Chapter 185: Official Cheat

This huge deal started with a three-fold price tag, and then they wanted to snatch another piece of the pie – a portion of the equity.
To be honest, when Su Hao presented this contract, which was practically a "robbery list," he himself thought it was outrageous; it was practically designed to make the other party flip the table.
He even had a backup plan: if the other party didn't agree, they could sit down and negotiate, eventually finding a mutually acceptable balance.
But who could have imagined that after receiving this domineering clause, the other party almost didn't hesitate, stamping back a bright red "Agreed" seal almost instantly, as if they weren't there to discuss business, but to deliver money.
As a result, the money Fang Huan Group invested tripled in an instant, like a balloon being inflated.
Su Hao acted decisively, retaining only the necessary strategic shares and cashing out the rest at a high price.
This move was practically like bringing a money-printing machine home!
This transaction was originally intended to be a secret between the two parties, but in reality, when the volume of a transaction reaches a certain level, the secret ceases to be a secret.
“Well done, kid, I’ve heard about it all,”
In a high-end dinner, Qin Han of Jiangjin Group, beaming, nudged Huang Fengwen with his elbow, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Su Hao.
“Your Fanghuan Group has only been open for a few days, and you’re already making big moves!”
Everyone in this circle knows exactly what’s going on.
In this round of turbulent international trade frictions and the ‘Global Shipping Plan,’ all sorts of powerful figures have been beaten to a pulp, but Fanghuan Group, as if it had gained supernatural insight, has gone against the tide.
"Chairman Huang, just how powerful are your connections?" A bigwig in the industry, perhaps a little tipsy, approached.
"We're all barely making ends meet, yet you're quietly raking in the money? Could you introduce us sometime?"
Huang Fengwen smiled like a cunning old fox, glancing slowly at Su Hao before replying, "You're joking, it's really nothing like that."
"Heh, still keeping it a secret?" The man had a knowing look on his face, his imagination running wild.
"That's right, a network of connections like that can't be revealed casually."
Whether it was Qin Han or the other bigwigs at the table, they all seemed bewitched, convinced that Fang Huan had a mysterious, powerful figure backing him.
They all became unusually warm towards Chairman Huang and Chairman Su of the Fang Huan Group.
“Alright, Chairman Huang has his secret weapons, we won’t ask any more questions,” Qin Han cleared his throat, steer the conversation back on track, and said earnestly,
“In business, connections are always king. Especially cultivating good relationships with officials; that path is more secure than anything else.”
The intricacies of dealing with officials and businessmen have always been true.
Small companies are fine, but once they grow in size, it’s impossible to avoid dealing with power.
In any country, once a company expands to a certain size, it inevitably becomes intricately connected with the power structure.
To launch a large project, official approval is indispensable;
To obtain policy support or apply for subsidies, official approval is even more crucial.
That’s reality.
“The person we’re about to meet is also a figure in officialdom,” Qin Han said.
The implication was clear: the Fanghuan Group was now qualified to sit at this table.
However, the other side of this table wasn’t a domestic official, but someone from Malaysia.
“Hello everyone, it’s a great honor to meet you all. I’m Jho Low.”
A chubby man with a beaming smile and an air of sophistication walked over, his enthusiasm perfectly measured.
Jho Low.
Su Hao recognized the name.
It was said that this man was a favorite of the Malaysian Prime Minister, and the one who single-handedly managed the country’s unprecedented sovereign wealth fund—1MDB.
He claimed he would use this money to turn Malaysia into the next economic miracle.
"Xia Guo is our close neighbor, and in just a few decades, it has created a world-renowned economic miracle, serving as a model for all developing countries!"
Jho Low began by showering praise upon them, and his fluent Mandarin clearly demonstrated his hard work.
"Therefore, our Prime Minister also hopes to lead Malaysia to become a 'second Xia Guo'!
To this end, we established the '1MDB' fund. With its stable returns and anticipated high returns, it has already attracted investments from numerous international giants, such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.
We are also continuously expanding the fund's size to attract more visionary investors."
A sovereign wealth fund, simply put, is the national team investing in the stock market.
Using national funds for investment aims at the country's long-term development and fiscal stability.
Domestic entities like the China Investment Corporation (CIC) and the social security fund also share some similar characteristics.
The 1MDB that Jho Low mentioned is Malaysia's national team.
Jho Low spoke eloquently and with an air of authority:
“When the 1MDB project started, it was only $1 billion.
But quickly, its size snowballed, and now it's approaching $30 billion!
And our ultimate goal is $150 billion!
To be honest, countries like Japan and South Korea have reached economic saturation, and as investment targets, they're not as attractive anymore.
But Malaysia is different. We still have vast amounts of land and projects waiting to be developed!
This place is full of gold, like a new continent brimming with opportunities.
This is precisely why global capital is so eager to pay attention to us!”
His words were passionate and persuasive.
Su Hao did indeed recall the 1MDB fund; it had recently gained considerable international recognition.
The logic was simple and straightforward:
Malaysia has great potential. Invest money in them, and they'll use that money to develop infrastructure, achieving explosive economic growth and thus bringing investors substantial returns.
It sounded like a sure-fire way to make money.
"Therefore, today, with the utmost sincerity, we extend this investment invitation to the renowned conglomerates of Xia Kingdom, and to Fanghuan Group, which has revitalized our port project through cooperation with Xia Kingdom."
Jho Low paused, a perfectly measured hint of arrogance on his face.
“I must state upfront that 1MDB's invitations aren't sent out randomly. We only extend invitations to the most qualified partners after a rigorous screening process.”
This feels like a charity offer, even though it's supposed to be an investment solicitation.
However, Su Hao could understand. After all, this wasn't an ordinary private equity fund; it was the “Malaysian national team.”
If Jiangjin Group or Fanghuan Investment had plans to expand significantly in Malaysia in the future, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity.
Investing this money would essentially link them to the Malaysian government, establishing an unbreakable bond of interest.
With the government backing them, doing business there would be incredibly smooth sailing, a green light all the way.
It was practically like having an official cheat code, making money hand over fist.
Moreover, from an investment perspective, the fund's prospects seemed quite bright.
Just as Jho Low said, Malaysia was on a fast track of rapid growth.