1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 763 Qiu Ying Le Acts as Translator!

That night, Chen Kaige drank alone all night.

There was nothing anyone could do. Some things are better left unsaid. With Sun Jialin gone, the chances of their marriage lasting were already very low. Everyone understood this, but no one could say anything about it.

After all, things haven't gotten to that point yet.

After finishing their meal, Li Changhe and Zhu Lin went back inside.

"Old Chen was actually quite lucky. He had just gone to Guangxi and directed a movie, which he did in collaboration with Old Zhang. Unfortunately, the couple had this incident."

Zhu Lin said with emotion.

Chen Kaige and Sun Jialin have been married for seven or eight years, and their relationship is actually quite good, but now they have to face reality.

Li Changhe shook his head: "There's nothing we can do. This is the negative impact of social transformation. Reform and opening up, in a positive sense, has made the country stronger and solved deep-rooted problems. But at the same time, it will also bring new changes. The original moral values ​​and cognition of society will be impacted step by step, especially for the groups that are the first to come into contact with the outside world."

"Forget about him, there's nothing we can do about it. Let's talk about me. I probably won't be able to come back for National Day. I guess I won't be able to until the end of the year."

Li Changhe then spoke softly to Zhu Lin.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lin immediately asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Didn't we say we were going to invite you back for the National Day parade? Why aren't you coming back?"

Li Changhe sighed: "There might be a mole in the intelligence department. Someone has most likely been turned and leaked a lot of secrets."

Zhu Lin quickly looked at Li Changhe: "Including you too?"

Li Changhe grasped Zhu Lin's hand: "No, I'm not an intelligence officer, so it shouldn't be my business. But no one can guarantee anything about this kind of thing, mainly because we haven't found out who that person is yet."

"Lin Yuan contacted me. My family's idea was that I should refuse during the military parade, and then go to the United States to make some connections and show support for Li He. This would demonstrate to the West that I was being treated differently, thus giving me an extra layer of protection."

"Moreover, too many people came during the National Day holiday. Now we don't know who the mole is. These people have sharp eyes. My family is afraid that I will be targeted by them, so they simply used this as an excuse not to come."

After hearing this, Zhu Lin hugged Li Changhe tightly: "Why don't we leave overseas and come back?"

Hearing this now, she's genuinely worried.

Li Changhe shook his head: "It's easier said than done. If we really retreat now, it would be an admission of guilt. Besides, we have too many assets overseas, and it would be a waste to just throw them away."

"But I think I'll come back in a few years and shift the focus of my business to China. That will be better."

Li Changhe had already planned ahead. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, he could focus his attention on China.

The 1990s were actually a period of explosive growth in the outflow of American industries and the financialization of the country. It was also a period of digestion of the global takeover of Warsaw Pact territory. For China, this was also the best time to strengthen its internal capabilities.

If Li Changhe can seize these ten years, he is confident that he can create a number of internationally renowned brand enterprises in the future. At that time, he may really realize the goal of revitalizing the country through industry.

"Sigh, it's easy to say, but the thought of you being overseas and getting caught by them makes me incredibly worried."

Zhu Lin sighed and said softly.

Li Changhe smiled and pulled her into his arms: "I'm not like those special agents you think of. I'm not out gathering intelligence; I'm just here to make money. Even if they really arrest me, they'll treat me well, since I have money to burn."

"Let me tell you, in the West, many prisons are privately owned, and some people make money from prisons. As long as you have money, the prisoners are treated very well."

"Besides, I am now from a prestigious family with so many powerful connections and so many people's assets in my hands. They would have to think twice before they try to arrest me."

Li Changhe wasn't exaggerating when he said that.

Although the West is now united, the United States is not yet the sole superpower. Despite its strong national power, its influence over other countries is still limited.

France often ignores him, Britain plays tricks on him every now and then, and Italy and Spain are not yet staunch allies of the United States.

The United States is now similar to Zuo Lengchan of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, holding the title of leader but whether those below listen to him depends entirely on their own will.

The United States truly gained large-scale control over the West after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The explosion of the internet age greatly increased the United States' influence and also led to the integration of Western Jewish financial capital with American Jewish financial capital.

In the process of integration, the two have also mutually benefited each other. The United States exports its values ​​in reverse, cultivates pro-American politicians in Europe, and suppresses the euro currency, etc. With carrot and stick, it has gradually destroyed Europe's independence and turned it into a European branch of the United States.

However, in the 1980s, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States did indeed have more need for Europe than it wanted to suppress it. It needed Europe to stand at the forefront of the Soviet Union, so Europe had the confidence to negotiate with the United States.

For a wealthy man like Li Changhe, who is very influential in Europe and America, anyone who wants to take action against him must consider the interests of various countries and achieve a balance between them.

The United States doesn't yet have the power to make absolute decisions; otherwise, it wouldn't have had to deceive both sides during the Plaza Accord.

"Ugh!"

Zhu Lin sighed again; there was nothing she could do but worry about it.

"Alright, honey, don't worry about that. We've finally seen each other, let's get down to business. Otherwise, why don't you... tonight..."

Li Changhe whispered something in Zhu Lin's ear.

Zhu Lin pinched Li Changhe in annoyance, saying he really had no sense of propriety at all.

However, after a moment, Zhu Lin couldn't resist spoiling him, and gently whispered four words in Li Changhe's ear: "Royal Brother."

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe immediately became interested: "Tonight, this humble monk will subdue Her Majesty the Queen."

Goodness, after waiting for several years, today I can finally let my wife openly call him "Brother Yudi" (Royal Brother). It's just a pity that I didn't bring back that costume.

It's okay, we can just have someone make another one later.

That night, Li Changhe transformed into Tang Sanzang and fought the Queen of the Women's Kingdom for eighty rounds, completely subduing her and overcoming this ordeal.

Unfortunately, Li Changhe and Zhu Lin only spent two nights together.

Zhu Lin's holiday is over and she has to rush back to Beijing to work, and Tian Zhuangzhuang and the others also have to rush back.

As for Li Changhe, he returned to Macau, and then the group quietly arrived in Thailand.

Thailand is actually quite like Hong Kong Island's backyard. Many people who commit crimes on Hong Kong Island choose to flee to the island first, and Thailand is often their second choice.

Thailand is one of the few pro-China countries in Southeast Asia. This "China" does not specifically refer to mainland China, but rather to the Chinese community. Even though there were high-level changes targeting the Chinese during the Cold War, there have been very few egregious incidents at the grassroots level like those in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Furthermore, Thailand doesn't oppose intermarriage between Chinese and Thais, nor does it significantly restrict the use of Chinese language. Coupled with Thailand's historical status as a tributary state and its shared cultural roots with China, this has allowed the Chinese community in Thailand to integrate relatively naturally into local life. Walking the streets of Bangkok, Li Changhe didn't notice many differences. There was very little of the Chinatown culture typical of Europe and America; instead, Buddhist culture was prevalent. This might be one reason why the Thai lower classes don't discriminate against the Chinese.

"Boss, the Sivana family has already arranged the plane tickets. We can depart in about half an hour."

Just as Li Changhe was strolling around, Ah Hu quickly came up to him and said something to him.

After listening, Li Changhe nodded: "Let's get ready to leave."

He didn't come by private jet this time, but rather in a low-key manner, which is why his travel route needed to be arranged locally.

Chiang Mai is more than 500 kilometers from Bangkok. In this era of inconvenient transportation, taking a plane is the most straightforward option.

Under Qiu Daxin's arrangement, Li Changhe quickly arrived at Chiang Mai Airport by plane, where he met Qiu Daxin who had come to greet him.

However, besides Qiu Daxin, there was also a pretty young girl next to him.

“Vic, this is my sister Qiu Yingle. She’s on vacation right now, and I thought you might need a translator in Chiang Mai, so I brought her along.”

“It’s not that I’m reluctant to hire a translator, it’s that my sister is a language genius. She can speak Thai, Cantonese, Hakka, Mandarin, English, and German now, and she’s also learning French. Basically, if you’re with her, you won’t have any language barriers with anyone you meet.”

Qiu Daxin pulled Qiu Yingle in front of Li Changhe and proudly introduced her to him.

Li Changhe looked at the girl in front of him. She was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but she had grown into a graceful young woman. Compared to later generations, she had more purity and beauty.

That's right, the girl named Qiu Yingle was none other than Yingluck Shinawatra, the beautiful Prime Minister of Thailand in later years. Her Thai name is Yingluck Shinawatra.

"Hello, very pretty young lady, Ms. Qiu Yingle, my name is Victor."

Li Changhe took the initiative to extend his hand and greet Qiu Yingle.

Qiu Yingle looked at Li Changhe curiously, a little shyly saying, "Hello, you can call me Yingla!"

Yingluck's name is actually close to the English pronunciation. When Qiu Yingle saw that Li Changhe was using an English name, she simply said her English name as well.

"Let's go, let's get in the car and talk about it. Let's go eat first."

Qiu Daxin then invited Li Changhe and the others to get into the car, and then drove all the way to the Qiu family's manor.

The Qiu family has been rooted in Chiang Mai for three generations, with family members spread across both the military and political spheres, making them a truly prominent family. Naturally, their family estate is also luxurious.

Li Changhe received a warm welcome, but ultimately declined the invitation to stay overnight. Qiu Daxin did not insist, but arranged for Li Changhe to stay in the most luxurious suite in his own hotel, and also arranged for Yingluck to stay there as well.

Li Changhe could tell that Qiu Daxin wasn't selling his sister for personal gain, nor was he deliberately trying to use Yingluck to get closer to him. Rather, Yingluck was indeed a linguistic genius, and since this was Qiu's own business, Yingluck's involvement could help Li Changhe a lot.

After resting for a night, when Li Changhe woke up the next day, he saw Wendy waiting outside.

Wendy wasn't in Chiang Mai yesterday; he only got back this morning.

"Boss!"

"Sit down, Wendy. Thank you for your hard work. Come, have breakfast with me."

Li Changhe gestured for Wendy to sit down, and then the hotel brought out breakfast, which the two of them ate together.

After finishing breakfast, Li Changhe and Wendy sat on the sofa in the reception room.

"So, is it dangerous to go to Hpakant?"

Li Changhe spoke softly to Wendy.

Wendy shook her head: "There is no danger at the moment. After so many years of fighting, there are very few large-scale exchanges between the two sides now. It is basically fighting on and off. But overall, Hpakant is still safe."

"Oh? The Myanmar government forces aren't targeting Hpakant?"

Li Changhe asked with some surprise.

Wendy shook her head: "No, boss. It's probably because Hpakant is too poor. Boss, I think there's something we might have a misconception about, which is that jade isn't worth much right now!"

"Worthless? You mean?"

Li Changhe looked at Wendy with some surprise, while Wendy explained in detail.

"Boss, the jade market isn't as big as we imagine right now. From what I understand in Chiang Mai, the jade market is actually quite small. There aren't many jade merchants in Southeast Asia, and jade isn't a very large-scale jewelry brand. For example, Chow Tai Fook only sells jade jewelry as part of their products."

"As far as I know, Mrs. Li from the Li family is quite fond of jadeite in Hong Kong, but her consumption is not high. Therefore, the jadeite market is actually very small. Apart from the top-grade jadeite that is easy to sell, most jadeite is unsaleable."

“I used to hear that the mainland was their biggest buyer, but in recent years, the mainland has bought very little. So the jade in Hpakant is not worth anything at all, and there are just piles and piles of jade rough there.”

After listening, Li Changhe understood.

The jade market is actually expanding. For example, in Hong Kong, the prices of jade at Sotheby's auctions are constantly breaking records. However, this only applies to high-end products; in fact, the overall market is still not very large.

This is also related to jade culture. The majority of jade culture is actually in China. Before the domestic market of over one billion yuan was developed, the market for jade culture was very small.

"Then what do you mean?"

“Boss, if we’re just making jewelry products, I don’t think we need to go to Hpakant. We can just get the goods from Chiang Mai. Although the prices in Chiang Mai are a bit higher than in Hpakant, the safety and timeliness are much better.”

"Unless, boss, you want to stockpile a large quantity of goods."

Wendy knew that her boss was always very farsighted, someone who thought three steps ahead for every one step he took. So when he was interested in the jade market, he wasn't just interested in the current jade market; he was very likely interested in the future.

Therefore, Wendy was only offering her suggestions; the final decision rested with Li Changhe.

"Okay, I'll go check out the market here today. You can rest for a day, and we can talk again after I've finished looking around."

Li Changhe planned to go to the market here first to check out the market conditions.

Soon, Qiu Yingle, having received the news, also arrived at the hall, waiting for Li Changhe.

(End of this chapter)