### Chapter 22: In Investment, Embrace the Spirit of a Sea King…
Lin Siyi: “…” Okay, since you’re better looking than me, whatever you say goes!
Time flew by, and it was already Thursday. After the morning meeting, Cheng Yixiu called Lin Siyi into his office. Sitting in his large chair, he asked her, “We’re leaving tonight. Have you packed your luggage?”
“Boss, I’ve packed three sets of clothes. Is that enough?” Among them were two sets gifted by Cheng Yixiu and one she bought herself that day.
While packing, Lin Siyi dug out an old suitcase she couldn’t bear to replace. It was a Rimowa her mom had given her. Although it was pricier than regular ones, it wasn’t very scratch-resistant. No matter how carefully she used it, it had quite a few marks on it.
“We’re going on a business trip, not a vacation. But as long as your suitcase can fit everything, it’s up to you. Remember to bring your laptop; you might need it anytime.”
“Okay, I even packed a bag of herbal tea just in case I don’t adapt well to the new place.” Lin Siyi felt a bit embarrassed, worried her boss might think she’s a useless assistant.
But she had experienced this before. Whenever she went to a new place, she’d feel a bit unwell. Mild cases would just be stomach discomfort, but severe ones could lead to colds and sore throats, taking two to three weeks to recover.
Cheng Yixiu teased her, “You’re well-prepared, but the place we’re going is only a two-hour journey away. The climate shouldn’t be too different, but it’s always good to be prepared.”
After answering her boss’s questions, Lin Siyi returned to her desk to work.
Who knew that just before getting off work, Cheng Yixiu was informed by Gu Zhaoyang that his car had been sent for repairs.
Cheng Yixiu: “…”
Gu Zhaoyang: “Brother Xiu, I’m really sorry. This time, it wasn’t intentional.”
“So you’re saying the last time was intentional?” Cheng Yixiu reminded him.
Gu Zhaoyang: “Let’s just talk about this time.”
It turned out that Gu Zhaoyang’s wife had gone back to her parents’ house yesterday and took his car. Today, Gu Zhaoyang had to meet a client, so he borrowed Cheng Yixiu’s car. On the way back to the company, he noticed the tire pressure warning light on the dashboard. After getting out, he found the rear tire was flat.
And since there was no spare tire in Cheng Yixiu’s car, Gu Zhaoyang had no choice but to call for a tow truck.
Cheng Yixiu, not pleased, said, “I don’t care about the reason. It was fine when I drove it out this morning. You’ll cover the repair costs and give the car a full service. I hope when I return from the business trip, I’ll see my car parked perfectly downstairs. I have other things to arrange, so I’ll hang up now. Goodbye.”
Not used to driving other people’s cars, Cheng Yixiu picked up the phone and called Lin Siyi in.
Lin Siyi pushed the door open and entered, “Boss, do you have any instructions?”
“My car was sent for repairs. Book two train tickets to Yu City immediately.”
Lin Siyi took out her phone and checked on Alipay, “How about the one around seven in the evening? The next one is at nine.”
“Nine is a bit late. By the time we get there, it’ll be midnight, and we’ll still need to find a hotel. Let’s go with the one around seven.”
“Boss, there are only standing tickets and first-class seats left for that time. You wouldn’t want a standing ticket, right?”
Cheng Yixiu gave her a look that said, “Do you even need to ask?”
“Choose first-class.”
“Okay. I’ll need your ID number for this.”
Without missing a beat, Cheng Yixiu recited it. Some numbers seemed repeated, so Lin Siyi asked him to repeat it, then completed the input on her phone.
Lin Siyi was surprised to find out her boss was only six years older than her. Comparing oneself to others can be frustrating.
Previously, she hadn’t seen his birth date on Yiyang Capital’s website, but she remembered that Cheng Yixiu had attended a special class for gifted students, so graduating earlier than usual was normal.
“Almost forgot to tell you, fill out an employee business trip application form and bring it to me for signing. How much were the train tickets? I’ll transfer the money to you first.”
Lin Siyi declined, “No need, I can cover a few hundred yuan for the tickets.”
Cheng Yixiu insisted, “It’s the procedure. This time, the business trip expenses will be covered by me first. We’ll settle it all together when we return to avoid any confusion.”
Today, Lin Siyi didn’t ride her bike to work. She had already booked a Didi ride before getting off work and invited Cheng Yixiu to go home with her to get their luggage.
Since the train station was a bit far from their neighborhood, they didn’t change clothes when they got home and just grabbed their suitcases and left.
Lin Siyi was curious, “Boss, did you pack in advance too? I thought I’d have to wait for you.”
As he pressed the elevator button, Cheng Yixiu glanced at her, “No, I have a suitcase specifically for business trips, so I can leave anytime.”
“That’s because you’re a seasoned business traveler. I haven’t been on a business trip before, so I don’t know much.”
“Well, you’ll soon follow in my footsteps.”
Lin Siyi: “…” Can you even use ‘footsteps’ like that, boss?
While waiting for the elevator, Cheng Yixiu took the opportunity to chat, “In investment, you need to embrace the spirit of a sea king. Even in the same industry, you should track multiple companies. It’s a multiplayer game that brings true joy.”
Lin Siyi silently sighed, “Boss, saying things like that can easily lead to misunderstandings!”
“Of course, the places that make us money aren’t usually crowded. The path to success isn’t crowded because most people fall by the wayside.”
“Every target company requires you to visit, talk to their secretaries, upstream suppliers, downstream distributors, even the workers in the company workshop, the security guards at the gate, and nearby vendors. These are all people you can chat with.”
“In the industry, some small private equity researchers, even if the company doesn’t reimburse travel expenses, will pay out of pocket to visit sites. But this won’t happen at Yiyang. We encourage employees to take the initiative to conduct in-depth research.”
“In an industry where you can make money and constantly learn new things, don’t you feel lucky?”
Lin Siyi: “…” Because you’re the boss, but for us humble workers, it’s all about whether the money is in place, okay?
“If the investment research department only sits in the office, enjoying air conditioning, drinking coffee, and gossiping, it’s a miracle if they don’t lose money. The secondary market is relatively more theoretical compared to the primary market.”
“Our product management fee is 2%, and the performance bonus is 20%. Making money for clients is making money for ourselves. I don’t find working overtime for years to be a hardship. Investment requires faith, and I hope you can have it too.”
Lin Siyi: “…” Money is her only faith right now.
Cheng Yixiu continued, “Tracking a target company often takes several months. Although we don’t buy many companies in the end, knowing why we didn’t make money is more important than knowing how we did.”
“Continuously tracking companies you’ve researched but didn’t buy and observing their subsequent development helps improve your sensitivity to the industry and individual stocks.”
“Money won’t just run into your pocket. Yiyang has no problem with fundraising, but deciding where to invest the client’s money is crucial. Diversifying risk is important, but over-diversification leads to mediocre returns.”
“They say not to put all your eggs in one basket, but what if the table holding the basket collapses? Have you thought about that?”
Listening to Brother Xiu’s words was more enlightening than reading ten years of books, and Lin Siyi fell into deep thought.
Cheng Yixiu: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and don’t put the basket on the same table. That’s how you truly diversify risk. Our company deals with stocks, futures, and bonds, including A-shares, Hong Kong stocks, and US stocks. We use different products from different markets to create a portfolio that hedges risks and reduces overall net value volatility. This way, clients are willing to hold long-term, and we can keep making money.”
After saying so much, Cheng Yixiu, feeling a bit parched, couldn’t help but summarize, “I’ve told you all this to say, young people, please enjoy business trips to the fullest!”
Lin Siyi: “…”
Of course, there’s no such good thing. Why would a capitalist waste so much time on an insignificant worker like her?
The two of them each pulled their suitcases and walked out of the neighborhood gate.
Lin Siyi pointed to the right, “Boss, let’s go to the bus stop over there to wait for a taxi.”
“You knew to book a Didi when going home, so why didn’t you prepare for the train?”
“I thought we wouldn’t leave so soon, okay? I wanted to ask the Didi driver to wait for us, but then I thought better of it.”
Cheng Yixiu checked the time on his watch and showed it to her, “Now, look at what time it is.”
Lin Siyi suggested, “How about we take the bus? It goes directly to the train station.”
Without thinking, Cheng Yixiu refused, “It’s too time-consuming. With the bus stopping at dozens of stations, I could go back and forth between the train station and the neighborhood several times.”
“…Isn’t that an exaggeration?”
“Want to try?”
“How could I? This time we’re partners, comrades, a team.”
“…” This time, it was Cheng Yixiu who was speechless. The first two words were fine, but the word “team” sounded a bit… peculiar.
But fearing that waiting longer would mean no taxis passing by, Cheng Yixiu decided, “We’ll wait five more minutes. If no taxi comes by then, we’ll take the bus.”