Monday
While Johny Lee was having breakfast at a small stall near his workplace, he ran into Section Chief Lee, the nominal head of the General Affairs Office.
Lee was using disposable chopsticks to pick up a small steamed bun. Of course, Johny didn't dare sit at the same table as such a high-ranking leader, so he greeted him respectfully from a distance and sat down at an adjacent table with trepidation.
Although they had only met a few times, Section Chief Lee remembered Johny's name clearly because of the speech draft he had written for Bureau Chief Yates.
Having finished eating, Lee wiped his mouth with a napkin and walked over. "Johny, right? Hmm, I heard from Director Zane that you've been performing well lately. Keep up the good work."
He then pulled out a soft pack of Red Pagoda cigarettes and tossed one to Johny.
Flattered and overwhelmed, Johny stammered, "Section Chief Lee, that... I don't smoke."
Lee gave a chuckle. "How can a grown man in the government not know how to smoke? Give it a try."
"Uh, thank you, Section Chief."
Since the leader had put it that way, it would be socially awkward for Johny to refuse again. Moreover, Johny was quite happy with Lee's gesture; giving a subordinate a cigarette was a universal sign of friendliness in their culture.
Johny braced himself and took the lighter from Lee. After a few clumsy attempts, he finally sparked a flame, lit the cigarette, and took a cautious puff.
Perhaps because the amount inhaled was small, Johny didn't cough, but his head felt instantly fuzzy and slightly dizzy.
Lee smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and headed to work.
After finishing his breakfast, Johny didn't rush to the office. Instead, he went to a roadside convenience store and bought a pack of Red Pagoda cigarettes for himself.
He keenly realized that in the world of government agencies, tobacco was a social lubricant. There would always be times when one must smoke or offer a cigarette to build rapport. He needed to keep a pack on hand for emergencies.
There was also a rationale behind buying Red Pagoda: cigarettes that were too cheap would be embarrassing to offer, making him look stingy. Cigarettes that were too expensive wouldn't work either; if a leader saw a subordinate smoking something better than what they had, they might feel upstaged. A narrow-minded leader might even think Johny was intentionally showing off wealth. Red Pagoda was the perfect middle ground...respectable but humble.
General Office
Johny entered and greeted everyone cheerfully. "Good morning, everyone."
"Johny is here?"
"Good morning."
Almost everyone had arrived, except for Jack. Just as Johny was wondering if the guy had gone to the toilet again to slack off, Tammy winked and gestured toward the door with a grin.
Johny turned his head in confusion. At the same time, the door next to him creaked open. Johny was startled to see Jack behind the door, broom in hand, sweeping the corner with great effort, huffing and puffing.
Johny was instantly amused.
Well, look at that, you actually know how to clean now?
Jack glanced at Johny, his expression as sour as a lemon. "Kid, just you wait!"
"I'm waiting," Johny replied coolly, spreading his hands as he walked to his desk with deep satisfaction.
Jack didn't know what kind of luck Johny had stumbled into lately to gain Director Zane's favor. All he knew was that Zane had publicly scolded him, the son of the Commissioner's friend to defend the rookie.
To redeem his image in Zane's mind, Jack intentionally lowered his posture today. Not only did he take the initiative to handle the office cleaning, but he also didn't dare make Johny type drafts or print documents anymore, handling all his own busywork.
It wasn't that Jack didn't want to bring the Commissioner into this fight, but he couldn't move him for something so trivial.
If a subordinate was disciplined by their direct supervisor for shouting in the office, it was natural. Would the Commissioner really step in for such a petty matter? Impossible. Moreover, the relationship between Jack and the Commissioner wasn't that deep. The Commissioner would give Jack some consideration due to his father, but he would never support him unconditionally against clear workplace rules.
With no other choice, Jack had to keep a low profile and endure. He didn't dare cause trouble for Johny again, at least, not openly.
Noon
Feeling extremely refreshed, Johny casually opened the stock market charts on his computer.
Over the past couple of days, he had been picking winning stocks for Director Zane. Seeing those stocks surge made Johny's heart itch with desire, but there was nothing he could do for himself.
Since he couldn't buy and sell on the same day (T+1 rule), his "BACK " ability couldn't guarantee him a profit.
For example, the DaQin Railway stock that hit the daily limit in an instant the other day had a big drop today.
Director Zane would be lucky not to lose money on the hold.
Johny frustratedly tapped his forehead. Is there really no chance at all?
The only instruments that could be traded on the same day were warrants. However, the market was dead. He typed in the code for the Changhong Warrant (580027) to check its recent movements.
Upon looking, Johny was disappointed but not surprised. The warrant was currently at a price of 0.002 yuan, two tenths of a cent.
He checked the news online and found out why: today was the last trading day for this warrant. It would be permanently delisted tomorrow. That explained the drop. According to standard practice, warrants on their last day usually had no price limits but would inevitably drop to the minimum price of 0.001 yuan by the 3:00 PM close. Whoever held it at the end would lose everything, as the paper would become worthless.
Well, it's basically at rock bottom. Since it's dead, it certainly won't go up today.
Johny's last hope for a quick fortune was shattered. He decided to give up on the idea of trading stocks.
"Eh? Johny, you trade stocks too?" Tammy, who was passing behind him, leaned in curiously.
Johny closed the window and smiled. "No, just looking around. Stocks are too risky for me."
"What were you looking at? Eh? Changhong Warrants? Why has it dropped to 0.002? Is it being delisted tomorrow?"
Tammy actually knew a bit about the market. "Hehe, I don't know whose idea it was to issue these warrants. It's just a money grab; such a scam. Look, whether it's a put or a call, they always drop to zero in the end. Only a fool would buy them on the last day."
Samson (Moose), who was nearby, chimed in. "Yeah. Buy anything but warrants."
Jane heard them and added from her desk, "My husband bought Steel Warrants before and ended up losing everything. Sigh, that was pathetic. I also advise you not to get involved, Johny."
Johny nodded. "I understand. Warrants are just a bottomless pit. I wouldn't dare touch them."
Back when his family had money, Johny had traded stocks with his mother and lost a lot, so he had a deep understanding of the risks.
It was time to get back to work. Tammy quickly headed to the copier with a stack of documents.
The afternoon session of the stock market had been open for two minutes. Johny took one last idle look at the price of the Changhong Warrant.
It was at 0.020 yuan.
He subconsciously moved to close the software.
But in the next split second, Johny froze.
He suddenly stood up from his chair, his eyes wide.
Holy crap! No! That's not right!
0.020 yuan is two cents!
Not the 0.002 yuan of two tenths of a cent!!
Is this for real? The Changhong Warrant has actually risen tenfold in the two minutes since the afternoon opening?!
Authors Note:-
That's the 29th chapter....
2 bonus chapters today....
Enjoy....
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