As Fang Qingye entered and changed his shoes, he heard Xia He say, “Xiao Fang, I’ll stir-fry one more dish. Feel free to sit and watch TV, or if you’re bored, you can go to my study – there’s internet access there.”
Fang Qingye acknowledged and began looking around. The apartment wasn’t large – just two bedrooms and two living areas – but it was arranged very cozily.
After glancing around the living room, he noticed the study door was open and walked in. A laptop sat on the desk, though he had no intention of turning it on.
Surprisingly, there was an electronic keyboard against the wall, but unlike ordinary electronic keyboards, this one resembled the professional kind used by bands, which piqued Fang Qingye’s curiosity.
Xia He actually had this hobby?
No wonder her fingers were so slender and long. I wonder how skilled she is at playing?
While thinking this, Fang Qingye’s gaze shifted to the bookshelf.
The bookshelf was large and filled with numerous books, most of which were on finance and economics. Fang Qingye pulled one out.
“Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives.”
Fang Qingye flipped through it. The book was already worn, containing Xia He’s elegant handwritten notes in the margins, indicating she had studied it carefully.
This was the work of a professor from the University of Toronto, director of the Bonharm Financial Center, internationally recognized as an authority on derivatives.
The book mainly covered the operational mechanisms of futures markets, hedging strategies using futures, determination of forward and futures prices, the operational processes of options markets, the nature of stock options, options trading strategies, credit derivatives, the Black-Scholes model, Greek values and their applications, as well as climate, energy, and insurance derivatives.
Fang Qingye had also studied this book seriously, though that was after entering investment banking. He remembered initially finding the book highly profound, holding its theoretical viewpoints in utmost reverence, even treating them as golden rules. But after years in the industry, he realized it was actually nothing special.
Just then, Xia He came out carrying a dish and saw Fang Qingye standing by the bookshelf flipping through the book. She smiled and said, “Xiao Fang, are you interested in this book too?”
“Heh, just browsing,” Fang Qingye replied.
“This was my textbook during graduate school. I quite like it – many of the viewpoints are very novel and unique, quite enlightening.”
“You’re referring to the Black-Scholes model, right?” Fang Qingye laughed:
“Through assumptions based on the random walk model of stock prices, this model deduces the theoretical prices of call and put options. It’s indeed very convenient, but this thing was proposed by Western financial scholars and is more suitable for mature Western markets. When applied to our domestic market, deviations occur because there are significant differences in trading mechanisms, market liquidity, volatility, etc., between domestic markets and internationally mature markets – just like how oranges turn bitter when grown north of the Huai River.”
Fang Qingye wasn’t speaking nonsense – he had learned this through painful experience himself. Back when working in investment banking, he had suffered considerable losses from being overly superstitious about this Western-imported theory.
Xia He looked surprised upon hearing this.
“Xiao Fang, I never expected you to know so much? These aren’t taught in undergraduate programs, are they?”
“Heh, I studied it in my spare time.”
“Xiao Fang, it seems you were diligent and eager to learn during university – quite the good student. But when reviewing your application, I noticed your GPA was quite low. How come?”
Fang Qingye’s face flushed slightly as he evaded, “Director Xia, I’m not very interested in what the teacher was talking about.”
Xia He nodded in response.
“That’s true. What we learn in university, especially during undergraduate studies, is often disconnected from reality. I only started learning practical things during graduate school and after graduation. Let’s eat.”
Fang Qingye agreed, put the book back on the shelf, washed his hands in the bathroom, and then sat at the dining table in the small living room. Several dishes were already laid out, and Xia He had opened a bottle of Great Wall Cabernet.
Brined duck, beauty liver, duck blood and vermicelli soup… these were all traditional Huijing dishes.
“Director Xia—” Fang Qingye began, but was interrupted by Xia He: “Alright, no need to keep calling me Director Xia. It’s not work hours now. You can call me senior, or just use my name.”
Fang Qingye had no choice but to ask, “Senior, are you from Huijing?”
“Yes, born and raised in Huijing,” Xia He replied. “I haven’t been in Nanxin for long, so I don’t know how to cook your local dishes. You’ll have to make do with these.”
Fang Qingye picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of chicken breast, and tasted it: “Mmm, it’s quite delicious.”
“Hehe, my mother is a full-time housewife. She often tells me that to keep a man’s heart, you must first keep his stomach.”
Xia He suddenly stopped speaking, seeming to realize her words might be inappropriate in this context. She immediately poured wine into both their glasses and raised hers:
“Xiao Fang, regarding the Tenglong deposit theft case, I’ve been wanting to thank you in person. But work at the bank has been busy lately, so it kept getting delayed. My apologies.”
“Senior, you’re too polite. I should be congratulating you on your promotion to director,” Fang Qingye said, also raising his glass and taking a sip.
“Yes… I finally got the position, but the pressure is immense.” Xia He sighed, then suddenly smiled: “Forget it, no more official talk—it might sound pretentious. Why compete for this position despite all the pressure?”
“Pain and pleasure coexist,” Fang Qingye replied with a smile.
“Xiao Fang, you certainly know how to phrase things—’pain and pleasure coexist’,” Xia He chuckled coquettishly. “Alright, let’s eat.”
As they ate and chatted casually, Xia He suddenly asked: “Xiao Fang, some time ago Zhao Wenjun asked you out for dinner, and he resigned the next day. Can you tell me what he said to you?”
Her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Fang Qingye as she spoke.
Fang Qingye didn’t hide anything, briefly recounting what happened that day at the small restaurant, including Zhao Wenjun’s bet about memorizing the dictionary—though he omitted the wager details.
After listening, Xia He sighed: “I never thought Zhao Wenjun would tell you these things… To be honest, his abilities weren’t bad, and his methods were sharp enough. Unfortunately, he lacked luck.”
“While I had just a bit more luck—thanks to you.” Xia He smiled at Fang Qingye: “Xiao Fang, how should I thank you?”
“Senior, you’re treating me to dinner—isn’t that thanks enough?”
“That won’t do. It’s too simple,” Xia He said. “Don’t you have any work-related requests? For example, after your internship ends, which department would you like to join? Credit Department or Finance Department—your choice.”
These were the two most powerful and promising departments in the branch, from which many branch leaders were promoted.
Moreover, the task of attracting deposits was much smaller. For a well-funded major bank like Dongfang Bank, these departments hardly had any deposit targets to meet.
But Fang Qingye shook her head: “Let me go to the General Office instead.”