Chapter 43

Gao Yang smiled slightly, got up, and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling glass window facing the garden. He smoked and gazed at the beautiful night view of the city.

Gao Yang did not speak, so Andrews had to come to his side and stand quietly, watching the night view with him, constantly speculating what he was thinking. Finally, Gao Yang stubbed out his cigarette and turned to Andrews, saying, "Has your company made a lot of money recently?"

Andrews' heart sank, and he inwardly called out in distress. The crude oil sold by Standard Oil in the United States was about $1.50 per barrel, while the price to Gao Yang was $2.00 per barrel! Justifying the higher price with transportation costs no longer made sense, and the substantial profits had all gone into Standard Oil's pockets.

Gao Yang looked at Andrews, who was about to speak, and said with a half-smile, "We all know what's going on, let's talk about the price later." Andrews was startled, wondering if the good times were about to be over. But he then felt puzzled: If not about the price, why did you come to see me?

Seeing Andrews about to speak, Gao Yang stopped him and continued, "This time I came to find out how much cargo your company can deliver to me each month. I mean the total delivered quantity."

Andrews quickly calculated in his mind, "It takes 22 days for an oil tanker to travel from San Francisco to the city, plus about 2 months for loading, unloading, and maintenance. The total capacity of the company's oil tankers, including those we rent, is 1.27 million tons, which means... Standard Oil can provide you with over 4.6 million barrels of crude oil per month." Andrews answered.

"Ah." Gao Yang rubbed his eyebrows and said, "I see." Andrews looked at Gao Yang nervously, sensing what Gao Yang was thinking.

Gao Yang smiled faintly and said, "Please deliver 4.6 million barrels per month. For the remaining demand, I think I'll go to the Dutch."

Andrews was shocked and quickly said, "Mr. Gao, I made a mistake just now. It's 5 million, no, 6 million barrels. Our company can produce over 20 million barrels of crude oil per month! We can fully meet your needs!" Andrews was really anxious, speaking incoherently, not wanting the Dutch to get involved in such a good business! How could he face the board of directors if they found out?

"20 million barrels? Can you deliver that much?" Gao Yang looked at him with a smile. Andrews was stunned, at a loss for what to do. He couldn't deliver that much! Gao Yang shook his head slightly and said, "Starting next month, deliver at least 4.6 million barrels per month. As for the price..."

Gao Yang paused, and Andrews began to sweat nervously. Even a cent less would mean a huge loss in profit!

"Let's say $1.80 per barrel. Ask your company's board of directors if they can accept it. If they can, act quickly. If not, forget about the negotiations." Gao Yang patted Andrews on the shoulder and smiled, "I disturbed you today. I'll invite you for tea another day." He then turned and left.

Andrews was stunned, watching Gao Yang leave in a daze. $1.80 per barrel, the company should accept it, given the significant increase in volume. But for himself... He felt he was getting further and further away from the board of directors. Andrews sat on the sofa, feeling dejected, and started smoking one cigarette after another.

After leaving Andrews' residence, Gao Yang got into his car and instructed, "Go to Royal Dutch Shell."

Jacobs Henriks van Toff, the representative of Royal Dutch Shell in the city, was 62 years old. Born in Utrecht, a city in southern Netherlands, he went to sea as a sailor at the age of 19 and spent his youth in the Dutch East Indies. When the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company was founded in 1890, Van Toff joined the company in the East Indies and has been with it for over 30 years through ups and downs.

However, the old man still felt energetic and believed he could work for Royal Dutch Shell for another 20 years! After dinner, Van Toff instructed his butler not to disturb him and went to his study to research Gao Yang. Yes, he was studying Gao Yang!

Recently, Gao Yang had gained significant fame. The large-scale road construction in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, the steel plant in Ma'anshan, and the armory in Nanjing had made him prominent domestically. However, building the world's longest bridge across the Yangtze River, the new high-speed railway connecting Nanjing and Shanghai, the globally popular nylon stockings, and the miraculous sulfonamide drug that saved countless lives had made Gao Yang well-known worldwide.

According to rumors, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences might award Gao Yang the Nobel Prize in Medicine this year! This news caused a stir worldwide. If true, it would be the first Nobel Prize awarded to an Asian, and even a Chinese person, often referred to as the "sick man of East Asia"!

Van Toff had no interest in these rumors. What he wanted to know was why Gao Yang was buying oil from the United States across the Pacific and ignoring the nearby Royal Dutch Shell!

Recently, the fools at British Shell had incited the British government to send the Far East Fleet to pressure Gao Yang, but they were driven back by the Americans. As a result, Gao Yang increased his monthly purchases from Standard Oil to 2.6 million barrels! That's over $5 million per month!

"Those Welsh pigs!" Van Toff would curse every time he thought about it. The Americans weren't fools; business matters should be handled with business means.

Van Toff had visited SC Trade three times to see Gao Feng, but each time without success, not even meeting Gao Yang. To secure an order from Gao Yang, Van Toff, who already had little hair, had lost even more recently.

"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of knocking on the door. "Didn't I say not to disturb me?" Van Toff's voice was filled with anger. After a pause, the butler's voice came from outside, "Sir, Mr. Gao from SC Trade is here to visit."

The door was quickly opened, "Who? Which Mr. Gao?" Van Toff stared at the butler, his hands trembling with excitement.

"President Gao Feng and Mr. Gao Yang from SC Trade." The butler was pushed aside by Van Toff, "They are in the living room."

In the living room, Gao Yang was admiring the artworks displayed around, including paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, and sculptures by Lorenzo Bernini and David D'Angers, which made him quite excited. They were truly valuable.

Van Toff quickly entered, his eyes fixed on Gao Yang, whose intense gaze made Gao Yang slightly startled.

After some pleasantries, they sat down, and the butler served coffee before leaving. "It's a great honor to meet you, Mr. Gao." Van Toff, speaking fluent Chinese, took a cigar from the cigar box, cut it, and offered it to Gao Yang.

Gao Feng took out a Zippo from his pocket and lit it for Gao Yang, "Your company's lighters are like perfect works of art. I bought one too." Van Toff also took out a Zippo and lit his cigar.

"Thank you for your support," Gao Yang said with a smile.

"Mr. Gao, what brings you here today?" Van Toff's fluent Chinese made Gao Yang feel a bit closer, saving him the energy to translate.

"Visiting Royal Dutch Shell can only be about buying oil, right?" Gao Yang said, biting his cigar and smiling.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Gao. Royal Dutch Shell is willing to provide you with the best service," Van Toff said sincerely.

"How much oil can your company deliver to me each month? I mean the total delivered quantity," Gao Yang said, leaning back on the sofa.

Van Toff lowered his head and began to calculate. Gao Yang smoked his cigar and waited quietly for his answer. "At least 2 million barrels per month, and it will increase with increased production," Van Toff said, looking at Gao Yang seriously.

"Okay, what about the price?" Gao Yang asked with a smile.

"Ha ha, how about the same as Standard Oil?" Van Toff laughed.

Gao Yang laughed and said, "2 million barrels per month, $1.70 per barrel. We can revise the contract when your company can provide more oil."

"Deal." Both stood up and shook hands.

At the same time, in the modern world, in a meeting room at 521-2 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, the largest shareholder, Lee Soo-man, and the company president, Kim Young-min, were receiving a distinguished guest.

"The decision has been made, and there will be no changes. The government has agreed to the National Pension Service selling its shares in **. What are you still holding on to?" the mysterious man said casually.

Lee Soo-man clenched his fists, his face expressionless, his anger reaching its peak. One sentence was about to take away decades of his hard work! Kim Young-min looked at Lee Soo-man with sympathy but could do nothing; they were not on the same level.

The mysterious man's phone rang. After a few "uh-huh" responses, he said to Lee Soo-man, "TRUSTON and NEOWIZBUGS have already agreed to hand over their shares. What are you still hesitating about?" His tone was already tinged with impatience.

Lee Soo-man took a deep breath and stared at the mysterious man, "I want to know who is trying to acquire **."

The mysterious man stood up and looked at Lee Soo-man, "I understand your feelings, but this is a matter supported by the government and the seven major conglomerates. The outcome is already determined, regardless of your willingness. However, it's a good thing for **. At least the new owner is very, very rich." He then turned to leave, pausing at the door to say, "If you really don't want to, then prepare to leave Korea."

The mysterious man left, and the meeting room fell into an eerie silence. After a while, Kim Young-min looked at the pale-faced Lee Soo-man, wanting to comfort him but not knowing what to say. He sighed and left the meeting room.

Lee Soo-man sat alone, his eyes vacant. Decades of hard work, just gone like that? Although no one mentioned money, Lee Soo-man knew that the person acquiring ** could not care about such a small amount, given their ability to get the Korean government and the seven major conglomerates involved. But it wasn't about the money! What could he do? In Korea, no one could face the pressure from the government and the seven major conglomerates!

At home, Jeong Seo-kyung was watching TV, completely unaware that because of her, many people's fates were changing in this ordinary night.