Chapter 404: Doing good deeds deserves praise

The Union President's voice grew increasingly cold:
"Go ask around the market now, the lowest price has already soared to over seventy dollars.
And with such a pitiful amount of stock, buyers worldwide are scrambling for it. If you're even slightly slow in bidding, you won't even get a slice of the pie."
"Then...then can't the European Union take any measures?"
"What measures? You want the Union to issue an executive order forcibly prohibiting natural gas price increases? Don't be ridiculous!"
The Union President interrupted him rudely,
"When Fang Huan offered three times the price, it was a result that our European Union painstakingly negotiated. Who stabbed us in the back, insisting on flirting with a major power?
If we had signed the contract then, none of this mess would have happened now!"
"You mean, it's all our fault? Three times the price, do you know how much we'll suffer?!" the Prime Minister roared.
"Oh? And now? How much better? It's increased elevenfold! Your Excellency Prime Minister of Germany, how do you feel now?"
"The Alliance Chairman is right," the French President chimed in, his tone full of schadenfreude.
"We finally managed to get the negotiations with Fang Huan's side almost done, and then you, my friend Germany, betrayed us, tearing the sky apart.
Now look what's happened! You've offended Fang Huan so badly, and you expect them to treat us well?"
The Prime Minister of Germany gritted his teeth in anger.
He finally understood. What a load of rubbish, the EU! It's nothing but a disorganized mess bound together by interests, each with their own agenda!
Everyday they're all nice to each other, but when it comes to crucial moments, they're the first to betray their allies.
But ironically, what they said was all true. If they had just swallowed their pride and admitted it three times over back then, things wouldn't be like this now.
No, ultimately, it all started with that damned pipe being blown up!
"Have the culprits who destroyed the pipes been caught?" The Prime Minister of the Deguo changed the subject.
"Experts from all countries have been sent, and the conclusion is... finding the real culprit is basically like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Does this even need an investigation? Even a fool would know it was those people from that small country who did it!
And everyone knows that Fanghuan Investment is behind that small country! And they still can't catch them?"
"No evidence, Your Excellency." The Alliance Chairman shrugged.
"It's all speculation. Can speculation feed you? Can it put someone in court?"
"What's more, Uncle Sam insists that the major powers themselves bombed it, a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. What are you expecting us to do?"
Hearing this, the Prime Minister of Germany completely lost his temper:
"This is clearly Fang Huan's shocking conspiracy! We should unite now to punish these lawless capitalist thugs, not waste time here!"
"I'll say it again, there's no evidence!" the Alliance Chairman emphasized, enunciating each word clearly.
"Furthermore, even if we immediately impose sanctions on Fang Huan, what then? What about the natural gas?
Believe it or not, if we dare to make a move, Fang Huan will immediately cut off the supply, and the market price won't be eleven times, but twenty times!
Can you, or rather your country, bear the consequences?!"
"I..."
Twenty times!
The Prime Minister of Deguo felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
That wasn't just a number; it was a doomsday clarion call capable of instantly collapsing the entire nation's economy and utterly destroying social order.
He knew the Alliance Chairman wasn't joking.
If Fang Huan was truly provoked, those lunatics were absolutely capable of such a thing.
Seeing his deathly pale face, the Alliance Chairman continued to add insult to injury:
"Moreover, don't forget, Fang Huan Investment's public image internationally is impeccable.
Those cunning bastards, every time they make a big splash, they immediately pull out a huge sum of money and, through their foundations, shower the world with charity."
The Prime Minister of Deguo had also heard about this.
This was Fang Huan's most insidious and intractable aspect.
They even turned charity into a ritual, a weapon.
Before taking action, that sum of money was a declaration of war, a show of force;
Afterwards, it was a victory flag planted on the enemy's grave!
This behavior, seen as shameless and arrogant by the victims, is utterly noble in the eyes of the uninformed public.
And yet, you can't really punish them. They're doing a good deed; you can't just say, "You have ulterior motives, you're forbidden from donating," can you?
"After the Baltic pipeline disaster, Fang Huan immediately donated $100 million to the 'Baltic Environment Fund.'
The related promotional video was incredibly moving and tear-jerking; it's gone viral on social media.
Have you seen the comments section below that video? It's astonishing.
It's all praise and flattery, full of 'Only Fang Huan still cares about our wounded planet,' 'A company of conscience,' and other such effusive praise."
It feels like being brutally knocked to the ground, and the person who hit you comes to your aid insincere way, while the surrounding crowd applauds and cheers, proclaiming their conscience.
You feel aggrieved, you feel angry, but you are powerless to do anything.
"So, what's the conclusion?" The Prime Minister's voice was filled with helplessness. "We're expected to swallow our pride and accept this eleven-fold exorbitant price to buy their natural gas?"
"What else?" The Gallic President shrugged. "With the German side in such a stalemate, our negotiations are impossible. If this drags on, we'll all be finished."
The Prime Minister suddenly looked at him, scoffing, "I wonder who it was that hurled such insults at Fang Huan back then. What, with the re-election election approaching, their stance changes so quickly, like flipping through a book?"
"I admit, I put on a show before for votes," the Gallic President readily admitted.
"But the situation is different now. I'm genuinely worried. If this drags on, the price of natural gas will really skyrocket to Mars.
When public resentment boils over, who will clean up the mess? You?"
"..."
The Prime Minister fell silent.
He knew he had no other choice.
At that moment, he felt less like he was attending an alliance meeting and more like a defeated general being forced to sign a humiliating surrender document.
***
Su Hao didn't usually use social media much. In the past, when he frequented online communities, it was mostly just browsing game forums.
But recently, he had started consciously paying attention to the trends on these platforms.
Because he discovered that online trends and hot topics often not only accurately reflect reality but can even spark excellent investment inspiration.
“Huh… this video, our company made it ourselves?”
While scrolling through his phone, a well-produced short film suddenly popped up.
The content was about the Fanghuan Foundation's charitable projects.
“Chairman Su, you mean this?” Li Huilin leaned over to take a look.
“Yes, I saw this video of Fanghuan's donation to the Baltic Sea; it seems quite popular.”
“Yes. I heard it was Chairman Huang who personally gave the order, saying that since our Fanghuan Foundation did good deeds, the whole world should know.”
Li Huilin explained,
“He had the marketing department spare no expense, hiring a top-notch team to produce and distribute it.
In his own words: ‘What era are we living in? Good deeds deserve praise, otherwise, what's the point?’”