Chapter 103: 103 First Trip Abroad

Before Xu Yang knew it, an entire night had passed.

After starting her workday, Zhao Yulu sent the price quotes from several top broadcasters to Yang Tiancheng.

Upon seeing the quotes, Yang Tiancheng immediately furrowed his brows.

The advertising rates these top broadcasters charged were not low, all ranging from one to two million.

Yang Tiancheng dialed Zhao Yulu’s number, “Yu Lu, aren’t these quotes a bit too high?”

Zhao Yulu responded, “These are actually discounted rates. If it weren’t for me serving as the Vice-President, you wouldn’t be able to secure them at this price. I mentioned our relationship, and they agreed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been willing.”

In fact, she wasn’t telling the truth.

These prices were the normal rates.

She didn’t leverage her relationship with Yang Tiancheng.

After all, she was just acting as a bridge and had no intention of giving Yang Tiancheng a discount.

In fact, with her status as the Vice-President, she could have obtained some discounts.

But she didn’t want to.

She didn’t want to help with Yang Tiancheng’s affairs.

What happened to Yang Tiancheng was none of her business.

Of course, Yang Tiancheng was unaware of all this. After some thought, he could only say resignedly, “Alright, I’ll think about it and decide which broadcasters to use for the promotion.”

That very afternoon, Yang Tiancheng decided to hire three broadcasters, totaling five million.

This was not a small sum, and since there had been no prior budget for this, naturally it had to be reported to the boss.

After reviewing it, the boss frowned slightly, “Do you think hiring broadcasters for promotion will work?”

Yang Tiancheng nodded, “Boss, it will definitely work. We’re just lacking in fame right now. If we can build our reputation by learning from Haidilao’s service, and add in our well-received hot pot flavors, plus the affordability of our prices, we will certainly be able to turn things around.”

The boss was silent for a moment, then signed his agreement and said, “I hope it turns out as you say.”

Yang Tiancheng reassured, “Boss, you can rest assured. Things will definitely develop as I’ve described.”

…

Haidilao had become a sensation and no longer needed management, practically running itself now.

Xu Yang started to look for people to head to South America for an aluminum mining expedition.

People from Fengkai Mining were still at the aluminum mine, with a one-week buffer period allowing Xu Yang to find someone to take over.

Xu Yang had to find someone within a week to take over the task.

As long as there was money, finding people was quite easy.

There were companies that specialized in this.

Xu Yang got in touch with one such company and negotiated on-site.

After the negotiation, he employed a team from the company for one month at a price of five million.

The team would follow the requirements and carry out exploration and mining.

During this month, the team would follow Xu Yang’s directives.

Originally, Xu Yang hadn’t planned to go to South America himself, since he wasn’t familiar with mining anyway, and he thought it was enough to just send the team to explore and mine.

However, after some thought, he decided to make the trip.

This aluminum mine could bring in over ten billion in profits, so he couldn’t take any chances.

Three days later, having made all necessary preparations and completed all procedures, Xu Yang led the team and a six-person security squad, departing for South America.

There was no choice, as it was said that Sita, a country in South America, was quite chaotic, so it was essential to be well-prepared.

They flew to the international airport in Sita’s capital and then drove to the location of the aluminum mine.

The vehicle arrangements were the responsibility of the security personnel, so neither Xu Yang nor the exploration team needed to worry about it.

Xu Yang had a fair amount of confidence in the security staff.

He had hired the largest security company in the country, with business operations spread across the globe and possessing enough clout to be ranked in the top ten worldwide.

They even had branches in the capital of Sita.

Moreover, two local security personnel were dispatched to assist.

The security staff issued everyone lightweight bulletproof vests and had everyone put them on.

Everyone knew where they were and conscientiously wore them.

No one made light of their own lives.

The security team leader rode in the same vehicle as Xu Yang.

“Mr. Xu, it’s about three hours to the location of the aluminum mine. If we encounter anything on the way, you must listen to my instructions. I hope you understand,” the security team leader said.

“I understand,” Xu Yang nodded.

On this matter, as the other party was the professional, Xu Yang naturally had no objections.

Along the way, sporadic gunfire could be heard from time to time.

“The state of Sita is really chaotic. Gunshots like these are unimaginable in our Huaxia,” Xu Yang couldn’t help but lament.

“Indeed,” the security team leader said.

“Captain Wang, you must have been to many countries,” Xu Yang asked.

“Yes, I’ve basically set foot on every continent, and I’ve been to half the countries in the world,” Captain Wang nodded.

“Captain Wang, it’s my first time going abroad. I’ve seen domestic media say that Huaxia is one of the safest countries in the world, with the best public security. Is that true?”

Xu Yang, who had never been abroad, usually saw such news.

He asked this question seeking confirmation.

“Indeed,” Captain Wang’s expression turned serious, “We are fortunate to be born in Huaxia. There are few countries in the world as safe as Huaxia. Many are in perpetual turmoil, leaving people’s lives in misery.”

At that moment, intense gunfire erupted from up ahead.

The convoy came to a halt.

“Mr. Xu, please stay in the car for now.”

After giving this instruction, Captain Wang got out of the vehicle.

The security personnel from the other vehicles also disembarked, weapons in hand, bullets chambered, positioning themselves defensively.

Captain Wang and two local security staff walked a short distance ahead.

Soon, several pickup trucks approached from the front, their beds filled with armed men.

Coming close, they stopped.

One of the local security personnel even greeted someone in one of the trucks.

After a discussion, it was learned that there was gunfire ahead, a turf war that had blocked the road. The fighting was estimated to not stop any time soon, at least for an hour or two.

Taking a detour would require even more time.

With no other option, they were forced to passively wait at this location.

The people in the pickup trucks were part of the faction involved in the firefight, aiming to cut off the opponents’ stronghold.

They didn’t cause trouble for Xu Yang and his party, mainly because of the renowned reputation of Wanquan Security, which even these men didn’t dare to provoke easily.

Moreover, one of the local security officers knew the leader of the opposing group.

After they left, Captain Wang informed everyone about the situation and said they could get out of the cars to get some fresh air.

About an hour and a half later, the gunfire ahead gradually subsided, and the pickup trucks returned.

The men on the trucks had various injuries, but their faces were filled with joy.

“Help! Help!”

At that moment, a cry for help came from one of the pickup trucks.

Xu Yang was slightly startled and looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a middle-aged man in casual clothes.

“What are you yelling for? Keep it up and I’ll kill you,” someone on the truck said.

The pickup truck stopped, and one of the men got off, handing a cigarette to the local security staff, chatting and laughing, seemingly in a good mood.

“Brother, I’m also from Huaxia, we’re all compatriots, please help me,” the middle-aged man who had been shouting continued to call out.

He had heard the conversation between Xu Yang and Captain Wang earlier and knew they were from Huaxia; he also spoke the Huaxia language.