Chapter 143: The Snipe and the Clam Fight?

The Udnev aircraft carrier, which had been neglected for a long time, suddenly attracted two suitors at the same time!

This is big news at the Ussak shipyard recently; workers always ask each other about it when they meet on the street.

"Have you heard? Someone's finally going to buy that aircraft carrier, and it's two people!"

"I told you long ago, it's an absolutely gorgeous ship, no one could dislike it!"

"Where are they taking our ship? To Jong-guk? If that's true, that would be fantastic! Jong-guk will definitely be finished!"

"I don't care about that, I only care about how much money they're going to pay!"

Xu Shaobo was furious. When he saw He Changyi again at the shipyard office building, he was extremely angry.

"Hey Xiao He, what do you mean by this? Are you fighting amongst yourselves? Have you forgotten what General Qin ordered you to do?"

When General Qin was mentioned, Xu Shaobo, wary of being in Uzbek territory, remained silent, only lip-reading.

He Changyi led a large group of people, full of vigor, toward the factory director's office. When he saw Xu Shaobo, he just smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, you are also a businessman. Can't you understand what I'm doing? Everyone in the world is driven by profit. I only agreed to buy the aircraft carrier, but I didn't agree on how to buy it, let alone how to dispose of it."

Xu Shaobo was extremely surprised, probably because he didn't expect her to put such a thing out in public.

He Changyi continued, "Mr. Xu, President Xu, could it be that you've gone through all this trouble not to make money, but to contribute to the country? Let's not talk about each other, let's just rely on our own abilities and go our separate ways."

Xu Shaobo watched helplessly as this arrogant woman led a large group of people upstairs with great fanfare. When he tried to approach He Changyi, he was rudely stopped by her bodyguard, who grabbed him by the collar and threatened him:

"Don't come any closer, or you'll regret it!"

The bodyguard glared at him fiercely before letting go and following the group. Xu Shaobo was furious, and only after the bodyguard had gone far away did he grit his teeth and mutter, "Fine, you wait and see, we'll see who has the last laugh!"

Xu Shaobo refused to believe it. How could someone who hunts geese all day get pecked in the eye by a goose? He, a seasoned veteran, could never be outsmarted by a woman!

This aircraft carrier will definitely end up in his hands!

After leaving the shipyard, the first thing Xu Shaobo did was call General Qin to complain. On the phone, General Qin was shocked and furious, cursing He Changyi for his betrayal and advising Xu Shaobo to persevere and never give the aircraft carrier to a treacherous villain.

Xu Shaobo repeatedly assured that he would bring the aircraft carrier back to China, only asking General Qin to lend a hand at this crucial moment. General Qin readily agreed and promised to support him, telling him to go ahead and do it.

After receiving General Qin's promise, Xu Shaobo turned around and hosted a lavish banquet for the shipyard's leaders. Anyone who could be associated with the aircraft carrier was invited to the most expensive hotel in the city where the shipyard was located, with steaks, caviar, and case after case of vodka delivered to them.

The banquets continued one after another, with both hosts and guests entering standing and leaving sideways. The young translator became the only sober person at the table, but even so, every pore of his body was permeated with the smell of alcohol, and his face was flushed with a slight intoxication.

Xu Shaobo was quite capable; he managed to get a whole table of Ukrainians drunk, and with the occasional gifts he gave them, he quickly became very close to the shipyard's leaders, almost to the point of wanting to become sworn brothers with them.

One of the deputy factory directors even patted his chest and guaranteed that he would definitely help Xu Shaobo buy the aircraft carrier and would give him the most favorable price.

Xu Shaobo was overjoyed. Taking advantage of everyone's tipsiness, he suggested that he take a look at the Udnev aircraft carrier in person and take some group photos. The shipyard naturally agreed without hesitation.

While Xu Shaobo was conquering the shipyard over drinks, He Changyi was taking the exact opposite approach.

Instead of going out for drinks to build connections, she lavishly transported a large quantity of supplies, ranging from food and clothing to daily necessities—hundreds of different categories—and set up an exhibition at the shipyard with practiced ease.

At this time, the situation in Uzbekistan was similar to that in Russia: severe inflation, currency devaluation, and a sharp widening gap between the rich and the poor. For the vast majority of workers in the shipyard, what they needed most were affordable daily necessities.

Due to insufficient funding from higher authorities and a lack of external commercial orders, the shipyard is on the verge of bankruptcy. At its peak, it had more than 30,000 employees, but now it only has a few thousand, resembling a crumbling giant skeleton.

When He Changyi first arrived at the shipyard, he noticed that there were many people setting up stalls by the roadside. After inquiring, he learned that these were workers who were making a living on their own.

Suspended wages, exorbitant prices, and daily necessities that are impossible to buy even with money...

Therefore, when the Jong-guk Commodity Exhibition was held at the shipyard, almost all the shipyard's remaining employees flocked there.

"How much are these things? Do you accept rubles? I still have some rubles left at home..."

"Never mind the price, just sell it to us! Heaven knows how long it's been since I added a spoonful of sugar to my tea!"

Faced with the shipyard workers' eager purchase requests, the exhibition staff smiled and said, "Sorry, these are not for sale."

Not for sale?

Upon hearing this, a sense of disappointment quickly spread through the crowd, and some hot-tempered older workers rolled up their sleeves, ready to unleash the powerful fist of the proletariat.

"You won't sell? How dare you try to play us!"

The staff member quietly hid behind the bodyguard, poked half his head out, and shouted through a megaphone that he had somehow acquired: "It's definitely not for sale... because it's a gift from our boss to all the shipyard workers!"

The old worker was stunned, his fist frozen in mid-air, unsure whether to strike or not.

"What? A gift? I don't understand. Even the government wouldn't give one away for free. Is your boss a philanthropist?"

The staff member, emboldened, stepped out from behind the bodyguard who had given him a disdainful look, and continued shouting through the megaphone:

“Our boss is planning to buy the Udnev. She says it’s a miraculous ship, magnificent and beautiful, so she wants to do something for the builders of this miracle.”

The old worker, on the contrary, felt a little embarrassed. He awkwardly lowered his fist, rolled up his sleeves, and revealed a shy smile on his wrinkled old face.

"We were just doing our job... but the Udnev is really great, and it will be even better once it's completed."

When the shipyard workers learned of the generous boss's appreciation for the Udnev, they were all proud, and their disappointment vanished.

"Let your boss take our big ship away. I agree on behalf of the shipyard!"

"She's a kind-hearted girl with great taste!"

"I hereby announce that, effective today, the Udnev is sold to your boss!"

Amidst the chaos, someone still remembered the main point and shouted, "So, when can we receive our free gifts?"

With just a batch of daily necessities, He Changyi won the support of the entire shipyard workforce.

Xu Shaobo focused on the upper echelons of the shipyard, while He Changyi took a more approachable route. However, she didn't forget those who would ultimately sign and stamp the ship purchase contract, and gave each of them a brand-new flip phone on their first meeting.

He Changyi did not choose to use vodka for the sauna—even though her alcohol tolerance could easily knock out everyone at the table—but she still gained the friendship of everyone in the shipyard from top to bottom.

Now it's the shipyard leaders' turn to be conflicted.

Mr. Xu is very good, but Ms. He is also wonderful. After years of stagnant sales of aircraft carriers, the sudden appearance of two very sincere potential buyers is truly a sweet dilemma!

Xu Shaobo was well-informed. Upon learning of He Changyi's actions, he immediately raised the alarm and intensified his public relations efforts with the shipyard. He even considered giving the workers gifts, but after calculating the costs of shipping, insurance, and other expenses, he realized it would be better to simply pay the workers money.

Xu Shaobo was quite bold and decisive. He actually went to the shipyard to work at the grassroots level, accompanied by a team of bodyguards and carrying a sack of banknotes. He stuffed money into the hands of the workers and said repeatedly, "You've had a tough time too. You've worked hard."

The shipyard workers were utterly bewildered. Where did this foreign nouveau riche come from, showing off his wealth in the shipyard? Although they were now down on their luck, unable to pay wages and penniless, this place had once been one of the Alliance's largest shipyards, capable of building aircraft carriers and battleships. They were the Alliance's most outstanding technicians, respected workers, not beggars begging for food!

Xu Zengping was unaware of the workers' opinions of him, and he happily stuffed money into their pockets, as if every extra banknote he spent brought him one step closer to the Udnev.

In truth, what he issued wasn't exactly currency, but rather a token, a transitional currency issued by the Ukrainian government after independence to replace the ruble. However, due to inflation, the government printed a large number of tokens, and with the imminent implementation of official currency, in terms of purchasing power, the tokens were now barely better than the gold yuan.

When Xu Shaobo saw an old worker dressed in tattered clothes with patches all over his body, he rushed forward in three steps, grabbed a handful of coupons, and tried to stuff them into the old worker's pocket.

"Here, take it! You're so old, I can't stand seeing old people suffer from poverty. Take the money and buy some food and drinks, but don't buy vodka. You should quit drinking it now!"

The young translator diligently translated Xu Shaobo's words into Emei, but the old worker refused the foreign businessman's gift without hesitation, politely saying, "No, sir, I earn my living with my own hands."

Xu Shaobo looked displeased and tried to force the voucher onto the old worker.

"I'm not saying this to be mean, but what are you still being so high and mighty about at a time like this? Do you even have the right to be so arrogant? You're so poor you're practically selling your pants, and you won't take the money you have. I think you're quite old, how come you don't understand anything?"

The junior translator continued to diligently translate Xu Shaobo's words.

This displeased the onlookers.

If the foreign tycoon issues hard currency like US dollars, they can tolerate even harsh words; if it's rubles, they may have objections, but they're still within their tolerance.

But he was issuing coupons that were about to become worthless, and he was putting on an air of condescension, which the workers couldn't stand.

"Hey, what are you saying?!"

"Show some respect, we're not beggars on the street!"

"Get out! Take your money and get out of our shipyard!"

The workers were in high spirits; they were not just intellectuals who could only talk, and they surged forward, waving their fists.

Seeing that things were going badly, the bodyguards grabbed Xu Shaobo and ran, with the translator following closely behind. The group fled in a sorry state.

Xu Shaobo lost his glasses, his suit was torn, and he was missing a shoe. He was so angry that his nose was crooked.

—Like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, these traitors are inhuman!

When Xu Shaobo saw the shipyard workers greeting He Changyi warmly, he thought sourly that all she could do was win over this group of poor workers. She had no money, no power, and no influence. What good was she?

But the deputy factory manager, who had originally promised to sell him the aircraft carrier, suddenly changed his mind and said apologetically that the matter of the aircraft carrier was not something he could decide alone. However, they were still good brothers, so—would the gold bars that were promised still be delivered?

Xu Shaobo couldn't sit still any longer and started making moves everywhere. Even if he couldn't buy the aircraft carrier, he absolutely couldn't let He Changyi buy it!

He Changyi, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and wait for her fate. Since the aircraft carrier was going to be sold anyway, she figured she might as well sell it to someone else.

The two Chinese businessmen are locked in a fierce battle. Today you bring a big suitcase to the captain's office, tomorrow I'll bring a doctor to provide free medical care for all the employees. The day after tomorrow you'll host a banquet for the shipyard leaders with the most expensive vodka, then I'll distribute bread to the elderly, weak, women and children of the entire shipyard for free.

The hottest topic at the shipyard recently has been who will ultimately acquire the Udnev aircraft carrier.

“It must be Miss He! She’s a good person, she deserves to buy the big ship at the lowest possible price! If I were the factory manager, I would even be willing to give her the Udnev for free!”

"She is indeed a good person, but a good person may not be able to buy the Udnev. Look at those leaders, they have been drunk for half a month. If one day they get drunk and sell the aircraft carrier to that Chinese man, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

"If they dare to sell the Udnev to him, they can forget about the ship ever leaving port!"

Contrary to what the workers expected, the shipyard leadership had not yet reached a consensus.

“He is very good. I recommend that she purchase the Udnev. You know, she is a very powerful businesswoman with an oil company in Russia. If we sell it to her, we won’t have to worry about the subsequent payment issues.”

“I also support He. She is willing to exchange part of the payment for goods of equivalent value, which are calculated at cost price and are much cheaper than in stores.”

“He is indeed a good candidate, but what about Xu? Don’t look at me like that, I don’t believe none of you have made any promises to him—hey, you, you even kissed his head in the sauna!”

"This is really a difficult situation..."

While the shipyard was embroiled in heated debate, someone in a residential building closest to the port finished typing the last line of characters on a radio transmitter.

This man looked like an ordinary Ukrainian, but once you saw him skillfully hiding by the window and using a high-powered military telescope to observe the Udnev, you knew he was more than just an idle fellow.

On the aircraft carrier deck, which has long been a haven for seagulls, a group of unwelcome human visitors appeared today.

Seagulls swooped down from the sky, and humans waved back and forth between waving their hands to shoo them away and running away with their heads in their hands. The deck was excessively noisy and chaotic, but the binoculars remained fixed on the only woman among them.

He stared through the binoculars, and when he saw the woman with black hair and black eyes, a sense of doubt arose in his mind—

Is she a Chinese businesswoman, or just a white glove from Emei that has been pushed to the forefront?