Chapter 112: The Professional Manager

“You really knew there was a way to register a company like that?”

At the Bloomberg office, Nick Sada was filled with astonishment.

Tao Zhiming, who had come there, replied indifferently, “That place introduced policies like that back in 1978. I only know because Professor Yamamoto told me. When will he arrive?”

“He’s already landed and is on his way here.” Nick was still marveling. “Set up the headquarters in a place like that, then have it invest in companies here in Japan—that way, you can avoid a great deal of tax. It really is brilliant.”

“You used to work for a securities firm. It would be strange if you didn’t know about things like this.” Tao thought to himself, Why should I pay Japan so much tax?

“...I only handled trading before,” Nick said. “Anyway, the person you asked me to find had extremely demanding qualifications, but I finally found him. I guarantee his abilities won’t disappoint you! So don’t let him come all the way from Hong Kong for nothing.”

“We’ll see after I meet him.” Tao remained noncommittal.

The two had already had dinner together. Now Tao chatted idly with him while they waited for the man to arrive.

“How have our machines been performing lately?” It took Nick only a few words to return to his current profession. “If there’s anything you need or anything you’d like to suggest, feel free to tell us.”

“They’re all right.” Tao looked dissatisfied. “A little more useful than the other gadgets, at least.”

“...Tell me where they need improvement!”

“The information still isn’t sufficient.” Tao studied him. “Can you get headquarters to assign more people to cover the Japanese market? With the stock market booming, information on the movements of Japan’s major corporations is fairly complete and timely. But what about promising small and medium-sized companies? You don’t pay attention to them at all, do you?”

“...That will take time.”

“Exactly. Which means there’s no point in my telling you.”

“Aren’t you mainly focused on the foreign-exchange market?” Nick hurriedly changed the subject. “You’ve made quite a bit lately, haven’t you? Senior Kawasaki told me I absolutely must thank you properly. He insists I find a time for us to get together!”

He was trying to fish for information, because Ichiro Kawasaki refused to tell him how much Tao had earned.

“...I can’t be bothered to talk about him. His professional ethics are questionable!” Tao grew irritated at the mention of it, but after calming himself, he changed the subject outright. “Seriously, Nick, what do you expect your annual income to be now? If things aren’t working out, quit this job. Abandoning your old profession to sell market terminals isn’t your strength.”

Nick looked embarrassed when he heard this. “That hurts. But I sold fifteen more terminals this month!”

“Fifteen terminals? That’s not even three hundred thousand dollars. What use is that? How much commission did you get?” Tao continued to tempt him. “Seeing how favorable the market is now, you’re not tempted? You know what I’m preparing to do. It’s exactly what you, Nomura Securities’ former rising star and star trader, are good at! Why are you selling Bloomberg terminals? If we want to play with that thing later, we can simply buy one!”

Nick sighed. “Things are pretty good now. I have some say in how things are done. The pleasure of building a business is much greater than merely doing a job!”

“That’s only because you couldn’t get used to Nomura’s stifling atmosphere. Do you really think you enjoy being the boss? Besides, do you truly get to decide how things are done? When I asked you to offer a little discount, you couldn’t even make that decision yourself!”

“I’ve already started this! Of course I have to see it through properly!”

“You started at Nomura Securities. So why did you abandon a stable lifetime job and run off halfway through? Didn’t you say your father once gave you a thorough scolding over it?”

“...In any case, I believe Bloomberg has enormous potential! In the future, I could at least become head of the Japanese region, or even Asia!”

“Oh.”

Tao quietly watched him, as if behind all that confidence lay nothing at all.

Nick smiled. “Still, I’m grateful that you have such a high opinion of me.”

“That was because, after hearing about Professor Yamamoto, you repeatedly went to the University of Tokyo to persuade its administrators to buy a single machine. Watching you persist like that, I felt sorry for you! The joy of entrepreneurship, huh? Are you happy, Nick?”

“...You’re preparing to start a business too, aren’t you?”

Tao beamed. “We’re different.”

And that was true. His buddy was not only unusually well-endowed—he also had a cheat code.

Nick had become familiar enough with him by then that all he could do was glare.

The man clearly wanted him to help manage the fund company he was preparing to establish. It was understandable that he would disparage Nick’s current choice, but there was no sincerity in his tone at all. He was always putting him down.

Still, how much had he earned lately, arriving in such a fine car? Ichiro Kawasaki praised him as though he were some kind of god.

As they chatted, someone knocked on the door.

Nick slapped his thigh and stood up. “That must be him!”

Tao also perked up, ready to see what the man was like.

Before long, Nick entered with someone else and introduced him with a broad smile. “This is Mr. Tao Daro, the gentleman who asked me to find a professional manager!”

Tao looked the young man over.

He was pulling a suitcase and wearing a suit and leather shoes. His short hair was neat, and there was no sign of fatigue from the long flight.

Seeing surprise in the man’s eyes, Tao held out his hand and asked, “Do you speak Mandarin?”

“Ah?” The man looked even more startled. “A little.”

His Mandarin carried a strong Cantonese accent.

Nick, standing beside them, looked somewhat bewildered. “What are you two talking about?”

“Then let’s speak Japanese.” After shaking his hand, Tao asked, “My English isn’t very good. How is your Japanese?”

“...No problem. I worked here before, after all. I didn’t realize you were so young. Nick never mentioned it.” After sitting down, he glanced at Nick.

The fellow merely grinned. “Surprise!”

“Zhao Yuanxi. Born in Hong Kong, educated in the United States, then coaxed by your classmate Nick Sada into working at Toyota in Japan for more than a year before you couldn’t stand it and returned to Hong Kong. Am I right?” Tao began.

“...That’s right.” Zhao glanced at Nick again. “Boss Tao, Nick said you were very capable and wanted to hire a professional manager to oversee your future ventures. The requirements were so unusual that he had trouble finding anyone, so he introduced me to you...”

He found the whole thing rather absurd. He had only just resigned and happened to have nothing else to do, so he thought he might as well come and see an old friend.

Tao nodded. “I haven’t graduated yet, so my time isn’t entirely flexible. The things I want to do in the future will cover quite a broad range. The requirements aren’t really that strange. I simply want someone who understands Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States fairly well, and who’s still young. I originally wanted to ask this fellow Nick to help me, but he’s become addicted to being head of the office and recommended you instead.”

“...” Nick wrestled with his feelings. Don’t think that just because you’re my client I have to put up with this! Do you really not think Bloomberg terminals have a future?

“No matter how promising they are, they may not offer higher income or status than what you could have achieved by swallowing your pride and becoming a division-level executive at Nomura Securities,” Tao said confidently. “And they certainly can’t compare with the future I can give you.”

Zhao could not help asking, “Boss Tao, you’re still in school? Nick only told me that you... were very good at making money. So what exactly is your business?”

Only then did Tao say, “I understand. Your main reason for agreeing to come wasn’t to discuss my proposal. In any case, we’ve met under these strange circumstances. We’re all young, so let’s be direct with one another.”

He glanced at Nick. “Haven’t you always been curious how much I’ve earned? This time I won’t avoid the subject. You should also seriously consider whether you want to work with me.”

Nick nodded vigorously.

He had no intention of considering it. Knowing that Ichiro Kawasaki had praised Tao as though he were a god, he simply wanted to find out how much the man had actually earned.

Zhao sat up straight.

Tao said, “At present, I mainly make money in the foreign-exchange market. I’m looking for Nick because I want him to help manage my trades. My capital will continue to grow, and later I’ll diversify into the stock market and other markets. One person can’t keep up with everything. Besides that, I have a plan for the future, and at this stage I want to find someone who can help me carry it out.”

Tao looked at the two men, then finally got to the point.

“At present, I’ve made nearly 1.3 billion yen in the foreign-exchange market altogether.”

The major market movement on March 12 had allowed Tao to turn a small stake into 600 million yen. During the wave when he harvested the small investors, he had made another 300 million. The rest had been accumulated gradually over nearly two months.

Before either man could react, Tao raised two fingers.

“Less than two months.”

Nick sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re kidding, right?”