Chapter 418: A Sudden Enlightenment

Su Hao fell into deep thought.
To control…one's own life?
This advice was truly thought-provoking.
The root of Su Hao's growing weariness with his current job lay in this:
He felt increasingly like a puppet on a string, always being pushed along by an invisible force, carrying out some "mysterious" will, rather than his own.
The advice in this book was incredibly insightful, hitting the very core of his confusion.
Su Hao's mind suddenly cleared!
Who was he, Su Hao?
The man who had once stirred up a storm, wielding trillions of dollars with a flick of his finger, unleashing bloodshed across the world!
Such a person, suddenly retiring from his life of crime, running back to that dimly lit little room to become a game-addicted couch potato?
What a joke!
The dopamine rush and exhilarating experience of battling in the financial markets—the kind of thrill that could make even gods and demons succumb—is something no game can offer!
He suddenly remembered something Qin Han had once told him:
"People like us, once we're in this position, there's no going back."
Qin Han frankly admitted that he occasionally wanted to set aside his chairmanship and live the life of an ordinary person.
But the "flavor" of power and responsibility, the thrill of controlling one's destiny, had long since become the driving force of his life, something he simply couldn't relinquish.
Su Hao thought he was probably the same.
Even if he really quit today and ran off to some idyllic place to "retire to the countryside,"
he was sure that within three days, he would begin to desperately miss those days of battle and boundless ambition.
Facing the empty room and a future devoid of direction, all that would remain in his heart would probably be endless emptiness.
He had become too deeply entrenched in this turbulent sea of ​​blood; this world of intrigue was etched into his very bones.
His body, his soul, could never return.
Perhaps this book was trying to teach him this very lesson.
"Knock knock."
"Chairman Su, this is today's report."
The knocking interrupted Su Hao's thoughts.
It wasn't Li Huilin who entered, but Vice Chairman Lin Fan.
This surprised him somewhat. At Fanghuan Investment, routine reports were usually not something this second-in-command would personally handle.
"Is something urgent?" Su Hao raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, Chairman Su, I’m here about FaceWeb.” Lin Fan’s expression was grave as he handed over a document.
“As you can see from the report, FaceWeb’s market capitalization has now fallen below $250 billion.
So… I feel I must confirm this with you in person.”
“What is it?”
Lin Fan took a deep breath, as if making a huge decision, and asked cautiously:
“Chairman Su, are you… really planning to launch a… hostile takeover of FaceWeb?”
“…Hmm?”
A question mark slowly appeared in Su Hao’s mind.
Hostile takeover?
Where did this term come from?
“FaceWeb’s stock price has been plummeting for days, while we have been continuously and heavily accumulating shares,” Lin Fan explained quickly.
"The outside world is in an uproar. Everyone's saying that Fanghuan Investment has initiated a hostile takeover bid for FaceWeb. The rumors are huge."
Su Hao was somewhat amused and exasperated.
His reason for frantically buying FaceWeb stock was quite simple:
In his intuitive view, the entire M-share market was bleak, except for FaceWeb, which shone like a 1000-watt light bulb. Why not buy it?
But this purely gut feeling-driven operation, in the eyes of outsiders, had become a premeditated "hostile takeover"?
"But Chairman Su, as you know, theoretically, it's almost impossible for FaceWeb to be hostilely acquired.
Unless its founder, Mark Berg, who holds more than half the voting rights, is willing to relinquish his shares.
Otherwise, buying more shares won't help."
The dual-class share structure, also known as "different voting rights for different shares."
This is practically standard practice in the M-share market, especially among tech giants.
FaceWeb is no exception.
The super voting power held by founder Mark Berger was an insurmountable moat.
That's why Su Hao never even considered a hostile takeover of FaceWeb.
He was truly just a pure "speculator," following his intuition, believing it would rise.
However, looking back now, the outside speculation seems... not entirely unfounded.
His series of actions really does resemble a textbook prelude to a hostile takeover.
Could it be that his intuitive ability wasn't initially aimed at making money from stock, but rather... at him swallowing the behemoth that is FaceWeb?
"Chairman Su?"
Su Hao was lost in his thoughts, remaining silent for a long time.
Because even he himself couldn't figure out what that mysterious intuition was all about.
“You can go now,” he waved his hand. “I need some peace and quiet. I’ll call you later.”
“Huh? Oh… okay, okay.” Lin Fan, though confused, tactfully left.
As soon as the office door closed, Su Hao turned around, yanked open his briefcase, and pulled out the thick book, *The Book of Life's Answers*.
Luckily, he had the foresight to bring it with him before leaving.
He stroked the cover, took a deep breath, and asked in a low voice:
“Tell me honestly, why did you give me such a big boost, making me buy FaceWeb stock? Was it really to acquire it?”
His fingers slowly traced the heavy pages.
Soon, that familiar current surged through him!
He quickly turned the page, and a line of text caught his eye.
【Follow your own will.】
My will?
Su Hao's pupils contracted; he instantly understood.
"You mean... if I want to, you'll help me. If I don't, then it's all over?"
He slammed the book shut, steadied himself, and then, guided by instinct, opened it again.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The page was perfectly aligned, exactly the same as before, with identical handwriting appearing before his eyes.
【Follow your own will.】
The subtext of that sentence couldn't be clearer:
It obeys him!
All the choices are in his own hands!
"No, perhaps... from the very beginning, the choice has been in my hands."
It's just that all along, he's passively and mechanically followed the guidance of his intuition, like an emotionless execution machine.
No wonder that book yesterday reminded him to "take control of his own life."
Now, he finally understands the true meaning of those words!