Chapter 1622: Drama King
Far away in New York, the Ace of the Far East was in the middle of a serious negotiation with the U.S. government.
His left arm had also been grazed by a stray bullet. It was not particularly serious, but if the bullet had gone through the heavy soviet-style military coat, and he would be in grave danger this time.
His left hand was wrapped around his neck with a snow-white bandage. He wore a Soviet military uniform coat and stood in front of the mourning hall set up by the Soviet Consulate General in New York. He said sternly to the visiting official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States, “You must hand over the murderer and also send back the bodies of our two chiefs. They are Russians, loyal soldiers of our party and country. They should be buried in our revolutionary martyrs cemetery in Moscow.”
The American diplomat smiled awkwardly and politely, “Mr. Peter, there is something fishy about this matter. Please believe us. We have no reason to a.s.sa.s.sinate them.”
“Why should we believe you?” The coldness on the Ace of the Far East’s face was so cold that it could freeze people to death. His eyes, full of mockery and disdain, were sharp and unyielding. “With your Twitter president who is so capricious? Or with your CIA’s infamous reputation in the world?”
“Mr. Peter, we understand your feelings, but please don’t insult our president.” The American diplomats couldn’t listen any longer. How could they not care about their reputation?
But with a president who tweeted every day and deleted his tweets frequently, what could they do?
They couldn’t even refute Deputy Chief Counsel Peter.
Because if they denied it, they believed that he would take out a screenshot and refute them.
The Ace of the Far East sneered and put his hands behind his back. “What’s wrong? I only said one sentence, but you can’t stand it? Your President’s reputation is more important than our Chairman’s life, right? But that’s for you.”
“And for us, the lives of our own people are much more important than your president’s reputation.” The Ace of the Far East ‘s uninjured right hand stretched forward and he said with a straight face, “If there’s nothing else, please go back.”
Among the visiting officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States, there was a diplomat who had served as a visiting professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Politics.
He was very old. His hair was silver and s.h.i.+ny, but his face was ruddy and natural. He was hale and hearty.
But now, his face was full of sorrow.
He walked to The Ace of the Far East, and he said very sincerely, “Mr. Peter, what we said is true. Mr. Yelesin and Mr. Gorbachev were my best students. They were determined to bring the advanced system of the United States into the Soviet Union. This time, we have met with them many times just to…”
“Mr. Pratini! Since they don’t believe us, we don’t need to waste any more saliva,” A medium-sized American diplomat suddenly interrupted the former visiting professor from Harvard University. “We should go.”
The very old Mr. Pratini guiltily stopped talking and said embarra.s.singly, “… Actually, them pa.s.sing away is a greater loss to us than to you.”
“What do you mean? They are state-level officials of our Soviet Union. What right do you have to say that their death is a greater loss to you?!”
The Ace of the Far East obviously caught the loophole in the former visiting professor’s words and asked without delay, “What exactly do you mean? Is what they did for the United States more important than what they did for the Soviet Union? !”
The meaning of these words,asking whether the two state-level officials of the Soviet Union were traitors, was very implicative…
“Mr. Peter, don’t talk nonsense!” The middle-sized diplomat who had stopped professor Pratini just now clearly understood the hidden meaning of the Ace of the Far East.
His face was dark, and his brows were tightly knitted. He tried his best to salvage the situation and said, “I understand your feelings. The deaths of Mr. Yelesin and Mr. Gorbachev are definitely a great loss to you, and it is also a great loss to world peace.”
“I don’t understand even more.” The Ace of the Far East stared at the middle-sized American diplomat aggressively.
If he was not wrong, this person’s true ident.i.ty should be a CIA agent. Because his vigilance and behavior habits gave him a very familiar feeling.
It was the subconscious vigilance that arose when a colleague encountered a colleague.
Of course, the Ace of the Far East’s disguise was even more powerful.
He didn’t arouse any vigilance from his American colleague. He only treated him as a diplomat sent by the Soviet Union like the heir of a rich family.
Because according to the intelligence obtained by the CIA, the Ace of the Far East, Mr. Peter, Huo Shaoheng, and his grandmother were once diplomats of the Soviet Union.
The diplomatic system of the Soviet Union was a hereditary succession system, and it was not a merit-based admission system. Therefore, these Americans completely disregarded this handsome Deputy Chief Counsel called Peter.
The American diplomat said calmly, “Because of their death, Mr. Pus.h.i.+n, has threatened to expel our diplomats, even at the cost of war. Therefore, I say that their death is a great loss to world peace.”
The Ace of the Far East sneered, then he raised his head and said, “If you hand over the body of our Chairman and send us back to Moscow with national gifts in front of the whole world, I will believe that this matter has nothing to do with your government. Otherwise, the line between war or peace will be thin!”
Wondering what was the use of this good-for-nothing asking for a state gift, the middle-sized American diplomat looked at the Ace of the Far East with disdain?
Moreover, was there a need for them to hold the bodies of the two Soviet officials?
When they were alive, they were indeed of great value, but now that they were all dead, all their value had been reduced to zero.
If they kept the bodies, it would incur the wrath of the head of the Soviet Union, Pus.h.i.+n. Perhaps they really were going to launch missiles…
The fighting nation was just that intrepid.
They were indifferent life and death. If they were not convinced, they would fight it out.
They Americans were not so reckless.
Therefore, he sighed and said, “Don’t worry, I will go back and negotiate with the people in the police station right now. I must return the bodies of your two chiefs as soon as possible. Also, I will immediately ask the president for instructions regarding the gift of national etiquette.”
The Ace of the Far East snorted arrogantly and said, “If you don’t send our Chairman back with national etiquette, I will stay here and not leave!”
A hint of disdain flashed in the eyes of the middle-sized American diplomat.
However, Peter’s next sentence made him at a loss for words.”… I still want to tweet every day and confront your president!”
The American officials were not afraid of anything at the moment. They were only afraid that the president would argue with others on Twitter…
Of course, ordinary people would not dare to argue with the President of the United States. However, those who dared to argue with the President of the United States were not ordinary people.
“Mr. Peter, please calm down! We will immediately arrange for the national ceremony!”
At this point, the American diplomats no longer had any bargaining chips to negotiate with the Soviet diplomats.
They had already lost two of their leaders. What bargaining chips could they use to negotiate with the Soviet people?
Now the whole world was blaming the Americans for their negligence, which led to the deaths of two Soviet state-level officials in foreign countries.
Under the insistence of the Ace of the Far East, the United States government could not wait to drive them away.
..
A few days later, they left New York and returned to Moscow, the Soviet Union. It was a snowy day.
The special plane from the Soviet Union landed at the New York Airport.
The military honor guard and military band sent by the United States government played the Soviet national anthem in the heavy snow. The President of the United States came to the airport with his own officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and put the coffins on the plane.
Among the flying snowflakes, only the Soviet pa.s.senger plane could take off on time.
They flew across the ocean and finally returned to Moscow after more than ten hours.
Pus.h.i.+n held a grand state funeral ceremony for the two dead officials here.
The Huaxia Empire’s television station also broadcasted the state funeral live.
Gu Nianzhi saw the coffins of the two officials buried under the flags of sickles and axes on the television. She felt an indescribable sense of absurdity in her heart.
No matter how much she watched on television, she did not see any footage of the Deputy Chief Counsel, Peter, who was said to have returned with the plane.
There was not a single scene.
..
Gu Nianzhi was a little impatient. In order to divert her attention, she stayed at home and read the internal files of the Qin Corporation’s Private Hospital that Lu Jin had downloaded for her.
Unfortunately, less than one-tenth of the files had been downloaded, so there was not much left.
And from the looks of it, there was nothing really noteworthy about it.
It had to be said that in the past few decades, the Qin Corporation’s Private Hospital had grown from a small private clinic to a large chain of private hospitals all over the world. Its internal management was very formal and strict.
She didn’t find any illegal activities either.
The only drawback seemed to be that it was too expensive.
However, expensiveness was relative to different people.
It was a private hospital, not a charity organization. Of course, it was for profit.
There was no coercion because it took two to tango.
Therefore, this could not really be said to be its drawback.
It could only be said that its managers were very business-minded. Not only did they open private hospitals to treat patients and save people, but they could also make huge profits from it. In fact, from this perspective, the Qin Corporation’s Private Hospital and the general public had a win-win relations.h.i.+p.
Gu Nianzhi concentrated on studying the information about the Qin Corporation’s Private Hospital for more than ten days, but found nothing.
After dinner that night, Gu Nianzhi did not want to look at the information anymore. She hugged her panda pillow and lay in the living room to watch TV.
Lu Jin saw that she had not gone to the study to “study” the information like she had done two days ago after dinner. He sat beside her and asked curiously, “Why didn’t you go to the study? Have you finished studying the information?”
“There’s still a little left to read, but from what I’ve seen, the Qin Private Hospital Group is very legitimate. Its management is also very high-cla.s.s. Its accounts are clear, and it abides by the law. I can’t find any loopholes.” Gu Nianzhi thumped the panda pillow in her arms in frustration.
Lu Jin smiled. “There’s no rush. This is only one-tenth of it.”
Lu Yuan walked over with a plate of fruit and placed it on the coffee table in front of Gu Nianzhi. He smiled and said, “That’s right. Such a large listed company had been in business for decades and was well-known both at home and abroad. Even if there was a loophole, how could you find it in two days? If there was such a loophole, it would have been killed in the stock market long ago.”
The capital market was just that cruel. The slightest mistake could result in being killed in the stock market.
Therefore, for-profit companies that had been in the stock market for decades, their internal management was indeed very strict.
Because if they were not strict, they would be taught a lesson by the capitalist system. The consequences would be as painful as cutting meat and breaking bones.
Gu Nianzhi sighed and felt better. She quickly nodded. “Thank you for your guidance, President Lu. If there’s anything I don’t understand about management in the future, can I ask President Lu for advice?”
“If you have any questions, we can discuss them together,” Lu Yuan said with a smile, very magnanimous and modest.
Lu Jin pursed his lips. He was a little unwilling, but he said helplessly, “Boss Lu, you can’t hide anything from me. If Nianzhi asks you anything, you have to answer honestly. You can’t play tricks on her. You can’t downplay things and fool her.”
Lu Yuan stopped smiling. He lowered his head and took a sip of the pu’er tea he had brewed. He said frankly, “In your heart, am I that kind of person?”
“Of course! You’re definitely a profiteer! Otherwise, how could our company make so much money?!” Lu Jin said happily, and his mood brightened again.
He was indeed not good at corporate management. It was all thanks to Lu Yuan’s management skills that their small Internet security company had grown so well. In just a dozen years, it had become a large listed company.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She shook her head. “Dad, are you praising or insulting President Lu? How can you say that? It’s a good thing that you and President Lu have been friends for more than a decade. If it were anyone else, they would have fallen out with you immediately.”
Lu Yuan couldn’t help laughing. He pointed at Gu Nianzhi with his finger. “You’re still speaking up for your dad. If that’s the case, wouldn’t I be too embarra.s.sed to fall out with him even if I wanted to?”
“Of course not!” Gu Nianzhi’s smile was bright. President Lu is a magnanimous person. If he was really angry, he would have cut ties with my father more than ten years ago. How could he still be a good friend and business partner until now?”
There were many people who could go through hards.h.i.+ps together, but could not share wealth and glory together.
And there were also many people who believed in “changing wives and changing friends” after getting rich.
After so many years of ups and downs, the fact that they could still be business partners and close friends was proof of their unbreakable friends.h.i.+p.
Lu Jin nodded repeatedly. “Boss Lu doesn’t have any other strengths, but he does have a good temper. No matter what, he doesn’t get angry, and he doesn’t have the time to fall out with anyone.”
Lu Yuan was exasperated by the father and daughter. He had no choice but to tap them a few times with his finger. He smiled and said, “You all already said what I was going to say. I’m all alone, so I can’t beat the two of you working together.”
Hearing this, Gu Nianzhi’s heart skipped a beat. Her dark jade-like eyes rolled around, and she pretended to be calm. She asked tentatively,”… All alone? No way, right? President Lu, you’re so outstanding, I don’t believe you don’t have a confidant!”
Lu Yuan raised his head and laughed, revealing his snow-white teeth and the delicate curve of his jaw. Although he was old, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes did not look old, but had a different kind of charm.
“Confidante? I’m already so old, how could any woman want me? Nianzhi, you think too highly of me.”
“Uncle, you must be joking. You’re in your prime. I believe that if you want, the high-quality beauties who are willing to live with you can form a long line from Erhuan to Sanhuan.”
“Only from Erhuan to Sanhuan? Nianzhi, in your eyes, Boss Lu’s charm is only that little?” Lu Jin laughed and joined in the fun. He used a small fork to fork out a golden cantaloupe and handed it to Gu Nianzhi while saying, “Open your mouth.”
Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and took a bite of the cantaloupe.
The sweet, honey-like taste made her squint her eyes and she ate with satisfaction.
After she finished eating, she wiped her mouth with a tissue. She smiled and said, “I’m talking about high-quality beauties. There aren’t many of them to begin with, so all in all, they only rank from Erhuan to Sanhuan. As for the average beauty, who wants so many troublesome romance? Isn’t that right, Boss Lu?”
Her last words were directed at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan smiled without batting an eye. He did not say a word, allowing the father and daughter to tease him.
After a while, he naturally changed the topic and said, “It’s already December, and the New Year is coming in a dozen days. Where do you want to go for the Lunar New Year this year?”
“How about going abroad for a vacation?” Lu Jin quickly said, “The Caribbean Sea? We have an island there that we can take a vacation on.”
Gu Nianzhi’s heart skipped a beat. She really wanted to agree, but what if the Ace of the Far East came looking for her when she went abroad?
She hugged her panda pillow and smiled sweetly. “It’s the New Year, so don’t go out. It’s our first Lunar New Year, so it’s better to be traditional.”
Lu Jin nodded. “Okay, okay! Just be traditional.”
He turned to look at Lu Yuan. “Boss Lu, another Buddha jumps over the wall stew for the new year?”
Gu Nianzhi giggled. As she bent over, she heard her cell phone ring. She picked it up and saw that it was the number of the Ace of the Far East.
She had saved his number as “Drama King”.