Five O'Clock Bu Peien

What is an era?

What is the Breath of the Times? What is the pulse of the times? This is a very complex and difficult question, and no one can summarize these concepts in a single sentence or a few short sentences.

The lives of the rich are a microcosm of the times, and so are the lives of the poor. It is impossible for anyone to grasp every detail and every change of an era.

If someone were to ask Lin Qi this question, Lin Qi would have the person take a bus from the busiest street to the poorest area, and he would see the era firsthand, a microcosm of everything.

The same is true here.

The diverse All Forms of Life at the exhibition gave Lin Qi a unique feeling, as if he had been separated from the rest of the world, perhaps stemming from his soul from another world.

He stood there, looking at the different expressions on everyone's faces, at the cunning in the eyes of the swindlers, and at the helplessness in the eyes of the inventor.

This is the era! "Mr. Lin Qi!" Just as Lin Qi was reflecting on this era and this world, preparing to take another step toward becoming a philosopher, a voice interrupted his reverie.

He wasn't annoyed. He turned around, a smile on his face, and looked at the people calling his name behind him. At that moment, the whole world seemed to become his background.

The person calling his name was the same stockbroker who had come closer since he hadn't seen Mr. Truman.

"Mr. Lin Qi, you seemed to have some interest in the Radio Reconnaissance Array I mentioned earlier?" the young stockbroker asked enthusiastically.

Lin Qi looked him up and down, and said, "Excuse my bluntness, but my question might make you uncomfortable. Can you tell me how much you can earn a month selling these stocks...?" He glanced at the brochures in the young man's hand.

The young man paused for a moment, then began to calculate.

The inventor was looking for the right fools—in fact, everyone knows that stockbrokers, in order to maximize profits, will use any legal means to get people to buy those stocks.

The inventor took out all the money that wouldn't immediately affect his life; he even took out his emergency savings of 1,200 yuan and handed it over to the stock brokerage firm.

The company promised to issue 60,000 shares for him, raising 12,000 yuan.

But the inventor naively believed that the price of each share was 20 cents, and that the 1,200 dollars he paid was the stockbroker's commission.

That's not the case. After the 1,200 yuan ended up in the company's pocket, they would start printing these Little Yellow Sheet with cheap machines. The price for each Little Yellow Sheet was not 20 minutes, but 35 cents.

Twenty points are for the inventor, ten points are for the company itself, and five points are for the salesperson.

If they can sell all these stocks, they will be able to raise 21,000 dollars. After deducting the contractual funds, which amount to 12,000 dollars, which will go into the inventor's account, the salesman will receive 3,000 dollars.

Is three thousand yuan a lot? The person who asked that question is an idiot.

Three thousand dollars is certainly a lot, 95 percent of people in this country would answer that way, but not every stockbroker can sell the Little Yellow Sheet assigned to them.

Some girls can do it easily. They can simply abandon telephone communication and communicate with clients face-to-face, making it easy to sell the most difficult stocks. Of course, they also earn the most.

An agent like Lin Qi's might earn... "close to a thousand dollars, Mr. Lin Qi!"

There seemed to be some pride in his expression, but his eyes and the way he subconsciously glanced at his toes betrayed him—he couldn't possibly have that much money.

It might have been possible before. When the financial environment was good, even farmers would use the money they would spend on feed to invest. But it's not possible now. He only earned eighty-one dollars and ninety cents this month.

If he can't finish all his current Little Yellow Sheet by the end of June, which is the end of this month, the company will fire him and give the opportunity to someone who is prepared—some new girls.

He lied when Lin Qi questioned him. Perhaps it was some resentment or a humble struggle that made him lie. He didn't want Lin Qi, a peer, to look down on him with that condescending and arrogant gaze. So he told Lin Qi what he thought was a very impressive income, without making it seem too exaggerated.

Lin Qi nodded noncommittally. "I have a business partner who, since joining my business, has received at least more profit sharing than you are now."

Lin Qi was referring to Richard, Richard was doing exceptionally well; he knew better than anyone how to take money from clients' trouser pockets and put it into Lin Qi's and his own wallets.

He is very good at maintaining his relationship with his customers. He shows concern for them on a daily basis, gives them small gifts during holidays, and occasionally holds raffles for his customers, giving them similarly inexpensive items or travel packages. These methods make him very loyal to his customers.

Even if he can't win the sales champion title every time now, he is still the best.

Lin Qi's words silenced the salesman, who at the same time had a vague feeling that this influential figure, hailed as a "New Era Young Leader," seemed to want to...

"Would you be willing to work for me?" Lin Qi asked directly.

He pointed to an empty seat nearby and then had some cold drinks brought over. The drinks calmed the Stock Broker down. He didn't agree immediately but asked, "May I know why, Mr. Lin Qi? Why would someone as important as you take notice of me?"

Lin Qi smiled, holding a glass of juice that was almost cloyingly sweet, and asked, "Have you ever seen Five O'Clock Bu Peien in the morning?"

The young man paused for a moment, and in an instant, fragments of memories began to surface in his mind.

In order to survive in this city, he had seen Bu Peien at 3 a. m., let alone 5 a. m. He had seen such days before, and they were not far from his life now.

He could recall at any time the busiest streets of Bu Peien filled with the irritating smells of the aftermath of the commotion at five in the morning, and the gradually rekindling restlessness.

He nodded. "Yes, Mr. Lin Qi, I have seen him." He quickly added, "But what is the reason?"

Lin Qi smiled and put down his cup. "I've seen it too. Because of hard work and courage, fate only favors those who are prepared... I'm sorry, I don't know your name yet."

"Lyme, sir, Lem McDonald."

"Lyme, look around you. There are at least a dozen stockbrokers around you, but since I came in, you're the only one who has recommended your Little Yellow Sheet to me."

"If you dare to put in the effort and strive for a good outcome, then why, and by what right, should fate be stingy with its rewards?"

"I see the potential for success in you, Lyme."

Lin Qi stirred the juice in the glass with a straw. To ensure the juice was very cold, it wasn't kept in the refrigerator; instead, the frozen juice was poured onto half a glass of slush.

Half a cup of smoothie can save the owner a lot of money while ensuring that it doesn't become stale too quickly. The excessive sweetness is also to prevent it from becoming bland after the smoothie melts.

He looked at Lyme. The changes in young people could never escape his grasp. People were not numb yet, and they still believed in miracles. That was the best of times!

Lin Qi looked at Lyme for about a minute before continuing, "From the bottom to where you are now, you actually know far more about Bu Peien and this industry than any of the big shots you think you are."

"There are some things you are not qualified to know, but once you become my partner, you will be able to master them very quickly. With your current experience working at the bottom, your growth rate will be faster than anyone else's."

Lin Qi's words had swayed Lyme, who licked his lips. "If I'm willing to work for you, Mr. Lin Qi, what would you ask me to do?"

"No, you're wrong!" Lin Qi shook a finger. "Working for me is just an excuse. You're not actually working for me. That's not fair. Just because I pay you some money doesn't mean I can use your abilities to make more money for myself."

"I have always believed that capable people should win, which is why we are partners."

"As for your question, it's very simple. I plan to buy some Trading Seat at trading banks, and now is a good time."

The Trading Seat seats of the three major banks have plummeted. The seats that cost more than a million last year are now only worth more than 300,000 each. Lin Qi plans to buy a few to prepare for the future.

His primary focus remains futures trading, as the Federal becomes more integrated into the International Community, making price fluctuations of raw materials and other commodities increasingly unpredictable.

For example, a certain material may experience huge fluctuations due to changes in the politics, seasons, and military power in a certain region.

Lin Qi may not be able to quell wars in certain regions, nor does he have the influence to make warring nations shake hands and make peace. However, inciting hostility in a region and creating artificial armed conflict is far too easy for him!

A good businessman is one who only sucks the blood of foreigners, but also sucks the blood of domestic capitalists; that's the kind of good businessman Lin Qi admires!

Lyme already knew exactly what Lin Qi was going to do. In fact, if he had enough money right now, he would also buy a Trading Seat at the bottom of the market, but he didn't have that much money.

He had already nodded, and was about to say that he was willing to work for Lin Qi to express his willingness, when Lin Qi stopped him.

"Before you give me an answer, and yourself, you might as well think it over some more. In this time, let's talk about that radio... reconnaissance array!"