Chapter 223: Abdul

"Hello, Chairman Qin."
A sleepy, languid voice came through the receiver.
The executives collectively breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the atmosphere in the meeting room finally return to normal.
"Hey, Chairman Su! Getting a call from you is harder than climbing Mount Everest! What's up?"
"Sleeping."
"Huh? It's not the weekend, why are you sleeping?"
"The market's been stagnant lately, no waves, so I'm taking a break."
"Yeah, your work ethic is a bit different from ours."
Qin Han smiled, then prepared to get to the point,
"But what's up? Let me make it clear, if you ask me to go out drinking again, I'm not going. My liver's still hurting."
"Hey! You make it sound like I'm always dragging you out for drinks."
"Who was it last time, dragging me drinking for a whole week straight?"
"..."
Qin Han glanced at the executives who were straining to suppress their laughter, coughed heavily, and forcefully steered the conversation back on track.
"Hey, let's get down to business! Did Fang Huan also receive that Saudi stuff?"
"Oh, the 'Future New City' thing?"
"Yes. What do you guys say? Are you planning to invest?"
"No."
The answer was decisive, so straightforward that there wasn't even a hint of hesitation.
They didn't even bother to give a reason; it was just that concise and clear.
Qin Han immediately felt reassured, but he wanted to confirm again, so he asked casually:
"Jiang Jin also received it. What do you think, can we invest?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Just when Qin Han thought the signal had been lost, Su Hao's somewhat unsteady voice came through again.
【…It's best not to.】
“It's settled.”
Those three words were enough.
Qin Han wasn't even interested in asking why.
He called not to seek logical persuasion, but simply to know Su Hao's decision.
Because Su Hao's decision was his decision!
He hung up the phone, glanced around at the bewildered executives in the conference room, tossed the polished report onto the table, and calmly announced:
"We're not participating in this project."
"What?! But...but Chairman! This is a Saudi official project! Not some nobody!
If we reject them, a large portion of our international financing channels might be cut off!"
"Yes, Chairman! Even if Fang Huan doesn't invest, their situation is different from ours!
Fang Huan doesn't need Saudi connections, but our future semiconductor projects depend on Saudi funds!"
The executives pleaded earnestly.
Qin Han, of course, knew this.
He also knew that rejecting this invitation meant a complete break with the incredibly wealthy Saudi royal family.
But he was even more clear about the vow he had made—
No matter what Su Hao said, even if it meant pushing the company into a fire pit, he would believe and carry it out without hesitation!
This was an almost blind trust, yet it was also the most valuable experience he had gained from countless collaborations!
***
Fanghuan Investment, Chairman's Office.
"What did you say? You refused?" Su Hao frowned.
“Yes, Chairman Su. Tianji Entertainment suddenly changed their minds and said they won't accept our investment.”
“Weren't the negotiations going smoothly before?”
Tianji Entertainment is a company whose main business is talent shows and film and television production.
Currently, its annual revenue is only three or four hundred million yuan, making it a small player in the entertainment industry.
But what Su Hao valued was the potential of their idol group and a certain…luck revealed in the report.
That's right, luck.
Su Hao's intuition, honed through countless battles in the capital market, told him that this company was destined for great success.
So he made the decision to proactively increase the offer to one billion yuan, aiming for a 40% stake.
Just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, and the contract was about to be signed, the other party suddenly overturned the deal.
“Thinking the price is too low, trying to raise it?”
“No, it's not about the money. I heard…they've got connections in Saudi Arabia and are going to sign with them.”
Saudi Arabia? Why are they everywhere?
"Recently, there have been rumors that Saudi Arabia is expanding its investment areas. The royal family also wants to spend a lot of money to clean up Saudi Arabia's negative international image.
We investigated and found that besides the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, members of the royal family also have many private funds.
The largest of these is run by a prince named Abdul Hadeem."
Su Hao listened quietly to his subordinate's report, his brows gradually furrowing.
"Coincidentally, this Prince Abdul's fund, unfortunately, has heavily invested in the semiconductor and shipping sectors.
And these two sectors have been thrown into turmoil by our previous operations at Fang Huan, causing this prince to lose almost everything."
"So, is this revenge?"
"Yes. It's not just Sky Entertainment. He seems to be spreading negative rumors about us internationally.
We suspect that the recent negative rumors about Fang Huan in the market are also orchestrated by this Abdul."
There are at least a thousand, if not eight hundred, who harbor resentment towards their investments at Fang Huan.
But those past incidents were nothing more than petty squabbles, hardly worth mentioning.
This time, the enemy is on a completely different level.
It's a true behemoth with billions of dollars in cash flow.
If he recklessly uses that money for sabotage instead of investment, it will indeed be a significant problem.
"Moreover, it's said that Abdul is also handling the NEOM Future City project in Saudi Arabia."
"Didn't we reject that project?"
"Yes." The subordinate's expression turned grave. "So… this feud is likely to deepen even further."
Su Hao couldn't help but sigh; in this world, money truly reigns supreme.
A wealthy and capricious prince, capable of mobilizing astronomical sums of money to exert pressure from all sides just to vent his anger, is indeed quite a headache.
***
Inside a luxurious hotel suite.
"How's the progress?" Prince Abdul swirled the red wine in his glass, his face beaming with smug satisfaction.
"We are using all available channels to gather intelligence on Fanghuan Investment in an attempt to obstruct and sabotage it."
"But there's a problem… Fang Huan's investment style is extremely domineering. They acquire control of the companies they invest in, making it very difficult to shake them from the outside."
"Hmph, a bunch of idiots." Abdul sneered. "Find them! Dig out their weaknesses!"
"We've already contacted Dongda University and the US government.
But strangely, the higher-ups on both sides, upon hearing the name 'Fang Huan,' act as if they've seen a plague. They don't even ask any questions and immediately suppress the matter."
"Why?!"
"It's said… Fang Huan has a very close relationship with Dongda University. There are even rumors that Fang Huan is Dongda's front man!
On the US side, they previously formed some kind of 'Maritime Alliance' to challenge Fang Huan, but then the port explosion occurred.
The entire alliance faced accountability from all sides, and Fang Huan directly retaliated, destroying most of its members."
From then on, no one dared to provoke Fang Huan again.
"Outrageous!" Abdul roared,
"Even the strongest fortress can't stop a Trojan horse!
Even the grandest dam begins to collapse from a small, inconspicuous hole!
I need a way, no matter the cost, to get rid of Fang Huan..."
Bang—!
A loud crash echoed as the expensive solid wood door of the luxury hotel suite was kicked open from the outside, sending splinters flying everywhere!
Abdul, who was roaring in fury, stopped abruptly.
Before he could react, a barrage of gunfire erupted from all directions.