Chapter 154: One Wave Hasn't Settled, Another Rises

"Tan Ge! You're the boss of our Fourth Nine City and much older than me, so please don't be so petty!"

Du Peng was standing by the window with his hands clasped in prayer, even pretending to offer a box of cigarettes in front of him. Zhou Ming couldn't help but chuckle, "If Tan Ge saw you cursing him like this, he might actually get angry and come after you."

"Get lost! Zhou Ming, can't you say something nice?" Du Peng replied irritably.

However, Du Peng's prayers didn't seem to work because, just ten minutes later, Luo Han received a pager message, made a hurried phone call, and after only a few words, stood there stunned. Zhou Ming and Du Peng asked him several times before he answered dazedly, "Advisor Zhou, Young Master Du, I just received a message from the Municipal Committee. Governor Chen is on his way here!"

"Damn! Did Zhou Ming's jinx actually come true?" Du Peng moaned.

"Shut up, the situation isn't over yet. Stop making a fuss," Zhou Ming said, slapping Du Peng on the back.

Despite Zhou Ming's words, he too was feeling uneasy. After all, they had just sent Hua Shao away and talked to Tan Ge, and now Chen Yunfei was coming in a hurry. For someone of Chen Yunfei's stature, a sudden visit without prior notice indicated something serious.

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and asked Luo Han, "Did the message say why Governor Chen is coming?"

"Not specifically, but it's definitely related to the stock market crash," Luo Han said.

"Seems like the situation is critical," Zhou Ming sighed and said to Du Peng, "No matter what the reason, we have to face it."

"There's nothing we can do but deal with it as it comes!" Du Peng said.

The securities company wasn't far from the Municipal Committee. A few minutes later, Chen Yunfei's convoy bypassed the crowd in the square and entered the securities company through the side door.

Chen Yunfei walked directly into the office where Zhou Ming and the others were. Before Zhou Ming and Du Peng could greet him, he waved his hand and said, "Let's skip the pleasantries. What's the current situation here? Can it be controlled? I heard from Director Zhao on the way that more than ten people have already been arrested."

Chen Yunfei's words made Zhou Ming and Du Peng's hearts race. Zhou Ming had Luo Han brief Chen Yunfei on the current situation, and then Zhou Ming asked, "Governor Chen, is something serious happening?"

Chen Yunfei didn't hesitate and directly nodded, saying, "It's quite troublesome. Just now, Elder Yang and several important leaders from the Central Government called me, asking about the stock market situation and instructing us to control the scene, pacify all the investors, and do a good job with the investors' ideological work. If anything goes wrong, it will become a very serious political issue."

Chen Yunfei's words made Zhou Ming frown. Clearly, Chen Yunfei's comments made things very clear. Zhou Ming's earlier suspicion was correct; the situation wasn't as simple as it seemed. If the situation had been manageable, Chen Yunfei wouldn't have come personally. The fact that such a high-profile figure was involved so urgently indicated the severity of the situation.

The stock market crash was causing significant financial losses, which were no small matter. Zhou Ming didn't know how large the forces involved were, but he could guess that it was considerable. If it were something trivial, the response wouldn't be so drastic.

Tan Ge's actions were clearly more sophisticated than Hua Shao's, directly escalating the situation to the Central Government.

As the top figure in the capital, Tan Ge understood politics very well. He knew that stability was paramount, and no matter what was done, stability had to come first. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a nationwide crackdown years ago.

Now, the stock market issue in Nanjiang had led to a major public gathering. As Chen Yunfei said, if it wasn't handled properly, it would become a serious political issue.

Zhou Ming, as someone who had lived through this period, clearly remembered that before the establishment of the Securities Regulatory Commission in his previous life, Nanjiang had faced a major issue due to mishandled investor emotions. This led to investors storming government offices, causing nationwide shock. The Central Government responded by removing over a dozen senior officials, including the Municipal Secretary and Mayor, and establishing the Securities Regulatory Commission to oversee the stock market.

Now, with Zhou Ming's rebirth, this situation was happening in Nanjiang ahead of time. If it wasn't handled well, Chen Yunfei's political position would be in jeopardy. If Chen Yunfei was removed, Hua Shao would be able to act without restraint.

This was truly one wave hasn't settled and another rises. Tan Ge's strategy was ruthless, striking directly at their weakness.

"Zhou Ming, do you think the investors will lose control?" Du Peng asked anxiously. He was also concerned about the urgency of the situation. If Chen Yunfei was removed, they would definitely be unable to stay in Nanjiang.

Zhou Ming shook his head, "It's hard to say. After all, most of those investing in the stock market are speculators. The essence of speculators is seeking opportunities. They also understand that our party and government agencies don't want any issues. If someone stirs up trouble for personal gain, it's easy to incite others and create a disaster no one wants to see."

Chen Yunfei turned to Zhou Ming and asked, "Do you think things could get that bad?"

"Governor Chen, I believe there's a high possibility," Zhou Ming said. "As you heard from Director Zhao, the police have already arrested over ten people who were trying to lead the protests. With so many people here, it's unlikely that only a few troublemakers are involved. Arresting people will never end, and the police aren't omnipotent. The more people are arrested, the more likely it is to incite greater public outrage."

Zhou Ming paused and continued, "If it reaches that point, and these angry investors storm the securities company and government offices, it will be truly uncontrollable."

Everyone present, most of whom were from government backgrounds, instinctively gasped, understanding the seriousness of the situation.

As the First Deputy General Manager of the Securities Company and South Development Bank, Luo Han suggested, "Then… why don't we try to stabilize the market? If South Development Bank can take the lead and invest five million to stabilize the market, it should help."

Before Luo Han could finish, Zhou Ming interrupted, "That's definitely not going to work!"

Zhou Ming told Luo Han, "As the First Deputy General Manager of the securities company, you should be well aware that this stock market crash is a normal phenomenon after a bubble burst. If we invest money to stabilize the market now, it won't stabilize anything but will just prolong the bubble and even fuel its growth."

"If it's a bubble, it will burst eventually. If we stabilize it today, what about tomorrow? The day after? Are we supposed to keep investing every time the bubble bursts? This will only make the bubble grow bigger and harder to handle. Eventually, when we can no longer save the market, it will be completely destroyed."

Zhou Ming continued, "Moreover, there's a more serious issue. The previous market growth has already conveyed the wrong message to most investors that stocks will only make money, and make big money at that. Now that the bubble is about to burst, if we inject money to stabilize the market, it's just reinforcing this false message. Our investors have no understanding of stock market crashes. If we reach a situation where we can't stabilize the market, it will require a full military intervention to resolve."

Zhou Ming's tone was calm, but his words felt like a cold wind cutting through the harsh winter, conveying a chilling severity.

The idea of requiring full military intervention was a major issue, and those who allowed the situation to develop would become the nation's and history's sinners.

This was a burden no one wanted to bear!

"If that's the case, how about we mobilize all the police forces in Nanjiang to disperse the investors? If we drive them away, they won't gather, and there won't be any trouble. I believe our police comrades have the capability!" suggested Zhao Anmin, the Director of the Public Security Bureau.

Zhou Ming shook his head, "That's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. I fully believe Director Zhao and our police officers have the capability, but dispersing them today will only solve the problem temporarily. What about tomorrow? The day after?"

"We can strengthen street patrols, just like in the previous crackdown. If we see gatherings causing trouble, we'll arrest them all!" Zhao Anmin said.

Zhou Ming still shook his head, "Director Zhao, that's absolutely not feasible. The previous crackdown was due to poor social security, but the current situation is different. These people are not vicious criminals or thugs. If we start arresting them, it will only increase their panic. In the fragile state of the stock market crash, it's easy to collapse and cause greater problems."

Zhao Anmin, who was a retired soldier and still had a straightforward temperament, said to Zhou Ming, "If that won't work and that won't work, then Advisor Zhou, what should we do?"

Hearing Zhao Anmin's question, everyone, including Chen Yunfei, turned their gaze to Zhou Ming. From their expressions, Zhou Ming could feel that they all shared the same question as Zhao Anmin.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Ming took a deep breath and then turned to Chen Yunfei, "Governor Chen, may I go out and speak to the investors on behalf of the party, the government, the securities company, and the investors?"

"What? Zhou Ming, you want to go out and persuade the investors who are on the brink of collapse?" 

Everyone's eyes widened, and they exclaimed in unison.