Chapter 295: Today's drinking was exceptionally fierce.

(To thank the ever-calm An Shimin, Can't You Feed Me Something Good, Ou Ou You, Tu Mi Luo Jin, A Dog Hook, and Panda Cat Will Goo Gu for their support and love, an extra chapter is added today!)
Shanghai, a barbecue restaurant.
“Chairman Su, this matter… I’m really at my wit’s end. I don’t even know where to start.”
When Du Yuanhang arrived, his weathered face was etched with the words “life is meaningless,” as if his soul had been ripped away, half-dead.
“Alright, Old Du. To put it bluntly, those foreign devils are planning to dismantle our shipping business into eight pieces and then divide the spoils, right?”
Huang Fengwen picked up his wine glass, downed it in one gulp, his voice revealing a ruthless, jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws edge.
"Yes! They even threatened to escalate this to a diplomatic level if we didn't cooperate, saying they wouldn't let it go."
Before Du Yuanhang arrived, Su Hao had already roughly understood the situation.
This time, the "eight-nation alliance," led by the EU, had truly unleashed its sword against Fanghuan Shipping.
"What did the higher-ups say?" Su Hao asked.
The higher-ups, of course, wanted to protect Fanghuan.
That ancient proverb still echoed in their ears:
Whoever controls the seas controls the world!
Fanghuan Investment was the best embodiment of this saying in the new era.
“The higher-ups will definitely try everything to protect us, but this time we've truly incurred public wrath by monopolizing the shipping market—that's a fact.
Moreover, the EU has united with many countries that were previously suffocated by Fang Huan Shipping, acting like mad dogs, collectively pressuring the Xia government.
The higher-ups want to help us, but they can't find a reason right now.”
“Exactly.” Du Yuanhang also downed a glass, his eyes burning with rage.
“Back then, wasn't Rockefeller forcibly torn apart by them?
Now, we're on the brink of life and death!”
It was clear that both Huang Fengwen and Du Yuanhang were heartbroken.
Today, neither of them touched their chopsticks, chugging down glass after glass of strong liquor.
It wasn't just alcohol, but a torrent of pent-up frustration and resentment.
Huang Fengwen snorted coldly.
“The most urgent thing right now is that if we fight to the bitter end, Lao Du, you'll be in danger.
I heard the EU is already preparing to take legal action?”
“Yes.” Du Yuanhang stiffened his neck, his face showing utter fearlessness.
“Judging from their posture, they want to detain me under international law.
But Chairman Huang, Chairman Su! Do you think I, Du Yuanhang, am afraid of going to jail?
My life is nothing compared to the company!
This shipping company was built brick by brick by you two with your hard work!
If it's really just torn down like this? I'd rather die than accept it!”
Du Yuanhang wasn't joking.
He was genuinely prepared to spend several years in jail.
Even Huang Fengwen might be implicated if the situation worsened.
“Absolutely not,” Su Hao said firmly.
"No, Chairman Su, I'm fine, I'm really fine!"
Du Yuanhang excitedly grabbed Su Hao's hand.
"As long as our shipping business can be preserved and continue to grow and thrive, even if these old bones of mine rot in jail, it'll be worth it! I mean it from the bottom of my heart!"
Du Yuanhang had told those around him more than once that he was living a second life.
If Su Hao hadn't pulled him out of the mire and entrusted him with important responsibilities, Du Yuanhang would probably have long since rotted away in some dark corner, alone.
Therefore, for the company, he would die a thousand deaths!
But even so, how could he stand by and watch a living, breathing person go to jail for the company?
Su Hao was equally furious, but reason told him that, from a certain perspective, this was an inevitable outcome.
Over the years, Fanghuan Shipping's size has expanded terrifyingly, its tentacles reaching every corner of the globe, disrupting the interests of countless others.
The existence of the "Anti-Monopoly Law" is precisely to prevent the emergence of such behemoths that could shake the foundations of a nation.
When a company completely monopolizes an industry, especially one like shipping that can hold the lifeline of a nation in its grasp, its power is enough to overturn an entire region.
'But...it's still damn frustrating!'
He understands the logic, but the thought of his painstakingly raised child being forcibly taken away and dismembered by a group of outsiders is like a knife twisting in his heart.
The three of them drank unusually heavily today.
What to do?
Could they really just give up and abandon the maritime dominance they had built with their own hands?
“These are their conditions, a report outlining how many businesses we’ll be splitting up.”
Du Yuanhang handed over a document.
Su Hao took it and opened it.
The instant his fingers touched the paper—
“!?”
Boom!
Before his eyes, the table and documents were no longer there, but a horrific illusion:
Countless cargo ships, as if frozen in place, were densely packed and motionless at the dock, rusted and lifeless.
No goods, no orders, no life.
A deathly silence.
"Oh dear, Chairman Su, are you alright?"
"Ah Hao, have you had too much to drink?"
Su Hao swayed abruptly, the report in his hand falling to the ground with a thud.
Du Yuanhang, quick-witted and agile, caught him.
"No... I'm fine, I'm fine."
Su Hao steadied himself. That scene just now... it was definitely...
He took a deep breath, a chilling glint in his eyes, and slowly, enunciating each word, said:
"How about we... sell this entire shipping business, cleanly and completely?"
"Huh? Sell? Sell what?" Huang Fengwen and Du Yuanhang were both stunned.
“The shipping business.” A smile, unreadable to anyone, played on Su Hao’s lips.
“They want it, don’t they? Then give it all to them!
However… the price is up to us!”
Upon hearing this, Du Yuanhang’s eyes instantly reddened.
“Chairman Su! You…you’re saying this for my sake?
Please don’t do this! I understand, I know everything!
I know better than anyone what shipping means to you!
Your grand ambition was to use it to control the oceans and propel Fang Huan to its peak, wasn’t it?
Don’t worry about me, I’ll go to jail! Please don’t act impulsively!”
“Money can be earned back, but once you’re in jail, you’ve lost everything.”
Su Hao patted his shoulder, his tone gentle yet firm.
"Don't mention 'jail' again, it's such bad luck!"
"Mr. Su...Mr. Su!"
Du Yuanhang, this tough guy who looked even more ferocious than a gangster, could no longer control his emotions, tears streaming down his face!
He grabbed Su Hao and hugged him tightly!
"Hey...hey...Mr. Du, no, no...it's not that bad, it really isn't that bad..."
Su Hao was both amused and exasperated, trying to break free, but Du Yuanhang was as strong as a bear, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge him.
In this awkward "bear hug"—
'...Hmm?'
Another flash of lightning! A clearer, more dazzling image flashed through Su Hao's mind like lightning!
'This is—!'
In that image, Du Yuanhang, dressed in a sharp suit, stood under the spotlight, his face beaming with a genuine, radiant smile.
Behind him, a huge electronic screen displayed a line of large characters:
[Inauguration Ceremony of the Chairman of Fanghuan Shipping Group]