"Mr. Xie, we’ve all heard that the food over there is terrible. I need to bring some of my own food to eat."

That was Song Xiaoyu. He had been poring over all sorts of newspapers lately, and after learning the food was bad, he started preparing his own rations.

He would rather eat his rations than that gamey pork!

"Oh? You actually managed to find negative reports?" This made Xie Changning very curious. She recalled that even when people born in the ’90s were kids, all you heard from certain public figures was praise for other countries, without a single negative word.

’I can’t believe someone is actually telling the truth at a time like this.’

"There are! But they get torn apart for it. If I hadn’t scrounged one up from that old man who collects scrap, I’d never have known!" Song Xiaoyu felt incredibly fortunate.

’I’m a genius!’

"That’s not going to work. We need to travel light. We’ll be bringing things back with us on the return trip!"

’What’s the point of carrying so much stuff?’

In the end, the team had no choice but to follow Xie Changning’s orders and take out all the useless things they had packed. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Xie Changning watched, speechless. They had packed all sorts of things.

"Bring two changes of clothes and your toiletries. Nothing else."

Xie Changning had their family members come and take away the items they weren’t bringing.

Their families didn’t seem to understand.

"This is an official business trip. What do you think you’re all doing?" Xie Changning’s expression darkened.

Seeing her face fall, everyone quickly took the items and left, not daring to linger.

Watching them, Xie Changning knew why her team had tried to bring so much. Their families had put them up to it.

Something about how if these items just made a round trip abroad, they’d become "foreign goods"—all just a bunch of nonsense.

Just hearing it was enough to give Xie Changning a headache.

Seeing that Xie Changning was angry, everyone quieted down.

When the car arrived, Xie Changning didn’t say a word, simply motioning for them to get in quickly.

The team members, knowing they had messed up, were as quiet as mice after getting in the car, not daring to make a peep.

Once in the car, Xie Changning told the driver to take them to Xie Changyi’s Bureau of Foreign Trade.

After a few hours’ drive, the group finally arrived at the Bureau of Foreign Trade. Xie Changyi’s secretary was waiting at the entrance. Seeing them approach, he quickly said to Xie Changning, "Mr. Xie, our Director is waiting for you upstairs."

"Follow me."

Seeing how respectfully Xie Changyi’s secretary treated Xie Changning, the same thought popped into all the team members’ heads: ’Our manager, Mr. Xie, is a total badass!’

Xie Changning led the team upstairs to Xie Changyi’s office.

There were already two people in his office. After Xie Changning brought her group in, the room instantly became crowded.

"Let me make an introduction. This is the person who will be traveling abroad with you, Xie Changning, Mr. Xie."

"Mr. Xie," the translator and the lawyer said in unison, turning their heads.

Xie Changning nodded. "Hello."

"Alright," Xie Changyi said, looking at Xie Changning. "These are the documents you’ll need for your trip. As for US Dollars, I assume I don’t need to get any for you?"

Xie Changning nodded. "Of course not. We’re going over there to earn American money."

Her factory had foreign currency reserves that she could use directly.

Hearing Xie Changning say this, it finally felt real to the lawyer and the translator. This manager was taking them abroad to give the Americans some trouble.

"Alright, I’ve booked rooms for you at the guest house. Go get some rest. Your flight is early tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir!"

"Thank you, Director."

Xie Changning led her team downstairs to the nearby guest house.

Before bed, Xie Changning spoke with the lawyer and the translator for a bit. Once she was certain they were both highly competent, she said, "My team does not bow down to the United States. Even if the machine is broken, I am here as a manufacturer providing after-sales service, not as their dog to be ordered around."

"When you two speak, try not to be too deferential. Understand?"

Xie Changning was very serious about this point.

The translator and the lawyer looked at each other and nodded in unison.

Both of them had studied abroad and knew what foreigners could be like. It was just that their own situations abroad hadn’t been very good.

Xie Changning was worried they might be reminded of those times and subconsciously become overly "polite" when speaking.

"We understand, Mr. Xie. You can rest assured!"

Before they came, Director Xie Changyi had already explained the situation to them.

This trip was necessary because someone in the United States had likely tampered with the machines. They weren’t going for repairs, but to uncover the truth.

The lawyer was especially thrilled when he heard that Xie Changning’s machine was patented overseas.

What did a patent represent?

It meant that China now had a factory that could earn a continuous stream of money relying solely on its own technology!

The lawyer looked at Xie Changning as if she were a goose that lays golden eggs.

They were both good, patriotic comrades, which put Xie Changning’s mind at ease.

「The next morning」

The group set off on their journey to the United States.

There were no direct flights back then. Xie Changning led her team on a connecting flight first, and then they traveled by car to find the company in the United States that wanted to return the goods.

The company that had been so aggressive with Xie Changning had later called the factory again.

Thanks to a heads-up from Xie Changyi, the machinery factory had a translator standing by.

The translator told the other party that Xie Changning was already on her way with a team and would likely arrive at their company soon to look into the matter with the shipment.

The man on the other end hadn’t expected Xie Changning to act so quickly.

He was stunned into silence and hung up the phone.

Despite a pang of guilt, he figured Xie Changning wouldn’t be able to tell if it was sabotage, so he didn’t give it another thought.

When Xie Changning finally appeared before him, what he saw was a beautiful, calm-faced woman with distinctly East Asian features.

He looked at Xie Changning with an arrogant expression.

"Well, I’m surprised you’re all so responsible."

Xie Changning tilted her head slightly, glancing at the translator beside her.

The translator instantly understood. He stepped between them and spoke to the American man. "Sir, our manager, Mr. Xie, is here today to take a look at the machines. Would that be convenient?"

To start, it was best to maintain a positive attitude.

The man frowned. He didn’t want to take them anywhere. He had just gotten off the phone today, and Xie Changning was already here!

’I haven’t had time to prepare!’

"It’s not convenient!"

"And why might that be? We’ve come all this way in good faith. Hasn’t your company been unable to use the printers on multiple occasions? Our manager, Mr. Xie, specifically brought a repair team. As soon as we figure out the problem, we can fix it today."

This was the line Xie Changning had prepared from the start.

After the translator relayed this, the man’s expression turned ugly.

"Your machines are faulty! We have lots of companies trying to return them to us now!" This company was an American electronics retailer that primarily sold various appliances.