Chapter 2: Company Personnel Adjustment

He put on his clothes and walked out of the door, looking at Fu Xinhai's disheartened and shocked expression. With a smile, he said, "Victory and defeat are common in the military. It's just a game of football, don't take it too much to heart."

"It's not about winning or losing, Su Yue, it's 1-7!" Fu Xinhai's shock hadn't subsided yet. "This world is too surreal. Such an unbelievable scoreline in the semifinals, and more surprisingly... you actually predicted it correctly in advance."

"Well, I just made a random guess. I didn't expect to get it right." Su Yue comforted him as he saw Fu Xinhai regretting the missed opportunity. "Perhaps you should have listened to me and bet on the 1-7 scoreline. What if the game had turned out differently?"

After pondering for a while, Fu Xinhai responded, "You're right! Sometimes, things are destined, and there's no point in forcing them. But... Su Yue, you really have an incredible mouth. You casually guessed such an absurd scoreline and actually won with an 850 times payout, even the luckiest people can't match that!"

"It's just good luck, and it's not replicable at all." Su Yue replied with a smile.

"Ah..." Fu Xinhai sighed, still feeling a bit remorseful about losing the chance to become wealthy.

Seeing him feeling down, Su Yue said, "Alright, get yourself together and go to work. As per our agreement, I'll reimburse your food expenses for this month. Feel free to order whatever you like."

Fu Xinhai, who had originally made a casual remark yesterday, was surprised to see that Su Yue was taking it seriously. He felt a bit touched and pretended to be pitiful, grabbing Su Yue's arm and smiling, "Since Su Boss is so kind, I'll stick with Su Boss this month."

"Cut it out!" Su Yue felt a chill run down his spine as he saw this burly man instantly transforming into a weak woman in both demeanor and tone. He moved away, keeping a distance of two meters, and took out his phone to transfer 10,000 yuan to Fu Xinhai. "Take it and spend it."

Fu Xinhai didn't expect Su Yue to transfer the money so readily. He hesitated for a moment but didn't refuse. He just remembered this friendship and continued jokingly, "Thank you for the reward, Su Boss. If you need any 'warming bed' services, I can provide them."

Seeing him getting more and more carried away, Su Yue shuddered and quickly stepped into the bathroom.

Later, they both finished getting ready and had breakfast near the subway station. Then, as usual, they took the subway to the financial district and went to their respective companies.

When Su Yue arrived at his company and sat down at his desk, a familiar colleague came up to him and whispered, "Su Yue, have you heard? The manager in charge of the 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund suddenly resigned, and rumor has it that Lin is considering having Sister Liling take over the manager position."

"Let my master take over the manager position? Shanjie, who told you this?" Su Yue asked.

He did recall that his master, Wang Liling, was promoted from the position of Director of Market Investment Strategy Research Department to fund product manager at this stage. Shortly after her promotion, he had the opportunity to be transferred to the trading position of the fund product she was responsible for, making the transition from a market researcher to a fund trader and officially entering the financial trading market.

"My best friend is a trader in the 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund trading room. We had dinner together last night, and she told me about it." Jiang Shan, whom Su Yue referred to as 'Shanjie,' looked around the office with her squinted eyes. Seeing that there were not many people around, she moved her chair closer to Su Yue's desk, placing her robust arms directly on it. Her excessively curvy body pressed even closer to Su Yue, and she continued in a hushed voice, "My friend said that Manager Yang was actually forced to resign, and Lin's promotion of Sister Liling to take over the position is not out of goodwill."

Feeling overwhelmed by the strong scent of her perfume, Su Yue subtly sniffed his nose and shifted his body slightly away from her. With a respectful demeanor towards his office veteran, he replied, "Shanjie, how can you say that?"

Seeing Su Yue, the 'office newbie,' looking clueless, Jiang Shan couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as an experienced colleague guiding a newcomer. She smiled and patiently explained, "Since Manager Yang took over the 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund, the fund's net value and scale have been declining continuously. Investors have lost trust in this fund, and the fund shares can't be sold. Moreover, existing investors are continuously redeeming their shares due to the lack of improvement in the fund's net value. To retain this fund and restore investors' trust in our company's fund products, Lin, who is in charge of the company's asset management business, had no choice but to persuade Manager Yang to resign and let Sister Liling take over."

After Manager Yang resigned, the vacant fund manager position should have been filled according to the hierarchy, and it was not originally in line for Sister Liling. However, due to the poor performance of the "Future Investment Mixed Selection" fund under Manager Yang's management, the fund's net value suffered severe losses, and its scale declined rapidly. There was a high possibility that it could trigger liquidation conditions required by regulatory authorities in the short term.

As a result, other leaders within the company who met the criteria for the position were unwilling to take over this fund. Everyone feared that if they took charge of this fund, it might become a black mark on their career development, affecting their future career paths.

Therefore, it fell to Sister Liling to take over the position.

"I see!" Although Su Yue understood the situation, he still expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for sharing this information with me, Shanjie."

Seeing Su Yue's respectful attitude and lack of disdain towards her, Jiang Shan was pleased. She smiled and continued, "Su Yue, I've shared all this with you to help you be more aware. I know you completed your internship at the company successfully and eventually became a regular employee, thanks to Sister Liling. However, if she takes over the 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund this time and needs to transfer people from our department, you must not agree to it."

"Why?" Su Yue asked.

Jiang Shan replied, "Just think about it. The current performance of the financial market is already sluggish. The 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund is a pure equity investment fund, and its net value has suffered severe losses. Investors have lost trust in this fund, and its scale is rapidly shrinking, approaching 200 million yuan. If there's no miracle, the fund is likely to trigger the liquidation conditions required by regulatory authorities, leading to the entire 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund investment department facing the risk of merging or being downsized. At that time, it will be very, very difficult for you to return to our investment strategy research department."

"Understood!" Although Su Yue had already made up his mind, he still nodded and smiled gratefully, "Thank you for your guidance, Shanjie."

As time passed, more people gradually filled the office. Jiang Shan moved her chair back to its original position and finally cautioned Su Yue, "It's good that you understand. I'm afraid you'll be too naive and agree to everything your master says. Even if Sister Liling takes over the 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund and fails, becoming a scapegoat, she still has a way out, but you won't!"

"Sister, have you finished writing the industry research report on 'Electronic Consumption'? Can I borrow it for reference?"

"Dream on! Write it yourself!"

"If Su Yue can use it as a reference, why can't I?"

"Get lost!"

"Sister, are you interested in our 'Little Su Su'?"

"I'm interested in your dad, how about that?"

Amidst the increasingly noisy jokes in the office, the time approached the punctual 9 AM start time.

Listening to the laughter and banter among his colleagues, Su Yue felt the genuine sense of life after his rebirth. He no longer perceived the environment as dreamlike or ethereal. He smiled and ignored the jokes from others, starting to refresh his computer interface and open documents and relevant internal company databases. Combining the latest positive and negative news in the current financial trading market, he continued to work on the investment research report as part of his personal tasks.

And just as Jiang Shan had revealed to Su Yue, the situation was indeed as she described.

At 10 AM, the General Manager of the company's Asset Management Division, Mr. Lin, announced the new appointments in the internal group. It was revealed that Wang Liling, the Office Director of Investment Strategy Research, was reassigned to the Fund Investment Department as the manager of the "Future Investment Mixed Selection" fund. As a result, Liu Mingshen, the Chief of the "Market Industry Research Team" where Su Yue belonged, would be promoted to fill Wang Liling's vacant position.

As for the position left vacant by Liu Mingshen's promotion, it would be filled by Jiang Shan, who had the longest tenure and most experience in the team.

Jiang Shan was surprised by her unexpected promotion. She had been a senior gossip enthusiast in the company, almost like a fixture in her research analyst position for four years. Now, she was promoted two levels and became the head of the entire "Market Core Industry Research Team."

"Congratulations, Sister Jiang!" After the announcement was made within the company, Su Yue sincerely congratulated her.

"Oh, thank you all." Jiang Shan appeared a bit embarrassed amidst the congratulations from Su Yue and other colleagues. She smiled and said, "I hope everyone can support my work in the future. Let's not rush to leave after work today; I'll treat you to dinner."

"Sister Jiang is generous!"

"Sister Jiang, take care of us in the future!"

"Sister Jiang, can I have an extension on the deadline for my research report?"

"Sister Jiang, how about going to Hai Di Lao for dinner tonight?"

As the office became lively again due to the personnel adjustments, Su Yue was about to join in the banter with everyone when suddenly, the noisy voices in the office came to a halt. His colleagues' expressions changed, and they quickly returned to their seats, placing their hands back on their keyboards. They pretended to focus on their computer screens as if they were diligently working.

Immediately after, before Su Yue could react, he heard the voice of Wang Weimin, the Manager of the Investment Strategy Research Department and his department head, from behind.

Wang Weimin glanced around the office and repeated the personnel appointments announced by Mr. Lin in the company's internal group. He then offered some encouraging words to motivate everyone in their work before leaving.

After Wang Weimin left, Wang Liling called Su Yue into her office.

"Based on your performance in the company during the past six months, your investment research abilities and talents are quite good," Wang Liling said while sitting in her office chair, holding several market research reports that Su Yue had written in the last half year. She smiled as she looked at him. "But if you keep limiting yourself to vertical development in this field, your future career path might be somewhat restricted."

"Are you suggesting...?" Su Yue's mind was clear, but he pretended to look confused.

Wang Liling smiled and asked, "Have you thought about developing in the direction of becoming a 'market trader'?"

"Of course, I've thought about it," Su Yue replied. "But our company has strict requirements for the position of 'trader.' I don't have any substantial trading experience, and I don't even meet the entry threshold for the internal assessment of 'trader.'"

"Sometimes, for 'financial trading,' a blank slate is easier to shape," Wang Liling said, not placing much importance on the so-called 'trading experience.' She continued, "Currently, the trading desk for the 'Future Investment Mixed Selection' fund still lacks two traders. If you want to transfer to that position... I can arrange it."

Su Yue pondered for a moment and responded, "Thank you, Master. However, there are so many people in our strategy research department. Why do you value me so much?"

In truth, Su Yue had never quite understood this.

Before joining Shenghong Fund Management Company, he had no personal relationship with Wang Liling whatsoever. His academic performance in university was not outstanding, and he was not an exceptional graduate student. His market research abilities were also average at best. Generally speaking, among the interns in the department, there were many with better skills than him. Considering the principles of selecting and nurturing the best talent, Wang Liling, as the department head and his internship team leader, should not have chosen him.

Moreover, the current performance of the domestic financial market was quite sluggish, and the overall job market in the financial industry wasn't favorable.

Su Yue had unexpectedly managed to pass the internship period and successfully stay at Shenghong Fund Management Company, a well-known asset management institution that ranked among the top twenty in the domestic public fund industry, which was somewhat beyond his expectations. Therefore, he was genuinely grateful to his Master, Wang Liling.

"It's not that I'm giving you special treatment," Wang Liling scanned Su Yue's face and said, "I just believe that you are more suitable for this job, this position. And from your current performance, my choice and judgment have not been wrong. Anyway, don't overthink it. Work diligently; opportunities in life are always created by ourselves, not by others' help."