dognovel Chapter 24 Zhou Shiming's Invitation
Chapter 24 Zhou Shiming's Invitation
Ling Yun whispered a few words to Wang Degui, who was excitedly sweating, before turning to leave.
Ling Yun's face showed no ecstasy, only an almost indifferent calm, as if the thrilling gamble on wealth just now was nothing more than routine for him.
This scene was captured in every detail by account manager Zhou Shiming.
Zhou Shiming was in his early forties, dressed in sophisticated navy blue trousers and a white shirt, his hair neatly combed. He held a notebook in his hand, seemingly taking notes, but his sharp gaze remained fixed on Ling Yun.
As a senior manager in the business department, he has seen too many faces rise and fall in the stock market: some become rich overnight and lose their heads, some are devastated after losing their fortunes, some hesitate and miss opportunities, and some, like Professor Liu, are intellectuals with a touch of aloofness and try to control the market with theory.
But someone like Ling Yun was someone he had almost never seen before.
Too young, unbelievably young. Yet this very young man, just over a month ago, barged into the brokerage with a paltry 270,000 yuan in capital. His eyes, however, showed none of the timidity or confusion often seen in new retail investors, only a certainty beyond his years.
Then, he chose Shenzhen Technology and went all in at a price of 4.6 yuan, even boldly using a 1:5 leverage ratio to maximize both risk and return.
The market movements that followed seemed tailor-made for this young man. Shenzhen Technology surged ahead, while Lingyun, amidst a rapid price increase and everyone caught in a quagmire of greed and fear, decisively sold off all his shares ten minutes before the market closed, at a point when the stock was still strongly rising.
"We see insufficient trading volume and decreasing turnover..."
Zhou Shiming silently recalled the whispered words he had vaguely heard Ling Yun to Wang Degui. This precise grasp of fund flows and market sentiment, this composure to remain clear-headed amidst extreme euphoria and to promptly take profits—these were qualities rarely possessed by an ordinary college student or even a seasoned stock market investor. It was more like…an instinct, an innate, keen sense of the market's pulse.
Zhou Shiming's heart began to pound uncontrollably. He realized that this young man might not be just lucky. He might be a rough diamond, a client with enormous potential. Investing in him might bring returns far beyond imagination.
Seeing that Ling Yun was about to walk out of the VIP room, Zhou Shiming no longer hesitated. He quickly put on a smile that was even more sincere than usual and strode forward to meet him.
"Mr. Ling! Please wait."
Ling Yun stopped and turned to look at Zhou Shiming, a question in his eyes, "Manager Zhou, is something the matter?"
"Mr. Ling, your move today was truly brilliant!" Zhou Shiming exclaimed sincerely, while gesturing for him to join him. "Would it be convenient for you to take a few minutes of your time to come to my office for a cup of tea? There's something I'd like to discuss with you that might offer some convenience for your future transactions."
His tone was perfectly balanced, showing respect for the client while also conveying a sense of mystery about "insider benefits."
Ling Yun hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
Seeing this, Wang Degui wisely didn't follow. He just gave Lingyun a "I'll wait for you" look and then happily went to check the dizzying string of numbers in his account.
Inside the manager's office, the windows were bright and the desks were clean, much quieter than outside. Zhou Shiming warmly invited Ling Yun to sit on the sofa and personally brewed a cup of fine Longjing tea. The tea leaves unfurled in the hot water, releasing a delicate aroma.
"Mr. Ling, I won't beat around the bush." Zhou Shiming gently pushed the teacup towards Ling Yun, leaning forward slightly in a humble manner. "We've all been watching your recent actions. To be honest, they're astounding."
He paused, observing Ling Yun's reaction. Seeing that the other party remained calm, he continued, "Our branch has always valued clients like you who have strength and potential. We hope to provide the best service to help clients create greater value. Of course, this can also increase our branch's transaction volume. It's a win-win situation." He smiled, revealing part of his motives, which made him seem more credible.
"Oh? I wonder what Manager Zhou means by better service?" Ling Yun picked up her teacup and gently blew on it.
"First, let's talk about the trading environment." He stood up and pointed outside the office. "As you can see, while the current VIP rooms are better than the lobby downstairs, they're crowded and noisy, inevitably causing interference. We've just renovated a separate VIP room on the second floor—no, it's more accurate to call it a 'special VIP room.' It's not large, but it's very quiet, equipped with the latest computers and dedicated lines to ensure fast trading. Most importantly, it offers excellent privacy; you won't be disturbed. I'd like to offer this one to Mr. Ling first."
An independent trading room? Ling Yun raised an eyebrow. In this era, that was indeed top-tier treatment, meaning faster speed, a quieter environment, and also symbolizing a certain status. He nodded: "The environment is indeed very important. Manager Zhou, you've put in a lot of effort."
Seeing that Ling Yun did not refuse, Zhou Shiming felt reassured and offered his second benefit, which he considered his "trump card".
"Secondly, there are the trading tools." He walked behind his desk, carefully took out a box from a drawer, opened it, and found several 3.5-inch floppy disks and a thin instruction manual inside.
"Mr. Ling, this is a test version of our company's latest 'Video Telephone Automated Trading System,' which is currently in the internal trial phase and has extremely limited availability." Zhou Shiming's tone carried a hint of pride. "After installing this system, you won't have to come to the branch office every time. You can check and place orders using any activated telephone by following the prompts. Of course, ideally, you can use our accompanying software on a computer for more intuitive market analysis and trading."
He looked at Ling Yun, trying to see surprise or interest on the other's face. After all, in 1996, telephone trading and computer stock trading were still unimaginable future concepts for most stock investors.
Ling Yun was indeed intrigued. He put down his teacup, took the floppy disks and instruction manual, and carefully examined them. The system seemed ridiculously rudimentary to him, but in this era, it was truly cutting-edge technology, greatly freeing up his time and scope of movement. No longer confined to the sales office, he could have more energy to handle the internet cafe's affairs.
"Telephone orders, computer transactions..." Ling Yun pondered, "This is indeed much more convenient. Thank you for your kindness, Manager Zhou. I am willing to try out this test system and provide feedback."
Zhou Shiming's smile widened; he knew he had made the right move. The young man before him showed a far greater acceptance and interest in new technology than in pursuing ordinary material pleasures.
"Great! It's our honor to have an expert like Mr. Ling help with the testing!" He struck while the iron was hot and took out a brand new black pager from the drawer. It was smaller and more exquisite than the ones commonly found on the market.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation." Zhou Shiming pushed the pager over. "This isn't an ordinary pager; it's connected to our information system. In addition to the normal paging function, our branch will send you daily market summaries, emergency announcements, and... well, some information on individual stock movements that we believe are valuable, hoping to help Mr. Ling better grasp market dynamics."
Independent VIP trading rooms, trial version of the computer trading platform, and insider information pagers—Zhou Shiming offered three services that would be considered "top-of-the-line" in this era, demonstrating his sincerity.
His goal was clear: to use the best resources to bind this young man with unlimited potential, keep him firmly in his branch, let him generate more trading commissions, and at the same time, use his operations to improve his own performance and judgment.
Ling Yun looked at the three items on the table, his mind clear. He readily accepted Zhou Shiming's investment. It would indeed save him a lot of time and provide considerable convenience. As for what the sales department wanted from him, everyone knew the unspoken agreement; it was simply a matter of mutual benefit.
"Manager Zhou is so kind; it would be impolite of me to refuse." Ling Yun smiled slightly, putting away the floppy disk, instruction manual, and pager. "I'm very interested in these things, especially this trading system. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Manager Zhou again in the future."
"No trouble at all! No trouble at all!" Seeing that Ling Yun accepted everything, Zhou Shiming felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and smiled broadly. "It's my honor to serve Mr. Ling. I'll have that special room cleaned and tidied up immediately, and you can use it right away when you come tomorrow. If you encounter any problems with the system installation, feel free to contact me anytime, and I'll arrange for a technician to come to your location!"
After exchanging a few more polite words, Lingyun got up to take his leave.
Zhou Shiming personally escorted Ling Yun to the office door. Watching the young man's tall, composed figure disappear at the end of the corridor, he finally let out a long sigh of relief, his face showing a mixture of excitement and anticipation. He felt that the decision he made today might very well be the best investment of his career.
As Ling Yun walked out of the business department, the cool evening breeze brushed against his face. He touched the floppy disk in his satchel and the pager in his pocket, a faint smile appearing on his lips.