"I believe that if my guess is correct, then behind Little Swift must be a hidden genius, a genius that Little Swift has tried his utmost to conceal, perhaps even to the point where Huang He himself is unaware. Otherwise, Huang He would never have awarded a good-for-nothing like Little Swift a yearly bonus of 200 million US dollars!
"It's just that Little Swift has this person completely under his thumb, so much so that they haven't been exposed by disappearing. If we can find this person, then we can cut off the biggest source of funds for Jiangnan Group!
"And I suspect that this person is among the list of employees you require!" Hao Jianguo concluded.
"Not necessarily!" the elder said after a moment of thought. "If such a person truly exists, then Little Swift would surely hide them somewhere no one else knows. How could he possibly arrange for them to work directly in the company? Wouldn't that significantly increase the chances of exposure?
"There's a Chinese saying: 'The petty hermit hides in the wilderness, the average hermit hides in the marketplace, and the great hermit hides in the court.' It means that the most dangerous place is often the safest, and the most obvious place is the most hidden. If Little Swift were to hide this person in some secret location, it would actually attract the most attention because everyone would be scrutinizing Little Swift's secrets. In fact, I reckon Goldman Sachs has already investigated Little Swift in excruciating detail, yet found nothing amiss, am I right?
"With an investigation by an entity as powerful as Goldman Sachs, I don't believe Little Swift has the capability to hide someone. Moreover, he couldn't restrict this person's external contact. Instead, he'd have to funnel all sorts of external intelligence to them, otherwise, it would be impossible for them to make accurate market estimations. This would create a very high chance and risk of exposure. Ordinary people might not be able to uncover it, but for Goldman Sachs, this possibility doesn't exist!
"Yet Goldman Sachs found nothing. Therefore, I believe Little Swift hasn't hidden this person in any secret location, but rather right within the company, among the employees.
"This way, these employees would need to come into contact with a large amount of business intelligence in their daily work, and reporting to Little Swift would be a normal occurrence. Ordinary people would never suspect these employees!" Hao Jianguo analyzed.
"That's interesting, but there's one point that can't be explained. If this person is indeed a company employee, then they would have ample opportunity to leak the truth to the outside world. How is it that no one has discovered this in three years?" the elder countered.
"Yes, that is indeed a problem, but it's not unexplainable!" Hao Jianguo said earnestly.
"Firstly, I believe the most probable reason is that this person is not resistant to Little Swift taking credit for their achievements and reputation. The two might even be cooperating to conceal the truth. The reason is simple: there are always those in this world who prefer to make a fortune quietly, who don't like being in the spotlight, and would rather give their fame to others, thus remaining in a safe environment!
"Moreover, the wealthier people become, the less they want to be exposed, because it signifies higher risk. This person could be collaborating with Little Swift, with Little Swift sharing half, or even more, of his enormous bonuses with this individual. This person would then live a reclusive and carefree life with the vast sums of money. This is very plausible and, I believe, the most likely truth!
"The second possibility is that Little Swift is still using some powerful means to control this person. Although they work normally within the company, they dare not complain about the truth to anyone. To achieve this is quite simple: as long as Little Swift finds a way to control the lives of this person's closest loved ones, this person can be easily manipulated. This possibility is also extremely high!
"Furthermore, if this person works in the company, then Little Swift can actually monitor their every move comprehensively. This is because Little Swift himself is very peculiar; although he buys villas and mansions, he rarely lives in them. Instead, he prefers to stay in the company, occupying an entire floor as his residence. No one is allowed to enter this floor except him!
"It's highly possible that many secrets are hidden there!"
"Beyond this, I've thought of four or five other possibilities. Although the likelihood is low, they are operationally feasible in reality. These can all explain Little Swift'sā" Hao Jianguo spoke fluently, and the elder, who was initially skeptical, began to waver, as what Hao Jianguo said seemed quite plausible.
Of course, the elder wouldn't rely solely on Hao Jianguo's account. He immediately ordered his subordinates to conduct a more in-depth investigation and then instructed Hao Jianguo, "In that case, proceed with your investigation!
"I will give you a team. You can have this team cooperate with you to openly poach key employees from the Western Mustang Fund, and whoever you suspect to be the true financial god. This is all in your hands.
"I only need to have our own complete talent pool within a month. Can you do it?" the elder asked.
"Yes!" Hao Jianguo replied decisively, knowing that the elder disliked hearing "no."
After returning, Hao Jianguo immediately began analyzing the data he had, as well as the details of his interactions with these employees during his time at the Western Mustang Fund.
This is where Hao Jianguo deserves praise. He was indeed very observant of everyone. Hao Jianguo had interacted with almost everyone in the Western Mustang Fund, except for the cleaning lady. First, Hao Jianguo excluded those who joined the company after his own entry. This was because he had already sensed something was amiss with Little Swift when he started working there. Therefore, this person should have been hidden within the company before his arrival, thus eliminating more than half of the people.
He then focused on screening those who had been with Little Swift since the company's inception, namely the initial 12 bright graduates recruited from major economic universities.
Of these 12 graduates, 8 had already left the Western Mustang Fund to join other companies. This was because they realized they were merely human operational machines within the company, unable to participate in or even offer opinions on many macroeconomic stock operations. Everything was dictated solely by Little Swift, which they found very dissatisfying. They felt that if they continued to stay, they would likely become obsolete. Furthermore, they also felt that Little Swift didn't understand finance at all. They didn't believe Little Swift was plagiarizing others' work but rather that he was lucky. But Little Swift's luck would eventually run out, and at that point, the reputation of the Western Mustang Fund would be ruined, and their own futures would be jeopardized. Thus, while the Western Mustang Fund's reputation was still strong,
They eagerly joined well-known funds to secure better futures for themselves.
These choices proved to be correct. Now, these 8 individuals have joined many reputable large fund companies, entering as mid-level personnel. If they truly possess the ability, their future prospects are boundless.
Consequently, the number of key suspects was reduced to 4. After contemplating, Hao Jianguo further narrowed down the focus to one particular individual among these four: the one nicknamed Sleepy Joe.
This individual's name was Jon Nov. As his name suggests, he was an American of Russian descent. His grandfather was reportedly one of Russia's most outstanding mathematicians, and his father was a mathematics professor at Harvard University, making him part of a family of mathematical giants. He himself graduated from a renowned international university's mathematics department. His innate talent was exceptionally high, perfectly fitting the profile of a genius.
However, Jon Nov's performance within the company was entirely different. Firstly, he was extremely fond of alcohol, to the point where he would drink during work hours. Once drunk, he would embrace his bottle and sleep soundly in the company. Alcohol seemed to have dulled his brain, as it was common for him to fall asleep during work, even when he hadn't been drinking. This is how he earned the nickname Sleepy Joe.
Not only did he love to sleep, but he also disliked being in the public eye and attention. He always worked at a cubicle in the most secluded corner of the company, never participated in company social events, and sat in the last row during meetings. As a result, newcomers who joined the company in the past few months didn't even know that such a long-serving employee existed. He didn't eagerly leave the company to pursue his dreams like others but remained to simply pass the time.
However, according to intelligence received by Hao Jianguo, at the company's inception, Sleepy Joe had helped resolve several difficult business challenges, making significant contributions to the company. This is why Little Swift tolerated his excessive habits of drinking and sleeping within the company.
Furthermore, Hao Jianguo discovered that during the few months he worked there, other employees, no matter how talented or capable, had made errors in judgment to varying degrees.
However, Sleepy Joe, despite making only one judgment throughout, was exceptionally accurate with that single instance. After that, Sleepy Joe never made another judgment. This collection of information led Hao Jianguo to believe that Sleepy Joe perfectly matched the profile of the target person he was looking for.
An old employee, with the foundation of a genius, but disliking the spotlight and preferring to conceal himself, "č" (gou - to hide or lie low) himself into a dog... Hao Jianguo recalled a new genre of novel he had recently seen on Chinese online novel websites called "Gou Dao Liu" (Dog Cultivation Path). Wasn't this the perfect embodiment of a "Gou Dao" practitioner?"