Chapter 54: To Each Their Own Aspirations

Zhang Yang, still attending a lecture in the tiered classroom, had no idea that He Jing was fighting to secure a nomination for him to become an academician's mentee. At that moment, Zhang Yang was busy calculating the size of the funds in his account.

Following the conclusion of the Huaxin Simulated Trading Competition, Lai Weijie still owed him a final payment of 40,000, of which 20,000 was the wager.

Then came his actual trading account. On the 20th, he had used 40,000 each to buy China Shenhua and Yangtze Power at 24.37 yuan and 11.37 yuan respectively.

As of today, the 22nd, China Shenhua had a loss of 2,708 yuan, while Yangtze Power had yielded a profit of 1,732 yuan.

The 20,000 invested in chasing highs on ST Zhongfangji had already earned Zhang Yang a 13.03% return by the 20th, totaling 2,606 Chinese yuan. On the 21st and 22nd, it hit another daily limit-up followed by a 3.63% increase, bringing its total gain to 22.99%, with a cumulative profit of 4,598.93 yuan.

Today, which was the 22nd, the stock ST Zhongfangji formed an upper shadow candle, but its bottom showed a "network signal ladder-style" increase in trading volume, and there was no negative news in the market. Zhang Yang decided to hold the position for one more trading day to observe how the situation unfolded.

As for the remaining funds, they were all placed into one-day reverse repurchase agreements, totaling 88,000 yuan.

Combining the 37,292 yuan in China Shenhua, 41,732 yuan in Yangtze Power, 24,598.93 yuan in ST Zhongfangji, 88,000 yuan in treasury bond reverse repurchases, and the 40,000 yuan receivable from Lai Weijie, Zhang Yang currently possessed a total of 231,622.93 yuan.

"With my account capital exceeding 200,000, it's time to utilize some financial instruments," Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

Although securities firms did not yet offer margin trading and short selling services in 2009, the revised Securities Law of 2005 had mentioned permitting securities companies to engage in margin trading businesses.

The Supervisory and Management Regulations for Securities Companies issued in 2008 also clearly stipulated the rule framework for margin trading.

With regulatory permission granted, yet securities firms having not yet rolled out the service, investors wishing to leverage funds had to turn to specialized asset-allocation companies to obtain leveraged financing.

Generally speaking, the entry threshold started at 200,000 yuan, and the maximum leverage ratio was 10 times.

If you were a professional investor or had previous experience working in the securities industry, the maximum leverage multiplier could be pushed up to 100 times.

What did 100 times mean?

Investing 10,000 yuan with 990,000 in allocated capital was equivalent to trading with 1 million yuan.

A 1% gain would double your principal, and a single limit-up board meant a tenfold return. Such was the terrifying power of leverage!

"Knock, knock—"

"Professor Wang, may I ask which one of you is Zhang Yang?"

While Zhang Yang was pondering the matter of leveraged financing, two knocks on the door, accompanied by a deep, middle-aged male voice, drifted into the tiered classroom, causing everyone to turn their heads in that direction.

Wang Xingbang, standing at the podium, looked somewhat puzzled and asked, "Secretary Cheng, what business do you have with Zhang Yang?"

"The Dean is looking for him."

Cheng Hong's reply was concise and to the point.

Seeing that the visitor was reluctant to reveal more, Wang Xingbang had no choice but to turn his gaze toward Zhang Yang and say, "Zhang Yang, please step outside with Secretary Cheng."

"Alright."

Zhang Yang stood up.

Although he was equally baffled and had no idea what was happening, since the person had come specifically for him and was Dean Bao Xingwei's confidential secretary and assistant, he could not very well refuse.

What will be, will be; when soldiers come, block them with general tactics, and when water comes, dam it with earth.

...

Walking into Bao Xingwei's office, Zhang Yang glanced at He Jing, his eyes full of doubt, wondering what she had said to Bao Xingwei.

"You must be Zhang Yang?"

Bao Xingwei initiated the conversation.

From the moment Zhang Yang walked into the office, he began sizing him up from head to toe.

A man capable of making a woman willingly pave the way for him must possess some shining qualities—either good looks or genuine talent.

Now he could see that the man certainly had the looks; he just had to find out how his talents measured up.

"Yes, I am."

Zhang Yang replied neither servilely nor overbearingly.

During an initial conversation with someone of higher status, one must never show stage fright. Because it was their first meeting and neither party was familiar with the other, the other person would observe various details to judge and figure out a person's foundation and personality.

Showing cowardice right from the start implied inner weakness.

If Bao Xingwei were instead a party commissioning a project at a banquet, and you stammered the moment he opened his mouth, how could you possibly negotiate a cooperative venture?

After Zhang Yang's reply, Bao Xingwei remained silent, staring straight into the former's eyes. Neither of them continued the conversation.

Inside the office, as the silence prolonged, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive. He Jing, standing to the side, felt somewhat at a loss; she simply felt that their lack of words made her feel entirely uneasy.

During this silent interval, Bao Xingwei had already grown interested in Zhang Yang.

If it were an ordinary student, or even a professor facing his psychological offensive of silence, they would feel anxious and unsettled. Yet Zhang Yang's expression remained completely unchanged as he calmly waited for what came next. This proved that the young man possessed an immensely strong inner fortitude and would not be easily swayed by external forces.

"I wonder why Dean Bao asked to see me?"

Suddenly!

Zhang Yang broke the silence.

He Jing let out a quiet sigh of relief; the atmosphere just then had been far too tense.

In just a dozen seconds or so, Bao Xingwei had formed a general impression of Zhang Yang. He did not beat around the bush and laid out the direct Ph.D. recommendation and the prospect of entering a national financial institution one by one.

Afterward, he glanced at He Jing before fixing his gaze back on Zhang Yang. "You have made a good friend; she was the one who recommended you to me. But before that, I would like to see your actual trading yield rate."

"If Dean Bao wishes to see my actual trading return rate, as a student I will not refuse. However, pursuing a graduate degree and entering a national financial institution to work is simply not within my considerations."

Zhang Yang refused quite decisively.

Bao Xingwei was momentarily taken aback, then quickly asked, "Why?"

He Jing quickly stood up, stepped to Zhang Yang's side, and whispered, "You need to think this through carefully, Zhang Yang. If you miss this, you won't get another chance."

"I have my own life plan." Zhang Yang first responded softly to He Jing, then looked at Bao Xingwei and said, "If I pursue a doctorate, it will take at least another five years of studying. Once inside an institution, I would still have to wait to build up seniority. I happen to be rather impatient by nature, so the outside world suits me better."

"To become a private equity manager?"

Bao Xingwei asked again.

Zhang Yang smiled indomitably. "I might head in the direction of becoming a hot money investor."

"You really are quite unique. You won't do private equity, you won't enter an institution, and you've set your heart entirely on becoming a hot money speculator. Are you that confident in your own trading model?"

Bao Xingwei could distinctly perceive an air of arrogance emanating from Zhang Yang—that unique youthful vigor and bravado, as if he could pierce the very heavens.

"If we miss this restorative bull market, who knows when the next one will come."

Zhang Yang answered with feigned humility.

Instead of boasting about his trading model, he attributed his confidence in becoming a hot money player entirely to market recovery.

This brief conversation left Bao Xingwei feeling somewhat unable to see through the twenty-something-year-old before him. He asked once more, "What kind of work do your parents do?"

He wanted to know if Zhang Yang's composure and inner strength were tied to his family background.

"Just the child of a farming family." Zhang Yang did not elaborate, brushed past the question directly, and added, "I feel deeply honored to meet Dean Bao, but my ambitions lie afar. Please forgive my abruptness."

"Everyone has their own aspirations; I can understand."

Bao Xingwei could comprehend that restless, surging heart of Zhang Yang's. Back when he was studying in the United States, everyone advised him to study medicine, yet he insisted on studying financial investments. It was precisely because he had a mind of his own that the legendary "fake academician Bao Xingwei" came to be.

They say a person spends their entire life gathering fallen flowers in retrospect. At that moment, Zhang Yang made Bao Xingwei catch a glimpse of his own rebellious, untamed former self.

Zhang Yang could never have imagined that precisely because of this conversation, Bao Xingwei, who had formed such a profound impression of him, would eventually become a pivotal figure in his future.