My whole family is involved in diplomacy, so you dare to flex your muscles?

Gu Yun's words, "not for eavesdropping," were like a needle, instantly puncturing the giant balloon on stage called "unity."

Pierre's pride froze, and he subconsciously touched his pocket, where his cell phone was.

Scott, the representative of the United States sitting next to him, suddenly felt his eyelids twitch and his eyes began to dart around, avoiding Pierre's gaze.

"Mr. Gu... what do you mean by this?" Pierre tried to remain calm.

"Please do not use such baseless conspiracy theories to sow discord between us and our allies."

Our trust is built on shared democratic values!

"Completely unfounded?" Gu Yun raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly as if chatting with an old friend. "Mr. Pierre, have you noticed your phone battery draining particularly quickly lately?"

There is occasional static during calls?

Or, when you're reporting to the Élysée Palace, do you always feel like there's a pair of ears listening in?

Pierre's expression changed.

Believe it or not, this actually happens.

But he absolutely cannot admit it.

"That's nonsense! Our communications are encrypted at the highest level!"

"Encryption?" Gu Yun scoffed. "In front of 'Prism,' in front of the world's largest hacker empire, so-called encryption is nothing more than a thin layer of paper."

He turned to look at Scott, his eyes full of mockery.

"Mr. Scott, why don't you explain to Mr. Pierre why your NSA has surveillance files specifically targeting allied leaders?"

Why is even Ms. Merkel's private phone on your listening list?

Scott jumped to his feet like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "This is slander! It was...it was for counterterrorism! To protect our allies! We need comprehensive information to deal with potential threats!"

"Oh—" Gu Yun drawled, looking as if he had just realized something. "So, listening to our allies' private lives, and even their trade secrets, was to protect them."

This method of protection is truly...unique.

Gu Yun stood up, walked up to Pierre, and looked at the embarrassed Frenchman.

"Pierre, you just said that you have a two-hundred-year-old friendship."

"Then I'd like to ask, how was your Alstom company, hailed as the 'jewel in the crown of French industry,' dismantled a few years ago?"

Pierre's pupils contracted instantly. This is a wound that will forever remain in the hearts of the French.

"Let me help you recall." Gu Yun's voice was not loud, but every word was piercing. "Your allies first used legal means to arrest your senior executives and put them in prison to exert pressure."

Then, using its long-arm jurisdiction, it forced you to sell your core business to their General Electric.

In the end, you not only lost the technology and the market, but you also made money for others.

"Is this what you call 'friendship'?" Gu Yun shook his head, a hint of pity in his voice. "This isn't an ally, this isn't being exploited. This isn't protection, this isn't collecting protection money."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

In the Western audience, many French and Europeans began to whisper among themselves.

The Alstom case was big news in Europe. Although the authorities tried to suppress it, the public had their own opinions.

Now that Gu Yun had exposed his wounds in public, the sense of humiliation surged up instantly.

[Holy crap, Gu Ge is stabbing a major artery! The Alstom case is downright robbery, how can the French tolerate this?]

This is what happens when you're a dog; your owner has to cut off a piece of meat to feed you when you're hungry. Pierre was all proud just a moment ago, but now his face has turned green.

Scott's explanation was too weak. Eavesdropping on allies for counterterrorism? That reason only fools idiots.

[Brother Gu's divisive tactic was brilliant. He went straight for the interests involved, needing no fancy words, just presenting the facts.]

Watching them fight like dogs, the melon in my hand suddenly tasted even sweeter.

Pierre's face turned a deep purplish-red. He turned to look at Scott, his eyes no longer filled with trust, but with suspicion and anger.

"Scott... about Alstom, although it was a business dispute, but..." Pierre tried to save face.

"No buts!" Scott exclaimed anxiously. The alliance absolutely couldn't fall apart now. "Pierre, don't listen to his nonsense! It's a normal business merger!"

Moreover, we are now facing a threat from China! We must unite!

"Unity?" Gu Yun laughed. "Unity means you have to buy their natural gas at four times the price they pay domestically?"

This last blow was even more devastating.

Gu Yun turned around and looked at the group of European representatives.

"Everyone, winter is coming soon. I heard that your natural gas reserves are not very high? The Nord Stream pipeline was blown up. We all know who did it, although no one dares to say it."

"Now, you can only buy liquefied natural gas from that 'blood is thicker than water' ally."

A shipload of gas, transported from across the Atlantic, quadrupled in price.

Your people are freezing, your factories are shutting down, while your allies are counting money until their hands cramp.

Gu Yun spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

"Is this your 'common interest'?"

Is this what you call "unbreakable"?

If this counts as love, then it's far too expensive.