A $50 million margin call? I'll short Wall Street.

Craig looked at Blankfein, his voice extremely heavy:

"Lloyd, we need to weigh things up."

"Seven hundred and forty-six million US dollars is indeed a huge sum for Goldman Sachs. It will eat up nearly half of our net profit in the first quarter."

"But if we continue to fight head-on..."

Craig paused.

"The SEC investigation will last at least a year. Fines could reach billions of dollars. Congressional hearings will ruin our reputation in the eyes of the entire nation. The Wall Street Journal's report will trigger panic selling by institutional clients."

"By then, our losses won't be 700 million, but 7 billion, or even more."

Blankfein closed his eyes.

He did some mental calculations.

On one hand, there is a cash outflow of 746 million US dollars.

On the other hand, there are the SEC's hefty fines, political strangulation by Congress, reputational damage to the media, and the collapse of trust among institutional clients.

As a seasoned veteran who has spent thirty years navigating the treacherous waters of Wall Street, Blankfein knows all too well what the answer is.

But he just couldn't swallow his anger.

"That Chinese kid..."

Blankfein gritted his teeth.

"He's extorting money! Blatant extortion!"

"Yes."

John said calmly,

"But legally, they've covered their tracks perfectly."

"That email was sent by Richard himself, bearing Goldman Sachs' official seal. The CDO data fabrication was done by our structured products department. Walker never touched this evidence; it was all provided to Greenberg by Harriman."

"They didn't break any laws."

John took off his glasses and rubbed his temples with his fingers:

"And we...we were on the wrong side from the very beginning."

Blankfein suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at John:

"You mean we're going to surrender?"

"It's not surrender."

John put his glasses back on.

"It's a stop-loss order."

"On Wall Street, the stupidest decision is not to admit you're wrong, but to knowingly stick to your guns and fight to the bitter end."

He looked at Blankfein.

"Lloyd, Richard is finished. We fired him yesterday and reported his personal fraud to the prosecutor's office. We've done everything we could to cut him off."

"Now, what we need to do is bury this matter completely in the dark."

"And the only way is—"

John paused for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Pay that $700 million. Then have Walker, Greenberg, and Harriman sign non-disclosure agreements and destroy all the evidence."

"In this way, the SEC investigation will be dropped due to 'insufficient evidence.' The Wall Street Journal's report will be retracted due to 'unverifiable' information. The congressional hearings will also be quietly canceled."

Blankfein remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the Manhattan sky remained as gloomy as a lead sheet.

In the distance, Bear Stearns' headquarters building appeared particularly gray in the morning light.

That iconic 47-story building once symbolized the glory of Wall Street.

Now, it's just a corpse waiting to be dismantled by JPMorgan Chase.

Blankfein suddenly remembered the moment three weeks ago when he sat in this very spot and issued that "red memo".

At that time, he felt he was making a cold and precise risk control decision—cutting off all ties with Bear Stearns and letting Goldman Sachs escape unscathed from the storm.

And now, the same knife is plunged into his own chest.

"Get me Walker."

Blankfein turned around, his voice extremely low.

John hesitated for a moment: "Are you... sure?"

"catch."

Blankfein walked back to his desk and sat down heavily.

John picked up the secure DM phone on the table and dialed a number.

It rang three times before the other end answered.

John took a deep breath:

"Mr. Walker, this is John McLeish, Chief Legal Officer of Goldman Sachs. Mr. Blankfein would like to speak with you."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Lu Ze's calm voice came through:

"Pass it to him."

John handed the phone to Blankfein.

Blankfein took the phone and took a deep breath.

"Mr. Walker."

He tried to keep his voice calm.

"I think we need to talk."

"I'm listening."

Lu Ze's voice was extremely cold.

"Regarding that...option liquidation."

Blankfein gritted his teeth.

"I admit that the email the Legal Department sent you yesterday might have been a bit... harsh. That was our stress response under extreme pressure."

"Now, after calming down, we've reassessed the entire situation."

He paused for a moment.

"Goldman Sachs is willing to withdraw its application for a court-ordered freeze. Furthermore, we would like to invite you and Mr. Greenberg to Goldman Sachs headquarters for a…closed-door meeting."

"Discuss a solution that benefits both sides."

There was another brief silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Lu Ze's voice came through.

Still calm, still indifferent, yet carrying the absolute composure of a victor:

"Tomorrow at 2 PM."

"I will bring my legal team."

"Get the checks ready."

"beep--"

The call was disconnected.

Blankfein held the receiver blankly, as if all his strength had been drained away.

John looked at him: "Lloyd..."

Blankfein slowly put down the phone.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Countless images flashed through his mind—

Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 in a modest office in New York's Lower East Side;

For 139 years, countless generations of Goldman Sachs employees have fought, devoured, and expanded amidst the bloodshed and turmoil of Wall Street.

Goldman Sachs transformed from a small bill brokerage firm run by immigrants into the most powerful, arrogant, and ruthless vampire squid on Wall Street.

Today, this squid was stabbed hard by a young Chinese man in his twenties who took a knife from their own hands.

"Prepare the meeting room."

Blankfein opened his eyes, his voice extremely tired.

"Tomorrow at 2 PM."

"besides……"

He looked at John,

"Compile all of Richard's files and hand them over to the prosecutor's office."

"Goldman Sachs told the media that it has zero tolerance for internal employee misconduct. Richard Kleiman's actions were all unauthorized and had nothing to do with the Goldman Sachs Group."

John nodded.

He knew that this was the rule of Wall Street.

When a ship begins to take on water, the first to be thrown overboard are always the lowest-ranking sailors.

Even though that sailor was once a vice president.

Outside the window, the dark clouds pressed even lower.

A faint rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

The storm is finally coming.