Scheming Behind the Scenes

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Just as Nie Yun thought Chu Xiaoxiao was about to blow a fuse, she finally spoke.

"Is it that friend of yours again? The one who builds aircraft carriers and can summon warships?" Chu Xiaoxiao probed.

"Uh, ahem! Actually, he originally didn't want me to tell anyone, but since you've already guessed it, I won't hide it from you. Yes! It's that guy! He just has to mess around with such dangerous things, look at the trouble this has caused!" Nie Yun took the opportunity to step down from the ledge, decisively distancing himself from the situation!

Chu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. Being able to build aircraft carriers, summon warships, and now even get his hands on nuclear fuel—why doesn't that friend of yours just fly to the moon!

"Ahem! Forget it if you can't, I was just asking casually!" Nie Yun said cautiously.

"It's not necessarily impossible, it's just that this matter is too bizarre. I need time to digest the amount of information involved..."

Chu Xiaoxiao felt a headache coming on; this kind of thing was simply challenging the limits of her perception.

"Alright! Take your time digesting it. But my friend said he doesn't want money for his goods; he wants to trade in kind!"

"Hmm? What does he want to trade for?"

"High-tech products, especially military-industrial goods and weapons equipment. Even if they're second-hand, as long as they contain world-class cutting-edge technology, he wants them!"

Nie Yun was incredibly shrewd. After the internet opened his eyes, he immediately planned to scavenge the Earth's top technology. If he could draw inferences about other cases, perhaps he could even build a nuclear-powered generator?

Even if he couldn't, upgrading and replacing the Sea Wolf would be a very worthwhile endeavor!

As the greatest fisherman, one must have the greatest ride!

He had just learned that over 90% of the world's most cutting-edge technology was applied in the military industry, while civilian applications were relatively 5 to 10 years or even longer behind.

Since the Sea Wolf was to be used, it had to be the best, so military-industrial products became Nie Yun's first choice!

As for money? Nie Yun could now say quite domineeringly, "To me, that's just a number!"

"What? Military-industrial products? Weapons and equipment? Your friend isn't involved in the arms trade, is he?" Chu Xiaoxiao asked suspiciously.

Indeed, aircraft carriers, warships, and nuclear fuel were inseparable from the military industry, so it was no wonder Chu Xiaoxiao would make such a connection.

"Um, ahem! Something like that!" Nie Yun said vaguely.

"Then how much stock can he provide?"

"Large quantities and plenty to go around! Oh, no, I mean, as much as you need!"

"Hiss~" Chu Xiaoxiao gasped. How much confidence must one possess to dare say such a thing?

If she knew his thoughts, Nie Yun would probably reply with a chuckle, "I am a man who sits upon the four seas!"

The uranium required by humanity was merely a drop in the bucket for the entire ocean, let alone for just one Rabbit Country. How high could the demand possibly be? Nie Yun was indeed speaking with full confidence.

"Hmm... this matter is too big. I have to mobilize my staff to investigate before I can give you an answer. After all, our group has never handled such... such niche business before." Chu Xiaoxiao didn't sound very confident when she said this.

Indeed, doing business involving nuclear fuel—could it be considered anything but niche? What normal enterprise would dare touch this stuff?

Uh, that doesn't seem right either. It should be: what normal enterprise could even get their hands on this stuff? The trade of nuclear fuel must be a dialogue at the national level; what enterprise would have the qualifications to participate in it?

"Alright, then I'll wait for your news. By the way, there's one more small favor I need you to do."

"Hmm? Go ahead."

"Do you remember the three people who kidnapped you the first time?"

"Yes, of course I remember." A look of recollection appeared in Chu Xiaoxiao's eyes; how could she ever forget that experience?

"Ahem! It's the two remaining ones among them, they..."

Chu Xiaoxiao put down the phone, her head still feeling a bit dizzy.

I just wanted to make a call to express my gratitude and, incidentally, feed Nie Yun some chicken soup for the soul to make him a little more ambitious and stop thinking about being a fisherman all day. How did things suddenly turn out like this?

Nuclear fuel trading? Chu Xiaoxiao's heart began to beat violently.

Her keen business sense allowed her to discover the huge business opportunity immediately. Relatively speaking, the matter of Desperate Erlang was completely insignificant.

Chu Xiaoxiao immediately notified the group's intelligence chief to come see her at once and issued several orders to the secretary outside the door.

Once things were arranged, Chu Xiaoxiao thought about how she had just tried to subtly help Nie Yun in the name of cooperation, and she suddenly felt a bit dejected.

That young man didn't seem to need her help at all; every time, it was she who ended up being the one helped.

When Chu Xiaoxiao was thinking about Nie Yun and went to discuss this big deal with Chu Feng, she hadn't even reached Chu Feng's office before she heard her mother's angry questioning from inside.

"What is wrong with you people! We are about to sign a long-term supply agreement, and you notify us to cancel the cooperation only now? How are we supposed to explain this to our clients!"

"Chairwoman Chu! There's nothing we can do about it. Our company just happened to run into a few accidents, so..."

"I don't care what your reason is! If your company insists on going its own way, then from now on, you will be recorded on the Chu Group's corporate blacklist, and there will never be another opportunity for cooperation!"

"Sigh, since Chairwoman Chu has put it that way, I can only express my regrets. Goodbye!"

The office door opened, and a pot-bellied middle-aged man in a suit walked out with a smug smile on his face.

After the man walked away, Chu Xiaoxiao entered the office and saw Chu Feng panting with rage.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Xiaoxiao, you're here!" Seeing her precious daughter, Chu Feng calmed her emotions and squeezed out a smile.

"Yes, I heard everything. What happened?"

"Sigh! For some reason, several domestic suppliers we partner with have terminated their contracts with us one after another. Several of our orders, for which sales contracts had already been finalized, are now stuck due to supply issues! If we can't resolve this quickly, our reputation will suffer significantly, which is extremely detrimental to our expansion into overseas markets."

Chu Xiaoxiao frowned. Just as she was about to speak, a secretary rushed in from outside, looking flustered as she entered: "Chairwoman Chu, several of the import and export companies we acquired have received investigation notices from customs almost simultaneously. They claim that because of the change in legal representatives, our import and export qualifications need to be re-investigated and verified! Until the investigation concludes, these companies are prohibited from engaging in any import and export trade!"

"What?!" Chu Xiaoxiao and Chu Feng exclaimed in shock.

All the paperwork had been perfectly in order when the legal representatives were changed, so how could a problem arise only now? And it had to be our critical import and export qualifications, of all things?!

"Mom, someone is pulling strings behind our backs!" Chu Xiaoxiao realized quickly.

"Riyao Group!" Chu Feng's eyes turned icy, and she spat out the words one by one.