Chapter 1568: A Hongmen Banquet?

"Are you serious?" Chantal glanced at the pistol on the coffee table, frowning slightly as she warned: "If you're shipping this kind of thing, are you sure you can open up the shipping channels?"

"That's why I said 'I need twenty transport planes,' not that I want to buy twenty transport planes."

Li Xuewu seemed to have found his footing, spreading his hands as he emphasized: "We have a fixed buyer."

"A fixed buyer?" Chantal looked at him with amusement, still feeling this was a joke, that he was just being stubborn and using a little trick to set an exorbitant price.

But as she laughed, the smile faded; Li Xuewu's expression remained extremely serious.

"Who? Who would dare to be so blatant?"

Chantal asked with a frown: "Twenty transport planes used to ship weapons—do you know what that implies? I don't recall hearing that a war has broken out anywhere."

"Fine, fine, fine. Even if the twenty transport planes you want aren't all used for this."

Seeing Li Xuewu about to speak, she closed her eyes and waved her hand, preemptively emphasizing: "Are you sure you have enough cargo to satisfy such a massive transport capacity?"

"How many tons of cargo can a standard transport plane carry on a single standard flight?"

Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, counting on his fingers as he calculated for her: "What type of transport plane can you get? C-160? Your French product."

"Then let's calculate based on the C-160's standard payload. What is the commercial flight standard? 16 tons at most, right?"

He chuckled and said: "The Red Star Arsenal's flagship products over the past few years, including the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, Type 56 automatic rifle, Type 56 light machine gun, Type 57 heavy machine gun, and the best of all, the Type 66 precision marksman rifle."

"The rifle weighs about 4 kilograms, the light machine gun about 7 kilograms, and the heavy machine gun 30 kilograms."

Li Xuewu spread his hands and said to Chantal: "In other words, excluding packaging and other necessary payload, if we only calculate rifles, we could carry at most 4,000. I didn't calculate that wrong, did I?"

"What if we include ammunition?"

He shook his head and smiled: "That's all the capacity you get for a single long-distance transport."

"4,000 rifles?" Chantal didn't know much about weapons; she hadn't even fired a gun.

However, she was not ignorant of war; at the very least, she knew what 4,000 rifles meant for the stability of a region.

How did Li Xuewu calculate that just now?

That's right, that was just the weight of the empty guns, without ammunition, without packaging, and certainly without any other extra necessary payload.

The French-made transport plane, which is currently in service in France, is the C-160.

Maximum payload 16 tons, maximum takeoff weight 51 tons, maximum airdrop weight 8 tons, top speed 593 kilometers per hour, maximum range 8,858 kilometers.

"That's right, 4,000 rifles."

Li Xuewu nodded affirmatively, confirming: "And it's not just 4,000 rifles."

Of course, it wasn't just 4,000 rifles; there were light machine guns, heavy machine guns, and other weaponry and equipment.

If the Red Steel Group also included the "Tantu" military combat vehicles and other equipment currently under research and testing in the shipping mission, his request for 20 transport planes wouldn't be excessive at all; in fact, the capacity might even be a bit tight.

As Li Xuewu just mentioned, wanting transport planes wasn't just for shipping weapons and equipment; there were commercial uses as well. From Liaodong to Hong Kong, there would henceforth be a faster cargo transport channel.

"If you have the channels, it would be even better if you could get an An-12." Li Xuewu looked at Chantal with burning eyes: "I know the North is developing a new type of large transport plane and is preparing to replace the currently deployed An-12 transport model."

He leaned forward slightly, tapping the coffee table in front of him: "Seeking a purchase channel for second-hand transport planes at this time is appropriate."

"Why do you want an An-12?"

Chantal hadn't actually prepared to agree to Li Xuewu's request just like that, but that didn't stop her from reminding him that she was, after all, French, and supporting domestic products was a must, right?

"Of course, I certainly don't look down on the C-160. Getting either one would be great."

Li Xuewu pointed his finger at Chantal and smiled: "Aren't you also developing a new transport model? The C-160 is actually outdated, right?"

"..." Chantal narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at him, and said softly: "Sometimes I really suspect you aren't just a business manager."

"I absolutely have reason to suspect that."

She felt that the tone of her statement wasn't strong or serious enough, so she added, "Absolutely."

"Please rest assured, I have no ill intent."

Li Xuewu pressed his palm down, signaling her not to be nervous, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and explained with a smile: "You should understand my background and connections; it's quite reasonable to obtain this kind of inconsequential intelligence."

"How is that reasonable—" Chantal looked at him speechlessly: "It's not reasonable at all!"

"The last time you told me the Jaguar was about to go online, I should have suspected you then."

She twitched the corner of her mouth, staring into Li Xuewu's eyes with a warning tone: "Li, you must not let me down, and even more so, do not put me in an awkward position. It was I who chose you."

"What else can I say?"

Li Xuewu sighed regretfully and said: "The most important thing between people is trust, and between a man and a woman, trust is even more necessary."

"You can't even trust me—" Chantal rolled her eyes at him, pouting: "And you want me to trust you?"

"But every word I say is true."

Li Xuewu said earnestly: "The intelligence I can obtain is absolutely related to business."

"And it's through my own channels."

He emphasized specifically: "I also have friends and my own channels for expanding information. Isn't this a necessary means of business management and operation?"

"I believe you must also have your own sources of information in the Mainland, right? Not just the Foreign Affairs Office."

"What are you trying to say?"

Chantal was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; she frowned and was about to stand up to refute him, but seeing his smiling, silent expression, she suppressed the nameless fire in her heart.

"You were the one who said we should trust each other."

She raised her chin, gestured to the pistol on the coffee table, and looked at Li Xuewu: "You aren't even willing to tell me where these so-called weapons of yours are going to be shipped."

"Of course I can tell you."

Li Xuewu spread his hands with the expression of a scumbag and retorted: "But is there any meaning in me saying it?"

"Right now, what you need to consider is whether you can get the transport planes I want, and think seriously about whether you want to do the shipping business."

He reached out and tucked the M1911 back into the holster at his waist, saying calmly: "This is no small investment, and the project is a bit large. I can give you time to consider, but it won't be a very long time."

"Furthermore, I said I wanted the An-12 transport plane because its commercial payload is 4 tons more than the C-160."

No matter how Chantal viewed him, he still spoke calmly: "And the An-12 is cheaper."

"What you want isn't a transport plane at all."

Chantal hit the nail on the head regarding his little scheme, narrowing her eyes slightly and saying bluntly: "You want a transport channel structured with a third party."

"It has nothing to do with you, the Red Steel Group, or the Mainland. It's just a third party that can take the fall at any time, right?"

She raised an eyebrow and said: "That way, your factory's weapons can 'fly' continuously to that place you mentioned, and then 'bang, bang, bang'!"

Chantal was a bit playful, yet also seriously amused, using her fingers to mimic the sound of gunfire.

Seeing her like this, Li Xuewu couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, saying helplessly: "It's not quite like that."

"Hehe—" Chantal gave him a look that said, 'I really believe that,' and rolled her eyes: "You want the Santaya Group to take the fall for you?"

"In our language, that's called 'endorsing'." Li Xuewu nodded, emphasizing the wording.

But seeing the look in Chantal's eyes, he explained with a dry laugh: "I didn't say I wanted the Santaya Group to bear this risk and responsibility."

He tapped the armrest of Chantal's sofa with his finger and leaned in to whisper: "Don't you have many partners in Southeast Asia..."

"Oh, so you don't want to screw us."

Chantal understood his meaning, glanced at Li Xuewu, and said: "You want to screw our partners. Is this what you call 'destroying your own foundation'?"

"Look, I said your Chinese could be learned well. How could such a smart and beautiful lady not learn Chinese well?"

Li Xuewu suggested with a chuckle: "There's absolutely no need for sole shareholding. Cross-shareholding or third-party nominee holding is also possible."

"For example, the Oriental Era Bank."

He raised an eyebrow and said: "The preparation of the Tadong Airport still needs time, and building the shipping channel also needs time. At this time, acquiring an outbound transport company and operating the business globally—I think in a year or two, it would just..."

"Do you want to consider it again?"

Chantal also leaned forward, staring at him at close range: "I will help you and your family settle in France. Everything is not a problem, as long as you come to be the Vice President of the Santaya Group."

"I sincerely thank you for your appreciation and trust."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly: "Actually, I'd rather be the President. Let's forget about being Vice President."

"Tsk—" Chantal raised her eyebrows, sat up straight again, and said lightly: "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse me. This invitation is valid for a long time."

She still glanced at Li Xuewu lingeringly and emphasized: "I reserve the right to add conditions. What if one day you change your mind?"

"Of course, no problem." Li Xuewu spread his hands with a smile: "Whenever you 'change your mind,' you can also come find me. I am willing to help you solve your problems."

Chantal didn't quite understand what Li Xuewu's wicked smile meant, but she knew it definitely wasn't anything good.

"Let's talk about the shipping company later."

She put down the teacup in her hand and said: "I'm tired. I'll go back to rest first. Let's have dinner together tonight."

"Of course, even if you didn't say it." Li Xuewu stood up with her, gesturing with his hand: "My treat."

"Of course it's your treat—" Chantal couldn't help but place her hand on his chest and pat it lightly, her gaze wandering.

You couldn't blame her; Li Xuewu, wearing only a white shirt, couldn't hide his great physique at all.

Paired with that face full of extreme masculine charm, a middle-aged woman of Chantal's age had absolutely no resistance. The fact that she didn't lose her composure meant she was already very professional.

"Then see you tonight."

Ultimately, she had to uphold etiquette; she couldn't perform a "dragon drinking water" in Li Xuewu's office—that would be too crazy.

Li Xuewu could only endure being taken advantage of by the other party. Who told him she was a rich woman? He had to wait until he got his hands on the 20 transport planes before emphasizing their respective identities.

"Secretary Zhang, send Ms. Chantal to the Qianshan Sanatorium and Reception Hotel for me."

It was still the Qianshan Sanatorium and Reception Hotel. The Red Steel Group only had one guesthouse in the industrial zone. Although the conditions were quite good, they were not enough to satisfy foreign businessmen like Chantal.

Before, there was no way around it; conditions were limited, and whoever came had to stay at the Metallurgical Plant Guesthouse.

Now it was different. The Qianshan Sanatorium was newly built, designed by the design team of the United Construction Corporation, and the environment was naturally quite extraordinary.

Furthermore, Chantal's identity was sensitive, and staying at the guesthouse was indeed inconvenient. This arrangement was better.

Zhang Enyuan also thought so. If the representative of the Sanhe Stock Company had been arranged at the Metallurgical Plant Guesthouse last time, the leader's "three punches" would definitely have been known to everyone.

The sanatorium was better; if anything happened, it would be easier to handle.

Wang Yajuan, who had just come upstairs, thought the same.

"Did you reach an agreement?" Watching Li Xuewu accompany that French woman downstairs and then seeing him come upstairs alone, Wang Yajuan glanced out the window and followed him into the office.

"It's not that easy. Is this child's play?"

Li Xuewu picked up the drawings from the coffee table, put them back on the desk, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at her: "Why didn't I see you wearing that red sweater from last time?"

"Is that any of your business—" Wang Yajuan rolled her eyes at him with a blushing face: "You control what I wear too."

"Who's controlling you?" Li Xuewu said with amusement: "I just think that sweater suits you especially well."

"Eww—" Wang Yajuan didn't know how she felt inside, but she muttered with her mouth: "Smooth talker."

"Heh—" Li Xuewu just chuckled, sat behind the desk, and asked: "Something up?"

"Nothing, just came to see you."

Wang Yajuan checked the time on her hand and said: "It's almost lunchtime. Nothing much."

"Then help me tidy up the place."

Li Xuewu unscrewed his fountain pen, lowered his head to write, and pointed casually at the coffee table in the sofa area opposite: "Enyuan went to Qianshan."

Hearing him mention the two words "Qianshan," for some reason, Wang Yajuan suddenly felt a numbness throughout her body.

For no reason, she glared at Li Xuewu, but obediently turned to tidy up the teacups.

"Do I owe you something?" That's what she said, but she did it very seriously.

Li Xuewu ignored her. The fountain pen in his hand didn't stop; he was going to turn the conversation he just had with Chantal into a written report to submit to Li Huai De.

Although the Red Steel Group, with the convenience of its foreign trade qualifications, had been specially approved by the Foreign Affairs Office to be exempt from the "escort" procedure in foreign cooperation, especially during meetings with foreign businessmen, the Red Steel Group had also formulated relevant work regulations.

The relevant work regulations and requirements formulated by the Red Steel Group for foreign contact and meetings were stricter and more detailed than those of the Foreign Affairs Office, such as the written report after the meeting.

Industry standards being higher than basic standards was the most basic requirement.

The written report he submitted would be reviewed by Li Huai De, the director of the Management Committee, and kept by the Confidential Section.

If there were ever a retrospective investigation, this would be the evidence.

"Tell me, those two from Sanhe..."

Wang Yajuan walked to Li Xuewu's side, leaned her hands on the pile of documents on the desk, leaned over slightly, and asked softly: "Will they do as you said?"

"Do they have any other choice?"

Li Xuewu said without raising his head: "Anyway, I didn't force them, and I don't want to get involved with them at all."

"You shouldn't be overly concerned about this matter either."

Having said this, he looked up and pointed at her, emphasizing: "As long as there is action, there will definitely be traces."

"Got it—" Wang Yajuan pursed her lips and said: "I'm not stupid."

"Besides, what does this have to do with me."

She sized Li Xuewu up and said: "I'm just afraid your will isn't firm enough and you'll fall into their trap."

"What trap? My will isn't firm?"

Li Xuewu gave her an amused look, lowered his head to continue writing, but said: "You underestimate me too much."

"Stop bragging—" Wang Yajuan twitched the corner of her mouth and muttered: "Even I could..."

"Cough, cough—" Seeing her talking nonsense, Li Xuewu looked up and glared at her, coughing lightly: "If there's nothing else, go eat. Don't go hungry."

"Are you telling me not to meddle in other people's business?"

Wang Yajuan widened her eyes and snorted: "Good intentions treated like a donkey's liver and lungs. If I go out to eat with you again, I'm a dog!"

(Woof! Woof! Woof!)

Li Xuewu was treating Chantal to dinner that night, so naturally, he couldn't go alone, and there weren't many people he could bring.

So Wang Yajuan was called downstairs by him to get into the car before she even got off work. Hearing that they were going to Qianshan for dinner again, she almost panicked.

Meeting again at Qianshan under the moon, was she going to break her word and call herself a dog?

Liar! Liar! Big liar!

It was useless. Yu Zhe was driving, and Wang Yajuan sat in the back seat, not daring to glare openly at Li Xuewu sitting beside her.

She didn't even dare to question him loudly, only muttering in her heart countless times that he was a big liar.

This "dog" didn't count as her breaking her word, because she hadn't intended to go out to dinner with him; she had been tricked into coming down by him.

"Yu Zhe, how are things going with your partner?"

Li Xuewu couldn't escape the little glances Wang Yajuan kept stealing at him, so he used Yu Zhe as a shield.

Yu Zhe couldn't help but put on a mask of pain, stuttering: "Pretty... pretty good."

He had been in a pretty good mood today. They were both men; why did the leader have to make things difficult for him?

"When are you going to bring your partner over?"

Seeing him stutter, Li Xuewu felt much better and looked out the window: "A man should marry when he's grown, and a woman should marry when she's grown. You should also start a family."

The speaker had no intention, but the listener did.

In Wang Yajuan's view, he was doing it on purpose, saying it on purpose for her to hear.

What did this bastard mean?

Eat it all up, wipe his mouth, and then refuse to acknowledge it?

Although she had never fantasized about the two of them continuing their past relationship, when the time came, it was just a natural progression.

She didn't even dare to mention the future to Li Xuewu, fearing he would feel pressured or be forced to make a choice or decision.

Wang Yajuan knew that besides being his "past," she was useless compared to his current lover and had no chance of winning.

Then why compare? Better not to mention it.

Some might say she was his "past" after all.

What did "past" count for? Had he had few "pasts"?

"Um... yes... um..."

Yu Zhe seemed like a mute who couldn't speak, humming and hawing in response, but it didn't sound very pleasant.

"Is Master Yu's partner from Beijing?"

Wang Yajuan didn't want to talk to him, so she looked at Yu Zhe in the driver's seat and asked: "Is she also from our group?"

"That... no, she's from our village."

Yu Zhe really wanted to jump out of the car and leave. The two people in the back hadn't spoken since they got in, and they were halfway there, yet they were both using him as a topic of conversation. Who could stand that?

"Ah, so it's childhood sweethearts."

Seemingly pointing at something, Wang Yajuan glanced at her side and twitched the corner of her mouth: "How nice."

"..." Yu Zhe was speechless. What was nice about it?

In the past, the village had a small population, and the villages weren't connected, so the two families weren't very close.

Later, the population grew, and the village divided up housing and homesteads, so the two villages were connected, becoming a large village.

To say he was childhood sweethearts with that partner wouldn't be an exaggeration. The two were classmates in elementary school, and later the other party went to middle school, while he graduated from elementary school and went home to farm.

If it weren't for having a good sister, he wouldn't have had the chance to marry that strong-willed girl.

It's just that she looked down on him when they were little, and guess what? She still looked down on him now!

It wasn't that he didn't know how the villagers were talking about him behind his back, talking about his sister.

His father, Yu Bao Dong, didn't have a very good reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages; he couldn't be considered a good person.

People liked to gossip, and they could even argue from the roots.

He knew how ugly the things they said about his sister were, but his father also said those people were just jealous.

His sister Yu Li divorced less than a year after marrying into the East City. The Yan family didn't have no connections in the village, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to marry Yu Li. Could good words have come from the Yan family?

At first, it was just speculation. Someone who divorced less than a year after marriage must have had some reason.

But when his sister returned home in glory, not only building a house in the city but also having a stable job, the gossip changed.

A girl from the countryside who married and divorced, yet could stand firm in the city—who would acknowledge that without something going on?

Furthermore, they also acknowledged that the Yu family's girl was good-looking, which further corroborated their speculation.

From Yu Li, to the changes in Yu Bao Dong's family life, and Yu Zhe suddenly getting a spot in the factory, there was no need to guess anymore; everyone determined this was the fact.

No matter how Yu Bao Dong tried to cover it up, it was useless; the girl going bad was a fact.

Yu Li naturally wasn't willing to argue about these things. It was true she hadn't been home for a year, and even now she rarely went home.

Yu Bao Dong was still resentful, grabbed the family that had connections with the Yan family, and had a fierce argument.

Naturally, he cursed the Yan family's eldest son and even brought up the matter of the Yan family's eldest son bringing people back from outside.

That family was just bluffing; they had no confidence to argue with him. Later, when it was confirmed that the Yan family really had such a thing, that family knew they were in the wrong and avoided Yu Bao Dong.

Just because Yu Bao Dong could still curse in the street with his head held high in front of them, Yu Li's reputation improved somewhat.

It's just that those rumors about her still existed.

In recent years, Yu Zhe rarely went home either. He was used to life in the city and didn't care about the village anymore.

Even though their village wasn't far from the city, it took no time to get there, but at this time, their village was still the countryside.

Don't even mention Shijingshan; even over at Huaqing University, it was the countryside, and students could even see cornfields during class.

Yu Bao Dong's bad roots and history, Yu Li's sudden rise to fame, and Yu Zhe's "chickens and dogs ascending to heaven"—the Yu family had become an indispensable topic of conversation in the village.

Of course, if you were to say how much danger this reputation would bring to their family in this era, that wouldn't be the case.

Yu Bao Dong had moved out his ancestors for eighteen generations; every generation was a poor peasant, with roots as red as red could be—red to the point of being purple, black!

You could say Yu Bao Dong was a bastard, his father was a bastard, his grandfather was a bastard, but you couldn't say the Yu family had problems.

What kind of family was most popular in the countryside now?

That's right, it was a family like Yu Bao Dong's, red to the point of being black, with connections in the city and spare money at home.

Just like that, the girl who used to ignore him and still looked down on him became his partner.

Mr. Lu Xun once said that a twisted melon isn't sweet.

But who cared if the melon was sweet or not in this era? A melon that could be twisted together to bloom and bear fruit was a good melon.

If his partner had had any choice, she wouldn't have chosen a family like theirs, which was full of controversy.

It was all Yu Bao Dong's fault; he gave too much.

And her parents also had other thoughts. Although the girl had attended middle school, she was only an elementary school teacher.

That was to say, she could be a teacher in the village, but in the city, where would she have a position?

Of course, the status of a village elementary school teacher was noble enough, but how noble could a teacher be in this era?

Especially in recent years, being able to follow Yu Zhe into the city and optimize their family's class status was very worthwhile.

So, someone like Yu Zhe could actually pick the best girl in their village, even if that girl looked down on him.

However, he also knew that no matter how much that girl looked down on him, she would marry him, and no matter how much he didn't like that girl, he had to marry her. He didn't have the final say at home.

That's right, in the Yu family, his father had the strongest say. If his sister came home, his father would drop to second place.

Having changed the Yu family's fate and life with her own strength, Yu Li also possessed absolute authority at home, relying on the strong personality she had developed after becoming independent.

Her father wasn't convinced, but he was afraid she wouldn't care about Yu Zhe, or even the family, so he couldn't bear it.

Especially every time Yu Li returned to the village in a small car, Yu Bao Dong would emphasize it hundreds of times.

A daughter who could ride in a small car and a son who could drive a small car was equivalent to their Yu family having a small car.

The village chief's son only had a pair of pants with a cover over his cotton pants; he was even more "awesome" than the village chief.

Based on the basic philosophy of "no matter how poor, don't be poor at home; no matter how bitter, only let Yu Zhe suffer," Yu Zhe became the one with the least authority.

He didn't even have a choice in his marriage.

This passive attitude was fine for a sentence or two, but when he couldn't keep up with the rhythm, Wang Yajuan became suspicious.

"What's up? Something going on?"

She glanced at Yu Zhe and looked at Li Xuewu, who had a wicked smile on his face: "Not satisfied with the partner?"

"What does he have to be dissatisfied with?"

The smile on Li Xuewu's face grew thicker as he looked at Yu Zhe in front: "His partner is the best girl in their village."

"Then why the long face?"

Wang Yajuan sized Yu Zhe up, suddenly turned her head to look at Li Xuewu, saw him pause slightly, and then turned to look at Yu Zhe: "Master Yu, is your sister in the Steel City?"

"Um, she's been here for quite a while."

Yu Zhe saw that she finally stopped asking about his partner, and his answers became smoother, but the smile on Li Xuewu's face disappeared.

Wang Yajuan finally knew where the smell of soap on him came from. This bastard hadn't liked to be clean since he was little; how could he have suddenly changed his nature?

In the past, when they were together, if she hadn't been watching him, he could have rubbed mud balls off his body.

Now, it was the opposite; he was fragrant.

"Master Yu, where is your sister living?"

She stared into Li Xuewu's eyes and asked: "Do you need me to help find a place to live? We have space in our dormitory."

"No need, she has a place to live."

Yu Zhe didn't realize what was happening and explained very casually: "That place is closer to her current unit."

He didn't quite understand the situation at the recycling station because his sister had warned him not to ask too much.

So Yu Zhe had seen Wang Yamei, but didn't recognize the other party, and certainly didn't realize the one behind was Wang Yamei's sister.

Furthermore, he didn't know how to explain his eldest sister leaving the recycling station and going to the club.

Until now, he only knew these things had something to do with Li Xuewu; he didn't dare ask about anything more complicated.

The result was that he talked, Wang Yajuan listened, but Li Xuewu looked out the car window.

Hmm, pitch black, quite nice to look at.

"Northeast cuisine is a bit like German cuisine."

Chantal tasted the stewed sauerkraut and blood sausage with interest and nodded: "It's all stewed dishes."

"Maybe it has something to do with the geographical environment."

Li Xuewu smiled, picked up the wine bottle, filled the other party's glass, and also filled one for Wang Yajuan on the side.

He actually wanted Wang Yajuan to drink a bit more so she wouldn't mess around with him at night.

"Is the latitude of the Northeast region similar to Germany?"

Li Xuewu put down the wine bottle and looked at Chantal, then shook his head: "My geography knowledge is average."

"I just know that the climate in the Northeast region is somewhat similar to Germany, especially the Ruhr mining area, which is similar to the Northeast."

He raised his glass for a toast: "Sauerkraut and pork with white liquor—it's more flavorful."

"You really know how to eat—"

Chantal looked at him with a smile, and also at Wang Yajuan beside him.

She wasn't a little girl anymore; how could she not see that these two had a relationship?

But she didn't care. In France, if a man didn't have a lover, how failed his life must be.

Similarly, in France, if a noblewoman didn't have a lover, how terrible her life must be.

The more lovers, the better; the more lovers, the stronger the strength and the more personal charm—it was a French tradition.

Of course, they also emphasized loyalty to marriage, but there hadn't been many stories of marital fidelity in history either.

On one hand, there was absolute maintenance of marriage; on the other hand, there was following tradition and radiating charm. This was France—very contradictory, wasn't it?

Similarly, Chantal also had a contradictory personality peculiar to the French.

When she encountered danger, her husband abandoned her and fled with his lover; she could choose to endure and continue to maintain the marriage.

But when her husband lost power, she could decisively kick him away and turn to throw herself into an old man's arms.

While choosing an old man, she also lacked a sense of security and tried her best to increase her wealth and strength to fight against him.

What was she really after?

In her words, at this age, she was already preparing for her afterlife early. Once a person was gone, did they still need to worry about the afterlife?

She had attachments, and she had willfulness.

At the dinner table, while discussing how both Northeasterners and Germans liked to eat pork, they chatted about the prospects for mineral development, resource utilization, and industrial development in the two places.

Having more cognition made the conversation more expansive, even unconstrained, chatting about whatever came to mind.

Li Xuewu didn't bring up the shipping matter again. Since the other party had already said not to mention it for now, he wouldn't.

Anyway, he had already reminded the other party; he wouldn't give her much time. If the Santaya Group didn't cooperate, there would be others.

Actually, from production to sales, all aspects of this project, except for transport, were ready.

Even for the transport aspect, Li Xuewu had already proposed means like nominee holding; what was missing was the one to take the fall.

However, France was a major arms exporter—this was true in Europe, in Africa, and in Southeast Asia.

Never underestimate the strength of the "Five Permanent Members." France was a recognized military power in the world and also a major aircraft exporter.

Li Xuewu proposed a transport plane procurement application to Chantal and talked to her about arms exports. Others might be surprised, but she wasn't intimidated at all.

The Santaya Group wasn't just a simple mechanical equipment trader; its business scope was very broad.

The fact that the Red Steel Group could quickly establish a project cooperation plan with the other party in East Germany represented this strength.

She was surprised only because Li Xuewu had just gone to East Germany and returned with such a large order.

You have to know that the arms trade had always been highly profitable. Even if the weapons produced by the Red Steel Group weren't considered advanced, they were still quite popular in specific regions.

The key was that the Red Steel Group possessed very flexible production capabilities. Even for stronger weapons, they could quickly assemble production lines.

When an enterprise showed flexible characteristics, it represented the enterprise's development potential and vitality.

"Can we talk alone?" After the meal, Chantal, who was half-drunk, first asked Li Xuewu, then looked at Wang Yajuan: "I'll only borrow him for a moment."

"Uh... I don't understand what you mean."

Wang Yajuan's face turned pale, and she immediately stood up: "I'll go out for a bit. You two talk."

She didn't even ask for Li Xuewu's opinion before fleeing in a panic.

Chantal looked at Li Xuewu, whose expression was strange, and said with a smile: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, God will punish you."

Li Xuewu smiled, reached out to pick up the tea, took a sip, and said: "Pranks should also be punished."

"If only you were God."

Chantal was really open-minded; she raised her eyebrows at him and said: "I am willing to accept your punishment."

"That would be too cheap for you." Li Xuewu put down the cup, turned to look at her, and said lightly: "What do you want to talk about? If you don't say it soon, she'll be back."

"She won't come back, I can guarantee that."

Chantal smiled confidently, then lowered her head to take a sip of tea and asked, "Where is Art now?"

"I don't know." Li Xuewu answered quite bluntly, even spreading his hands with an innocent expression as he said, "I haven't seen him for almost a year. Why did you think of him?"

"Men are always confident they can deceive women." Chantal looked at Li Xuewu with a provocative gaze and said, "They are all very foolish, foolishly naive."

"Even if a woman believes a man's words, it's either because they are deceiving themselves, willing to be deceived by the man, or they are pretending not to know, preparing to turn around and deceive the man instead."

She asked in a lingering, soft voice, "Which kind do you think I am?"

Li Xuewu spread his hands once again, pursed his lips, and feigned ignorance as he said, "I don't know. I don't understand women very well, nor do I understand how to deceive people."

"Hehe—hahaha—"

Chantal suddenly burst into laughter, her laughter becoming increasingly unrestrained and brazen. She clapped her hands and laughed, saying, "That joke is too funny!"

"Hehe, as long as you're happy."

Li Xuewu was also quite speechless as he picked up his teacup to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Aren't you curious how I know?" Chantal leaned over, staring into his eyes from a dangerous distance, and asked, "About Art, about you, about him."

"Is that necessary?" Li Xuewu smiled faintly, looking at her with a sincere gaze as he said, "We are good friends, after all."

"Good friends?" Chantal looked at him with amusement and said, "You have never once treated me as a good friend."

"No matter where? Never!"

"No, you're wrong." Li Xuewu said affirmatively, "You are my good friend, always."

Zhang Enyuan stood at the entrance of the restaurant listening, feeling that it sounded like two drunks arguing; it was both funny and amusing.

"Then you have to prove that point."

Chantal looked at him playfully and said, "For example, by being honest and frank with a friend. Can you do that?"

"Of course, I am a particularly sincere and frank person." Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders and said, "I've never known how to lie in my life; I'm just that kind of honest person."

"..." Chantal curled her lips, watched him for a long while, and then laughed in spite of herself: "Really, a man's mouth is a deceiving ghost; I can't believe I'm still wasting my time on your words."

Regardless of what else Li Xuewu might say, she reached out and pressed down on his arm, saying, "I want 20% of the net profit from this channel. Promise me, you must keep your word."

"20%? That's too little, isn't it?" Li Xuewu looked into her eyes and said with a light laugh, "How about 40%?"

Zhang Enyuan, standing at the door, couldn't wrap his head around it; was he sure the two people inside weren't drunks?

That couldn't be right; the leader always had a high tolerance for alcohol. Why was he starting to talk nonsense today?

This was bargaining; why would he voluntarily offer more?

Chantal was not drunk; she didn't dare take advantage that was voluntarily offered. She looked at Li Xuewu for a long while before firmly pinching his arm and "lowering her own price," saying, "15%, not a penny less."

Huh?!!!

Zhang Enyuan couldn't help but glance into the room to confirm if today's alcohol wasn't quite right—had it been spiked?

"That would be too unfair to you; we are good friends." Li Xuewu smiled and said, "The Red Steel Group never lets down its friends, and certainly never neglects them."

"How much do you want to give?" Chantal frowned and emphasized, "You should know what this means."

"But it's also a rare opportunity, isn't it?" Li Xuewu said calmly, "I've left you plenty of room to maneuver. This good friend of yours isn't too bad, eh?"

"This is truly hellish—"

Chantal reached out to touch his face, looked to the side speechlessly, and complained, "Why is it that men always dominate this world?"

"Congratulations, respected Ms. Chantal." Li Xuewu smiled with satisfaction, reached out his hand, and said, "Your name will resound throughout the world."