Chapter 229 Temporary Change of Itinerary
The briefing at the Presidential Palace was scheduled for four days later. Anyone entering the presidential residence was required to produce identification and the corresponding files for record keeping.
However, the procedure for meeting the president was much simpler than Lin Ruoyan had imagined. She simply went to a designated location at a designated time and took a color photo. This photo would be printed on the identification card used to enter and exit the Presidential Palace. As for her identity, and that of the other people invited by President Yuan who were scheduled to enter the Presidential Palace, they were all considered to be employees of the state-owned enterprise where President Yuan worked, and the logos would not identify the specific private companies.
This avoids management troubles. Similarly, if any of these people have problems, the large state-owned enterprises must bear the relevant responsibilities.
The internal division of labor wasn't clearly explained to the public; Lin Ruoyan simply needed to remember her role. This was her primary motivation for choosing to work with a state-owned enterprise like Shipbuilding. This model was more like a partnership between her and Wang Min, where she only needed to complete her portion of the work behind the scenes while others worked ahead to cultivate relationships and develop the market.
When presenting the new town plan, she used the translator recommended by Mr. Yuan. Although Lu Wei's English was adequate, Mr. Yuan's translator had worked with the early project manager two years earlier. He was familiar with the executives on site and had developed a local accent, which sounded very familiar.
Senior translators aren't necessarily older, but rather possess extensive translation experience. In Bolivian society, where people are outspoken and forthright, translators need to be flexible and outspoken. They also need to possess keen insight and a keen understanding of their audience's mindset.
The translator recommended by Mr. Yuan was able to translate complex concepts in a colloquial way, making them understandable to non-professionals. Sometimes, he would simply omit content that would have made the President frown uninterested. However, this did not affect the final effect. The translator knew Mr. Yuan's goal in advance, so he was more adept at choosing details and omissions during the translation process.
Lu Wei had taken translation courses seriously. She would privately tell Lin Ruoyan that if it were her, she might not dare to be so "flexible" because she didn't know what the local officials liked to hear, nor did she know how to say it to their liking. Even if the accent was not similar, it would repel people.
Although the locals were once colonized by Europe and speak x, they have a strong sense of national pride after independence. The passionate and unrestrained character of South Americans makes them more extroverted, and it is actually difficult for them to integrate into the traditional Oriental people's reservedness.
Mr. Yuan's translator is different. She graduated at a very young age and came to Bolivia at the age of 22. Her personality and circle of friends are here. It is more like she is studying abroad here. The local language, culture and customs are perfectly integrated with her growth.
The report was successfully completed and the stage of selecting a plan for the presidential live broadcast began.
The other outsiders were off-camera, watching from the audience. Lin Ruoyan and Lu Wei weren't particularly important figures, sitting a few rows behind Mr. Yuan and the others. To the public, Lu Wei was Lin Ruoyan's personal translator, and the two women didn't stand out among the crowd of dark-haired Chinese people.
Holding several beautifully printed illustrations, the president presented his plan for free social housing to a television audience. As expected, he chose the option with the highest occupancy rate. With a building area of one million square meters, high-rise buildings would occupy less space, leaving more green space. However, various experts also expressed some objections.
The most bizarre thing is that the locals’ perception of vacant land is very different from that in China.
Locals have a custom of squatting. If too much vacant land is occupied by homeless people who persist in living there for a certain number of years, the land is likely to be declared their private property, making it difficult to clear. The bizarre legal concepts and bandit logic left by the colonizers have caused significant harm in colonized countries.
Lin Ruoyan would no longer participate in the debate at this level. She and Lu Wei had originally planned to return to the hotel after the dinner, but unexpectedly received a notice in the afternoon to take a flight to Province B, leaving in half an hour.
Huh? She didn't buy a plane ticket, and her passport was with her the whole time. From the capital to Province B, which flight was she catching in half an hour?
Lu Wei quickly looked up the relevant information, but found that there were no suitable flights. She frowned slightly. Could it be that additional flights would be added temporarily for the president's trip?
Unexpectedly, half an hour later, several buses full of guests left the Presidential Palace and headed directly to the military airport. Zhao Xingxing and the design institute staff had not received any notice and remained in the capital.
Yuan, Lin Ruoyan, and the other guests who were supposed to attend the dinner at the Presidential Palace all boarded their cars and boarded a small plane at the military airport. The president was not on their plane, but several important politicians from Bolivia were.
This wasn't the most outrageous thing, it was just their first means of transportation. The flight took less than an hour and landed at the military airport in Province B.
Lin Ruoyan and Lu Wei were arranged to board a helicopter. The helicopter was not like a convertible car with doors that could be closed, but it was open, and there were weapons on board.
Lu Wei whispered, "This is an attack helicopter. The doors are open, ready to fire at any time. Ours should be an escort aircraft, taking a few of us with it. The president may be in another helicopter or in the car below."
When the plane took off, Yuan and others boarded another car with several dignitaries. No one knew which vehicle the president was on.
An officer on the plane explained, "There was a problem with the car originally arranged to pick us up at the airport. The car we temporarily dispatched didn't have enough seats, so we had to ask the ladies to board the attack helicopter."
Lin Ruoyan and Lu Wei whispered to each other: "Why don't you let men get on the attack helicopter?"
Lu Wei smiled and said, "We're flying in the air, theoretically to protect vehicles on the ground. If men were on the plane, the risk of danger would increase significantly. In the eyes of most people, women are more fragile, and the probability of them being able to fly a plane and use weapons is very low, so it's safer for others on the plane."
Lin Ruoyan laughed and said, "Don't tell me you can fly a plane and easily take control of everyone on it?"
There were six armed male soldiers on the plane, not including the pilot. Lu Wei nodded, "It'll take some effort, but it can be done."
After saying this, Lu Wei discovered that the plane did not continue to follow the convoy, but instead sped up and turned to another place.
Lu Wei frowned and asked the officer who had spoken earlier, "Aren't we following the convoy?"
The officer said, "Let's go to the front and meet up later."
Lu Wei asked again: "Where is our destination?"
"It's the house where Mr. President's hometown is located." The other party answered briefly.
The plane was very noisy, and both sides had to shout when talking. The other party was reluctant to say more, perhaps to keep it secret or because speaking was too strenuous. Seeing that the other party was silent and unwilling to say more, Lu Wei had no choice but to lean over to Lin Ruoyan's ear and tell her the new news she had heard.
Lin Ruoyan couldn't help but feel a little worried. The dinner was originally scheduled to be held at the Presidential Palace in the capital, so why was it suddenly changed to the hometown of the President of Province B? It felt very strange to bring so many foreign guests with him, to go deep into the inland hinterland, and to have Lin Ruoyan and Lu Wei placed alone in an armed helicopter.
Lin Ruoyan was the one who spoke publicly about the new social housing town and industry-related plans. She suspected that someone might have been targeting her and that was why she was being treated differently.
She tried to contact Mr. Yuan on her phone, but found no signal mid-air. There were no other helicopters around, and the mountains were towering below. This wasn't the same route she'd taken on her last trip to Province B. It couldn't be helped. Last time, it was a regular flight, and this was a last-minute trip, so the route was very different.
Lu Wei comforted him, "Don't worry, I'm here."
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