Chapter 257: A Ruthless Backstab

Su Hao picked up a pen and casually scribbled a few numbers in his notebook.
Two times? Four times? Seven times?
It all felt a bit off, not exciting enough.
Until a thought made his pen tremble slightly with excitement.
'Ten times?'
That's it!
'Then… let's multiply the prize money tenfold.'
The moment he said that, the air in the entire conference room froze.
'Ten times?! You mean… a prize of two hundred million US dollars?!'
'That's right.' Su Hao said casually.
'They've already issued a challenge, wanting to play a 'game of cowards' with us, to see who backs down first. We have no reason to back down halfway.
Besides, thanks to Tesla, didn't we just make some pocket money recently?'
That battle netted him tens of billions.
A mere two hundred million was indeed no different from pocket money to him.
“Um… Chairman Su, ‘picpic’ has also sent a request, hoping headquarters can support an aggressive marketing budget.
How much…should we approve for them?”
“How much did they ask for?”
“Approximately…one billion US dollars.”
Su Hao picked up his pen again and started scribbling in his notebook.
The numbers in his mind uncontrollably soared, finally settling steadily at the multiple that had just thrilled him.
“…Multiply this by ten too.”
“Hiss—!”
This time, everyone’s eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, and their jaws dislocated.
"Ten billion dollars?! You mean, ten billion... all poured into marketing?!"
"Yes. 'PicPic' is currently in its golden age of explosive growth, this is the most crucial crossroads.
Whether it soars to new heights and transforms into a dragon, or is crushed by that blue elephant Facebook, success or failure hinges on this.
We can't afford to be devoured here."
If they can weather this onslaught, 'PicPic' will firmly establish itself as the new era's social media overlord, becoming a true trendsetter.
Judging from its current growth curve, this is no pipe dream!
The thought of a true social media giant belonging to China, about to trample the invincible Facebook underfoot, becoming a dragon that even the world's superpower trembles over...
Su Hao felt that this money was well spent!
***
"...The more I think about it, the angrier I get!"
Musk was currently furious.
He wasn't too concerned about being fined tens of millions of dollars.
He only felt that he had "gone a little too far" regarding making things worse.
When he heard that the short-selling firms that had been tormenting him had lost everything because of his actions, his slight "regret" vanished instantly.
What truly enraged him to the point of grinding his teeth in bed at night was someone else entirely.
Fanghuan Investment.
No, to be precise, it was that guy named Su Hao!
"First, he suddenly rushed in and went on a crazy long position, and then when I got arrested, he went on a massive short-selling attack?!"
Who does Musk hate most in his life?
Those bastards who shit on his company and went on a crazy short-selling spree!
As it turned out, Su Hao, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, not only did it, but he did it with unparalleled smoothness and precision!
First, he went long, raking in everything; then he shorted, leaving not a scrap behind!
This operation was a perfect example of "two birds with one stone"!
The result was that the whole world saw him, Tesk, as the biggest clown and fool, while Su Hao, the guy hiding behind the scenes, was unscathed, counting his money until his hands cramped.
How could he swallow this insult?
He had to get revenge!
"I heard... he's been fighting quite a bit with Facebook lately..."
How about teaming up with Facebook?
No, there's an even more insidious, more vicious method.
"Make a deal with the SEC..."
Last time he was investigated, he insisted that his relationship with Su Hao was just a simple equity transaction, with no conspiracy whatsoever.
Because he knew very well that admitting to a "plan" between them wouldn't be a minor issue resolved with a fine; it would be a serious crime of "conspiracy to manipulate the market," punishable by imprisonment.
Therefore, he vehemently denied it at the time.
Besides, it was indeed true.
But now, the tables had turned.
His own case was settled; the fine had been paid, and he had resigned as chairman.
If, at this point, he proactively approached the SEC, offering a "partial reduction of the fine" in exchange for a change of testimony, claiming that his actions were instigated by Su Hao… what would happen?
Although it was fabricated, if he said that, the SEC would have a legitimate reason to relentlessly pursue Fang Huan Investment.
He wanted to use this method to exact severe revenge on Su Hao, who dared to manipulate him!
Therefore, he immediately arranged a secret meeting with relevant SEC personnel.
"...What the hell?!"
However, just as he racked his brains, devising a flawless script to deliver a ruthless betrayal to Su Hao...
A shocking revelation, like a nuclear bomb, exploded across all media and social networks!
"Personal information...leaked?!"
A bombshell revelation emerged: Facebook leaked the personal information of approximately 100 million users!
The cause was a personality analysis app promoted by Facebook in collaboration with a third-party company.
This app not only stripped users of their personal information but also, like a virus, automatically scraped information from everyone in a user's friend list.
Then it sold this information to other companies, ultimately leading to a massive amount of information circulating widely on underground networks!
Even more explosive was that Facebook had actually known about this all along, but they chose to conceal it, attempting to quietly suppress the scandal.
Unexpectedly, an internal whistleblower appeared out of nowhere, directly lifting the lid.
Initially, Facebook vehemently denied the leak, claiming the scale was not that large.
But as subsequent revelations exploded one after another, the truth finally surfaced.
It wasn't just the information of one or two people that was leaked, but that of 100 million people!
This completely stirred up a hornet's nest.
The US government intervened swiftly, launching a full investigation into Facebook and even arranging a public congressional hearing for its founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
Watching this old news, which could have been suppressed, fester overnight into an uncontrollable tidal wave, Musk nervously swallowed.
"The timing...it's like a script!"
This matter could have been buried forever in the shadows.
But just as Facebook began its all-out crackdown on "PicPic," it "coincidentally" exploded.
Instantly, terrifying rumors spread like wildfire: "Register for Facebook, and your whole family will be exposed!" Users frantically deleted their accounts as if avoiding a plague.
And these fleeing users were, quite naturally, all absorbed into the embrace of "PicPic."
Some might think this was just a ticking time bomb, nothing serious.
But Musk didn't think so.
Someone was definitely behind it, precisely detonating this bomb at the most critical moment!
Who else but that man could manipulate things to such an extent?
“Su…Hao…!”
The moment he uttered that name, Musk felt a chill run down his spine, and every hair on his body stood on end.
Ever since the Deutsche Bank incident, this Fang Huan Investment, or rather, this Su Hao, had displayed a chilling quality:
Any force that stood in his way or hindered him would be ruthlessly crushed by him in an extremely cold and almost cruel manner!
Why did the SEC's investigation of him stop so superficially this time?
Isn't it because they were also afraid—afraid that if they dug deeper, they would discover that the bigwig in the White House was smilingly standing behind Su Hao?
The keen-nosed Musk had already sensed an unspeakable fear in the flickering eyes of those investigators.
“No, no, this isn't the time to think about these things!”
He snapped back to reality, grabbed the phone as if electrocuted, and canceled the meeting with the SEC as quickly as possible.
After hanging up the phone, he let out a long sigh of relief; his back was soaked with cold sweat.
He had no doubt that if he had actually been stubborn enough to rush to the SEC to report him…
He probably wouldn't be thinking about how to get revenge on Su Hao now, but rather whether he would even see the sun rise tomorrow.
The thought alone sent chills down his spine!