20 years of restarting life

Chapter 3606 Never Had Hope
The hope is that Xia Wenzhuo will not follow the path taken by the Chinese who have worked hard in Southeast Asia over the years.

"What you've mentioned is too easily replaceable and too scattered. I still want to give it a try."

Xia Wenzhuo clearly did not agree with Zhao Chang'an's idea.

"Okay, you can do it first."

Zhao Chang'an knew where Xia Wenzhuo's confidence came from. With the title of the White Dragon King's closed-door disciple, she could basically do whatever she wanted in most parts of Southeast Asia. The people in this area had a deeper sense of awe for supernatural powers that were beyond their comprehension.

Moreover, no matter what Xia Wenzhuo does, this represents a new generation of Chinese people who, after the end of the massive migration to Southeast Asia that lasted for hundreds of years, are now embarking on a new journey to Southeast Asia in the spring breeze of reform and opening up.

So it's understandable that they initially struggled and even encountered setbacks. It was precisely these struggles that allowed them to accumulate a presence in Southeast Asia over time, laying the groundwork for the future entry and impact of the Nano Pearl, which had accumulated enough strength and wings a few years later.

Therefore, he did not hesitate to take out three or four billion, or even more, funds at this time and pour them into Southeast Asia to let Xia Wenzhuo's team test the waters.

"It seems you have very little confidence in me?"

Hearing Zhao Chang'an's indifferent attitude, Xia Wenzhuo couldn't help but feel a bit of girlish coquettishness, glancing sideways at Zhao Chang'an with her almond-shaped eyes.

“It’s not that we lack confidence. To put it bluntly, you are pioneers and troubleshooters. This sum of billions may seem like a lot, but compared to our needs for one nanometer, it’s really nothing.”

Zhao Chang'an glanced at the female driver sitting in the front.

“It’s alright. Mei Hong’s family came from the 1970s. Their ancestral home is near Dianchi Lake. They have impeccable revolutionary credentials and a firm political stance.”

Xia Wenzhuo joked with a smile, but the meaning behind his words was very clear: this was a true compatriot, and there was no need to hide anything.

Zhao Chang'an said, "The real demand of one nanometer is still the twelve words I mentioned when you left Mingzhu: proceed slowly, influence culture, and cover all aspects of their lives, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. They are already very wary of resources such as oil, minerals, and even food. What we need to do is make them feel that the fabric of the clothes they wear in the morning, the cars they drive, the mobile phones they use, the TVs they watch, the air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators they use, the fruits they eat, the drinks they drink, and the medicines they take, are as ubiquitous as air and water."

"Pfft!"

The female driver named Meihong, who was sitting in the front, laughed: "Mr. Zhao, you're too idealistic. If that were the case, all sorts of countermeasures would have come before this time."

"That's why I say 'boiling a frog in lukewarm water'—take it slow and steady."

"I feel like you are a true idealist. I really don't know how you have built such a strong company over the past few years."

Zhao Chang'an knew the female driver didn't believe him, but he didn't intend to convince anyone. His argument was that in the next decade or so, China would become the world's most powerful industrial base. With such overwhelming industrial advantages, fully entering and dominating the industries of these countries was definitely not just empty talk. However, the mining and resource industries of these countries are inherently highly rent-seeking sectors. It's easy for a company like Nanometer Pearl to enter, but it's equally easy for them to change their tune and manipulate things.

Zhao Chang'an planned to bring OneNano North America into these industries in the future; he never intended for Xia Wenzhuo and OneNano Pearl to control them.

Last year, because of the glass of wine that Chen Yilan splashed on Zhao Chang'an's face, the Chen family was in the wrong, which led to the trip between the three families.

During the negotiations at Mingzhu, the Chen, Luo, and Qu families all made clear statements supporting OneNano's entry into Southeast Asia and offering to assist OneNano in entering their business chain.

The Chen family's plantations and deep-sea fishing, the Luo family's shipbuilding and ocean-going fleet, and the Qu family's planting and primary processing industries in the fields of rubber, palm oil, cocoa, pepper, and herbs—but the real purpose of these three old foxes is to open up the domestic market.

Since Xia Wenzhuo's team arrived in Xingcheng, more than half a year has passed. Among the several families, including the Liang family and the Huang family, none of them have a real representative to contact Xia Wenzhuo's team. Only Qu Zhou has a good relationship with Xia Wenzhuo because he previously acted as the agent for Cretaceous Games and has met with him a few times.

The indifference of these families, especially Chen, Luo, and Qu, made Zhao Chang'an fully understand why, despite the fact that 70% of the 60 million overseas Chinese in the world are in Southeast Asia, they have failed to form a powerful force.

In fact, Zhao Chang'an never expected these people to be of any help from the beginning, and he had no unrealistic hopes for them.

In reality, his purpose in doing this was not to seek help, but to prevent them from causing trouble.

If they can avoid causing trouble for One Nano Star City, that would be quite generous of them.

In reality, over the past six months, thanks to the presence of several influential groups within the overseas Chinese community in Xingcheng, there has been little negative feedback or criticism of the relatively weak YiNanXingcheng. Consequently, YiNanXingcheng's operations have faced significantly less resistance.

The previous resistance came from two main sources. One was some street thugs who thought that Xia Wenzhuo's team was young and had a lot of money. Since they were newcomers to the area, they should obediently spend money to pay tribute and be exploited several or even dozens of times.

Another issue is the local corrupt officials and their cronies. Just like Xia Wenzhuo mentioned in the car, the brother-in-law of a manager in Malacca actually wanted 30% of the shares in the rubber factory, and he was also lusting after Xia Wenzhuo's beauty, wanting to take it over.

He threatened that if they did not comply, his investment in the nanostar city would be deemed illegal, resulting in the confiscation of all their investment, huge fines, and criminal prosecution.

It all started when Bai Yide went to the manager's brother-in-law's house, dragged the brother-in-law into a fight, broke several of his ribs, and beat him until his face was swollen like a pig's head. Then, he talked to him for a long time with virtue and reason, finally convincing the other side to stop making those unreasonable demands.

This created a situation where, on the bright side, the White Dragon King acted as a protective talisman, while on the dark side, Zhang Shun and his group charged forward. Even the King of Hell and his minions had dedicated forces to deal with them, which allowed Xia Wenzhuo's team to slowly establish a foothold over the past six months.

However, at this stage, it is still a pure investment and money-throwing phase for One Nano Star City. It has not yet generated enough enviable profits or demonstrated the power to threaten the interests of other forces and enterprises. In the future, troubles and disputes will certainly continue.

This is also a key reason why Xia Wenzhuo's team chose to diversify their investments across several areas, rather than focusing their efforts on building a strong regional industry first.