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

Chapter 764 Ignites Qiu Daxin's Ambition!

Chiang Mai's jade market is somewhat like the open-air markets in China in later years, with groups of people setting up their own stalls below and some shops on both sides.

Li Changhe was currently playing with a jade bracelet while listening to Qiu Yingle's translation.

He said, "Boss, this jade is of very good quality. Selling it to you for 50,000 baht is not expensive at all."

Qiu Yingle truthfully told Li Changhe, the translator.

Li Changhe looked at the jade bracelet in his hand and smiled slightly.

This bracelet isn't actually that bad in quality. By later standards, it would be considered pure ice jade, which would be considered a mid-to-high-end jade bracelet in later times. But here, it's just considered a superior grade among ordinary goods.

Li Changhe recalled the jade bloggers he had read in his later years. The old Burmese had once asked for a million for a rough stone, but the final price was only 9,800. Now he wanted to give it a try.

"Ask him if he'll sell it for 1,000 baht?"

Li Changhe casually said to Qiu Yingle.

Qiu Yingle was somewhat surprised, but she still translated it truthfully to the stall owner.

The next second, the shopkeeper snatched the bracelet back from Li Changhe's hand, then waved his hand while muttering something unpleasant.

Qiu Yingle didn't translate, and Li Changhe wasn't angry either; instead, he continued strolling around.

Afterwards, Li Changhe looked at some bracelets of roughly the same quality. The prices might vary, but they all started at 30,000 Thai baht, which, according to the current exchange rate between Thai baht and US dollar, is about 1,000 US dollars, or about 7,000 to 8,000 Hong Kong dollars.

“Vic!”

Just then, Qiu Daxin arrived with several people.

"Why are you here?"

Li Changhe greeted Qiu Daxin with a smile.

“Ah Le told me, ‘Since you’ve come to the jade market, I’ll bring someone over to help you take a look. These people in the market are all very shrewd. They’re asking for exorbitant prices because you don’t speak Thai. Ah Le doesn’t know anything about these things either, so I’m afraid you’ll get scammed.’”

"This is Mr. Zheng Liren, a master jade appraiser in Chiang Mai. I asked him to help you get the price, so you can get the most accurate price."

Qiu Daxin introduced a man in his late fifties wearing a Tang suit who was following him to Li Changhe, and Li Changhe nodded.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Zheng."

"No, please. Mr. Bao, which pieces of jade have you taken a fancy to? Let me take a look."

Li Changhe casually led him around again, and Zheng Liren quickly negotiated a price. If Li Changhe wanted to buy, the price would generally be between 9000 and 15000 Thai Baht. This is because the price of jade bracelets of similar quality varies. Converted to Hong Kong dollars, it would be about two or three thousand Hong Kong dollars.

“Bao Sheng, these prices are basically their bottom line for transactions. They are a bit higher than their cost of goods. After all, these small vendors are not big bosses, and they also need to make some profit, but overall they are not high.”

"But are you really determined to buy these bracelets?"

Zheng Liren said somewhat hesitantly.

"What, can't I buy it?"

Li Changhe asked in surprise.

Zheng Liren quickly waved his hand: "No, it's not that we can't buy them, it's just that I feel that for a big boss like you, the quality of these bracelets is a bit poor, and it's a bit unnecessary to buy them."

Although he didn't know Li Changhe's true identity, the fact that the eldest son of the Qiu family personally accompanied him and the young lady of the Qiu family personally acted as his translator clearly meant that Li Changhe was no ordinary person.

Frankly speaking, it's a bit beneath someone like that to buy this kind of jade bracelet.

"Fine, I've already asked, and they've given me a price, so I'll just buy it."

Li Changhe didn't care about this small amount of money. He came here simply to understand the market price at the source, so as to have a clearer understanding of the prices in Hpakant.

After browsing through the stalls, Li Changhe went to the shops next door to take a look at their so-called "treasures."

There are some glass-type jadeite, and quite a few bright green jadeite, but imperial green jadeite is very rare.

There was only one shop that had a set of three pieces of imperial green jadeite, namely a ring, necklace, and earrings. The shopkeeper initially asked for HK$350,000, but Li Changhe bargained it down to HK$200,000 and bought it without hesitation.

Although these three pieces are described as imperial green, they are actually small pieces, which is why they don't fetch high prices.

After wandering around for a while, Li Changhe returned to the hotel.

“Vic, you only need to know the prices; there’s no need to buy so many low-end items.”

Back at the hotel, Qiu Daxin tried to persuade Li Changhe.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. It's not much money. We can just give it to the servants as New Year's gifts when we get back. As for this set, Miss Yingle will probably have to work hard on it later, so let's give it to her."

Li Changhe pushed the imperial green three-piece suit to Qiu Daxin.

The Qiu family certainly had no shortage of such jewelry, but the meaning behind the jewelry they bought themselves was different from that of the jewelry given to them by Li Changhe.

Qiu Daxin didn't refuse: "I thank you on behalf of Ah Le. She'll definitely like it."

"Thaksin, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?"

At this moment, Li Changhe suddenly asked Qiu Daxin.

"future?"

After listening, Qiu Daxin looked at Li Changhe with some surprise. He didn't know what Li Changhe meant by suddenly asking this question.
"Or let me put it this way, what is your intention in joining the club? Is it simply to use the club as a platform to expand your network?"

Li Changhe smiled and said to Qiu Daxin.

After listening, Qiu Daxin fell into deep thought.

He knew that Li Changhe was probably testing him.

Actually, he initially joined that club with the intention of complementing each other's resources. He heard Xie Chen from the Xie family talk about the club at a party, saying that it was the most awesome club among the younger generation of Chinese people, so Qiu Daxin considered joining as well.

He didn't have high hopes at first, after all, according to Xie Chen, Qiu Daxin wasn't really qualified. The Qiu family might be a big family in Chiang Mai, and they might have some influence in Thailand, but compared to the entire Southeast Asian Chinese community, they weren't that great.

Families like the Lin family in Indonesia, the Guo family in Malaysia, and the Xie family in Thailand are all among the top wealthy families in their respective countries. The Qiu family is quite different in this respect. Although they are wealthy, they are not the kind of super-rich. They are powerful, but not enough to influence Thai politics. They can only be described as local powerful families.

To be honest, Qiu Daxin was surprised when he found out he had passed the review.

“Vic, to be honest, I initially heard about how amazing the club was and wanted to join to see for myself. After all, it can be said to be the top group of young Chinese people in all of Asia. According to Xie Chen, I am actually not qualified enough. I am surprised that I was able to pass your review.”

"To be honest, my real reason for joining the club was to complement each other's business resources. I've tried starting a business in Thailand a few times, but none of them went very well. Just a few days ago, I was in debt for 50 million baht. If it weren't for my family's help, I'd probably be heavily in debt by now."

Qiu Daxin then spoke sincerely to Li Changhe.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Thaksin, there are two types of business. The first type is those who have a strong business talent and can build a business simply by managing it. People like Li Ka-shing and Li Chiu-kei in Hong Kong, and Konosuke Matsushita in Japan, all belong to this type."

"The second type, in my opinion, is betting on the right industry trend. During the rise of an industry, even if a person is ordinary, as long as they have the first opportunity, they can take off, just like my uncle chose shipping and Li Ka-shing and others invested in real estate."

"Although Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Plastic Flowers business has been quite profitable, it was the real estate industry on Hong Kong Island that truly propelled him to success."

"And now, you've actually hit the jackpot with your computer company. If you manage it well, it will definitely take off in less than ten years." Thaksin founded Shinawatra International Communications and Computers in 1982, and it was this company that made him a billionaire with a net worth of one billion dollars, giving him the capital to run for office.

"really?"

He was pleasantly surprised to receive Li Changhe's affirmation. He had joined the club for business expansion, and now, with Li Changhe's guidance, he was even more confident.

“Of course it’s true, but Thaksin, do you know where the biggest crisis comes from for a businessman?”

"It's politics, isn't it!"

This time, Qiu Daxin spoke very decisively.

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, it's politics. Politicians are the biggest crisis for businessmen. That's why Europe and America are trying to turn political projects into money politics, combining politics and business to form an integrated protection."

"However, this model is difficult to implement in Southeast Asia, especially for the Chinese community. I don't need to explain why, you know."

Are you curious why I passed your review?

Qiu Daxin nodded: "At first I thought you were after the jade and the security school, but now it seems that's not the case?"

“The jade and security school were just side effects. Actually, what I valued most about you from the beginning was not you as a person, but the family behind you.”

"There are many wealthy scions in the club, whose assets far exceed those of your family. However, when it comes to political influence, the Shinawatra family is the best, especially since you are in Thailand."

Li Changhe spoke calmly at this moment, while Qiu Daxin's heart was churning with turbulent emotions.

What does Victor mean?
Is it possible?
Li Changhe didn't keep anyone in suspense.

“Thaksin, in my opinion, you don’t have much business talent, but when I talked to you last time, I found that you have a strong political talent, which surprised me.”

"Are you interested in pursuing a political career here?"

Upon hearing Li Changhe's statement, Qiu Daxin gave a wry smile: "Vic, I'm going into politics now."

He still holds an official position; he's a mid-level officer at the local police academy, but he also runs a company.

Li Changhe smiled and shook his head: "Thaksin, when I say politics, I don't mean what you are doing now. When I say politics, I mean you can compete for the highest power in Thailand."

"Today's Thailand is like an ancient, corrupt dynasty. The Thai king is high above, while the army below is rife with corruption. And your Shinawatra family is a powerful local clan."

"But uprisings are no longer popular, and we cannot overthrow the Thai king's rule."

Qiu Daxin shook his head and said.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Thaksin, you know perfectly well that I didn't mean for you to start a rebellion."

“What I mean is, you can become the one who truly governs Thailand.”

"This"

Qiu Daxin hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Vic, this is difficult, in fact, a bit of a pipe dream. I think it's very unrealistic."

"Is it difficult?"

Li Changhe looked at Qiu Daxin and smiled slightly.

"Given the current political climate in Thailand, in fact, as long as you have money, you can easily gain the support of many people. They need your funds to get you into their parties and teams, and then you can quickly become familiar with many things in Thailand."

"After that, you use your connections and funds to select a group of suitable people, then build your team, start to win the support of the people, and strive for the top position."

"The only difficulty here is the policy program, which means the group you need to win over. Given the current situation in Thailand, you can forget about the elite class. In fact, your best hope is the grassroots. Surround the cities from the countryside. This is a ready-made path that the north has given you. Give those grassroots people whatever they need."

"Having secured a large number of votes, there's only one force you need to win over: the Thai military. But these people can't be satisfied with money, because they're insatiable."

"So the simplest way to deal with them is to turn Chiang Mai into your base. Your family already has members in the army. You don't need to control the army. You just need to have some military power so that those people in Bangkok won't dare to turn against you. That's enough."

"You need to confine them, put them in a game called politics, and then use your rules to make them play with you. That's enough. That's the essence of Western politics!"

Li Changhe spread his hands and said casually.

Qiu Daxin was stunned after hearing this. Good heavens, a high-ranking official of a country was so easily guided through a set route.

this.
"Is this okay?"

Qiu Daxin found it hard to believe, but a fire was burning in his heart.

Li Changhe looked at him and said, "Why not? Think about it. In the United States, a lawyer or an actor can become president. Why? Because they rise through the ranks according to established rules. Take Riggin, for example. His ability lies in having his own slogan, and that's how he was pushed to the presidency of the United States."

"In Thailand, you can do it this way, provided, as I said, you balance the military."

"Of course, this is not something that can be done in one or two years. It may require ten or twenty years of preparation."

“I used to think the Qiu family had potential, but after meeting you, I feel you have the ability. In this line of work, money is actually the easiest thing to come by.”

“I can organize the Chinese consortium in the club to invest in Thailand, support your funding, and help you build a business empire in the shortest time. At the same time, I can connect you with high-ranking Thai officials to prepare you for a political career.”

"Then you won't need to worry about money anymore. You can focus all your energy on studying the political structure of Thailand and developing your own inner circle, thereby building your own power base within it."

"This"

Qiu Daxin really didn't know what to say. This whole thing was so surreal, yet it felt so real to him.

"Vic, can you tell me what you want from doing all this? If I really get to that position, what kind of reward should I give you?"

At this moment, Qiu Daxin swallowed hard and asked the most pressing question in his mind.

"Repay?"

Li Changhe smiled and said, "If I said I didn't need any reward, you probably wouldn't believe me. But for now, you can understand it as me just wanting to have some fun."

"These things are actually best applied in Europe and America, but I don't want to get involved in the US political circle right now, so I want to test them out in Thailand first. Of course, you can also think of it as me creating a test zone in Thailand, a kind of backyard for the club. Hong Kong Island is nice, but it's too small."

"Thaksin, I've given you the opportunity. Whether you want to seize it or not is your choice. I won't force you."

Li Changhe supported Qiu Daxin for two reasons: firstly, because of Qiu's achievements in his previous life, and secondly, because Qiu suddenly realized that Thailand could be used as a second industrial transit hub.

Singapore is still too small, but Thailand is different. It has a large geographical area and good relations with Japan, the United States, and even Europe, so it will also be one of the four Asian Tigers in the future.

Moreover, this place is a key area for containing northern Myanmar. If Li Changhe could push Qiu Daxin to power earlier, it wouldn't be impossible to make this place the second industrial technology transit point in the country. However, these goals must not be told to Qiu Daxin.

"Vic, the news you just told me is really shocking. I think I need to process it properly!"

Qiu Daxin did not agree immediately, nor would he. He would definitely have to carefully consider this matter before making a decision, and might even have to discuss it with his family.

After all, as Li Changhe said, it would be impossible for him to control the entire Chiang Mai; he would have to rely on the entire family, including his uncles and brothers in the army.

Not long after Qiu Daxin left, Ming Wang and Li Jian arrived at the hotel, looking travel-worn.

(End of this chapter)