Chapter 11

◎ Real Trading Competition ◎

“Wow!” Liao Yazhe exclaimed unexpectedly, “Fan Qi, I didn’t expect you to be so impressive.”

Originally, Fan Qi had been quite confident, but seeing his reaction, she couldn’t hold back a laugh and her composure broke.

The people inside had strange expressions when they saw the young boss.

“Let’s go upstairs. Mr. Tang Yuanchao wants to meet you,” Liao Yazhe said.

“Mr. Tang Yuanchao?”

“The host of the stock commentary program my dad participates in.”

“Ah, I see.”

Fan Qi walked forward, and Liao Yazhe turned to speak to the people in the meeting room. “Uncle Ma, I know you’re a sentimental person, but if you’re going to be sentimental, handle it yourself. Don’t use the company’s money to give favors and let people push others around in the company. Do you think Yaohua is a fool?”

Liao Yazhe put on the airs of a young boss, then immediately followed Fan Qi. “Let’s go.”

The two of them went upstairs and knocked on the door of Liao Jiqing’s office.

Inside, Fan Qi saw a man in his fifties, well-maintained and refined in appearance.

The man extended his hand when he saw her. “Miss Fan, I’m a fan of yours.”

Fan Qi shook his hand. “It’s an honor.”

Mr. Tang glanced down at the milk tea and sandwich in her hand. “Miss Fan, haven’t you had lunch yet?”

Liao Yazhe laughed. “When I went to find her, she was arguing with Ah Hao, so she probably didn’t have time to eat.”

Liao Jiqing frowned. “Arguing with Ah Hao?”

“Dad, Ah Hao is also an old employee of yours. He tends to use his seniority to avoid work, and when given tasks, he procrastinates and just goes through the motions. Today, he made a mistake first, and Fan Qi just followed him and copied it. The way he scolded her was really harsh. Luckily, Fan Qi isn’t someone to be easily bullied. She explained everything clearly. If it were another new employee, they might just quit after being bullied,” Liao Yazhe said, looking at Fan Qi.

“Fan Qi, you eat first. Mr. Tang and I have been friends for many years, so he wouldn’t mind,” Liao Jiqing added.

“Okay,” Fan Qi replied casually. After all, her health came first. She sat down and began eating her sandwich.

Liao Jiqing turned to her and said, “Yesterday, you quickly guessed my intentions and knew I wanted to expand the market. You also expressed your wish to switch industries.”

Fan Qi swallowed the food in her mouth. “I’m very grateful that Mr. Liao gave me this opportunity.”

“This opportunity is mutual. I also hope to use your current popularity to generate some buzz. Mr. Tang has planned a program and wants to film a few segments at Yaohua to create an opening. I’d like you to appear on it, but he has some concerns,” Liao Jiqing explained to her.

So that was it. Mr. Tang’s program was surely finance-related. For a female star who gained a bit of fame from acting in adult films to appear on such a program didn’t seem appropriate.

“I’m curious, what kind of program is it?” Fan Qi asked, though she was almost certain it would be finance-related.

Mr. Tang replied, “Liao Jiqing gave me the idea to host a stock trading competition. We could leverage the program’s popularity and invite brokers from various firms to participate…”

Isn’t that a real trading competition? Fan Qi listened carefully as Mr. Tang explained, her excitement building. She momentarily forgot about the sandwich and began asking questions about the rules.

In her past life, when Fan Qi didn’t have much capital, she had participated in a real trading competition. Listening to the current plan, she noticed a few issues. “Is there no elimination process?”

She remembered that in her past competition, anyone whose losses exceeded 8% had to be eliminated.

“Hmm?” Mr. Tang seemed puzzled.

“Us retail investors are responsible for our own accounts. So, if we lose money, even if we buy a pump-and-dump stock and lose 99%, it’s our responsibility. But we’re brokers. If we can’t keep making profits or can’t cut losses in time, then we’re unqualified brokers in my opinion,” Fan Qi explained. “Maybe I’m more concerned about my own account’s losses, but could we set a threshold? If losses exceed a certain percentage, participants should be forced to exit?”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Mr. Tang nodded.

“Also, will there be groups? For example, we could divide participants by how long they’ve held their licenses—those who have been licensed for only a year versus more experienced brokers with over ten years of experience. That way, we can evaluate the current ability and future potential of each firm. Otherwise, it might not be fair for young brokers to compete against older, more experienced ones. What do you think?”

“Isn’t it usually based on profits?” Mr. Tang asked.

“We could base the rankings on overall profits and have categories for first, second, and third place in each group,” Fan Qi said with a smile. If she didn’t have a sandwich in hand, she would be rubbing her hands together in excitement.

Clearly, Liao Yazhe read her expression and asked, “Fan Qi, you’re suggesting this idea—don’t tell me you want to participate? Do you even have a license?”

“When will it take place?” Fan Qi asked, ignoring his question.

“Mid-August,” Mr. Tang said with a knowing smile. “It’s already late June, so less than two months to go. Every Wednesday, the stock exchange has organized exams, three subjects in total. You need to take the exam next week because the results will be released a week later, by July 2nd. Even if you apply for a license immediately, the review and certification process will take about a month. You can still make it, but only if you pass all three subjects in just a few days.”

Liao Jiqing shook his head, thinking it was an impossible dream. “There have been people who passed all at once, but passing all three subjects together in just a few days? I’ve never seen that.”

“You can try, dreams are meant to be pursued. What if it comes true?” Fan Qi said, quoting a famous line from a big shot in her past life. She turned to Liao Yazhe, “You know how the exams work. Help me out, okay? Where can I buy the study materials? How do I register? You must know, right?”

“Are you really going to take the exam?” Liao Yazhe’s eyes widened.

Fan Qi shrugged. “Why not?”

“If you actually pass, I’ll call you Grandma,” Liao Yazhe blurted out.

She turned to Liao Jiqing and said, “That’s probably not a good idea, right?”

“Do you really think you can pass?” Liao Yazhe said without concern.

“Alright, according to the principle of equality, if I can’t pass, I’ll call you Grandpa.”

“Deal, I’ll take the title of Grandpa,” Liao Yazhe responded.

Liao Jiqing and Mr. Tang ignored the banter between the two young people and shifted the conversation to Fan Qi’s appearance in the program’s opening segment.

“By the way, Mr. Tang,” Fan Qi said, “my acting contract ends in early July. If I participate in the opening shoot, I won’t take any payment for it, but I’d like to sign an agreement through my agent. Would that be acceptable?”

“The fees will remain the same. Give me your agent’s contact information, and I’ll have someone reach out to them.”

Fan Qi handed Mr. Tang Yuanchao her agent’s business card.

After leaving Liao Jiqing’s office, Fan Qi took the opportunity to ask Liao Yazhe about the exam. Liao Yazhe helplessly led her to the sixth floor. The exchange building was convenient because everything could be done in one place—signing up and buying study materials. However, she hadn’t brought the necessary documents, so she couldn’t register today.

In the elevator, Liao Yazhe asked again, “Are you really going to take the exam next Wednesday?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high. When you see the study materials, don’t start crying.”

Upon reaching the sixth floor, Fan Qi carefully inquired about the subjects required for securities and futures trading licenses, as well as for stock and futures consultation.

“Securities trading requires the number one license, which has three subjects,” Liao Yazhe reminded her.

“Let’s go all in! If we’re going to do it, let’s just take them all at once. Securities and futures are related, so if I take one extra subject, it will be fine,” Fan Qi said, asking the staff for the futures materials as well.

“Do you want the Chinese version or the English version?”

“English version,” Fan Qi replied. In her past life, she had read some analysis reports written by the Hong Kong team, and some of the terminology was difficult to understand. Occasionally, she had to guess or infer the meaning.

“English version?”

“Yes! The English version is the authentic one, after all, most of the rules are based on the London Stock Exchange. The Chinese version might not flow as smoothly,” Fan Qi said, picking up the book. “Let’s go!”

“Can you read the English version? How good is your English?”

“Better than my Cantonese,” she answered. In her past life, she had studied graduate school in the U.S. and worked for three years at a foreign investment bank, so her English was naturally good.

Liao Yazhe couldn’t quite understand but didn’t care to investigate further. Since she said so, he accepted it. They entered the office, and Liao Yazhe found an empty seat for Fan Qi and set down the books. “You don’t need to go to the trading hall this afternoon. You can look through the books first.”

“Are you going to the trading hall?” Fan Qi asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll go too.”

“Not planning to take the exam anymore?”

“I can study at home. This morning, I found a stock I want to check and see if it behaves as I predicted,” Fan Qi said, following behind him.

Liao Yazhe entered his private office and put on a red vest, laughing. “What stock?”

“It’s the one Ah Hao misquoted earlier. I think it might have some potential.”

Liao Yazhe came out. “Don’t tell me this is just a woman’s intuition.”

“No, it’s a woman’s logic,” Fan Qi responded.

“A penny stock—logic?”

The two of them went downstairs into the hall. In Yaohua, Liao Yazhe’s seat was in the front VIP section. There was a free computer beside him. Fan Qi sat down, opened the computer, and Liao Yazhe checked the stock, asking, “Do you know what a penny stock is?”

“If the stock price is below a penny, it’s highly likely to be a pump-and-dump stock. A pump-and-dump stock is used to trick retail investors out of their money…” Fan Qi explained her understanding of penny stocks.

Liao Yazhe found she was correct. “Take a look yourself. What value do you see in this stock?”

Fan Qi typed in a command and brought up today’s trading information. “Take a look. Doesn’t it seem like large orders are suppressing the price, and small orders are absorbing it? The price dropped at the open, and there was a brief rally just now. I expect it will drop quickly at the close. My personal view is that they are pressuring the stock to accumulate shares. Why would large funds be interested in a penny stock?”

Hearing this, he turned to someone. “Ah Gang, bring over the data for 0116.”

“Okay.”