Chapter 306: Nicole Sawyer
They found a secluded room. Tai closed the door and scanned his surroundings first before raising his hand and doing a cutting gesture
Xia Fei was confused. He was now alone with Tai in the room, so he had no clue whom he was showing the gesture to.
“Military secret, unauthorized personnel should back away now,” Tai said.
Xia Fei immediately came to a realization. They were currently in the Jian family’s mansion. The room might have a secret surveillance system; thus, Tai was reminding the security not to peep at them.
Xia Fei believed the thing Tai had chosen to tell him in a place like this was not going to be any secret. As the minister of the Alliance’s ministry of military affairs, being cautious was essential for Tai, or perhaps he just did not like anyone peeping at him. Besides, even if the security of the Jian family did hear something, they would not have the guts to leak it. Any careless mistake might result in utter destruction when they were dealing with the military.
However, Tai’s alertness of his surroundings gave Xia Fei a good impression of this silver-haired general.
“The energy-s.h.i.+eld booster, which you invented, is quite effective. After the military’s evaluation, we plan to include Quantum Holdings as one of our A list suppliers. In other words, your company might still be part of the private sector, but it will be under strict management of the military. That being said, we still need the Congress’s permission and the President’s consent and signature to approve it,” Tai said in a straightforward manner.
Xia Fei was startled, yet his heart was filled with joy. Everyone knew that, if the military already gave their permission, the Congress and the President were unlikely to reject the proposal unless they had some special reasons to do so. They just had to go through the formalities. There was at least a ninety percent chance of the motion to be pa.s.sed.
Xia Fei was well-aware of how significant it was to be an A list supplier to the military. He could not help but feel excited. Even his eyes were glittering.
“Admiral Tai, I’m grateful for the military and your appreciation for Quantum Holdings. Trust me; it’s going to be the best decision you’ve made,” Xia Fei said in a neither servile nor overbearing manner. He sounded extremely calm, too.
Tai nodded. The first impression between strangers was extremely important. Xia Fei had yet to show any traits that he did not like so far. Xia Fei might be a businessman, but he did not lack the ability to stay calm and collected as a warrior.
“I was planning to have a discussion with you once things are approved officially, but since we’ve met today out of coincidence, we might as well discuss it now. I’ve always believed that talents are the most important part of a business. The leaders of a company will directly decide the fate of the business, so I’m more inclined to talk to the ones in charge of the companies that are working with the military.
“You shouldn’t feel nervous, either. It’s only going to be a few simple questions. Just tell me what you think.”
Xia Fei nodded with a smile. It felt like a leader was testing their subordinate. In some ways, Quantum Holdings had become a subsidiary of the military after it was accepted as a supplier, and Tai had become Xia Fei’s superior, too.
“First question, how are you going to increase the company’s efficiency to provide the military with the highest-quality products?” Tai asked.
Xia Fei answered after a brief ponder, “As a matter of fact, I won’t produce higher-quality products for the military, since every product we provide for the military or other clients is of the same quality. No matter who our customers are, Quantum Holdings only provides the best products. We don’t give our customers goods of poor quality.”
Xia Fei’s answer was a little out of Tai’s expectations. He frowned. “The military is the biggest irreplaceable client for you, but you won’t be providing your biggest client with the best products?”
Xia Fei said, “If I can provide the military with products of better quality, it simply means our products aren’t perfect now. Admiral Tai, the energy-s.h.i.+eld booster doesn’t have any room for improvement in the meantime since we’ve already done all we could to make it the best. If, one day, we figure out ways to improve the product, we’ll upgrade everything we have. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you’re just a normal client, everyone will be receiving products of the best quality. There are indeed discrepancies on how we serve our clients, but that’s only applicable to our rate of production to fulfill the orders. As for quality, every product is the same.
“I believe that you won’t trust a company that isn’t consistent with the quality of their products, will you? Every energy-s.h.i.+eld booster Quantum Holdings produces is of the best quality. Those that don’t meet the requirements are destroyed on the spot.”
Tai seemed to be satisfied with the response. In simpler words, Quantum Holdings would only provide products of the same quality. There were no discrepancies with the quality of a product. This clearly indicated how serious the company was treating their products.
“Second question…”
Around half an hour later, Tai and Xia Fei left the Jian family’s mansion. The crowd, who had waited for some time outside, immediately surrounded Tai like a rising tide. After all, even these authorities with formidable backgrounds did not have a lot of chances to meet the highest-ranking official in the military.
In comparison, Xia Fei was left alone on one side. The people were staring at him with strange expressions, yet none of them took the initiative to approach him. More precisely, many people were quite curious about Xia Fei, but it did not mean that they had accepted him into high society. Even now, Xia Fei still did not belong to the highest social cla.s.s in the Alliance.
Xia Fei sat in a corner and continued to enjoy the expensive champagnes. To his surprise, Nicole came over for a second time. Xia Fei was confused. He was only an acquaintance who had helped alter a pair of heels that did not fit her correctly, but she seemed to have taken a strong interest in talking to him.
Nicole sat down beside Xia Fei and took off her heels to rub the soles of her feet. It was rare for a woman not to be used to wearing heels, especially one from a wealthy background.
“Tai’s questions aren’t really difficult. Two months ago, he invited me into his office to have a talk when I just took over my family’s business. I was so nervous back then. I thought that it’s something serious,” Nicole said in a self-mocking tone.
Xie Fei asked, “You seem to know a lot?”
Xia Fei had just learned that Quantum Holdings was about to become a supplier for the military. Even Thuram, with a high position in the Adjudicator Union, did not hear anything about it. It was possible that he was kept in the dark, too, yet Nicole seemed to know everything. Xia Fei must say that the four major s.h.i.+p companies were a lot closer to the military than he imagined. It actually felt as if they were a whole organization with the military.
Xia Fei lit a cigarette. He did not answer Nicole’s question. He was still cautious around the young woman and did not want to be too close with her. Tai mentioned that he must keep the conversation between them confidential. He could not tell if Tai had sent Nicole to approach her as a spy to observe him secretly, so he strictly followed Tai’s instructions.
Nicole did not feel great when Xia Fei remained silent. She could tell that Xia Fei was not willing to talk to her. She awkwardly talked to herself for a little longer before rising to her feet. She dragged her painful legs and went back to doing the social niceties among the crowd with a natural smile.
“Congratulations! I didn’t think that the military would actually accept you as a supplier. That’s wonderful; it’ll greatly help you with your status in the Alliance. When are you going to tell Qin Mang about it?” Thuram approached Xia Fei and said softly.
Xia Fei said, “Once everything is decided. The Congress hasn’t given the permission yet.”
Thuram chuckled. “Pa.s.sing the motion through the Congress is just part of the standard protocols. They will summon you to put everything on record and ask some questions. The military might take orders from the Alliance, but it’s also a standalone department with the ability to make their decision. In simple words, the military is working for the entire Alliance instead of some ministers, so rest a.s.sured that you will be getting the s.h.i.+ny golden plaque in a few days.”
Xia Fei nodded. He asked curiously, “Who exactly is Nicole Sawyer? She’s taken the initiative to approach me twice for a conversation when I’m just sitting here. She’s been acting very strange.”
Thuram burst out laughing. “Kid, when did you become paranoid? Why do you think the beautiful lady had some ulterior motives when she’s just striking up a conversation with you?”
Xia Fei said, “Love doesn’t just happen out of nowhere, nor will anyone try to strike up a conversation for no reason, too.”
Thuram twisted his lips. He glanced at Nicole, who was talking wittily in the distance. Xia Fei noticed a hint of pity in Thuram’s eyes.
Thuram let out a heavy sigh. He emptied the gla.s.s of Hibernian malt liquor, which was quite strong, in a mouthful, then grinned after he did.
“The truth is that Nicole is a pitiful woman.”
Xia Fei was a little confused. If being born in the Sawyer family was considered pitiful, the kids who were suffering from poverty had no reason to live any longer.
Thuram asked after a pause, “Do you think Nicole and Avril are alike?”
Xia Fei thought for a moment. “Their ident.i.ties are similar. They are both the only daughters of the most powerful families in the Alliance, so they’re the successors of their family, but Avril is more naïve, like a carefree princess. while Nicole is more mature than Avril. She has a knack for doing business and is good at concealing her feelings. It’s something that Avril can’t do.”
Thuram raised his brows and said with a hoa.r.s.e voice, “There’s also another similarity between them. They had both been kidnapped. If you ever pay attention to Nicole’s wrists, you’ll see faints scars on them, which were left by the kidnappers.”
Xia Fei was startled. It explained why Nicole was wearing accessories on both her wrists. She was trying to hide the scars.
“The only difference is that you were there when Avril was kidnapped, and you did everything you could to save her, but Nicole did not have someone like you with her when she was kidnapped. She only got rescued after being tortured by the kidnappers for half a month. It left her with an indelible trauma.
“Her age, background, and what she went through was similar to Avril’s, but the difference is that Avril has you, but she doesn’t. Perhaps she’s thinking that if only there’s someone like you by her side, maybe she wouldn’t have to go through all those sufferings, which is why she’s treating you differently and is interested in talking to you more.”
The two girls were both kidnapped, yet the outcome was completely different because different people were around them. Xia Fei glanced at Nicole, who was attending to the guests on the floor, and no longer felt the need to be careful around her; instead, he could not help but feel sorry for her.
Xia Fei did not continue the topic and asked about Avril, instead. Thuram answered, “It’s kind of an unspoken rule that the host will only show up at the end. She’ll be dancing first for the night, too. It’s almost time, so I hope you’ve already practiced your steps.”
Xia Fei felt nervous. “You mean…”
Thuram burst out laughing. “Kid, you’re going to embarra.s.s yourself tonight if you don’t know how to dance.”
…
There were over ten thousand people, including the waiting staff and the bodyguards, present in this party, so the s.p.a.cious mountaintop was surprisingly crowded.
Xia Fei suddenly had a thought; what if a group of terrorists tossed a bomb on this mountain? The Alliance’s economy was going to decline for at least twenty years. After all, there were too many children and grandchildren of renowned families and authorities attending this party, and their combined wealth surely was a shocking figure.
Fortunately, there was no terrorist in their midst, unless they came from the military or the police body. The security agency was obviously treating this banquet very seriously by allocating many men around the perimeter.
Every member of the upper society would not want to miss out on the gathering, including those who were not supposed to show up. Li Mo and his father eventually showed up, and together with them were Bai Ye and Moonsong.
Li Guan was busy greeting the people he was familiar with. He seemed to be in high spirits, but Li Mo beside him seemed a little uneasy. He knew that he had already become the laughingstock in the circle after failing to win the Golden Finger Cup. The people who were covering their mouths and peeking at him were obviously talking bad about him.
Bai Ye was just like the Li family’s lackey. He was following Li Mo respectfully, while Moon Song trailed after them, looking very angry. She had her arms crossed as she exuded an overbearing aura. Moonsong’s parents were quite a distance behind, too. One could easily tell from their unnatural smiles that being able to attend the party was an honor to them, and it was all thanks to the Li family.
Li Mo saw Xia Fei in the corner first; Xia Fei raised his gla.s.s and smiled at Li Mo.
Li Mo clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. His face darkened while his eyes became filled with anger.
“Xia Fei.”
Moon Song smiled as soon as she saw Xia Fei. She grabbed the end of her dress and ran to him without caring about her image.
Moon Song punched Xia Fei heavily on the chest. “You madman, why are you here? I almost didn’t recognize you when you’re dressed up like this.”
Xia Fei took a gla.s.s of champagne from the waitress serving it and handed it to Moon Song. He smiled. “I was going to say the same thing to you.”
Moo Song wore a disgusted look. “If my money-grubber parents didn’t insist on bringing me here, I wouldn’t even bother coming, let alone hanging out with that annoying p.r.i.c.k.”
Moo Song was obviously referring to Bai Ye. Xia Fei was well aware of their situation, so he did not ask any further. After all, everyone had their own troubles.
Bai Ye came up to them angrily and pulled Moon Song away. “Moon Song, I have something to tell you.”
Xia Fei knew that Bai Ye did not want Moon Song to spend time with him. The more he tried to force Moon Song to stay away from him, the more disgusted Xia Fei felt toward him.
Xia Fei furrowed his brows and asked coldly, “What is it exactly that you can’t say to her here?”
Moon Song shoved Bai Ye away, too. “Just spill the beans here; can’t you see Xia Fei and I are talking?”
Bai Ye snarled, “What could you two possibly talk about?!”
Xia Fei grinned. “We’re talking about how much fun we had last time. Seventeen rounds in one night. We were dripping in sweat throughout the night.
“Moon Song, are you free tonight?” Xia Fei purposely asked teasingly.
Moon Song had always been bold and straightforward. She could not care less about her image at all.
“Yeah, but remember to bring more clothes this time. We’ll do some roleplaying.”
Words could no longer describe how angry Bai Ye was. He did not think that Xia Fei would act so shameless. Most importantly, Moon Song was being even more shameless than him.
Luckily, Moon Song’s parents showed up. Xia Fei still had to give them some face despite how lawless he was. The two dragged Moon Song to where the crowd was, to which she pouted to express her annoyance.
“Hmph!” Bai Ye harrumphed coldly. He looked just like a white face in a Beijing opera. His handsome face was extremely pale. He was quite angry about the farce, which Xia Fen and Moon Song had just pulled off.
It was a little interlude in this otherwise boring party. Xia Fei was alone in the corner once again after Moon Song left.
As the night sky darkened further, the party finally reached its climax.
The orchestra played elegant and lively music. The crowd suddenly turned quiet as Ernst went onto the dance floor in a tuxedo.
He was wearing a smile; even the wrinkles on his face were less p.r.o.nounced.
Avril and his father Newman were behind him.
Avril was wearing a white gown with a string of glittering white beads on her neck. She had only put on a light makeup. Her blonde hair was tied in a complicated hairstyle to set off her beautiful face.
Her smile was gentle yet confident when she greeted the guests, showing the n.o.blest etiquette as she spoke their respective dialects.
Xia Fei was stunned. Avril was as gorgeous as a fairy when she hid her naivety of a child.
She was no longer that little girl who liked to vent her anger on teddy bears but a real lady with a suffocating beauty.
Xia Fei suddenly felt that the long wait was worth it. The annoying Li Mo, the good news that Tai brought him, or the farce with Moon Song—everything was no longer important to him.
The crowd consisting of ten thousand people had become backdrop, and now, Avril was the only person in Xia Fei’s eyes. He could disregard everything except her.
“What are you waiting for?” Thuram dragged Xia Fei across the crowd and brought him to the dance floor.
Avril saw Xia Fei, too. Her face blushed right away as her eyes affixed on him, never leaving again.
Xia Fei felt as if he was in the middle of a dream. He had already known that Avril was beautiful, yet he did not expect her to be this gorgeous. It was as if a beauty like her was not supposed to belong to the mortal world.
Xia Fei could not hear Ernst’s pa.s.sionate speech, nor could he hear the applause from the crowd.
The two stared at each other as if a bridge had risen under their feet, and only the two of them were on it.
Many people had noticed their reaction. Envy, jealousy, hatred—all kinds of emotions were blossoming in their hearts. Li Mo simply had an urge to bite his teeth into pieces and swallow them. Blue veins had surfaced on his handsome face while strong fury burned in his eyes.
However, no matter how angry he was, Xia Fei and Avril simply ignored him.
When the dance music played, the main event of the party finally took place. The host would have to invite a partner to dance with her. Avril hesitated briefly before she walked to Xia Fei with her head lowered.