Chapter 156: Persuasion

Zhou Ming's words echoed across the plaza like a morning bell or evening drum, creating an eerie silence. The entire plaza fell quiet, with thousands of people who had been shouting angrily now standing motionless, staring blankly at Zhou Ming on the steps, unable to utter a word.

Such sudden and simultaneous silence among thousands of people created immense psychological pressure. On the second floor of the securities company building, Chen Yunfei, Du Peng, and Luo Han instinctively leaned closer to the window. They held their breath, their hearts in their throats, eyes wide open, watching the scene below and waiting for the investors' reactions.

No matter their status or relationship with Zhou Ming, they were all repeatedly asking themselves the same question: Had he succeeded?

Zhou Ming, standing on the steps, was just as nervous. After all, he didn't know how much merit he had accumulated to be reborn. He couldn't afford to collapse so easily here. Even if he was up against the top person from the Imperial City, even if this person struck at the very heart of him and Du Peng, even if he had all the money in the world, he was still an ordinary citizen. He would never bow down or surrender. Perhaps his previous life was unsatisfactory, but in this life, he had to fight to the end, no matter what!

Despite his determination, some things had to be left to fate. After all, he was only reborn, not possessed by the souls of great figures. He might understand some things better than others, but he couldn't control everyone's thoughts.

Now, he had done his best, starting from an ordinary fertilizer story to his Chinese dream and then to his methods of making a fortune. Through these stories and speeches, he had effectively appealed to everyone's conscience, and more importantly, had conveyed his intended message. His series of questions had questioned everyone's conscience.

He had to be indirect in his approach because the investors' psychological state was very fragile. If he had been too direct, it would have only angered them and led them to attack the securities company and government agencies. But by being indirect, the situation was completely different. The investors would be questioned by their conscience and would be more likely to accept the message.

The silence was their internal struggle with their conscience.

The weather in Nanjiang at the end of December was a bit chilly, but as Zhou Ming stood on the steps facing the silent crowd of thousands, he felt sweat pouring from his forehead.

Time passed, and suddenly a voice of anguish emerged from the crowd, crying out, "Advisor Zhou, I'm sorry, I was wrong!"

Hearing this first cry, Zhou Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that in such intense psychological pressure, if even one person took the lead, it would ignite a chain reaction, spreading like a wildfire.

As expected, after the first cry, there were successive shouts of remorse from the crowd. Of course, some still tried to resist, shouting, "Don't believe these bureaucrats, we want compensation from the government and securities company!" But these voices were soon drowned out by others, and some even spat on them, calling them greedy and shameless!

At this point, Zhou Ming finally felt his heart relax. It seemed his prediction was correct. Under such pressure, even someone like Chen Yunfei would feel the weight. Ordinary people would certainly not withstand such pressure, so once someone's emotional string snapped, it would quickly spread to others, achieving a unified mindset.

The only difference now was which emotion would explode under this pressure.

It seemed he had bet correctly; there were more good people than bad.

Zhou Ming sighed internally, though he wasn't sure if that was the reality, he hoped his extensive preparations had not been in vain.

Zhou Ming could finally relax, only then realizing his back was drenched in cold sweat. The pressure he had felt was immense, but it was worth it. Zhou Ming had managed to get through this crisis.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Ming raised the microphone again and said, "Dear investors, I know the stock market crash is a terrible blow for all of us. No one wants to hear such news, but this is the nature of the market, just as Western countries cannot escape economic crises."

"However, we are not like those Western countries," Zhou Ming said. "Our securities company has been established for less than a month, and the stocks inside have risen from a few yuan to several dozen yuan. Even though our stock market crashed today, if we look at this past month, most of our investor friends have made a lot of money, right? If you count it this way, you haven't lost a penny, have you?"

"Since you haven't lost money, isn't it unreasonable for you to demand compensation from the securities company and government?"

As Zhou Ming spoke, the thousands of investors below lowered their heads in shame. But Zhou Ming continued, "I understand your urgent desire to make money; I also want to make money. Who doesn't want to make money? But we must have morals and conscience, right? We want to make money, but we must also consider the means and methods. We cannot be unreasonable or make a fuss, can we?"

"Please rest assured that the securities company and the government will work together to resolve the issues in the stock market as quickly as possible. We will address the shortcomings and try not to let everyone lose money," Zhou Ming said. "Now, please leave in an orderly manner under the guidance of the police officers. Don't cause trouble here."

With Zhou Ming's words, the investors began to leave the plaza one by one. Seeing this, Zhou Ming felt his heart completely at ease.

However, Zhou Ming did not hurry to leave. He remained on the steps, watching the investors slowly disperse, and only left after most of the crowd had gone.

Returning to the securities company and entering his office, the door swung open before he could even reach it. Du Peng ran out excitedly and embraced Zhou Ming, shouting, "Zhou Ming, you're amazing! You actually managed to persuade those thousands of people below. It's unbelievable!"

Zhou Ming shrugged off Du Peng and entered the office, which was filled with joyous excitement. Everyone was as thrilled as if they had won the lottery, having just witnessed what seemed like a miracle. But facing the person who made this miracle happen, Zhou Ming, their eyes were full of admiration.

Zhao Anmin approached Zhou Ming, apologizing, "Advisor Zhou, I'm sorry. What I said earlier was a bit harsh. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Zhou Ming responded, "It's alright, Director Zhao. I'm not so petty, and I understand that you were trying to solve the problem at that time."

Zhao Anmin thanked Zhou Ming for his generosity, "But Advisor Zhou, what you did was truly impressive. To calm down those thousands of angry investors, you did it with such skill. You're a great person who turned the tide!"

Zhou Ming laughed, "Director Zhao, please don't exaggerate. I'd rather we never had to face such a situation."

"Indeed, peace is the greatest blessing," Zhao Anmin said.

Compared to Zhao Anmin, Luo Han was also excited but much calmer. Having witnessed Zhou Ming's ability to persuade hundreds of angry students in a lecture at Port City University, he understood Zhou Ming's talent in speeches and his charisma.

Even so, Luo Han was still very excited. He approached Zhou Ming and said, "Advisor Zhou, what you did was truly remarkable. This scene will definitely go down in history!"

Zhou Ming smiled and replied, "If this scene goes down in history, then you, Deputy General Luo, can't escape either."

Finally, Zhou Ming approached Chen Yunfei and said, "Governor Chen, I haven't let you down. I successfully resolved this issue."

"Good! That's excellent!" Chen Yunfei patted Zhou Ming on the shoulder.

Chen Yunfei's action made Secretary Peng's eyes widen. As Chen Yunfei's secretary, he knew that this gesture indicated Chen Yunfei's excitement.

Chen Yunfei couldn't help but be excited because this matter was of utmost importance to him.

As the Mayor and Secretary of Nanjiang, if things had gone wrong today, others might find a way to handle it, but as the absolute top leader, he had no room for maneuver.

Of course, due to the special nature of the situation, and if he could take some action, he wouldn't be removed but only reassigned from Nanjiang. Even so, it was unacceptable. Imagine, he had been transferred from the central government to the local level, serving as the second-in-command under Lu Xiong for so long. Finally, he had managed to rise to the position of Executive Vice Governor and Secretary of the Municipal Committee.

This was undoubtedly a promising career path. If he were reassigned from Nanjiang just when he was about to show his abilities, it would be something he would regret for life.

Chen Yunfei had originally contacted the armed police unit, preparing to use extraordinary measures. But Zhou Ming resolved the issue with just a few words, making him incredibly excited. If not for his position as Executive Vice Governor, he would have cheered for Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming's actions were truly incredible.

"Governor Chen, I didn't believe you were from the military before, but now I do, because you handled this so decisively," Zhou Ming said with a deliberate tone of complaint.

Chen Yunfei and the others laughed heartily.