Starting with a fully invested A-share portfolio to become a capital...

Chapter 126 Cooperation Ends, Dad Sends Money
(I believe in who I am, and I believe in tomorrow.)

(I believe youth has no horizon)
Having declined Lin Guangchang's invitation to visit a woman late at night, Zhang Yang had just left "Jiangzhehui" and started his car when his Nokia phone on the center console suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Tao Yuang.

“Tao Yuang…” Zhang Yang picked up his phone, pondering the purpose of the call.

The other party's call was definitely not to catch up, because fund managers are notoriously busy, especially during periods of growth, with countless drinking parties.

Why are there so many drinking parties?

Very simple.

Binding with the industry's interest chain.

There's an old saying: "When you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, even distant relatives come to visit."

Tao Yuang now holds 20 billion yuan of money from fund investors, making him a "hidden tycoon." Although the money doesn't belong to him, he has the right to control it.

Take the simplest example of "insider trading" arbitrage. He could have a distant relative buy a stock, then use public funds to drive up the price, and then have the relative sell the stock. This way, it would be completely undetectable and difficult to be found out.

Besides insider trading, there are also wash trading to inflate prices, kickbacks to take over shares, and private equity arbitrage, making it difficult for Tao Yuang not to be busy.

Because he was so busy, he hadn't contacted Zhang Yang for more than half a month.

"No one comes to the temple for no good reason."

After ringing for eight or nine seconds, just as the mobile operator's system was about to automatically reject the call, Zhang Yang pressed the answer button and said, "Hello, Senior Brother Tao."

"Is Junior Brother busy?"

Tao Yuang didn't rush to talk about business, but instead tried to get on his good side first.

"With graduation approaching, there aren't many classes, so overall it's quite relaxed," Zhang Yang replied.

"I heard you defended your theses. How did it go? Did you all pass?"

"Passed."

"That's good. Now you should get ready to buy a suit and shirt and take graduation photos. Do you want me to recommend a shop?"

"It's already being customized."

"It seems you've made a lot of money in the stock market. I asked Xiaolong a while ago, and he said you've earned more than one BMW 3 Series."

"It's all nonsense. I just got lucky and happened to be in a good market."

"Luck is also a part of strength."

……

The two chatted back and forth like long-lost friends reminiscing.

After more than ten minutes, Tao Yuang laughed and, seeing that the time was right, got down to business: "Junior brother, are you still at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics? I want to talk to you about something."

"I just finished dinner with my friends at Jiangzhehui. Is there anything I can help you with, Brother Tao?" Zhang Yang asked, getting to the point.

"You're at Jiangzhehui? Looks like I'm late with my treat." Tao Yuang said with a hint of regret, then changed the subject, "How about we get together tonight? At the Peace Hotel where we met last time?"

"Brother Tao, just say what you need to say. There's no need for such formalities between us."

Upon hearing the words "Peace Hotel," Zhang Yang had already vaguely guessed the other party's intentions.

Tao Yuang is now the lead manager at China Asset Management, enjoying preferential resources but also making many enemies.

He might not know these enemies, but they were all watching his location.

It's like the relationship between a director and deputy director within a system. If you become the director, the deputy directors will always pay attention to your words and actions. If they find something wrong with you, they will not hesitate to report you to the disciplinary committee, and then they will compete for the position.

The income of top fund managers and ordinary fund managers is so different that it can be described as being separated by a "Yellow River"—everyone wants preferential treatment in terms of resources.

Seeing that Zhang Yang was telling him to be direct, Tao Yuang hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly: "It's like this, junior brother, I've already assembled a professional market research team on my side..."

He didn't continue, but his meaning was clear: he wanted to terminate his research report collaboration with Zhang Yang.

He didn't want to save the 40,000 yuan; he just didn't want to give anyone a handle to use against him.

Less than a month after joining China Asset Management, Tao Yuang almost fell victim to a scam.

For example, at the dinner party at the Peninsula Hotel last time, if he had just forced those two women into bed, he could have been ruined the next day.

It was after that incident that Tao Yuang became more cautious. Although he participated in the transfer of benefits, he not only left his superiors with leverage but also collected evidence of their conspiracy.

But for now, Tao Yuang's most fatal weakness is undoubtedly his arrogance.

He was transferred from Huaxin Securities to Huaxin Fund as a public fund manager based on market research reports provided by Zhang Yang.

If Zhang Yang exposes Tao Yuang's purchase of research reports and plagiarism, he will instantly fall from grace and may even face boycotts from China Asset Management and the entire financial industry.

"Then let's terminate the cooperation."

Zhang Yang was completely unconcerned.

He initially agreed to cooperate with Tao Yuang because he was small in size and wanted to quickly accumulate initial capital.

He has now made more than five million yuan from just one stock in the Peak Group. In comparison, Tao Yuang's forty thousand yuan is nothing.

Tao Yuang was taken aback when he saw Zhang Yang agree so readily.

40,000 a month, that's 480,000 a year, and you can buy a house in the suburbs of Shanghai in two years. Such a large sum of money, you just give it up?

If Zhang Yang had pulled him aside, it would have been fine, but his quick agreement made Tao Yuang wonder if he would retaliate.

"Don't worry, junior brother, I will compensate you with an extra 200,000 yuan as a token of my appreciation," Tao Yuang quickly added.

His meaning was clear: the 200,000 yuan was essentially hush money.

But Zhang Yang shook his head and refused directly, saying, "We can't accept something for nothing. We'll just fulfill the terms of the contract."

He dared to take Tao Yuang's monthly fee of 40,000 yuan because he was bound by contract terms. Even if the matter went to court, there would be a contract and video evidence to prove it.

But if Zhang Yang takes this 200,000, he might end up in jail for three to ten years.

Why do you say it will take three to ten years?
According to Article 274 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, extortion amounting to 30,000 to 100,000 yuan or more is considered a huge amount and is punishable by three to ten years in prison.

Once Zhang Yang receives the extra 200,000 yuan outside the contract, if Tao Yuang reports him to the police for extortion, Zhang Yang will not only be unable to defend himself, but may even end up in jail.

To remain untainted in society, one must always interpret others' behavior with an eye to the dark, thus avoiding pitfalls.

Many people either don't understand the law or only understand a little, yet they dare to collect money outside of the contract. As a result, they end up in jail for ten years, and by the time they get out, everything has changed.

Seeing that Zhang Yang refused to accept it, Tao Yuang became anxious and bluntly said, "This 200,000 is hush money for you. I won't feel at ease if you don't accept it, junior brother."

"If I accept it, I'll be the one who feels uneasy. Senior brother, please don't force me and cause mutual suspicion, okay?"

Zhang Yang said calmly.

By refusing the money, the initiative is in Zhang Yang's hands, and whether he can ruin Tao Yuang's reputation depends on Zhang Yang's character.

But if he accepts the money, the initiative will be in Tao Yuang's hands. If he wants to send Zhang Yang in, it's just a matter of making a phone call.

Many people might think, "Why not just sign another contract?"
Skillful!

Many people who go in think this way.

They would sign another contract about hush money, unaware that the words "hush money" were a vengeful ghost coming to claim their lives.

What situations involve hush money?
I'm being threatened!
The term "hush money" itself carries a sense of being threatened.

If someone claims that they were forced to sign a contract and pay money because so-and-so threatened to expose the matter, the person who took the money will basically never be able to recover.

Seeing that Zhang Yang had also made his point clear, Tao Yuang fell completely silent.

Both sides had concerns, and after a full half minute of silence, Zhang Yang took the initiative to speak, breaking the silence: "I won't take the money, and you don't need to worry about me reporting you. Let's part amicably and be ordinary friends."

At this point, he added, "If you really want to repay me, then take better care of the students at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics."

The moment those words were spoken, Tao Yuang instantly realized something. He knew that several girls were close to Zhang Yang, and this hint made Tao Yuang completely relieved.

He's not afraid of making demands, but he's afraid of not making demands at all; that's the most troublesome thing.

Given Tao Yuang's current status and position, coupled with his connections at Huaxin Securities, getting him promoted to a permanent position would be a piece of cake.

“No problem, I will definitely take good care of you,” Tao Yuang replied quickly.

"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"You go ahead and get busy."

"Talk to you later."

As the call ended, Tao Yuang felt a slight sense of relief.

But he didn't sit idle. He immediately found a bag of Moutai in the living room drawer, took out two packs of Chinese cigarettes and two unopened bottles of Moutai from the room, and then put the two stacks of banknotes at the bottom to show his goodwill.

Having laid the groundwork, he took out his phone from his pants pocket and called Li Zhenrui, his former boss at Huaxin Securities.

"Dududu-"

After a brief busy signal, the call was connected.

"Hey, Yuang."

"Hey Mr. Li, Happy Dragon Boat Festival."

"Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Is there something you need from me? What a rare visitor."

"It's nothing. It just so happens to be the Dragon Boat Festival. Someone gave me some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), all handmade and quite tasty. I figured I couldn't finish them all, so I thought I'd send some over to you. I wonder if Mr. Li has the time?"

"That's kind of you. Come on over here."

"Then I'll be right there."

……

And on the other side.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

This is a modern, comprehensive tertiary-level Class A hospital that integrates medical treatment, teaching, and scientific research. It is also a national center for the diagnosis and treatment of complex and critical illnesses.

Inside the joint consultation room for difficult and complicated diseases, a man in his fifties, wearing a white coat, was explaining things with a decisive and efficient manner.

"Langerhans cell histiocytosis is characterized by its ability to affect one or more organs, such as bones, skin, liver, and pituitary gland. Because of the wide variation in symptoms, it is very easy to be mistaken for an infection or tumor."

"Look here."

The man picked up his medical report, as well as his medical records from other hospitals.

"At that time, CD1a-positive Langerhans cells invaded the urinary system, causing local lesions and resulting in urinary discomfort. However, due to the small number of cases, the county doctors treated it as a common urinary tract infection. When it invaded the kidneys..."

(The first snow of 2002)

(Arrived a little later than usual)
The sudden ringing of his cell phone interrupted the man's speech. He took his phone out of his white coat pocket and was about to hang up when he saw the contact name "Heartbeat No. 1". He immediately said apologetically, "Sorry, I'll go out to take this call."

"Director Xu, please go ahead with your work."

"Let's digest this first."

"Yes, let's take a look ourselves first."

None of the doctors from Peking Union Medical College Hospital complained, after all, the other party was an academician and the director of the Department of Rare and Complex Diseases at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Once outside, the man answered the phone and said, "Why did you suddenly call me, baby? Did you know it's the Dragon Boat Festival and wanted to send your dad some holiday greetings?"

"Happy holiday, Dad. I'm calling to discuss something with you."

"what's up?"

"Um...it's just...it's just..."

Xu Zhiruo, who was far away at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, felt a little embarrassed and kept trying to reassure herself.

After a series of "that is" statements, she still shamelessly said, "I just want to ask you for some money. I want to start my own business."

"Start a business?"

Mr. Xu immediately frowned.

He would support Xu Zhirou without hesitation if she started her own business, but as for Xu Zhiruo…

He and his mother's expectation for their eldest daughter was that she could go to work if she wanted to, and travel the world if she didn't want to work, and they would support her.

"Yes, I want to start a financial website, but I'm a little short on cash right now. Could you give me some more living expenses?" Xu Zhiruo chuckled foolishly.

Ask your mother.

"I already asked her; she told me to ask you."

"..."

Mr. Xu was silent for a moment, then sighed inwardly and asked, "How much money do you want?"

"50, no, 500 million."

"500?"

"500."

"You want so much? Are you trying to murder your own father?"

"That 300 million?"

"No."

"Why don't you take on a couple more scalpel surgeries?"

Although being a quack doctor can be lucrative, he has a lot of things to do at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, so he doesn't have time to go. Besides, he doesn't want to lower his status to earn tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Mr. Xu's expression was complicated. He gave his maximum limit, saying, "I'll give you 30 yuan. Go abroad for a couple of trips. Don't even think about starting a business."

There's a saying: "It's not that I'm afraid of the second generation indulging in a life of luxury, it's that I'm afraid of them proving themselves."

There are countless examples of second-generation rich kids starting businesses and essentially "splurging" money.

Mr. Xu knew Xu Zhiruo's abilities, and he never expected his eldest daughter to accomplish anything extraordinary; he just wanted her to be safe and sound.

"30 is not enough."

"50."

"not enough."

“One million.” A hint of helplessness flashed in Xu’s father’s eyes as he said bluntly, “This is all the money your father has. It’s all with your mother.”

"Then remember to transfer the money to my card."

"Okay, okay, I'll wait until the bank reopens next week."

"I love you, Dad."

"Just be careful with your money..."

When Mr. Xu hung up the phone, he shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

Everyone says that a daughter is her father's little cotton-padded jacket, but why is his little cotton-padded jacket leaking air?

On his way back to the joint clinic, he secretly decided to ask Xu Zhirou that night to find out what Xu Zhiruo was up to.

He had clearly agreed to work at Huaxin Securities and had already made arrangements, but now he's suddenly running off to start his own business. It's really worrying.

(End of this chapter)