I positioned myself where I couldn't hear their voices, pretending to be indifferent as I watched the employees go about their work.
I caught them whispering out of the corner of my eye, then saw them both burst into laughter.
They whispered to each other for a bit longer before returning to normal.
Feeling that enough time had passed, I returned to my seat.
Xie Jiabao: "Young man, you've chosen the right person in Director Fan. Following Director Fan will lead you to great things. I can guarantee you'll be a leader in your own right in the future!"
I cupped my fists and replied, "Director Xie flatters me. I am already honored to serve Director Fan, and I dare not hope for more."
Xie Jiabao: "Young people should have dreams. When I was young, no one would even give me food if I begged. Finding an opportunity was harder than climbing to heaven. Back then, how I longed to meet a benefactor, but alas, I lacked such fortune!"
I said, "You've achieved so much. This is not something ordinary people can do. At least in the entire southwest region, you are a well-known entrepreneur."
Xie Jiabao: "Well-known is too much to say; it's merely a reputation built on fame. To truly earn that respect, one needs the support of people like Director Fan. Director Fan is my benefactor, my second parent!"
The way he spoke, it sounded like he was about to acknowledge him as a foster father!
I asked, "Why don't you take it a step further and become sworn brothers or something?"
Xie Jiabao: "You jest too much. How could I possibly be qualified to be sworn brothers with someone like Director Fan? Please don't joke like that, Big Brother."
I said, "Let me think. It's true, you two have a significant age gap, almost a generation. How about this, let me, your younger brother, witness the scene of a southwest magnate becoming sworn brothers with an overseas tycoon? You could acknowledge Director Fan as your foster father. From what I know, he only accepts those with business dealings. A chance encounter like yours might not be enough." Da Feng Novel Network
Upon hearing me, Xie Jiabao looked tense and gazed expectantly at the senior.
The Senior: "There's always an exception to every rule. I've enjoyed myself thoroughly today and had a heart-to-heart with Director Xie. I'll make an exception today. Let my little assistant here bear witness. I accept Director Xie as my disciple, numbered disciple one hundred and forty-six. You will call me Master from now on, and we won't go the foster father-son route."
As soon as Xie Jiabao heard this, he plopped down on his knees, startling the nearby waiter who thought their boss had gotten drunk.
Xie Jiabao kowtowed profusely, saying, "Thank you, Master, for your immense grace and virtue. I, Xie Jiabao, promise that from today onwards, I will obey your every command, never deviating east when you bid me go west. Your affairs are my affairs, and your teachings are the imperial decrees of heaven. Should I violate this, may lightning strike me dead!"
The eloquence of his words was astounding. If I didn't know he was the poison demon Xie Jiabao, I might have actually been moved.
The Senior: "Alright, I accept you as my disciple. Get up."
Xie Jiabao scrambled up from the floor and then had the waiters bring over four cases of Taizi wine, saying, "This is too hasty today, and I wasn't prepared. Another day, I will host a formal apprenticeship banquet at the Ruili Hotel. Today, let's just consider it a family meal."
The Senior: "I'm not one for excessive formalities. The important thing is getting the job done. Please package the products quickly and ship them to the designated location. We'll complete the first transaction first. A grand banquet can wait until everything is settled."
Xie Jiabao: "Very well. Then we shall meet tomorrow evening. I will have the first batch of goods delivered to you."
The Senior: "That's the spirit. We don't engage in formalism; actions are what matter most. I have to meet an official in an important department this afternoon, which is also crucial for our future endeavors. I won't disclose who it is. We'll conclude here for today and see each other tomorrow evening."
With that, the Senior stood up and turned to leave.
Xie Jiabao quickly signaled the waiters to carry the wine to our car.
Xie Jiabao had truly gone the extra mile this time. It wasn't that the Taizi wine was particularly expensive; it cost only two to three thousand in the black market. It was difficult to obtain because its production volume was limited annually. All white wine drinkers globally kept their eyes on this one brand, and simply being able to acquire it was an honor, let alone taking it away by the case.
The Senior accepted the wine he offered with a smile, bid farewell to Xie Jiabao, and Wen Siqiang quickly helped him into the car. I also clasped hands with Xie Jiabao, then got into the car, and had Wen Siqiang drive away.
Even after the car had traveled a considerable distance, I could still see Xie Jiabao standing at the entrance, likely still reveling in the joy of this encounter.
In the car, the Senior said, "While he didn't explicitly state that he was giving us drugs, he implied that these items cannot be seen in the light of day. Now, we will return and discuss how to proceed."
I asked, "Are you luring the snake out of its hole, or are you casting the net this time?"
The Senior: "This is just the beginning. How can we cast the net without catching the big fish? Anyway, we don't need to conduct transactions in cash. He's using our network to move the goods; it's not us trading with him. Therefore, it's not about money. Instead, he has to pay us a fee."
I said, "I've always been confused, you talk so smoothly, but where is our sales network? It's like seeing the head of a dragon but not its tail."
The Senior: "Don't rush. Since I'm saying this, I must have the means to back it up. Do you think I'm just talking nonsense?"
I nodded, "Yes, I thought you were just trying to placate him with words."
The Senior: "It's not wrong for you to think that way. After all, we're going into this without even a practice run. While it seems I'm speaking offhand, I'm actually not talking blindly. At the very least, I can simulate such a network and show him a realistic transportation process. Why wouldn't he believe it?"
I was stunned. Simulate something like this? Could such a thing even be simulated?
I truly had to look at this elder with new eyes. He was nearly fifty years older than me, half a century, yet he spoke of new things that even I, a youth of the new era, couldn't understand.
This is the latest computer technology. It can create a system where, when the goods are delivered to us, we mark them on the computer. This mark represents our goods, and it will display where they are going, continuously recording the movement trail of the goods. It can even track if they've been lingering too long in a certain location and whether manual intervention is needed.
This system is connected to Country A's satellite positioning system, making it impossible to falsify.
I said, "After all this talk, don't we still have to physically transport it?"
The Senior: "The process I'm describing naturally involves actual physical transport. However, what they don't know is that this so-called connectivity is fabricated; it's artificially created. But their current technology is so advanced that those outside the industry can't detect it."
This is incredible. This truly overturned my entire worldview. While I didn't fully grasp most of what the Senior had said earlier, this was something a nearly seventy-year-old man was explaining to a teenager like me.
How could it be that an elder living in the remote mountains, almost forgotten by the world, was explaining cutting-edge technology to me?