Rekindle 2003

Chapter 1176 You are late now!

Kong Ziqian thought to himself that although this journey was long, perhaps this would really be his new starting point.

It's time to take some responsibility on your shoulders.

but……

Sometimes a man carries more than just responsibility.

Kong Ziqian decided to adapt to the environment here first, and then find an opportunity to explore this mysterious and charming continent.

Just when Kong Ziqian was still imagining a happy trip to Africa, Zhu Zhaojiang pushed him from behind and said with a grin, "Hey, kid, smile!"

Kong Ziqian was about to complain that he was not a jokester, but he held the words back before he could even utter them.

He looked up and found that a mobile phone camera had been extended in front of him.

He quickly gestured "yeah" to the camera and forced a bright smile on his face.

The sunlight shining on his face looked particularly bright.

Although the selfie stick will not be available until National Day, it is no longer a secret within the Yanhuang Group, and many executives have one.

This little gadget was quite novel at the beginning of the century, and its use by internal personnel was considered a small-scale internal test.

Anyway, this is Africa, so there is no need to worry about any leaks if I use it occasionally.

The group took a not-so-serious group photo in front of the boat. Everyone posed in various funny poses and laughed continuously.

Zhu Zhaojiang said that this photo would be used for submission to the internal publication to record their first day in Africa.

The cargo ship berthing area is a relatively independent closed area, after all, there are various ships carrying oil, gas and hazardous chemicals.

The security cordon was very long, and there were fully armed patrols around, driving around in jeeps from time to time.

After finally completing the formalities and walking out of the closed area, Zhu Zhaojiang took the lead and walked towards the group.

"Hello, Mr. Zhu!"

"Mr. Zhu, thank you for your hard work!"

Among the welcoming crowd were local employees as well as colleagues from China. When they saw Zhu Zhaojiang, they all came forward to greet him.

What surprised Kong Ziqian was that Bai Le, whom he hadn't seen for half a year, was also here.

He knew that Bai Le had come to Africa, but Africa is so big that he didn't expect to see Bai Le in Tanzania.

The two of them had similar interests and a very good relationship. They often ate and chatted together in the company. Later, Bai Le was sent to Africa. Although the two of them didn't have much contact, their feelings remained.

"Mr. Zhu, who is this?"

Among the welcoming crowd, there were several local employees who had never seen Kong Ziqian and asked Zhu Zhaojiang curiously.

Zhu Zhaojiang pulled Kong Ziqian over, pressed his shoulder, and introduced him with a smile:

"Let me introduce you all. This is Kong Ziqian, a management trainee at the group headquarters. He will be my assistant for the time being. Please take good care of him in the future."

"Hello everyone, I am Kong Ziqian. I am new here, and I hope you can give me your guidance."

Kong Ziqian greeted the local employees in his broken English, but won applause from everyone.

There was no way. The words "management trainee" and "temporary" were enough to arouse people's imagination. The smile facing Kong Ziqian seemed three times more sincere.

After greeting Zhu Zhaojiang and other senior executives and arranging for everyone to finish smoking and get in the car, Bai Le gave Kong Ziqian a bear hug.

One of the four great joys in life is meeting an old friend in a foreign land. This made Kong Ziqian grin and say, "Brother Bai, why are you here too?"

Bai Le shrugged his shoulders. "If I'm not here, where else can I be? I'm just a brick in Boss Xiaoqing's arsenal. I can move wherever you need me."

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, passed one to Kong Ziqian, and then lit one for himself.

Bai Le took a deep breath and suddenly laughed out loud, "Boy, did you never expect that you would end up in Africa?

I remember that after the annual meeting, you laughed at me and said I was exiled to the frontier."

In front of his acquaintances, Kong Ziqian stopped pretending and complained: "Do you think I wanted to come here? I was tricked by Lao Da to come here."

Bai Le laughed and patted Kong Ziqian on the shoulder: "It seems that you have a lot of complaints about Xiaoqing!"

Kong Ziqian rolled his eyes at him and said, "Now that I see you are here, I have no complaints."

Bai Le was stunned for a moment when he heard this: "Oh?"

Kong Ziqian laughed and said, "You are here. Obviously, this is not just a training base, but also a combat base. Then I will have fun here."

Bai Le looked at him jokingly and asked him, "Why are you so sure?"

Kong Ziqian said with a smile: "Obviously, if it is just a training base for overseas legions, you, a poisonous soldier, should not be of any use.

As for me...if this is a combat base, then my mission is probably not just to learn, but to actually fight."

Bai Le was amused when he heard this, "I have to say, your flattery... is quite creative!"

After laughing a few times, Bai Le nodded, confirming Kong Ziqian's guess, and asked him, "How do you feel about taking on such an important responsibility right after you graduate from humble beginnings?"

Kong Ziqian extinguished the cigarette butt and threw it into the trash can, then spread his hands and said, "I can only say that I am extremely terrified and what virtue and ability do I have?"

"Haha, boy, you are so humble now?"

Bai Le patted Kong Ziqian on the shoulder and said with a smile, "But since you are here, you should do a good job. There are many opportunities here."

"Of course."

Kong Ziqian nodded, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, "I don't want to come here in vain."

After being arranged by that cheap jailer like this, forget about taking the postgraduate entrance exam.

It is naturally impossible to say that there is no complaint in one's heart about this forced arrangement.

However, after nearly a month of drifting at sea and integrating deeply into the team, Kong Ziqian, who had originally been holding a book to secretly unroll it, had to admit that, given his restless butt, it seemed that the academic route was not really suitable for him.

Now that you have stepped out of the ivory tower, it is at least much better to take the initiative to welcome and embrace the wind and rain than to complain about yourself and blame others.

As for what the fortune teller said before...

Confucius sighed. Now that he had stepped out of the ivory tower, he would take the initiative to welcome and embrace the wind and rain. This was at least much better than complaining about himself and blaming others.

Bai Le also put out his cigarette. Just as he was about to ask Kong Ziqian to get on the bus, his cell phone suddenly rang.

He picked up the phone, listened to a few words, frowned slightly, and said, "Okay, we'll be right there." After hanging up the phone, he said to Kong Ziqian, "Follow me now."

Confucius was stunned for a moment and asked, "Where are you going?"

Bai Le didn't answer, but just pulled him and ran towards the car next to him.

Bai Le greeted Zhu Zhaojiang who was sitting in the car and whispered a few words to him.

Zhu Zhaojiang nodded and said, "Okay, business is more important."

Having said that, he got out of the car, took the luggage from the trunk and walked towards the bus behind.

Bai Le dragged Kong Ziqian, who had not yet come to his senses, and jumped into the car that was originally intended for Zhu Zhaojiang.

"Old Li, drive to the tax bureau, the faster the better!" Bai Le hurriedly instructed the driver.

The driver nodded and quickly started the car.

Kong Ziqian was sitting in the back row. Seeing Bai Le's serious expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Bai, what happened? Why are you so anxious?"

Bai Le sighed and said, "There is a problem at the tax bureau in Dar es Salaam, and we need to go there quickly to deal with it.

I'll explain it to you later while I sort out my thoughts."

Kong Ziqian nodded and asked no more questions. He just looked at the scenery passing by quickly outside the window, feeling a little uneasy.

Summonsed by the tax authorities...

It has never been a trivial matter, both in ancient and modern times, in China and abroad.

Outside the car window, the streets of Dar es Salaam were crowded with cars and traffic was extremely congested.

The city is the economic center of Tanzania, with modern infrastructure and a busy port.

On both sides of the street, European-style buildings and Arabic-style buildings complement each other, showing the city's diverse culture.

However, at this moment, Kong Ziqian had no intention of appreciating the scenery. He glanced at Bai Le from time to time and noticed that Bai Le's brows were furrowed, as if he was thinking about something important.

Although Bai Le is usually a very cunning person, he can hardly hide his anxiety at this moment.

At this moment, Bai Le held his phone tightly in both hands, refreshing the screen from time to time, as if waiting for some important information. There was a hint of anxiety in his eyes, which made Kong Ziqian feel a little uneasy.

He didn't know the whole story and wanted to ask, but was worried about disturbing Bai Le's thoughts, so he could only sit quietly by the side.

On the street outside the car window, various vehicles were crowded together and moving slowly, as if they were running a marathon with no end.

Countless motorcycles and bicycles shuttled back and forth in the traffic, and from time to time, a burst of rapid horns could be heard from the queues of cars.

There are no sidewalks to be seen here.

Pedestrians walk along the roadside, but from time to time they will cut into the traffic flow, making the movement of vehicles slower.

Looking out the window at the pedestrians "strolling" or even chatting in front of the car, Kong Ziqian, who was known for his laziness, felt a little anxious.

This rhythm of life...

The sunlight shone through the car window onto his face, making him feel unconsciously hot inside.

At this moment, Bai Le's cell phone suddenly rang. He quickly picked up the phone, and after listening to a few words, his brows frowned even more tightly.

When Bai Le and Kong Ziqian arrived not far from the tax bureau, Bai Le, who couldn't stand the traffic jam anymore, quickly opened the car door, jumped out, and ran forward.

Seeing this, Kong Ziqian also ran over.

Bai Le ran to the coffee shop outside the tax bureau panting. When he was about to push the door open, a middle-aged man in a dark suit and gold-rimmed glasses walked out.

Bai Le immediately put on a smile, stretched out his hand and said, "Hi, Ken, I'm so sorry we're late."

The man frowned, looked at his watch, and said in accented English: "You are late now."

Bai Le quickly stepped forward and said with a smile: "Sorry, Ken. We were stuck in traffic. You know, it's hard not to be stuck in traffic at this time."

Ken looked at his watch and said expressionlessly, "That's your problem. I don't have time now. Maybe next time."

Bai Le was a little unwilling and said, "Just a few minutes, I promise."

Ken shrugged and said coldly, "Sorry, I'm off duty."

However, Kong Ziqian did not see any apology on his face.

Ken turned around and went back to the tax office.

Bai Le shouted behind him: "I'll come first thing tomorrow morning."

Ken looked back at him and said calmly, "Wait for my notice."

Kong Ziqian looked at his watch in confusion. It was not even three-fifty... Was he off work already?

What the hell is this working time?
He clenched his fists and wanted to ask, who is this guy and why is he acting so high and mighty here?
Believe it or not, I will call someone right away? !
Your founding father’s grandson, Brussels, is my classmate!
Bai Le stood at the door of the coffee shop, looking at Ken's back, with a trace of helplessness on his face.

He turned around and saw confusion written all over Kong Ziqian's face.

Bai Le shrugged his shoulders and explained, "The civil servants here get off work at 4pm."

After that, he sighed and said, "Let's go, let's go back first."

Kong Ziqian nodded and followed Bai Le back.

The two walked through the busy streets towards the car, with pedestrians and vehicles still flowing around them.

Along the way, Bai Le frowned, while Kong Ziqian followed silently behind him, his heart full of questions.

Back in the car, Bai Le leaned back in the seat, crossed his hands over his chest, frowned slightly, as if thinking about something.

Kong Ziqian sat in the passenger seat, turned his head and looked at Bai Le, waiting for his explanation.

"The problem this time is actually the tax trouble that Huawei Company encountered."

Kong Ziqian was stunned when he heard this. He frowned and asked, "Then why should our Yanhuang Group get involved? Isn't this their business?"

Bai Le smiled and explained, “In fact, Hua Wei and I are basically brother companies in Africa.

We are the provider of communication terminals, and they are the provider of communication infrastructure equipment.

A lot of our business is based on their local resources.

The two companies jointly proposed a package solution to the local area, which made it easier to win the bid.

I know what your doubts are. There is one thing you may not know. It seems that there is some agreement between Xiaoqing and Mr. Ren. We share the same team in many aspects in Africa."

After hearing this, Kong Ziqian nodded thoughtfully and said, "So, Hua Wei and I are banding together to keep each other warm and advance and retreat together?"

Bai Le nodded and said, "Yes, that's what I mean."

Seeing that Kong Ziqian understood, he began to explain the cause of the whole incident.

"The problem lies in Huawei's turnkey distribution model."

Bai Le paused and continued, “Huawei signed a project with the Tanzanian government client, but the service was subcontracted to Huawei’s Tanzanian subsidiary.

For many years, the related-party transactions between the two parties have not been covered by the tax exemption letter.

According to the local tax laws of Tanzania, you can be exempted from paying value-added tax only if you obtain a tax exemption letter officially issued by the Tanzania Revenue Bureau.

According to this calculation, historical projects and current projects involve a total of tens of millions of dollars in value-added tax, which is not deductible. "

Kong Ziqian frowned and asked, "So...is this also the case with the financial control of our Yanhuang Group?"

Bai Le nodded and said, "That's right, so if we solve Hua Wei's problem, we will also solve the problems we will face in the future."

"The conditions at this time can be described as the right time, right place, and right people."

Bai Le continued, “During this period, the tax environment in Tanzania has become stricter. Under the dual pressure of increasing fiscal deficits and maturing foreign debts, the Tanzanian government has stepped up tax audits on companies, and has been particularly strict in reviewing the issuance of tax exemption letters.

Due to the turnover of personnel at the Tanzania Revenue Authority, we don’t know who to turn to if we want to resolve the problem.”

After hearing this, Kong Ziqian understood, "So, this Ken is the key person to solve the problem?"

Bai Le smiled. He could get along well with Kong Ziqian because he liked dealing with smart people.

“Ken is the director of the policy department at the Tanzania Revenue Authority.”

Bai Le sighed and continued, "The first few times I went to the tax bureau, I stared at the dozens-story building in front of me in a daze, and could only bite the bullet and knock on the door to find someone.

After a period of bumps and bruises, we finally found the key person Ken.

The key to the problem this time lies with him.

If we want to solve the tax problem, we must get his support. He has the right to interpret the entire VAT (additional tax) system.

But Ken has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

He has worked in the tax bureau for more than 20 years without any problems and he is still only a policy director, which is enough to show that he is cautious.

These words made Confucius want to laugh.

I can only say that he is indeed cautious and completely unresponsive.

Bai Le paused and continued, "I visited him several times, but was always turned away. I finally caught him in his office, but he didn't want to listen or see us. He just ignored us and kept working."

"When faced with this situation, there is only one way for us to survive."

Bai Le continued, "Just like that, after I had been sitting on the bench for a month or two, Ken was finally willing to have a cup of coffee with me, at a random time and place.

I often get a call from Ken out of the blue: 'I'm at XX cafe now, let's meet here.'

Just like what you saw today, every time I received a call, no matter what I was doing, I would rush out the door and get a taxi, wishing I could fly to him immediately. "

After hearing this, Kong Ziqian couldn't help laughing and said, "Brother Bai, you are really trying too hard."

Bai Le smiled bitterly, "But the traffic here is really bad. It's often jammed. Sometimes I can't wait any longer in a taxi, so I just throw down a few bills and jump out of the car, then jump on a motorcycle and perform the Tanzanian version of Fast and Furious."

He shrugged and said, "Even so, every time I arrive, Ken always says, 'You are late now.'"

"After we got to know each other better, Ken finally started to conduct professional analysis with me."

Bai Le continued, “Unexpectedly, Ken is very familiar with Huawei’s business model of subcontracting and related transactions in Tanzania.

While chatting in the cafe, he couldn't help but take out a napkin and drew a clear picture of Huawei's business model in Tanzania in a few words.

Suddenly, he pointed at the picture, frowned, stared at me, and asked sharply: "Why is this tax-free? Are you abusing the tax-free letter?"

……

(End of this chapter)