Chapter 223: Three Seconds of Silence Determines the World

Ye Ning's hand clutched the notebook tightly, her knuckles turning white. As Lu Qingshan's chief trader, she knows the boss's terrifying side better than anyone.

Wang Yuyun and Li Zhi'an sat beside her, both looking pale from excessive tension.

The two hundred million profit yesterday thrilled them, but today's press conference filled them with unprecedented pressure.

"Ye, has the boss really decided what to say?" Wang Yuyun asked in a lowered voice, her tone trembling.

Ye Ning shook her head: "I don't know, but I trust the boss. He never does anything without certainty."

Even though she said that, anxiety filled her heart. The boss's influence had reached a terrifying level; any remark could trigger massive market turbulence.

Li Zhi'an pushed up his glasses and whispered, "Last night I calculated that if the boss continues to bearish today, the entire Hong Kong Island stock market could drop another 20%."

The figure made Ye Ning gasp. A 20% plunge meant hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars of market cap evaporating.

Lu Qingjun sat in the front row, his hand clenched into a fist, his palm slick with sweat.

His brother's moves yesterday had already stunned him, and today's press conference made him nervous to death. He could feel the whole venue's tense atmosphere, a feeling that reminded him of the nervousness he felt watching Peking opera as a child.

"What is second brother going to say?" he prayed silently in his heart, hoping his brother wouldn't utter anything too radical.

At the back of the venue, a few men who looked like bodyguards stood at the doorway, their eyes constantly scanning the hall, clearly maintaining order. Aqiang and others were among them, their expressions equally tense.

"Aqiang, what do you think the boss will say today?" Ahu asked softly.

Aqiang shook his head: "I don't know, but it certainly won't be something ordinary. The boss always acts with deeper meaning."

Time ticked by second by second, and the murmurs in the hall grew quieter. Everyone waited for that mysterious mainland investor to appear.

The air was suffused with a suffocating tension, as if a string had been pulled to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Tick— tick— …

The clock's ticking rang especially clear in the silent hall, each second hammering everyone's hearts.

At exactly three p. m., the side door of the venue slowly opened.

Everyone's gaze instantly fixed there, even their breathing became cautious.

Lu Qingshan, dressed in a deep‑blue suit, walked slowly toward the podium. His steps were steady and forceful, each footfall solid. The entire hall fell silent at once, all eyes fixed on him.

This silence was terrifying; in a two‑hundred‑person hall even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.

The flashbulbs flickered wildly, reporters raised their cameras, the click of shutters rising and falling. It was their first time seeing the legendary Financial Giant Shark.

"My god, he's so young?" Zhang Wenhua's voice trembled.

"He looks under thirty, and already wields such influence?" Li Ming also felt incredulous.

Lu Qingshan's appearance defied everyone's expectations. He looked very young, handsome, with deep eyes. He was nothing like the legendary half‑century‑old veteran investor.

What shocked people even more was the aura he exuded. It was a natural leader's charisma that made others dare not stare directly.

The representatives of the Chinese capital families exchanged glances. They had assumed Lu Qingshan would be a half‑century‑old elder, but were surprised by his youth.

"So young?" Director Chen's voice trembled.

"Terrifying, what level of influence could such a young man achieve in the future?" a representative of New Hongji also felt shocked.

The Yingzi Group's representatives were even more stunned. Mr. Smith stared at Lu Qingshan on stage, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. Such a young Chinese could stir such a storm in Hong Kong Island's financial market.

"Now we're in trouble," Smith thought silently. Youth meant limitless potential, but also huge threat.

The Imperial Governor's Office secretary‑general Williams kept a tight gaze on Lu Qingshan, his expression growing more solemn. Such a young man's future potential was boundless.

"Mr. Williams, this Lu Qingshan is younger than we imagined," the assistant whispered.

Williams nodded, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "That's the scariest part. Such a young man's ambition and ability are not to be underestimated."

Lu Qingshan walked to the front of the podium, didn't rush to sit, but stood there, his gaze sweeping the room. His eyes were calm and deep, giving everyone an inexplicable pressure.

In that moment, he was like a monarch surveying his subjects.

"Good afternoon, media friends, fellow finance professionals," Lu Qingshan's voice rang through the microphone across the hall, his tone low and powerful.

Just that single sentence gave everyone a massive shock. The power hidden in that voice was not to be taken lightly.

The hall fell dead silent, everyone waiting for his next words.

"I think many are wondering what I'll say today," Lu Qingshan paused, a faint smile curling his lips.

This smile lifted everyone's hearts to the throat. It was a smile full of Confidence, as if everything were under his control.

"Should we continue to bearish on Hong Kong Island's economy, or change stance?"

Zhang Wenhua gripped the recorder tightly, his hand trembling. Those words already hit him hard. This wasn't an ordinary press conference; it was a major event that could reshape Hong Kong Island's financial landscape.

The Chinese capital families' representatives were even more nervous. If Lu Qingshan continued to bearish today, their losses would be disastrous.

The Yingzi Group's representatives felt equally complex. They feared Lu Qingshan's influence yet sought opportunities within it.

"What I want to tell everyone is…" Lu Qingshan's voice suddenly halted, the hall's air nearly solidifying.

In that instant, time seemed frozen. Everyone held their breath, hearts pounding as if to burst from their chests.

Zhang Wenhua's fingers clutched the recorder, his joints turning white. Li Ming's eyes were as wide as copper bells, fearing to miss a single word.

The Chinese capital families' representatives were terrified. Director Chen's forehead was already beaded with pea‑sized sweat drops, his suit drenched.

The Yingzi Group's representatives were no exception. Mr. Smith's hand clenched into a fist, his knuckles whitening.

The Imperial Governor's Office's Williams kept a tight gaze on Lu Qingshan, complex light flickering in his eyes.

Ye Ning's heart raced uncontrollably; she could feel the hall's tense atmosphere. The feeling reminded her of the nervousness of her first meeting with the boss.

Lu Qingjun was terrified, his palms drenched with sweat. Every pause his brother made pressed huge pressure on him.

Everyone held their breath, awaiting the answer that could change Hong Kong Island's financial landscape.

The three‑second silence felt to everyone present as long as a century.

Lu Qingshan's next words would decide the fate of Hong Kong Island's stock market.

His lips curled slightly upward, a deep glint flashing in his eyes. It was an expression of assured victory, making everyone feel an inexplicable Fear.

"What I'm going to say is…"