Chapter 107: This Guy Is Crazy

Faced with the gazes of all the municipal committee officials from all directions, Zhou Ming was somewhat stunned. Not only did he not expect Old Yang to call on him to speak so early, but even Zhou Ming himself was surprised. After all, with so many municipal officials present, and Zhou Ming being just a development advisor without any official position, it was improbable that he would be called upon at this moment.

If it were someone else holding the meeting, Zhou Ming would have been scheduled to speak at the end as a supplementary speaker. But Old Yang was Old Yang, the chief director who initiated the reform and opening-up, the de facto leader of the country. His personality was not bound by typical bureaucratic rules. In this teleconference, he could call on anyone he wanted to speak.

Zhou Ming was not someone who would get anxious easily, and now that Old Yang had specifically called on him to speak, it was clear that he valued Zhou Ming. This meant that Zhou Ming's previous plans had a better chance of being realized.

However, despite his thoughts, this was the first time Zhou Ming was directly talking to a national leader, especially one like Yang Dingguo, who had led the country from poverty to prosperity. For those who grew up in this era, his influence was even greater than that of the founding leaders. This made Zhou Ming both nervous and excited.

At this moment, the Secretary of the South Jiangsu Municipal Committee handed Zhou Ming a small microphone. Zhou Ming thanked him and then took a deep breath to calm his nerves, speaking in the most composed tone he could muster: "Hello, Old Yang, I'm Zhou Ming."

A voice quickly came from the other end of the line: "Comrade Zhou Ming, hello. I heard that you are responsible for resolving the land speculation issue in South Jiangsu this time. You have done a great job!"

"Old Yang, you over-praise me. It's the duty of every Chinese child growing up under the red flag. I was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. Since I'm a businessman, I thought about what I would fear the most if I were speculating in land, and that's how I came up with the idea to control the bank's cash flow to resolve this issue," Zhou Ming said.

Hearing Zhou Ming's words, Yang Dingguo remarked, "Yes! Our comrades indeed lack such a perspective of thinking from another's point of view. So, what's your opinion on the land speculation issue in South Jiangsu?"

"I believe that, from a macro perspective, this land speculation issue is actually a good thing," Zhou Ming said.

Yang Dingguo asked curiously, "How so?"

"Because I think land speculation is a necessary experience after the country relaxes land sales," Zhou Ming said. "I used to stay in Port City for a period, and they experienced many land speculation incidents during their development phase. Even recently, before the Port City stock market crash, the major financial groups in Port City were buying and hoarding land. The high housing prices in Port City are, to some extent, related to the uncontrollable land speculation."

Zhou Ming paused and then continued, "Port City is already a highly developed city. Since even there could not avoid land speculation issues, it's natural that we cannot avoid them domestically. I believe it's an economic inevitability."

"So, since it will happen anyway, it's better to encounter it during the trial phase now, so we can prepare and have countermeasures in place, rather than encountering such events after the nationwide land relaxation," Zhou Ming said.

"Indeed! Early detection, early handling, and early preparation—that's the meaning of pilot projects. Otherwise, if everything is smooth and there are no issues, it would defeat the true purpose of the pilot," Yang Dingguo then shifted the topic and asked Zhou Ming, "I heard that you are also responsible for communication with the banks in this matter. I'm curious about how you persuaded them."

"There wasn't any special method. I just presented the facts and reasoning, told them about the harms of land speculation, and explained that even under the current laws and regulations, they would still face legal consequences. That's how they listened to me," Zhou Ming answered.

Zhou Ming's response was somewhat awkward. After all, the person on the other end of the line was a national leader. He couldn't exactly use the brainwashing tactics from a pyramid scheme, right?

Yang Dingguo naturally picked up on Zhou Ming's implication and laughed heartily, skipping over the topic: "I heard that you made a lot of money in the stock market in Port City, right?"

"Yes, Old Yang. I made quite a bit of money by predicting the Port City stock index futures through a futures company. However, strictly speaking, it was a bit of a trick," Zhou Ming said.

Zhou Ming was speaking from the heart, because if he hadn't been reborn, no matter how talented he was, it would have been impossible for him to risk all his assets on this inexplicable stock market crash in a world with a booming economy. So saying it was trickery was not an issue; it was just that this trick was something impossible to replicate.

Yang Dingguo said, "That's the charm of a market economy! If the economy isn't active, how can a part of the people get rich first? Comrade Zhou Ming, I think your timing was just right for this opportunity!"

Hearing Yang Dingguo's praise did not make Zhou Ming feel elated; instead, it made him tense because he sensed something.

Yang Dingguo then said, "Since you've made so much money in Port City's stock market, it seems that you have some research on the stock market. Comrade Zhou Ming, you should also know that South Jiangsu is preparing to establish our own stock market, and many companies are starting to undergo shareholding reforms. What's your opinion on this?"

As expected!

When Zhou Ming heard Yang Dingguo mention his stock market activities in Port City, he felt that related questions were coming. However, this question was difficult to answer!

Yang Dingguo also understood Zhou Ming's concerns and added, "Comrade Zhou Ming, feel free to speak up. Don't have any psychological burden. We are currently crossing the river by feeling the stones, starting from scratch. We need to gather wisdom from all sides."

Zhou Ming took a long breath and said, "Old Yang, I think we are being somewhat hasty in establishing the securities market domestically right now."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, everyone in the room couldn't help but gasp.

Arrogant!

This was the unanimous thought of everyone present. They stared at Zhou Ming in disbelief, thinking that Zhou Ming's statement was akin to courting death.

After all, whether it was the shareholding reform or the establishment of the securities market, Yang Dingguo was behind it all. Yang Dingguo had privately discussed with them, believing that the securities market would be an important pillar of the future domestic economy. But now Zhou Ming was directly questioning the hasty establishment of the securities market in front of Yang Dingguo. Wasn't this a slap in Yang Dingguo's face, questioning his decision?

What kind of status did Yang Dingguo hold? A central leader, the pillar of the entire country! And what status did Zhou Ming have?

Did Zhou Ming really think that just because Yang Dingguo had been polite to him and asked him a few questions, he was now untouchable? This was simply ignorance of the heights of heaven!

Yang Dingguo was silent on the other end, causing everyone's hearts to rise in their chests. They were afraid of angering the old man. If he hung up the phone and Zhou Ming left, they would have to face the wrath of the central leadership.

Yang Dingguo was silent for an unknown amount of time. After a long while, he finally asked Zhou Ming, "Where do you think the haste lies?"

Hearing Yang Dingguo speak again, everyone let out a sigh of relief, but they still didn't dare to fully relax. All the officials, including Mayor Chen Yunfei, were desperately signaling Zhou Ming to answer carefully and not anger Yang Dingguo further. But Zhou Ming seemed not to notice, answering in an unyielding manner, "Whether it is the shareholding reform or the establishment of the securities market, both are retracing the steps of capitalism."

Zhou Ming's words were like a bombshell, causing everyone to feel as if their brains had exploded.

How dare he say such things? Didn't he understand that such statements were taboo even in front of Yang Dingguo in the current environment?

This couldn't be described as youthful ignorance or arrogance. He was simply a madman with no sense!

After Zhou Ming finished speaking and looked around, seeing everyone's anxious expressions, he could imagine that these people would love to snatch the microphone from him and shut him up to stop him from spouting nonsense.

Zhou Ming didn't care. He continued, "Old Yang, the financial market is a Pandora's box containing all the evils of capitalism. I saw countless people sell their children and commit suicide by jumping off buildings during the Port City stock market crash. There are countless such cases. But even more people hope to get rich overnight like me and flock to the financial market, only to end up with disastrous results."

"Old Yang, I don't mean to say that we shouldn't implement privatization. It's just that without a series of capitalist laws and regulations, how can we establish a stock market? To start with, do we have company laws, securities laws, accounting laws, contract laws, trading laws? Do we have

 corresponding supervisory agencies? How can we ensure that our securities market conducts fair and open transactions? What if someone manipulates the market maliciously, like in the land speculation incident?"

Zhou Ming said, "These are all issues we must consider. I've experienced a lot in Port City. Despite their relatively mature securities market, these issues still exist. If we recklessly establish the securities market without these preparations, it will only give speculators a chance to exploit it, letting ordinary people's hard-earned money be used as a cover for these speculators."

Zhou Ming's tone was somber, but to the ears of those nearby, it was spine-chilling. Their hearts were lifted with each of Zhou Ming's words.

He's crazy, this guy is absolutely crazy!

Everyone thought this in their hearts, but at the same time, they were waiting to hear Yang Dingguo's response.

What would Old Yang say?