Chapter 65

"Has the flight not arrived yet? Have the people come out yet?" Manager Xu had booked a restaurant early in the city center of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and made several phone calls while going in and out of the door.

Cui Shanshan was standing at the airport waiting eagerly. "Oh, didn't I tell you? The flight is an hour late, and we still have to go through customs. How can it be that fast? Uncle, how are you doing over there? Have Mr. Li and the others from Huagang arrived yet?"

"They've already arrived! Zhiqiao is already inside with us. Once you've picked someone up, bring them over here. Don't tell her too much yet!"

"Okay, don't worry, I know what to say and what not to say. Let's not talk about it anymore, another group of people are coming out!" Cui Shanshan hung up the phone and held up the pick-up sign, fearing that Guan Ying would not see her when she came out.

Guan Ying really couldn't find her because she was wearing an abaya with a black background and gold patterns, and it was really hard to distinguish her among the local people who came to greet her at the airport.

"Sister Guan Guan! Here, here!" In order to be more conspicuous, Cui Shanshan took off her headscarf and danced towards Guan Ying.

Southern Steel had only been in Saudi Arabia for a little over a month, and yet Cui Shanshan's style had already completely blended in with the locals, demonstrating how quickly she had adapted. Guan Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Shanshan?... You've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize you."

Cui Shanshan lifted her abaya and said, "Is it because of the clothes? I wasn't used to it at first, but for the sake of convenience, I think it's better to do as the Romans do."

Guan Ying looked at her and said, "Maybe. I feel like you look a lot thinner in black."

Cui Shanshan took her arm and said, "This isn't really about the clothes. I've lost seven or eight pounds in the past month! How could I not lose weight? I can't eat or sleep well. I thought this place was so prosperous, but now I know it's not as good as Guangzhou!"

Guan Ying wasn't familiar with Saudi Arabia, but after hearing her talk like that, she assumed it was normal for a young girl to have some complaints on her first trip abroad. She smiled and replied, "A nest of gold or silver isn't as good as your own, right?"

Cui Shanshan: "Isn't it? Sister Guanguan, it must have been very tiring for you to fly here from Seattle? My uncle was so happy to know that you made a special trip here. He has always regretted his bad attitude on the phone! We have booked a specialty restaurant in the city. Let's have a quick meal first. After we fill our stomachs, we will go back to the hotel in Dammam Port together. You can also catch up on some sleep on the way. We have hired a car." As she spoke, she called the hired driver and asked him to drive the MPV to the airport as soon as possible.

The long-lost Middle Eastern heat wave hit Guan Ying. She couldn't help but take a deep breath, but her chest suddenly became churning and unbearable. The hot air steaming from the ground mixed with the smell of sweat and body odor, which was really unbearable. She didn't know if it was because of the long-distance flight.

Fortunately, Cui Shanshan arranged a car, otherwise she really couldn't stand this environment. How could it be so different from the feeling in Dubai? Only after getting into the car did she feel comfortable. Thinking that Cui Shanshan had become so adept at transporting people in a foreign country so quickly, Guan Ying was somewhat impressed by her.

Having been holding her breath, Guan Ying finally felt able to breathe more easily once she got in the car. She declined, "I was originally planning to fly to Dammam Airport. You specifically asked me to change my flight to Riyadh just for dinner? Why should we waste this time? Brother Xu should know me well. Don't take that phone call to heart. I'm also in foreign trade, and I know how urgent this matter is."

Cui Shanshan was busy telling the driver the address and didn't respond to Ying's words.

Guan Ying was tired and exhausted, too lazy to repeat herself, so she decided to make the best of it. She had left Seattle that morning, and including a layover at Kennedy Airport, she'd already traveled over 20 hours. She was already feeling sleepy, but due to the time difference in Saudi Arabia, it was still a bright afternoon. Thinking of her upcoming social engagement with Manager Xu, she held her chin in her hand and forced herself to stay awake.

Cui Shanshan heard her yawning repeatedly and turned around to persuade her, "Sister Guanguan, lie down and take a nap."

Guan Ying said tiredly, "Oh? It's nothing. I was afraid I would fall asleep and you wouldn't be able to wake me up."

"Don't think that it's only 30 kilometers from here to the city center. With the traffic here, it will take at least two hours to drive there. That's enough time for you, Sister Guanguan, to take a nap. Don't worry, you are our savior now. I dare not sell you out, hahaha." Cui Shanshan seemed to have a clear understanding of the situation here, and she even had room to joke while complaining about the road conditions.

Guan Ying blinked her dry, strained eyelids, suspecting she had misheard: "Thirty kilometers, two hours? That's so exaggerated..."

Cui Shanshan: "Sister Guanguan has never been here before?"

Guan Ying shook her head. "No, I was in the UAE before. The business in Saudi Arabia was negotiated by Zheng Juyong."

Cui Shanshan paused and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Zheng... is he still going back to Saudi Arabia? From the night we talked until now, we haven't even received any emails from him... If you hadn't sent me the plane ticket, I would have thought..."

Guan Ying forced a smile. "Do you really think your uncle is right? Zheng Juyong and I are colluding to bring down your Southern Steel?"

Cui Shanshan pursed her lips: "No, no, no, Sister Guan Guan, you are definitely not that kind of person."

Guan Ying sighed: "Ah... He will come back, but he was just held up by some household chores."

Cui Shanshan: "Oh, that's good... Actually, I know Mr. Zheng isn't that kind of person. He's so dedicated... I was just worried something might happen to him... I'm glad he's okay."

She is even more smooth-talking than her uncle, Manager Xu.

The road from Riyadh Airport to the city center was severely congested. Some cars in a hurry even drove onto the sidewalk and accidentally scraped against the car in front, which blocked half of the road again... The car started and stopped frequently, and Guan Ying's eyelids were fighting. Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep in the back seat.

Seeing that she was fast asleep, Cui Shanshan dared to call her uncle back. "It's almost done. I haven't said a word about Mr. Li's matter... Uncle, is this the right thing for us to do? After all, Manager Guan doesn't owe us anything, and school has to start next week. Isn't this forcing him to do something... Oh, of course I know... This is the only way, I hope..."

......

The evening sun in Saudi Arabia is still shining brightly.

"Sister Guan, we're here." Cui Shanshan had to shake Guan Ying hard to wake her up, and said worriedly, "Seeing you sleeping like this, I really didn't want to wake you. The driver just got out of the car and took a nap for half an hour, and even with the radio so blaring, you didn't wake up."

Guan Ying stretched and looked at the time. She had actually made up for more than two hours of sleep. She finally recovered a little and felt refreshed. She smiled at Cui Shanshan and said, "May the Allah here bless us too!"

Seeing Guan Ying's fatigue fade slightly, Cui Shanshan felt a little relieved. On the way, she had asked the driver to drive more steadily so that Guan Ying could have a break. When they finally arrived at the restaurant, she couldn't bear to lie to Guan Ying anymore and told her frankly, "Sister Guan, actually, today... it's not just our Nangang people here. There are also Mr. Li and several others from Huagang. They've been waiting here for two hours... I... I'm sorry for you."

"Huagang?"

Guan Ying thought that Manager Xu was being overly cautious, fearing that he would not be willing to devote his heart and soul to help them resolve the dispute over the business with Kassim, so he arranged a grand welcome for him in the Saudi capital. He had already discussed countermeasures with Professor Wilson and had a plan in mind. He did not think the matter was difficult and could be frank with Manager Xu and others.

But when they arrived at the door, they realized that this matter also involved the large state-owned steel company - Huagang, and from Cui Shanshan's expression, it was obvious that there was no small matter involved.

Cui Shanshan nodded in embarrassment: "Actually, it was Mr. Li from Huagang who contacted us first. Given the current financial situation of our Nangang... we don't have much say..." She spoke unclearly, wanting to complain but not knowing how to do so, showing her embarrassment.

Guan Ying sighed, then smiled. "Ah, so you kept telling me to sleep because you were worried that I wouldn't be able to handle them with a muddled mind? Haha, it's rare that you're not worried about your Nangang, but worried about me instead?"

Cui Shanshan blushed instantly. "Before in Guangzhou, I thought our two families were competitors, that's why... But Sister Guanguan, you let bygones be bygones and came all the way from such a long distance. Honestly, I can't do that for just this one thing. I admire you from the bottom of my heart. And I know that Mr. Zheng and you aren't that kind of relationship, so there's no need for you to get involved in this matter..."

While Cui Shanshan inherited her uncle, Manager Xu,'s shrewdness and sharpness, their character wasn't entirely the same. Not only did she maintain a modicum of empathy with her competitors in a chaotic industry, but even more valuable, she managed to maintain her own independent thinking under pressure from her uncle, a rare achievement. With such young people among the second generation of Southern Steel, there's still hope.

Guan Ying patted her shoulder and said, "When I first went to Dubai, I couldn't last more than half a month before I slipped back home. I admire you for being able to stick with me here until now. Haha, we are rivals in China, but when we go abroad, we are all family. Since Brother Xu has set up a plan for me, it means he thinks highly of me. I will do my best. Let's go in!"

If Cui Shanshan hadn't made this confession outside the restaurant, considering Ying's past temper, she would have been furious at being tricked by someone else, and she would have quit and turned her back on them. But at this dinner, she watched Cui Shanshan's dilemma and endured it all.

Halfway through the meal, we finally figured out the origin of this Hongmen Banquet.

It turned out that Nangang's financial crisis had reached an unmanageable level. They had long been gathering assets and looking for suitable buyers. Their earlier plan to purchase the fine desulfurization device system from Shenzhen Fenghua Technology Company was just a final embellishment to create a favorable prospect, and the fundamental purpose was to sell it at a good price.

As for the foreign trade orders Zheng Juyong had shoved into Nangang's lap, they were the last of a wave of "false prosperity" for them, following Manager Xu's earlier disappointing trip to Dubai and the unsuccessful Fenghua Technology bid. Manager Xu not only had to try to recover Kassim's funds but also constantly sought to negotiate with Mr. Li, Huagang's head of Middle East exports, in an attempt to attract a merger or acquisition.

The Saudi business is just a drop in the bucket, while the acquisition of Huagang is like saving a collapsing building.

Mr. Li and his colleagues at Huagang were certainly aware of Nangang's predicament and intentions. However, state-owned steel mills have faced tough times in recent years: domestic overcapacity and fierce competition have long plagued their country. Overseas exports, on the other hand, have faced rising tariffs, rising prices for raw materials like iron ore, and increasing international freight costs due to geopolitical instability. Meanwhile, the price of finished steel products in China has remained stagnant. Therefore, Mr. Li and his colleagues have been hesitant to agree on the acquisition and merger of Nangang's assets, perhaps because they are unable to digest this difficult situation.

In the first half of the dinner, Guan Ying listened more than he spoke, and finally figured out the ins and outs between the two groups. However, he still didn't know why the people from Huagang had been waiting for him here for more than two hours.

It wasn't until Manager Xu, in the latter half of the meeting, saw that everyone had become familiar with each other, that he brought up the main point of the meal. "Mr. Li, if you hadn't informed our chairman a while ago, we wouldn't have known about the anti-dumping investigation at the end of the month. This insider information has really helped us at Nangang! We just landed in Saudi Arabia, and we'll have a lot to rely on from you guys. Huagang is a leading steel mill in China, and a leading figure for small private steel mills like us abroad!"

As they spoke, Manager Xu had already replaced his wine with coffee, picking up a glass himself. Everyone else also joined in with a smile. Seeing that the atmosphere had been building, Manager Xu cleared his throat and finally got to the point: "Boss Li, I've been thinking about how we at Nangang can contribute to this matter and repay our elders. For something this big, we should all work together and pull together, right, Xiao Guan?"

Guan Ying knew he couldn't escape the situation, so he flattered him but also kept his distance. "What Brother Xu said is true. A few years ago, our Xicheng Steel only did some small business in the neighboring UAE, and we didn't do much research on the situation in Saudi Arabia. Today, I have to learn a lot from the CEOs."

Manager Xu smiled and said, "Hey, Xiao Guan, you're being so modest! Back in Dubai Port, the moment you made your move, I knew you were incredible! You were able to compete with that old man Sabur for half a year, yet you were able to make decisions quickly, seize the opportunity, and maneuver around... The most amazing thing is, you even understand the laws of the Middle East thoroughly. Top lawyers helped you for free, and we didn't even have to go to court. We just solved it! Mr. Li, don't you think she handled it brilliantly? Don't look at Xiao Guan's young age. In the Middle East, I admire this girl the most! To be honest, the reason our Nangang was able to land in Saudi Arabia was because we took advantage of Xicheng Steel's big discount. It shows how capable the people at Xicheng Steel are. The young are really formidable!"

Cui Shanshan was standing nearby, and after hearing this, she nodded continuously. Dong Zhiqiao probably followed Cui Shanshan's attitude and also nodded in praise.

What a compliment! Guan Ying smiled and said, "I don't deserve it. I'm not as good as Brother Xu said. That time was just luck."

Mr. Li and Manager Xu had already discussed this, and now he took over the conversation. "Hey, actually, we've heard of your reputation as the manager for a while now at the port, but we've never had the chance to meet you. I didn't expect you to be so young and promising! Sabur, that trading company, has some influence in the Dubai Steel Union. I heard he was so angry afterward that he said a lot of bad things about you locally, blocking a lot of your orders. And you, out of friendship, didn't expose him. You handled this matter with real character, and your level of skill is immediately apparent. Everyone in the industry admires you! We were worried that Xicheng Steel would suffer losses, but we didn't expect you to rush to Saudi Arabia so soon, and also to make drastic product upgrades in China. You really have a promising future!"

Manager Xu added enthusiastically: "That's the most important thing. It's the people from Xicheng Steel. They are loyal and righteous! Seeing that we at Nangang were in trouble, they took the initiative to bring us to Saudi Arabia to develop the market. They are so righteous!" When he said this, his face remained calm, and he was completely different from the person he was on the phone.

Mr. Li and Manager Xu sang in unison: "Yes, yes, yes! This is truly remarkable. Chinese companies operating overseas must unite and advance together!"

Manager Xu followed up, "Hey, Mr. Li, I remember you said you were preparing a legal team recently. How are the preparations going?"

Mr. Li continued, "We've already hired domestic lawyers, but to defend an international anti-dumping case like this, we need to work with international lawyers. Ideally, they're well-versed in geopolitics and have a strong reputation as a third-party. Since we're defending this case, we absolutely cannot afford to lose."

Manager Xu asked knowingly, "So someone has been chosen, right?"

Mr. Li sighed. "Yes, to be honest, I do have something I'd like to ask for your help with today. The lawyer we're interested in is the one who's in dispute with your Nangang. He's the attorney representing Mr. Kassim, the boss. He's a Canadian who recently spun out of a well-known New York law firm. He used to be in the Middle East..."

There was a sudden loud buzzing sound in Guan Ying’s head!

Mr. Li then went on to talk a lot about how great this lawyer was and how important it was to the success of this case, and how Huagang had been racking its brains to contact this lawyer recently... Guan Ying could no longer hear anything, as if she was in outer space. The sounds from the dinner table were sometimes near, sometimes far away, drifting aimlessly to nowhere.

Mr. Li finally said to Guan Ying meaningfully, "His name is Daniel."