Chapter 82: Taking Money is Greed, Taking Guns is Rebellion
"Becoming a pioneer in the new energy industry? That sounds exhilarating!"
Half an hour later, Lu Liang, feeling light-headed and weak-kneed, climbed out of the hot spring. Despite his exhaustion, he had made up his mind.
Others feared being dragged down or never seeing the dawn of success, but he wasn’t afraid. To him, money was meant to be used. Only earning and never spending would eventually turn him into a fat pig waiting for slaughter.
The next morning, Lu Liang arrived at the administrative street in Xinpu to undergo questioning by the CSRC.
“Mr. Lu, please don’t worry. This is just a routine inquiry. There’s no need to feel pressured,” Zhao Jisheng said with a friendly smile as he invited Lu Liang into the office, followed by two note-takers.
Crossing one leg over the other and sipping coffee, Lu Liang grinned, “Team Leader Zhao, do I look nervous to you?”
Zhao smiled but didn’t pursue the topic further. “Shall we formally begin, then?”
“Sure,” Lu Liang nodded.
By Friday, August 4th, the third day of Teli A’s suspension, the case had been investigated, resolved, and concluded.
Authorities found that Zhongxin Fuying and Wu Junle had concentrated their trades on Teli A, executing 38 transactions on the same stock in one day, 389 internal transactions among controlled accounts, and seven identical trades of the same quantity at the same price.
Li Jianlin (Zhongxin Fuying’s controller) and Wu Junle admitted to collaborating, with witnesses corroborating their joint manipulation of Teli A stocks.
The final decision was as follows:
A fine equal to 1.5 times the illegal gains was a severe punishment, and the CSRC believed the public would be satisfied.
However, as soon as the announcement was made, the internet exploded with a single question: “What about Lu Liang? Why isn’t his name listed?”
The public had overlooked another individual—Teli Group’s shareholder who had colluded with Li Jianlin and Wu Junle. Yet, Lu Liang’s fame made him the most conspicuous figure.
Many people unaware of the case only started paying attention because of Lu Liang. Retail investors who had suffered losses didn’t care about the fines; they just wanted to see more people held accountable—especially Lu Liang.
This led to a wave of conspiracy theories online. Some speculated that Lu Liang had powerful connections or was a “white glove” for influential figures, making him untouchable.
Despite the CSRC’s public clarification that Lu Liang was thoroughly investigated and found innocent, the truth was drowned out by the noise.
That afternoon, Lu Liang received a call from Zhao Jisheng, who chuckled wryly, “Mr. Lu, could you help clarify things publicly?”
“No problem at all. But I’m a bit busy right now. I’ll do it tonight,” Lu Liang replied casually.
Zhao hesitated but eventually sighed, “Alright, take your time. Just try to address it soon.”
“Sure, sure, sure,” Lu Liang said, barely paying attention.
He was playing a game, where a high-cost fusion attempt suddenly turned into a worthless turtle, nearly prompting him to smash his computer.
“You call this busy?” Wang Xiaocong asked skeptically.
“Is gaming not a legitimate form of being busy?” Lu Liang retorted.
As the internet raged with its “nationwide manhunt” drama, Lu Liang knew the best move was to wait and make his appearance as the triumphant figure at the last moment.
Old Meng had it right: the longer you hold out, the bigger the impact. A wave , if paid for as a marketing campaign, would cost at least 100 million yuan.
Wang Xiaocong suddenly had an idea. “Why don’t you host a live stream on PandaTV tonight?”
Lu Liang froze. “Are you serious?”
“Why not? It’s a win-win. You gain fame, and Panda gains profits,” Wang said, getting more excited. With Lu Liang hosting, PandaTV could attract over 500,000 new users.
Lu Liang stared at Wang Xiaocong, his expression as if he were looking at an idiot. With a sigh, he said, “Looks like you’re actually serious about this.”
He began to reconsider whether it was worth reinvesting in PandaTV. With Wang Xiaocong’s emotional intelligence and reasoning skills, adding another three million yuan might just be like throwing money into a bottomless pit.
“D*** it! Don’t look at me like that,” Wang Xiaocong snapped, visibly annoyed. Though he felt like Lu Liang was treating him like a fool, he had no evidence to prove it.
Lu Liang sighed again. “Xiao Wang, if I’m the one benefiting from this situation, then who’s losing?”
As Wang Xiaocong tried to figure it out, Lu Liang answered for him, “It’s public credibility! And you want to monetize public credibility?”
Lu Liang explained patiently. While he could use this incident to build his reputation, he absolutely could not exploit it for profit. It was akin to the difference between taking money for greed and taking up arms in rebellion—completely different in nature.