Binhai City.
Macroeconomic Building, 68th Floor Restaurant.
By the window, Li Nannan, wearing a lotus green skirt, crossed her legs and played with her phone. She had new pigtails, giving her a youthful appearance, but when men approached her, she would lift her eyes, her gaze filled with ferocity and authority that made them retreat.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Commander. You came rather suddenly. When I received your call, I was inspecting in the Southern Hemisphere." Jiang Ye walked over quickly and sat down opposite her.
Li Nannan looked up, remaining silent for a long time, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye’s smile was a little awkward. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"How did you do it?" Li Nannan asked.
"Do what?" Jiang Ye feigned ignorance.
"I've felt something was off about you for the past two months," Li Nannan said. "The day before yesterday, I attended a meeting at the military headquarters, and it was even more unusual. Who is the powerful patron you've hitched yourself to?"
"What's so unusual? I'm still me, the genuine article."
"Over six hundred planets are actively seeking your acquaintance, and they're all from distant, unrelated corners of the galaxy. You have so many foreign dignitaries visiting that you can barely keep up. Even an idiot could tell something's going on behind the scenes, right?" Li Nannan’s expression was suspicious. "At the military meeting, they're going to grant you a higher-level weapons production license and provide technical personnel."
"Oh, that's truly wonderful news." Jiang Ye's smile was calm; he had clearly anticipated this.
"Who is it?" Li Nannan frowned. "Could it be... Commander Dai?"
"Someone as formidable as Commander Dai, how could he possibly be my patron?" Jiang Ye said humbly. "I'm merely doing some odd jobs for him."
Li Nannan's expression shifted instantly. She had harbored a sliver of disbelief before, but now that her guess was confirmed, a tempest raged within her.
"How did you establish a connection with Commander Dai?" Li Nannan was perplexed. "Many people I know, who desperately want such a connection, have no way to achieve it. Meeting Commander Dai is harder than ascending to heaven. In the past few days, so many people have been asking me about you, inquiring about your background, which has left me utterly bewildered."
"People with backgrounds cannot meet Commander Dai, yet I, without a background, have met Commander Dai." Jiang Ye paused. "So, is there a possibility that the reason I can meet Commander Dai is precisely because I have no background?"
Li Nannan pondered this.
"Is the military assigning you to liaise with me on weapons manufacturing matters?" Jiang Ye asked.
"What did Commander Dai say to you?" Li Nannan asked.
Jiang Ye shrugged helplessly. "Actually, we didn't talk much. He just asked me to help him sell some planets, and when necessary, deploy troops to certain planets for disaster relief or counter-terrorism, to maintain order. If the galaxy were a human body, I might be playing the role of a macrophage."
"Sell planets?" Li Nannan's face changed color again. "How are you going to sell them? Don't tell me you're opening a planet exchange."
"You guessed correctly."
Li Nannan was speechless. "Don't joke."
"It's true." Jiang Ye's expression was placid. "It might be put on the agenda this year. Commander Dai has entrusted me with many tasks, which are being advanced one by one. After the diplomatic matters are concluded, we'll start with the weapons aspect. I expect the exchange will be established after some time."
Jiang Ye took out his phone, tapped it a couple of times, and pushed it towards Li Nannan.
The screen displayed a photo of a group of people in a meeting, with a large architectural blueprint hanging on the wall.
"What is this?" Li Nannan asked, confused.
"It's the preliminary preparation for the planet exchange. Many experts and relevant professionals have been convened for the initial preparations, mainly to draw lessons from the exchanges on other planets and prepare to establish our own." Jiang Ye said, "Once we receive word from Commander Dai, we'll be able to establish it very quickly."
"This is too terrifying." Li Nannan's face turned pale with shock. "I feel something is wrong. There must be some other reason why Commander Dai has taken an interest in you, otherwise, why would such an important matter be entrusted to you?"
"It's not entirely entrusted to me; I'm just following orders." Jiang Ye smiled. "Have you been to an auction? When expensive items are auctioned, there are many people sitting in the auction seats, holding their phones to make calls with one hand and raising paddles to bid with the other. They are responsible for the process, manipulated by the boss on the other end of the phone. I'm that kind of person, and Commander Dai is on the other end of the phone."
Li Nannan looked down at her hands. Her two small hands were weakly pinching each other. She remained silent for a long time.
"Jiang Ye, I feel a bit uneasy about your development," Li Nannan said.
"Why are you uneasy?" Jiang Ye frowned.
"Your rate of advancement is too fast. You're about to surpass me," Li Nannan raised her face. "I'm not jealous. I'm very happy that you can rise so high. But I hope that if you truly ascend one day, you'll remember that I treated you very well back then. I don't ask for anything in return, just to remember our friendship."
Jiang Ye opened his mouth to speak, but Li Nannan interrupted him again. Her tone was calm and rapid, as if these words had been bottled up for a long time and now had to be released.
"Although our initial relationship was accompanied by many seemingly greedy processes, you gave me money, and I gave you opportunities. But after so many years of interaction, in my heart, you are more than just a transactional relationship. I consider you a friend. Including your wife, I also consider her a close friend. I don't know how you see me?"
The atmosphere shifted abruptly. Jiang Ye was slightly caught off guard. Some things were usually understood tacitly, but when they were all spoken out loud, it felt a bit awkward.
"I was just talking about you with Mengmeng the other day," Jiang Ye said. "We both think you are an excellent superior and a good friend. We consider you like half a family member, after all, you are Jiang Senlin's godmother. No matter how our relationship changes in the future, our family hopes to sit down with you every so often to catch up."
"Okay, I hope so too," Li Nannan nodded. "Let's get down to business."
Jiang Ye sat up straight.
"The official document from the military hasn't been released yet. The intention is for me to seek your opinion," Li Nannan said. "There are several options. Please choose one."
Jiang Ye's expression tensed slightly. Another choice. Back then, Li Nannan's choice was about the military's development path. What would it be now?
"The first option is to inject a massive amount of funds directly into your planet, rapidly establish the arms production line, and then you only need to be responsible for selling the goods and collecting the money. The military will be responsible for managing the newly built arms industry, maintaining the production line, and providing technical support. Finally, they will take thirty percent of the profits."
"What about the technology?" Jiang Ye asked.
"If you choose this option, the technology will not be given to you," Li Nannan said. "You won't need the technology either, as the military will send personnel to be fully responsible for production."
Jiang Ye smiled and shook his head. "I want the technology. I'm not short of money. If not this one, what other options are there?"