Chapter 430: Wall Street Emperor Bows His Head

Lu Qingshan took the phone, and smoothly placed it to his ear.

"Mr. John Mc."

His voice was as calm as if he were discussing tonight's moonlight.

On the other end, the voice of Morgan Stanley's new CEO John Mc came through, bearing a forced restraint that still couldn't hide its urgency.

"Mr. Lu, I think we need to talk. Regarding the Mitsubishi UFJ matter, I believe there's certainly some misunderstanding involved."

"Misunderstanding?"

Lu Qingshan let out a light laugh, a laugh so faint yet like a needle, precisely piercing the other's façade.

"Mr. Mc, the $90 billion capital injection negotiation was abruptly halted; do you think that's a misunderstanding?"

There was silence on the other end.

The apartment was eerily quiet; Lu Qingshan could even hear, crystal clear through the handset, John Mc's heavy, bellows‑like breathing. In the background, faint cacophonous roars and howls drifted in from Morgan Stanley's Trading Hall, which must now have been a living inferno.

"Mr. Lu."

When John Mc spoke again, his tone had completely changed; the earlier arrogance of a financial titan was gone, replaced by a near‑whispered, pragmatic humility.

"I admit that Morgan Stanley may have been… overly aggressive in some decisions. But the market is now spiraling out of control; if this continues, not only Lehman Brothers but the entire Wall Street will plunge into disaster. Your assets on Hong Kong Island will be affected as well."

This was the final probe, and also the final threat.

Lu Qingshan did not answer immediately.

He glanced at Li Junjie's secondary monitor; Lehman Brothers' share price had already slipped below the $25 mark, and the green K line cascaded like a waterfall, endlessly pouring downward.

Panic selling had begun, and a stampede erupted.

"What does Mr. Mc want to say?" Lu Qingshan finally spoke.

"I hope you can help stabilize the market," John Mc said bluntly. "With your influence in the Place market, if you could issue a positive statement or… take some constructive actions, perhaps investors would regain confidence. In return, Morgan Stanley is willing to engage in deep cooperation with Xinghan Group across all its businesses in the Place region."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the apartment froze in place.

David Cohen's mouth formed an "O," one hand clutching his heart, the other exaggeratedly gesturing at Lu Qingshan, as if to say, "He actually wants to buy you with this short‑selling check?"

"Deep cooperation?" Lu Qingshan repeated the phrase with a hint of amusement.

"Yes!" John Mc's voice carried a desperate earnestness, "I can personally promise that Morgan Stanley will fully support Xinghan Group's financial footprint in the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Korea, including but not limited to equity investment, bond underwriting, Merger and Acquisition consulting…"

"Mr. Mc."

Lu Qingshan cut him off.

"I appreciate your Sincerity, but to be blunt, it's too early to discuss this now."

"Because you haven't yet figured out one thing."

John Mc's voice tightened instantly: "What thing?"

"Why did Mitsubishi UFJ halt the capital injection?"

Lu Qingshan spoke slowly, each word like a nail driving into John Mc's heart.

"It's not because you have financial risk, but because… I made them do it."

On the other end came a clear, sharp intake of cold air.

"You… you mean…" John Mc's voice even began to tremble.

"Mitsubishi UFJ is now an ally of Xinghan Group," Lu Qingshan stated calmly. "So, Mr. Mc, the real issue you should consider isn't how to stabilize the market, but how to keep Morgan Stanley afloat in the coming storm."

"Because you've lost a $90 billion blood transfusion, your capital adequacy ratio is now precariously low."

"And on the market, countless eyes are now watching your vulnerabilities."

He paused at that point and added.

"Including me."

Those three words floated lightly, yet weighed as much as Mount Tai.

John Mc fell completely silent; the handset was left only with his increasingly heavy breathing.

A long while.

"Mr. Lu," his voice turned extremely hoarse and dry, "What do you want?"

That question, once spoken, signified that the Wall Street Emperor had finally bowed his proud head.

Lu Qingshan leaned back against the chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, producing a steady, gentle rhythm.

"First, Morgan Stanley must immediately cease all Short Selling activities against Lehman Brothers."

"Second, issue a public statement indicating willingness to provide liquidity support to Lehman Brothers if needed."

"Third…"

Lu Qingshan's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Make Bowen apologize to me."

The final sentence, casual as it was, struck like a thunderclap, exploding through the dead silence of the apartment!

Lu Qingjun's mouth twitched sharply; watching his older brother's back, only one thought remained in his mind: Brother, you're truly insane! Have the current US Finance Ministry minister apologize? What kind of concept is that?

John Mc, on the other end, also fell into a death‑like silence.

Finally, he spoke in a near‑exhausted tone: "I can fulfill the first two conditions immediately, but the third…"

"No room for negotiation," Lu Qingshan cut straight off.

"Either accept all three conditions, or we settle it on the market. You can gamble and see whether Morgan Stanley collapses first, or Xinghan Group runs out of ammunition."

When the words hung in the air, Lu Qingshan hung up the phone outright.

The room stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Puff—"

David Cohen sprang up from the sofa like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face flushed with excitement, babbling incoherently.

"My God! Amen! Hallelujah! Boss! What did you just say? Have Bowen apologize? That Bowen? The Finance Ministry Bowen?!" He rushed to Lu Qingshan, his eyes feverish as if witnessing a miracle, "Boss, let's stop short‑selling and run for president directly! I'll be your campaign manager! I guarantee to get you into the White House!"

Li Junjie also looked shocked, but he quickly calmed down, his brows furrowed: "Boss, what if Mike doesn't agree? Then we'll really have to go head-to-head with Morgan Stanley."

"He'll agree."

Lu Qingshan stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the overcast sky.

"Because Morgan Stanley now has no choice."

Just as he finished speaking,

"Ding!"

On Ye Ning's computer, a news flash popped up.

【Morgan Stanley issued an emergency statement: Based on its responsibility for global financial market stability, the group decided to immediately halt all short-selling operations against Lehman Brothers and promised to provide liquidity support if needed.】

David Cohen stared at the news, completely dumbfounded.

"He just… agreed? The first two conditions were agreed to just like that? Is Mike's knee that weak?"

Lu Qingshan didn't speak, just quietly looked out the window; he was waiting, waiting for that most important call.

Time passed minute by minute.

New York time, exactly 12:00 PM.

A sudden sharp ring shattered the apartment's tranquility.

This time, it was that red encrypted phone.

Ye Ning walked over, picked up the handset, glanced at the number on the screen, and on her usually unchanging icy face, her pupils contracted ever so slightly.

This was the first time today she showed such obvious emotional fluctuation.

She lifted her head, looked at Lu Qingshan, her voice carrying a hint of something she herself hadn't noticed.

"Boss."

"It's the US Treasury Department's dedicated line."