111: Chapter 111 Investment Begins

...

Bang—

Hearing the noise, Li Chengjian, who had just set foot on Molo soil and walked out of the airport entrance, was instinctively startled. He turned his head and found that a skinny kid had taken a fall. The trash bag in the boy's hand had slipped, and tin cans were clattering all over the ground.

Phew, he was being paranoid. Great Molo was the capital after all; it wasn't that chaotic. Although compared to back home, this place was like a small county town.

It was a heavy fall. The boy struggled for a while but couldn't stand up. He looked around pitifully, but no one came to help him.

Perhaps he looked too pathetic,

Looking at the boy who was about the same age as his own son, Li Chengjian, who had originally intended to leave, paused. He frowned, went over to pull him up, and said in less-than-fluent French, "Are you okay?"

The thin boy shook his head and babbled a few words that Li Chengjian couldn't understand; it was likely the local language.

Seeing that he was fine, Li Chengjian was about to turn and leave when he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged. Looking back, it was the boy, pulling at his clothes and saying a few more words.

Now Li Chengjian understood, because the boy rubbed his thumb and index finger together, making the universal international gesture for money.

Li Chengjian: ...

He'd just arrived and was already being extorted. Speechless with annoyance, Li Chengjian was about to shake him off and leave, but at that moment, several men who looked like local thugs emerged from nowhere and surrounded him.

Quick-witted, Li Chengjian grabbed a brick from the ground and looked at the group warily. He understood one principle: when dealing with these thugs, polite words wouldn't work; you had to make yourself look like someone not to be messed with.

It was the same everywhere.

At worst, he'd fight them. Li Chengjian didn't believe any random person could pull out 'the truth' (a gun). If they did... he'd just give them a bit more money.

"Come on!" Li Chengjian suddenly roared, raising the brick high as if to strike. This sudden movement made the thugs instinctively back up two steps.

Beep beep—!

While the thugs were swearing and cursing, the piercing sound of a car horn suddenly blared behind them. Several government cars with yellow license plates slammed to a halt at the roadside.

Two middle-aged men with a bureaucratic air hurried out of the cars. They were in uniform, with the chocolate skin tone most common here.

"Nyamaza haraka!"

One of them shouted at the thugs in the local language. The group immediately scattered like stray dogs that had their tails stepped on, running away in panic.

The official walked quickly to Li Chengjian, the anger on his face instantly transforming into a warm smile: "Sir, I am truly sorry you had to encounter such an unpleasant incident."

His English had a heavy French accent, but it was fairly fluent.

While Li Chengjian was wondering what was happening, he saw a young woman step out of the second car. Her long, slender legs stepped out gracefully, and her silhouette seemed to make the noisy street fall silent for a moment.

"Minister Abdul, after encountering such an incident, perhaps our cooperation should be postponed."

Xu Anqing, who had just gotten out of the car, had a look of indignation on her pretty face: "Is this the safe investment environment your country promised me? I will not allow my employees to face personal threats here."

Abdul, who had just stepped out of the other car, had fine beads of sweat on his forehead: "Ms. Xu, this was definitely an accident! Please rest assured, we will certainly catch those people and give your employee an explanation."

"Director Rahim, go and catch them," Abdul said, gesturing to the other middle-aged man.

"Yes... Yes, sir."

Isn't he perfectly fine? Rahim looked at the clearly unharmed Li Chengjian, thinking this Central Continent businesswoman was making a mountain out of a molehill. But he also understood the importance of this investment, so he nodded and gave the orders.

"Are you all right, Manager Li?"

Looking at the woman who had come before him, Li Chengjian finally realized that the person his boss said would meet him was the beautiful CEO of Third-Party Technology. She was the one who had acquired his pharmaceutical factory before. Having not seen her for a long time, her presence was even more formidable, carrying a hint of the boss's shadow.

"President Xu, I'm fine. Luckily you arrived in time."

Li Chengjian said with a smile, though he felt a bit envious in his heart. Looking at the dozen or so people behind her with the same skin tone as his, it was clearly an inspection team accompanying President Xu. Meanwhile, not only was he alone, but Lin Fang had only given him an economy class ticket. This was too much favoritism.

"That's good," Xu Anqing smiled and introduced the two men beside her to Li Chengjian: "This is Minister Abdul from the Molo Ministry of Investment, and this is Director Rahim, who is responsible for our security."

"And Mr. Li Chengjian is also one of the decision-makers for Third-Party Technology's investment this time."

The previously indifferent Abdul immediately perked up. He hurried forward to shake Li Chengjian's hand, a smile beaming on his face:

"Mr. Li, hello, hello! I am truly very sorry. We in Molo will definitely throw those bandits who tried to harm you into prison. Moreover, Mr. Li, your bravery in picking up that brick fills me with admiration. It reminds me of a Central Continent idiom..."

At this point, Abdul paused, seemingly searching for the words, then clapped his hands:

"A 'Yingxiong Haojie' (Heroic Figure)—that describes you, Mr. Li."

"You flatter me," Li Chengjian wiped his sweat. Seeing a national minister flattering him so much, he couldn't help but straighten his back. A small country was still a country; this was a highlight of his life.

He'd never experience this back home.

Furthermore... Li Chengjian noticed that this minister's skin was much lighter than the others. He had heard that in Molo, the lighter the skin, the more prestigious the status. It seemed it wasn't just a rumor.

"It's been a long journey. We have reserved luxury suites for you at the Coconut Breeze Coral Luxury Hotel on Great Molo Island. Please, this way," Abdul said, stepping aside and making a gesture of invitation.

Only then did Li Chengjian realize that Xu Anqing had also just arrived today.

He declined the invitation to ride in the same car.

The two returned to Third-Party Technology's own fleet. After getting in the car, Li Chengjian found that the person in the driver's seat looked somewhat familiar. In his memory, this person had been by the boss's side from the beginning.

The burly man driving teased, "You look familiar. How should I address you, buddy?"

Li Chengjian introduced himself.

"Zhou Hui. Just call me Old Zhou," Zhou Hui reached out a hand to shake Li Chengjian's.

The latter immediately replied with solemnity, "We're all on the same side, so just call me Old Li."

Finding each other agreeable, the two laughed heartily.

"And what about me? Old Xu?" Xu Anqing, sitting in the back, raised an eyebrow with a mischievous look on her face.

Li Chengjian was aghast:

"President Xu, that's between us two men, please don't..."

On the way, they talked about what Li Chengjian had encountered earlier. The latter waved his hand and said with a look of bad luck, "Don't mention it. It's just my own meddling hands."

Xu Anqing looked at the government car in front of them thoughtfully, "Perhaps soft-hearted people are more easily bullied by others."