My absurd experiences in North America over the years

(This chapter was revised more than twenty times, and all the names were changed. It was written before the previous chapter, so please bear with it!)

Let's rewind to a few hours earlier.

As soon as Li Fugang returned to the hotel, the front desk received a phone call.

It turned out to be Mr. Dong's assistant calling. He spoke respectfully, "Mr. Li, the president would like to invite you to a meeting. He is waiting for you in the private reception room of the building."

Li Fu glanced at his watch; there were still more than two hours until his dinner appointment with Ivanka.

So he changed his clothes and went to keep the appointment.

The building's private reception room is on the 50th floor and is not open to the public; only guests invited by Mr. Dong can enter.

When Li Fu stepped out of the elevator, the corridor was empty except for a family portrait hanging on the wall, with Mr. Dong himself standing in the middle and his three older children on either side.

Ivanka was wearing a white dress. She was not yet twenty years old at the time, and her smile still had a touch of naivety. She was outstanding in both appearance and temperament.

Mr. Dong stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, with his back to the door.

The view from the window is a panoramic view of Central Park. In the twilight, the vast green space resembles a deep green velvet carpet, surrounded by skyscrapers.

There's a reason this place is considered a landmark; it's undeniably a place of auspicious feng shui.

"Li, come over here," Mr. Dong beckoned him to his side.

Li Fu walked over and stood beside him, looking at the Manhattan skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" Mr. Dong asked.

Li Fu shook his head. Mr. Dong's thoughts were unpredictable. Not to mention outsiders, even he himself probably didn't know what kind of ingenious ideas he would come up with next.

"I was thinking I was almost finished, this city was almost finished. Last fall, the day Lehman Brothers collapsed, I sat in my office all night. I was thinking, could all my life's work be gone overnight?"

Mr. Dong was recounting his thought process, then he turned to look at Li Fu, "And then you came."

He has always believed that Ivanka's invitation to Li Fu at that dinner party was one of the most important decisions his family has ever made.

That invitation changed everything.

"This may be destiny, God's will," Li Fu shrugged. He hadn't expected Mr. Dong to be so temperamental today.

"Perhaps it is God's will that we work together to pick up the messes that no one dares to touch in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and then save the city together."

Mr. Dong gestured for him to return to the sofa, saying, "I'm the kind of person who never owes favors. I'll always remember the help you gave me."

Li Fu sat down opposite him and casually waved his hand, "No, no, it's not about personal relationships, we're cooperating sincerely."

He knew very well that Mr. Dong was the type of person who responded better to gentle persuasion than force; sometimes, coaxing him would have unexpected results.

Mr. Dong's lips curled up. He put down his Coke cup, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "I heard you're going back to Nashville. What does Bradson want with you?"

Li Fu shook his head. "I don't know yet."

"Would you like to hear my thoughts?" Mr. Dong's eyes became unusually deep.

Li Fu's expression hardened slightly. "I'm all ears."

Those who become president in the future will have a political acumen that is far beyond that of ordinary people.

"I guess he wants to visit a major country soon to strengthen economic and trade cooperation," Mr. Dong said bluntly, leaning back on the sofa. "Now that he's asking you to go back, he probably wants to invite you to join the delegation on the trip."

Bradson's thinking may be very simple. The reason he brought Li Fu along was not only because Li Fu and the Forrest family had the most impressive economic achievements he could boast about, nor because he had created many jobs or restarted many projects in Nashville.

More importantly, it concerns Li Fu's nationality in a major power.

He wanted to express his utmost sincerity in this visit, to secure as many orders as possible from major countries, and to promote larger-scale trade cooperation.

Li Fu could certainly have thought of this as well.

This doesn't seem like a big deal, after all, Bradson is a Democrat! Even if he's a conservative Democrat, would Democrats attack their own members?

"Going is no problem, but have you thought about what will happen when you come back?" Mr. Dong smiled his signature smile—no one understands better than me.

Li Fu frowned slightly; he hadn't really thought about it. Or rather, he didn't think it was a problem.

Bradson is a moderate, pragmatic, and ideologically neutral conservative Democrat. As governor of a red southern state, he has maintained very good relations with major powers during his tenure, a tradition in Tennessee.

Tennessee is a sister state with a province in the Midwest. The capital, Nashville, and Chattanooga also have sister city relationships with cities across the country.

Major commodities in the state, such as auto parts, agricultural products, and medical equipment, are sold to major countries. Meanwhile, many small commodities rely on imports from these major countries.

Both sides have a long history of cooperation and exchanges in many areas, including economy, culture, and education.

Bradson led the delegation on a trip to Tennessee to improve the state's economy, not for political correctness.

Li Fu felt there shouldn't be any problems.

Mr. Dong seemed to see through his thoughts and shook his head vigorously.

"Li, you don't understand those people in Washington. They don't care about the jobs in Tennessee, how many jobs you create, or how many projects you resume. They'll open fire as soon as there's a target. Your visits to major powers are targets, and you could be charged with endangering national security."

Mr. Dong is still a member of the Democratic Party, even though he is not involved in politics at all.

According to what he understands, the new president's cabinet will eventually bring up the relevant major powers, but now the US government needs their help, hoping they will buy more US Treasury bonds and invest more in North America to weather the economic crisis.

This could very well be the last honeymoon period between the two countries.

Li Fu picked up the water glass on the coffee table and took a small sip.

Mr. Dong's words reminded him of a Chinese mayor in his previous life who maintained good relations with a major power, but was charged with ten years in prison simply for forwarding a message related to that major power.

Political struggles are always extremely brutal and ruthless, and a newly elected president who is still a corrupt official has no bottom line.

His following Bradson around like this could very well have been him handing over a target to someone else.

"Believe me, if Bradson invites you to join the mission, don't agree. Once the Democrats label you as a 'proxy for a major power,' even the Forrest family won't be able to protect you," Mr. Dong said, expressing his thoughts without reservation.

He certainly didn't want anything to happen to Li Fu, as he was his cash cow.