Chapter 63

"Director Lin, I still have matters to attend to in New York. You can't keep me locked up in the embassy forever!" Hu Wenhai was exasperated, looking at Lin Qianjun, who had an unyielding expression.

At this moment, Lin Qianjun was standing outside Hu Wenhai's room, his posture as if he were guarding a central leader.

To be honest, a central leader of a lower rank might not even be able to mobilize a billion dollars.

In short, Hu Wenhai, being like a mobile vault, had been placed under house arrest in the Chinese Embassy in the United States by Lin Qianjun, under the pretext of protecting his safety.

The most critical point was that Hu Wenhai had no standing to accuse Lin Qianjun of interfering with his freedom, as this "house arrest" was authorized by Hu Wenhai's father, Hu Jiefang.

"Then, explain where you were when you suddenly disappeared for a day. Do you realize that you're not just one person?" Lin Qianjun wasn't just being unreasonable; Hu Wenhai's overnight disappearance had terrified the entire delegation, and when asked where he had been, he had remained tight-lipped!

If it weren't for Hu Wenhai's special status, Lin Qianjun would have wanted to try the ten most brutal tortures of the Qing Dynasty on him. Out of necessity and for safety, he had temporarily restricted Hu Wenhai's movements.

Hu Wenhai, feeling aggrieved, whined, "How am I not a person? Are you saying I'm not part of the human race anymore..."

"Don't change the subject. If anything happens to you, how can I explain it to the organization, to the country? Ten billion dollars, tsk tsk, your body isn't any cheaper than Tang Monk's flesh."

Looking at Lin Qianjun's scrutinizing gaze, he might really have the urge to take a bite and taste it.

"But I have a company to manage in New York, and there are many things I need to handle. Am I supposed to be locked up for life just because I'm rich?"

"Tsk—" Lin Qianjun clicked his tongue. Hu Wenhai had a point; keeping him under house arrest wasn't a long-term solution. However, the environment in the United States was too complex, with Grumman being a major spy and the hawks firmly opposing the export of weapons to China. All the issues were now centered on Hu Wenhai, and there was a fear that someone might try to use force to "eliminate" the problem.

"Here's what we can do. We'll send someone to New York, and you can direct operations from here. Whatever needs to be done can be handled through our person. What do you think?"

Hu Wenhai thought about it and, in the end, had no choice but to reluctantly accept this arrangement. It seemed his credibility was completely ruined, and it was impossible to escape Lin Qianjun's watch. Since that was the case, remote control was the only viable option.

Thus, Hu Wenhai found himself confined to the Chinese Embassy in the United States, thousands of miles from home. Apart from eating, drinking, and morning exercises, he rarely left Lin Qianjun's sight, let alone step outside the embassy.

After about half a month of such a life, Hu Wenhai had remotely completed all the preparatory work for the procurement through Loire Company. All the necessary communications had been made, prices had been negotiated to the lowest possible, and advance payments had been made for orders. All that was left was for Hu Wenhai to give the order to start the procurement and transport the goods back to China.

"Here they come, here they come!" One day, the usually quiet embassy suddenly became bustling. From early morning, the entire embassy was in a flurry of activity, with everyone mobilized for various preparations.

Around two in the afternoon, Hu Wenhai heard a commotion outside. He peered out of his room's window and saw a convoy approaching the embassy. Each car, except for the lead vehicle, had a small five-starred red flag on its hood, clearly indicating Chinese diplomatic vehicles.

"Director Lin, what bigwig is visiting the United States?" Hu Wenhai asked curiously, as he didn't recall any significant Chinese figures visiting the U.S. in 1984.

"It's Old Wu," Lin Qianjun said, also leaning out the window to watch the convoy.

"Old Wu? Which Old Wu?"

"Who else?" Lin Qianjun rolled his eyes. "The Foreign Minister."

"Really? Why would he suddenly come to the United States?" A visit by the Foreign Minister was a big deal. Even if Hu Wenhai had no memory from his previous life, he should have heard some rumors by now.

But there was no news of this visit in either Chinese or American media. Such a surprise visit usually indicated a major event. However, the international environment in 1984 was not exactly calm, but there was nothing significant that required a visit by the Chinese Foreign Minister to resolve.

"What else could it be? It's because of the mess you caused!" Lin Qianjun looked at him with a complex expression and shook his head. "For a new drug to be approved in the U.S., it has to go through FDA review, including Phase I, II, and III trials, animal testing, and human trials. This process can take four to five years. By the time Grumman's new drug hits the market, the Soviets might already be in Hainan!"

"So, the Foreign Minister is here to..."

"To negotiate with the FDA to conduct the pre-market clinical trials in China, with American supervision. The goal is to compress the pre-market preparation time to within two years."

"Wow—"

Hu Wenhai took a deep breath and shook his head in disbelief. "To get Viagra to market earlier, our Foreign Minister personally came to the U.S.?"

"So, you understand how serious your safety is to the country, right?"

"Alright, I get it." Hu Wenhai swallowed hard, suddenly realizing he had outsmarted himself.

For the Chinese Foreign Minister to personally visit the U.S. for his sake, it seemed that his "house arrest" would not be lifted until he left the country.

Thinking about this, Hu Wenhai felt that his trip to the U.S. was coming to an end. The next step was for the Chinese and American diplomatic teams to handle the patent issues of Viagra, and then he could wait for the contract signing with Grumman and the procurement of the F-14s.

What surprised Hu Wenhai was that, whether to expedite the F-14's entry into China or due to confidence in the testing results from Cold Spring Harbor or Pfizer, Grumman had generously decided to start paying the billion-dollar signing fee immediately after the contract was signed.

However, Grumman wouldn't actually pay out the full billion dollars. The first phase involved introducing 20 F-14s into China. Twelve would be used to equip a squadron, six would be kept in reserve, and two would be used for research and testing. Additionally, there were various spare parts and the crucial AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, which China, being on the front line against the Soviet Union, had to purchase in large quantities, otherwise, they would have planes without ammunition.

With all these expenses, the billion dollars were almost depleted. To minimize the use of funds, Grumman also promised to supply some major overhaul line equipment in batches...

In the end, the actual cash Grumman would pay out was "only" two billion dollars.

With everything in place, Hu Wenhai found himself with some free time. All eyes, Chinese, American, and Soviet, were focused on the Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to the U.S.

In fact, in the context of the Cold War, containing the Soviet Union in the U.S. was politically correct. To pave the way for the F-14's entry into China, the poor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory was sacrificed.

Due to the scandal of appropriating commissioned research results, the ambitious Watson had to leave his position as president of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Naturally, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory quickly withdrew its claim on the Viagra patent. With the personal intervention of the Chinese Foreign Minister, the FDA also stated that as long as the samples were genuine and the data complete, the Phase I, II, and III clinical trials could be conducted in China.

By the end of November, the Chinese Foreign Minister formally concluded his visit to the U.S. and left. At this point, Grumman was eagerly preparing to sign the "Viagra for F-14s" agreement with Hu Wenhai.

With the signing of the agreement, Hu Wenhai's days in the U.S. were numbered. The remaining dollars in his possession would be spent in the U.S. before he returned to China.

Loire Company became a sought-after client for American companies. Various materials and equipment were shipped immediately if available, and those not in stock entered the fastest production process, ready to be loaded onto ships and sent to China.

However, before leaving the U.S., Hu Wenhai had one last task to complete.

Mr. Clark, known by the pen name Sonata, was visiting the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. for the first time. After the most stringent search, he was allowed to enter the floor where Hu Wenhai was staying and, accompanied by a staff member, entered the reception room.

"Sorry, Mr. Clark, as you can see, I don't have the freedom to decide where I can go," Hu Wenhai said with a bitter smile, inviting Clark to sit down. He took a manuscript from his side and placed it on the coffee table. "I've added my comments to the script you sent. I think we can start filming."

"Start filming now?" Clark was surprised. Usually, the preparation period for a film is quite long, especially for a panoramic documentary. The investment would be comparable to a major Hollywood production, and the fundraising process would be complex.

"Yes, I plan to invest ten million dollars, with the only requirement being that the filming be completed before 1986," Hu Wenhai said, pulling out a notebook from his pocket, flipping to a page, and pointing to a name. "I've already found the host. You can go to Los Angeles and find a Chinese girl named Feng Hongqi."