Chapter 1032: Can I bear such a heavy responsibility?

"Xi Xi, I'm not going to be home for lunch today.'

When it was about 11:40, Xia Yu stopped working and got up from his desk. Before leaving, he stroked Li Xi's hair and said gently,

Li Qian nodded obediently, tidied Xia Yu's tie a little, and whispered, 'Yu, you go, but drink less.'

Xia Yu smiled slightly and said softly, 'I'll listen to you and not drink so much.'

Li Qian heard this and a charming and sweet smile appeared on her pretty face.

'Okay, that's very appropriate. It's getting late, I should go.'

He looked at his watch, then stroked Li Qian's jade hands lightly before Li Qian escorted him out the door.

...

Marco Polo Hotel, Harbour City, Deluxe Room 88.

As Xia Yu pushed open the door, he immediately saw Wang Ping and Li Hua chatting inside.

The two men immediately stood up, beaming with enthusiasm, and cordially greeted Xia Yu.

'Mr Xia, you're here, please sit down!'

'I'm sorry, there was some traffic, so I kept you waiting. I hope you can forgive me.'

Although he was not yet at the agreed time, Xia Yu had arrived almost on time. He looked apologetic as he said this, and shook hands with Wang Ping and Li Hua separately.

Yes, in the morning he had received a call from Wang Ping, the first director of the Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong, inviting him to have lunch at the Marco Polo Hotel at noon.

'No, no, no, we just arrived a short while ago, and it's not even time for our appointment yet, so there's no need to apologise.'

'Yes, Mr Xia, you're being too formal.'

'Please, sit down.'

...

After a few more pleasantries, Xia Yu sat down at the table, and the waiter waiting at the door immediately came in to invite Chairman Xia Yu and Wang Ping to order.

After some more polite refusal, Wang Ping was forced to take on the 'important' task of ordering.

Xia Yu then struck up a conversation with Li Hua.

After the order was placed, the waiters all left and closed the door to the private room, leaving just Xia Yu, Li Wuming, Wang Ping and Li Hua in the large, luxurious private room 88.

Xia Yu guessed the intentions of Wang Ping and Li Hua, but since Wang Ping didn't take the initiative to bring up the subject, Xia Yu didn't say anything either.

So when all the dishes were served and the conversation temporarily ended, nothing substantial was discussed.

However, after finishing a glass of wine, Wang Ping could no longer hold back as he sensed the atmosphere gradually becoming more lively.

After putting down his chopsticks, he asked Xia Yu with concern, 'Mr Xia, the stock market is in chaos right now, how is the situation at your Jiuding Securities?'

Xia Yu smiled faintly and said, "I've been lucky, I sold most of my stocks the day before yesterday, so in this situation, I'll be fine as long as I don't invest.'

Xia Yu's reply completely disrupted the prepared speech that Wang Ping had in mind, so he could only re-sort his thoughts and say words of congratulations, "That's good.'

'When I arrived, I thought that with your far-sightedness and strong grasp of the situation, Jiuding Securities is definitely the best-performing securities company in the current situation of the Hong Kong stock market.'

Xia Yu smiled modestly and said, 'Luck, luck!'

At this point, Li Hua suddenly said, "Mr. Xia, don't be modest. If you say it's luck, then luck is also part of your strength.'

After saying this, he didn't wait for Xia Yu to reply, and his tone changed. He sighed and said, "However, the vast majority of investment institutions and investors are not as lucky as you.'

'If the stock market crash suddenly breaks out and is not stopped in time, I don't know how many families will be ruined, and the entire Hong Kong investment market will be devastated. When that happens, the stock market crash will be over, but there will only be devastation everywhere, and investment will become very difficult.'

Xia Yu secretly thought, 'Here it comes,' but his face nodded in agreement, saying, 'Yes.'

'To be honest, last night I gathered people overnight to analyze the situation, and the result was that there is no way to save this stock market crash.'

Wang Ping vaguely sensed the implication in Xia Yu's words, and he quickly said, 'Mr Xia, in fact it can be saved. Most people are now worried about the future of Hong Kong and the safety of their assets, but the authorities have made it very clear that the social system will remain unchanged and the interests of the people of Hong Kong will be protected. As long as the right message is spread, everyone will trust us and not rush to leave Hong Kong with their assets.'

'Mr Xia, you know our policies and original intentions, and with your energy in the media field, if you are willing to step forward, I believe you can calm the fears of the vast majority of people.'

After saying this, both Wang Ping and Li Hua looked at Xia Yu with burning eyes, their eyes full of hope and expectation.

Xia Yu shook his head with a faint bitter smile, glanced at the food, and said to Wang Ping and Li Hua, 'President Wang, President Li, let's eat while we talk, otherwise the food will get cold and not taste as good.'

Wang Ping and Li Hua looked at each other, nodded, and then picked up their chopsticks again to put food in their mouths. However, because they were preoccupied, even the most delicious dishes tasted like chewing wax in their mouths.

Xia Yu had no burden on his mind. After taking a few bites of food, he said slowly, 'President Wang, to be honest, I have thought about intervening, but in the end, the analysis shows that I cannot intervene, and I cannot bear this responsibility.'

'Mr Xia...' Hearing Xia Yu's refusal, Wang Ping became even more anxious and wanted to say something.

However, Xia Yu interrupted him with a raised hand.

'President Wang, you might as well let me finish,'

Wang Ping took a deep breath, forced a smile on his face, nodded and said, "Sorry, go on.'

Xia Yu continued, "I do have some influence in the media field, but that doesn't mean I can say whatever I like.'

'In order to avoid the chaos caused by rumours, Global TV's News 30 Minutes spent half of last night's broadcast reporting the relevant news. If the two CEOs had watched it, they would have seen that we were very impartial and faithfully conveyed what President Wang said at the press conference to all viewers.'

'I have also read a lot of this morning's newspapers. Many newspapers are afraid of chaos and have a very biased reporting stance. Compared to them, our stance is the most impartial.'

'So in fact, I have already stated my position in this regard.'

'President Wang, I know your concerns and your objectives. You definitely don't want the stock market crash to get worse, but I can tell you our analysis. The mainland's putting the Hong Kong issue on the table is a factor in the expansion of the stock market crash, but it is not the fundamental cause of the outbreak of the stock market crash. You don't need to take the blame.'

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping and Li Hua both frowned.

Li Hua said with a sad face:

"Mr. Xia, I know that the stock market crash was triggered by the Swire Group's company, but even if it were just this factor, the stock price would only plummet to the level of a month or so ago, or even lower.'

'But in the current situation, the whole of Hong Kong is discussing the future of Hong Kong, and the general mood is pessimistic. This situation will definitely push the stock market lower, causing the people of Hong Kong to suffer heavy losses. At that time, the red-eyed citizens will definitely vent their grievances on the mainland.'

'We were sent by the organisation, and maintaining the stability of Hong Kong is our responsibility. How could we not be responsible?'

Xia Yu shook his head and said, 'President Li, the main responsibility for this stock market crash really does not lie with the mainland, but with Hong Kong itself.'

Wang Ping's furrowed brows eased a little, and he hurriedly asked, 'Mr Xia, then what is the cause?'

Xia Yu said slowly, 'There are multiple causes. The first is that there is a problem with the structure of the Hong Kong stock market. You all know this, and the Hong Kong government knows it even better. The four major exchanges operating in parallel have led to many loopholes in the investment environment. The Hong Kong government is already working to solve the problem, but the progress is too slow. There has been no substantial progress yet. If there were only one exchange in Hong Kong, the investment environment would be much better.

'The second point is fundamental, and that is that there is a problem with the structure of Hong Kong's economic development. Hong Kong's economic growth rate has begun to slow down, which is actually a disguised regression. This has led to a decline in the purchasing power of the Hong Kong dollar, a loss of sufficient economic volume to support it, and a continuous depreciation of the Hong Kong dollar. The interest rate differential is getting wider and wider, and capital has begun to leave Hong Kong. In order to solve this problem, last month HSBC proposed, and the Hong Kong Association of Banks passed, a plan to raise interest rates, with the aim of calming the interest rate differential and preventing capital outflows.'

'Under normal circumstances, after the Hong Kong Association of Banks announced an interest rate hike last month, there were signs of a stock market crash. You can check it out. The Hang Seng Index immediately fell after the stock market opened on the first Monday after the Hong Kong Association of Banks announced the interest rate hike.'

'But there was an accident, which is the third reason. This reason is the most direct, and it also has something to do with me, because I fought with the Swire Group.'

'The capital market is very realistic. A sharp increase in stock market trading volume will naturally lead to a boom in the stock market. My Jiuding Group and the Swire consortium are the poles of Chinese and British capital, and their influence is unquestionable. When we two groups went head-to-head, it attracted other Chinese capital groups to enter the fray, which greatly stimulated the stock market. Therefore, the stock market crash was delayed.'

'Because of the chaotic fight for capital, the Hang Seng Index has risen by more than 500 points. This is all an artificial bubble, and investors are well aware of this. That's why the stock market crashed yesterday. Even after the crash, the fundamental problem still exists.'

'Even without the news from the mainland, just the news about the Carrian Group that broke just today would be enough to cause the stock market to crash even more. After all, the Carrian Group has always been an 'iron stock' with a market value of tens of billions of dollars, and it is also a bellwether of the stock market, and it is enough to take over from the Swire Group and trigger a stock market crash.'

'So even if the impact of the mainland's policies subsides, the stock market crash will still come.'

'President Wang, President Li, what do you think? If I stand up and say that the stock market crash has temporarily subsided, but then it continues to erupt, will I become the target of everyone's criticism? Can I bear such a heavy responsibility?'

Xia Yu said the last sentence very seriously, looking at Wang Ping and Li Hua, leaving the two of them looking at each other with very embarrassed expressions.

Feeling the tension in the air, Xia Yu suddenly broke into a smile, and the frozen atmosphere melted away like ice.

'President Wang, President Li, if the higher-ups ask, you can convey my words exactly as I said them.'

'I'll also say something from the bottom of my heart: a forced union is not a happy one. You can't keep people who want to leave, and there's no point in trying. Besides, all they can take with them is their money. The foundation of Xiangjiang is not something that can be taken away. It's just a matter of having a lot of companies with different people running them. Isn't it better if the people with the wrong attitude leave?'

'President Wang, President Li, I'm a little hungry. After I finish this wine, I'm going to eat. What about you?'

Seeing Xia Yu lift his glass, Wang Ping and Li Hua both came back to their senses and quickly smiled and raised their glasses.

'Mr Xia, thank you for your advice. It's been a revelation to hear you speak!'

'Yes, Mr Xia, thank you. Here's to you!'

'As you wish!'

Xia Yu finished the wine in one go, and after eating a few mouthfuls of food, he ladled up some rice. Wang Ping and Li Hua both lost their appetite for wine.

After the meal, they chatted for a while, and Xia Yu then proposed to take his leave. Wang Ping and Li Hua saw Xia Yu to his car, and then the two men, with heavy hearts, set off back.

Xia Yu's attitude had been very clear, and Wang Ping's plan to hope that Xia Yu would step in to calm things down had failed. Then the stock market crash would continue to erupt, and he had to report the true situation to the higher-ups.

There was nothing more they could do, and they could only see how the higher-ups would handle it...