Chapter 178: Three Minutes Before Close: The Madness of Full‑Position Short Selling

At lunch time, the index held steady around 1664 points. Everyone in the Trading Room went to enjoy a lavish lunch, only Lu Qingshan remained seated there, motionless, like a statue.

"Second brother, Chairman Li had the hotel send over Hong Kong‑style roast goose; it smells great." Lu Qingjun carried a delicate lunch box over, "Won't you have some?"

"No appetite." Lu Qingshan waved his hand, his eyes still fixed on the screen, "You eat; I have a big task this afternoon."

His words made everyone's hearts tremble; could there be a major move this afternoon?

Huang Chaowen cautiously suggested beside him, "Mr. Lu, why not rest a bit? There are still four hours of trading this afternoon; you need to take care of yourself."

"Four hours?" Lu Qingshan finally turned his head, a flash of brilliance in his eyes, "Manager Huang, do you think I need four hours?"

Those words made Huang Chaowen's stomach churn; with 56 million Hong Kong dollars at stake, what exactly does Mr. Lu intend to do?

At 1 p. m., trading resumed. The Hang Seng Index continued to oscillate around 1665 points, the whole market appearing calm as before a storm.

Ye Ning was busy analyzing various technical indicators, a heap of charts spread across the table.

She occasionally glanced at Lu Qingshan, trying to read something from his expression, but the man's face was as expressionless as a playing card.

At 2:30 p. m., the index suddenly began to decline!

"What's happening?" Li Zhi'an nervously checked the news Terminal, "There's no special news! Why the sudden drop?"

Lu Qingshan's eyes lit up instantly, like a cheetah spotting prey! This was the signal he had been waiting for all day!

"It's here." A slight curve formed at Lu Qingshan's mouth; his voice was soft yet everyone heard it clearly.

At 3:40 p. m., the Hang Seng Index fell to 1662 points!

At 3:50 p. m., it rebounded to 1670 points!

The violent swings instantly tightened the atmosphere in the Trading Room. Wang Yuyun stared at the jumping numbers on the screen, murmuring softly, "What's going on? The technical side shows no reason."

"Stop looking at the technical side." Lu Qingshan stood, walked to the screen, "Technical analysis is worthless against an absolute trend."

"Ye Ning!" Lu Qingshan suddenly turned, his voice booming like thunder, "Prepare to Short Sell!"

"What?" Ye Ning was stunned, the coffee cup in her hand nearly falling, "Short now? The market is about to close, and the index was just climbing!"

"Yes, right now!" Lu Qingshan strode to the trading desk, exuding a commanding aura, "HK$56 million, full‑position Short Selling of the Hang Seng Index!"

"Full position?!"

Ye Ning's voice trembled, "Mr. Lu, are you sure? HK$56 million entirely Short Sold? That's a gamble with one's life!"

The entire Trading Room fell silent, only heartbeats audible; everyone was shocked by the decision!

Huang Chaowen's complexion went pale instantly, "Mr. Lu, this move is too risky! If the judgment is wrong…"

"There's no 'if'." Lu Qingshan's tone was as casual as commenting on fine weather, "Quick! It's almost closing! Now is the perfect moment!"

Lu Qingjun, frantic beside him, paced, "Second brother! HK$56 million! If we lose, what will we do? Should we reconsider?"

"Consider what?" Lu Qingshan glanced at him, "Qingjun, when have you ever seen your second brother do something without Confidence?"

Ye Ning looked at Lu Qingshan's resolute face, a swirl of emotions inside her.

Where does this man's Confidence truly come from?

But now is no time to hesitate; she inhaled deeply, her fingers began to frantically tap the keyboard.

Sweat droplets slid from her forehead, yet her fingers were steady as a machine.

Wang Yuyun and Li Zhi'an also assisted nearby; the three coordinated flawlessly.

"Confirm Short Selling HK$56 million!" Ye Ning announced loudly, her voice echoing in the room.

"Execute!"

With the final order submitted, all the capital was poured into the earth‑shaking Short Selling gamble on the Hang Seng Index!

At this point, less than three minutes remained before the close!

The closing bell rang, the Hang Seng Index settled at 1670 points.

The Trading Room was deathly silent, everyone digesting the historic moment that had just occurred.

A Short Selling order of HK$56 million—this figure was enough to shock the entire Hong Kong Island financial world!

"My God!" Wang Yuyun muttered, "HK$56 million full‑position Short Selling—that's a miracle in financial history!"

Li Zhi'an wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Mr. Lu, your heart is too strong, isn't it? I almost had a heart attack just now."

"Mr. Lu," Huang Chaowen's voice trembled, "why did you choose to Short Sell in the last three minutes before the close? This kind of move… is unheard of!"

Lu Qingshan did not answer immediately; instead he walked to the floor‑to‑ceiling window, gazed at the sun sinking westward, a mysterious and confident curve forming at his mouth.

"Because the real show has only just begun."

His words made everyone's hearts stir; could there be an even bigger plan?

Lu Qingjun leaned in, whispering, "Second brother, what exactly did you see? Why are you so sure about Short Selling?"

"You don't understand." Lu Qingshan patted his brother's shoulder, "You'll understand tomorrow."

"Let's go back to the hotel to celebrate." Lu Qingshan gathered his papers, his tone as relaxed as if he had just bought a lottery ticket, "Today was merely an Appetizer (document)."

Back at the Hilton, Lu Qingshan booked a luxurious dinner in the presidential suite.

Australian lobster, French caviar, Japanese wagyu filled the table, worth over HK$20,000.

Lu Qingjun looked at the lavish spread, unable to help but exclaim, "Second brother, our life now is more comfortable than the Emperor's!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Lu Qingshan picked up a piece of lobster meat, "The money hasn't arrived yet."

"Mr. Lu, may I ask about your strategy today?" Ye Ning lifted the pricey red wine, asking cautiously.

"Intuition." Lu Qingshan said lightly, slicing the wagyu with graceful ease, "I felt Short Selling was right before the close, so I did it."

Pfft! Ye Ning almost spat out the red wine, "Intuition? HK$56 million intuition?"

"Yes, intuition." Lu Qingshan picked up a piece of caviar, a inscrutable glint in his eyes, "Sometimes intuition is more accurate than any data analysis. That's a talent, not everyone possesses."

Lu Qingjun, excited, slapped the table, "My second brother is like that! His intuition has never missed since childhood!" The family says he's a reincarnation of a Fortune‑teller.

"What a damn Fortune‑teller." Lu Qingshan glared at his brother, "Stop talking nonsense."

Ye Ning was left speechless, yet a wave of indescribable shock and unease rose within her.

She had worked as a trader for so many years, never seeing anyone use "intuition" to operate such a large amount of funds, and moreover she was so Confidence!

"Mr. Lu," Ye Ning put down her wine glass, looked at him seriously, "What is your judgment on tomorrow's trend?"

Lu Qingshan glanced at her, the corner of his mouth curling into a mysterious arc that made one's heart pound: "Tomorrow? Tomorrow you will know what a true financial storm is."

His words were like a bolt of lightning, making everyone feel the impending huge impact!