foundation
"One hundred and fifty billion!" The person who spoke this time was a prince from an oil-rich country, with a determined smile on his face.
Smith glanced at him, his lips curled up. He picked up the secure phone on the table, whispered something, and put it down.
"Three hundred billion."
The whole place was dead silent.
Everyone looked at Smith like he was crazy. Crazy, the world had gone completely crazy. Three hundred billion, that was almost the annual GDP of many countries!
The smile on the oil prince's face froze. He opened his mouth, then finally leaned back in his chair and stopped bidding.
"Three hundred billion, the first time." Qiao Jianmin's voice sounded at the right time.
The representatives from Country F and Country Y looked pale and they also withdrew from the competition.
"Three hundred billion, the second time."
"350 billion."
A calm voice sounded.
The entire audience's attention instantly focused on the delegation from Country D. Leading the group was Mr. Klaus, an elderly man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
He didn't care about other people's looks and just pushed his glasses calmly.
Smith turned his head suddenly and stared at Klaus, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire.
He didn't expect that the real opponent was the silent Country D.
"Four hundred billion." Smith said the number through gritted teeth.
"Four hundred and fifty billion." Klaus continued to follow slowly.
"Five hundred billion!" Smith stood up suddenly, his voice excited. His deputy quickly pulled at his clothes, signaling him to calm down.
The atmosphere in the conference hall was extremely tense.
Klaus frowned, picked up the phone, and reported in a low voice. A few seconds later, he put the phone down, shook his head slightly at Smith, and pressed the red button on the bidding machine to indicate that he gave up.
"Huh..." Smith breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. He sat down again, the back of his shirt already soaked.
"Five hundred billion, first time."
"Five hundred billion, second time."
"Five hundred billion, third time, deal."
The gavel in Qiao Jianmin's hand fell gently.
The first pill belongs to Country M.
The staff member stepped forward and respectfully handed one of the brocade boxes to Smith.
Smith carefully opened the box, and inside lay a pill the size of a longan, emitting a faint fragrance.
Just by smelling this fragrance, he felt that the fatigue and stress of the past few days had dissipated a lot.
"Now, bid on the second and final pill."
The atmosphere in the meeting hall became tense again.
With the first pill as a reference, many countries have given up.
But the remaining countries were determined to win. Especially Klaus, the representative from Country D who had just withdrawn. He sat up straighter, his eyes revealing a desperate determination.
"One hundred billion." This time it was the representative of Japan who spoke first.
"Three hundred billion." Klaus had obviously learned his lesson and didn't want to grind any further.
"Three hundred and fifty billion." A loud voice sounded. It was the representative from the northern country E, a burly man.
"Four hundred billion." Klaus didn't even look at him and continued to raise the price.
"Four hundred and fifty billion." The representative of Country E frowned. This number was already the limit.
"Five hundred billion." Klaus quoted the same price as Country M.
At this point, everyone else was out. The representative from Country E snorted heavily and gave up.
No one in the audience bid anymore. Country M had already won, and it was impossible for it to spend the same price to buy a second one.
"Five hundred billion, first time."
"Five hundred billion, second time."
"Five hundred billion, third time, deal."
The gavel came down again.
The second pill belongs to Country D.
Klaus slowly stood up and bowed to Qiao Jianmin.
The auction is over.
In just an hour, two pills were sold at a sky-high price of one trillion.
Delegations from various countries left the venue one after another with mixed feelings.
Smith and Klaus also hurried away, surrounded by security personnel.
Soon, only Qiao Jianmin and a few staff members were left in the empty conference hall.
Qiao Jianmin took a deep breath and dialed Zhong Ling's number. The phone rang for a while before it was connected.
"Comrade Zhong Ling." Qiao Jianmin's voice was a little dry, and he cleared his throat. "The auction is over."
"Um."
A simple response, clear and light.
"Total transaction volume: one trillion."
He said, waiting for the response from the other end.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and Qiao Jianmin thought the signal was cut off.
"Oh." Zhong Ling's voice finally sounded again, "Not bad."
Well enough? !
Qiao Jianmin's brain crashed.
"So, what do you think we should do with this money?" Qiao Jianmin found his voice again.
There was silence again on the other end of the phone, as if he was seriously thinking about how to deal with the money.
"How about this," Zhong Ling finally offered a solution. "You guys set up a foundation in my name and call it the Zhong Ling Foundation."
"Zhong Ling Foundation?" Qiao Jianmin was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that this was the most reasonable way to deal with the situation.
"Yes." Zhong Ling's tone became lighter. "Invest all the money in."
"Then, Comrade Zhong Ling, what is the operating direction and purpose of this foundation?" he asked quickly.
This is a trillion-dollar foundation, and we can't be careless.
Zhong Ling's voice was crisp and clear. "Give it to anyone who is short of money, in trouble, or in need of help. Orphanages, nursing homes, those who don't have money for scientific research, and those who can't afford medical treatment for the sick—just do whatever you want."
Qiao Jianmin was completely speechless.
"You're the professionals, so don't ask me how to do it." Zhong Ling added, "I only have one request."
"Please speak!" Qiao Jianmin responded immediately.
"Don't use it to do bad things, and don't let bad people take the money. Most importantly, don't let people get greedy with the money. I will always be watching."
After saying that, the voice on the other end of the phone seemed to have a hint of a smile on its face. "Okay, is there anything else? I'm hanging up now."
“No…no more.”
Beep, beep, beep...
Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Qiao Jianmin put down the phone after a long time, with a helpless expression on his face.
Then he dialed Zhou Zhenguo's number.
"minister."
"How is the auction going?" Zhou Zhenguo's anxious voice came.
"The auction proceeds totaled one trillion yuan, and then I asked Comrade Zhong Ling, and she said, let's use the money to set up a foundation in her name, called the Zhong Ling Foundation." Qiao Jianmin repeated it verbatim.
"Foundation?" Zhou Zhenguo's voice also became strange.
"Yes. The purpose is to help all those in need. She also said that she will always watch where the money goes."
"Just do as she says! Remember, be careful when selecting people. Make sure you choose someone with a clean background and good character."
"I understand, Minister," Qiao Jianmin replied. "I'll do it right away."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
