Zhang Hao had never liked dirt or clutter and was a little obsessive about cleanliness. He admired minimalism. Though he couldn't quite live a truly minimalist lifestyle, it had influenced him quite a bit. He didn't own many things, never bought a bunch of odds and ends on a whim, and liked keeping his home clean.
At home, aside from work and trading stocks, he liked food best. He rarely ordered takeout, preferring to cook for himself. His life was extremely routine.
As for girlfriends, Zhang Hao had dated someone in college. But he was a total block of wood when it came to romance and had no idea how to comfort a girl. Sometimes, he couldn't even understand why she was upset. After his parents died, his mood worsened, and the two of them gradually drifted apart. After graduation, they went their separate ways.
Every night at ten thirty, Zhang Hao went to bed like clockwork. This time was no different, but he couldn't sleep at all.
He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The scene from that morning kept circling through his mind, and he couldn't stop wondering what the other person was after. They were far too mysterious, and the methods they'd used were completely beyond his understanding—and beyond anything he could fight against.
After tossing and turning for who knew how long, Zhang Hao finally fell asleep without realizing it. But he had one nightmare after another.
Zhang Hao woke with a start early the next morning. He checked his phone; it was only a little after five. With a long sigh, he got up and went out. He usually went for an hour-long jog at six every morning, but since he was up early today, he stuck to his routine and went running, picking up some vegetables and meat on the way home.
No matter what happened, life had to go on.
At 9:15, Zhang Hao opened his computer right on time and logged into his stock account. Then he saw that the only lousy stock he'd bought had already been ordered at the limit-up price during the opening auction. He stared in stunned disbelief.
The market opened at 9:30, and the stock was bought instantly. Zhang Hao was completely speechless. From yesterday to today, he'd basically scored three straight limit-ups. What a move.
His total was already over four million!
Zhang Hao ventured to ask, "Are you there?"
Here!
A single large character popped up.
Zhang Hao clutched his chest and muttered, "One day you're going to scare me to death. You're like a ghost..."
Just then, the mouse moved again, and Zhang Hao saw a batch of orders go in. He knew the stock this time: a small-cap stock. Dozens of buy orders went in, each at a different price and for a different quantity. The speed was simply unbelievable! The orders filled one by one, and more than four million quickly went into the market.
This time, Zhang Hao felt much more confident, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe the other person's methods were so impressive that he had nothing to say.
As a series of clicking sounds came from the screen, another line of text appeared.
Go to a securities firm and open a futures trading account!
Zhang Hao froze. He didn't understand futures trading at all. In fact, he didn't know much about stocks either. He'd dared to trade stocks because he used a simple, foolproof method, and his only goal in entering the market was to beat the interest he'd earn in the bank. Sure, he'd dreamed of making a fortune, but he knew all too well that if he tried, he'd probably end up as a sucker whose money got taken.
As a humanities major, Zhang Hao had never been good with numbers. He didn't even understand the concept of futures. But he knew futures weren't like stocks. As long as you didn't use leverage or borrow money to trade stocks, it was basically impossible to lose all your money—unless you picked a disastrous stock, which wasn't all that likely. Be a little careful, and you could avoid that.
Zhang Hao knew futures could be traded with leverage. If anything went wrong, he could lose every last cent. That was why he instinctively recoiled from futures trading. He could at least follow stock trades, but he couldn't even make sense of futures.
"Um... Mifeng, I don't know anything about futures..." Zhang Hao sounded unsure.
You don't need to know anything! Just get futures trading enabled. You have a dedicated account manager; go ask him to handle it!
Zhang Hao thought it over, then said, "I'll leave my original capital in the stock market. The rest can go into futures." He valued that initial sum; it was his safety net for the future.
He knew exactly how hard it was to earn money. Sometimes, trying to collect payment for a design job meant enduring all kinds of misery and swallowing his pride. He had no grand ambitions or great drive. He wasn't about to sit around waiting to starve, but he didn't dare throw caution to the wind and risk losing the security he needed to keep himself from begging on the street.
Coward!
Two characters popped up, and Zhang Hao's face flushed red. This guy really didn't give him an ounce of respect.
"Call me a coward if you want. Better that than going hungry..."
Zhang Hao had no one to rely on. If he went broke, he wouldn't even know where to find his next meal. And he'd rather die than borrow money from anyone. He had to rely on himself. Ever since his parents died, he'd understood that people let you down, and so did mountains. It was best to rely on yourself!
The truth was, Zhang Hao really didn't understand futures. He thought leaving his initial capital alone would keep him safe, but that wasn't necessarily so. If Mifeng wanted to ruin him, he could wipe out Zhang Hao's original capital, leave him penniless, and even make him owe the brokerage money.
A moment later, two characters appeared on the screen.
Fine!
Then Zhang Hao saw the stock hit its daily limit. He was truly stunned. This was faster than robbing a bank! At first, the stock had been in the red, down seven points. He hadn't bought at the lowest point, but he'd missed it by no more than two points. Add the rise to the fall, and that was a full fifteen-point gain. It felt as if the stock market belonged to Zhang Hao.
He rubbed his eyes hard. He'd made a huge profit again today. At this rate, doubling his money would be a piece of cake!
At that moment, Zhang Hao felt that his own trading skills were pathetic, nowhere near Mifeng's. This person was simply too outrageous.
Another line of text floated across the screen.
Open accounts at Wanbao Securities, Tianhe Securities, Zhengfan Securities, and Dadi Securities, and enable options trading at the same time.
Zhang Hao said meekly, "You can do it online..."
To open an options account, you had to go to a securities firm in person and fill out forms. Zhang Hao said, "Let's open the options account first. I'll call them."
His account manager was named Chen Lizhong. They knew each other, though they weren't close. When Zhang Hao called, Chen Lizhong greeted him warmly. "General Manager Zhang, what can I do for you? Haha, it's been a while."
Zhang Hao replied politely, "Manager Chen, hello. Yes, it really has been a while."
Chen Lizhong knew that when a client called, they always had a reason. Nobody called their account manager just to chat. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked, "Is there anything you need me to take care of, General Manager Zhang?" He was very courteous. Zhang Hao was a good client with a sizable account, one of his key customers.
Zhang Hao said, "Manager Chen, I'd like to enable futures trading... I remember you recommended that I open an account before, but I hadn't made up my mind at the time. Can I still do it now?"
Chen Lizhong was delighted. Account managers had targets, and they earned bonuses for signing clients up for futures trading. He quickly replied, "Of course! Absolutely! I'm at the office right now. You can come in and take care of it anytime, General Manager Zhang!"
A few characters appeared on the screen.
Go today!
Zhang Hao said, "All right. I'll come by today and get it done."
Before you continue