“Sister, wait for me here. I have something very important to see!” The next day, Yang Yunhe’s complexion seemed to have improved, but there was also a hint of resolute determination in his expression, as if he had made a decision.
“Okay!” Li Susu didn’t know what crucial matter her younger schoolmate, whom she had only met for a day, had to attend to. She simply nodded and watched Yang Yunhe leave.
However, Yang Yunhe didn't go far. He only went to an adjacent room, where there was a dedicated line, a satellite telephone line, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.
This was a private line used by Jiangnan Group to transmit all sorts of confidential information. Using this line, Yang Yunhe dialed Boss Huang’s number.
“Yunhe, you don’t need to thank me too much. The company owes you for your great contributions, and it’s only right that we help you!” Boss Huang said with a chuckle over the phone, assuming Yang Yunhe was calling to express his gratitude.
To his surprise, he found a prolonged silence from the other end of the line. It was so long that Boss Huang was about to arrange for someone to check on the situation in that room when Yang Yunhe finally spoke, “Boss, I’m actually a thief, a thief arranged by the United States!”
“Holy cow!” Hearing this, Boss Huang on the other side nearly jumped out of his skin. His face turned ashen, and every pore on his body seemed to tremble.
Fortunately, they were separated by the phone. Otherwise, Boss Huang’s reaction would have terrified Yang Yunhe into silence.
But through the phone, Yang Yunhe heard an unexpectedly calm voice, as if he had foreseen everything, saying, “Is that so? You’re finally willing to speak up yourself!”
“Boss! You already know?” This time, it was Yang Yunhe who was stunned. All the pain he had endured to make his decision was unnecessary because he had already been thoroughly discovered. He only had one correct option?
“I know everything. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in my position!” Boss Huang’s voice remained calm but was filled with power, making everyone who heard it instinctively believe his words.
Indeed, if Boss Huang were not so brilliant and insightful, seeing through everything, how could he have achieved the position of the world’s richest man?
“Then, Boss… do you still want to hear what I have to say?” Yang Yunhe asked powerlessly, feeling like he had become a complete clown.
“Of course!” Boss Huang replied. “Some things are entirely different when you say them versus when I say them. The former is called voluntary surrender, and the latter is called unrepentant!”
“Yes! This is what happened!” Yang Yunhe sighed. Boss Huang was indeed extraordinary; he couldn’t be deceived.
So, he honestly recounted his entire story, including the truth that several key technologies were obtained from Goldman Sachs.
“Very good. You made the most correct choice!” Boss Huang said indifferently over the phone, but a hint of warmth finally crept into his tone, bringing Yang Yunhe immense relief. He had been so tense he felt like he was suffocating.
“But there’s something I’m curious about!” Boss Huang suddenly asked. “You probably don’t know this, but there are my people closely watching your every move. At the same time, you hold the complete technical data for Black Gold and Tong He Alloy. All you had to do was go to the embassy, and you could have safely taken this precious wealth to the United States and lived a life of leisure. Why did you confess all of this to me?”
This was indeed a question that puzzled Boss Huang greatly. In fact, Jiangnan Group had no defenses against Yang Yunhe whatsoever, and no one was watching him closely. If Yang Yunhe had gone to the embassy this time, it would have been like a dog that ate its owner’s food – gone forever.
“If I say it’s because I’ve felt unprecedented warmth, care, and a sense of family at Jiangnan Group, you certainly won’t believe me!” Yang Yunhe said, his voice slightly choked with emotion. “Then I’ll talk about some issues I actually considered.”
“Firstly, if I really went to the United States, the situation might not necessarily be better than it is now. The moment I left Jiangnan Group, I would have lost all my value. Once the Americans obtained the information I possess, they might discard me without hesitation.”
“Or perhaps they would use me as a mascot and treat me a bit better, but I would never receive the same respect and preferential treatment in the United States as I do in the Group. At the very least, I wouldn’t be able to purchase samples from the 'Liushang QuShui CaiWei' collection, a privilege even European royalty doesn’t have!” Yang Yunhe said with a wry smile.
Last night, apart from that particular incident, Li Susu had excitedly explained to Yang Yunhe the immense value of that set of clothing.
There were fifty sets of the ‘Hefeng Qiuyue’ attire globally, but only this one set was a sample removed from the mannequin, a privilege even European royalty did not possess.
“I realized that all the status and treatment I currently enjoy are given by the Group. If I leave the Group, I will become worthless, losing everything I currently possess.”
“It’s as if the treatment I receive at the Group is almost equivalent to the status of a Duke in ancient times. If I were to go to the United States, I would likely not even possess a single noble title. The best outcome would be to be an ordinary person with a bit of money. Only a fool would give up being a Duke and go to be a dog for foreigners!” Yang Yunhe stated.
“You do see things clearly!” Boss Huang nodded, recalling an interesting news item he had read in later years.
In the early 2000s, a university professor sold his property in the capital, happily moved to the United States with 4 million RMB, believing he could finally be a free person.
However, this esteemed university professor ended up working as a dishwasher in America. This was because his various diplomas and qualifications obtained in China were not recognized by Americans.
Furthermore, he was a humanities professor, specializing in researching things like horsehair… Which American university would need a Chinese professor researching such a subject?
Therefore, he could not find a similar university professor position in the United States.
One of the main reasons this professor chose to immigrate was his belief that property rights only lasted for 70 years, meaning the house he bought with half his life’s savings was not truly his.
It would be better to buy a house in the United States, as property rights there were for life. Moreover, the money for a three-bedroom apartment in Beijing could buy a large house in Washington D.C.
Indeed, upon arriving in the United States, he used his money to buy a large house, and it was located in Washington D.C.
But the problem was that while it was within the same city, his large house was a bit far from the city center, only about a forty-minute drive.
The house did indeed have permanent property rights, but after purchasing it, he still had to pay 1.5% in property taxes annually. His house was bought for $600,000, meaning he had to pay $9,000 in property taxes each year.
If calculated over 70 years, he would have to pay a total of $630,000 in property taxes, which would be enough for him to buy another small house… This was assuming the local housing prices did not experience a sharp surge; otherwise, the property taxes would have to increase significantly.
Oh, and he chose the United States because he believed that the quality education in America was an extremely excellent aspect.
Most importantly, his pair of children were not particularly bright, only performing average in their classes. It was estimated that they would not be able to get into any top-tier universities in their lifetime.
Of course, with such grades, they could get into decent universities in the United States, and for the sake of their children's education, this move was necessary.
However, upon arriving in the United States, he discovered that while American quality education was indeed focused on quality, it was excessively so. Ordinary public schools did not teach academics but rather how to play, how to participate in sports, and how to enjoy childhood. Regardless of the outcome, the children’s grades in their American classes were good, but if they were in China, they would likely be preparing to repeat a grade.
The only solution was to send them to private schools. These schools had an educational model that was almost identical to that in China, or even more rigorous, leaving absolutely no room for quality education.
Furthermore, the tuition fees were very high, tens of thousands of dollars per year.
In desperation, for the sake of his children, he had to pay the fees. After all these expenses, his initial 4 million RMB was dwindling, and he had to pay large sums annually. Yet, he couldn't find a respectable job as a university professor, so he ended up washing dishes. Later, after Uber became available, he started driving for Uber, working harder than Mexicans to barely make a living.
To top it all off, he had to praise all aspects of the United States on Weibo to demonstrate how respectable and correct his life in America was.
There were many examples similar to this university professor. Later, one professor had a flash of inspiration and started to do the opposite. While living in the United States, he began to heavily criticize various issues in America and lament his foolish decision from the past. As a result, he gained a large following of fans in China and earned enough money to live a respectable life in the United States again. Truly brilliant!
Returning to the main topic, after listening to Yang Yunhe’s explanation, Boss Huang asked another crucial question.
“Aren’t you afraid of punishment from me for coming to confess so directly?” Boss Huang asked calmly.
“Afraid and not afraid!” Yang Yunhe replied honestly. “That’s because I truly did something wrong, and any punishment you give me would be deserved.”
“And why are you not afraid?”
“I’m not afraid because I haven’t caused any loss to the company at all. On the contrary, I have brought three key technologies to the company. By any measure, I have atoned for my mistakes. Boss, you wouldn’t bear to punish me, right?” Yang Yunhe finally revealed his true thoughts, which was the key reason he dared to confess.
He, Yang Yunhe, was not only free of fault but had made significant contributions!