Deng Changxing was so moved he nearly cried.

What was he afraid of?

He feared Zhou Cheng might be an uneducated soldier who wouldn’t understand his words even if he talked himself hoarse.

Wasn’t there an old Chinese saying – when a scholar meets a soldier, reason can’t prevail!

But Zhou Cheng could understand him and even grasped the key points of his long explanation.

Holding back emotional tears, Deng Changxing spoke very passionately:

“Comrade Zhou Cheng, I’m so glad you understand! Now, let me return to my initial point – you did something good in America, why didn’t you inform the delegation immediately? I must criticize your undisciplined behavior, it put us in a very passive position!”

Though he spoke of criticism, Deng Changxing was smiling.

His enthusiasm made Zhou Cheng uncomfortable.

Besides his wife’s “fake smile” when saying she’d take care of Jiang Yan, there was another kind of unsettling smile – Director Deng’s.

“Director Deng, I—”

“Alright, alright, say no more! The fact that you understood my earlier explanation proves your ideological consciousness is very high. If there was something that could benefit our country’s development, even if it went against your wishes, would you be willing to do it?”

Deng Changxing’s earlier enthusiasm suddenly turned serious.

Zhou Cheng stood at attention and saluted:

“Please give me your instructions, Director!”

Deng Changxing’s face immediately brightened: “We won’t make things difficult for you, we just need your cooperation. Here’s the situation…”

It turned out that while Zhou Cheng was away from the delegation, Deng Changxing had been running around trying to import two very important production lines. As usual, China had offered sufficient money, but the American side was creating obstacles. Whether intentionally or not, Deng Changxing couldn’t meet the American company’s person in charge despite trying for several days.

Deng Changxing was so anxious he developed mouth sores.

Being an official in China meant nothing in America, and Director Deng felt quite dejected.

Their hotel was far from the company, and the delegation didn’t have private cars. They had one rented bus for group use. Deng Changxing and the state enterprise executive interested in importing the production lines had to take several transfers to reach the company… They couldn’t even meet the person in charge. They could drink unlimited coffee and beverages in the waiting room, with blonde receptionists constantly refilling their cups, but people couldn’t live on drinks alone!

Director Deng couldn’t get things done but was too frugal to eat at nearby restaurants, so he could only stay at the company on an empty stomach.

He couldn’t drink too much coffee or beverages either. Though refills were unlimited, too much coffee would keep him up at night, and too many drinks meant frequent bathroom trips. With his anxiety and poor sleep, Director Deng was truly suffering.

He knew Zhou Cheng had been gone for days but was too troubled to deal with it!

His persistence finally paid off – though he hadn’t won over the American executive, he touched the heart of the blonde receptionist who brought coffee. She secretly told Director Deng that they were keeping him waiting because a new Asian buyer had emerged to compete with China, offering a higher price!

After hearing this background, Zhou Cheng tentatively asked:

“Do I know this new buyer?”

Deng Changxing shook his head vigorously: “You don’t know the new buyer, but through you, we can meet the company executive in New York! Comrade Zhou Cheng, your heroic act in New York has brought an American friend to our door, specifically stating that if they can meet you in person, they’ll help facilitate the production line import!”

Who had such influence?

Harold Wilson!

The name flashed through Zhou Cheng’s mind.

Since he hadn’t accepted Harold’s check that day, Harold must have felt uneasy and directly approached Director Deng of the delegation.

This was the first time Zhou Cheng had encountered someone so insistent on showing “gratitude.”

Was the billionaire too proud to owe even the slightest debt of gratitude?

“Director Deng, is it a Mr. Wilson?”

Deng Changxing thought for a moment, then confirmed: “Yes, yes, yes, Wilson – his assistant came.”

Zhou Cheng humbly replied: “If it’s Mr. Wilson, it makes sense. Wilson already has deep friendship ties with China. He invested over a hundred million dollars in a golf course in Pengcheng. With such precedent, he might want to deepen his friendship with the Ministry of Foreign Trade – it might not have much to do with me.”

Invested over a hundred million dollars in Pengcheng?

This was truly a big fish!

Deng Changxing wished he could catch this fish and make soup, but unfortunately, Wilson didn’t seem involved in import-export trade, with little business overlap with the Ministry.

“Comrade Zhou Cheng, don’t be so modest. Though Mr. Wilson has a friendship with China, friends need frequent interaction to stay close. He had no previous contact with our Ministry. If you hadn’t bravely saved his life from gunpoint this time, why would he voluntarily offer help? In any case, if we successfully import these production lines, you must be credited!”

Deng Changxing was very clear-headed.

Foreign investors were warmly welcomed by local governments in China with various tax incentives – Wilson had no need to seek favors from the Ministry.

Conversely, for the Ministry to work smoothly in America, they needed to establish connections with well-networked American millionaires like Wilson.

Having already pledged to support Deng Changxing in securing the production lines, Zhou Cheng couldn’t back out now.

Harold’s help was different from giving Zhou Cheng a personal check – his gratitude had shifted from private to public. If Zhou Cheng refused, he would harm public interests rather than personal ones. Take Director Deng – whether or not he successfully imported the production lines wouldn’t affect his salary. His willingness to wait on an empty stomach to meet the American executive showed personal ambition, but more importantly, as he had explained to Zhou Cheng, China needed these production lines!

Porcelain, black embroidered shoes, wool sweaters, and satin jackets were products with distinct Chinese characteristics.

But China couldn’t keep relying on “local specialties” to establish itself in the international market.

Advanced production lines must be imported – useful ones would be used, and unusable ones would be dismantled and studied thoroughly.

There was determination on Deng Changxing’s face.

Only after Zhou Cheng repeatedly promised to help did he let him leave the room.

Xia Xiaolan was waiting in the hallway:

“What happened?”

Captain Fang had said Director Deng calling Zhou Cheng back was good news, but as head of security, he naturally didn’t know the specifics.

“It’s Harold. He came forward to express ‘gratitude’ and wants to help Director Deng secure the production lines.”

So that’s what it was!

Xia Xiaolan laughed: “Since you didn’t accept his check, this billionaire must be so upset he can’t sleep! How did you respond to Director Deng?”

Whether the billionaire was relieved to save money or too upset to sleep after failing to deliver the check, Zhou Cheng couldn’t say.

But he could understand Harold’s psychology of insisting on repaying this “debt”: Being inadvertently saved had made him feel inferior to Zhou Cheng, and then Harold had tried to steal Xiaolan from him – no wonder he felt frustrated.