Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2712 A New World for Young People (First Update, Please Subscribe)
The peace treaty was finally signed in London.

The war began with the terrorist attacks in London and ended at the negotiating table there, where, despite the Syrian negotiators' earnest arguments, nothing came of it.

Nobody cares; all he needs is a signature.

It was just a matter of signing; the conditions had already been written down.

After the negotiations concluded, when pressed by reporters, Syrian representative Khadham stated:

"In the past few days, in London, at this negotiating table, I have finally experienced what it means for the strong to prey on the weak, what it means to bully the weak. All the post-war international rules have been overturned at the negotiating table. The dignity of small countries has been disrespected and bullied. You ask me what I think?"
What I'm trying to say is that this isn't a treaty—it's bullying!

This is bullying of small countries by large countries, and trampling of international rules by large countries!

After expressing his anger in a grief-stricken tone, he added: "In order to ensure the security of Syria, we will apply to join the Warsaw Pact to seek its protection!"

Khadham's answer instantly left the reporters speechless with astonishment; they all stared in disbelief at the high-ranking Syrian official.

Syria wants to join the Warsaw Pact!

After repeated confirmation, reporters turned their attention to the Soviet representative.

"Sir, what is Moscow's stance on this?"

When questioned by reporters, the Soviet representative showed no surprise, but rather appeared confident as he replied:

"I can only give a reply after Syria submits a formal application."

What do you mean by "we need to wait to submit a formal application"? This clearly means they don't object.

And what is this?
Yes... the southward expansion of the Warsaw Pact!
In an instant, the same thought flashed through the minds of all the reporters, and then they all broadcast this explosive news to the world via live stream.

Warsaw Pact expansion to the south!

My God, is this real?
……

The Warsaw Pact expanded southward.

That's something politicians need to consider.

What do ordinary people see?

It means the war is about to end.

When news of the peace treaty's signing reached Beirut, it immediately sparked jubilation—coalition troops were there celebrating the end of the war.

"We can go home now."

Although no one rejects serving their country, it doesn't mean that people don't miss their loved ones.

All the revelry is nothing more than the most genuine reaction of people's hearts.

Over the next few days, everything progressed in a direction of peace—the Syrian army that had occupied northern Lebanon began its withdrawal.

PLO and some armed factions also withdrew with the Syrian army, as did many ordinary people who were well aware that they no longer had a place to stand on this land.

The Beirut authorities' statement was very clear—the story of the farmer and the snake will never be repeated; we will never again harbor any venomous snake; and similarly, everyone who needs to pay the price will pay the price.

This is actually a warning—a warning to everyone that they will retaliate.

But as the saying goes, a reprimand is enough to silence 99% of people, and a threat is enough to make most people leave.

Of course, there are also a very small number of people who are unwilling to accept defeat.

"Sir, according to intelligence, after the Syrian army withdrew, they left a large number of weapons in the military camp, including not only AK47s and RPGs, but also various other weapons and equipment such as portable anti-aircraft missiles."

Those weapons have already been acquired by factional armed groups, and they are likely to pose a serious threat to the security of the coalition forces in the future, and will also affect the post-war reconstruction of northern Lebanon.

At the base's intelligence office, listening to his subordinates' reports, he simply nodded and then said:

"Those Syrians certainly won't retreat obediently; that was expected, but..."

A smirk appeared on his lips as he sneered:

"If they don't do this, how could we possibly have a chance to completely wipe them out?"
What a bunch of idiots.

He said this because intelligence agencies had already conducted corresponding analyses. They were certain that the Syrian army would provide weapons to opposing factions during its retreat, and they were also certain that these factions would do certain things.

But they welcomed this outcome. Only in this way could the Beirut authorities have further justification to eliminate those armed factions and their supporters. At the same time, internal threats would bring Beirut closer to Chang'an.

Sometimes it is very necessary to preserve some internal threats.

"So what should we do now?..."

As his subordinates reported, he began to put on his formal attire. He nodded slightly and then said:
"Just keep an eye on it. There's an honor ceremony this afternoon. Get ready, we'll all be there."

The honor ceremony is actually a ceremony for retired soldiers. Commanders will award medals to retiring soldiers in recognition of their outstanding contributions.

Immediately after the war ended, a group of soldiers were discharged. Most of them had served beyond their allotted term, but due to the outbreak of war, they all chose to extend their service.

Following the end of the conflict, and with the permission of the Ministry of Defense and the personal wishes of the soldiers, some chose to retire. Although they were discharged overseas, a ceremony was held for them to recognize their service.

After the ceremony, most of these retired soldiers returned to China by transport plane, although a very small number did not choose to return home.

Zhang Yuanfan was one of them. He chose to go to London, so the military bought him a plane ticket to London.

Because there are no direct flights to Beirut, he could only fly to Straits City in Musandam. This aviation hub, built on the desert coast, is no longer just an aviation hub, but a metropolis with hundreds of thousands of people. In addition to being an international aviation hub and an offshore financial center, the emerging aircraft dismantling industry is also gradually becoming a pillar of the city.

However, all of this had little to do with Zhang Yuanfan; he was just transiting through the area. Soon, he boarded an Air India C717 and flew to London.

After the plane landed, as he walked slowly out with the flow of people, Zhang Yuanfan's gaze wandered aimlessly in the airport hall, his ears filled with a mixture of English with the smell of coffee and unknown South Asian languages.

Everything felt quite novel to the sailor who had just left the aircraft carrier deck.

He deliberately slowed his pace, observing the passersby; everything here was completely different from what he had experienced on the warship.

The customs queue moved slowly forward. When it was Zhang Yuanfan's turn, a uniformed British customs officer looked up at him, took his passport, and routinely asked about the purpose of his trip.

When asked, Zhang Yuanfan stated directly:
"Come travel first. If you adapt to life here, then stay, find a job, and settle down." The words were so blunt and almost undisguised that the intention to immigrate was practically written on their faces. The Indians behind them expected a harsh interrogation; after all, they were used to this kind of thing, and in cases like this, they were usually simply refused entry. Unexpectedly, the customs officer opposite them gave a gentle smile, picked up the stamp, and firmly pressed a red mark onto the passport page, saying with a smile:
"Welcome to the UK, you'll love it here."

This starkly different treatment stunned the Indian travelers behind Zhang Yuanfan. Their expectant expressions froze for a moment before quickly replaced by joyful smiles, as they prepared to repeat his explanation to pass through customs. However, the moment they mentioned their intention to settle down, they were expressionlessly refused entry by customs officials, the reason being "obvious intention to immigrate."

The Indian man was stunned. Looking at Zhang Yuanfan's retreating figure, he said:
"Why, why can he..."

Are your passports the same?

Zhang Yuanfan was completely unaware of this dramatic contrast. As he carefully put away his passport and walked quickly out of the customs gate, his eyes swept across the crowd and he saw a sign held high in the crowd, with his name on it.

The girl holding the sign spotted him immediately, excitedly threw it away, and pounced on him like a gust of wind. Lisa kicked her legs and wrapped her arms around his waist, hanging on him, her soft "darling" accompanied by a wave of heat hitting his ear.

Passersby cast friendly or envious glances, and someone whistled with a laugh, but Lisa paid no attention. She hugged him affectionately for a while before reluctantly jumping to the ground, her slender hand tightly holding his arm, her eyes slightly red.
“Darling, for the past six months, I’ve been waiting for you to come home every day.”

Zhang Yuanfan felt a warmth in his heart and nodded emphatically: "Me too. Not a day has passed since I returned to the ship that I haven't thought of you."

Six months ago, his aircraft carrier, HMAS Borneo, docked in Britain for maintenance. During his brief week ashore, the monotonous life of a sailor was disrupted by the passionate Lisa. Having been isolated from women for so long, he was almost instantly captivated by the British girl's fiery and gentle nature. The brief encounter left him completely smitten.

This time, he came for her immediately after retiring.

On the way home, Lisa drove while rambling on about all the things that had happened in the past six months. Zhang Yuanfan listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word. Soon, the city came into view.

This is London.

Soon after, Lisa drove to the house she had rented in advance. It wasn't an apartment, but a house in the suburbs, the kind of house that only newlyweds would rent.

The moment Lisa pushed open the door, she turned and looked up at him, her eyes filled with longing for him:

"Darling, this will be our home from now on."

Looking at the affection in the girl's eyes, Zhang Yuanfan nodded in agreement:
"Yes, this is our home."

But as soon as the words left my mouth, a strange feeling welled up inside me uncontrollably. After all, this was a foreign land; the language, the culture, the way of life—everything was unknown.

Although he has come here, can he really settle down here and live in this unfamiliar country?
Actually, he doesn't reject living in the UK, not because he had traveled there as a teenager, but because young people in the SEA don't reject settling in other countries. In fact, many people settle abroad every year. After the basic policy of "trade-based nation" was established, a large number of company employees worked and lived abroad, and over time, many chose to settle abroad.

As for the younger generation, influenced by movies and television, they are more active in personality. Unlike their parents, they have a greater urge and ideas to see the world, and in the process of seeing the world, some of them will inevitably choose to settle abroad.

Of course, Zhang Yuanfan hesitated for a moment before making this decision.
However, in the next instant, the girl's enthusiasm completely captivated him, and he no longer cared about anything else.

After the pent-up emotions of separation were finally released, the two lay on the sofa, he holding the girl in his arms, her eyes filled with deep love as she looked at him. They chatted softly, reminiscing about the longing they had felt over the past six months.

Just then, an annoying knocking on the door interrupted them.

"have a guest?"

Zhang Yuanfan and Lisa exchanged a glance, and Lisa shook her head as well.

After getting dressed, Zhang Yuanfan opened the door first. Standing outside was a woman in her thirties. She was from SEA, which was evident from her clothing. She was carrying a plate of freshly baked cookies and had a friendly smile.

"Hello, I'm your neighbor across the street. I heard some noise over here, so I came over to say hello and welcome our new neighbor."

Zhang Yuanfan quickly thanked her and accepted the cookies. The woman seemed to know that Zhang Yuanfan had just arrived in London and hadn't found a job yet. Lin Huimei scrutinized him carefully and asked:
"When you got off the bus just now, I noticed the bag you were carrying. You must have just been discharged from the army, right?"

In fact, the reason Lin Huimei came to visit her new neighbor was because she noticed his backpack. It was a standard backpack for SEA soldiers. Her husband also had one. Even after retiring from the military for many years following last year's terrorist attacks, he packed his backpack, waiting to be recalled by the military so he could return home as soon as possible.

"Yes, she just retired from Lebanon. Since she's here, she came here first."

As Zhang Yuanfan spoke, he had already put his arm around Lisa.

"Haha, it's for love, Miss Lisa, you're so lucky!"

They chatted briefly afterward, and Lin Huimei's smile deepened upon hearing that Zhang Yuanfan had a finance major.
“What a coincidence! My husband works in management at a local commercial bank. If you don’t mind, I can ask him to help you get a formal job at the bank.”

The unexpected good news stunned Zhang Yuanfan, who then repeatedly bowed and expressed his gratitude. Lisa, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Finding a respectable banking job in London was extremely difficult, even for graduates of prestigious universities, as it required recommendations and mentorship.

It's incredible that this complete stranger was willing to offer help.

(End of this chapter)