My Manor

Seeing Jiang Hai's puzzled expression, Du Famen chuckled. Yes, he wanted Jiang Hai to be a middleman.

Then he explained to Jiang Hai why he seemed so "familiar" with him.

Dubai, though a small country, is closely linked to other Arab kingdoms. In many ways, they prosper and suffer together. This time, Du Famen wasn't just representing Dubai; he was representing several Arab nations.

What do these Arab countries produce in abundance? Well, besides terrorism, their primary resource is oil.

This is also their foundation in the world. Their oil is mainly sold to the United States and some European nations. While they are rich, their wealth largely comes from those who buy their oil. In other words, their oil market is a buyer's market. The United States and European countries like Britain and France can buy it whenever they want, and they make a fortune. But if these countries say no, then that oil will just sit there and spoil.

Some might argue, "How can oil have no buyers? If the U.S. stops buying, just sell it to other countries!"

But the question is, would they dare? The Arab royal families are wealthy, but they can't match the power of the U.S. or European countries.

This is their biggest problem. It's easy to prepare for danger in times of peace, but what happens if one day these royal families are no longer needed?

Think about the wars of the past few years. Whether it was Iraq or Afghanistan, why did the U.S. go to war there?

One reason was because these countries were thorns in the side of the U.S., but there are far worse "thorns" out there, like North Korea, which bombs regularly without the U.S. acting. Of course, there's also the matter of North Korea having the support of China and Russia, but that's just part of the story.

Cuba is much closer to the U.S., and despite constant provocations, the U.S. did not hesitate to attack.

Why? Because these countries didn't have what the U.S. wanted—oil. And wars aren't just about face; they're about money. The U.S. wants to make a profit from the wars it engages in.

That's why Afghanistan and Iraq were destroyed. Of course, none of this matters to Jiang Hai, and he isn't interested in politics.

However, Jiang Hai understood Du Famen's point. It was clear that these Arab countries couldn't place all their trust in one partner. Yet, on the surface, they dared not sell oil to China, the greatest perceived threat to the U.S. government.

So even if the people in these courts blustered, they couldn't act on it. If they sold oil and it led to war, with China's current foreign policy, they wouldn't send troops to help. No one wanted to repeat Iraq's fate.

Initially, it seemed simple—one side wanted to sell, and the other wanted to buy. But the problem was America.

That's why Du Famen needed a middleman—and a convenient excuse.

Whether he said he was persuaded or threatened, Du Famen needed someone to shift attention away from the real issue. He had hosted the cocktail party with the goal of finding a middleman, and Jiang Hai had conveniently returned.

Rather than seek out an unknown intermediary, it made more sense to recruit Jiang Hai, especially given his 400 million U.S. dollars worth of oil futures.

Jiang Hai fell silent as Du Famen spoke. His first thought was to avoid getting involved in this messy situation. He was just a regular guy, with no grand ambitions. If he messed up, he could become a point of conflict between China and the U.S., and that would be disastrous for him.

But Du Famen's words made him hesitate. Two words lingered in his mind: benefits.

There was no need to explain the benefits of acting as a lobbyist for China—those benefits were already part of his agreement with Penelope. Jiang Hai believed those benefits were real.

And if he helped Du Famen, Du Famen would offer him something in return: oil. "Jiang, to be honest, oil futures are rare outside, but we have plenty. If you're the middleman, we can negotiate a fair price and let you decide how much you want." Du Famen smiled softly under the moonlight, knowing that Jiang Hai would be hard to resist once the word "oil" was on the table.

"You're such a jerk," Jiang Hai muttered, feeling an itch of temptation.

"Thank you for the compliment. But this is politics. Besides that, we can still be friends," Du Famen said, smiling. For him, this was a guaranteed win. "I need 600 million in oil futures now. If I want more, can I buy more?"

Jiang Hai hesitated but then asked, "Can I buy more?" He only had 600 million in cash at the moment.

Initially, he had earned less than a billion from selling gems and the like. He had used 400 million of that for oil futures, leaving him with more than 300 million from selling cattle. Currently, he had over 800 million in cash. However, Winthrop Construction needed 250 million for future expenses, leaving Jiang Hai with just over 600 million in usable cash. This was pocket money he couldn't touch.

But the 600 million in the bank was essentially useless. Jiang Hai saw a chance to exchange it for something more valuable.

Oil futures were priced at a 20% premium. With 1 billion dollars in oil futures, it would essentially earn him 200 million for free. The best part was that even if he failed, he could go to wealthy U.S. investors. Those holding 1 billion in oil futures were sure to be treated like VIPs, even in the White House.

"Deal. I can sell you more, and there's no price cap. The only stipulation is that you can't buy it from anyone else. I'll only sell to you," Du Famen said, chuckling.

As long as Jiang Hai was willing to act as the middleman, they were ready to invest billions in oil futures. Of course, Jiang Hai didn't have that kind of money yet.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't in the future. Du Famen might be easy to deal with now, but Jiang Hai knew better than to trust long-term political promises. After all, in the world of politics, it's not uncommon to "kill the donkey after it has done its job."

Jiang Hai needed to get that money as quickly as possible. As for how to get it, there was no mystery.

A man can't get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse can't get fat without night grass. Jiang Hai's best bet for "night grass" was shipwrecks.

He still had many addresses of sunken ships in the Caribbean. What others couldn't access didn't mean he couldn't. Once there was one successful find, there would be others—second, third, fourth...

One ship could be worth 1 billion dollars—imagine what several could bring.

Du Famen seemed to assume Jiang Hai wouldn't have too much money in the short term, so he allowed him to stretch his finances.

The conversation lasted only half an hour, after which Jiang Hai and Du Famen left the second floor and entered the meeting room on the first floor.

As soon as they descended, Minister Qin saw them and noticed the smiles on their faces. He immediately sensed that the matter might be resolved successfully and sighed with relief. It seemed Jiang Hai was indeed the right person for this job. He eagerly approached Jiang Hai to discuss things privately.

Meanwhile, the An family, who had been observing Jiang Hai from the sidelines, felt a sense of jealousy. Standing in the corner, they realized that their attempts to network hadn't succeeded. They'd distributed business cards in the hope of climbing the social ladder but hadn't garnered much attention from people at Jiang Hai's level.

They hadn't expected to make real connections through this cocktail party, but rather to hand out cards and hope for future favors. But now, as Jiang Hai and Du Famen descended together, they couldn't help but feel envious.

This wasn't some melodramatic novel where a rival would show off and get humiliated by Du Famen. Real life didn't play out like that.

Now, even if they approached Du Famen, they would be watched closely by bodyguards.

They realized they couldn't openly antagonize Jiang Hai, especially since he was now Du Famen's honored guest.

Even the court had sought Jiang Hai's cooperation. The An family could only look at him with envy, jealousy, and hatred—without the courage to make any move. Of course, they still had their man, Jiang Rui, in Boston. But that didn't mean Jiang Hai couldn't retaliate against them.