Once the foreign guests finished their meal, the group walked inside.
Seeing another young female comrade following them in, the foreign guests looked on with utter disdain.
Wyatt tugged at the collar of his suit jacket and sneered, “Are there no men left in your China? To bring out these uneducated women just to put on a front?”
Hearing this, Mu Zhaozhao’s eyes flashed cold. Straightening her spine, she replied in fluent foreign language:
“China is a great nation with five thousand years of cultural history and profound heritage. The number of deeply learned people here is beyond count. Take me, for example—though I am young, I am more than capable of communicating with you.”
Her fluent delivery instantly stunned everyone present.
Although Shan Chengming and Ruan Jingsheng didn’t fully understand what she said, they could tell from her calm, composed, and imposing aura just how brilliant her response was.
Wyatt’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Refusing to back down, he deliberately sped up his speech and threw out complex terminology to embarrass her:
“Don’t think speaking a foreign language makes you special! What does a little girl like you know about fighter jets? Or nuclear submarines?”
The moment the words left his mouth, a faint smirk curled on Mu Zhaozhao’s lips.
Sorry, 1970s foreigner, but you’ve just hit a brick wall!
She spoke with calm confidence: “A fighter jet is a type of military aircraft primarily used to destroy enemy planes and other airborne strike weapons in the air. Its main function is to secure air superiority, typically characterized by high speed, strong maneuverability, and powerful firepower. As for nuclear submarines, they are equipped with an onboard nuclear reactor, utilizing nuclear power for propulsion, allowing them to cruise underwater indefinitely. They can carry nuclear weapons and are designed for stealth operations in the deep sea, possessing immense survivability and strike capabilities.”
She detailed the functions and characteristics of both pieces of military hardware so thoroughly that the foreign guests stared in shock, their mouths agape wide enough to fit a goose egg.
Listening to Mu Zhaozhao speaking even faster than the foreigners, Ruan Jingsheng and Shan Chengming could tell her content must have been brilliant to awe the foreign guests so completely. In their hearts, both men gained a whole new level of respect for her.
Wyatt had nothing left to say in his shame. He gave her a direct thumb’s up: “I didn’t expect someone so young to know so much. To use a Chinese idiom—I concede defeat. What’s your name, beautiful lady?”
Seeing the foreign guest soften his stance, Mu Zhaozhao replied graciously, “My name is Mu Zhaozhao. Pleased to meet you.”
Charles, sitting toward the back of the foreign delegation, suddenly spoke up: “Miss Mu Zhaozhao, our main purpose for visiting China this time is that your military district leaders wish to purchase a second-generation fighter jet from our country. Our asking price is 1.6 million USD. You may translate that for them.”
Mu Zhaozhao was startled when she heard $1.6 million!
At the 1970s exchange rate, one US dollar was worth about two Chinese Yuan.
That meant 3.2 million Chinese Yuan!
They were practically robbing them blind!
She translated Charles’s words to Ruan Jingsheng word-for-word.
Before Ruan Jingsheng could even react, Shan Chengming gasped in horror, “What kind of astronomical figure is that?! We can’t afford that at all!”
“Even if we can’t afford it, we have to buy it. This concerns the future military development and armed forces of China,” Ruan Jingsheng said in a firm, non-negotiable tone.
Only by importing the latest foreign weaponry and equipment could their country’s researchers study it, build upon it, and eventually surpass it. That was why this matter was so critical.
Mu Zhaozhao calmly asked, “Then what price do you plan to offer?”
“Right now, we can only pull together one million Chinese Yuan. Ask them if they can accept that,” Ruan Jingsheng said, his voice lacking confidence.
He knew very well that such a huge discrepancy in bargaining gave them a slim chance of success.
Following Ruan Jingsheng’s request, Mu Zhaozhao said to the foreign guests in their language, “Our Chinese side offers one million Chinese Yuan. Can you accept this?”
Upon hearing this, Charles slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Your offer lacks any sincerity! There is no point in continuing this discussion! A weak country like yours without advanced weapons can just wait to be bullied!”
His words thoroughly enraged Mu Zhaozhao. She let out a cold sneer: “You think we’ll be bullied? Aren’t you just flaunting your authority here because you have second-generation fighter jets? Your fighter jets focus purely on high altitude and high speed, resulting in terrible flight quality! And because the fuselage is so cramped, much of the electronic equipment can’t even be used. It’s nothing more than a giant manned rocket, a flying pencil—utterly useless! Have you ever heard of a blended wing-body fighter jet? Have you ever seen one equipped with a hybrid setup of air-to-air missiles and autocannons, with a fire-control system managed by a digital computer? We in China don’t care to buy your clumsy, outdated junk, let alone pay an astronomical price for it. Keep dreaming! Once our own fighter jets are developed, it’ll scare the daylights out of you!”
Like a machine gun, she unleashed a rapid-fire tirade in fluent foreign language, blasting the foreign guests on the opposite side.
They shook with rage, pointing at Mu Zhaozhao, unable to squeeze out a single word—mostly because they genuinely had no idea what a “blended wing-body fighter jet” was!
Seeing this, Shan Chengming asked Mu Zhaozhao curiously, “What did you say to them? Why are they so furious? Are they refusing to sell us the jet now?”
Mu Zhaozhao replied nonchalantly, “I got into an argument with them! If they won’t sell, we don’t care to buy! They insulted us, calling us a weak nation that deserves to be bullied. I refuse to take that sitting down!”
Shan Chengming: “…”
She really has some nerve arguing with foreign guests! But was she certain she could bear the responsibility if she ruined the procurement of military equipment?!
He turned his gaze to Ruan Jingsheng, sizing up his cold, stern expression, thinking to himself that Mu Zhaozhao had caused a massive disaster this time.
Knowing that Ruan Jingsheng was the final decision-maker, Mu Zhaozhao also looked at him, silently awaiting his judgment.
After a moment’s pause, Ruan Jingsheng spoke in a flat, unbothered tone: “Comrade Mu Zhaozhao, you did the right thing. Anyone who slanderous of our China must not be tolerated.”
Mu Zhaozhao: “…”
She really hadn’t expected his response to be agreement rather than criticism.
“Since a deal can’t be struck, we’ll think of another way! We will never bow to hostile forces!” Ruan Jingsheng said resolutely.
Although a second-generation fighter jet was crucial for China’s current military development, the dignity of China was far more important.
Seeing Ruan Jingsheng acting with such righteousness, Mu Zhaozhao blurted out on an impulse, “Ruan Jingsheng, you don’t need to buy fighter jets from foreigners anymore. Isn’t it just research and development of new machinery? Leave it to me! I can definitely build a fighter jet with 75% better maneuverability and two to three times the close-combat efficiency of a second-generation jet.”
“You?!” Shan Chengming scoffed. He didn’t believe a single punctuation mark of what she was saying.
Ruan Jingsheng, on the other hand, assumed Mu Zhaozhao was just talking wildly because she was angry, so he comforted her: “It’s alright. I will contact the veterans at the Military Research Institute. I believe that with their wisdom and strength, they can develop a military weapon with performance matching a second-generation jet in short order.”
After speaking, he paused for a moment before continuing, “Comrade Mu Zhaozhao, please inform these foreign guests that we are no longer buying the fighter jet. China possesses the soul of a strong nation and will never yield to them!”
With that, he turned and left, unwilling to continue negotiations.
Mu Zhaozhao understood why they didn’t trust her capability—after all, she was very young.
Watching Ruan Jingsheng’s retreating back and reflecting on his attitude just now, a satisfied smile curled at the corners of her lips.
This man really wins her heart!
Once things in Shanghai were wrapped up, if given the chance, she wouldn’t mind taking things further with him. After all… they already had experience together.
At the thought, her face suddenly flushed warm.