Chapter 340: Mysterious Power from the East

"Chairman Su, Lebanon has sent a letter of thanks to our Fanghuan Charity Foundation."
The atmosphere in Fanghuan Investment's meeting room was serious yet efficient.
Li Huilin was giving Su Hao her routine report.
"Oh? How's the reconstruction work in Beirut going?"
"Reporting to Chairman Su, we hear aid is pouring in from all over the world, but our donation is the largest single donation from an individual or organization to date.
A full three hundred million! Globally, no other country or organization has made such a generous gesture!"
Three hundred million!
This figure, for Fanghuan Investment at present, is merely a drop in the ocean.
But as a "donation," the gesture and influence it represents are priceless.
You know, the entire European Union, even after scrimping and saving, could only scrape together sixty million euros.
All the donations worldwide combined amount to just over two hundred million.
And Fanghuan Investment, a single company, directly donated three hundred million!
More than the entire world combined!
This generosity, this audacity, is simply outrageously extravagant!
No wonder the Lebanese Prime Minister was so grateful, practically begging for Fang Huan's life.
Su Hao raised an eyebrow, noticing a detail:
"But… I remember their previous prime minister and cabinet, didn't they all just get fired?"
"Yes, the Lebanese government initially blamed the Levant, but later insurance companies from various countries also got involved in the investigation."
The results showed that the ammonium nitrate was left idle in a warehouse for six years due to government negligence and inaction, ultimately causing the massive explosion.
The news sparked widespread public outrage, almost to the point of despair!
From the prime minister to the core cabinet, everyone was forced to resign.
Lebanese politics was thrown into chaos.
Although a new prime minister was quickly appointed, the country remained in disarray, as if thrown into a washing machine.
"Only their president remained in office, claiming that if he were to leave, the country would fall into a power vacuum with unimaginable consequences."
The prime minister and cabinet were completely wiped out, but the president, the "mascot," remained firmly in power.
Lebanon's political structure is inherently peculiar; the president is not democratically elected but rather a figurehead created by the 128 members of parliament, wielding far less real power than the prime minister.
In short, the real power lay with the prime minister who had already packed his bags and left.
“Anyway, the president is just a symbol, responsible for clapping and waving at ceremonies, so the people don't really care about him.”
Li Huilin added,
“Moreover, there are reports that when the insurance company got involved in the investigation, the Lebanese authorities kept creating obstacles and didn't want to thoroughly investigate the matter.”
Su Hao said calmly:
"Of course we don't want to investigate. It's better not to investigate; once we do, it becomes a clear case of bureaucratic inaction and dereliction of duty.
Who would dig their own grave?"
For six whole years, countless risk reports poured in, only to be treated like scraps of paper by those bureaucrats.
Now that such a massive, earth-shattering event has occurred, it's no wonder they're trying to cover it up.
"There are even conspiracy theories that this was a massive terrorist attack deliberately orchestrated by the opposition to overthrow the ruling party."
"The more the authorities try to cover it up, the more exaggerated this kind of talk becomes."
Su Hao nodded, thoughtfully:
"Interesting. To take down their opponent, they're willing to blow up a port... These people are really ruthless."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly sensed something was off.
All the members of the trading department simultaneously focused their gazes on Su Hao, their eyes filled with an indescribable, complex emotion.
Su Hao seemed oblivious, looking up and asking, "Why are you all looking at me?"
"N-nothing..."
Li Huilin cleared her throat, seemingly wanting to say something, but then swallowed it back, her expression somewhat strange.
"Uh, actually there's one more thing... no, never mind, let's move on to the next topic."
A guess, almost out of the blue but forcibly suppressed, quietly fermented in the quiet air.
Su Hao knew perfectly well that these guys probably saw him as the protagonist of an even bolder conspiracy theory.
He didn't point it out, letting the topic transition naturally.
"Chairman Su, the national team's positions in the US were liquidated a long time ago!
Recently, our Fanghuan Investment's own positions have also been gradually liquidated."
"How much did we settle in the end?"
"Two hundred billion US dollars!"
Back then, the US stock market seemed to have collapsed, plunging into an endless abyss.
It was Fang Huan and the national team who, with overwhelming force, dragged it back from the brink of collapse, creating the fastest V-shaped reversal in history!
And they made a fortune in this epic battle between bulls and bears!
Su Hao did some mental calculations: "Our initial investment was 5 billion, which means we made four times our initial investment?"
"Yes, Chairman Su. Unlike the behemoths like the national team, our operations are much more flexible.
Most importantly, 'Zoom,' that monstrous stock, was simply a stroke of genius!
Its stock price skyrocketed, almost single-handedly pulling us up through the clouds!
Plus, the pandemic caused a global frenzy of retail investors, which only fueled the fire even more!
However… there's a problem now."
"What problem?"
"The reason we liquidated our positions was because the EU extended an olive branch, wanting us to save their market, right?"
Back then, seeing Fang Huan Investment's astonishing "resurrection" in the US, the EU, in its dire straits, was drooling with envy. They proactively extended an olive branch, hoping this mysterious force from the East could also lend them a hand.
However, there's an old saying in the financial world: the end of the world's stock markets is the US stock market.
The US stock market, single-handedly accounting for 40-50% of the global stock market, is like an unshakeable financial behemoth.
If it sneezes, the whole world catches a cold;
If it starts to surge, other markets also get a share.
It's like when Bitcoin skyrockets, other altcoins follow suit.
"Initially, the EU promised to open the door wide for us, removing all restrictions and allowing our funds to roam freely in the European market.
But who would have thought that as soon as the US stock market recovered, the European market also rebounded significantly, and then…"
"They think the crisis is over and they don't need us anymore, so they unilaterally withdrew their previous proposals, including all the investment facilitation and policy green lights they promised us."
"Ha."
Su Hao just smiled coldly upon hearing this.
It seems these guys in the EU...
They need to be taught a lesson.