"Oh my… it's really here?!"
Su Hao gazed up at the towering, magnificent skyscraper, swallowing hard.
Fang Huan Investment!
One of the top private equity funds in the country!
For an unemployed graduate from an ordinary second-tier university who couldn't even find a job, this place was simply a diamond-studded, gold-plated temple; normally, even looking up at it for too long felt presumptuous!
And now, by some strange twist of fate, he was actually going to work here!
"I still haven't dared to tell Dad and Mom…"
He still felt like he was dreaming; what virtue or ability did he possess to work at such a legendary company?
What if he was just a good-for-nothing, only causing trouble, and got kicked out in a couple of days?
After much thought, he only dared to vaguely tell his family he was going for an "interview" before slipping away.
"Ugh, this suit… it's a bit tight."
During the period of living off his parents, to avoid his mother's death stares and nagging, he had given up on late-night snacks and junk food, and his physique hadn't ballooned into a ball.
But now, it seemed his fitness plan needed to be put on the agenda quickly.
He had only taken the subway and climbed a few stairs, so why was he panting like this?
But then again, coming to work so early… was that really normal?
"You must be at your post before 7 AM."
When Su Hao received this onboarding text message, he was completely stunned.
To avoid being late, he literally struggled out of bed before dawn and stumbled into the first subway train before sunrise.
Looking at the empty carriage, he still mumbled to himself: "I hope I'm not the only idiot who came this early?"
What if the company gate wasn't even open?
However, when he actually arrived at the financial street where the company was located, the sight before him completely bewildered him!
Good heavens! What a scene!
As far as the eye could see, there was a dense mass of suit-clad, hurried office workers, packed tightly along the entire street!
Holy cow, is finance really this competitive?
But then he thought, it made sense for a private equity firm to start work at 7 AM.
After all, the stock market opens at 9:30, and to be fully prepared before the market opens, you can only start earlier, and even earlier!
These money players are indeed masters of time management!
Just then, buzz—
His phone rang.
He picked up his phone and saw it was the Guild Leader!
"Guild Leader… no, Chairman?"
"Haha, privately, let's stick to the old rules, just call me Ge. How is it, have you arrived at the company?"
"Yes, yes, I'm already downstairs at the company. But… Ge, I don't understand anything! Will I just be a burden to you guys?"
"Haha, don't worry, I asked, you'll be a trading assistant, which means you'll just be doing odd jobs and slacking off. I believe you'll be fine! Oh, and remember to take some time to get a fund qualification certificate."
"Thank you, Ge, I'll work hard!"
"Also, if anyone asks you 'how did you get in,' you keep your mouth shut and just say 'I don't know'! Especially about the game, don't mention a single word! Understand?
That's it, I'm hanging up. We'll go online at the usual time tonight to run the dungeon! Don't forget!"
"Okay! Ge! I understand!"
The call ended, and Su Hao was still a bit dazed, feeling like he was dreaming.
The guild leader who usually teamed up with him to fight monsters and joke around in the game had actually transformed into a big shot in the financial world?
And, because of the incredible reason of "playing games together," he had been directly parachuted into the company?
This plot was even more melodramatic than a Korean drama; who would believe it if he told them!
***
In the manager's office of Trading Department One, Manager Zhou Yi impassively scrutinized the "newcomer," Su Hao, who had been personally brought over by the Human Resources Manager with a suggestive wink.
Manager Zhou Yi had originally been racing against time, analyzing the newly released overseas macroeconomic data and assessing the volatile international market to make final preparations for the upcoming morning trading session.
However, this sudden arrival of a connected individual completely disrupted his usual work rhythm.
It forced him to disengage from his highly intense combat-ready state to first deal with this "hot potato."
This feeling of being forcibly interrupted mid-spell made an inexplicable sense of irritation rise within him.
"Have you done any financial work, or work in other industries, before?"
"Ah, no, I haven't. This is my first job."
"Have you done simulated trading… or had any investment experience?"
"No, not really… but I'll work hard to learn!"
"…"
A million alpacas danced and galloped through Manager Zhou Yi's mind.
Good heavens! What a character!
A complete rookie in the workplace! A financial novice! An investment greenhorn!
This was like parachuting in a blank slate!
A top-tier noob who needed to be taught everything from scratch!
However, calming down, Manager Zhou Yi pondered it over.
The old foxes in the Human Resources Department doing this… it didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
Although the work in the Trading Department was intense and high-pressure, it was mainly for the seasoned traders who had to truly battle in the market, bearing immense performance pressure.
For a trading assistant, there wasn't much serious work to do in the early stages.
Their main tasks were to run errands, fetch tea and water, organize documents, and perform some basic support work.
At most, they would do some simple trading practice with a simulated account and learn the ropes by observing senior employees.
They wouldn't even touch the core business!
To put it bluntly, it was a position for slacking off.
Presumably, the higher-ups had recognized this and decided to put this Crown Prince here to gain some experience and build up his resume.
This routine of gaining experience at the grassroots level before being parachuted into management was practically the standard promotion process for connected individuals.
In other words, this Crown Prince was destined to be a fleeting visitor in the Trading Department and wouldn't stay here for too long…
Understanding this, Manager Zhou Yi's irritation subsided somewhat.
A visitor, then treat him like a visitor.
"Li Huilin," Manager Zhou Yi called out.
"Yes! Manager!" A clear, capable female voice immediately responded, and she appeared as she spoke.
"This is Su Hao, the newcomer. From today, he will be our department's trading assistant. Huilin, you're in charge of guiding him and helping him get familiar with the work as soon as possible."
"Okay! Understood!" Li Huilin nodded in response.
***
This wasn't Li Huilin's first time training a newcomer.
Over the years, the Trading Department had been like a revolving door, with many hopeful young people pouring in.
And then? Most of them didn't last three months before crying and running away.
You couldn't really blame them.
The work intensity of the Trading Department was truly not something an average person could handle.
Just take the working hours: newcomers had to arrive at the company by 7 AM at the latest every day to prepare for the morning briefing, set up the conference room, and tackle all sorts of miscellaneous and tiring tasks, often rushing to get them done, and running until their legs hurt was commonplace.
Even more terrifying, as they gradually became familiar with the business, the work intensity would explode exponentially!
The trading market changes in an instant, and the big shot traders make decisions in seconds.
They could at any moment require all sorts of obscure data, charts, and research reports.
As a newcomer, one had to be like a battlefield communications soldier, delivering what the big shots needed accurately and at the fastest speed.
Even a slight delay would result in a severe scolding.
After all, this was a financial battlefield where trillions of funds flowed every day!
Speed was money, and efficiency was life!
Not only that, even if they were lucky enough to survive the probationary period and become full-time employees, they would face even more brutal performance evaluations every month.
If they didn't make money or meet their targets, they would be out the door just the same!
Without an iron will, it was impossible to endure.
"Newcomers, the first thing you need to learn is how to make coffee!
The big shots in the Trading Department are all heavily addicted to caffeine!
Every day before the morning meeting, we need to have the coffee ready in advance.
Oh, Manager Zhou Yi is a fitness fanatic and doesn't drink coffee, so you don't need to prepare his portion."
Li Huilin said, skillfully operating the coffee machine.
"Okay! Sister Huilin!"
Su Hao nodded like a pecking chick, even pulling out a small notebook and diligently writing down everything Li Huilin said.
This gave Li Huilin a rather good first impression of the newcomer.
"Also, you'll usually be responsible for organizing various documents. Although you won't be directly involved in analysis and decision-making in the early stages, this is an excellent learning opportunity! Make sure to read all the daily research reports carefully, and ask questions if you don't understand!"
"Okay! Understood!"
His crisp replies and positive attitude pleased Li Huilin even more.
Just as Li Huilin was rattling off various important points, she suddenly seemed to remember something and asked curiously:
"Oh, by the way, Su Hao, which university did you graduate from?"
"Ah… university?"
"Yes, you seem so excellent, you must have graduated from a prestigious university, right? Tsinghua or an Ivy League? Maybe you're even my junior!"
"I… I graduated from Shanghai Institute of Technology."
"Shanghai Institute of Technology?"
Upon hearing this, Li Huilin's smile instantly froze on her face.
She vaguely remembered that it seemed to be a relatively low-ranked, ordinary second-tier university in Shanghai, right?
How did a graduate from that level of university… get into a top private equity firm like Fang Huan Investment?
Could it be that…?
"Ah, haha, let's not talk about that… the morning meeting is about to start, let's head to the conference room first!"
"Okay, okay!"
***
"This time, the non-farm payroll data from the US significantly exceeded expectations, and with the CPI data adding fuel to the fire, market volatility will definitely intensify further…"
"Regarding A-shares, in the medium to long term, artificial intelligence and robotics concepts remain our key investment direction, but in the short term, we need to pay attention to annual report performance.
Additionally, the gold sector, which brought us good returns last week, is showing clear signs of overheating and has entered the overbought zone; we need to be wary of correction risks.
We can use short selling or OTC options to build some short positions. Also, pay attention to arbitrage opportunities between New York gold and London gold price differences…"
"Okay, understood."
Su Hao listened in a fog, completely bewildered.
Damn it! They were clearly familiar Chinese words, but combined, they were like a heavenly book, completely incomprehensible.
But he still feigned composure, putting on a serious listening posture, while secretly jotting down the professional terms he didn't understand in his notebook, planning to ask Li Huilin about them after the meeting.
During the meeting, Department Manager Zhou Yi sat upright, listening to his subordinate traders' rotating reports on the latest market dynamics and data analysis results, while systematically issuing various trading instructions and deploying today's overall trading strategy.
Watching this scene, Su Hao suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu.
Wasn't this exactly like the scene in a game, before a large raid dungeon clear, where the guild leader would arrange tactics and assign tasks to the team members?
This made Su Hao's brain, which had been somewhat muddled from not understanding, suddenly become inexplicably excited.
"Alright! That's all for today's morning trading strategy! Everyone, take your positions and prepare for battle!"
Manager Zhou Yi concluded the information-packed morning meeting with a powerful statement.
Everyone immediately stood up and quickly left the conference room, heading to their respective workstations.
"Huilin, today you teach Su Hao the process of simulated trading, starting from the very basics," Manager Zhou Yi instructed Li Huilin, pointing at Su Hao.
"Yes, Manager!"
Li Huilin nodded in assent, then led a bewildered Su Hao back to a workstation, opened the computer, and brought up a colorful trading interface.
"The reason we start with simulated trading is very simple," Li Huilin explained as she operated the computer,
"The company certainly can't just hand you real money to practice with, right?
So, before becoming an official trader, all newcomers need to gain experience through simulated trading and familiarize themselves with the market.
And, the results of simulated trading are also an important indicator for evaluating newcomers!"
This explanation gave Su Hao a clearer understanding of "simulated trading."
It turned out that "simulated trading" was not just practice, but also an important "assessment tool."
"Then… if I do well in 'simulated trading,' can I become an official trader?"
"Of course! In the securities industry, especially in our Trading Department, 'performance' is everything!
Education, qualifications, connections, all of that is superficial!
What matters is… how much money you can make! How much value you can create for the company!"
Performance above all!
These four words were both the allure of this industry and its most brutal and unforgiving aspect.
Ding-a-ling—!
Just then, a piercing ring suddenly echoed throughout the entire office, instantly shattering the last bit of calm before the market opened!
"Oh! The market's open!"
Li Huilin exclaimed softly, and the once relatively quiet office instantly erupted like a boiling pot, the atmosphere abruptly becoming noisy, fervent, and agitated!
Everyone seemed to be instantly hyped up, furiously typing on keyboards and rapidly switching screens.
Telephone rings, keyboard clacks, mouse clicks, one after another, intertwined into a chaotic and frenzied symphony!
"This period right now is when we trading assistants are most idle.
The big shots are all busy trading, they have no time to bother with us!
So this time is perfect for 'simulated trading' to gain practical experience.
Come! I'll teach you how to place an order first!"
However, at this moment, Su Hao's attention was completely diverted from Li Huilin's explanation.
His gaze was fixed on the K-line charts he couldn't understand, the dazzling stock codes, and the constantly flashing red and green numbers on the screen…
He stood frozen as if struck by electricity.
An indescribable tingling sensation spread from his fingertips, like an electric current, instantly coursing through his entire body, making him tremble and his scalp tingle!
"What… what is going on?"
This feeling pointed to "ST Zhongrun" on the screen, the stock Li Huilin was using for demonstration, which was currently looking "very green"!
If he were to view the "ST Zhongrun" before him as a "treasure chest" waiting to be opened in a game, he had a strong premonition that this "treasure chest" definitely contained some earth-shshattering "treasure"!
That stirring from the depths of his soul, that intense "premonition" wildly impacting his cerebral cortex, instantly sent his adrenaline soaring to its peak!
Reason was completely thrown to the winds at this moment!
As if possessed, he suddenly grabbed the mouse!
Click—!
A crisp mouse click sounded.
He pressed the red [Buy] button with all his might