Chapter 225: You're addicted to stealing, aren't you?

Jiangjin Group, Headquarters Conference Room.
"The Middle East situation, it didn't affect us much, did it?" Chairman Qin Han rubbed his temples, his face a mixture of lingering fear and relief.
"I heard that those oil tycoons' princes and nobles were all wiped out by that newly enthroned crown prince?"
"Chairman, you were absolutely brilliant!" a senior executive hurriedly reported.
"Fortunately, Jiangjin has no business dealings with Saudi Arabia. We perfectly avoided this massive wave!"
Qin Han breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was still churning.
Damn it, this is unbelievable!
He knew Saudi Arabia still retained a monarchy, but he never dreamed that the newly enthroned crown prince would be so ruthless!
To consolidate his throne, he turned on them without hesitation, slaughtering his own princes and nobles like pigs without batting an eye.
This outrageous move is simply rubbing the face of modern civilization into the ground!
This directly led to a sharp shift in international public opinion towards the oil kingdom, causing its reputation to collapse instantly.
After all, it's the 21st century, and for a country to still have a monarch—an antique—is already controversial enough.
Now, to pull off such a ruthless purge is something even palace dramas wouldn't dare to portray.
"The truly unfortunate ones are those innocent victims who plunged headlong into that 'Future City' project."
The secretary's report continued,
"Later, Saudi Arabia revealed that Prince Abdul, whose power was second only to the Crown Prince, had embezzled all the investment funds.
The Crown Prince was initially hesitant, but upon hearing that this guy was running a slush fund, he exploded on the spot, and that's why he acted so decisively, overturning the table."
As a result, the companies that poured real money into the project became the most innocent victims of this royal power struggle.
The Saudi royal family bluntly stated:
We've confiscated all of Abdul's personal assets, but as for your investment…
Sorry, we don't recognize it, and we can't repay it.
This thuggish behavior is textbook perfect.
"What did I say back then?!" Qin Han slapped his thigh abruptly.
"Luckily I played it safe! See? Just a hair's breadth away, and our hard-earned money would have been wasted!"
The entire room of executives fell silent, not daring to breathe.
Back then, they'd practically worn their lips out trying to persuade the chairman to invest, constantly nagging, "If you don't invest now, we'll be permanently blacklisted by the Middle Eastern tycoons."
Now, they'd been slapped in the face.
Qin Han, with a stubborn "you're all fools, I'm the only one who's right" attitude, withstood all the pressure and threw away this windfall.
This brilliant move made Jiangjin Group the sole winner among the major domestic enterprises, navigating the complexities of business without getting entangled in any scandals.
They even had the leisure to sit back and watch the show.
"But Chairman… to be honest, back then, how many companies with any real strength could resist investing in that letter of intent?
Starting with our arch-rival, Xialian Group, every single one of the prominent domestic companies has fallen for it."
A senior executive whispered in defense.
"Hey, we're happy to see our competitors lose money.
But speaking of which, those Middle Eastern guys were really underhanded!"
"It's blatant double-crossing, they've taken everything and won't even admit it!"
"Yes. So a bunch of companies are lining up to file international lawsuits.
But everyone knows that even if they win the case, the chances of getting their money back from those richest thugs in the world are practically zero."
And to make matters worse, the ones playing the rogue are the richest people in the world.
That leaves everyone helpless.
However, the absurdity doesn't end there.
Those Middle Eastern tycoons have turned around and sent out a new invitation to companies all over the world.
"Reporting to the Chairman, this time it's an investment project personally overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It's that 'Future City' again, and they're starting to solicit sponsorships worldwide."
"What the hell?! They just finished one round of swindling, and they're doing it again?" Qin Han's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Are they addicted to robbing people?!"
"Yeah... and they even said that companies that were scammed by Prince Abdul before can get 'compensation for emotional distress' if they continue to invest this time.
They'll give them an extra 10% of the shares on top of their original investment."
Bin Salman.
This guy is a ruthless and vicious character.
Using this kind of elaborate scheme to fleece double the number of investors, he's a fraud genius in the financial world.
"I guess those companies that were scammed will have to grit their teeth and invest again, right?"
"Of course, they'll have to swallow their pride.
What company in this world would dare to completely break ties with a benefactor who owns the world's largest gold mine?
Unless they don't want to attract investment anymore."
Yes, even knowing it's a trap, they have to jump in.
The immediate loss is huge, but in the long run, this might be the only chance to recoup even a tiny bit of the losses.
Qin Han silently flipped through the new investment plan, almost identical to the previous version… just a different name.
'But…'
A thought, like a ghost, crept into his mind.
'That kid Su Hao…did he foresee this outcome?'
Everyone was scrambling to get their hands on this hot commodity, but he, Su Hao of Fang Huan Investment, calmly advised him to step back, stand aside, and watch the show.
If Jiang Jin Group hadn't listened to his advice back then…
Now, they'd probably be like the other unlucky ones, their money gone down the drain, and they'd have to smile and prepare to be ripped off a second time.
What does this mean?
It can only mean one thing: Su Hao knew from the beginning that this investment was a complete scam!
Even… he might have foreseen this bloody royal purge!
“By the way, is that news true? Abdul, who was purged this time, had been causing trouble for Fang Huan Investment?”
“Yes. It's said that Abdul's fund lost a lot of money because of Fang Huan Investment, and he's trying to retaliate in various ways.”
Qin Han's pupils constricted sharply.
Could it be… that Su Hao, this kid, teamed up with the new crown prince to orchestrate this earth-shattering drama? And incidentally took care of their enemies?
No, no, no, this is too far-fetched, too far beyond what's acceptable.
This isn't just a business struggle; this is an international political thriller.
“But if you're talking about coincidence… this coincidence is like a pre-written script.”
Looking back, every major deal Su Hao had handled since his debut had always ended up being accompanied by a momentous event.
And each time, it was always Su Hao and his Fanghuan Investment who laughed last and made a fortune.
Thinking of this, Qin Han felt a chill run down his spine—a feeling called "fear."
"Wait a moment."
He trembled as he pulled out his phone, found the name "Su Hao," and his finger hovered over the dial button, hesitating to press it.
He didn't know when it had started, but the name Su Hao felt increasingly close to him, yet also...
increasingly awe-inspiring, increasingly unable to look him in the eye.