218: Chapter 218 Settling Accounts

Lin Fan wore an old military uniform that had been washed until it was somewhat faded. He held no script in his hands, but instead clutched a thick ledger.

His hair was a bit messy, and his eyes were slightly dark-rimmed, making him look as if he hadn't slept well in several days.

This image, full of "exhaustion" and "vicissitudes," formed a sharp contrast with the greedy Shrewd Merchant from the news.

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

Immediately after, the sound of camera shutters erupted like a rainstorm.

"Mr. Lin Fan, how do you explain the accusations online?"

"Do you admit to using blind boxes for illegal fundraising?"

"I heard that your raw materials were all stolen from the battlefield. Is this true?"

Several reporters arranged by the Zhao family immediately stood up, asking sharp, pointed questions, giving Lin Fan absolutely no chance to catch his breath.

Lin Fan did not speak.

He just stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping across the room.

In that gaze, there was no anger, no defense.

Only a deep sense of... helplessness and compassion.

He slowly raised the ledger in his hands, faced the microphone, and sighed.

"Everyone."

"I know you have many questions."

"I also know that people are cursing me outside right now."

"Calling me a Shrewd Merchant, accusing me of profiting from national calamities, calling me a vampire."

Lin Fan's voice was slightly hoarse, sounding particularly heartbreaking.

"Actually, I didn't want to explain myself at first."

"Because I believe that justice resides in people's hearts."

"But..."

His voice suddenly rose a few notches, carrying a hint of trembling.

"You can curse me, but you cannot insult my blind boxes."

"You cannot insult the... profits sacrificed for the future of humanity."

After saying this.

He waved his hand grandly.

The giant screen behind him lit up instantly.

Dense tables, data, and invoices scrolled by like a waterfall.

"These are all the financial statements since the establishment of Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

"Every single transaction is clear and distinct."

Lin Fan pointed to a line of data on the screen.

"Everyone, please look."

"This is our primary blood-qi blind box."

"The core material inside is the essence blood of an F-rank exotic beast."

"According to current market prices, one bottle of F-rank essence blood sells for thirty thousand dragon coins."

"Plus purification processes, packaging costs, labor fees..."

"The cost of this one blind box is as high as thirty-five thousand dragon coins!"

"And what is our selling price?"

Lin Fan held up five fingers.

"Five thousand!"

"Only five thousand dragon coins!"

"For every blind box sold, I lose thirty thousand!"

The entire venue was in an uproar.

Everyone widened their eyes, looking at the data on the screen in disbelief.

The data was prepared extremely professionally, even bearing the official seals of third-party authoritative institutions.

Of course, what they didn't know was.

Lin Fan's raw materials didn't cost a cent.

They were things he had picked up on the battlefield, or obtained through the system's hundredfold return.

The so-called market price was the purchase price for others; what did that have to do with Lin Fan, a cheater?

But this did not hinder Lin Fan's performance at this moment.

His eyes were slightly red, and his voice choked with emotion.

"Look at this again, the military-exclusive healing blind box."

"Inside is a diluted version of the S-rank regeneration potion."

"This kind of potion has been hyped to an astronomical price on the black market."

"But how much do I sell it to the military for?"

"Ten percent of the cost price!"

"To provide the best support for our brothers on the front lines, I have subsidized everything with all the money I earned in the capital!"

Photos were displayed on the screen at the right moment.

Those were scenes of Lin Fan "tearfully" holding a clearance sale on the front lines.

And images of veterans who had regrown severed limbs, holding the blind boxes and weeping tears of gratitude.

"I, Lin Fan, although I love money."

"But I love this country even more, and I love those compatriots who bleed and sacrifice on the battlefield even more!"

"Why did I make the blind boxes in the form of gambling?"

"It was to give those poor students who can't afford resources a chance to gamble for a future with five hundred!"

"It was to give those veterans who can't afford astronomical medicine prices a chance to be reborn!"

"What is this called?"

Lin Fan slammed the table hard.

"This is called targeted poverty alleviation!"

"This is called sacrificing one's family wealth to relieve national hardship!"

"But what about you all?"

Lin Fan pointed at the reporters offstage, his finger trembling.

"You actually say I am profiting from a national calamity?"

"Touch your own conscience—doesn't it hurt?"

This impassioned, tear-jerking speech.

Combined with those shocking statistics.

Instantly broke through everyone's psychological defenses.

The scene was deathly silent.

Those reporters who had originally prepared tricky questions now all had their mouths wide open, their microphones barely steady in their hands.

Some emotional female reporters had even started secretly wiping away tears.

"Oh my god... so that's how it is."

"Losing thirty thousand and selling for only five thousand? What kind of spirit is this?"

"I knew Professor Lin wasn't a bad person; he's doing this for us poor students!"

"Wuwuwu, I was wrong, I shouldn't have cursed Brother Fan."

The live stream comments online exploded instantly.

The tide of public opinion completely reversed at this moment.

[Teary-eyed! This is the true unparalleled national scholar!]

[Lin Fan is so wronged! He gets cursed even after doing good deeds!]

[Those rumor-mongers deserve to die! The Zhao family, right? I'm never buying anything from the Zhao family again!]

[Myriad Treasures Pavilion must be supported! Brothers, buy it until it's sold out! We can't let a hero bleed and weep!]

Meanwhile, at the Zhao family mansion.

"Crash!"

Another teacup was smashed to pieces.

Zhao Haokun looked at Lin Fan on the screen, surrounded by camera flashes and looking like a saint, and trembled with rage.

"Shameless!"

"Simply utterly shameless!"

"Thirty thousand for F-rank essence blood? Is he robbing people?"

"Who doesn't know that most of his raw materials are picked up!"

"This is cooking the books, this is fraud!"

Zhao Haokun was a shrewd man; he saw through Lin Fan's trick at a glance.

Whatever cost accounting, that was completely substituting one concept for another.

However.

The common people don't understand.

The common people only saw those authoritative data, only saw Lin Fan's appearance of having suffered a great injustice.

In this court of public opinion where whoever is weaker is considered right.

Lin Fan had packaged himself into a tragic hero who was willing to bankrupt himself for the greater good.

And the Zhao family had become that villainous bully who slandered a hero and was only interested in profit.

"Patriarch, it's bad!"

The butler stumbled in, his face deathly pale.

"News just came in from the stock market."

"Affected by public opinion, the Zhao Group's stock price... has crashed!"

"In just ten minutes, it hit the limit down!"

"And... an online boycott of the Zhao family has started, and people have been throwing rotten eggs at our shops everywhere."

"Also... the military has sent a letter saying they want to re-examine the Zhao family's supply qualifications."

Zhao Haokun listened to this series of bad news and felt his vision go black.

A mouthful of blood surged up his throat.

"Pfft!"

He ultimately couldn't hold it back, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed onto the expensive carpet.

"Lin Fan..."

"I... will not coexist with you!"

Meanwhile, at the press conference.

Looking at the audience offstage who were weeping and shouting "Support Lin Fan."

Lin Fan lowered his head and wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

It looked like he was wiping away tears.

In reality, he was hiding the irrepressible, crazy upward curve of his mouth.

This wave of reverse marketing.

Not only cleared his reputation.

More importantly...

From now on, Myriad Treasures Pavilion would have a reason to raise prices.

"After all, I can't keep losing money forever, right everyone?"

Lin Fan raised his head and revealed a strong yet reluctant smile.

"Don't worry, Professor Lin! We'll buy even if you raise prices!"

"Yes! We can't let a good person suffer a loss!"

Thunderous applause erupted offstage.