"What's wrong?" Azarina asked curiously when she noticed Jiang Hai had gone silent after hanging up the phone.
"Nothing. I just have a feeling there might be some trouble," Jiang Hai replied with a helpless smile, scratching his head as he looked at her.
"Trouble? Do you want me to handle it?" Azarina asked, making a wiping gesture on her neck upon hearing Jiang Hai say the English phrase "wipe bo"—well, the pronunciation wasn't perfect, but she understood the gist.
"Uh, no. You're too ruthless," Jiang Hai laughed. "I'm talking about family matters. I thought I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore, but it turns out there's still something going on." Seeing Azarina's concerned expression, he quickly waved his hand. "Relax, I'm just going to a birthday party. No killing or anything."
"Oh, so that's it," Azarina said, choosing to stay quiet since she wasn't needed in this.
Jiang Hai slumped down on the bench, feeling helpless. He really didn't know how to face his relatives.
To be honest, Jiang Hai wasn't afraid of toughness or flattery. If someone was tough with him, he could be tougher. If someone flattered him, he would play along.
What he feared was kindness. Maybe it was because he'd lacked love early on. If someone gave him a drop of water, he would repay them with a spring. For example, when He Yue called earlier, Jiang Hai could easily have told her he didn't want to go and hung up. But facing He Xia, he couldn't say that. Putting himself in her shoes, Jiang Hai knew he was a person who craved love.
"I hope this won't turn into a fuss," Jiang Hai muttered, rubbing his temples.
While he was lost in thought, Akita Shingo, sitting opposite him, stared coldly.
There's a saying: people in the same trade are enemies. Although Jiang Hai never saw himself as in the same business as Akita Shingo—his ambitions and vision were far higher—Akita didn't see it that way.
At first, when Jiang Hai denied being in the same trade, Akita's hostility softened. But when he learned Jiang Hai sold another batch of feed to Du Famen, Akita considered him a shameless villain.
Akita was one hundred percent confident in Akita Co., Ltd. They wouldn't lose if the competition were fair. Losing wouldn't be shameful. Maybe the island people were shameless, but losing to Jiang Hai, a newcomer from the U.S., was unacceptable. What bothered Akita was Jiang Hai's dirty trick.
"Akita-kun, Jiang Hai is so shameless. Why don't we expose him and let His Highness Du Famen rely on us more?" whispered Ino, sitting nearby.
"No use, Ino-kun. We don't know what Jiang Hai said to Du Famen, and His Highness trusts him deeply. Empty words won't shake his position. We have to find another way," Akita whispered back, sipping sake.
"All is fair in war. This guy has taught you a lesson. He can make Du Famen trust him with just his words. He must have learned some Chinese way of forming alliances. I heard he was involved in China's last high-speed rail project here. He's not to be underestimated," an older man from the island country said slowly, a gleam flashing in his eyes before vanishing.
Akita and Ino glanced at Jiang Hai with new respect. They'd thought him a mere liar but now suspected he was more than that.
If Jiang Hai knew what they thought, he'd admit they were wrong on three counts.
First, Jiang Hai wasn't scheming—he simply didn't know how to run a business or manage a family. For business, he relied on top-grade beef as a stepping stone and then smashed it. Family matters were Robbins Garcia's responsibility. Jiang Hai only made some spiritual energy in water when bored and watered the land. That was it.
Second, Jiang Hai didn't know how to form alliances. These guys thought they were Su Qin and Zhang Yi—just kidding. Even though Jiang Hai's brain had developed, he barely used it—maybe 2.5% at best. He was too lazy to think. Alliances? That had been going on since the Former Qin Dynasty. These people overthought things. Maybe Jiang Hai just didn't understand.
Third, they misunderstood the order of things. Jiang Hai supplied feed, and Du Famen raised the cattle—not the other way around. One begged to buy, the other begged to sell. If Jiang Hai stopped selling feed, Du Famen wouldn't have a business. But this was a trade secret they didn't know.
"What should we do now?" Akita Shingo whispered to the old man behind him.
The old man was Akita Masaru, the real power behind their team, and this business was crucial for the Akita family and their government.
The island had sparse land and few natural resources. Their silver mines were depleted long ago. Now, metals and other supplies came from the U.S. This trip to the Middle East was to secure oil—but could they succeed?
"Wait. Real gold fears no fire. No matter how eloquent he is, the quality of Jiang Hai's feed won't change. If we can prove it's just ordinary feed or adulterated, we can convince Du Famen. That's the simplest way. No need to confront Jiang Hai yet," Akita Masaru said, chewing a piece of fish.
Hearing this, Akita Shingo and the others relaxed. An old man in the family was a treasure. Starting conflict now would push Du Famen to side with Jiang Hai, leaving them at a disadvantage. Better to wait and watch. Jiang Hai was a liar, and his day of exposure would come. Then they'd crush him.
"Hey!" Akita Shingo and Ino responded in unison. To them, Jiang Hai was doomed.
Jiang Hai was unaware of all this. He only noticed that Akita Shingo no longer stared at him, which made him feel more relaxed.
But in Akita's eyes, Jiang Hai's relaxed demeanor was just a calm before the storm. He planned to pull Jiang Hai down from his pedestal all at once. Even if Jiang Hai knew, he probably wouldn't care.
He was eager to see Jiang Hai's reaction after testing the pasture. It would be exciting.
In the following days, the Akita family caused no trouble. Jiang Hai and Du Famen spent their time at the ranch, inspecting cattle and pasture. Seeing the vast pasture moved Jiang Hai.
If he had millions of cows, each worth $140,000, he could earn $140 billion a year.
But Jiang Hai knew he'd never have peace with so much wealth. Whether the U.S. or China, governments would come knocking.
The polite ones would seek cooperation; the impolite would try to force him to hand over his secrets or worse.
Such a fortune would attract constant scrutiny.
So, for his own safety, Jiang Hai decided to stay low-key and make money slowly. He didn't want to make a big move that could backfire. With his current income of over a billion dollars a year and $2 billion in oil futures, he could handle his enemies. More than that, and it might overwhelm him.
Self-preservation was key. Zulong was a legendary quasi-saint, but Jiang Hai was not.
He didn't know why the scales on his body had evolved into dragons. He couldn't even fly, let alone cast spells.
For two days and three nights, Jiang Hai and Du Famen stayed at the ranch. Jiang Hai noticed Du Famen didn't use cowboys but helicopters to herd cattle. Five helicopters flew low, circling the herd.
Though noisy, the cattle were calm. Unlike local tyrants, Du Famen's methods were efficient.
After two days, they rested one more night before leaving by car the next morning.
On the return trip, Jiang Hai nearly vomited again. The desert was rough—no less turbulent than the ocean waves.
Back in Dubai, Jiang Hai rested one night and then shopped—mostly souvenirs.
What souvenirs does Dubai have? Two essentials: saffron and gold.
Jiang Hai, a rare wealthy traveler this trip, bought gold jewelry for everyone and plenty of saffron.
Including luxury clothes and bags, he spent nearly $2 million on the trip, excluding airfare. For Jiang Hai, it was just a drop in the bucket.
He'd already made so much money and expected to make more—from his fish, like bluefin tuna, yellow croaker, Yangtze knife fish, salmon, tiger grouper, king crab, giant grouper, and lobster. He could almost see Franklin waving.
After shopping, Jiang Hai took Azarina on a plane back to the capital.
The return ticket was much cheaper—business class only 20,000 yuan including tax, first class about 50,000 yuan, far less than the trip over. The flight time was just over seven hours.
They boarded in the morning and landed in the evening. Jiang Hai stretched, exhausted. Flying was tiring—limited space and the endless white outside the window.
Fortunately, he had first-class comfort to lie down and play games. Economy would've been depressing.
Finally arriving, they collected their luggage and changed into thicker clothes—actually the ones they wore leaving Boston—and headed out.
At the exit, they spotted four beautiful women standing some distance away, shivering in the cold, waiting for them.
"Those guys," Jiang Hai said with a warm smile.
To be continued.