Open Sea Chapter 1

           I AM OFF
           I am off, my heart is calling,
           You are too far away from me.
           ——Foreword

Chapter 1 – OFF and Ah Fei

Translator: Kelaude

Editor: Mztlplx

QC: Draygan

First Published on Ainushi

It's two o'clock in the wee hours of the morning and I'm still awake. My stomach is rumbling with hunger and yet, I don't have any appet.i.te to eat. This isn't a hunger that comes from the physiological need for food. Instead, it is an indescribable sense of hollowness that comes from the mental state of mind.

I have no idea why I'm feeling hollow. It's probably due to exhaustion. Either I spent too much brain power and energy during the day, or I just wanted to find a place to subconsciously vent out my frustrations.

Consequently, I sat upright, switched on my laptop and went online, logging in on MSN and the usual MACD Financial Futures trading forum.

As expected, the online green avatar reminded me of someone's existence. The full inbox in the forum further informed me that the individual was attentively reading all the topics I posted on suppositional futures firm offers.

Thus, my spirits were instantly lifted. All of a sudden, I felt alive again in the chilly night as the time that seemed stagnant started to move again. Wiping my face, I then clicked on the chat b.u.t.ton as usual and began chatting with that person.

Disengaging ourselves from the lingering dream as we spent the night together along with the clicking and tapping sounds of the mouse and keyboard, which were similar to a serenade, had always brought me joy.

I remembered my first conversation with that person…

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Ah Fei. Who are you?"

"Ah Fei? The Romantic Swordsman's [1] Ah Fei?"

"No, I'm just Ah Fei."

"My name is OFF."

"OFF? What an odd name."

"Because I'm a strange person."

"Oh? In what way are you strange?"

"Are you really that interested?"

"Heh heh, just cough it up. It's very rare that I'm interested in someone."

"Then that's truly an honor. Meet again tomorrow at this time and I'll tell you then how strange I really am."

I frowned when he went offline. Yet, the corner of my lips curled slightly. It was apparent that this guy aroused my interest for the very first time. This was something that was hard to come by.  

When Ouyang Ran's eyes first caught sight of Ling Fei, he had coincidentally b.u.mped into him while heading towards Fengtai's core department—the Department of Futures Trade, right after he ended the board of directors meeting of the Fengtai Futures Investment Corporation.

The scene that unfolded before him left a deep impression.

At that time, Ling Fei's expression was pale with anger as he berated his colleague in an icy tone. "How many times have I told you? Soybean stock prices will rise! Why didn't you listen to me and insisted on selling it short?!"

"I thought… our data a.n.a.lysis showed that the market demand is decreasing. Not only that, when we started the trade, the market trends for soybean at that given point was favorable. I never expected that…it only took a day for it to reach the upper limits." The countenance of the colleague standing before him was ashen, his gaze glazed…

Neither of them noticed the group of upper echelons of the corporation standing near the door of the elevator.

With one glance alone, Ouyang Ran was able to tell that the man had suffered a grave loss, so he couldn't restrain himself from knitting his brows.

The futures trading market was well known for its ruthlessness and heartlessness, producing clouds with one turn of the hand and rain with the other. It wasn't surprising at all to see the stock prices change from rising to declining by the daily limit price. But when someone suffered a setback and fell into this state, then that could only mean that the Fengtai's trader was too weak.

Zhao Jiaren, an a.s.sistant manager from the trade department in the corporation was scrutinizing them meticulously. Sensing that the situation was anything but rea.s.suring, he had wanted to walk up to yell at them to stop. Unexpectedly, Ouyang Ran had instead lifted his hand and signalled him to halt.

"Who can be blamed for this? It's the government's fault for intervening. n.o.body expected that there would be sudden news being disseminated regarding how good soybean is. Even if I a.n.a.lyzed it thoroughly, n.o.body would have been able to predict this sudden change." The man who had suffered great losses was still attempting to defend himself persistently.

Ling Fei heaved a sigh of frustration.

This guy thrived on his seniority and ample amounts of experiences.  He also blindly acted on impulse and didn't want to listen to any type of advice. Now that he was on the brink of death, he had even implicated Ling Fei in the process. What Ling Fei despised most was precisely this kind of colleague who was both incompetent and a burden to others; who still refused to admit his fault until the very end. To be in the same team with him, the person who was truly out of luck was Ling Fei.

"It'd be fine if the case was that he really didn't do a good job in his a.n.a.lysis. But didn't you set up a stop-loss order properly? I urged you countless times to cut the losses, but you refused to listen and acted on your own. The government policy was just an excuse. If you really did persevere in your trading principle, how would the margin have been disrupted? Now, all two hundred thousand yuan has evaporated. Let's see how you'll fare now?!"

"Ling Fei, you must help me! Didn't your account still have three hundred thousand yuan leftover? Please lend me ten thousand more and let me make a comeback. How about it?"

Ling Fei shot him a chilling glance. "That's your own problem. You solve it yourself."

"Ling Fei, we're all colleagues. If you don't save me this time, once the manager finds out, I'm going to be dead for sure! It's not that I didn't want to cut the losses, I just went out to grab a quick smoke. I never expected it to hit the daily upper limit."

"You didn't head out to grab a quick smoke only for a short while, did you?"

Under such extreme circ.u.mstances, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d unexpectedly still had the time to leisurely smoke?

Futures trading offered high returns and high risks. It required all traders to have a high level of concentration and focus on the job. n.o.body dared to be distracted for even a second!

"There will be a point for everyone when they're out of luck while playing around in the futures market. Help me now and I'll remember this. There might be a time in the future when you'll require my help too…"

"I don't need help because I won't lose," interrupted Ling Fei; the distinctive sharpness of his face displayed a resolute confidence.

"You can't say for sure."

"I'm not you. I don't need this kind of thing."

"Ling Fei, are you seriously going to leave me to die? In any case, we've been dealing together at the same time. If I make a loss, you'll be affected as well!"

"I'll personally explain to the manager. From now on, I'll deal on my own. I do not want anyone else to hold me back. Also, it's not that I don't want to lend you the cash, I just don't think highly of your skills. As for your trading methods, even if you have one million, there's a chance that you will lose it all in a day. You better explain to the manager yourself. If you're not willing to confess, then I'll help you do it."

Ling Fei turned on his heels and walked off without leaving any leeway for him. He had about ten trading orders at hand and every second was gold. He didn't have any time to waste here.  

Each man sweeps the snow from their own doorstep and ignores the frost on their neighbor’s roof.

This was the life motto he practised.

It wasn't as though he was unwilling to sympathize with the man. Rather, it was due to the fact that he did not have the energy and time to sympathize.

Although Fengtai had a great number of competent workers in the corporation, just the futures trade department alone, housed several hundred workers. However, majority of them operated on their own and competed against each other in the dark. It was fortunate that the achievements had originated from an individual's dealing capability, so it was slightly better than the mutual deception in the business world. Yet, there were still times when power struggles and internal strife were inevitable.

Should he help others now, if he needed help one day, who would step forth to a.s.sist him?

He gazed around the entire office hall. He didn't trust any of them.

He only believed in himself.

"Ling Fei! d.a.m.n you! It's fine that you're not helping me, yet you still want to stomp on me before the manager?! You've only been at Fengtai for three months with mediocre experience. You're still a newbie, have yet to earn much for the clients, but you dare to be this arrogant?! Regardless, I'm still considered your senior. I'm not cursing you or anything but with your att.i.tude, you will lose everything one day!"

In the next second, Ling Fei abruptly turned around. Alarmed by his sudden movement, the man's arrogance instantly vanished. "You, you, you…what do you think you're doing?!"

Ling Fei stared at him without blinking. He had a bright pair of eyes and handsome features, yet he was suddenly radiating a wave of deep, terrifying hostility.

Ouyang Ran's heart stirred. He had seen such a gaze from many traders and gamblers before. The only difference was that what he saw from them were dead-end roads, but on this young man's body, what he saw was reckless determination without a care for anything.

Such determination further emanated the spirit of his self-confidence.

Perhaps it was the young man's outward appearance that made Ouyang Ran feel that the man was too energetic and healthy, which seemed exceptionally out of place.

Usually, only darkness persisted around a gambler. There was no sunlight. But that young man's eyes, even though they were as dark as night itself, they still emanated a radiance that made hearts race.

"Say. It. Again," Ling Fei demanded, word by word, as he stared at the other man.

He was no doubt a rookie, but the amount of hard work and sweat he had poured out were not less than the others.

"…." The man was instantly rendered speechless.

Ling Fei gave a contemptuous smile before turning his head to leave.

"This is your subordinate?"  Only when the two retreating figures had vanished did Ouyang Ran turn to ask Zhao Jiaren, who was by his side.

"Yes." Zhao Jiaren gazed at his expression uneasily.

"Newly recruited?"

"Yes."

"Are all new bloods in the trade department this arrogant, domineering, and haughty?" asked Ouyang Ran indifferently.

He attempted not to judge him at first glance. But his intuition told him that he wouldn't be fond of this young man.

"Uhm…You're talking about Ling Fei, right? He's indeed a bit haughty, over-confident and tends to enjoy working alone… So he isn't well liked by his colleagues." Zhao Jiaren wiped the layers of sweat that flooded his forehead.

"Ling, Fei."

Ouyang Ran slowly spoke the name again and nodded his head. The calm expression on his face did not reveal any trace of emotion. "Remember to pa.s.s his data to me, along with his transaction records."

"Understood."

"a.s.semble everyone. There's something I want to say to them."

A new broom sweeps clean. If a newly appointed trade department manager like him did not say anything, that was inexcusable.

"Understood."

Zhao Jiaren respectfully nodded and left with quick steps.

Fengtai Futures was established in 1989, one of the earliest and largest scale integrated futures investment corporations in the city. The primary work of the corporation was dealing in commodity futures contracts as well as financial futures contracts ranging from soybeans, wheat, rubber… to power sources, currency, and so on. Their range was very extensive so a huge variety of things were covered.

Fengtai Futures belonged to the Pallet International Investment Corporation, one of the most well-known financial derivative investment corporations in Asia. The market value for it was close to hundreds of billions. It operated twenty-four hours a day without rest, as they extended their grasp globally. Their main area of focus was in the American, European, and Asian markets.

Having studied both English and Chinese ever since he was young, Ouyang Ran was one of the founders of Pallet. He was the current vice-chairman as well as board member Ouyang Hua's only son.

Ever since he studied at New York University, Ouyang Ran had been working in a New York mercantile exchange called NYMEX as a small time trader on Wall Street. In a short span of three years, he had risen to a high-ranking agent in mercantile exchange due to his impressive accomplishments. Five years later, he then became one of the board directors.

Apart from his wealth of actual trading experience, he also majored in economics, statistical finance, as well as management studies. He was only thirty-one years old and was already acclaimed as a first-rate trader that could miraculously seize victory. He was also revered as the second generation successor of Pallet who had great expectations and high hopes.

a.s.suming a post as Fengtai Futures' manager of the trade department was merely to display a casual demonstration of his capabilities, starting from the basic level. Half a year later, Pallet planned to nominate him as the CEO of the corporation so his future prospects was beyond measure.

News travelled incredibly fast in the trade department. News of this man who would become their immediate supervisor one day had already been investigated thoroughly by the employees.

Regardless of his qualifications or background, Ouyang Ran was a character not to be taken lightly as well as a 'princeling' that one shouldn't easily offend. He was different than the 'Parachute Regiment' overseas. After a few years, this man would ascend to the apex of a pyramid called Pallet. Just like his name, he would gradually ascend.

Ouyang Ran did not put up any pageantry and only stood in the large open office area of the trade department. He clapped his hands to signal everyone to remain silent.

"My name is Ouyang Ran. From today onwards, I'll be a.s.suming the post of a manager for Fengtai's trade department. I'm in your care."

Ouyang Ran gradually swept a gaze across the room. They were all elites and excellent personnel chosen amongst the thousands from the agent's interviews and written tests. With regards to the trade department, apart from the common traders, from the trading team leaders to the middle or high level a.n.a.lysts, who wasn't an individual with a qualification of master's degree or above as well as overseas education backgrounds?

The vast majority at least owned about five or six certificates of qualification in trades, which shared a similar weight to gold. Just by casually tossing one out was enough to crush someone to death. They were all extremely talented.

Overseeing the trade department to lead these staff was also a challenge to Ouyang Ran.

They were all very young and even the oldest didn't exceed the age of forty. They had already risen and fallen with the tides with the vicissitudes of life projected on their faces. Their eyes were filled with exhaustion from sleepless nights. Some of them were numbed from being grinded too often while the others had a strong thirst for victory… Very good. At least he could still see a few specks of light akin to hungry wolves from within and from among them, he took the bossy and domineering young man earlier as an example.

"Ever since Fengtai was established, the trade volume we've made had always been ranked in the top three nationwide. But last year, we fell to eighth place. I believe everyone here is aware of that. The trade department will need to be reorganized thoroughly. This is also the objective I have in mind. Soon, I will issue a series of new regulations regarding rewards and penalties, make amendments to the agent contract and establish a good long-term relationship with our clients. Not only that, I value team spirit the most…"

Ouyang Ran's gaze swiftly turned towards Ling Fei's face, and instantly looked away…

"On the surface, each of the respective traders are doing their own duties and have nothing to do with others. But Fengtai is a whole ent.i.ty. Communication and cooperation is fundamental for a continuous, healthy growth of our organization. Jobs are composed of people interating people. If you cannot handle your relationship with your colleagues properly, you won't be able to establish a good relation with the clients. I hope everyone can work in harmony with each other and be at each other's sides so we can create the golden-lettered signboard of Fengtai Futures together!"

Ouyang Ran once again calmly and incisively swept a glance across the whole audience. He gave a brief nod. "We're done here for today. Everyone, head back to your stations."

After everyone listened attentively in silence, they then walked away one after another.

After a brief moment of silence, the sounds of keyboards smashing, telephone calls as well as fax machines once again sounded out one after another restlessly.

Ling Fei quickly dragged his chair to sit, his eyes watching the trade's current market trends.

He had been staring at the screen from six o'clock in the early morning until now, barely having the time to take a sip of water. In a short period of five minutes, the soybeans stock price once again rose by twenty points.

For this one, he determined that the price would drop. If his judgement was wrong and exceeded the line of control to place a stop, he would have no choice but to quickly close a position. Otherwise, he would suffer the risk of losing everything.

With a flip of a hand, he had already lost about thirty thousand yuan.

What was the concept of thirty thousand yuan?

Perhaps it was either an entire year worth of blood and sweat of a low income family, or it was possibly merely an expense of one banquet for wealthy individuals. Regardless of either one, as a trader, he held no concept for money towards the thirty thousand before him as they were only numbers. Otherwise, n.o.body could rest easy every night.

"Ah Fei, you better think carefully about it. To futures traders, there's a fine line of distinction between heaven and h.e.l.l. Once you take up this job, you will be revolving around heaven and h.e.l.l every single day of your life. Are you really mentally prepared?"

As his close friend, these were Chi Kai's words of advice to him.

Ling Fei still remembered the scorching summer last year, when he had officially joined Fengtai as a professional futures agent. Prior to this, he had racked up three years of futures trading experience for small investors alone. He had a natural born love for both finance and risks. At that time, there wasn't many small investors to promote futures contracts to, as the risk was high and he was still inexperienced, lacking in both knowledge and experience. The twenty thousand yuan, which was the hard-earned money he got from part time jobs, was soon put to the torch.

But Ling Fei did not collapse after one setback. Instead, he vigorously plunged himself into the deep and unmeasurable sea of futures trading. When he was working, he also signed up to attend night schools and studied attentively.  

Soon after, he found out Fengtai was recruiting futures agents, so he felt his chance was here. Thus, he quit his job as a electrical appliances salesman without hesitation and took the exam.

There were more than two thousand applicants at the time. After going through the written exam, interviews, and a couple rounds of shortlisting, Ling Fei was fortunate enough to get accepted, officially venturing on the path of futures trades from then on. There were only twenty people who were hired at the same time, so it could be said he was literally one in a hundred.

"Ah Kai, this is the only thing I want to do."

That was precisely how Ling Fei had answered his good friend at that time.

Futures contract is a kind of investment, at the same time, it was also a form of opportunity.

The higher the risks, the bigger the profits.

Its appeal lay in losing small amounts to maximize the gains and using thousands to obtain millions. There was a possibility that an individual could earn up to a hundred thousand in an hour alone, as well as losing everything until not a penny was left in the next second.

This was one of the world's highest risk and most intractable game to master. It was a battle that required the most astute people. The market itself was fair yet ruthless. Whether the stock price would rise or fall or whether one should buy or sell, depended solely on themselves.

Ling Fei knew very well in his heart that this was an occupation which was the most appropriate for him. It was also the only occupation he wanted to work as. The path had not only satisfied the incessant screams of his thirst for foray in his body—it was also a shortcut that led to success. Although this detour was was filled with hardships and dead men everywhere, he would never cower in the face of it!

"Hey, what do you think about the new manager?" Suddenly, a colleague's whispering next to him caught his attention.

"The way he speaks is really imposing and his expression is ferocious. I don't even dare look him in the eye. Seems like he's not one of those flashy princelings," replied another person.

"Alas, no matter how capable we are, it's still inferior to having a good background. If I were born in a clan like his, I should be able to sc.r.a.pe off a couple of decades of struggling at the very least."

"What do you mean by a couple of decades? It can be for a lifetime!"

"I feel so envious. Share half of his blessful life with me."

"Keep on dreaming, why don't you…"

Ling Fei frowned. If he wasn't mistaken, this new manager was called Ouyang Ran.  He was uncertain whether he was being too sensitive, but when the man was giving his speech just now, he seemed to have glanced at him a couple of times. The gaze he'd thrown at him was rather meaningful.

He'd pa.s.sed him the death sentence at first glance. He never had a good impression towards a rich second generation like him who relied heavily on his parents and ancestry.

If Richard Li didn't have his old man, Li Jiacheng, backing him up from behind, how could he have urged the Pacific Century Group to hit the market?  How could he, in just one night, turn a sh.e.l.l company that was only worth 300 million Hong Kong dollars into a listed company which was worth sixty billion Hong Kong dollars in the market? How could he have ultimately made a name for himself as 'Asia's Little Superman' which shook the whole world?

He had to admit though, even though Richard Li was capable, had he been born from a common household as part of the salaried cla.s.s, receiving about fifty to sixty thousand worth of wages to support his family, how would he had the achievement he obtained today?

The fate of emperor and princes had long since been decided by G.o.d. If everyone was fairly placed on the same starting line together, Ouyang Ran would probably be less outstanding than the others and he himself wouldn't need to naturally undervalue himself.

As he was lost in his thoughts, the a.s.sistant manager, Zhao Jiaren, hurriedly rushed towards him. "Ling Fei, the manager is looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Ling Fei stood up in surprise.

"That's right. Hurry and go."

"Oh." Ling Fei nodded and walked over to the manager's office at a fast pace.

The manager's office was located at the side by the window inside the trade department's office hall on the 18th floor. It only had the cold tones of two colors: coffee-gray as well as black. The room was well-lit and had a wide view.

When overlooking from the top to the bottom, one would seem to be able to trample the entire land underneath one's feet.

Ling Fei knocked on the door and held his breath.

"Please enter." A voice as calm as water echoed from inside.

Ling Fei opened the door and went in. "Manager, you're looking for me?"

"Sit." Ouyang Ran lifted his head up from the folder and pointed at the chair across from him.

"Thank you." Ling Fei took his seat.

"You've been working at Fengtai Futures for exactly three months?" asked Ouyang Ran.

"Yes."

"How do you feel about it right now?"

"This is a challenging place to be in."

Ling Fei answered neither obsequiously nor superciliously while he meticulously scrutinized the other man.

Ouyang Ran's height didn't differ much from his as he was also in the range of 180cm. He was tall and slender: the best body frame fit for clothes. He wore a dark colored suit paired with a bright silverish gray necktie. Amidst the simplicity and elegance was a faint trace of luxury. The brand couldn't be seen but a man like him would probably be wearing clothes that were custom-made by famous Italian designers, including his leather shoes and other accessories.

Because he came from a good family background, the man's every move and action emanated an incorporeal grace. His facial features could be said to be handsome but what made him irresistible to the eyes were his keen and direct eyes, akin to a unsheathed blade. A frosty, cold glint emanated from his icy demeanor which was harmless but had the grandeur of being in control of the entire situation. When he remained silent, his slightly droopy eyes would perfectly dissolve the chilliness, revealing a languid air of aristocracy.

If you were to really nitpick, the man seemed to have a habit of pursing his lips into a straight line, emanating a subtle feeling of aloofness.

Ling Fei gave a tiny chuckle to himself. With his background, if he didn't bestow this innate, n.o.ble sense of estrangement upon others, then that really didn't conform to his status.

In short, he had good looks, good manners, was calm, and had good prospects ahead of him. This man simply was the natural enemy of every male in the whole world as well as the darling of every woman in the world.

Ling Fei finally came to a unresigned yet grudging conclusion.

"Seems like you enjoy challenges." Ouyang Ran revealed a faint smile, flipping a couple of pages of the doc.u.ment in his hand. "As a newbie, you're very enthusiastic. In a short period of half a year, the trade volume you've made has occupied 29% of the trade volumes in the trade department. You're ranked third. Very impressive."

Ouyang Ran gazed at him as he lightly tapped his forefinger on the folder soundlessly.

"But with such an impressive trade volumes, can you explain why your account is almost empty after subtracting the fees?"

"I…"

"It's due to your excessively frequent short-term tradings, right?"

Ling Fei quivered deep down. As expected, the man wouldn't have looked for him with good intentions.

"The risk in futures trading is too high. I rarely hold the position for too long and only a.n.a.lyze the daily index because I don't want to be trapped in the stock market." Ling Fei had his own reasons.

"Daily index is indeed an effective method to lower the risk."

Ouyang Ran nodded his head with a calm expression on his face. Neither did he agree nor disagree.

"Futures trading is a high risk investment. If a trader does not have a long-term investment plan, there's an off-chance that it will become a seasoned trader's weak point. If you're too focused on daily index tradings, then you do not have sufficient time to collate your a.n.a.lyses. I don't wish for  my immediate personnel to only concentrate on the tiny profits placed before them and overlook the long-term growth and interests."

Ouyang Ran paused. "If you keep speculating in stocks, you will lose. I don't know if you've heard of this phrase before?" With the same incisive eyes as him, although the tone of his voice was gentle, it brimmed with resolution.

Realization instantly dawned on Ling Fei. This was precisely the reason why Ouyang Ran had called him over.

The new boss cracked the whip three times. And the first crack of the whip had landed on him.

Turns out it wasn't him being too over sensitive just now and being evident in calling his capability into question. Despite everything, he had to pretend to be calm. The man's condescending and collected demeanor made Ling Fei extremely unhappy.

"What is winning? What is losing?" Ling Fei stared straight at the other man's incisive gaze.

Ouyang Ran apparently didn't expect him to ask this sort of question, so instead he was caught by surprise.

"Although I've worked in vain on the surface, it's different in terms of the futures and stock market. Don't judge a person by the rise or fall of stock prices. So as long as there is a sufficient margin, even if there is only five thousand remaining, I'll have the capability to make a comeback. At Fengtai, every speculator has their own style and method. The majority of those who speculate in stocks often lose. You do not need to remind me of that fact because it's always been a 50-50 chance when it comes to winning and losing. The more you deal, the odds of winning and losing would increase. But if I can persevere in my conviction towards the market, I believe the time for success will come!"

It was a response that contrasted sharply with what the man had said.

Ling Fei seemed to dislike the word 'lose'. He would be prominently agitated whenever the word was mentioned.

It had been a long while since Ouyang Ran had met someone who spoke to him in this tone. Although it was disrespectful, it had given him a refreshing experience which he hadn't felt in a long time.

When he recalled the time he first stepped into the world of futures trading, a similar argument also broke out between him and his immediate supervisor. During that time, none of them were able to convince the other and they fought to the point where they were flushed with anger, extremely eager for the entire world to acknowledge them. Similar to the young man facing him now, the new born calf wasn't afraid of the tiger in the slightest.

Ouyang Ran smiled faintly. "Then what's your conviction towards the market?"

"I believe in my insight on the current market trends and I intend to persevere with my trading principle. In my opinion, the conviction towards the market as well as the market itself are in no way related to the profit and loss. The most important thing after all is to still abide by the principle."

Ling Fei gazed at him with unblinking eyes as he relaxed his bright and young countenance. His face still pertained both childish arrogance as well as a bright and warming handsome appearance.

"Oh? Are you telling me that doing trades rely completely on instincts?" Ouyang Ran raised his brows.

"Perception is very important."

"What about technical a.n.a.lysis?"

"Data is stagnant and will lag behind. Only the market trend will tell me the genuine risks and opportunities. I want to quickly acc.u.mulate experience in this area; the more the better."

"Seems like you're very confident in yourself."

He hoped that it wasn't blind confidence.

"Confidence is not the only thing I have."

"I'll wait and see," said Ouyang Ran nonchalantly.

People who were too overconfident were frequently not truly talented. Those dreamers who were blindly immersed in their own world were more difficult to handle than normal people.

He knew that he wouldn't be gaining anything by probing further so Ouyang Ran changed the topic. "Just now, you requested a.s.sistant Manager Zhao to split you and Zhang Xinhua to trade on your own?"

"That's right."

"Zhang Xinhua has specialized in commodities futures for at least three years. He's considered to be half an expert. The experience he's acc.u.mulated is a guarantee of success."

Zhang Xinhua was the colleague who had gotten into an argument with Ling Fei that morning.

"I apologize. I never once felt that his experience is useful. On the contrary, it's precisely because he prides himself on being a veteran too much, that's why he was utterly crushed on the soybean stock."

"Looks like you really hate working with others."

"Yes. I much prefer working alone." Ling Fei stared at him in all seriousness. He didn't look like he was joking in the slightest.

"You don't find it arduous?" His smile disappeared, Ouyang Ran began to frown slightly.

It had only been a moment ago that he informed everyone to value team spirit at the trade department. He never expected that in a split second, Ling Fei would refute him in his presence.

"No. I only believe in my own ability. If I deal with incompetent people, regardless of whether it's to him or to me, it will only be a waste of time. Of course, I won't reject working with someone whose skills are roughly on par with me. I hope you can consider my proposal."

"Futures will rise or fall. The loss you received today will not ascertain that he won't become a good teacher for you."

"I do need a good teacher but it certainly is not Zhang Xinhua." Ling Fei smiled, revealing two rows of healthy pearly whites. There was an off-chance that he probably didn't realize that his own att.i.tude was so blunt that it would hurt others.

Ouyang Ran realized he was wrong. This guy wasn't even a newborn calf and was instead an arrogant and aggressive small leopard!

Closing the folder, he no longer had the intention to continue the conversation. The discussion had obviously reached a dead end.

"I'll consider it. You're dismissed."

"Thank you, manager." Ling Fei nimbly opened the door to leave.

Ouyang Ran leaned against the leather chair as he stared at the tightly-shut door…

He really didn't want to judge him at first sight, but his intuition once again affirmed that he wouldn't be very fond of this young man in the future.

On the other hand, Ling Fei loosened his tie while walking, slowly exhaling a breath of foul air.

At first sight, he had already determined whether Ouyang Ran was good or bad. And the impression he got once again verified that he genuinely despised this rich second generation supervisor who had appeared out of thin air.

What was displayed before him; Fengtai Futures—the corporation that made him expend tremendous efforts to get into in the beginning—wasn't a broad and open road set up with flowers.

Drawing in a deep breath, Ling Fei then walked towards the clamoring trades department one step at a time.