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

Chapter 32 Goldman Sachs' Compromise

……

Core conference room.

This is where Goldman Sachs hosts its most exclusive clients and conducts its most confidential negotiations.

The oval-shaped black walnut conference table can accommodate twenty people. It is surrounded by soundproof walls and bulletproof glass, and there are no surveillance devices on the ceiling.

At this moment, one side of the conference table was already full of people.

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein sat in the head seat, his face ashen.

To his left are Chief Risk Officer Craig Smith and Chief Financial Officer David Vinyat, and to his right are three board members and two senior legal counsel.

Each person had a thick folder in front of them, but no one was looking at it.

All eyes were on the conference room door.

The door was pushed open.

Lu Ze walked in.

Isabella and David Rosenthal and their team of assistants followed closely behind.

Blankfein stood up.

He forced a professional smile and extended his hand:

"Mr. Walker, welcome to Goldman Sachs."

Lu Ze did not shake his hand.

He glanced at Blankfein, then looked past him and onto the row of empty chairs across the conference table.

"Let's begin."

Lu Ze's voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable and absolute authority.

Blankfein's hand froze in mid-air.

Three seconds later, he slowly lowered his hand and sat back down in his chair.

Lu Ze sat down in the main seat opposite the conference table.

Isabella sat to his left, and David sat to his right.

Two assistants stood behind him, like two statues.

A brief, suffocating silence fell over the conference room.

Blankfein took a deep breath and spoke:

"Mr. Walker, first of all, on behalf of Goldman Sachs, I would like to apologize for some of the unpleasant things that have happened over the past few days."

"Richard Kleiman's actions were entirely his own unauthorized actions and constituted a serious violation of Goldman Sachs' internal compliance policies. We have terminated his employment and filed a report with the relevant law enforcement agencies."

Lu Ze leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on the table, listening expressionlessly.

Blankfein continued:

Regarding that options liquidation... Goldman Sachs' legal department, after careful review, concluded that although there were some flaws in the contract signing process, considering... various factors...

He paused for a moment, as if swallowing a bitter pill:

Goldman Sachs is willing to acknowledge the validity of the contract and pay the corresponding liquidation amount in accordance with the contract terms.

Silence fell over the meeting room once again.

Lu Ze did not speak.

He just looked at Blankfein.

There was no emotion in those deep black eyes.

Blankfein felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze.

He coughed:

"The specific amount, calculated based on Bear Stearns' opening price of $3.14 on March 17, is..."

"Seven hundred and forty-six million, seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand six hundred US dollars."

Lu Ze finished the sentence for him.

The voice was calm, yet it was like a sharp knife, precisely piercing Blankfein's heart.

Blankfein's expression darkened further.

"Yes."

He took a deep breath.

In exchange, we hope...

"Confidentiality agreement."

Lu Ze finished speaking for him.

"Goldman Sachs wants this matter completely buried in this conference room. All relevant evidence—including the email Richard sent to Harriman, records of CDO data falsification, and evidence of my qualification report being forged—must be destroyed."

"Furthermore, all relevant parties—including myself, Mr. Greenberg, and Dr. Harriman—signed a comprehensive confidentiality agreement and a no-prosecution clause."

Lu Ze paused for a moment, a very faint smile curving his lips:

"Am I right, Mr. Blankfein?"

Blankfein stared intently at Lu Ze.

After a long silence, he nodded.

"Yes."

"very good."

Lu Ze leaned back.

"Then let me state my conditions."

"First, full payment. US$746,737,600, not a penny less. It must be transferred to the offshore account designated by Farstar Capital within 24 hours of signing the agreement."

"Secondly, the nature of this money."

Lu Ze's gaze suddenly turned extremely sharp.

"This is not a 'settlement payment,' not 'compensation,' and certainly not 'hush money.' This is the legitimate proceeds from the options contract. Goldman Sachs must acknowledge the full validity of this contract in all its documents."

Blankfein frowned.

"Mr. Walker, this..."

"There is no room for negotiation."

Lu Ze interrupted him.

"If Goldman Sachs describes this payment as a 'settlement' or 'compensation' in any public or internal documents, it implies that you are suggesting there is a flaw in the contract."

"And if you do that, I will immediately break the confidentiality agreement and hand over all the evidence to the SEC and the Wall Street Journal."

Blankfein's expression changed instantly.

Lu Ze continued:

"Third, after signing, submit the evidence."

"After I confirm that the $746 million has been received, Mr. Greenberg, Dr. Harriman, and I will sign the confidentiality agreement."

"The original copy of Richard's guarantee email, the falsified CDO data, and all related evidence will be destroyed in the presence of a lawyer."

"The whistleblower complaint to the SEC will also be withdrawn due to 'insufficient evidence.'"

Lu Ze looked at Blankfein and said, word by word:

"But if Goldman Sachs attempts to recover the money by any means necessary after the payment is made—such as filing a lawsuit or turning against the SEC—"

He paused for a moment.

"I still have a notarized copy of that email."

The temperature in the conference room seemed to drop a few degrees.

Blankfein stared intently at Lu Ze, his hands clenched into fists.

He knew it all too well.

Lu Ze was telling him in the coldest way possible: you have no choice.

Either pay the $700 million and bury the matter completely.

Alternatively, they could completely break ties and humiliate Goldman Sachs in front of the SEC, Congress, and the entire American media.

a long time.

Blankfein let out a long sigh of relief.

"good."

His voice was extremely deep.