Chapter 277: Fifteen Hundred Million as a Welcome Gift—Now That's a Real Leader!

Lu Qingshan scanned the circle of core members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce still present in the venue; these are his true allies. The air still held the lingering scent of cigars and victory, and each face radiated an almost tipsy excitement.

"Uncle and aunties, the outsiders have left; let's talk about our own affairs."

His calm voice seemed to carry a certain magic, instantly settling the noisy atmosphere. Everyone immediately restrained their smiles, their expressions stiffened, and dozens of piercing gazes converged on him in a flash, surrounding him.

Lu Qingshan walked to the adjacent lounge area, and Lu Qingjun promptly and deftly pulled out a central seat.

"Today, thank you all for your support," Lu Qingshan said after sitting down, his gaze steady as it swept the crowd, getting straight to the point, "The properties you all bought are priced exactly as they should be. However, there are a few items I don't intend to handle any further."

Everyone perked up their ears, their bodies unconsciously leaning forward, concentrating intently.

"The Wilson Building in Central will henceforth be renamed 'Xinghan Building' as the headquarters of our Xinghan Capital on Hong Kong Island."

"The dock and its attached warehouses in Kowloon will serve as the logistics base for our Xinghan Industries."

"As for that piece of land on Lantau Island..." Lu Qingshan paused, his gaze sweeping the crowd, his voice tinged with warmth, "Just as I said, I'll build a home for my wife and daughter. The rest, I'll set up a project team to develop a massive private villa district and affordable residential towers, integrated with commercial real estate projects."

Li Fuying and the others listened, nodding repeatedly, their eyes full of obvious assent. These are rightful duties; the spoils naturally belong to the commander, an unquestionably proper rule.

"So... Qing Shan, with this overall acquisition and subsequent resale, after subtracting those retained parcels, you must have made a hefty profit, right?" Character rubbed his hands and asked tentatively, a question that everyone was itching to hear.

Having bought the package from Wilson for 3.2 billion, today's auction alone saw commercial real estate sales already approaching 2 billion. This in-and-out yields a profit that is absolutely an astronomical figure.

"I made a bit of profit," Lu Qingshan smiled, then lifted his teacup, gently blowing the froth, and, under everyone's expectant gaze, casually dropped a heavy bomb, "My rough calculation shows that after deducting our acquisition costs, the net profit is roughly fifteen hundred million."

"Boom!"

The figure "fifteen hundred million" detonated in everyone's mind like a silent nuclear bomb, booming inside their heads!

Even this group of tycoons accustomed to massive storms, whose fortunes swing by tens or hundreds of billions, couldn't help but collectively gasp for cool air! The venue fell instantly silent enough to hear a pin drop, leaving only heavy breathing.

Character's teacup clanged to the floor, shattering, and scalding tea splashed onto his trouser leg, yet he seemed oblivious, staring rigidly at Lu Qingshan with his mouth open wide enough to fit a fist. A veteran tycoon usually meticulous about demeanor saw his cigar slip from his fingers, landing on the expensive carpet and scorching a black hole.

In just a week, one purchase and one sale yielded a pure profit of fifteen hundred million Hong Kong dollars!

This isn't just making money; it's printing cash out of thin air with mythic means!

Lu Qingshan took in all their shocked expressions, his heart unruffled. This money was never his ultimate goal. Money is a blade, a sword, but only when held by his own people can it form an invincible army.

He set down his teacup, looked at them, and continued, "I won't pocket this money for myself."

Everyone was stunned, still reeling from the impact of the fifteen hundred million, unable to grasp the meaning of his words.

"Everyone should know that I'm already processing the license for Xinghan Bank," Lu Qingshan's voice was clear and powerful, each word striking like a hammer on their hearts, "The extra fifteen hundred million from the premium will be invested, in the names of all members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, as the first seed capital, funneled through Xinghan Capital into Xinghan Bank's reserve fund account."

He looked at Li Fuying, Guo Dongying and others, his gaze sincere, without the slightest hint of pretense.

"As I've said, this is a bank owned by us Chinese. Everyone present today are the first founding shareholders of the bank. This money isn't mine, Lu Qingshan's; it's everyone's, and it's the seed funding for the campaign we launch!"

When his words fell, the entire lounge fell silent.

Dead silence.

Absolute dead silence.

Li Fuying and Guo Dongying exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other's eyes the utmost shock, disbelief, and ultimately a volcanic surge of emotion and fervor!

They had assumed Lu Qingshan would pocket the huge sum, that it was his due, and no one would utter a word of criticism.

But they didn't expect him to be so selfless, directly using the massive fund that could drive any conglomerate mad as the cornerstone of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce's future joint ventures!

What magnanimity! What spirit! This is not a businessman; it's the bearing of a founding monarch!

"Qing Shan..." Li Fuying's voice choked, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word. He lifted his teacup to sip, his hand shaking badly, scalding tea spilling onto the back of his hand without his noticing; he slammed the table hard, producing a huge crash, "You... you kid! Where do you expect us old guys to put our faces! What should we say!"

"Damn it! I've never truly submitted to anyone in my life, and today, I, Guo Dongying, submit to you! Heart and mouth convinced! From now on, Lu Qingshan, if you say a word about money, I'll smash money for you; if you say a word about people, I'll fill you with people! Whoever the hell dares to oppose you, I'll dig up my ancestor's grave!"

Lu Qingshan smiled, slapped the back of his hand, and withdrew his hand.

"Uncle Li, Uncle Guo, that's heavy talk. We're kin; we don't speak as two families."

He lifted his teacup, took a gentle sip, and, seeing the crowd's War Intent fully ignited and faces marked with unwavering devotion, knew the moment had arrived.

"Another new prey?" Li Fuying lowered his voice, forcing his excitement to calm, his eyes burning as he asked.

The question made everyone's heart rise to their throats, their gazes burning with unprecedented flame.

Lu Qingshan set down his teacup, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.

"No rush."

"Everyone's tired today; go back and rest, digest a bit."

"Tomorrow at 10 a. m., in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce conference room at the Far East Exchange, we'll hold a meeting and chat later."