At the arrival gate of California Airport, two people held up a rather flashy banner with Chinese characters in regular script, drawing considerable attention.
Naturally, most foreigners couldn't understand what it said. However, many Chinese residents in California saw the banner and were slightly surprised, asking, "Jiangnan Group? What kind of company is that? Are there really such audacious companies back home?"
A little over an hour later, a delegation of over ten people emerged. Led by the waiting reception staff, they quickly boarded several business vans and drove away.
These two greeters were staff members dispatched by Jiangnan Group to America half a month earlier. They were all overseas students in the United States and were very familiar with the country. Therefore, while the head office spent half a month organizing the delegation, they hadn't been idle and had been making various preparations in California.
"How did it go? Did you secure the qualifications to participate in this bidding conference?" Huang He asked.
"Chairman, I am very sorry. Although we have proactively contacted Yahoo Company six times to explain the situation, Yahoo Company is not accepting our bid," said Zou Yuchen, the person in charge between the two, a graduate of the University of California.
"Did they provide a reason?" Huang He asked, frowning.
"Yes, their reason has always been the same one: because our products do not meet their standards, they refuse to let us participate in the bidding conference?" Zou Yuchen replied.
"Did you show them our bid proposal?" Huang He asked.
"Well... they wouldn't even accept our bid proposal. They said they would only accept our bid proposal if we first obtained an invitation to the bidding conference!" Zou Yuchen said softly.
"So, they rejected us outright without even understanding our capabilities!" Huang He sighed. Although he had expected this, being treated this way still made Huang He quite displeased.
"Did you try to meet with Jerry Yang to explain our situation?" Huang He asked.
"We couldn't get a meeting; he simply wouldn't give us the opportunity to meet!" Zou Yuchen shook his head. It seemed even this avenue was completely blocked.
"So, it seems I've come with a grand delegation, but it's like visiting a blind man during New Year's – they won't even glance our way!" Huang He said with a cold laugh, causing Zou Yuchen to sweat profusely.
Having been a wealthy individual for several years, and with an increasing number of employees under his management, Huang He's aura had grown more potent. The intense anger radiating from him greatly frightened Zou Yuchen.
"When does the bidding conference end?" Huang He asked.
"The deadline is June 10th, which is still eight days away!" Zou Yuchen replied.
"And how many companies have submitted bids so far?"
"A total of 16 companies worldwide have submitted bids. Among them, companies with strong advantages include Compaq, Samsung, TSMC, Motorola, Sun, IBM, and Intel," Zou Yuchen said. These names essentially encompassed the world's top server manufacturers.
"How about this, try to arrange another meeting with Jerry Yang. Tell him that Huang He wants to invite him for dinner and wishes for him to grace us with his presence," Huang He said calmly. Zou Yuchen nodded repeatedly.
"Then Chairman, shall we go to the hotel now?" Zou Yuchen asked softly.
"Yes, where else would we go if not the hotel?" Huang He grinned, with a touch of helplessness.
Soon, several business vans drove into a five-star hotel in California. Huang He first gathered all the members of the delegation in the lobby. Then, in front of them, he announced that they would have a day off tomorrow to explore California as they pleased, and the company would also subsidize them with $1,000 for shopping, instantly earning cheers from all the employees.
"Brother-in-law, isn't this not right? How can you let them go play before the work has even begun!" Leng Zhiruo said softly behind Huang He.
"Yes, brother-in-law, what kind of boss are you!" Leng Zhiwen also said with a smile. Both of them had actually come.
"Have you forgotten why I brought you two along?" Huang He said with a smile. "Don't I owe you both a honeymoon? So, taking this opportunity to come to America, I'm considered to be taking you on a honeymoon, aren't I?"
"This mission is very difficult, and we can't even submit our bid. So, if you want to assign them tasks, they have nothing to do. It's better to let them stay in the hotel and pretend to work hard, or let them go out and play for a day. This way, their moods will improve, they'll have their holiday, and when we truly need them to be busy, we can exploit them freely without worrying about them cracking under pressure!"
Leng Zhiruo and Leng Zhiwen both rolled their eyes simultaneously.
"Moreover, tomorrow the three of us can also go out and play for a day. Although Zhiruo has been to California several times, she was always too busy during those times to truly enjoy herself. So, tomorrow the three of us will forget about work and leisurely tour the entire city!" Huang He said with a smile.
"Yay!" The sisters cheered simultaneously and then excitedly walked ahead. Huang He looked at their bouncing figures, licking his lips.
It seemed Huang He's happiness could begin as early as tonight.
The next day, a somewhat leg-weary Huang He, not yet fully awake, was dragged out of bed by his two wives and younger sisters to start their day's itinerary: shopping spree across Los Angeles.
Yes, shopping, not sightseeing.
What do you think is Los Angeles's biggest attraction?
Or do you think women are genuinely interested in tourism?
No, they are only interested in shopping, especially in a city like Los Angeles. Thus, what was supposed to be an outing turned into them spending the entire morning and afternoon in various shopping malls in Los Angeles, with the two women engaging in a frenzy of shopping.
Moreover, they weren't just buying things for themselves; they also needed to buy things for the three younger sisters and their mother back home, as well as for their own friends, so the items to be purchased became even more numerous. Soon, Huang He couldn't carry everything.
Fortunately, Huang He had brought along an astonishing number of bodyguards this time. A full eight bodyguards, armed and equipped under their clothes, accompanied Huang He, instantly transforming them into human coat racks.
Fortunately, Huang He was very generous and gave each bodyguard an extra $500 tip, so these proud bodyguards were willing to understand and bear the burden of the bags.
"Huh? What is that place over there, all colorful? It looks like it might be fun!" Leng Zhiwen asked, pointing to an area deeper within the mall whose decor was distinctly different from other sections.
"Oh, that should be the anime and gaming entertainment area of the mall. They should be selling goods related to anime and games there. Many large malls have such areas!" Huang He explained.
Such areas also exist in malls in China in later eras, but there are none in China at the moment. Only in countries where gaming culture is developed can one see them, as only when the industry is prosperous can there be a sufficient market to absorb it.
"Let's go take a look!" Leng Zhiwen said excitedly. The group entered the anime and gaming area and, after a brief stroll, marveled at how developed the gaming industry in America truly was. More than half of the entire area was occupied by various game stores.
Furthermore, these games were all astonishingly expensive, and almost all of them were physical copies, along with various game merchandise, making it very comprehensive. The only regret was the absence of any voluptuous cosplayers.
"Brother-in-law, look! There's even a disc for 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy' here, and it seems to be from the first batch of physical games. This is almost 10 years old!" Leng Zhiwen exclaimed, as if discovering a treasure.
Well, as Li Xiaoyao in the TV series, Leng Zhiwen knew the game she was most familiar with was definitely 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy.'
"Oh, little beauty, you know 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy' too? This is very valuable for collection. Why don't you buy it back to keep?" The shop owner said with a smile. He was clearly a Chinese person of Chinese descent, which explained why many Chinese games were displayed in the shop.
However, the sales of these games were clearly insufficient, and many of them were covered in dust.
Huang He browsed around inside and indeed found many very interesting and rare items. For example, the physical version of 'Blood Strike Shanghai Beach,' which was completely out of print in China. This version also came with a handgun model, making it very precious.
However, the most valuable item Huang He discovered was a box of a physical game called 'Blood Lion.' This was truly a swan song of the era!
Huang He didn't hesitate to take these down and then found the owner to settle the bill.
"My friend, I advise you not to buy this!" The owner said with a very peculiar expression upon seeing 'Blood Lion.' "Otherwise, you'll be driven mad by this game."
"That's exactly why I'm here!" Huang He chuckled. "I don't plan to play it; I just want to buy it back for collection. After ten or so years, it might become an antique!"
"That's true. This game is a masterpiece that directly destroyed the entire Chinese single-player gaming industry. It is indeed quite valuable for collection," the owner sighed.
"Yes!" Huang He also sighed. Their relationship with the owner became much closer because of this shared sigh.
"By the way, friend, I see you're likely visiting America and will be returning home soon, right?" the owner suddenly said.
"Yes!" Huang He nodded.
"Then are you interested in earning a little money?" the owner asked with a smile.
"What little money?" Huang He asked curiously.
"It's Jiangnan's 'Warcraft' blind boxes!" the owner said in a low voice. "I'm currently short of a domestic proxy buyer. If you can find a way to buy unused rare and deluxe versions from Jiangnan's blind boxes back in China and are able to mail them to me, I will purchase them at 110% of the Chinese market price. If you just get a few rare versions, you can earn a few hundred yuan. There's no easier way to make money than this!"