Chapter 135 A Storm Begins
He Changyi managed to prepare all the goods before the delivery date stipulated in the contract.
The difficulty is like trying to fill a plastic bag with water; sharp points lurk everywhere. If you make a slight mistake, the thin plastic film will have another hole, and if you're even a little more careless, the plastic bag will turn into a showerhead.
He Changyi kept a close watch, and with Xie Xun's assistance, they barely managed to carry the bag of water to the finish line.
Everything is ready; all that's left is to load it onto the truck.
Unlike Russia and Eastern Europe, goods destined for Central Asia are generally transported by rail, exiting through the northern border crossings and connecting to the railway network within Akmantan. This method offers the best cost-effectiveness and the shortest travel time.
However, as a bridgehead of the Eurasian Land Bridge, the northern Xinjiang border crossings are extremely busy. Countless trains depart and arrive day and night, and the total volume of goods passing through customs is increasing daily.
Even so, the neighbors to the north are still desperately in need of food, like a bottomless black hole that can never be filled no matter how many train cars are loaded into it.
However, the current annual cargo handling capacity of the northern Xinjiang port is insufficient to bear such a heavy burden, and it quickly became overwhelmed. Port congestion became a daily occurrence, with frequent problems of cargo backlog and delays.
He Changyi was quite familiar with the situation at the northern border crossing, so he began contacting railcars and warehouses as soon as the contract was finalized to ensure that there would be no tragic situation where the goods were ready but blocked at the border and missed the delivery deadline.
It was only through the combined efforts of He Changyi and Xie Xun, who were experienced and had extensive connections, that they were able to secure over a thousand railway wagons amidst fierce competition, managing to squeeze all the cargo in while barely managing to avoid overloading.
Three days before the contractually agreed delivery deadline, everything was finally in place.
He Changyi faxed the international rail freight bill to Megerdinov, requesting him to provide transport documents for the shipment from the Algerian side, whether by sea or land, as stipulated in the contract.
Megerdinov was delighted upon receiving the fax, praising He Changyi for her trustworthiness and saying she was truly a woman of Zhongguo. He Changyi remained unmoved, only asking him, "According to the contract, you should also provide us with transport documents for 10,000 tons of tungsten concentrate."
Megerdinov readily agreed: "Don't worry, don't worry, we will definitely do as the contract says! We'll send it to you in a few days!"
He Changyi pressed further, "How many days do you mean? There are less than three days left until the final delivery deadline in the contract. When are you going to ship it?"
Megerdinov said, "Miss He, we're old friends. Don't you trust me? I'll definitely send it, don't worry! It just takes time to process the shipping paperwork, it won't take long, don't worry!"
He Changyi retorted, "Handling procedures? Mr. Megerdinov, isn't your Akmantan government the partner in this transaction? As a government, is it really more difficult for you to handle cross-border freight procedures in your own country than it is for me in China?"
Megerdinov was momentarily speechless, then quickly replied, "You know, our country has only been independent for a few years, so this is indeed quite difficult for us..."
He Changyi interrupted him rudely.
“Mr. Megerdinov, assuming there are indeed difficulties in communication within your government, a considerable amount of time has passed since the contract was signed. Did you only realize the existence of difficulties a few days before the agreed delivery date?”
Megerdinov made an "uh" sound and said awkwardly, "Miss He, please understand, you can't apply your experience in Os and China to Akmantan. We are different from you, and small countries are different from large countries."
He Changyi readily agreed, saying, "Okay, I understand."
Before Megerdinov could even feel happy, she added, "Then let's amend the contract's shipping date clause, so that when you provide the international through bill of lading, we will ship the goods."
Megerdinov was startled and tried to persuade him, "You don't need to be so forceful. Sending the goods first won't harm you in any way. We're not refusing to ship, it'll just be a few days later. It won't affect anything..."
He Changyi said, "No, this will certainly affect me. Mr. Megerdinov, my attitude is very firm: either we ship at the same time, or we don't ship at all. There is no possibility that we will ship first."
Megerdinov mumbled a few words in Arabic before switching back to Chinese, saying reluctantly, "Alright, I'll try to urge them... Miss He, you're such a difficult person to talk to."
He Changyi said, "Mr. Megerdinov, when I receive 10,000 tons of tungsten concentrate in Zhongguo, I guarantee you will see how easy-going I am."
After hanging up the expensive international call, Xie Xun, who was standing nearby, asked knowingly, "Megertinov wants some more?"
Before He Changyi joined, Xie Xun had openly and secretly bribed Medertinov quite a bit in order to secure this project. Only after Medertinov was he satisfied would he act as a go-between and facilitate this barter cooperation.
Therefore, when Xie Xun heard that Megerdinov was finding excuses to delay the contract implementation process, his first reaction was that this guy was greedy for money and wanted to use his position to squeeze some benefits out of them.
He Changyi shook her head: "It's hard to say."
Xie Xun said, "How about I send someone over to give him some money, so that the old bastard won't keep trying to use the contract to blackmail us?"
He Changyi said, "No rush. Let's see if we can receive the through bill of lading in the next few days. If we haven't received it by the contractually agreed date, we'll send a letter to Ackermanstein in the company's name and report this matter to them."
Xie Xun raised an eyebrow and said, "It seems that Medertinov is in trouble."
He Changyi said, "That guy is petty and will most likely hold a grudge against me, and you will be implicated as well."
Xie Xun said casually, "At worst, I'll just do this one deal with Ackermanstein. To be honest, this money really took a toll on me. Although I earned a lot, I had even more to worry about."
He Changyi asked him, "Aren't you angry? You went through so much trouble to build this relationship, are you just going to throw it away after using it only once?"
Xie Xun smiled and said, "Why would I be angry? I've come to realize now that life is short. Money is important, but there are many things more important than money."
When he said those words, it was as if a peacock had finally decided to throw away the abacus it once cherished, and spread its wings to the southeast, its feathers flying like a dream in the sunlight.
At this moment, Xie Xun's image overlaps with that of someone hawking goods on a platform, being beaten with a police baton and running away with his head in his hands, and then gradually separates from it.
The way he looked up in the snow, the smug and expectant expression on his face when he wore his mink coat, the pale smile he gave while shielding someone from a knife on the train, the anxious stomping when he learned they were breaking up, the exasperated question, "How many boyfriends do you have?", and the confident "There's plenty of time in the future"...
At this moment, He Changyi finally saw him for real.
Xie Xun.
He Changyi said very seriously, "You won't be disappointed."
Xie Xun chuckled lightly, "I am often disappointed. But fortunately, I never despair easily, and I will never give up."
"Then don't give up."
He Changyi raised her hand and touched his face for the first time.
Xie Xun remained motionless, staring intently at her, even as her hand slipped into the scar from the attempted throat-slitting attempt hidden beneath his collar, causing his Adam's apple to bob up and down.
"I won't let you get hurt again."
Xie Xun said, "I don't care, even if I get hurt."
His gaze was frighteningly direct. He grabbed He Changyi's hand and repeated himself again:
"I'd rather be injured. I'm no longer afraid of death."
He Changyi was clearly looking up, but now it looked like he was looking down.
"good."
She said, "Die for me, and live for me too."
Xie Xun didn't have his usual smile on his face, but his heart was closer to happiness than ever before.
The moonlight, the cold moonlight, finally shone on him this time.
As the contractually agreed delivery date drew closer, He Changyi still had not received the international through waybill fax from Akmantan by the deadline.
This is bad news, just as bad as breach of contract.
It is important to understand that due to the huge volume of goods, the daily storage fees at the port exceed six figures and are approaching seven figures, which is driving up costs and squeezing profits.
He Changyi called to urge Mederdinov, but the other party avoided answering the phone and asked his secretary, who only spoke Akmanstein, to transfer him. This guy couldn't even speak Ethn.
Facing the unfamiliar, garbled language on the other end of the microphone, He Changyi angrily retorted, "Tell Megerdinov he can keep hiding, and I can resell the goods to a third party. If you don't take the contract seriously, I have no obligation to abide by it!"
If the other party fails to provide the bill of lading after the agreed delivery date, He Changyi and Xie Xun will have to reroute the shipment to Russia and Eastern Europe. Although switching from wholesale to retail will lead to a longer payment cycle, it is still better than losing everything.
Whether the secretary understood He Changyi's threat or not, Medertinov quickly took the receiver, as if he had been standing by the phone the whole time.
“Miss He, you are too hasty. This is not how a lady should behave…”
He Changyi laughed angrily: "Megertinov, what are you pretending for? Don't give me this nonsense about being a lady. Being a lady can't buy you thirty million dollars! I'm warning you one last time: if you still refuse to deliver the goods, it will be considered a breach of contract. I will send a letter detailing the cause and effect to the Prime Minister's Office so that your esteemed Prime Minister can personally verify the truth!"
Megerdinov exclaimed urgently, "He Changyi, what are you trying to do? We're all compatriots, how could you harm me?!"
He Changyi said bluntly, "That's what you deserve! In short, either ship the goods or send a letter!"
Megerdinov mumbled something indistinctly before reluctantly saying, "It's really difficult to ship the goods right now..."
He Changyi retorted, "Difficulties? What difficulties could there be? The tungsten mine is state-owned, and the inability to sell the concentrate is the current situation. The train wagons and customs are still your country's. What exactly are your difficulties? Don't tell me you started mining after signing the contract, right? Even if you're a bunch of moles, you should be loading the mined ore onto the train by now!"
Megerdinov said unhappily, "Miss He, you're too fierce!"
He Changyi sneered, "Fierce? I was too polite to you before! Tell me, can we ship the goods or not!"
Megerdinov was silent for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Yes, of course we can... but our country's ports are different from yours. They have restrictions on the length, height, and weight of wagons, and there are frequent problems with cargo being delayed. Even if we wanted to ship goods, we couldn't immediately resolve these difficulties..."
Before He Changyi could speak, Megerdinov quickly added, "But we're already trying to find a solution. If land transport isn't feasible, we'll use sea transport. I've been contacting ports these past few days, but you know how troublesome those ports are. Some only accept US dollars, some don't have container slots. In short, it's very complicated..."
He Changyi interrupted his rambling.
"So you admit that the contract could not be fulfilled because of your side's problems?"
Megerdinov hesitated for a moment before saying, "You could say that... if that makes you happy..."
He Changyi said, "Okay, according to the contract, if your side breaches the contract, we have the right to terminate the contract directly—"
Megerdinov quickly said, "No, no, no, the contract absolutely cannot be terminated!"
He Changyi said coldly, "Not lift the ban? Are you going to let me keep dragging this on? I've already spent too much unnecessary money on warehousing!"
On the microphone, Megerdinov's voice changed drastically: "We can pay compensation!"
He Changyi said decisively, "Of course you have to pay compensation, not only compensation, but also liquidated damages, not a single penny less!"
Megerdinov's voice sounded like a plea: "What will it take for you to continue fulfilling the contract? I can provide a government guarantee as collateral..."
"Government guarantee?"
He Changyi countered, "I recall that the contract was signed by the Ackermanian Minerals Distribution Company, not your country's government. Would the Ackermanian government be willing to issue a guarantee?"
Megerdinov confidently replied, "No problem! The Prime Minister attaches great importance to this transaction; he will definitely approve the guarantee!"
He Changyi thought for a moment. If it were a government that provided the guarantee, it would seem more credible. After all, the monk can run away but the temple can't. But if the other party is determined to breach the contract, can she really go to the Prime Minister's Office just to seek justice?
If the contract is terminated directly, it will take a considerable amount of time to sell the $30 million worth of goods. Not to mention the losses caused by unsold stock and resale, the cost of tying up capital alone is an unacceptably high price.
Although goods worth 30 million US dollars do not equate to an actual payment of 30 million US dollars, even an initial investment of only one-fifth or less still puts a heavy burden on He Changyi and Xie Xun's cash flow.
"I don't need your government guarantee."
He Changyi made a decision quickly.
“You will provide a cash deposit of US$30 million into the Zhongguo Bank. Once the deposit is received, you will ship the goods immediately. If you still fail to ship the goods, the deposit will be paid to us as compensation.”
A government guarantee cannot provide a sense of security, but a $30 million deposit can.
Megerdinov protested, "Miss He, you're showing a lack of trust in Akmanstein! Besides, a deposit of thirty million US dollars is far too much! If we could come up with that much money, why would we need to engage in a barter transaction with a foreign businessman?!"
He Changyi bluntly stated, "I simply don't trust you. In fact, your actions certainly don't warrant your trust."
Her tone was firm: "Either pay the deposit, or terminate the contract and take your unsold tungsten ore to find the next buyer!"
Megerdinov was silent for a moment before saying, "A deposit is acceptable, but it must be held in the Ackermanstein Bank."
He Changyi was so angry she almost laughed: "Can this kind of deposit even serve as a guarantee? I might as well just give you the goods!"
Megerdinov argued, "Don't I need to worry about your Zhongguo Bank? Who knows if you'll just swallow the money!"
He Changyi said proudly, "Of course not. We in Zhongguo are different from you. We always keep our word."
Mederdinov, exasperated, muttered after a long pause, "Great power chauvinism..."
He Changyi said bluntly, "It's better than a small country going back on its word."
After some haggling, it was finally agreed that Ackermanstein would deposit ten million US dollars into the Bank of China, ten million US dollars into the Bank of Ackermanstein, and another ten million US dollars into the Bank of Russia in a third country.
Both parties will jointly manage the bank accounts of Zhong, A, and E. After the $30 million deposit is in place, He Changyi will ship the goods to Ackerman. If the 10,000 tons of tungsten concentrate has not arrived in Zhong within 30 days, she has the right to request the bank to withdraw the entire deposit.
In this way, even though there is still a risk of default by Akmanstein, He Changyi can receive the deposit as compensation and will no longer need to bear the pressure of huge storage costs.
When the train crosses the border with over a hundred wagons of goods, it may return with tens of thousands of tons of tungsten concentrate next time.
He Changyi stood on a high point at the border, watching the train travel further and further away, heading towards an unknown distance.
She had a feeling that the real problems with this deal were yet to come.
However, this is precisely the allure of the aesthetics of exorbitant profits.
After all, besides the stock market gurus on Capitol Hill and the White House strategists, who else can easily make tens of millions of dollars in profit from a single trade?
"Changyi, it's time to set off."
Xie Xun stood below, waving vigorously, his smiling fox-like face both delicate and adorable.
"Okay, right away."
He Changyi turned around and walked down the stairs decisively.
—It doesn't matter, bring on all the challenges, she's ready.
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