Chapter 177: Targeting only the "ugly and deformed"?

The sight of a middle-aged CEO, head of a company, respectfully addressing a young man old enough to be his son as "CEO Su" was somewhat incongruous.
"CEO Du," Su Hao smiled, "don't be so polite in the future, we're family now."
"Ahem! Well...how could I?" Du Yuanhang blushed, rubbing his hands excitedly.
"Oh, I'm so touched, CEO Su, you treat me like family..."
"Hmm, that makes me feel more at ease."
"Haha! Good, good, good! Thank you! But CEO Su, don't worry, what I said was sincere! Just let me know if you need anything, I'll go through fire and water for you!"
"Okay. Thank you, CEO Du."
"Oh, don't thank me, I'm...overjoyed! Haha!"
Only at this moment did Su Hao vaguely understand why his intuition had "chosen" Du Yuanhang among so many senior executives in the company.
This guy is practically tailor-made for Fang Huan!
***
The dinner that night was a resounding success for both host and guests.
When Du Yuanhang walked out of the restaurant, he felt completely relaxed and satisfied, his steps even light on the breeze.
"This vision, this demeanor...tsk tsk, completely different!"
The more he interacted with Su Hao, the more he felt that Su Hao was an unfathomable man, a "great talent" with the potential to achieve extraordinary things!
Even though the entire grand plan had already taken shape in his mind, he was still willing to humble himself and patiently listen to the opinions of this "old comrade," giving him ample face.
The best evidence was that Su Hao took the list he had prepared, and almost without thinking, he quickly checked off the entries.
What does this mean?
It means that before Du Yuanhang even had a chance to painstakingly compile the list, Su Hao had already calculated clearly and thoroughly who to acquire and who not to acquire!
"He's got it all figured out, yet he's not arrogant at all. Anyone else would be swaggering by now."
This young man has stirred up a storm at Fanghuan Investment, amassing a fortune that could practically pile up into a mountain. Their arrogant Chairman Huang treats him like a treasure.
Young and powerful, yet possessing immense wealth and authority, he shows not a trace of arrogance.
He has a prodigious intellect, but his conduct is imbued with...
How to put it? You could even call it "pure."
Of course, it's precisely this purity that sometimes inspires awe.
Because you can never truly see what kind of turbulent abyss lies hidden beneath that pure facade.
The next day, Du Yuanhang carefully studied the list Su Hao had selected, tilting his head in surprise.
"However... this choice is a bit unexpected."
He discovered something inexplicable.
"How did you select these...? Most of them are companies registered in Southeast Asia and Panama?"
That's right, the list was compiled by Du Yuanhang.
But at the time, he only included these companies as "overseas alternatives," never considering them his first choice.
After all, managing them is far beyond the reach of central authorities; acquiring domestic companies is much more convenient.
But Su Hao, with a stroke of his pen, clearly identified his targets, nine times out of ten, as shell companies or small shipping enterprises bearing "foreign" names.
"What's so special about these small companies?"
If we're talking about bargain hunting, there are countless struggling shipping companies in China right now, with far superior technology and fleet sizes compared to these overseas "ragtag" operations. Acquiring them would be much easier, as they're well-known and the procedures are simpler.
Even looking overseas, many of Europe's established shipping giants are on the verge of collapse; they're large and technologically advanced.
Why specifically these small and medium-sized enterprises registered in Southeast Asia and Panama?
"...This operation is really incomprehensible."
Should... he give him a call and ask?
Ask him why he specifically targets these "oddballs"?
"No!" This thought had barely crossed Du Yuanhang's mind when he immediately dismissed it.
A sudden inspiration struck Du Yuanhang. He remembered a lesson Huang Fengwen had given him just a few days ago—a slogan supposedly chanted by Su Hao's team before their daily morning meetings, almost like a company mantra.
"Abandon ego, absolute obedience!"
The core idea was simple: no questions allowed regarding any decision Su Hao made; execute it resolutely!
Besides, he had just patted his chest at the dinner table, promising to go through fire and water without hesitation.
That wasn't just empty talk; the subtext was, "Do whatever you're told, without a second thought."
Having grasped this, Du Yuanhang's eyes instantly hardened.
He picked up the phone and dialed the internal line.
"Hello? It's me. Notify all senior executives to gather in the conference room immediately!
Starting today, we're fully launching the acquisition process. Speed ​​it up!"
The acquisition battle unfolded rapidly.
Huang Fengwen wisely refrained from interfering.
He knew that once Du Yuanhang's machine was running, it was a bulldozer, rampaging across the world acquiring companies.
If he, an outsider, were to interfere, he would only be making things worse.
Just as Du Yuanhang had said before, for Fang Huan, this was an unprecedented "fire sale."
A company that was riding high a year ago was now crying and begging to sell its shares for less than a third of its market value.
Even so, no one dared to buy.
The price could only be lowered again and again, until Fang Huan Shipping arrived like a savior, smiling as it swept away all the chips.
And Jiangyang Shipbuilding's largest shareholder—the Singapore Bank—didn't even sit at the negotiating table; it came over, pleading and begging, offering its shares and slinking away.
In today's shipping market, apart from Fang Huan Shipping, this oddity, the rest were completely dead.
***
'This...this really is a grand scheme orchestrated by our Su Hao?'
Huang Fengwen sat in his large executive chair, looking at the acquisition reports pouring in, feeling a bit unreal.
That little brat!
He'd been hiding such a massive plan, and hadn't revealed a single word before!
Was he trying to surprise me?
This surprise is way too big!
Right now, Fanghuan Investment and Fanghuan Shipping are pursuing acquisitions on two fronts simultaneously, like a mad rush.
To circumvent regulations prohibiting the mixing of financial and industrial capital, Huang Fengwen was forced to urgently establish a holding company as the group's headquarters, responsible for overall coordination.
As a result, just as he was thinking of gradually delegating power, handing over his responsibilities, and preparing to retire and enjoy life,
a mountain of documents came crashing down on him, leaving him breathless.
"Damn it... I can't even retire in peace!"
An image of a devoted, selfless prime minister from ancient times inexplicably flashed through his mind.
Huang Fengwen was both amused and exasperated. So he'd become a "modern-day capable minister," unable to retire even if he wanted to?
But then again, the feeling of being busy... it was fucking awesome!
It meant the company was growing explosively!
However, this feeling of exhilaration didn't last long.
A bolt from the blue struck without warning.
(My darlings, the extra chapter for today has been posted. Just refresh the page to see it. Thank you everyone! Love you all!)