Chapter 254: Cold and Ruthless

"Chairman Huang, managing such a large group and still having the energy to play games is already quite impressive.
Chairman Su is younger than me, but sometimes when I look at him, he seems more composed and experienced than this old man."
"That's the difference in perspective. Otherwise, how do you think he could have reached that position at such a young age?
Alright, let's not talk about that. Isn't today a holiday?
You rushed over here in such a hurry, is there something wrong?"
Lin Fan didn't want to disturb the chairman's peace.
But this matter was simply too important; he had to come.
"...So, you mean Su Hao invested 40 billion in Tesla and made a fortune?"
"Yes. Because Tesla's CEO, Musk, suddenly made a 'self-destructive declaration' in the early morning, the stock price skyrocketed, and within a day, we made about 30% profit."
"30%...that's...nearly 12 billion!?"
"Yes, a terrifying number."
But Huang Fengwen knew that for Su Hao, this kind of operation was commonplace.
“The problem is,” Lin Fan’s tone turned serious, “before Musk made those remarks… Chairman Su had a special meeting with him.”
“Ah, I know about that. Does that mean they…?”
“Although nominally it was to acquire shares in a company called Close AI…
But after that meeting, Chairman Su immediately bought a large amount of Tesla stock.”
“And then Musk detonated that nuclear bomb?”
“Yes.”
A cold sweat broke out on Huang Fengwen’s back.
Isn’t this blatant insider trading?!
This kid just messed up the US stock market, causing chaos in global markets and nearly stopping everyone’s hearts.
Now, after only a few days of calm, he’s stirred up a hornet’s nest on Wall Street again!
Huang Fengwen abruptly stood up from the sofa, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
Looks like this vacation is off.
"Immediately notify all senior executives of the group to convene a top-level emergency meeting!"
The highest operational principle of Fanghuan Investment... no, the entire Fanghuan Group, was activated at this moment.
That principle was: Protect Su Hao at all costs!
***
Inside the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) investigation room.
Musk knew why he was sitting here.
Since he posted that message on social media, the entire market had been turned upside down.
He also knew that privatization was simply impossible.
But he did it anyway.
Impulse is the devil, he knew that better than anyone.
But did he regret it? No, not at all.
The thought of those greedy short sellers on Wall Street who had tormented him and bleed his company dry for years vanishing in agony gave him an unprecedented, exhilarating sense of satisfaction.
“Mr. Musk, I think you know very well why you’re sitting here.”
The SEC investigator said expressionlessly,
“Do you know how much chaos your comments on social media caused in the markets?
And after causing such a huge mess, you haven’t taken any concrete action. This is clearly market manipulation and securities fraud.”
A few days after that post, the SEC investigation was officially launched.
They easily ascertained that Musk simply didn't have the money to take the company private.
So, they summoned him directly here.
“I issued a supplementary statement later,” Musk argued. “I’ve reached an agreement with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.”
“So, where’s the contract?”
“That… was a verbal agreement.”
“But we contacted the fund you mentioned, and their version of events is completely different from yours. What’s going on?”
“…”
The investigator sighed helplessly:
“Mr. Musk, frankly, we understand your feelings.
We also know how relentlessly those people on Wall Street have suppressed your company.
So, you wanted to take this opportunity to retaliate against those short sellers, and in fact, it has been quite effective.
However, this time, you’ve crossed the line, and seriously crossed it.”
“That was just my personal opinion expressed on social media.
There may have been some misunderstandings between me and the fund.”
Musk was still being stubborn.
Indeed, because it wasn’t an official company announcement, the SEC couldn’t impose the most severe penalties on him.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the punishment will be lenient.
Internally, the SEC has already drafted a fine of at least tens of millions of dollars.
"But what we really want to know," the investigator's eyes suddenly sharpened,
"what is the connection between this matter and Su Hao of Fanghuan Investment?"
"...Huh? How did that name suddenly appear?" Musk looked completely bewildered.
"Are you genuinely unaware, or are you pretending? As far as we know, the two of you met once before this happened."
"I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about.
That meeting was to discuss an equity transaction, unrelated to Tesla."
"Then, presumably you also don't know that Su Hao of Fanghuan Investment, after that meeting, quickly established a multi-billion dollar long position in Tesla, right?"
"What?!" This time, Musk was truly shocked.
Su Hao...why would he suddenly buy Tesla stock?
This is completely incomprehensible.
But then, a thought suddenly dawned on him.
Ah, could it be...
Yes! That must be it!
That day, after meeting him, Su Hao was captivated by his personal charisma and the company's grand vision. So, upon returning home, he immediately made a large-scale purchase of shares to show his support!
Su Hao, that investment genius, had long foreseen Tesla's immense potential!
"I didn't reveal any inside information to him. He simply had faith in our company's future."
Although Su Hao didn't directly transfer money to him, but only bought his own company's stock, for some reason, Musk felt a surge of inexplicable emotion.
Indeed, geniuses always appreciate each other!
"So, you certainly didn't know about this?" The investigator, expressionless, delivered the final blow.
"What is it?"
"Fang Huan Investment, on the very day the stock price surged after your tweet, cleared out all its long positions at the peak.
Then, they immediately established an equally large, massive short position."
"...Huh?"
The waves of emotion, pride, and mutual appreciation that had just surged within him receded in an instant, leaving only a cold, chilling reef.
He had thought Su Hao was a confidant, a comrade, a dreamer who shared his unwavering belief in Tesla's future.
It turned out that wasn't the case at all.
Su Hao bought in purely because he thought he could make money.
Now that Su Hao was shorting, it was simply because... he thought he could make even more money.
From beginning to end, Musk and Tesla were merely tools for Su Hao to make money.
Capital has no morals, only interests.
Cold and ruthless.