Chapter 51 Shall I help you bring in a couple of planes?

Shen Jiannan.

A Northeasterner, currently an executive at Deep City Airlines. This time, he was on a business trip to Zhonghai, and originally, after finishing his work, he was supposed to fly back to Deep City today.

But thanks to a web of connections working behind the scenes, he found himself sitting in front of Chai Jin. He had assumed the other party must be someone of considerable standing, but to his surprise, the one who appeared was a young man not yet twenty.

At this moment, he felt rather awkward—he wanted to leave, but out of respect for those who had arranged the meeting, he had no choice but to stay. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he finally asked, "What is your relationship with Mr. Cai?"

Chai Jin smiled confidently. "We're friends."

"Oh, I see." Shen Jiannan hesitated. "So, is there something you wanted from me?"

"Are you hoping I'll help you get a job at our company?"

A young man seeking him out—this was the only logical explanation he could think of, and not an unusual one.

Chai Jin set down his teacup. "No, that's not it."

"Mr. Shen, I want to verify something. Is it true that Deep City Airlines is planning to purchase two passenger planes?"

Shen Jiannan took a deep breath and smiled wryly. "You must have read about that in the papers."

"You could say we have such a plan. The official paperwork has been approved."

"But it’s just a plan at this point; we’re still exploring all possible avenues for cooperation."

"Why? You’re not a journalist hoping to dig up our company secrets, are you?"

He lifted his teacup and took another sip, feeling this was all a waste of time. There was no need to meet with such a young man. Glancing at his watch, he was eager to head to the airport.

But just as impatience began to get the better of him, Chai Jin suddenly said, "What if I told you I could arrange to get you two planes? Would you be interested in working with me?"

"Pfft!"

Shen Jiannan sputtered his tea, some even shooting out his nose. He hurriedly grabbed napkins from the table and wiped himself down, finding the situation absurd. "You must be joking."

"Where would you even get planes from?"

"Young man, I don't know who you are or what your background may be, but acquiring aircraft is not as simple as dealing with a couple of cars."

"It involves enormous sums of money, complex networks, and all sorts of relationships."

"Please, don’t waste my time."

Chai Jin knew Shen Jiannan would never believe him, so he spoke calmly. "Mr. Shen, I’m not joking."

"In a couple of months, I'll be in Deep City. I'll contact you then."

"By that time, I believe you’ll see for yourself."

The truth was, Chai Jin had been focused on this matter for a while—scouring the country for aviation news, gathering information from airlines everywhere, and finding that in 1992, domestic demand for airplanes was booming. With more tycoons and more passengers, airlines needed to expand their fleets.

But airplanes were prohibitively expensive, with a single Boeing costing one to two hundred million US dollars—an unbearable sum for most.

Yet, what about the newly dissolved Soviet Union? In the chaos that followed, the countries that emerged began liquidating their assets at astonishingly low prices.

Chai Jin had considered cutting in ahead of Mou Qizhong, but Mou had been laying the groundwork for two years already. The problem was, Mou had no capital to invest upfront and had been locked in a stalemate with the Soviets over who would deliver first.

By now, things must be reaching a critical point, and it was almost impossible to outmaneuver him at this stage.

So, Chai Jin set his sights on Deep City Airlines, which had similar needs.

Would Shen Jiannan believe him? A youth not yet twenty, a complete stranger, suddenly appears and claims, "I can get you two planes."

Was this not pure fantasy? If he took this seriously, he would surely doubt his own sanity.

He had no desire to waste any more time with such a braggart.

He stood up with a polite smile. "Sorry, I have a plane to catch."

"If you really can get the planes, bring proof when the time comes, something that will convince me."

"If you have evidence, our airline will definitely work with you."

"Perhaps we'll meet again."

With that, he picked up his bag and left.

An hour later, he met up with a colleague at the airport. The two hurried toward the boarding gate.

His colleague asked curiously, "Old Shen, who was that you went to see in such a rush before our flight?"

Shen Jiannan gave a wry smile. "Some young guy, barely twenty, full of hot air—claims he can help us get a few planes."

"But the kid must have some ability; he managed to get a connection with the Deep City government."

"Not even twenty, and he says he can get us two planes?" His colleague couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s all because of Old Mou."

"Mou had connections in the capital and spent three years trying to get this done, yet still failed. Why should this kid succeed?"

"Old Mou has ruined a generation. Now all the young people think they can get rich without lifting a finger—they make things sound so easy, so grand."

The two of them went on to criticize the social ills of their time.

And that was how they talked, then.

But when Chai Jin did manage to procure two planes and park them at the Deep City airport, both men were utterly dumbfounded.

A journalist even snapped a photo of their expressions at that moment, and for years to come, the image circulated widely—a monumental joke.

But that is a story for another time.

After Shen Jiannan left, Chai Jin was about to go as well. But by chance, he spotted a familiar face in the restaurant and quietly sat watching.

This woman was none other than Xiong Dan, who had been making a commotion for days in the guesthouse.

She was dressed provocatively—spring had already warmed Zhonghai by April, and Xiong Dan wasted no time baring as much skin as possible, as if afraid others might miss any part of her.

Across from her sat a man who looked every bit the petty hoodlum.

There weren’t many people in the restaurant, so their conversation was easy to overhear.

Xiong Dan, unaware that Chai Jin was nearby, spoke brazenly. "You think I want to sleep with that country bumpkin every day?"

"Who was it that threw me out of the house back then? Where were you when that happened?"

The man took a deep breath. "Dandan, I was just angry then. I was wrong, I’m sorry."

"Let’s make up. Let’s do what we used to, get rich together."

"Leave that man—those others only want to sleep with you, I’m the only one who truly cares."

Such words would have disgusted women in more recent times—the more desperate the man, the more contempt he’d earn.

But in this era, women still fell for it.

Xiong Dan stared at him for a long moment before replying, "I can’t leave that man yet. After letting him sleep with me for so many days for free, I can hardly leave empty-handed."