"If you had purchased intelligence regarding my father-in-law, you would know," Jiang Ye said slowly. "My father-in-law was quite the ladies' man in his youth, so he has many children. And he lived a long life, resulting in a vast number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren. Several generations live together, making his family extremely large. I suspect he might not even recognize all his descendants."
Bao Yulan's smile was slightly awkward, and she remained silent.
"I've only met my father-in-law a few times. On average, I don't see him even once a year, so our relationship isn't very deep," Jiang Ye said. "My wife's connection with her family is also quite weak. It's a galactic elite family; once the children branch out, they naturally become distant."
"I once placed a military hardware order with my father-in-law. Guess what happened?" Jiang Ye chuckled helplessly. "He seized me, his son-in-law, and fleeced me for a substantial amount of money. And I didn't dare to say anything."
Bao Yulan fell silent.
"So, my advice is, if you want to buy military hardware from my father-in-law, it's best to approach him as a stranger," Jiang Ye said. "To attract new customers, he might even offer you a discount. He'll just fleece acquaintances directly. Any arms dealer who can establish themselves in the universe is a shrewd businessman!"
"Your planet, Mr. Jiang, also has some military factories, correct?" Bao Yulan suddenly asked.
Jiang Ye's eyes flickered slightly. "Yes, many."
"Do your military factories have export business?"
"Not currently permitted."
"In the future?"
"Who knows about the future?"
Bao Yulan took out a thick document from a case and handed it to Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye opened it and saw it was a weapons procurement plan, with astonishing figures and a vast array of items. From small things like artificial eyeballs for the battlefield to large ones like planet-plundering assault heavy-firepower spacecraft, everything was included.
Jiang Ye flipped to the end, and the amount shocked him.
Twenty trillion!
Xueye Planet intended to procure military hardware with a budget of up to twenty trillion!
This was a clear case of excessive military buildup!
"You probably can't handle these orders alone, Mr. Jiang; you'll still need to trouble your father-in-law," Bao Yulan said. "At market prices, these items would cost twenty-three trillion. I can only provide twenty trillion."
Jiang Ye said nothing more, tucking the document under his arm.
This order, if all went as expected, would be incredibly profitable. The profit margins in the interstellar arms market were currently astonishingly high. The war industry had always been a source of immense profits since ancient times.
He could take a portion himself and give another portion to his father-in-law. His father-in-law had been a dominant force in the arms market for years, with interstellar wars relying on him for military supplies. Supplying a small planet like Xueye would be incredibly easy.
"Next are the cooperation agreements for agriculture and finance. Both are mutually beneficial initiatives," Bao Yulan took out two thick documents and began to read them aloud in a rambling fashion.
Jiang Ye listened impassively. As Bao Yulan read, she glanced at him, and he responded with a smile of ambiguous meaning.
Jiang Ye's signal was clear: his attitude depended on theirs. If their attitude was good, everything would be negotiable; if their attitude was poor, nothing would be discussed.
"Finally, there are some miscellaneous small matters," Bao Yulan began to quickly retrieve documents from the case, stating each one as she took it out.
"Some cities on Xueye Planet do not have sister cities. They wish to establish friendly relations with cities on Jiangye Planet or Birong Planet."
"Some middle schools on Xueye Planet organize overseas tours to broaden students' horizons. Previously, they had signed tourism agreements with another planet, but that planet has fallen into internal strife. I wonder how the tourism industries of Jiangye Planet or Birong Planet are?"
"Xueye Planet has a television program where various handsome men and beautiful women survive on a deserted island. The content is quite risqué, and the show's viewership is incredibly high, making it one of the popular citizen programs. The new season is about to start filming, and they are looking for handsome and beautiful individuals from other planets. I wonder if Jiangye Planet can provide any?"
"Xueye Planet's entertainment market is oversaturated. Many singers have to queue for venues to hold concerts, so they want to obtain permission to hold concerts on other planets."
On the table beside Jiang Ye, documents piled up, eventually forming a pure white tower.
"Director Bao, you truly have a lion's appetite!" Jiang Ye laughed. "To bring down just one company, one has to pay such a price."
"It's not just about paying; it's also about gaining."
"How many of these documents do I need to agree to?"
"That, of course, depends on your decision. I can't force you, can I? However, I believe that if we agree to at least one or two major items, or seven or eight minor ones, we can consider it a successful meeting."
"If you can guarantee the punishment of the culprits, then I can agree to most of these documents," Jiang Ye said.
The room suddenly fell silent.
Bao Yulan narrowed her eyes and smiled.
She suddenly pulled a dark handgun from under the table, aimed the barrel at herself, and handed it to Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye took the gun, looking puzzled.
Bao Yulan stood up and walked towards the courtyard behind them. "Mr. Jiang, please take a look. My courtyard is designed in the style of ancient gardens. It's very beautiful."
Jiang Ye suddenly understood something. He raised the handgun, strode quickly to the doorway, and lifted the curtain.
A courtyard with rolling green grass.
A group of people were tied up, their mouths gagged, kneeling on the grass.
The two leading figures were very familiar. Jiang Ye had seen countless photos and videos of them; he could even dream about them.
The Levi father and son!
The kneeling figures all raised their heads, their eyes wide as they stared at Jiang Ye. Fear, anger, and pleading were all present. They were like a pack of small beasts that had stumbled into a trap, looking up at the hunter from the bottom of the pit.
"Why didn't Director Bao mention this earlier?" Jiang Ye checked the handgun's magazine.
"Weren't we just having afternoon tea? I told you immediately after we finished," Bao Yulan said with a sly smile.
Jiang Ye raised the handgun, firing rapidly like flowing water, and walked into the courtyard.
...
Late at night.
At the space station, Jiang Ye boarded the spaceship accompanied by Liu Jizi.
At the spaceship's entrance, Jiang Ye turned around and waved to the crowd bidding him farewell below.
Then, he entered the spaceship, and the cabin door slowly closed.
The short video of him boarding the spaceship appeared on Xueye Planet's television news and trending searches a few minutes later. The news theme was Jiang Ye's private visit to Xueye Planet in a non-official capacity, his meeting with his old friend Bao Yulan, and the signing of a series of planetary cooperation agreements.
Before the spaceship had even flown out of Xueye Planet's gravitational range, Jiang Ye was already scrolling through a large number of news articles about himself on his phone.
The comment section was filled with comments from Xueye Planet netizens:
"Long live the friendship between Jiangye Planet and Xueye Planet!"
"Support the leader!"
"Welcome the leader of Jiangye Planet!"
Jiang Ye shook his head and chuckled.
Liu Jizi also saw the news and burst out laughing. "Director Bao is afraid you'll go back on your word?"
"This person is too cunning," Jiang Ye said. "If our talks had broken down, I probably wouldn't have had anyone to see me off, and the news wouldn't have reported on me."
"Did you see the Levi father and son?" Liu Jizi asked.
"Yes. Before I went, all the involved parties and their immediate family members were arrested and kept behind the tea house where we held our talks," Jiang Ye said. "I executed the criminals, but not their family members, as they are not from my planet."
"Even if you didn't lay a hand on them, those family members won't live long, will they?" Liu Jizi said. "I looked into Bao Yulan's background. This person is quite ruthless and likes to finish things completely. She will definitely kill all related personnel to eliminate future trouble."
"That's no longer my concern. Let this matter end here. Don't say too much to my wife," Jiang Ye said, tapping the window. The window automatically turned black. "I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me if anything major happens."