Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 112 You guys gamble, I'll risk my life
The following week was particularly busy and quite interesting.

Liang Hui is back. Chen Xuebing took 15 yuan from Shenzhen and rented a 100-square-meter office for him on the 42nd floor of a building in New York. He also bought some office supplies, assigned Ni Cheng and Wu Duo to him, and asked him to hire two more engineering clerks to set up the company.

Wu Zisheng also began recruiting logistics and trading staff.

Xu Jin's requirements for Wu Zisheng's trader position were very simple:
High school diploma or above, clear-headed and quick-thinking, veterans and athletes are given priority.

(Parentheses: Quasi-military management during working hours)

The original base salary was 3500 yuan.

After inquiring about local wage levels, Xu Jin lowered his salary considerably.

The internship salary is 1200 yuan, and the salary after formal employment is 2200 yuan.

The number of job seekers was still unimaginable; after posting advertisements at the job market for half a day, only a few dozen people came to inquire.

Several job seekers were so shocked by the work environment that they couldn't stop talking and called several friends over.

All the job applicants had to pass Xu Jin's first test: a patience test.

He came over in the morning and stood outside waiting for several hours until the market closed in the afternoon, when he was free.

This round was unexpected; almost no one was eliminated.

— Xu Jin's offer was too high, and the restrictions were too low. Some applicants, even those with other offers that day, turned them all down and were willing to wait here. Among them were undergraduate students.

After reviewing the materials, the first hurdle I encountered upon entering the room was a set of Harvard University IQ test questions published by the Economic Management Press.

This round eliminated more than half of the people. Those scoring below 110 were not accepted, while those scoring above 130 were called to the meeting room by Xu Jin, who gave them another set of questions to complete, thus eliminating several cheaters.

Then came the interview.

Chen Xuebing was somewhat interested and listened in for a while.

Basically, there are a few questions:

1. Have you ever been involved with stocks?
2. Why choose our company?

3. Is your personality active or quiet?
4. Which athlete do you admire?

5. Have you ever served in the military?

6. What should you do if you are accidentally bitten on the hand by a crocodile?
7. Based on a brief encounter, point out my distinctive features.

In this round, several people couldn't even name a single athlete. Xu Jin said they were completely unaware of outside information and were all eliminated.

He secretly asked Xu Jin about the others, but there were no correct answers at all. Xu Jin was just observing their reaction speed and serious attitude when answering the questions.

Getting bitten on the hand by a crocodile isn't a problem that requires too much thought. Anyone who gives a quick answer, whether it's about losing an arm, fighting, or some other bizarre answer, will get points.

According to Xu Jin: If you are bitten on the hand by a crocodile and still hesitate for two seconds without an answer, then you might as well wait to die.

As for pointing out his characteristics, he deliberately speaks with a slight stutter and writes with his left hand; pointing out even one of them is enough to qualify.

As a result, a friend who had studied traditional Chinese medicine said that his lower eyelids were a little swollen. Combining this with his puffy face, he said that this was a manifestation of spleen deficiency and dampness. He judged that his tongue coating was thick and greasy, and his stool must be very sticky. He advised him to exercise moderately and eat a light diet.

That guy was eliminated by Xu Jin with a dark expression.

Xu Jin felt uncomfortable for several days.

Chen Xuebing laughed for several days.

In the end, he notified 20 people to come to the company to report for duty. Xu Jin began teaching various technical and fundamental analysis courses after the market closed.

Yu Yi was also included in the study group by Chen Xuebing.

On August 15th, the second Monday, Xu Jin began using a simulated stock trading system launched in 2004 to start the "intraday short-term multiple trading" phase, conducting the second round of elimination.

This involves making multiple trades within a single trading day. Each trade is exited with a profit of 3 cents or a loss of 3 cents. Dozens of trades are made daily, and the success rate and failure rate are compared. This trains traders to resolutely and decisively adhere to stop-loss and take-profit discipline, and also develops reaction time and agility through high-intensity trading.

This stage tests your reaction time and endurance.

There are ten computers in the office, and six of them are used for training in rotation. Each person doesn't have many opportunities. It is said that half of the people will be eliminated within a week, and then they will be transitioned to large-scale training, and the elimination will continue.

The training was in full swing, and Chen Xuebing was eager to try it himself, but Liu Zengcheng watched coldly from the sidelines.

The market index continued to rise last week, reaching 1167.91. In just three days, the Hong Yongqiang account he controlled made a profit of 3.38%, outperforming the market by more than 1 point and exceeding the Chen Xuebing account controlled by Xu Jin by a full 0.8 points.

Even the master isn't as good as him, let alone the apprentice?

……

On Tuesday afternoon, Chen Xuebing took a nap in the inner office and was woken up by a phone call from his mother.

After groaning and moaning for a while, he got up somewhat helplessly and went outside.

A group of prospective traders, their eyes practically glowing with adrenaline after being lectured by Xu Jin, gathered around the computer, waiting to take their turn.

Xu Jin and Liu Zengcheng sat opposite each other, watching the stock market on their respective computers.

Ren Ying is teaching Zhang Hang how to do accounting.

Wu Zisheng and a beautiful, unfamiliar woman were standing in the reception area at the office entrance, exchanging some instructions.

Everything seems to be in order.

How's the market today?

Chen Xuebing now thinks of only two words the moment he opens his eyes—profit.

“A small profit.” Xu Jin smiled and turned around: “Give me two months, and once this group of people are trained, we can break down our account funds. Each person can get one million and keep an eye on two or three stocks. The trading efficiency will be much higher.”

"Well, I have to go home. I've been busy lately, so keep an eye on things."

He's supposed to go to school on September 3rd, and there are still about ten days of military training ahead of him. He'll probably have to stay at school for a while, and he also has to go to the construction site before the start of the semester.

After saying that, Chen Xuebing prepared to wash his face.

"Hey? Mr. Chen, are you leaving?" Liu Zengcheng suddenly called out to him.

Chen Xuebing turned his head and suddenly realized that the two of them were looking at him.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Jin hesitated before continuing, "President Chen, Baosteel warrants..."

Chen Xuebing's head is bigger than his.

With steady profits during this period, and the market still having several thousand points to rise, the next two years will be full of opportunities, so he really doesn't want to take the risk.

But the two people in front of me seemed to have high expectations for this certificate.

"Hmm... I've been researching warrants these past few days. Can you wait while I take another look?"

"If we don't make a decision now, it will be too late. The listing will take place next Monday, and there are only three trading days left this week. If we decide to go ahead, we need to gradually sell off our existing stock, otherwise we may easily incur losses."

"Yes, Mr. Chen, if you're worried, we can lower the bid to below 5 cents. We'll take whatever we can get. There are agencies that are already taking our bids at this price, so it's a sure thing."

"Yes, I have information about Xu Jin. I'll handle it and guarantee you the maximum profit!"

These two people, who were originally at odds, were now putting pressure on Chen Xuebing with words of encouragement. Chen Xuebing couldn't help but chuckle: "You two can actually cooperate this time?"

Xu Jin glanced at Liu Zengcheng.

Liu Zengcheng leaned back in his chair and nodded: "Just this once! But I want to bet with you! If I lose, I'll pay you two months' salary; if I make money, I want a 3% commission!"

Xu Jin clicked his tongue and said, "My friend in the upper echelons of the organization can provide me with information on how to withdraw, but... regardless of whether we win or lose, he wants 30 yuan, which has to be transferred to him before the market opens."

The cost increased by 30.

Chen Xuebing frowned.

"The total number of warrants is 3.8 million. Even if the price rises from 1 cent to 5 cents, with a market capitalization of 19 billion, including institutional and retail investors, how many low-priced shares can you get? What if the opening price exceeds 5 cents? Should you still enter the market?"

Xu Jin remained silent.

Liu Zengcheng replied, "Grab it! Grab it if there's a price difference!"

Chen Xuebing was torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

He currently has over 430 million in there, and if he's lucky, it could grow to 1000 million before New Year's Day.

Huaqiangbei might bring him another ten million.

Twenty million is still far from the number he wants.

His mobile phone factory wants to make its own compliant products, which will burn through a huge amount of money.

And the Maotian Cement Plant, which later became incredibly wealthy, had far more than that amount.

If he doesn't take a gamble and just plays by his old ways, he can enjoy his university life and life to the fullest, but he will lose the time to surpass his peers.

After a while, he took the phone and walked into the inner room.

"Wait a minute, I need to make a phone call."

...

"...That's how it is, Uncle Hong, are you in or not?"

After finishing his phone conversation, Chen Xuebing lit a cigarette.

"You mean, it's possible to lose everything?"

"That's the theory, but that's after the warrants expire in a year. What I can guarantee is that my position won't be cut to less than half."

"This risk is too great... What do you think?"

“I think it’s a good idea. We can at least grab one lot in the pre-market auction. However, my personal opinion does not constitute investment advice and has no guiding significance,” Chen Xuebing said cautiously.

“Then… I’d better not participate.” Hong Yongqiang was also cautious.

"Then give me my 80 profit first, and lend me another 200 million. If I lose all but 200 million, I'll withdraw it immediately and pay you back. With 280 million plus my 430 million, that's a total position of 710 million. I can at least keep your 200 million."

Now, Hong Yongqiang hesitated again.

"You're that confident?"

"How many times in life can you take a gamble? Anyway, I don't have enough money."

"How about I give you 380 million, and you consider it my investment of 100 million?"

"Row."

Chen Xuebing hung up the phone, let out a long sigh, and walked out of the room.

Faced with the two people who looked hesitant and timid, Chen Xuebing felt an urge to yell at them for some reason.

Damn it, you guys gamble with money, I'll risk my life.

"An 810 million project, should we go for it?"

The two looked at each other and said in unison, "Let's do it!"

"Clear out the stock!" Chen Xuebing cursed.

"Damn it, if you guys lose, I'll miss out on hundreds of millions!"

……

Around 5 p.m., Chen Xuebing returned home carrying large bags and small packages. Before he even entered the house, his uncle called.

Chen Xuebing was feeling a cloud of worry about his assets going to zero when he saw the call from the old debt collector. He put down what he was holding and put the phone to his ear with a bit of annoyance.

"Hey, you want that 30 back? I don't have the money!"

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end, followed by a surprised voice echoing from the hallway.

"You little bastard... Your Uncle Hong already told me! You're going to spend so much money on warrants, you don't need at least 30?"

Chen Xuebing immediately changed the subject: "If you keep insulting me, I'll tell my mom about you! I'm right at my doorstep right now!"

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, alright! You're going to get Baosteel warrants this time? Tell me straight, what are your chances of success?"

"Oh, you even know about Baosteel warrants?" Chen Xuebing didn't answer directly, but instead made a joke.

The other end started cursing, the tone a bit urgent: "Of course I know! In 1992, Baoan warrants went from 4 yuan to 23.6 yuan, I was at the exchange back then! Do you even know what you're talking about? Say something! Your aunt is cooking, it's time to eat, hurry up!"

Chen Xuebing sensed something else in the words and pondered for a moment before saying:

"As long as the warrant price doesn't collapse, I can make money as long as there's market activity. I have professional traders here, and I also have institutional information."

There was a silence on the other end for three to five seconds.

"I'll transfer you a million, and you can manage it for me. I'm not asking for huge profits, but if we lose money, you should try your best to keep half of it for me, okay?"

Chen Xuebing frowned: "You're short of money?"

"lack!"

"Then I'll return the 300,000 to you."

"That 300,000 wasn't a loan to you! It's what you deserve! I was just joking with you, and you actually took it seriously?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Suddenly, a deafening roar resounded.

"Yu Chunyin!! You gave him another 300,000?!"

The phone slammed down.

Chen Xuebing stared at the phone, momentarily lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)