Chapter 25: I Regard You as a Brother

"Mr. Song, a gentleman loves money in a proper way. How could we, as compatriots, take advantage of others while they oppress us? In the future, when I purchase sugar from you, it will be at market price."

After saying this, Li Yi'an casually sipped his coffee as if nothing had happened.

Actually, in that moment, he had prepared himself for the system's punishment, as typically, businessmen couldn't afford to make unprofitable deals according to the system's rules.

But to his surprise, the system didn't intervene at all.

It's a bit different from what I expected!

The seemingly light-hearted words fell into the ears of Li Dijun, Song Chengjun, and Song Bing, leaving them all stunned.

After a while, Song Chengjun stood up and bowed.

"Mr. Li, you are truly honorable. I admire you!"

Looking at the man sitting there, Song Bing, who had been angry just moments ago, now blushed, feeling embarrassed. She had only come along with her father for a shopping trip and hadn't expected to blurt out like that. But who would have thought it would lead to such a big misunderstanding?

Quickly, she apologized.

"Mr. Li, I... I'm really sorry for unjustly accusing you."

Glancing at the girl standing beside him, Li Yi'an said, "It's okay, miss. Since you came with Mr. Song, let's just forget about it."

With that, he turned to Song Chengjun and said, "Mr. Song, I can buy this sugar, but I can't guarantee the quantity. This month..."

After pondering for a moment, Li Yi'an continued, "Three to four thousand tons should be no problem."

"Three to four thousand tons..."

Although somewhat disappointed, Song Chengjun still nodded and said, "Although not much, it can still ease our urgent situation."

"Let's take it slowly."

Li Yi'an continued, "But there's something that must be clarified beforehand. If the Americans find out that I helped you get out of trouble, it may cause trouble. So, if we're going to do this business, it must remain confidential!"

Confidential?

Not for confidentiality's sake, but to... conceal the reality that he doesn't have a ship.

"Mr. Li is right. You can rest assured that we will never let outsiders know Mr. Li's identity or..."

Originally intending to say that it wouldn't cause trouble for the bigwigs behind Mr. Li, Song Chengjun swallowed his words. Some things could be known but not explicitly stated.

What's most precious now is the ship. Ordinary people definitely can't get their hands on one. Even if they did, it would definitely be kept under wraps. A ship that's kept hidden definitely can't be talked about.

The next steps were simple, just a matter of agreeing on the delivery method and, of course, how to keep it secret. With that settled, the deal was done.

Of course, Li Yi'an also inquired about the tobacco business, and Song Chengjun was quite forthcoming about it.

"...Although the American tobacco company has a factory in Cuba producing cigarettes, those cigarettes need to pay a tobacco tax when they leave the factory. Unless you can buy the factory and then transport the untaxed cigarettes out..."

In other words, you need connections!

Without connections, even if you're holding money, you might not be able to buy anything. Some deals aren't ones that Chinese people can't do; it's just that they can't be done. At least, not now. Even if you forcefully intervene, you'll definitely face suppression, just like Song Chengjun and the others wanting to get involved in the sugar industry. If it weren't for the fortuitous opportunity of World War II, they would have had to watch helplessly as the Americans controlled the business. Even though they've intervened now, what's the result?

It's plainly visible.

...

"I didn't expect it. Young Master Li is so generous..."

As the car headed towards the embassy, Song Chengjun suddenly spoke, then fell silent for a while before saying, "Sir, if Young Master Li is so generous, I will definitely not let him suffer..."

"I wonder what plans you have, Sir Zhipei?"

"Well... if the deal is secured, then we could increase the amount by ten percent per bag."

"Increase by ten percent..."

Li Dijun pondered.

"Mr. Li is honorable, and Sir Zhipei is generous. If all the Chinese merchants were like you, we wouldn't be so easily disregarded by foreigners. Alas..."

As the words came to his lips, Li Dijun couldn't help shaking his head and sighing lightly, while Song Chengjun agreed beside him.

"Indeed, since Jiang Yu and others seized the position of chairman of the Central Association, the overseas Chinese community has been in turmoil, even seeking outside help. It's truly absurd."

The Jiang Yu he mentioned were Jiang Cifu, Yu Zhiquan, and others who had used bribery and other fraudulent means to become chairman of the Chinese Central Association. Since taking office, they had fabricated reasons to extort money from overseas Chinese.

"Not just absurd, it's downright shameless. They rely on their position in the central government to act recklessly. Even I, sigh, have no way to deal with them."

After a long sigh, the car fell silent. After a while, Li Dijun said, "Actually, Sir Zhipei, you could also strive for the position of chairman of the Association. Wouldn't that be more suitable than those people?"

"This..."

Song Chengjun shook his head and said, "You know where my aspirations lie."

Seeing this, Li Dijun didn't continue, suddenly remembering something.

"As for Sir Zhipei, what do you think of that Young Master Li?"

"I can't figure him out."

Song Chengjun said straightforwardly.

"Anyone who can get a hold of a ship is definitely not an ordinary person. This person's background is probably quite extraordinary!"

Listening to his friend's words, Li Dijun asked, "Then, Sir Zhipei, do you think he's suitable for my niece?"

Faced with his friend's question, Song Chengjun didn't hide anything and said directly.

"Yesterday, you told me that a young talent from America had arrived in Havana, which made me somewhat interested. After all, there aren't many suitable compatriots for Bing'er in Havana right now. Either they're too old or too young. This war has been going on for several years now, and although victory is imminent, there's no end in sight. But I only have this one daughter..."

After a bitter smile, Song Chengjun said, "I can't let her become an old spinster."

That's also why Song Bing appeared at the café, but Song Chengjun didn't tell her the reason, just used the pretext of discussing business to bring her into the city and let her wait on the side.

Neither Song Bing nor Li Yi'an could have imagined... that this was actually a blind date!

"Parents' hearts are hard to bear!"

"The suitability in terms of appearance and age between Young Master Li and my niece is undeniable. If it works out, it could also resolve a worry for Sir Zhipei."

Hearing this, Song Chengjun shook his head.

"Let's wait and see. Besides, I suspect his interests lie elsewhere. Haven't you noticed that he hasn't spared a glance at Bing'er from beginning to end? This Young Master Li seems to prioritize his career above all else..."