Chapter 94

Just as the person from AVIC was about to reach out to take the file, Lin Qianjun suddenly pulled it back.

"Director Lin, what do you mean by this?" The person from AVIC's face turned slightly, and he asked sternly.

"Oh, nothing much, you can't just take the stuff and go, right?"

"What do you want, Director Lin? This is from the higher-ups..."

"I know!" Lin Qianjun interrupted him, speaking straightforwardly, "If you just take the documents and then change your mind later, what do we do? At the very least, we need a receipt, right?"

"Oh, oh, right, the receipt, of course we have it!"

The person from AVIC couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, waved his hand, and immediately wrote a receipt on the spot, stamping it with AVIC's seal before exchanging it for the file in Lin Qianjun's hand.

The person who received the file couldn't wait to untie the string and pull out a stack of documents and contracts.

Several people from AVIC gathered around, whispering as they looked at the stack of documents. Don't underestimate this stack of "paper"; it represented billions of RMB in benefits!

To put it simply, the current exchange rate between RMB and USD was abnormal! The official rate was 2.8:1, but in the black market, it could be 6 or 7:1. Even without following the black market price, importing scarce goods from the U.S. and reselling them domestically could yield a profit of at least ten times, or even four to five times!

The Air Force was foolish, and Hu Wenhai was no less foolish! With a billion dollars, importing some cars and electronics could easily turn into a business worth tens of billions of RMB.

But the Air Force only wanted the troublesome F-14s, and Hu Wenhai actually accepted the official exchange rate of 2.8!

Thinking about the potential benefits, many people were secretly fuming!

With this stack of paper in hand, from now on, the business worth tens of billions of RMB would be AVIC's meat in the pot.

Under the eager gazes of everyone, the person holding the contract hurriedly opened the cover and revealed the contents inside.

However, just by looking at the title of the contract, they suddenly froze.

"What, what's going on here!"

The person from AVIC suddenly became agitated, pointing at the names of the parties involved in the contract, shouting in surprise, completely disregarding that this was the office of the Minister of the General Logistics Department—by 1988, the owner of this office would definitely have a star on his shoulder.

"Director Lin, why is Hu Wenhai signing the contract with Grumman?"

Lin Qianjun blinked and asked with a smile, "What's the problem?"

"Of course there's a problem!" The person from AVIC shouted angrily, "He's just an ordinary citizen, how can he represent the country to sign such an important contract!"

"Sir—" Lin Qianjun drew out the word, speaking with a teasing tone, "Comrade from AVIC, you seem to have misunderstood something. Who told you that the F-14s were bought by the Chinese People's Liberation Army from Grumman?"

"Ah?" The person from AVIC was dumbfounded.

"What are you saying? Let me tell you a fact: the Air Force's F-14s were purchased from Chinese citizen Hu Wenhai. As for how Hu Wenhai dealt with Grumman, sorry, that's none of our business."

"This, this, this isn't right! Wasn't it the General Logistics Department that exchanged dollars from Hu Wenhai..."

The person stopped mid-sentence, realizing that no one had ever leaked the specific details of the transaction. In fact, the actual transaction details were all imagined by AVIC.

Of course, the normal procedure would be for the General Logistics Department to exchange dollars from Hu Wenhai and then sign the import agreement with Grumman. How could Hu Wenhai, an individual with no official position, sign such a high-stakes contract? It was completely unreasonable!

It could only be said that the military had done an excellent job of keeping this matter confidential. The specific agreement for the introduction of the F-14s was always classified, and only a handful of people in the entire military had seen the actual text.

The key issue was the annual minimum royalty Hu Wenhai proposed to Grumman to ensure sales—any shortfall in the annual royalty of one billion dollars would be converted into F-14 delivery vouchers.

If the transaction were split into two completely independent parts, with the Viagra patent royalties and the F-14 procurement having no relation, this clause would have no room for maneuver!

If the signature on the F-14 procurement contract were from the General Logistics Department, any shortfall in the annual one billion minimum royalty would be a direct loss for Hu Wenhai—since the delivery vouchers wouldn't be given to him, he wouldn't get the money.

So, even though it was unconventional and unreasonable, the person who ultimately signed the contract with Grumman was indeed our Mr. Hu.

Then, as a Chinese citizen, Hu Wenhai resold the F-14s to the General Logistics Department, making it an internal transaction among Chinese people, which also made it easier for Grumman to persuade Congress to approve the deal. Although no one would take these two awkward contracts seriously in practice, in legal terms, Hu Wenhai was indeed an essential part of the process.

"Alright, the documents are now in your hands." Lin Qianjun clapped his hands, put the receipt from AVIC in his pocket, and suddenly sneered, "But I represent the Air Force, and I want to make something clear upfront."

"If the Air Force doesn't see at least two squadrons of F-14 fighters next year, or if we don't see part of the F-14 overhaul line—AVIC people should be careful when they go out. We're planning to purchase a batch of laser-guided bombs, and one day, a strong-5 might drop an iron bomb on your general manager's desk. Don't worry, the accuracy is guaranteed, it will only hit the desk, not the people."

"Wait, wait a moment!" The person from AVIC was drenched in sweat, shouting, "We need to consult the company, the situation has exceeded our expectations!"

The original plan was to get the one billion dollars first, and then there would be room for maneuver. But now, the one billion dollars had turned into real F-14s. Could AVIC people really return the F-14s to Grumman?

Moreover, what if Hu Wenhai suddenly backed out? If he used the F-14s as leverage to demand that AVIC agree to allow New Science Company to independently import and export aircraft?

If they refused, and the F-14 introduction really went wrong, the Air Force would cause a huge fuss, and AVIC wouldn't be able to handle it! But agreeing was even more impossible, giving up such important monopoly power could result in losses far exceeding one billion dollars.

In short, what they thought was a fat piece of meat had suddenly turned into a hot potato.

Slap!

As soon as the person from AVIC finished speaking, the usually calm minister suddenly slammed his hand on the table!

"Do you think the General Logistics Department is a place for a Western meal at the Peace Hotel, where you can come and go as you please? I'm telling you, we've given you what you wanted, and once you leave the General Logistics Department, we'll follow the procedures!"

The person from AVIC shook his head repeatedly, urgently saying, "We won't leave, we won't leave. We'll make the call right here. Minister, can we use your phone?"

"Sorry." The minister waved his hand and said leisurely, "The phone is broken."

"But—"

"But what? I have a red phone here. Do you want to use it?" The minister pulled out a red phone from the drawer, and any Chinese person would know what this phone was for.

"No, we'll find another phone."

The few people from AVIC exchanged glances, discussed for a moment, and then ran out of the minister's office in a flustered manner.

Watching the AVIC people leave the office, the minister picked up the ordinary black phone on the table and gave an order.

"Hello, Xiao Wang? Pass my order, no one is to lend a phone to the AVIC people, do you hear me? Repeat it!"

"Okay, I'll execute it immediately!"

The minister, feeling refreshed, put down the phone that was "broken" just a moment ago, and exchanged a glance with Lin Qianjun, both of them laughing heartily.

"Minister, what's going on?" Lin Qianjun asked, puzzled.

"What's going on? Hu Wenhai's money is too big, and there are too many people who are envious!" The minister sighed and shook his head, "The Aviation Industry Department has objections to our independent introduction of the F-14s. The higher-ups believe that since AVIC has the authority to manage the import and export of aircraft, the F-14 project should not be an exception!"

"But now it's good. If there are no unexpected events—" The minister glanced at Lin Qianjun and smiled, "I think you should start preparing to work on the F-14 domestication project team!"

"So, Hu Wenhai's first request has a chance?"

"It's hard to say, but the chances are high!" The minister smiled, "AVIC's behavior is too ugly. If they keep this up, they'll choke themselves to death."

"Alright, go back to work."

"Yes." Lin Qianjun stood at attention and walked out of the minister's office with a confident stride.

The AVIC people couldn't find a phone in the General Logistics Department building. In this era, China didn't have mobile phones or other mobile communication devices, so they had to send someone outside to find a phone and call back for instructions.

Not long after, the person from AVIC who went to make the call ran back, panting and looking uneasy.

"The manager said to go back first."

"What about the contract? Did you explain it clearly?"

"Of course I did!" The person who made the call was a bit anxious, defending himself, "I didn't miss a single word, I reported everything to the manager. After considering, the manager said to take the contract back!"

"Alright, let's go."

The AVIC people were a bit hesitant but eventually left the General Logistics Department building with the file in hand. As they stepped out of the gate, they suddenly felt a chill down their backs for some reason.

Lin Qianjun put on his peaked cap, retracted his gaze, and leisurely followed them out of the General Logistics Department building.

---

The AVIC people couldn't find a phone in the General Logistics Department building. In this era, China didn't have mobile phones or other mobile communication devices, so they had to send someone outside to find a phone and call back for instructions.

Not long after, the person from AVIC who went to make the call ran back, panting and looking uneasy.

"The manager said to go back first."

"What about the contract? Did you explain it clearly?"

"Of course I did!" The person who made the call was a bit anxious, defending himself, "I didn't miss a single word, I reported everything to the manager. After considering, the manager said to take the contract back!"

"Alright, let's go."

The AVIC people were a bit hesitant but eventually left the General Logistics Department building with the file in hand. As they stepped out of the gate, they suddenly felt a chill down their backs for some reason.

Lin Qianjun put on his peaked cap, retracted his gaze, and leisurely followed them out of the General Logistics Department building.