Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 399 - 198 Adding Wings to a Tiger_2

Under normal circumstances, Old Xu only needed to pull the stock price back near its initial level. Then, next week, he could use a small positive candlestick chart pattern to feign a breakout above a consolidation platform. This would restore Wei Hua’s stock profile without significantly increasing his holdings. It was a bit slow, but it was a reliable, cost-effective, and more convenient method for clearing out his position.

So, what on earth had happened to make him so anxious? This matter was beyond Han Lie’s capabilities. He truly couldn’t figure it out, nor did he have anyone to ask.

Could it be because Old Xu has another partner waiting? Han Lie wondered. Is he ready to work on another company before the Lunar New Year?

In Han Lie’s memory, Old Xu had engaged in quite a few insider trades over the past two years. Excluding the bull market period when buying almost anything was profitable, President Xu had been busy throughout 2013 and for most of 2014. So many important people had visited President Xu’s home that the phrase "a house full of guests" was an understatement. Many powerful figures had sought him out, trying to win Old Xu over with various methods.

If nothing goes wrong, I’ll also start to enjoy such treatment next year, Han Lie mused. But those things aren’t important right now.

「Getting back to the point—」 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Clearly, since Old Xu has made his decision, Wei Hua won’t get another chance. It’s just this period before the New Year—take it as high as it can go. After that, it will plummet until another company acquires it. In my memory, Wei Hua remains a junk stock for several years and eventually becomes a shell company. This will be the first profit for our firm.

Han Lie made his decision and immediately began to urge Liu Minghao.

"Where’s the trader I asked for?"

"Why the sudden rush?" Liu Minghao asked, clearly not understanding.

"I have a big use for them on Monday," Han Lie explained. He had no intention of keeping secrets from Liu Minghao, a shareholder in their venture; besides, this would underscore the matter’s importance to Liu. "So you need to find someone reliable and ready to start immediately."

"Don’t worry, I’ll contact someone right away!"

When it involved his own money, Liu Minghao dropped everything else and took immediate action.

Thus, Han Lie met the person on Friday evening.

The meeting took place in a tea room. Lü Shuli greeted Han Lie at the main entrance and promptly reported the trader’s personal profile.

"The target is named Jiao Fangyan, twenty-eight years old. Lawyer Liu brought her over from CITIC Securities’ proprietary trading unit—specifically, the third trading team of the Securities and Financial Business Division. She is the team leader of this third trading group and has been in the industry for eight years. She holds a diploma from a third-tier institution, which is rare in this business line, and is considered part of the ’self-taught’ faction. Consequently, she was consistently unable to get promoted and saw little chance of advancing further, which is why she was willing to come out and talk..."

When Han Lie heard "CITIC," he felt a headache coming on.

"Why did you have to pick someone from CITIC? Does she participate in decision-making?" he asked.

"Huh?" Lü Shuli was clearly confused by the question and stammered, "What level of decision-making? As a trading team leader, she... she should have some decision-making power, right?"

"Forget it, I won’t ask you anymore. I’ll see for myself," Han Lie said with a wry smile, waving his hand dismissively.

Of course, she couldn’t understand where my mistrust stems from, he thought.

CITIC is a peculiar company, Han Lie reflected. All its other operations are very strong, but its proprietary trading department is a complete mess—a reverse indicator, even. Out of many options, it always picks the worst one. Once CITIC shows interest in a particular stock, a plunge usually follows. Examples include Moutai, BYD, Xiaomi, Tencent, Ning Wang... the list goes on. People in the industry joke that CITIC ’says the opposite of what it means.’ The real problem is that their own proprietary department drags down their performance year after year. So, even though CITIC is an industry leader, employees from its proprietary trading department are the least sought after. The kind who have a hard time even changing jobs. Imagine joining the industry’s top brokerage only to find it lowers your market prospects and personal value. Isn’t that bizarre? That’s CITIC for you.

When Han Lie met Jiao Fangyan in the tea room, he was momentarily dazzled. So that’s why Liu Minghao insisted on finding a trader from CITIC... he finally understood.

A trader’s position doesn’t typically require external socializing, much like a programmer’s, so they are generally untidy. On one hand, with no one managing them, they get used to doing as they please. On the other hand, their work demands such high concentration that they tend to be lazy after hours. Traders are different from investment bankers; they never need to be suited and booted. Firms rarely recruit exceptionally attractive people for these roles, fearing they might lack the necessary composure.

But the woman before him was clearly an exception. Her jet-black hair was pinned up at the back of her head, revealing a smooth, full forehead. Beneath her forehead was a pair of faint yet very straight, long eyebrows. They had a slight arc, and their tips extended towards her temples, looking surprisingly natural. Below them were a pair of almond-shaped phoenix eyes with double eyelids, their inner corners pointing downwards and outer corners lifted upwards. This eye shape possesses a profound Eastern beauty. Combined with her dark eyebrows and upswept hair, she exuded an air of gentle elegance that was striking.

She looked up at Han Lie. He smiled, and she returned a soft smile, her lips parting slightly. Her eyes widened a little, her gaze steady and direct. A dignified grace naturally emanated from her.

Wow, Han Lie thought. He hadn’t even managed to take a close look at her nose, mouth, or jaw before he mentally rated her appearance a 95 out of 100. A true beauty is defined by her bone structure, not just her skin. With such a temperament, she could be called a peerless beauty.

Jiao Fangyan smiled again, then naturally rose, waiting for Liu Minghao to make the introductions. Finally, they reached out, their hands meeting in a light handshake as they exchanged polite greetings. The gesture was formal yet carried an air of casual ease. Only after they were all reseated did the formal interview begin.

Han Lie’s stock trading skills had reached Level 4. He not only understood markets and trends but also possessed superb buying and selling techniques, allowing him to ask pertinent, insightful questions.

In comparison, Jiao Fangyan falls short in some areas, Han Lie assessed. She’s a master of short-term trades—patient, steady, and adept at capturing minute-by-minute market sentiment. She’s also skilled at acquiring shares at the lowest possible cost. However, her long-term judgment and macro-level understanding are mediocre. If I had to quantify it, her trading execution skills are likely high Level 4, perhaps even touching early Level 5, far surpassing mine in that specific aspect. Her other specialized abilities, though, are probably around Level 3. All in all, she’s a top-tier executor but not a strong decision-maker.

However, a top-tier executor is exactly what I need.

With Jiao Fangyan on board, I’ll be even more formidable, Han Lie thought.

Jiao Fangyan, for her part, already held Han Lie in high regard.

"President Han," she began, "I recognize my own value and am also very clear about my shortcomings. The issue is, I don’t know how to improve. That’s the core reason I’m willing to leave CITIC for a private investment firm. What I truly admire is you. Setting aside your past achievements, your actions today alone were absolutely stunning—like something out of a legend, almost divinely inspired."

Ha! Did my spur-of-the-moment decision today actually impress this beautiful expert? Han Lie found this extremely amusing.

"Thank you, thank you," he said. "I quite enjoy this mutual professional admiration."

"It’s not professional admiration, or flattery for that matter," Jiao Fangyan replied firmly, shaking her head. "I never offer insincere praise to anyone."

Jiao Fangyan’s voice was remarkably clear. It wasn’t the crispness of a young girl’s voice but a resonant and pleasant alto, her speech moderate and measured, with intonations typically spanning only three or four notes. Her voice is just like her personality, Han Lie observed. Very stable, very careful, not one to take risks lightly. Yet, judging by her willingness to step out of her comfort zone, she doesn’t lack decisiveness at critical moments.

He was very satisfied with her.

Although, he mused, she isn’t dressed in typical office attire or black silk stockings. She’s covered up quite conservatively, which is a bit of a waste of her excellent physique and those attractive curves.

"Alright," Han Lie promised with a smile, "I will explain the thought process behind my operations to you." This single statement made Jiao Fangyan’s smile brighten considerably.

"Thank you! In that case, can we discuss compensation now?" she asked.

What she sought was simple: Han Lie’s guidance, or mentorship. This wasn’t a sign of grand ambition, but rather of strong determination. Once trading execution skills have peaked, Han Lie knew, the only way to improve further is to shift from execution to decision-making—from understanding ’how to buy and sell’ to ’why to buy and sell.’ But without a teacher, relying solely on self-learning and personal enlightenment demands exceptional talent. It even requires considerable knowledge in economics, politics, finance, business, and perhaps even philosophy.

So, what about abandoning the path of a fund manager to become a short-term speculator? That would place incredibly high demands on one’s mentality. Not every trader skilled at using institutional money can trade with their own funds with the same composure; that’s the real hurdle. Therefore, finding a trustworthy mentor and investing other people’s money remains the soundest path. This approach also suited Jiao Fangyan’s character perfectly.

Liu Minghao chimed in at the perfect moment, "Congratulations to you both! I’ve personally witnessed Mr. Han’s skills. In terms of market understanding and control, he’s second to none among the younger generation. And Ms. Jiao, your capabilities are top-tier in the industry, thoroughly tested by time. With the two of you joining forces, I’m certain that our firm will make a huge impact and you’ll create your own legend in the industry!"

Han Lie raised his glass with a smile. "To *our* legend."