Chapter 13: One After Another

Even though the translators in the conference room were diligently translating Nordleyman's recent remarks, it no longer mattered because nearly everyone present could understand English, and they all grasped Nordleyman's words clearly.

However, understanding did not equate to acceptance. Everyone turned their heads in stunned silence toward the balding man of medium build, wearing black-rimmed glasses. Their minds seemed to short-circuit, leaving them incapable of rational thought.

If it were anyone else, they might have suspected that these mainlanders had offered some sort of bribe, but this was Nordleyman, the world's most renowned economist. He was beyond being bought, which made it all the more baffling why he would speak in favor of the mainland. Why was he praising the mainland? Could the system and development model of the mainland truly be that good?

It wasn't just ordinary people who were shocked; even the Hong Kong government spokesman, Zhang Zuo, who was chairing the meeting, and Liu Xiaotian, who had just sparred verbally with Zhou Ming, were also stunned.

They stared at Nordleyman in disbelief, unable to comprehend why this American economist, such an important figure, would meddle in the affairs between Hong Kong and the mainland. His words carried enormous weight, potentially tipping the situation back in the mainland's favor. Could it be that Zhou Ming had some special destiny that made people instinctively want to help him, to heed his call?

Reality seemed intent on proving their thoughts correct. As Zhang Zuo and Liu Xiaotian were thinking this, Sir Cheng Haolong, the global shipping magnate who had been sitting next to Nordleyman and had not spoken a word since entering, also stood up. He took the microphone from Nordleyman and said, "I completely agree with Mr. Nordleyman!"

"We are all Hong Kongers, and we've lived our entire lives here in Hong Kong. Some of us may not have lived a full lifetime yet, but no matter what, if we trace our roots, we are all Chinese. Our roots are in the mainland. Yes, the mainland has many areas that are less than satisfactory, and many systems differ from those in Hong Kong, but the mainland is also constantly correcting and improving itself, which is a positive direction."

Cheng Haolong continued, "Everyone knows I'm the global shipping magnate, and everyone knows I'm wealthy and have a good eye for business. But perhaps you don't know that after the mainland's reform and opening up, I was the first among Hong Kongers to make contact with mainland officials. Over the past ten years, I've been to the mainland several times, and I believe I understand the mainland far more deeply than any of you."

He then began to reminisce, "I remember the first time I went to the mainland; it was exactly as we all imagined—extremely poor, so poor that I couldn't believe this was my homeland. In the capital of this great nation, they hadn't even arranged a place for me to stay, so I later gave the authorities in Yanjing ten million U.S. dollars to build a high-end hotel."

"Why did I do this?" Cheng Haolong asked and answered himself, "It was my father's dying wish, but more importantly, I also wanted to return to my homeland and stand side by side with my country."

At this point, Cheng Haolong shifted his tone and continued, "But that was seven years ago. When I went to the mainland again last year, I couldn't recognize it anymore. The roads were wider, there were more buildings, and most importantly, I felt a thriving vitality, just like Hong Kong twenty years ago. The attitude of the officials in Yanjing toward reform also convinced me that the mainland has great potential for the future. I also believe that the return of Hong Kong will be beneficial!"

Cheng Haolong's words were like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the room. But before everyone could process why Cheng Haolong would say such things, another person stood up.

This time, it was Li Cheng. He took the microphone and said, "Mr. Nordleyman and my mentor have spoken wonderfully!"

Li Cheng began by establishing his credibility: "I started my business forty years ago with a plastic factory in 1950. I've witnessed the ups and downs of Hong Kong's development, having grown alongside it. This much is undeniable. But precisely because I've grown with Hong Kong, I understand its problems better than anyone."

"It's true that our economy is prosperous, no doubt about that, as we rank among the top in the world. But this doesn't hide the fact that we have fatal flaws."

Li Cheng continued, "As Mr. Zhou Ming from the mainland pointed out, our greatest issue is the lack of deep roots and the absence of support from a major nation. This was clearly exposed during the last stock market crash."

"The impact of that crash was global, with several financial centers taking a hit, but the most severely affected was Hong Kong. Why? Because other places had strong countries behind them, ready to step in and help when things went wrong. In contrast, we in Hong Kong were left to figure things out on our own."

Li Cheng said, "No matter how well Hong Kong develops, it's still just Hong Kong, with limited capacity. That's why we've struggled for two years and still haven't fully recovered from the impact."

"In moments like these, I often wonder: if we had returned to our motherland, if we had a country backing us during crises, wouldn't we have fared much better?" Li Cheng concluded, "The answer is certainly yes, which is why I fully support reunification. I don't care what others do, but I will firmly support reunification. I will work hard to integrate into the mainland and will not flee Hong Kong."

Once again, the room was in an uproar. No one had expected Li Cheng to take such a stance. After Cheng Haolong and Li Cheng, Tong Gang also stood up.

"The reunification of Hong Kong is the trend of the times, and our city needs the backing of a strong nation like the mainland. We cannot afford to let another stock market crash happen in Hong Kong. For our city to truly become a genuine financial center of the East, and for us to have better development opportunities, we need to enter the mainland and tap into a market of one billion people. I fully support reunification, and I will not flee Hong Kong!" Tong Gang declared.

"Think about it: how did Hong Kong develop in the first place? Wasn't it by becoming a transit hub between the Western world and the mainland? The influx of goods through Hong Kong into the mainland propelled our city's economic takeoff. Without the vast mainland market, it would have been hard for Hong Kong to achieve anything on its own! Now, with reunification, our city's ties with the mainland will be even closer, leading to better prospects. Why should we oppose this?" Another person stood up and spoke.

One after another, Nordleyman, Cheng Haolong, Li Cheng, and Tong Gang voiced their support, like a series of shockwaves striking everyone's hearts, gradually breaking down their mental defenses and pulling their heads out of the sand.

As these individuals spoke, many began to realize that the true reason Hong Kong had flourished was because it was a free port, a bridge to the mainland.

Moreover, the mainland would never neglect such an important place once it was reclaimed. As long as the mainland valued Hong Kong, if another stock market crash occurred in the future, the mainland would naturally assume the responsibility of saving the market, rather than leaving Hong Kong to fend for itself.

The mainland might still be poorer than those Western countries, but it's a vast nation with some foundational strength. If it were determined to help Hong Kong, it could certainly handle one or two stock market crises.

Of course, some still worried about whether the mainland authorities would keep their promises, but these doubts were quickly dismissed by others before even being voiced.

"The mainland is a vast country, and that joint declaration was signed in front of the whole world. Especially now, as the mainland is pursuing reform and opening up, striving to integrate into the global economic system, how could they possibly go back on their word? If they did, wouldn't that be slapping themselves in the face? That's absolutely impossible!"

With such thoughts, everyone in the audience began to lean toward the direction Zhou Ming needed, supporting and anticipating Hong Kong's reunification.

At this point, Liu Xiaotian remained silent because the first to lean toward the mainland were influential figures like Nordleyman, Cheng Haolong, and Li Cheng. These were not just any individuals; they were the world's greatest economist, the global shipping magnate, and a leading figure in Hong Kong. Each of them had far more influence than Liu Xiaotian. Their collective voices drowned out his own, leaving him no choice but to concede.

On the other hand, Lin Muqing was overwhelmed with emotion, her eyes even welling up with tears. To her, the situation just moments ago had seemed like a dream.

Earlier, when Zhou Ming had managed to soften the crowd's stance, only for Liu Xiaotian's cry of "Don't believe him, don't be fooled!" to instantly turn everyone back into ostriches, ignoring Zhou Ming's correct words and mindlessly shouting for him to leave, Lin Muqing had felt a deep sense of injustice. She couldn't understand why people would act this way.

She had also felt a wave of despair because Zhou Ming had done so much, yet still couldn't turn the situation around. Were they really going to accept defeat?

In that moment, Lin Muqing felt truly lost and confused, but then Nordleyman's words brought hope back, proving that Zhou Ming wasn't fighting alone.

Standing on the podium, Zhou Ming observed the expressions of the audience below, feeling relieved. He knew that from the moment Nordleyman had stood up, the tide had turned in his favor.

The reason was simple: if even a foreigner, and not just any foreigner but a world-renowned economist, was speaking up for the mainland, then if these yellow-skinned, black-eyed people didn't stand up and say something, wouldn't they really be proving Zhou Ming's opening words true—that they were nothing but ungrateful beasts?

Now that Zhou Ming's groundwork was laid, all that remained was for influential Hong Kong figures to stand up and help create momentum. When Cheng Haolong and Li Cheng stood up to speak, Zhou Ming's ideal scenario was fully realized.

This brought Zhou Ming great satisfaction, though he couldn't help but wonder: why had Nordleyman chosen to do this?