Chapter 155: The Moral Bottom Line

Everyone was shocked by Zhou Ming's words. While they understood that persuading the stock investors to calm down and leave on their own would be the best way to solve the current crisis, it was all based on a hypothetical scenario.

However, due to the stock market crash, millions in funds had evaporated instantly. The mindset of the investors had already deviated; they never saw themselves as speculators and didn't take responsibility for their losses. They believed they shouldn't have lost money; stocks were supposed to make money. Now that they were losing money, they thought the country should compensate them.

Even slightly rational people would find this thinking unreasonable, but for these investors, it seemed like an unquestionable truth.

So convincing these investors, whose thinking had reached a dead end, seemed almost unimaginable.

Especially now, as these investors were very sensitive, and any harsh words or actions could potentially lead to major conflicts. But if the approach was too soft, they might not listen at all. How could one possibly persuade them?

Du Peng and Luo Han knew that Zhou Ming was impressive, but this seemed too far-fetched. Zhao Anmin, the Director of the Public Security Bureau, who didn't know Zhou Ming as well, thought he was probably joking.

Zhou Ming, of course, understood Du Peng and Luo Han's concerns, but he didn't offer any explanation. He simply looked calmly at Chen Yunfei, waiting for his decision.

After a moment, Chen Yunfei asked Zhou Ming, "Do you have confidence?"

Zhou Ming honestly shook his head, "No, but we can never know the outcome unless we try."

Zhao Anmin and Luo Han gasped. If Zhou Ming had said he was confident, at least they could have found some psychological comfort. But now that Zhou Ming admitted he had no confidence, Zhao Anmin immediately objected, "Since Advisor Zhou has no confidence, don't take this risk. Let me organize the police to disperse these investors. At least that's something I'm confident about."

"And then what?" Zhou Ming countered. "Director Zhao, you still can't guarantee that the investors' mindset will be turned around, can you? Public sentiment is like floodwaters: it's better to guide than to block. Simply dispersing and arresting people will only cause more trouble."

"Advisor Zhou, you talk nicely, but do you really have the confidence to change the investors' mindset? Didn't you also say these investors are on the brink of collapse?" Zhao Anmin argued.

"I indeed have no confidence, but whether I succeed or not, I can at least ensure that nothing worse happens," Zhou Ming said confidently.

Zhao Anmin wanted to say more, but at this moment, Chen Yunfei made a decision: "Alright, Zhou Ming, you go try."

Despite being surprising, Chen Yunfei's decision was not unexpected. He told Zhao Anmin, "Organize the police to protect Advisor Zhou."

Zhao Anmin nodded in agreement. Although he didn't support Zhou Ming's approach, he meticulously followed Chen Yunfei's orders, immediately arranging for some of the most capable officers to accompany Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming thanked Chen Yunfei and Zhao Anmin. Chen Yunfei nodded without speaking, and Zhao Anmin said it was just following orders.

Under the protection of several police officers, Zhou Ming left the securities company. Due to the stock market crash, many investors at the entrance were behaving aggressively, so the securities company had to close urgently. As Zhou Ming stepped out, he immediately attracted the attention of all the investors.

"Look, someone from the securities company is coming out! We need them to give us an explanation and compensate us! Our money can't be taken without any reason!"

With these fragmented shouts, all the investors began to surround Zhou Ming as if pushed by an invisible hand. The police protecting Zhou Ming grew tense, but Zhou Ming signaled them to stay calm. He then stepped forward with a microphone, which Luo Han had prepared as a loudspeaker to broadcast his words to everyone.

Standing on the steps, Zhou Ming looked at the angry and confused expressions of the investors below. He knew that not only Chen Yunfei but also Tan Ge and many leaders from the Central Government, whom he had never met, were watching from afar.

Since he was here, he had to give it his all!

Encouraging himself internally, Zhou Ming took a deep breath and picked up the microphone. "Hello, dear investors. My name is Zhou Ming. Some of you might have heard of me. I'm the development advisor for Nanjiang City and also an advisor for the securities company."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, someone from the crowd shouted, "So you're the one who let the securities company cheat us out of our money?"

This person's words immediately resonated with others: "Yes, make the securities company return our money, or we won't leave here today!"

"Please calm down. If it's your money, it will be returned to you—no more, no less," Zhou Ming said. "But before that, I have a question for everyone. I hope you can give me a joint answer."

"There's something I heard this morning at the market," Zhou Ming began. "A store was selling fertilizer, and the owner claimed it was the best in the country, capable of absorbing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from two meters underground, and that it could yield 800 jin per mu of rice. Even if it didn't reach 800 jin, it should be at least 700 jin. So, a farmer bought the fertilizer and used it as instructed. By the end of the year, his yield was less than 600 jin. He then went to the store owner to demand compensation for the lost yield of over 200 jin per mu."

Zhou Ming spread his hands and asked, "This situation confuses me, so I'd like everyone to help me judge—do you think the farmer's demand is reasonable?"

As soon as Zhou Ming asked the question, someone in the crowd immediately replied, "The farmer's demand is definitely unreasonable! The rice yield isn't determined by the fertilizer. How can he ask the store owner for compensation? The farmer's behavior is simply unreasonable!"

Listening to the answers below, Zhou Ming applauded and said, "You're absolutely right. I want to cheer for you!"

"From your answers, I can tell that you're all very smart, with a strong sense of right and wrong, and that you're good people with a moral bottom line," Zhou Ming praised.

"Do you know why I'm telling you this? It's because I have a grand Chinese dream," Zhou Ming continued. "You now know that I'm a development advisor for Nanjiang, but I was born into an ordinary worker's family. My parents' salaries were very low, and to support my education, the family not only spent all their savings but also borrowed a lot from relatives and friends. From that moment on, I realized that I had to change my family's impoverished situation."

"But how to change it?" Zhou Ming answered his own question. "At that time, I met a man who set up a stall and played chess. He said that since I was a university student with a smart mind, I could set up an unsolvable chess problem, find a stooge, and deceive those who thought they could solve it to make money."

As Zhou Ming narrated, the thousands of people below were drawn into his story, forgetting to speak. At this moment, Zhou Ming suddenly asked loudly, "But can I do that? No, absolutely not! I want to change my family's poverty, but I cannot resort to unscrupulous means to make money because I am a person with conscience and moral integrity!"

Zhou Ming's words, broadcasted by the securities company's speakers, caused a shiver among the crowd, as if their souls were trembling.

Immediately, someone waved their arms and shouted, "Advisor Zhou, you're right! You're human, not a beast. We want to make money, but we also need to have moral standards. We can't be shameless or unscrupulous!"

Hearing the shouts below, Zhou Ming applauded once more. "Everyone said very well, and it's true. Hearing such voices from you today makes me very gratified. Although our country may still be poor and backward, as long as everyone remains kind and diligent, I believe our reform and opening-up will make everyone prosperous! In the future, you can all watch color TV at home and drive your own cars. Wouldn't you like such a life?"

"Yes!" Everyone shouted in unison.

"So, to make money, can you, like that farmer, demand money that shouldn't belong to you, or, like that scammer, resort to unscrupulous means?" Zhou Ming asked again.

"No!" Everyone waved their arms and shouted.

Zhou Ming continued, "Why not? Although it might be shameless or unscrupulous, isn't making money a good thing?"

"We are not land ruffians; we have moral bottom lines!" everyone shouted back.

Zhou Ming raised his hands to signal for quiet and then said solemnly, "Let's return to the most important issue today. I know you are here because of the stock market crash. But please take a good look at the sign next to the securities company. It says, 'The stock market has risks; be cautious when investing!' What does this mean? It means that the stock market is an investment arena. Since it's an investment, there are risks of success and failure. No one can guarantee whether one will make money or lose money, so you must act cautiously when buying stocks."

"This sign has been here since the establishment of the securities company. I don't know how many of you have really seen it, but that's irrelevant because I believe you all have moral bottom

 lines."

Zhou Ming took a deep breath and concluded, "I know you're here today because you've lost money and want an explanation. But this is the stock market, not a bank. Whether it's the securities company or the city government, we have repeatedly emphasized that losses are part of the stock market. Even before the crash, securities reports had issued warnings. Yet, you still didn't take it seriously."

"Now that the stock market has really crashed and you've lost money, you come to trouble the securities company and the government, demanding compensation. Don't you think your behavior is as shameless as that of the farmer demanding compensation from the store owner and as unscrupulous as the scammer setting up a chess problem to cheat money? Think about it. Do you believe your actions still uphold the moral bottom line you claim to have?" Zhou Ming questioned repeatedly.