Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1132: Wealth Moves People

Chapter 1132: Chapter 1132: Wealth Moves People

After Zhang Caixin picked up her mobile phone, she discovered that within half an hour, an unfamiliar number had called her three times.

If it had been a regular number, she wouldn’t have taken it to heart—she had been harassed too many times to count and didn’t bother keeping track. But the phone number with five sixes at the end made it almost certain that this wasn’t spam.

She was mulling over whether to call back when the number dialed her again.

The caller turned out to be Chao Ying. Previously, in Chaoyang, she had met people from Luohua Manor—a crowd including Gazi, Sister Hong, or Yang Yuxin—whom she could recognize, but Zhang Caixin wasn’t among them.

However, after a brief chat, she quickly figured out who the caller was. "Ah, so you’re that particularly beautiful young woman who looks a bit foreign?"

Zhang Caixin felt very flattered. She also remembered Chao Ying, so she replied graciously, "I understand what you’re talking about. President Feng indeed entrusted me to handle this, but ten tons is a bit much. We only have fifty tons, and you’re asking for two-tenths in one go..."

"Additionally, we have one strict prerequisite—we only supply frontline manufacturers. For traders, we’re not even considering them... No one’s a fool. President Feng left large profit margins on purpose to support patriotic manufacturers advancing the industry, rather than selling at high prices just for the sake of making money."

Chao Ying felt uneasy hearing this. The people her brother connected were indeed manufacturers—purely flipping trade deals would tarnish Chao Shuji’s reputation beyond repair, no question about that. But these manufacturers’ demand for materials was rather limited.

Their research and development capabilities were hardly top-tier, with most core technologies still in imitation mode. If they genuinely had the credentials to compete directly with international standards, they might not have pursued such a convoluted process in the first place.

Last year, their demand for graphene of similar quality was merely grams. Recently, they had purchased a kilogram at a high price to test, with promising results. Hence, they planned to develop new products, estimating their own demand at no less than three hundred kilograms.

Of course, this was the minimum; at maximum, their needs might climb to one ton—or even two tons.

As for quantities beyond two tons, they didn’t dare think about it. It’s not that such potential didn’t exist; it was simply... people need to stay grounded at times. Dreaming too big can lead to disappointment.

To put it plainly, they at least had eight tons earmarked for resale. But how could Chao Ying admit to any of this?

So she laughed and replied, "It’s absolutely from a production factory. If it wasn’t, how could I have made repeated phone calls to you with such persistence?"

"That’s fine then," Zhang Caixin, though delighted at the flattering remark, wasn’t unused to compliments in her twenty plus years of life. "I’ll conduct further investigations and research. Out of respect for President Chao, preference will be given under comparable circumstances."

By any standard, that was already a concession. But Chao Ying wouldn’t settle for less. She smiled and responded, "Then I must sincerely thank you. Oh, by the way, I’ll be meeting Feng Wenhui and Zhang Junyi later. Is there anything you’d like me to tell them?"

The mention of Feng Wenhui, or Feng Ge, and Zhang Junyi, or Junyi Jie, made it impossible for Zhang Caixin to remain indifferent.

Had she only been a subordinate or apprentice to Feng Jun, she ought to show deference to these seniors, though nothing more than customary respect. Her duty would purely be to report to Feng Jun.

However, she didn’t just want to be an apprentice. After a brief hesitation, she answered, "Oh, I don’t have much to say. But President Feng is very concerned about the elders in his family... Their whereabouts, I’d trouble President Chao for updates."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Caixin’s heart pounded uncontrollably. She thought to herself, Sister and Director Mei may have his attention for now, but he should belong to me one day—he must belong to me. The fact that I’m willing to disregard your claims already shows my magnanimity.

That said, she was clear that Chao Ying was deliberately trying to win her goodwill. Still, emotions aside, weren’t human connections always built on social tact?

Unbeknownst to him, Feng Jun’s carefully designed plan of "mutual alignment to counteract personal favors" had already begun to deviate.

Yet such was the inevitability of human nature. Human beings are social creatures, and the richness of life stems precisely from these unexpected twists and turns.

In the end, Zhang Caixin couldn’t suppress her self-interest and approved an eight-ton allocation for President Chao—subtracting a mere two tons from the original request.

In the "mobile phone perspective," this wasn’t a significant matter. As someone at the peak of the Ninth Transcendence Tier, there was no harm in tending to some personal business within the Mortal Realm.

Feng Jun didn’t give it much thought either. Chao Ying managing to convince Zhang Caixin was an outcome of her own effort—after all, she was a heavyweight figure from his hometown, and he had no intentions of offending her deliberately.

However, not everyone could tolerate the situation.

Yu Qingzhu, pressured by Li Shishi, reluctantly placed an order for ten thousand refrigerators and air conditioners.

Her phone call was made unenthusiastically, yet the other party, upon hearing that she was placing an order, eagerly agreed—she was Elder Yu’s granddaughter, which carried some weight, though not the main reason. The crux lay in her swift payment during the previous transaction, without a hint of delay.

In business, profit matters most, and those who pay without hesitation are treated like royalty. Not to mention, her surname was Yu.

This left her somewhat annoyed. When she learned that Zhang Caixin had allocated eight tons of graphene to a small manufacturer, she couldn’t help but feel suffocated—given the Yu Family had handled the distribution last time, this round saw plenty of requests directed back to them.

Elder Yu had relinquished the distribution rights, partly out of disheartenment, but also out of curiosity to see Feng Jun’s strategy fail—"I’d like to see how you plan to withstand this relentless lobbying."

Yu Qingzhu, rather than approaching Zhang Caixin, went straight to Feng Jun. "Master Feng, the allocation of graphene seems a bit unfair."

Feng Jun retorted bluntly, "I am merely the seller. Who gets the goods—that’s up to me... I initially wanted your grandfather to oversee this matter, but he declared he wouldn’t care anymore. This issue is not on my shoulders, is it?"

Yu Qingzhu blinked, her long eyelashes quivering slightly, then hesitated before asking, "Could I apply to co-manage allocations with Zhang Caixin? Some manufacturers do have urgent needs for these products."

"Fake," Feng Jun denied without hesitation. "There’s no way the domestic market can absorb such a large order. Many people buy it just for exports... Don’t underestimate my grasp of this fact, okay?"

This was the advantage of being the boss. While he might not directly handle any specific task, his level of access to information meant he understood the reality better than most.

Yu Qingzhu grew increasingly anxious. To be fair, patriotism wasn’t exclusive to anyone, and she wasn’t exempt—her devotions might even edge higher than average. She reasoned earnestly, "What’s wrong with exports? By outcompeting everyone else, Huaxia’s products would unquestionably come out on top. We already have the ability!"

Feng Jun smirked internally but still appreciated Yu Qingzhu’s attitude. He replied earnestly, "I never said exports were bad. Abandoning the right was your grandfather’s decision. If you want to reclaim it... have the old man talk to me himself."

While expressing this stance, he knew fully well Elder Yu was far too prideful to make any such "inappropriate request," rebuffing his granddaughter outright.

Fortunately, Zhang Caixin had discretion. Through her careful coordination, most of the graphene was allocated to suitable recipients—whose claims were displaced or trimmed by the eight-ton compromise? She didn’t bother considering.

The graphene allocations didn’t stir up significant waves—other than Yu Qingzhu expressing mild dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, another of Zhang Caixin’s duties, lithium battery procurement, progressed smoothly.

Huaxia had issued substantial procurement demands for lithium batteries. On a national scale, this wasn’t particularly sizable volume, yet to numerous manufacturers, it was a highly encouraging signal.

Huaxia’s strict protection of its lithium battery industry meant that funding from its domestic market was welcomed with open arms—especially by Ni Hong’s manufacturers.

These companies scrambled to make concessions, dictating that prices, shipping arrangements, and payment terms were all negotiable. The paramount question remained—whether Huaxia genuinely intended to purchase their goods. If the intent existed, everything could be sorted.

Zhang Caixin remained pragmatic. She understood Feng Jun’s lack of enthusiasm for Ni Hong products and didn’t believe finalizing a deal necessarily meant completion. Nevertheless... preliminary negotiations were worth pursuing; terminating discussions later was always an option.

In terms of halting talks, her sister Zhang Weihong was more adept. After enduring a few days of turmoil, she successfully obtained detailed information on most Indonesian grain warehouses.

This led her to terminate negotiations with Argentine suppliers. Previously, she had pulled similar stunts while purchasing lithium batteries, leaving Zhengyang City’s fire safety department in the lurch. This maneuver didn’t trigger severe repercussions; to her, it was standard business protocol—if an agreement can’t be reached, let it go.

The Argentinians assumed it was merely a negotiation tactic. But after waiting a while, they realized Zhang Weihong showed no signs of reestablishing contact. At this point, they panicked, actively reaching out to her not only to inquire why but also to warn of impending grain price hikes.

The traders’ warning was likely tactical—they were aware the international market had shifted. In previous years, Huaxia’s purchasing frenzy across multiple sectors drove price surges. But once Huaxia’s grain reserves reached sufficient capacity, the tides turned against global speculators.

Several major speculators faced hefty losses and realized that Huaxia was no longer what it used to be. Now, whispers emanating from Huaxia carried the power to alter global grain prices.

Whether the traders’ claims of rising market prices were genuine or fabricated remained uncertain. Speculative traders in grain futures still needed profits; their motivations could range between bluffing and legitimate forecasts.

Regardless, Sister Hong was indifferent. She firmly stated if prices rose, so be it. If there was demand, she’d pay premiums to secure supplies; without it, she’d forego purchases altogether.

The traders were dumbfounded. Regular fluctuations in commodity prices often sparked market unease, and significant movements could trigger outright panic.

In simpler terms, dealing with a buyer who dismissed typical price sensitivity as irrelevant was a rare spectacle in the grain trade.

Modern-day Huaxia truly differed from its past iterations.