At the beginning, Jiang Hai had indeed been rather reckless.
Even he hadn't realized just how crazy he was—spending 280 million to buy such a dilapidated place.
If he had gone to Mexico, that same 280 million could probably have bought him half of New Mexico—of course, that was a joke…
But at the very least, the land he owned would have been five times larger than what he had now. New Mexico, Florida around Miami, and other southern states all had vast stretches of vacant land. As immigrant-heavy regions, racial discrimination there was minimal.
In places like that, Jiang Hai would have been a local tyrant—no different from how he was now.
Back then, though, he had been overly ambitious.
No wonder American Express hadn't been optimistic about him.
"Back then, one manager even predicted you wouldn't last a year," Odelle Bach said excitedly. "But you completely shocked us. In just one year, you went from three hundred million dollars to over a billion. Another year later, that billion became three billion. Now you're close to five billion, right? Oh—and you currently have around four billion in liquid assets. You also just acquired a company in China. I almost forgot."
She looked at Jiang Hai with unconcealed admiration as she spoke.
"Our salaries and performance evaluations are tied directly to our clients," Odelle continued. "At first, I thought that following you meant I'd never afford a house or a car in my lifetime. But in just three years, I bought a home in New York—and I replaced this car just last month."
She smiled brightly. "It's all thanks to you. That's why I say you're my savior—my idol. If you ever need anything, you can come to me. I'll help you solve all your problems."
Jiang Hai merely chuckled and said nothing.
He wasn't stupid. He naturally understood the deeper meaning behind "solving all problems."
But he wasn't easily swayed by a woman in clothes. When he wasn't losing control, his self-discipline was quite strong. Seeing his silence, Odelle felt a hint of awkwardness—but she didn't dwell on it.
Instead, she shifted the topic and began introducing Chicago.
When most people think of Chicago, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Chicago Bulls.
Whether or not someone likes basketball, the Bulls were the NBA's first globally promoted brand. With Michael Jordan, the two became synonymous with the NBA itself. Even people who never watched basketball had heard of them—that was the legacy of David Stern.
But those familiar with the U.S. knew that Chicago wasn't exactly an easy city to live in.
It was the third-largest metropolitan area in the country, after New York and Los Angeles. Yet compared to those two, Chicago lagged far behind in development. For decades, it had been dominated by gangs.
New York and Los Angeles were different. As America's most important metropolis and its most prominent tourist city, respectively, the government could never allow gang influence to spiral out of control—especially for national image reasons.
Chicago, however, had never been targeted with the same intensity. In the 1990s, gang activity was rampant.
While things had improved, Chicago's economic standing continued to erode.
It also wasn't particularly livable. Its nickname—the Windy City—was well-earned.
In winter, icy winds from Lake Michigan could drive temperatures below minus thirty degrees Celsius. In summer, sunlight reflecting off the lake could push temperatures past forty degrees. The day–night temperature swings were extreme, and visitors were strongly advised to bring extra layers.
Frankly speaking, there weren't many tourist attractions either. Aside from a few landmarks—the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Navy Pier, Lincoln Park, Grant Park—there wasn't much to see.
In Jiang Hai's eyes, the only truly worthwhile activity in Chicago might be watching a Bulls game.
Unfortunately, the Bulls were weak these days, and drawing a crowd wasn't easy.
By the time Odelle finished her enthusiastic introduction, they had arrived at the hotel Boeing had specially arranged for them.
This test flight invitation wasn't exclusive to Jiang Hai—several other potential buyers were attending as well.
To match their status, Boeing had prepared suites just below the presidential level.
After collecting their room keys, Odelle led Jiang Hai to his suite.
"If you need anything, just call me," she said before entering her own smaller room. "My door isn't locked."
Jiang Hai smiled faintly. Was that really necessary?
Shaking his head, he entered his room. For now, he had no intention of flirting with anyone.
More importantly, he didn't believe Odelle Bach was someone to casually toy with.
Time passed quickly.
That afternoon, Jiang Hai spent some time online and watching television. In the evening, he and Odelle had dinner together before he returned to his room to rest.
Watching his door close, Odelle couldn't help feeling a little dejected.
Staring at herself in the mirror, she muttered inwardly, Am I really that bad-looking?
In their line of work, forming discreet relationships with clients was fairly common. Everyone did it—to secure their positions and improve performance. It was practically unavoidable.
If Jiang Hai ever requested a different account manager, someone with his influence could have her removed instantly.
Trying to please him was something she had to do.
Yet judging from the situation, Jiang Hai clearly wasn't interested in her.
She knew he wasn't uninterested in women—that was impossible. From what she'd heard, he had plenty of women at his manor in Winthrop. Which meant he simply wasn't interested in her.
If that was the case, there was no reason to embarrass herself further.
That night, nothing happened.
The next morning, Jiang Hai left his room refreshed. Odelle drove him straight to Boeing's headquarters.
In today's world, there was no shortage of wealthy individuals—and naturally, no shortage of aircraft buyers.
There were hundreds of aircraft manufacturers worldwide: Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier, Enstrom, McDonnell Douglas, even Honda. They produced everything from single- and multi-engine helicopters to fixed-wing aircraft and business jets. Many domestic companies were involved as well.
For example, Harbin Aircraft Industry Group—despite the name—originally specialized in aircraft, not automobiles.
There were also companies like Beijing Keyuan, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, AVIC, and Nandu Aviation.
Yet when it came to the very top of the industry, only two names truly mattered: Airbus and Boeing.
Boeing, an American company, had once dominated the global aviation market. Nearly all commercial passenger aircraft had been Boeing-made.
That monopoly ended with Airbus's rise in Europe.
Today, most passenger aircraft in China were Airbus models—but Boeing, the former giant, was still highly coveted.
Originally headquartered in Seattle, Boeing relocated to Chicago in 2001, following a broader trend of large corporations leaving Seattle at the turn of the century.
After exiting the car, Jiang Hai was escorted to a VIP lounge where several people were already waiting.
All of them were potential buyers with both intent and capability—mostly middle-aged or older. As Jiang Hai entered, a few curious glances were cast his way. Some were surprised by his youth; others, better informed, already knew who he was.
No one treated him as an enemy.
With polite distance maintained, a staff member handed Jiang Hai an iPad containing detailed information about the aircraft on display.
This showcase didn't feature passenger planes, but business jets, divided into two series: the BBJ series and the VIP series, totaling six models with varying performance and passenger capacities.
The BBJ series was introduced first.
After briefly reviewing the models, Jiang Hai and the others were led to the runway. Since they were potential buyers, a test flight was mandatory.
They boarded the most basic BBJ model first.
Standing before the aircraft, Jiang Hai noticed that although its listed capacity was only nineteen passengers—excluding the captain and first officer—the plane itself was impressively large.
(To be continued.)