Chapter 151: The Last Gleam of Light

Zhou Ming spent the whole day at the securities company with Hua Shao. According to the current regulations of the securities company, the market closed at five in the afternoon, but usually, stock prices stopped fluctuating significantly after four thirty.

"Until four o'clock, the trading volume for today was thirty-three million, and the entire stock market rose by twenty percent."

In the reception room, Luo Han slowly reported the overall situation of the stock market. Hua Shao was very pleased and asked Luo Han, "So, according to you, I've made two million today?"

Luo Han nodded, confirming. Hua Shao burst into laughter and said to Zhou Ming, "Advisor Zhou, you really are something. To be able to make money in the stock market like this, making two million in one day without doing anything—it's much easier than making money from any business!"

Facing Hua Shao's words, Zhou Ming remained expressionless. "Hua Shao, are you satisfied now? Can I leave?"

"Of course, I'm satisfied!" Hua Shao said. "But Advisor Zhou, you should understand that I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. It's just that some things need to be done cautiously. For example, taking out ten million isn't a simple matter, right? I need to be responsible for such a large sum."

"Since you put it that way, I want to say that I can't be here every day to act as your insurance. And as I said before, the stock market carries risks. Even though you made two million today, you can't be sure of making two million every day. There's a risk of losing five or ten million at any time," Zhou Ming said.

Hua Shao didn't take Zhou Ming's words seriously. "Advisor Zhou, you keep trying to scare me with these warnings. Don't worry. Since I voluntarily entered the stock market, any loss or gain is my responsibility alone. I won't blame you."

"You should remember your own words!" Zhou Ming replied.

Hua Shao nodded. "It's not right to keep you here all day. How about this: I'll treat you to dinner at Nanhu Hotel tonight as an apology?"

"Thank you, but no need," Zhou Ming said, and then left the reception room directly. Back in his car, his pager beeped again—it was Tang Ran's message. Zhou Ming glanced at it and immediately drove to his nightclub.

This wasn't the first message he received. In fact, after he went to the securities company, Du Peng and Tang Ran had been trying to reach him. Given his poor relationship with Hua Shao, and the fact that they were setting a trap for him, they must have been worried seeing him gone for so long. Since he couldn't take calls in front of Hua Shao, he had been waiting all day. When he received Tang Ran's message saying they were at the nightclub, he drove over immediately.

The nightclub was still empty in the afternoon, with only a few people in the second-floor KTV rooms singing in the afternoon.

When Zhou Ming arrived at the bar room, Tang Ran rushed over as soon as he entered. "Ming Ge, it's great that you're okay. I was so worried all day!"

Zhou Ming patted Tang Ran's back and said, "Don't worry, Ranran. I'm fine. There are so many people here watching!"

Tang Ran then remembered that Du Peng and the nightclub manager, Kong Xiaolin, were also present. Her face turned red with embarrassment. Zhou Ming led her to the sofa in the private room and sat down. Du Peng quickly asked, "How did it go, Zhou Ming? The stocks didn't fall today, did they?"

"Of course not. They actually rose by twenty percent. Hua Shao made two million today and is overjoyed," Zhou Ming replied.

Du Peng was momentarily stunned. "They rose? How is that possible? Didn't you say that if we withdrew our funds, the stocks would fall? I asked the reporters from the Port City who are knowledgeable about the stock market, and they said the same. Why is the market rising instead of falling?"

"After we withdraw the funds, the stock prices will certainly crash, but that's not an overnight process. Plus, Hua Shao suddenly invested ten million today. Do you remember what I told you before? The more money there is in the market, the higher the stock prices will be driven up," Zhou Ming said. "That's what's happening now. A sudden influx of such a large amount of money acts like a shot of adrenaline to the market, so the stock prices are bound to rise."

"But Ming Ge, aren't we trying to trick Hua Shao? If the stock prices rise, he'll make money, right? We can't be helping such a bad guy to make money," Tang Ran said.

"I'm not helping him make money. I can't change market trends, but this rise is just a temporary phenomenon. It's merely a last gleam of light and won't reverse the overall market trend. By next week, Hua Shao will surely find himself in tears," Zhou Ming explained.

He added, "Moreover, this rise actually helps our overall plan. Hua Shao is here today because he doesn't trust my performance. I had said before that if the market fell on his first day of trading, he would not only blame us but also become wary and withdraw his money. That would mean we couldn't keep his money in the market."

Tang Ran clapped her hands in excitement. "I get it now! This last gleam of light makes Hua Shao, who doesn't understand the stock market, think everything is fine. He'll believe Ming Ge isn't scheming and will lower his guard, continuing to keep his money in the market. If the market suddenly crashes at this time, his money will be stuck in the market."

"Exactly. Ranran, you're very clever!" Zhou Ming said.

Du Peng also chuckled. "Hua Shao is so arrogant. If it weren't for your plan, Zhou Ming, I'd really want to give him a good beating. He really thinks Nanjiang is his personal backyard."

Zhou Ming caught the underlying meaning of Du Peng's words. "Du Peng, what do you mean by that? Is there a new development in your family?"

"Yes. The current municipal party secretary, Lu Xiong, is being transferred to the central government. My Uncle Chen will take over as the municipal party secretary. According to the central government's arrangement, Uncle Chen will also concurrently hold the positions of Executive Vice Governor, Secretary of the Nanjiang Municipal Party Committee, and Mayor of Nanjiang!" Du Peng said with a smile. "Once this appointment is confirmed, we won't have to fear Hua Shao in Nanjiang anymore."

"That's really good news!" Zhou Ming said. "I was worried Hua Shao might cause trouble if he lost a few million in the stock market. I had prepared quite a few contingencies, but now it seems they won't be needed."

Zhou Ming felt a sense of relief. If he had to deal with someone like Hua Shao head-on, he wasn't confident. Now that there was news that would make Hua Shao hesitant, it was a good thing.

Chen Yunfei holding multiple high-ranking positions was not just a matter of official titles but reflected the central government's attitude towards Nanjiang. Imagine, apart from Nanjiang, which city's municipal party secretary is also the executive vice governor? This treatment is higher than that of municipal party secretaries in provincial capitals, indicating the central government's high regard for Nanjiang and Chen Yunfei.

Chen Yunfei was Du Peng's grandfather's student, so it's not hard to imagine that Du Peng's family played a significant role in this.

Firstly, Du Peng was on the ground there, and his family could not ignore the situation; they had to nurture someone with influence to watch over Du Peng.

Secondly, Du Peng had been involved in significant political moves like the first land auction and stock market dealings. In the context of the reform and opening-up, these were significant political assets. If his family didn't make good use of them, their political sensitivity would be too low, and they might as well exit the political scene early to avoid future troubles.

Zhou Ming was relieved, but Du Peng's eyes widened. "Zhou Ming, did you say you had a contingency plan?"

Zhou Ming nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course. After we've tricked Hua Shao out of so much money, we must prepare for any retaliation."

"My God!" Du Peng exclaimed. "Zhou Ming, I've realized you're not just anyone. Hua Shao's biggest mistake was crossing you, leading him to be schemed against step by step."

Zhou Ming laughed heartily. Just as he was about to say something, his pager beeped. It was a message from Chen Yunfei. Zhou Ming found a phone in the nightclub and called. Chen Yunfei's secretary answered and then transferred the call to Chen Yunfei.

Chen Yunfei answered the call and said displeased, "Zhou Ming, didn't you say the stock market would gradually return to normal? Why did it rise by twenty percent today?"

"Mayor Chen, don't worry. This is just a normal reaction before the market settles down. You can consider it a last gleam of light in the stock market," Zhou Ming said. "I've found a large sum of money to absorb the bubble in the market. So, no matter how the market falls in the future, it won't be a big problem."

Chen

 Yunfei was surprised. "Someone is putting money into the market to absorb the bubble? What's going on?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Mayor Chen. As long as I haven't stolen or committed any crimes, it's all fine," Zhou Ming said with a chuckle. "By the way, congratulations on your promotion. I should call you Governor Chen or Secretary Chen now. Anyway, congratulations on your promotion!"

Chen Yunfei was pleased with the promotion news and said, "Yes, it was Du Peng who told you, right? You guys may not be good at other things, but you certainly excel at these underhanded methods."

"Mayor Chen, that's not fair. I've contributed quite a bit to the development of the securities market. Don't abandon us now; we'll need your support!" Zhou Ming said.

"Alright, stop acting all pitiful in front of me. As long as you don't engage in illegal activities, no one can touch you. Is that clear?" Chen Yunfei said.

"Thank you, Governor Chen, Secretary Chen!" Zhou Ming said.