William let out a burp.
He had to admit.
The food in Great Xia was quite appealing.
Aside from those chopsticks being too difficult to use.
The meal before him easily outshone so-called Western cuisine.
After swallowing another mouthful of authentic Guo Bao Rou… it was clear that to appease Meng Hao, Vice Admiral Tommy had hired chefs specifically from Great Xia.
Without any intention of lowering his voice, he boldly stated his stance to Meng Hao.
"Actually, as long as you stay within a few kilometers of the research center, I'll turn a blind eye to whatever you do."
"Honestly, I'm deliberately trying to curry favor with you, Brother Hao… but, to be fair, after these two days of interaction, I genuinely admire your character. Even if there were no reason to come here to add to my resume, I truly want to be your friend."
"As for Bruce, he's a complete idiot… utterly useless. His uncle, Vice Admiral Tommy, is going to great lengths to create opportunities for him to get close to you, Brother Hao, but it seems he's only making things worse."
Meng Hao smiled faintly.
Then, he tensed up.
Damn it.
He really needed to stay away from Bruce.
Who knew what kind of trouble this guy would stir up next.
However, regarding William.
Meng Hao was quite appreciative.
This fellow.
He truly said what he meant.
He didn't hide the fact that Meng Hao was essentially under house arrest near the research center… he just phrased it more tactfully.
And his desire to win Meng Hao's favor and boost his own future was equally genuine.
What you see is what you get.
To be frank.
"By the way, Brother Hao, I heard you gave Bruce that list of required materials?" William suddenly changed the subject and asked Meng Hao.
"Yes."
"That guy didn't want to run errands for me, so I deliberately made things difficult for him."
Since William was straightforward, Meng Hao saw no reason to hide his clear dislike for Bruce.
"Brother Hao."
"Aren't you just handing him an opportunity to take credit?"
"From now on, if you need any materials, just tell me."
"Don't be fooled by his act of being bullied in front of you… when he realizes what's happening, he'll definitely report to Vice Admiral Tommy, saying you've begun to see him as one of your own and that you've asked him to personally help prepare the parts."
Uh.
Meng Hao scratched his head.
Damn it.
It was that complicated?
The power struggles between these guys were practically comparable to a royal harem drama.
"Then, what should we do?"
Meng Hao was indifferent.
Who ran errands, who took credit, who received praise from the US high command had nothing to do with him. He planned to leave this godforsaken place eventually anyway.
"How about you give me another list of requirements?" William instinctively asked.
Another list?
Didn't Bruce already send the list to Vice Admiral Tommy?
Another list wouldn't do any good.
Seeing Meng Hao's bewildered expression.
William scratched his head.
"It can't be helped, we'll just have to try our best."
"This time, Bruce has dragged me down."
Meng Hao rolled his eyes.
This guy.
He was indeed interesting.
"Actually, it's not impossible to fix this… in fact, it could turn the tables for you."
Huh?
William was a bit confused.
"Actually, I don't need many of the materials on the list right now; I just couldn't be bothered to file reports frequently."
Meng Hao, without batting an eyelid, spun a web of lies.
William, full of curiosity and anticipation, listened intently, awaiting Meng Hao's next words.
"I can create a new list based on the current research progress."
"These are materials that will be needed in the near future, and coupled with my research progress, the reliability will be completely genuine."
"Compared to the new list I'll give you, the one Bruce submitted will clearly appear fabricated… then, the charge of embezzling funds will fall squarely on his head."
William's eyes lit up as he listened.
"Brother Hao."
"You're amazing."
"Shall we go and prepare the list right away?"
This William.
He was truly impatient.
Meng Hao shook his head dismissively.
"No rush."
"We need to give Bruce time and an opportunity to claim credit… let him react and submit the previous list first."
"Besides, I've just sat down and haven't eaten yet. Rushing me to work seems a bit inappropriate."
William rubbed his hands together repeatedly, his face full of apology.
"Sorry, sorry."
"Brother Hao, it was my oversight."
"Take your time to eat… however, the research center's cafeteria doesn't have much good food. Shall I have my subordinates bring some fresh seafood to boost your energy… after all, you said you'd be inviting Miss Luna over in a few days."
Cough, cough, cough.
Meng Hao choked on his food and couldn't help but cough repeatedly.
This William always managed to deliver unexpected bombshells in the most peculiar ways.
"Forget it, forget it."
"Let's just stick to normal meals."
"There's no need to attract so much attention."
…
After a simple meal.
Not long after.
The two returned to Meng Hao's workshop.
Meng Hao tapped away at his computer.
While the bored William yawned incessantly behind him.
For a second-generation playboy like William.
These scientific and technical parameters were simply too tedious.
Soon.
Meng Hao handed a portable hard drive to William.
"Brother Hao."
"Didn't you say you were going to make a list?"
"Why are you giving me a hard drive?" William was somewhat taken aback.
Meng Hao pulled him to the computer.
"It's like this, this hard drive contains some detailed information…"
"For example, the wheel hub strength parameters I'm envisioning and the various equipment needed to manufacture this wheel hub… for instance, I've adopted a new design approach for the vehicle's steering mechanism, which also requires a newly manufactured polishing machine for production… and this…"
To be honest.
William felt like he was reading a foreign language.
However, there was one thing he understood.
This portable hard drive contained many of Meng Hao's ideas, parameters, and 3D design schematics for the new energy vehicle he was developing.
This, in itself, was far more significant than a mere list handed to Bruce.
In fact.
The data on this hard drive represented and proved that Meng Hao was indeed developing new energy vehicles for the United States.
This was absolutely overwhelming compared to what Bruce was doing.
"Brother Hao."
"I don't even know how to thank you."
"This is a tremendous opportunity for me."
Seeing William so excited that he looked like he was about to rub sparks from his hands, Meng Hao chuckled and patted his shoulder.
"Alright, you said it yourself, we're friends."
"No need to be so formal."