Chapter 171: Five Million High‑Stakes Gamble

Lu Qingshan's heart pounded like a war drum against his chest.

He silently calculated in his mind the true scale of this staggering high-stakes bet—tenfold leverage from Broker Huang turned his fifty thousand principal into five hundred thousand, and with Ye Ning's index leverage, the funds he actually controlled amounted to five million Hong Kong dollars!

With five million Hong Kong dollars, going all-in short on the Hang Seng Index at 1810 points, he could open over five hundred fifty lots.

What does that mean?

It means that for every one percent rise in the Hang Seng Index—that is, 18.1 points—he would lose nearly five hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.

If the index rose to 1828 points, a one percent increase, his five hundred thousand principal with Ye Ning would be wiped out, triggering a forced liquidation.

By then he would not only lose his own fifty thousand Hong Kong dollars, but also owe Broker Huang four hundred fifty thousand Hong Kong dollars, plus Ye Ning's wages and a one hundred thousand dollar agency fee.

This truly is gambling with his life!

Of course, Lu Qingshan did not tell Ye Ning that of the five hundred thousand principal, four hundred fifty thousand came from financing leverage.

He feared Ye Ning would really think he was a complete lunatic and refuse to act as his agent.

Lu Qingjun usually never smoked, but now he never let go of a cigarette, puffing one after another, his fingers trembling slightly.

Smoke swirled in the Trading Hall's lights, and his face had turned as white as paper.

"Deal!" Ye Ning's voice rang out especially clear amid the noisy Trading Hall.

She quickly completed the short sale, then turned around, her face as pale as paper.

Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingjun stood like statues behind Ye Ning, eyes fixed on the venue's big screen and the traders' blackboard, waiting for the numbers that would decide their fate.

The air in the Trading Hall seemed to freeze.

Countless eyes stared at the jumping numbers; every change in a decimal point tugged at countless hearts.

In the distance, traders shouted bids, phones rang nonstop, and the sound of pens scratching on order slips fell like dense raindrops.

"Brother Qingshan, do you think the index might suddenly spike?" Lu Qingjun leaned close to Lu Qingshan's ear, his voice trembling badly.

"Shut up and watch the board." Lu Qingshan glared at him, but his own palms were sweating.

One minute passed, the index unchanged.

Two minutes passed, still at 1810 points.

Three minutes passed, still utterly still.

Lu Qingjun's cigarette was almost burnt out, he muttered: "Why isn't it moving? Is it dead?"

Ye Ning glanced back at him: "Mr. Lu, your brother's smoking will affect the other traders."

"Qingjun, put out the cigarette." Lu Qingshan ordered.

Lu Qingjun reluctantly stubbed out the cigarette, but immediately pulled a fresh one from his pocket.

Suddenly, three traders almost simultaneously raised their order slips and shouted: "Cheung Kong buys!" "Hutchison buys!" "New World buys!"

Large clients' buy orders always affect the overall market, even if the fluctuation is tiny.

Sure enough, the numbers on the big screen began to jump, the Hang Seng Index slowly rising from 1810 to 1810.2 points.

A mere 0.2‑point rise made Lu Qingjun jump as if shocked: "No! Don't go up!"

Several nearby traders turned to look, someone muttering quietly: "Mainlanders just haven't seen the world."

Ye Ning immediately turned and gave him a hushing gesture, tension flashing in her eyes.

She knew that under such high leverage, even the tiniest adverse movement could be fatal.

Lu Qingshan appeared calm on the surface, but sweat had already seeped from his palms.

He forced himself to stay composed, giving Ye Ning a relaxed expression as if saying: "It's fine, this is just the beginning."

But what Ye Ning saw was a flicker of tension in his eyes.

She shook her head and continued to stare intently at the blackboard.

The pace in the Trading Hall began to quicken.

One after another, more traders began submitting order slips, the sounds of buying and selling rising and falling.

Amid the bustling trading clamor, the Hang Seng Index resembled a startled beast, beginning to climb slowly but steadily upward.

With each point the index rose, Lu Qingshan's heart sank a little.

He could feel Lu Qingjun's hurried breathing behind him, and hear Ye Ning's fingers tapping the desk growing ever more urgent.

"Mr. Lu, should we consider reducing the position?" Ye Ning whispered, "There's still time."

"No, keep holding." Lu Qingshan's voice was firm, but fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

A six‑point rise!

According to their leverage ratio, this meant they had already lost several hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars.

Ye Ning's complexion grew ever darker; she turned to look at Lu Qingshan several times, her eyes full of doubt and worry.

Lu Qingjun could no longer sit still, pacing back and forth beside Ye Ning's trading desk, muttering: "It's over, it's over, this time we're really done. Second brother, let's liquidate now—if we don't, we'll truly lose everything."

"Qingjun, say that again and see what happens?" Lu Qingshan turned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Lu Qingjun startled by his second brother's gaze, immediately shut his mouth.

Lu Qingshan could feel Ye Ning's gaze, but he still forced himself to stay calm.

Memories from his past life clearly told him that the Hang Seng Index would certainly crash today; the present rise was merely the calm before the storm.

But reason and memory are one thing; facing actual monetary loss is another.

Watching the loss numbers on the screen keep climbing, Lu Qingshan's temples began to throb.

"Second brother…" Lu Qingjun's voice already choked with tears, "What if we…"

"Shut up!" Lu Qingshan hissed low, but the tension in his tone could not be concealed.

Just then, a sudden commotion erupted in the Trading Hall.

Several senior traders began frequently answering the phone, their expressions turning serious.

Some started hurriedly organizing documents, while others rapidly punched numbers into calculators.

"What's going on?"

Ye Ning keenly sensed the abnormality and whispered to the colleague beside them.

"It seems like some big news is about to come out," the colleague replied, "Just now a few major clients suddenly cancelled their orders."

Lu Qingshan's heartbeat began to quicken.

He knew, the turning point was coming!

Indeed, after lingering at the 1816 point for less than two minutes, a wave of consecutive sell orders suddenly flooded the market.

The numbers on the big screen began to jump violently, the Hang Seng Index starting to fall like a kite with its string cut.

1815…1814…1813…

With each point drop, Lu Qingjun's complexion flushed a little more.

He grabbed Lu Qingshan's shoulders tightly, trembling with excitement: "Second Brother! It's fallen! It really has!"

"Don't get overexcited, we've only just begun," Lu Qingshan said, staying calm on the surface while inwardly letting out a sigh of relief.

In just twenty minutes, the Hang Seng Index returned to its opening price of 1810.

Lu Qingjun jumped for joy, shaking Lu Qingshan's shoulders: "It's fallen! Finally fallen! Second Brother, you're amazing!"

The surrounding traders were amused by his reaction, someone joked: "Sir, are you into short selling?"

Lu Qingjun nodded proudly: "Of course! My second brother said today would definitely fall, and it did!"

Ye Ning hastily tugged at his sleeve: "Don't talk nonsense, be careful not to draw attention."

Lu Qingshan laughed helplessly, while steadying himself he said: "This is just the beginning, stay calm, don't rush. The good show is still to come."

His voice was very calm, but his eyes flashed with an unprecedented light.

The memories of his past life did not deceive him; history was unfolding according to its set course.

But he also knew that the real grand spectacle had only just begun.

Today is destined to be a day that changes fate!