Chapter 8: The Disappearing Boss and the Anxious Cao Chenghui
"If you follow the boss, you'll stay bullish even in a bear market."
For some people, the concept of a bear market simply doesn't exist. In their world, every day is a bull market with soaring profits.
Cao Chenghui was convinced—he had never seen a market this strong, not even during last year's record-breaking surge.
His mind was made up: he would cling tightly to the big boss, never letting go.
A Profitable Streak
The stock Shanggong Shengbei had a total trading volume of only 6.4 million yuan yesterday. Yet today, it had surged past 30 million yuan, an incredible increase.
As the market closed, Fang Hong checked his position details:
Stock Held: Shanggong Shengbei (600843)
Shares Owned: 3,000
Average Purchase Price: ¥5.00
Current Market Price: ¥5.65
Position Market Value: ¥16,950
Daily Profit/Loss: ¥2,687 (+20.00%)
Floating Profit/Loss: ¥1,950 (+9.92%)
Total Assets: ¥16,018.35
Cumulative Return: +85.18%
Fang Hong glanced at his account's total return and chuckled.
"From the moment I bought Xinhuajin on July 11 until today, it's been just four trading days, yet my return has reached 85%. Not bad at all."
Cao Chenghui immediately seized the opportunity to flatter him.
"Honestly, Brother Fang, your trading skills are far superior to even the top market analysts. I have no doubt that your future success will surpass even the greatest traders!"
Indeed, in just four trading days, Fang Hong had made a profit equivalent to a year's salary for an average worker in a small city.
For those with larger capital, the absolute returns were even more staggering.
Cao Chenghui had only been following Fang Hong for two days, yet with his initial ¥100,000 investment, he had already earned ¥25,000.
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Thursday, July 17 – A Perfectly Timed Exit
Fang Hong arrived at the internet café early that morning. This was his fifth trading day since re-entering the market after his rebirth.
As the market opened, Shanggong Shengbei saw a slight uptick of +0.53%, only to dip by -2.6% shortly after.
Yet, with the boss present, panic was never an option.
Within five minutes, the stock rebounded and turned positive, fluctuating upward. It hit +5% before entering a consolidation phase until the midday break.
When the afternoon session opened, the stock continued its narrow fluctuations. Around 1:30 PM, it surged again, reaching a new intraday high with a +7% increase.
Still, Fang Hong remained calm.
The price fluctuated slightly before stabilizing, but just before 2:30 PM, another rapid surge pushed the stock up by +9%.
At that moment, Fang Hong decided to act.
He sold all his shares at an average price of ¥6.16, securing a 9% gain for the day. After deducting transaction fees, his profit amounted to ¥1,530, bringing his total account balance to ¥17,500 and pushing his cumulative return to +102.87%.
In just five trading days, he had successfully doubled his initial capital.
Meanwhile, Cao Chenghui was anxiously waiting to follow his next move.
But to his surprise, Fang Hong didn't seem interested in any new stock purchases today.
After a brief pause, Fang Hong suddenly spoke:
"I didn't find any promising opportunities today. Let's stay in cash for now."
Cao Chenghui was momentarily stunned but quickly smiled.
"Taking a break makes sense. Earning double-digit gains every day is insane—it's like Emperor Qin Shi Huang tasting Sichuan peppercorns—so many wins, it's numbing."
Of course, the reality was entirely different.
Fang Hong had deliberately given the impression that he wasn't satisfied with any stocks today.
But in reality, he had already set the hook.
Cao Chenghui had followed his trades for three days and experienced ¥37,000 in profits—he had gotten a taste of the good life and was completely hooked.
Fang Hong knew exactly what was going on in his mind. By now, Cao Chenghui was dreaming of achieving financial freedom just by mirroring his trades.
This was the perfect moment to execute the next step of his plan.
After logging out of the trading software and casually exchanging a few words with Cao Chenghui, Fang Hong left the internet café.
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Friday, July 18 – A Missing Boss
The next day was the final trading session of the week.
Cao Chenghui arrived early, following his usual routine. He even took the initiative to boot up a computer, download the market software, and prepare everything for the boss's arrival.
But as the clock ticked toward 9:00 AM, there was no sign of Fang Hong.
Feeling slightly uneasy, Cao Chenghui glanced around the café but saw no familiar figure.
By 9:30 AM, the stock market opened, yet Fang Hong was still nowhere to be seen.
Anxiously, Cao Chenghui opened QQ and hovered over the chat window, contemplating whether to message him.
But then, he hesitated.
He recalled the five-word rule that Fang Hong had set before:
"Do not disturb unless necessary."
If he messaged Fang Hong now, would it seem too intrusive?
Would it annoy him?
Cao Chenghui wrestled with his thoughts. The boss was his golden ticket to financial success—he couldn't risk offending him.
Yet as the hours passed, he couldn't shake the worry in his heart.
By 11:00 AM, he sighed in frustration.
"He probably has something to handle today. Contacting him might backfire."
He decided to wait patiently instead.
The market closed with the Shanghai Composite Index rising +3.49% to 2,778.36 points, showing signs of recovery. But Cao Chenghui barely cared about the broader market anymore.
"With the boss leading the way, every day is a bull market. Who needs to check the index?"
With the weekend ahead, there was nothing to do but wait.
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Monday, July 21 – The Boss is Still Missing
The new week began, and Cao Chenghui returned to the internet café, expecting Fang Hong's return.
The Shanghai Composite Index surged another +2.99%, closing at 2,861.40 points. The market was rebounding sharply.
But Fang Hong was still missing.
Day after day, Cao Chenghui showed up—Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday—yet there was no trace of the boss.
By July 24, a full week had passed since Fang Hong's last appearance. The market had climbed past 2,900 points, but his mentor had vanished without a word.
Cao Chenghui was growing desperate.
"I can't keep waiting like this. I need to contact him."
Unable to bear the anxiety any longer, he opened QQ, navigated to Fang Hong's chat window, and started typing a message.
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(End of Chapter 8)
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