Chapter 306: Extraordinary Measures

The door clicked shut behind them, the heavy soundproof door completely shutting out all the noise from the outside world.
Wu Jianlin and Li Donglai walked side by side, silently passing through the private internal passage, finally entering the private lounge, which was not open to the public and had the highest level of security.
Even after the staff brought two steaming cups of tea and quietly withdrew, the two remained like two petrified statues, neither speaking first.
The air seemed to solidify into amber, sealing the myriad turbulent emotions in their hearts within this moment of deathly silence.
After a long while, Wu Jianlin's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if he had broken free from the earthquake of his thoughts.
He slowly reached out, picked up the teapot on the table, and personally refilled Li Donglai's cup.
"Mr. Li... what do you think?"
His movements remained steady, but the slight tremor as the scalding tea was poured into the cup ultimately betrayed his far from calmed inner turmoil.
"Just now, what Chairman Su from Fanghuan Investment said..."
Li Donglai held his teacup, his fingertips slightly white from gripping it too tightly.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead cast his gaze out the window at the magnificent complex of buildings symbolizing the heart of the nation. After a long silence, he spoke in a barely suppressed voice, almost to himself:
"Secretary Wu, you're walking a tightrope. Below is an abyss; it won't just be you and me falling, but the entire nation."
"First, clearing out all our strategic holdings and converting them all to cash! This is simply... self-destruction!"
Li Donglai's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight.
"What is the size of our national sovereign wealth fund? It's the ballast stone we use to stabilize the global financial landscape!
It's over ten trillion yuan of national strategic capital! He thinks he can just clear it out like that?
Moreover, selling it off at this critical juncture is tantamount to us personally triggering a global financial upheaval, gambling decades of national credit on a nonexistent possibility!"
What did they want from this visit?
They approached Fanghuan Investment with a spirit of inquiry, hoping to glean an investment philosophy from them that would help them break through growth bottlenecks.
They wanted to know what kind of advanced investment philosophy this financial giant, who single-handedly stirred up the global capital market, possessed, and how he saw through the fog to make those miraculously accurate predictions time and time again.
Fanghuan Investment—what a terrifying entity!
It was an Eastern legend that, single-handedly, had turned the global financial world upside down and was reshaping the world's financial order with its power!
Therefore, they were fully convinced that even if the other party was holding back, unwilling to reveal all their secrets, they would at least offer some invaluable advice and directional suggestions.
But who could have imagined that the young man hailed as "the true head of Fanghuan" would drop a bombshell capable of overturning the entire nation's financial strategy the moment he opened his mouth!
"And what's more! After clearing out the positions, he actually told us to short sell!"
The veins on Li Donglai's temples bulged slightly, but he still controlled his emotions.
"Secretary Wu, this is no longer an investment, this is a declaration of war!
It's making our China Strategic Investment Fund, representing the nation, go against the mainstream markets of the world!"
What is the China Strategic Investment Fund?
It is a sovereign wealth fund, a bulwark of the nation's financial system, and a player in the global game!
Every investment it makes must be rock-solid, pursuing long-term, stable, and strategically significant returns.
Its internal ironclad rules have long transcended mere profit-making, rising to the level of national strategic security:
Absolute prudence, eliminating any "gambling" behavior that could trigger systemic risks.
Short selling, a highly aggressive and disruptive operation, is absolutely forbidden!
"The mere mention of 'clearing out ten trillion in assets' is already challenging the bottom line of our entire system.
Yes, the Singapore crisis shocked global markets, but major economies are struggling to stabilize, and the market is slowly recovering.
At this point, if we lead the sell-off, it's no longer just a matter of losses; it's an international political issue!"
"..."
But he's going to do it all, not only forcing us to cripple ourselves, but also forcing us to stab the world in the heart with a knife, shorting the market...
This kind of thinking is beyond the realm of normal humanity; it's simply incomprehensible logic!"
Yes, ten trillion!
Withdrawing such a massive amount of national strategic capital from the global market is enough to trigger an unprecedented financial tsunami.
And then, to use this money to short the entire world?
Is this even a human idea?
"Hmm, indeed... it's an extremely insane idea."
Wu Jianlin nodded slowly, his eyes like a bottomless well, revealing not a ripple.
“Secretary Wu, your assessment is too conservative!
In my opinion, that kid is a complete madman, he's not on our side at all!”
“That's right, you're absolutely right.”
But, why…
Li Donglai keenly noticed that Wu Jianlin's expression had become incredibly subtle, a complex look mixed with fear and struggle, yet also faintly revealing a hint of expectation.
“Secretary Wu…you, you wouldn't be…” Li Donglai's heart skipped a beat.
“Old Li,” Wu Jianlin sighed deeply, his gaze seemingly piercing through time,
“Have you ever considered… isn’t this current ‘predicament,’ this so-called ‘growth bottleneck,’ the very thing that’s causing us the greatest madness?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why have we lowered ourselves, like grasping at a straw, humbly running to that young man?
Isn’t it because our entire system, which we’re so proud of, has reached the edge of a precipice, yet we’re bound by our own ‘burdens,’ afraid to take a single step forward?!
We’re watching helplessly as that ‘golden window’ for national rejuvenation slowly closes—it might be the last opportunity our generation can secure for future generations!”
The golden window!
A strategic opportunity period that could allow China to completely shed its status as a follower and achieve its great rejuvenation!
But the strength and stability of the system have now become its greatest burden.
No one dares to shoulder the historical responsibility for the failure of “disruptive reform.”
And so, everyone watches helplessly as the opportunity slips away.
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."
"Since the game has reached a stalemate, then perhaps…
we should invite a madman from outside the chessboard to help us thoroughly stir up this stagnant water!"
A terrifying glint suddenly flashed in Wu Jianlin's eyes!
"But…but this isn't just stirring up the water, it's overturning the table!
If his judgment is even slightly off, we will lose the nation's accumulated fortune of an entire generation!"
"I know," Wu Jianlin replied,
"But you also know that if we do nothing and continue to linger in our so-called safe zone, the outcome will be the same: losing the future!
History will not pity a nation that hesitates in the face of opportunity!"