
"Time flies by while I'm reading."
Su Hao glanced at the time; it was almost market close.
How about taking the team out for a meal?
Although lunch break on trading days is especially precious, requiring a lot of analysis and judgment work.
But their situation is special; they're bored out of their minds.
"Okay, let's get ready to leave. Before we go, one last glance..."
He stood up, preparing to leave the office, habitually giving a final look at the real-time data of the stocks the team currently holds.
Logically, Greece should still be fast asleep; nothing could possibly go wrong right now, and a signal is unlikely...
But you never know when something might happen...
Holy crap!
*Zzzzz—!*
A powerful, piercing shock, like a high-voltage current blasting through his heart, surged into his brain without warning, coursing through the mouse cable!
His hand jerked violently, almost causing him to fling the mouse like a grenade!
'What the hell?! What the hell is going on?! How can there be a signal?!' Su Hao's eyes widened instantly, utterly bewildered.
Shouldn't those Greek guys still be dreaming of being Saint Seiya protecting Athena?
'Could it be... those Greek night owls, collectively sleepwalking and causing trouble?'
***
The atmosphere in the office was unusually heavy today; the air seemed frozen, chilly.
It wasn't the air conditioning being too low; it was the palpable tension in the air, almost freezing to the bone, that made it hard for everyone to breathe, cold sweat pouring down their backs.
Seriously!
That's 250 million RMB!
If it were cash!
It would be enough to kill someone if piled up!
If that money were in the market, let alone losses, even a slight fluctuation...
For example, a 1% drop, that's 2.5 million RMB evaporated!
2.5 million!
That's enough for most hardworking professional traders to earn in several years!
But here, it could be a single wrong click, a moment of hesitation, and it would all vanish.
"I...I mean...everyone..." Liu Bo's voice trembled with nervousness, his face pale as he muttered under his breath.
"What if, I mean what if, we've got the direction wrong this time, and we accidentally lose 10%...what then?"
"Shut up!" Liang Haiyuan hissed, his brow furrowed. "Don't scare yourself and demoralize the team! The manager's still here!"
"I'm sorry, I'm just...too nervous, my words are a bit slurred..."
Liu Bo quickly apologized, shrinking back.
"How have I always emphasized this to you? In our line of work, mindset is the most important thing! Your heart has to be as hard as steel! You can remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses before you! Understand?"
Liang Haiyuan tried to encourage everyone, even though his own palms were sweating.
"But...this situation..." another trader interjected with a pained expression.
"Don't even mention us, even if Warren Buffett were sitting here, he'd probably feel incredibly uncomfortable, right?"
Yeah, just two days ago we closed out our positions, and everyone was happily celebrating with a meal, feeling like we'd just won a major battle.
Then we woke up one morning, and wow, our "ammunition" was completely replenished, and we were kicked back into a more brutal, war-torn battlefield!
Who could handle that kind of drop in fortune?
"If you really can't take it anymore, just look at our manager."
Li Huilin gestured with her lips, indicating that everyone should look at the private office behind the glass wall.
Whoosh!
Everyone moved in perfect unison, like a flock of tamed quails, turning their gazes to the glass wall.
There they saw their manager, Su Hao, sitting there as calmly as a rock, holding a book, engrossed in reading.
And, judging from the cover, it was… an investment book?!