Chapter 41

In the heart of the Devil's City, in the French Concession, the Grand World Club. The SC Trading Company invited numerous dignitaries from various circles to gather here for a party.

Elegantly dressed gentlemen from various countries gathered in small groups, holding their wine glasses and chatting idly. The SC Trading Company, famous throughout Devil's City, was envied and resented by people from all walks of life.

The SC Trading Company, which sold sulfonamides as easily as flour, had made huge profits for merchants from all countries. These merchants, like diligent bees, pursued the SC Trading Company, and the locals were also proud of the sudden emergence of such a powerful company in a poor and backward country.

Of course, the Japanese were the exception. Gao Yang's identity had long been known to all circles, and the Japanese, who had repeatedly tried to take action against Gao Yang, were forced to back down under immense pressure from other countries!

In the center of the venue, Karl Dile, the owner of Kailuo Company, was having a friendly conversation with Gao Feng, the president of SC Trading Company. "Mr. Dile, haggling is a must in business, but your price is no longer about doing business. I suggest you take a shotgun to the bank; that would be a faster way to make money."

Dile took a sip of wine and smiled, "Mr. President, don't you have an ancient Chinese saying that goes, 'ask for the sky and pay for the earth'? We can continue to negotiate until we reach a price that both of us can accept."

Gao Feng put down his wine glass, lit a cigarette, and smoked it alone. When Mr. Dile was feeling a bit awkward, he smiled and said, "Mr. Dile, I know your company is the only radio station in Devil's City, but if you think that gives you the right to ask for the sky, you are greatly mistaken!"

He stubbed out his cigarette and said seriously, "My boss told me that we can afford to lose money, but we absolutely cannot be taken for fools! This is the price, and if you do not accept it, SC Trading will start its own radio station! Believe me, that is something you do not want to see."

In the end, Mr. Dile agreed to sell his company to SC Trading at the price Gao Feng offered. It was a win-win situation: Mr. Dile received double the investment, and Gao Yang gained control over public opinion.

Afterward, Gao Feng visited numerous people in the news industry, including the Shen Bao, Devil's City Daily, Fen Bao, and World Pictorial, exploring the possibility of acquisition, with the condition that the price was negotiable. Gao Yang's next major goal was to control Devil's City, and before that, he planned to control the city's media.

The buzzing conversations of the crowd were drowned out by a clear and melodious music, and the lights gradually dimmed as the stage performance was about to begin!

The host introduced the performance as tap dancing, which had recently been brought from America, and specially thanked SC Trading Company for its comprehensive sponsorship of the dance troupe, from costumes to the theater. Gao Feng smiled modestly and clapped lightly.

The performance began, and six young girls stood in the center of the stage, using their nimble legs to create a variety of rhythmic beats. The sound of their feet tapping on the floor was lively and captivating, leaving the audience dazzled and amazed.

The crowd felt that at this moment, only the dance was completely unreserved. Gradually, everyone seemed to melt into the dancers' steps, their moods swaying with the "tap-tap" sounds, reaching deep into their hearts. A restless heart would instantly become still, like the dancers at the climax of the performance.

When the girls on stage lifted their legs, clad in nylon stockings, the entire venue erupted. Everyone was talking about this new and exciting dance and the nylon stockings the girls were wearing. At the end of the performance, SC Trading gifted nylon stockings to all the attendees.

The next day, newspapers and radio stations throughout Devil's City extensively covered this new and exciting dance and the nylon stockings worn by the performers, along with advertisements for SC Trading! The six girls became overnight celebrities.

This new fashion trend quickly spread from Devil's City to the world, its speed astonishing everyone.

In America, in Europe, and around the world, girls wanted a pair of nylon stockings, and their husbands and boyfriends rushed into every store, waving money and shouting, "I want to buy stockings!" The huge market demand made countless merchants, red-eyed, wave checks and rush to SC Trading. Gao Feng, the president of SC Trading, casually offered a price of $98 per pair, with no discount for bulk purchases! Payment could be made in US dollars and British pounds.

Millions of pairs of stockings were shipped across the ocean to every bustling city in the world and were quickly snapped up by eager girls!

In a short time, this brought Gao Yang a huge income, so large that the Shanghai branch of Citibank requested military protection from the US Consulate! This money was enough to support Gao Yang's various constructions!

Making money alone was meaningless to Gao Yang; a pile of paper money was of no help to the country. Only converting it into various urgently needed items was important.

Moreover, simply exporting to make money would only invite fierce suppression from the importing countries! Gao Yang needed to maintain a balance in imports and exports.

He bought a large amount of various items from America, from tractors to trucks, from cargo ships to excavators, from flour to beef. At its peak, the monthly import and export volume reached $100 million!

He quickly became the most closely watched figure by the US government. When Consul John met with Gao Yang, he expressed that to maintain a good cooperative relationship with Gao Yang, the US government could provide "any necessary assistance" within allowable limits! He also shielded Gao Yang from the strong pressure from Britain and France!

As Consul John put it, "To maintain free trade, the United States of America is willing to go to war!" Except for purchasing arms from Germany, Gao Yang spent all his money buying things from America, and the huge trade surplus made Britain and France so envious they could spit fire!

Consul John also revealed to Gao Yang a piece of news: just three days ago, the US Asiatic Fleet, stationed in Cavite, had a serious confrontation with the British Far East Fleet near the Taiwan Strait! The British were there to put pressure on him.

Sitting on a comfortable leather sofa, Gao Yang listened with a smile as Consul John boasted about how brave the young men of the Asiatic Fleet were, driving the British back to Hong Kong. He took a sip of coffee and said to Consul John with a smile, "Thank you for everything your government has done. To show my gratitude, I have decided to double the crude oil import quota for next month."

Consul John was overjoyed. Since the 1920s, with the emergence and application of various geophysical exploration technologies such as gravity, electrical, magnetic, and seismic methods, the United States entered a great era of oil and gas discoveries.

After 1921, major oil fields were discovered in California, including Signal Hill, Huntington Beach, and Santa Fe Springs. In 1924, the Oklahoma City oil field was discovered. From 1922 onwards, the annual new oil reserves discovered in the United States exceeded 1 billion barrels. Correspondingly, the annual oil production in the United States was 557 million barrels in 1922, increased to 732 million barrels in 1923, and reached 1 billion barrels in 1924!

In 1925, the entire United States consumed less than half of its oil production! The huge production led to a continuous decline in prices, and the oil Gao Yang bought, including shipping costs, was around $2 per barrel, a price with a lot of room for negotiation!

The current oil price in the United States was around $1.5 per barrel. Gao Yang imported 1.3 million barrels of crude oil from Standard Oil last month, and if doubled, it would be 2.6 million barrels, over 30 million barrels a year!

Gao Yang was now Standard Oil's most valued customer, and the US government's deployment of the Asiatic Fleet to intercept the British was a significant effort! Gao Yang was just returning the favor, as he needed it anyway.

Consul John returned elated to report the good news, and Gao Yang activated the time travel to return to the modern era to send a text message to Chae Soo-jung.

"Seeing you in Korea tomorrow." Chae Soo-jung, who had been discharged from the hospital and was recuperating at home, was delighted and quickly replied, "Ice cream!"

"Hehe, I'll buy the shop and give it to you." Gao Yang's text message stunned Chae Soo-jung. She had been deliberately trying to forget how incredibly wealthy Gao Yang seemed to be!

After waiting for a while without a reply, Gao Yang sent another message, "What's wrong? Are you imagining living in a fridge full of ice cream?"

"Ha ha" Chae Soo-jung, who had been in a dilemma, burst out laughing at the text message and the described scenario. After laughing, she gently bit her lip and replied, "OPPA, your gift is too expensive, I can't accept it. The late-night snack you bought last time was great, but the sisters ate it all." She added a cute emoji at the end of the message.

Gao Yang's lips curled slightly as he read the message and called her directly. Chae Soo-jung, anxiously waiting for a reply, was startled by the phone ring and hesitated before pressing the answer button.

"Don't like ice cream anymore?" Gao Yang's voice carried a hint of teasing.

"OPPA, ice cream is delicious, but I can't accept the restaurant; it's too expensive," Chae Soo-jung said softly.

"Expensive? For me, it's just a matter of plucking a hair," Gao Yang said with a smile.

"Ha ha" Chae Soo-jung covered her mouth and laughed, "OPPA, are you some kind of giant? Your hair is so thick?"

"Okay, I understand. I'll buy you your favorite mango ice cream. Rest well, see you tomorrow." Gao Yang said softly, comforting her.

"Okay, thank you, OPPA." After hanging up, Chae Soo-jung lay on the bed, her eyes vacant, lost in thought.

Gao Yang arrived in Seoul that afternoon, first attending the steel component acceptance ceremony for the construction of the Yangtze River Bridge. He then went to the top-floor executive meeting room of the Shilla Hotel accompanied by the president of Hyundai Steel, Kim.

Upon entering the meeting room, he found that someone had been waiting for a long time. President Kim introduced Gao Yang to everyone, and representatives from the seven major Korean conglomerates were present, including Kim Jeong-hoon, the Minister of Trade and Economy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This meeting was initiated because Gao Yang had recently requested to use oil as payment for his orders with Hyundai Steel.

Since the early 1960s, when South Korea implemented its industrialization strategy, the country's economic growth has been rapid, accompanied by a sharp increase in energy consumption. However, South Korea produces almost no oil and is the world's fourth-largest oil importer, consuming nearly 1 billion barrels annually!

South Korea's economic structure is very vulnerable to changes in international energy prices. If the average international oil price exceeds $95 per barrel, South Korea's current account balance immediately falls into deficit.

Therefore, any fluctuations in international crude oil prices make the South Korean government extremely anxious. The country's spending on energy imports sometimes even exceeds its military defense budget.

Successive South Korean governments have treated improving energy self-sufficiency and securing stable energy imports from abroad as matters of economic survival, always incorporating the task of enhancing the ability to cope with energy crises into their trade and foreign policies.

The theme of today's meeting was clear: it was about Gao Yang's oil.