Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

On Thursday, August 30th, the air in Shanghai was still thick with the lingering heat of summer.

In his office, Jiang Haoran was looking through the latest progress report on the stock purchase.

Over the past few trading days, eight million yuan has quietly flowed in, building positions in ten infrastructure stocks.

Qinglong Pipe Industry bought half of its position at an average price of 6.11 yuan; Guangdong Hydropower completed 54% of its position at a cost of 4.97 yuan; and the remaining eight stocks also saw the expected 40% to 50% positions acquired.

The initial layout of all targets has been completed, but the stock price continues to consolidate near the cost line with light trading volume.

Chen Jingge came in with the upcoming investment plan: "Haoran, half of the position is in. The remaining 700 million yuan will be used to buy more this week, as planned."

He sat down opposite me. "This is the kind of market I'm looking at; it's so uninspiring."

Jiang Haoran took the report, glanced at it a few times, and nodded, saying, "That's exactly the kind of quiet we want. Only when no one is paying attention can we calmly acquire our chips."

He closed the folder and changed the subject: "By the way, Uncle, my school term is about to start. Would it be convenient for you to get together with Mr. Li and Mr. Wang, whom you mentioned last time?"

Chen Jingge smiled knowingly: "I've been waiting for you to say that. They've asked me about it several times in private."

"Then let's set it for tomorrow night," Jiang Haoran said, "Let's find a quiet place."

The following evening, seven or eight people sat around a round table in a private room of a secluded restaurant near the Bund.

Besides familiar faces like Liu Jinwang, General Manager Li, and General Manager Wang, there were also several unfamiliar faces.

Mr. Li, who was seated at the head of the table, raised his glass first to welcome Mr. Jiang: "Mr. Jiang is young and promising. He has been able to expand his business in Lujiazui, and even Mr. Chen has given him his full support. He has a bright future ahead of him. I would like to toast you."

"Thank you for your guidance last time; it benefited us old folks a lot. This is just a small gift, nothing more. I wish your company a prosperous opening and boundless success." He handed over a gift box containing an exquisite golden bull figurine.

Jiang Haoran accepted the gift with both hands, his attitude humble: "Mr. Li, you're too kind. These are just my personal, humble opinions. I hope they can be of some help to you all."

"You're too kind," said Mr. Wang, a trader, in a loud voice. "We old guys made a mistake earlier, following the trend to short sell and suffered losses. Later, we figured out the logic you pointed out and switched to long positions in time, which allowed us to turn the situation around and even make a profit. Mr. Jiang's insight into the market is much more thorough than that of us old fogies who have been in the game for many years."

Jiang Haoran smiled calmly and smoothly steered the conversation back to the current soybean meal market.

He did not directly predict the top or bottom, but simply analyzed several key points: the sustainability of weather speculation, the subtle shift in investor sentiment, and the divergence signals appearing on the technical level.

The words were concise, but those present were all people who had been immersed in the futures market for many years, so they could naturally hear the underlying meaning.

"So, Mr. Jiang believes the feast is nearing its end?" Mr. Wang leaned forward and asked, "yet market sentiment remains high, with many people optimistic about further gains."

"I've closed out all my personal positions." Jiang Haoran nodded in confirmation. "Profits at the end of a market trend often come with the greatest risks. It's better to leave them to those who are more daring."

A moment of silence followed.

The executives exchanged glances; some were dismissive, while others fell into deep thought.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

The small group had profited greatly from the last meeting, so naturally some people asked Jiang Hao about the possibility of a follow-up opportunity.

"I've been paying attention to some areas that might benefit from the policies recently," he said calmly. "The pressure to stabilize economic growth is considerable, and infrastructure investment is an important tool; we can look forward to its continued strength."

"Is President Jiang optimistic about the infrastructure sector?" President Wang pressed.

"To be more precise, we are optimistic about the structural opportunities driven by clear policy signals," Jiang Haoran slightly revised.

Mr. Zhang, who had been silent until now and whose main business was steel trading, spoke up at this moment: "From what we've heard, the preliminary work on several large projects is indeed accelerating, but the official approvals have not yet been issued."

"The anticipated value is often born in this period of 'unclear yet uncertain'," Jiang Haoran said. "By the time everything settles down, the market has already fully reacted."

He then took the opportunity to inquire about the current state of the industry as understood by the business owners present: building material prices, sales trends of construction machinery, and local government project reserves...

The business owners were happy to exchange ideas, and the atmosphere at the table was lively and full of conversation.

As the banquet drew to a close, President Wang patted Jiang Haoran on the shoulder and said sincerely, "President Jiang, if you ever have any good opportunities in the future, you must let us know. We roughnecks in the manufacturing industry know very little about the financial market."

The others smiled and echoed his sentiments.

"Definitely. Resource sharing and win-win cooperation." Jiang Haoran raised his glass in response.

After saying goodbye to their guests, Jiang Haoran and Chen Jingge strolled slowly along the riverbank.

Chen Jingge lit a cigarette: "These business owners are all well-off and have extensive connections. They are readily available resources for the company to raise funds or explore other avenues in the future."

Jiang Haoran nodded: "The seeds have been sown tonight. When needed, these connections and resources will naturally become our asset."

It was almost 10 p.m. when I got back to the apartment.

As soon as the door opened, Chang Yu jumped up like a spring: "Haoran! Quick! Soybean meal futures today are incredible. It surged to 4200 in the afternoon, I thought it was going to take off, but then it plummeted at the end of the day, like a rollercoaster ride!"

Jiang Haoran walked over, his gaze sweeping over the unusually long upper shadow line on the screen.

"Quite a fluctuation," he raised an eyebrow slightly, turning to look at Chang Yu with a hint of teasing in his tone, "Mr. Chang, you're not on the front lines of the 'tainted milk powder' scandal today? You've switched to monitoring the stock market?"

Chang Yu scratched his head and smiled a little embarrassedly: "You were right, I haven't touched it much these past few days. I don't know why, but watching the market fluctuate like this is more exciting than getting a 'pentakill' in a game."

He pointed to the screen, "Each up and down movement represents real money. Once you figure it out even a little bit, that sense of security is something games can't give you."

He turned his face, his expression unusually serious: "Honestly, Haoran, I have to thank you. These past few days with Uncle Chen have made me realize how much I was wasting my time at school. Now... it seems like I finally know where to focus my efforts."

Jiang Haoran raised his hand and punched him on the shoulder, a smile carrying the teasing unique to brothers: "Not bad, quick to realize things. Planning to 'make big money, drive a big car, and reach the pinnacle of life'?"

Chang Yu chuckled, but his eyes gleamed: "Of course! You've already paved the way, it would be such a disservice if I didn't follow suit! We have to get started!"

"Okay," Jiang Haoran nodded with a smile, "Then you should watch and learn carefully. Once you're really on the right track, there will be plenty of opportunities for me to show you how to do things... to help you soar to new heights."

"Alright!" Chang Yu slapped his thigh, full of enthusiasm.

The two exchanged a smile, their familiarity and trust—from growing up together and teasing each other—were fully conveyed in their relaxed and natural conversation.

On Friday morning, Jiang Haoran entered the company on time.

He first pulled up the market data for soybean meal futures.

Prices fluctuated wildly within a narrow range of 4100 to 4210, with fierce battles between bulls and bears.

The company account still has 200 long positions remaining.

Without further hesitation, he instructed the trader to exit the market smoothly in small batches. By the morning close, only fifty lots remained in the open position.

Meanwhile, the ten infrastructure stocks in the company's stock account remained calm, with intraday fluctuations not exceeding one point.

The extreme desolation contrasted dramatically with the extreme frenzy that had just swept through the futures market.

But he knew that before long, the rhythms of the two would be reversed.

In the afternoon, Jiang Haoran invited Chen Jingge into his office.

"Uncle, I'm going back to school tomorrow. I'll leave the company's daily operations and stock holdings entirely in your care. Please feel free to call me anytime if there's anything urgent." He handed him a document.

"This is the proposed follow-up operation plan. If the stock price experiences an irrational decline, you can consider increasing your position at key support levels; if there is a sudden surge in volume and price, avoid chasing the price and patiently wait for a pullback."

Chen Jingge took the document, carefully reviewed it, and then solemnly put it away: "Don't worry, I've got everything covered."

After finishing the last few things, Jiang Haoran leaned back in his chair, his gaze slowly sweeping over his first private space.

All objectives of this trip to Shanghai have been achieved: initial capital accumulation has been completed, Jiutian Investment has successfully launched and is on the right track, and the core team has been established.

It's time to say goodbye for now and return to campus.

His first battle has now come to a successful conclusion.