CNN camera captured the oil drill model hanging from her handbag - it was a 30th birthday gift from Xiao Zhen, made from leftover steel from the Alaska oil pipeline.
"Honey, remember how we turned the tide when crude oil prices plummeted in 2008?" Ivanka called from her private lounge. "Now I need you to help me secure the exploration rights for Block 12 in the Gulf of Mexico."
The Bangkok rain pounded against the bulletproof windows as I flipped through the files provided by the Xie family. My mother, Xie Chengrun, had her Thai signature on a document from 1978, when her grandfather was still a tin magnate in the Gulf of Siam.
"Ms. Xiao, this is the port lease agreement you requested," the heir to a Thai energy magnate said, pushing a gilded wooden box towards him. "But the royal family will need some special guarantees."
Weiyi opened the emerald cufflinks, revealing a miniature scanner.
As he traced the Isthmus of Kra on an antique map, she suddenly remembered the Teochew dialect her mother had taught her: "I heard your father's yacht in Phuket needs a German engine replacement?"
In the encrypted midnight email, the only warning came from a manor in the suburbs of Bangkok: "Beware of the Malaysian Genting Group. They have a century-old alliance with the South African Platinum Company."
Odin's polar boots sank into half a meter of snow, and the Beidou navigator showed that the target mineral vein was still three hundred meters away.
"Father, the Russian rig is only five kilometers away." He zoomed in on the thermal image. "Two platoons of armed guards."
In his Pudong office, Xiao Zhen pulled up the Arctic Council memo: "Have Reina contact the Norwegian Minister of the Environment and inform them that crude oil pollution has been discovered in the polar bear habitat."
He switched to satellite view. "There's a warm current under the ice to your left. Set the exploration sonar frequency to 17 Hz."
By the time the Russian patrol was diverted by a sudden appearance of polar bears, Odin's drill had already penetrated the permafrost.
The ice core samples evaporated white mist in the air at minus 50 degrees Celsius, and the portable detector showed that the iridium element exceeded the standard by 300 times - this is the key material for manufacturing aerospace engines.
The financial city at night is like a precision instrument. Xiao Zhen stands in front of the panoramic glass overlooking Lujiazui.
My phone vibrated with an encrypted quotation from Credit Suisse, and the acquisition of a stake in the Congolese gold and cobalt mine entered the final bidding.
He suddenly remembered the rainy night in 2003 when Ivanka flew from Houston to Shanghai with the twins, and the airport customs detained the simulated toy gun she bought for Zhenbei; he remembered the handover ceremony held by the King of Jordan on a warship in the Gulf of Aqaba when Princess Sarah handed Osa to him; he also remembered the moonlight shining on the "joint custody of children" clause she wrote in Thai when Xie Chengrun signed the divorce agreement on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Siam.
"Father, the rare earth refinery in Malaysia has received ISO certification," Zhenxi's report window popped up. "But Mitsubishi of Japan has offered to underwrite production for five years."
Xiao Zhen pressed the direct button to the Wall Street trader: "Short Japanese auto stocks at the opening of the market tomorrow, especially the hydrogen energy sector."
He checked the mass production schedule for the Sino-German joint venture's solid-state battery project and said, "Wait until the Nikkei index drops 3% before using an offshore account to take over the pledged shares of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries."
As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the Huangpu River, Xiao Zhen encountered three old friends on the tarmac. Reina's Nordic delegation was boarding, Ivanka's private jet had just arrived from North America, and Sarah's plane had landed just ten minutes earlier—the three mothers formed a subtle triangle in the morning light.
"Is your Chinese stomach only accustomed to Chaoshan porridge?" Sarah handed Xiao Zhen the agarwood lunch box. Ivanka smiled and showed a photo on her phone: "Zhennan's daughter can recite the Three Character Classic." Reina left behind a handwritten letter from a Sami elder, with a parchment map of Arctic mineral distribution drawn on it.
When China Airlines 969VIP private jet took off, Xiao Zhen saw the global asset panel updated synchronously on his mobile phone.
The proportion of oil has dropped to 28%, rare metals have exceeded 43%, and "interstellar exploration rights" option products have appeared for the first time in financial derivatives - although it is only a legal concept, the London Stock Exchange has given it a valuation of US$50 billion.
Xiao Zhen sat in the comfortable seat of the plane, his eyes still fixed on the data on the mobile phone screen.
At this time, he received an unexpected call from an old friend he hadn't contacted for many years, Li Qi, his former business partner.
"Xiao Zhen, I heard that your global expansion is getting bigger and bigger. Are you interested in participating in the underwater city project?"
Xiao Zhen's heart skipped a beat. An underwater city? This was something new. "Tell me about it."
Li Qi began to talk non-stop. It turned out that this project combined cutting-edge technology to build a self-sufficient city using deep-sea resources. Xiao Zhen listened, his mind constantly pondering the pros and cons and business opportunities.
Just as he was about to ask more questions, the plane suddenly encountered turbulence. Everyone was in a panic, but after the plane stabilized, Xiao Zhen seemed to have made up his mind.
"I can consider joining, but I must first see the detailed plan and the distribution of interests among all parties." Xiao Zhen replied.
He knows that behind every opportunity lies hidden risk, but he is never afraid of challenges.
He looked down from the plane window at the tallest building in Pudong below him, the Chinese and English words "Interstellar Capital" surrounding the large screen were still shining brightly.
The third batch of lunar minerals and the first batch of special asteroid materials will be ejected back to Earth in the first half of next year.
The global capital market will be different by then, Xiao Zhen thought silently as he lay comfortably in the aviation seat of his private jet.
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