197: Chapter 198 The Clown at the Charity Gala
After Tianyang Group announced its charity plan, it triggered widespread attention from all walks of society.
With Shen Bing at the helm and Su Man executing, within just one week, the first five billion in donations for the Tianyang Charity Fund had arrived, and the site selection work for the Hope Primary School in the three northwestern provinces was launched simultaneously.
To further expand its influence, Shen Bing decided to hold a charity banquet at the Victoria Hotel in Tianhai City to publicly raise funds, promising that all proceeds would be used for education and medical care in the northwestern region.
On the day of the banquet, half of the top figures in the business world of Tianhai City arrived.
Partners of Tianyang Group, heads of major car companies, heads of financial institutions, and even several vice mayors of Tianhai City were present.
Everyone knew that Tianyang Group now had military backing, and showing up to support it was a way to gild themselves.
Lin Fan was wearing a custom-made black suit, with a carefully chosen tie around his neck.
This tie had been tied by Chen Sisi herself; it was a bit too tight, making Lin Fan's neck feel a little uncomfortable, but he didn't dare to adjust it.
Shen Bing was wearing a champagne-colored evening gown; although it had only been a little over two months since she gave birth, her figure had recovered extremely quickly, with a slim waist and a confident gait.
She stood beside Lin Fan, exuding an aura of authority, and many men didn't dare to look at her a second time after just one glance.
Su Man was in charge of the public relations and proceedings for the entire event, wearing a low-cut red dress, moving through the crowd; just walking around attracted quite a few gazes.
The banquet went very smoothly.
Lin Fan went on stage to deliver a speech, briefly introduced the plans for the Tianyang Charity Fund, and then announced that Tianyang Group would donate an additional three billion for the free lunch program in the northwestern region.
Thunderous applause broke out below the stage.
But just as Lin Fan walked off the stage, an uninvited guest burst in.
This person was Ma Dejiang, the chairman of the largest real estate company in the East China region—Shengqiang Group.
He was in his fifties, pot-bellied and greasy, with a shiny forehead and "I have money" written all over his face.
Ma Dejiang was one of the invited guests for this banquet, but he didn't come here to donate; he was here to cause trouble.
Shengqiang Group had recently competed with Tianyang Group for a plot of land; Ma Dejiang had bid eight billion, but Tianyang Group had won the land with a bid of ten billion.
Ma Dejiang felt he had lost face and had been brooding over it ever since.
Ma Dejiang walked to the front desk and snatched the microphone from the host's hand.
"Everyone! Everyone, don't applaud yet!" Ma Dejiang shouted at the top of his lungs, a sarcastic smile on his face.
"Chairman Lin, you donate three billion today and five billion tomorrow. I'd like to ask, where does all this money come from? How long has your Tianyang Group even been established? An upstart that makes batteries, where do you get so much cash flow? Could it be that you're using bank loans to do charity?"
The whole venue suddenly went quiet.
Everyone focused their attention on Lin Fan.
Lin Fan was holding a glass of red wine, chatting with the head of a car company; hearing Ma Dejiang's words, he stopped talking and turned his head.
He was not angry; there was even a hint of a smile on his lips.
Shen Bing stood not far away, her eyes turning cold.
She gave Su Man a look, and Su Man immediately took out her phone and started operating it.
Lin Fan placed his wine glass on the table nearby and slowly walked toward the front desk.
"Mr. Ma, long time no see." Lin Fan walked up to Ma Dejiang, his voice not loud, but clear enough for the whole venue to hear.
"You are concerned about where my money comes from, which shows that you are very interested in Tianyang Group. However, what I am more curious about is that in your Shengqiang Group's tax return last year, there was an income of three billion; how did it vanish into thin air in the annual report?"
Ma Dejiang's smile froze.
Lin Fan continued, "Also, regarding the demolition project on that plot of land in the southern part of Tianhai City, I heard that there are still three holdout families living on the construction site to this day. Your head of security pushed an old lady from one of the families to the ground last month, injuring her tailbone. Do the reporters in Tianhai City know about this?"
The reporters below the stage suddenly perked up, pushing forward with their cameras.
Ma Dejiang's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver. He pointed at Lin Fan, his fingers trembling. "You... stop slandering people here! Do you have any evidence?"
Lin Fan glanced at Su Man.
Su Man smiled and walked to the front desk, opened a file on her phone, and projected it onto the big screen.
A surveillance video appeared on the screen. In the video, the head of security for Shengqiang Group was clearly pushing an old lady in her seventies, and the old lady fell to the ground wailing. There were several workers next to them clapping and cheering.
The time, location, and people involved were all clearly visible.
Immediately after, a second document appeared—an excerpt from Shengqiang Group's financial audit report from the past three years.
Several key figures were circled in red. These numbers were clearly problematic; anyone who had studied accounting could see the trickery.
There was an uproar in the venue.
Ma Dejiang stood there as if struck by lightning, his hands and feet icy cold.
The reporters' camera flashes flickered frantically.
Lin Fan walked up to Ma Dejiang, patted his shoulder, and said in a tone that was light but loud enough for everyone to hear, "Mr. Ma, today is a charity banquet, and I don't want to make things too ugly. You have two choices now. First, donate one billion on the spot, and I will delete these things, and we will call it even. Second, tomorrow morning you will see this content on the front page of every newspaper in Tianhai City. Which one do you choose?"
Ma Dejiang's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but he looked at the menacing reporters below the stage, then looked at the damning video on the big screen, and instantly lost his nerve.
"One... one billion?"
"One billion." Lin Fan smiled, "It's not much. You don't even know where those three billion went, so you should be able to come up with one billion, right?"
Ma Dejiang nodded stiffly and signed the donation agreement with a trembling hand.
One billion.
Thunderous applause erupted below the stage.
Those who had just watched Ma Dejiang jump out to provoke were now all clapping.
Some people were even whispering—
"This Ma Dejiang must have had his brain kicked by a donkey, running to Tianyang Group's turf to cause trouble."
"One billion, this charity banquet is simply Ma Dejiang's Waterloo."
"Look at Chairman Lin's expression; he's as calm as if he's teaching kindergarteners."
Ma Dejiang signed the document dejectedly and walked out of the banquet hall without looking back.
He sat in the back seat of his rolls-royce, his eyes bloodshot, and punched the car door.
"Lin Fan! You just wait!"
His secretary asked cautiously, "Mr. Ma, should we find someone to..."
"Find someone my ass!" Ma Dejiang roared, but immediately deflated again, "Forget it... He has military backing; I can't afford to offend him. Go back and settle the accounts for that one billion; from now on, steer clear of Tianyang Group!"
The charity banquet continued.
Stimulated by Ma Dejiang, the "living target," other entrepreneurs present opened their wallets generously.
Some donated one hundred million, some donated fifty million, and the least donated two million.
By the time the banquet ended, Su Man tallied it up, and the total amount of donations raised that night reached—eight point seven billion.
This number shocked everyone.