Chapter Six, The World at a Glance
He always feels that stocks are unreliable, fluctuating up and down without any certainty. In Li Boyong's view, trading stocks is no different from betting on horses; it is a matter of hitting the jackpot. If one happens to catch a rise, they profit, but if they encounter a fall, they incur losses
Li Boyong brought Yang Xuan and Xu Ji to a very famous hotel in Huzhou, which has a particularly imposing name, called "Tianxia Yitan". It is said to be especially renowned for its Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dish. This hotel was opened by an old friend of Li Boyong, and he was one of the shareholders when it was established, making him a partial owner.
The interior is resplendent with gold and brilliance, the owner's taste is lacking, as if he would use Renminbi as wallpaper, fearing that others might not realize this is a place for the wealthy to dine
Xu Ji said: "I have come to Huzhou for an inspection, and I will return to Shenzhen in a few days. Recently, I have collaborated with several private equity firms and a fund, planning to invest in a stock. I am taking the lead on this, and I would like you to come over; I will entrust the management of this matter to you. I can make the decisions, and consider this a welcome back for you."
Fortunately, Xu Jihan has a good temperament and did not argue with him. After a moment of looking pale, he managed to regain his composure and said politely, "Yes, it's actually about the same, basically like this, just barely making a living."
Nao Nao stood on Yang Xuan's legs, its two front paws resting on the table. Yang Xuan did not want to encourage this habit of getting on the table, so he pressed its head down for a moment before saying: "Thank you for your kind intentions, but..."
"It is not appropriate to discuss elsewhere," Xu Ji paused and said, "but you are always welcome to visit my senior brother's place."
Li Boyong opened his car door while displaying a hospitable demeanor and said, "Mr. Xu, judging by your accent, you are not a local. Today, it is my fault. How about I treat you both to a meal? Consider it..."
Xu Ji frowned and said: "Don't talk like Jiang Hesheng! Always thinking about a dead person, don't you have any ambition! I have told you before, victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare..."
Before Mr. Li could utter the four words "apologize and make amends," he noticed the driver's face was filled with unease, and then he heard a strange sound coming from the back seat
Li Boyong said in a casual manner: "I do have some understanding of this. My aunt has had some spare money in recent years, and not long ago, she opened an account like others. She keeps talking about rising, rising, rising. Are you all trading stocks just like her?"
Yang Xuanming was clearly not in the right state of mind, probably still entangled in the issue of the scratches on his car seat caused by Nao Nao. Upon hearing his name mentioned, he did not seem to understand what others were saying, but silently nodded to indicate that he had learned a lesson.
This signifies that our country's financial market is becoming increasingly active, with its mechanisms and rules becoming more refined. One day, we will have a standardized and mature market mechanism and policies for dealing with capital. By that time, our country's financial market will be highly open, and the Renminbi will no longer be regulated, having an offshore market similar to the US dollar. We can make it, just like the Americans, allowing the Renminbi to be as widespread as the US dollar across the globe
Xu Ji's expression twisted unnaturally for a moment, and he thought that working for a nouveau riche was better than being a team leader who didn't even pay a salary—clearly, this person's awareness was not high, thinking that "volunteer work = unpaid work"
But what can be done? Just endure it
"Indeed, I also think that kid has met his end in a fitting manner," she said casually, tucking a strand of unadorned hair behind her ear like a plain noodle in clear soup. "At least on the road to the underworld, he has a futures contract in government bonds to keep him company. Who knows, in a few years, they might even be reborn together."
Li Boyong frowned, then he realized: "No way, I saw you leading the team and you seemed quite sociable, and you were good at assigning tasks. The group of kids really loved listening to you."
Li Boyong realized that she was making an excuse, and he smiled indifferently, no longer persuading her—after all, she didn't even inquire about the salary, which clearly indicated a lack of interest and unwillingness to come. Making excuses could be seen as a way to save face, and continuing to press the matter would only lead to embarrassment.
Yang Xuan curled his finger, turned the handle of the teacup, and suddenly said in an unusually calm yet sharp tone: "I do not need that much capital. What is money? Money is a bastard"
Li Boyong is actually very righteous, fearing that these two "poor friends who have no proper means of livelihood" would feel uncomfortable. He did not even let anyone else bring the menu, but directly went to the back to instruct the waiter on the dishes, and only then returned to the private room. At the door, he happened to overhear Yang Xuan and Xu Ji talking.
Yang Xuan finally came to his senses and smiled, saying, "Senior brother, I have truly reformed."
Although Xu Ji still limped along with Yang Xuan supporting him, he had already managed to control his emotions quite well. Especially upon learning that Li Boyong was the local boss favored for supplying organic food, he politely said: "It is unnecessary for Mr. Li to incur any more expenses. It was originally a misunderstanding, and I was not in the best of spirits at that time, which may have caused offense."
Yang Xuan fell silent for a moment: "Oh... thank you, General Manager Li. In fact, I have thought it over after returning, and I still feel it is not quite suitable for my personality"
Naughty Nuan turned her head, her slender little neck, blinking her innocent big eyes at Li Boyong
"That absolutely cannot be!" Li Boyong, in order to show his generosity, even patted his own little head, "You see, if I hadn't kicked Mr. Xu and broken him, we wouldn't be able to go to the hospital. If we don't go to the hospital, we wouldn't be able to leave the cat in the car. You know how cats are; they love to scratch things. Back in my hometown, my grandmother had this mischievous creature that even threw dead mice into my shoes. Look at this little mixed-breed, so well-behaved, just looking at it feels warm. Give the old man a meow."
Yang Xuan raised his eyes and quietly looked at him
Li Boyong glanced at Yang Xuan and felt that the mention of securities indeed did not sound like a legitimate business. No wonder this girl would rather work for free than engage in it.
Yang Xuan suddenly shook her head and smiled. She picked up the teacup and took a sip: "Hmm, this tea is quite good. I think it is worth at least 200 yuan per pot, thanks to my senior brother's broken leg today."
Li Boyong secretly glanced at Xu Ji, who was making a fuss, and thought disdainfully to himself, when I was a child, I climbed trees and was shouted down by my father, breaking my leg, yet I didn't dare to shed a single tear. How can there be such fragile men in the world? He actually has the audacity to act weak in front of a woman
"You don't want to come, do you?" Xu Ji let out a bitter laugh, "Why are you so stubborn! I must tell you, there have been rumors lately that the country might be considering the approval of margin financing and financial futures—though it's not really just a rumor. As the financial market continues to develop, this is bound to happen sooner or later, probably within the next four to five years. Do you know what this means?"
Yang Xuan hesitated for a moment: "It seems I scratched it a little; otherwise, I would compensate you at the original price..."
Mr. Li hurriedly chuckled and said, "Ah ha ha, it’s alright, it’s nothing. I weigh around 100 to 110 jin, how could I possibly take offense with a little cat that weighs merely 2 liang?"
The three individuals fell silent for a moment. Li Boyong, a regular at the wine table, naturally knew how to break the deadlock, so he turned to Yang Xuan: "Team Leader Yang, regarding the position of assistant to the general manager that I mentioned to you last time, it still hasn't been finalized. To be honest, you should think it over again. If you decide to take it, this position can be reserved for you. I believe that there aren't many young people nowadays who are meticulous and practical in their work."
It has a meaning similar to guessing high or low
Xu Ji quickly expressed his apologies for the oversight, took out a business card from his pocket, and handed it over: "Look at me, I almost forgot, Mr. Li, this is my business card. Since we have met, we are friends. If you need anything from me in the future, feel free to contact me at any time"
Of course, he refrained from expressing the subsequent remarks out of consideration for Mr. Xu's dignity, showing kindness in his restraint
However, he did not understand why he felt a great sense of regret in his heart, and as he pondered, he unexpectedly began to feel somewhat uncomfortable
Nǎo nǎo made a soft sound: "Mī wū—"
Xu Ji was too lazy to pay her any attention: "This is merely a trend of development. Do you wish for our financial market to remain forever closed off? In the future, there will be more opportunities to explore, as well as more chances and more capital."
He smiled politely and said with a hint of meaning: "Indeed... Yang Xuan, sometimes it's not a bad idea to take a break for oneself, adjust one's lifestyle, and try a different way of living. However, after a long time, one still needs to get back on track."
Yang Xuan
Li Boyong took a look and said: "Hongjing Securities ... ... "
Hearing this, Li Boyong felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned to Xu Ji and asked with some doubt: "Mr. Xu... what is your occupation?"
He suddenly realized: "Oh—so Mr. Xu is in the securities business, my apologies, my apologies"
Li Boyong realized he had gotten himself into trouble, and he acted submissively all the way to the hospital. Following Xu Ji, he underwent examinations for external injuries and had X-rays taken, which led to the conclusion—nothing serious. There was just a bruise on his leg and slight swelling in his ankle, and a good night's sleep would suffice for recovery
However, in the next moment, Xu Ji scorned his own way of thinking, thinking to himself that his junior sister, even if she had fallen for a few years, should not be reduced to planting scallions or picking up eggs
Yang Xuan immediately stepped forward and picked up the scratching Nao Nao from the back seat of his car, saying: "I apologize, I apologize, it usually doesn't behave like this at home, and I have never seen it scratch things randomly."
Ah, yes, you envy this. In the future, we can also shamelessly borrow money like Americans, and then default on our debts while taking advantage of depreciation.
Yang Xuan immediately interjected, "Yes, but I just feel that I cannot continue like this. I need to engage with society, which is why I started by doing volunteer work. I plan to train for a while and then look for a proper job to try my luck."
Xu Ji and Nao Nao simultaneously turned their faces towards the window, thinking to themselves, and then continued to fabricate.
The hotel manager personally came out to welcome one of their major shareholders, courteously ushering the three individuals into the private room and serving tea and water
I often stay at home, watching videos online by myself. Over time, I have become less inclined to speak. Yang Xuan rolled his eyes to the side and said, "Hmm... perhaps my personality is inherently more introverted, and I am not very willing to interact with many people. The job of an assistant at least requires good communication skills with others, and I feel that I might not be very capable of that."
Licked its paw
Well, how to say it
Naughty: "Meow." It also rubbed against his palm—thinking to itself, haven't you heard of the saying 'the death of a rabbit makes the fox sad' or something like that? You, a nouveau riche who uses real leather to cushion your backside, if I don't scratch you, who should I scratch? Die, human! Meow, ha ha ha ha.
Yang Xuan lowered his head and pretended to be demure, secretly amused—his senior brother's face had turned pale.
Although Li Boyong looked down on his soft-spoken nature, he was someone who easily became friendly with others. Having mingled in society for many years, he had become quite the sociable person, and casually remarked: "You don't get to know someone without a fight; after all, we are all brought together by fate—just the other day, I was planning to recruit Team Leader Yang to our company."
Xu Ji made a modest gesture: "Not at all."