114: Chapter 114 Change Plan

He thought to himself that taking the risk to help them out today really was a lucky strike. Otherwise, if he had backed down today, Yueyou would definitely strangle him once she found out.

So, with a face full of smiles, he said, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I've heard Yueyou mention Aunt, but I've never seen Aunt in person, so I didn't recognize you today. Please don't take offense, Aunt. Keke, Huanhuan, hello!"

"You can't be blamed for that. I only realized it after hearing Old Ren mention you and Yueyou. Keke's personality is a bit flighty, so please bear with her." Mrs. Ren looked at Ren Keke with full affection and said kindly to Cao Xiao.

"It's no problem, Keke and Huanhuan were very brave today! Aunt, cousins, let's go upstairs and not disturb them while they discuss business." Cao Xiao highly approved of the performance of Ren Keke and Ren Huanhuan on the pedestrian street today and led them upstairs.

"Brother-in-law, this seaside villa of yours is really beautiful! It would be great if I could live here every day!" Ren Keke looked around, examining the furnishings of the villa.

"This belongs to your cousin Yueyou. If you like it here, then move out of the hotel and come live here; it's very spacious anyway. My bodyguard team has arrived, so it's very safe here." The two girls were about twenty-two or twenty-three, not much younger than Cao Xiao, but Cao Xiao felt his psychological age was much older than theirs. He didn't view them as peers but as little girls. The two girls were smart, pretty, and sensible, and Cao Xiao liked them very much. Plus, because of his relationship with Yueyou, he didn't treat them as outsiders.

"Mom, since Dad won't be leaving Cape Town for a while anyway, let's live here for this period! Can we?" Ren Keke acted coquettishly toward her mother.

"Since your brother-in-law has agreed, then it's up to you! But you must be quiet and don't cause trouble for your brother-in-law." Mrs. Ren smiled and pinched her daughter's little nose as she spoke. "Xiao Xiao, then I'll have to trouble you."

"Hey! What trouble is there? We're all family. You all sit down first, I'll go get some coffee." Cao Xiao said politely.

"You two go help your brother-in-law!" Mrs. Ren instructed her two daughters.

Cao Xiao and the two girls went to the kitchen to serve Qi Bin and the others a cup of instant coffee, then ignored them and turned to go upstairs.

"You take the coffee over first, I'm going back to the bedroom for a moment." Cao Xiao handed the coffee in his hand to Ren Huanhuan and returned to his bedroom.

When he came out to the terrace again, he had several cardboard boxes in his hands. He took one out and handed it to Mrs. Ren, saying, "Aunt, this is a gift of filial respect for you. See if you like it!"

"Oh! As an elder, I haven't even prepared a meeting gift for you, yet you are more thoughtful than me. Aunt will thank you first! How could I not like a gift of filial respect from a junior?" Mrs. Ren's smile became even kinder. A gift from a junior was a blessing to an elder, a gratifying thing. But when she opened the box and saw the item inside, she was both delighted and hesitant. Finally, she closed the box and handed it back to Cao Xiao, saying, "Xiao Xiao, Aunt is very happy that you can give me a gift, but this hairpin is too valuable. Aunt is also old, so it would be more suitable for Yueyou to wear. You should take it back!"

"Did I see that right? Such a big diamond, it must be ten carats, right? The two smaller ones must also be several carats, right?" Ren Keke blinked her eyes, saying in disbelief.

"Aunt, please just accept it. I've prepared a whole set for Yueyou. Besides, this is just a gift of filial respect from a junior; don't treat it as a valuable item, discussing its value is meaningless. It was given to me by someone else, and it didn't cost me anything. It's just that Dapu downstairs, his family has two diamond mines, and he has plenty of this kind of diamond." Cao Xiao pushed the box back again.

"Mom, brother-in-law is a tycoon. His old friend owns a diamond mine, so he must have endless diamonds to give away. If you don't want it, give it to me! I don't have a single piece of jewelry!" Ren Keke snatched the box and opened it, taking out the item inside, her eyes shining as she examined it.

"No manners! What do you know! This is a retro-style butterfly hairpin with swinging tassels, made entirely of platinum in the shape of a hollow-out dancing butterfly. It has a ten-carat diamond as the main bead, two six-carat stones as side beads, and seven one-carat diamond pendants on the long chains below. Setting aside the craftsmanship, just the value of these perfectly cut, flawless-grade diamonds is over thirty million huaxia currency. If I give it to you, would you dare to wear it out?" Mrs. Ren glared at her youngest daughter and said.

"Aunt, please don't be so polite. This is just a token of my regard as a junior. If you keep declining, it will make me feel like an outsider." Cao Xiao said, pretending to be unhappy.

Shiny diamonds have a fatal attraction to women, especially rare, large diamonds. This ancient-style butterfly hairpin with swinging tassels was already very beautiful. The perfect, exquisite craftsmanship combined with precious metals and gemstones made it simply a precious work of art. How could Mrs. Ren not be moved? Seeing Cao Xiao so determined and enthusiastic, she stopped refusing and said to him somewhat helplessly, "Fine, I can't win against you. Who sends gifts like you do? Giving away tens of millions at a time, aren't you afraid of scaring people? This hairpin could serve as the grand finale at an auction. I'll keep it for you for now, and you can come get it from me when you need it later."

"Mom, let me put it on for you. Once this thing is on your head, your status will instantly multiply countless times. When we go back to the country, those old women will be green with envy." Ren Keke took the hairpin and was about to put it on Mrs. Ren's head.

"What are you putting it on for! Put it away properly. Those are your mother's friends. What do you mean by 'old women'? If you say that, does that make me an old woman too? Don't talk nonsense!" Mrs. Ren said to Ren Keke with feigned anger.

"Mom, you are the youngest and most beautiful. Those people really are old women. The makeup on their faces is as thick as paint on a wall, and they spend all day showing off this and that. It's so annoying!" Ren Keke pouted and said with disgust. Suddenly, she turned to look at Cao Xiao and asked with a look of surprise, "Brother-in-law, is the box in your hand a meeting gift for us?"

Cao Xiao smiled and handed the two boxes in his hands to the two girls, saying, "Haha! Come, one for each of you, see for yourselves."

"Wow! There really is one! Thank you, tycoon brother-in-law!" Ren Keke snatched the box from Cao Xiao's hand and, after opening it impatiently, exclaimed, "It's the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Florilège collection limited edition Madonna Lily manual mechanical watch! I'm rich! The market price is 850,000 huaxia currency, and it's limited to twenty-five pieces worldwide. It's a pity it's round and not the baguette-cut boutique model. This circle of diamonds is too small! Sister, what is yours?"

"It's from the same collection as yours, but mine is the Cattleya model." Ren Huanhuan also took out the watch from her box and looked curiously at Ren Keke's.

"Then let's swap. I like the Cattleya. Please, Sister!" Ren Keke's eyes lit up when she heard it was the Cattleya model, and she immediately begged Ren Huanhuan pitifully.

"No swap! I also like the Cattleya, but if you coax me until I'm happy, I might consider us swapping and wearing them in the future." Ren Huanhuan tempted Ren Keke slyly.

The two sisters immediately dissolved into laughter and play, while Mrs. Ren watched the two sisters playing with an amused smile.

"Xiao Xiao, come down for a moment." Just then, Qi Bin's voice came from downstairs.

Cao Xiao excused himself and went downstairs to the living room. "Have you all finished discussing it?"

It seemed the discussion went very smoothly. Qi Bin said with a full smile, "The general plan has been determined. A special new company will be formed with capital from China National Petroleum Corporation, the Angress Family, and the South African side, with a total share capital of ten billion us dollars. Our side supports the Angress Family holding twenty percent of the shares in the new company. Dapu must buy the mineral exploration and mining rights for a total of six hundred square kilometers of land in and around Lake St. Lucia, where the oil field we designated is located, as soon as possible. The required funds will be converted into the capital contribution. The eastern part of South Africa, where Lake St. Lucia is located, is a poor mining area with few mineral resources, so the price won't be too high; it's estimated that it can be acquired for about three hundred million us dollars. Dapu said there shouldn't be a big problem. With the Angress Family's connections and resources, if we are discreet and don't let the US side notice, we won't encounter any obstacles, and all procedures can be completed within a week."

"Oh, since you've already discussed it, there's nothing left for me to do. Remember what you promised me. We at Tiandu won't take advantage of you; all engineering and equipment will be of high quality and quantity. You also need to do a good job with the South African side. I hope that when the new company is established, there won't be any trouble; otherwise, don't blame me for turning that place upside down." Cao Xiao had no objections to the result, but he was a bit worried that after the new company was established, the complex background of the personnel might lead those people to go back on their word. This was possible both domestically and on the South African side. After all, for an oil field project of over ten billion us dollars, the supporting infrastructure engineering and machinery procurement had a budget of at least five billion us dollars. The profit involved was staggering, and it was hard to guarantee that those people wouldn't have ulterior motives. Therefore, he laid the ugly truths out first; if something really happened, he couldn't be blamed for not giving Qi Bin face.

"Since the higher-ups have agreed, they will also write this into the record. We will also do our best to facilitate this on the South African side, so there shouldn't be any big problems. After all, you are considered a major local taxpayer. Besides, if they really go back on their word, I will argue with them properly without you needing to step in." Qi Bin patted his chest confidently and guaranteed.

"Uh, Ren..., Uncle, hello! I just agreed with Aunt that you should move in here today. We're all family, it'll be more comfortable living here, and there won't be any problems with security." Cao Xiao was noncommittal about Qi Bin's guarantee, just slowly nodding to show he understood, and then turned to Ren Keyong.

"Haha! We really didn't think of the fact that you are Yueyou's fiancé for a moment; we only heard about you from Counselor Qi on the way here. Since that's the case, we won't be polite. We'll move our luggage over in a while." Cao Xiao suddenly changed his form of address, and Ren Keyong also smiled awkwardly.

"You all are quite interesting, taking so long to realize you're family. Alright, the matter is settled, just execute it according to the plan. I have things to do, so I'll be leaving first. Mr. Dapu, shall we go together?" Qi Bin stood up and said goodbye with a smile.

"I still have matters to consult with Mr. Cao; Counselor Qi, you go ahead! Goodbye!" Dapu stood up and bid farewell to Qi Bin.

After Qi Bin left, Dapu came to Cao Xiao, bowed, and asked in Dutch, "Sir, what arrangements do you have for my side?"

"Sit down! There are no outsiders here!" Cao Xiao pointed to the sofa opposite and let Dapu sit down.

"Xiao Xiao, Aunt and the others are upstairs, right? I'll go see them." Ren Keyong tactfully stood up and asked Cao Xiao.

"They are all on the terrace looking at the scenery, you go up first! I'll excuse myself! Later, when my bodyguards return, I'll have them take you to the hotel to get your luggage." After Ren Keyong went upstairs, Cao Xiao asked Dapu, "How much capital can you still come up with on your side?"

"We don't have any cash right now, but we should be able to raise five hundred million us dollars within three days. If we apply for a mortgage loan from the bank, we can scrape together the capital contribution within five days." Dapu said respectfully.

"There's no need for a loan; the commotion is too big and it will attract other people's attention. The capital contribution doesn't need to be paid in one lump sum; ten billion us dollars is enough for the initial stage. But I want you to buy the 30-year mineral rights for the surrounding areas and offshore waters outside the area they designated as well. Specifically, the area enclosed by Empangeni, Vryheid to the border line between South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique, plus the offshore waters ten nautical miles outside the coastline, which is about 20,000 square kilometers. Estimate how much capital is needed." Cao Xiao waved his hand and said.

"If it's just mineral rights, it won't cost much, but after discovering minerals, we need to buy the surface land in the mineral distribution area from the government. Just buying the land at Lake St. Lucia might exhaust our capital contribution, and there won't be funds left to develop other places. We can't take out bank loans, and borrowing funds from other forces carries a greater risk of exposure. Besides, that's a poor mining area; discovering an oil field doesn't mean there will be any in other places..." Dapu said with difficulty.

"You don't need to consider this. You just need to tell me approximately how much capital is needed. Those areas outside the plan should not be counted in the cooperation project with them. This is something I want to buy myself, and I will provide the funds myself. You just need to come up with five hundred million us dollars; Xiuluo will make up the remaining 1.5 billion. In other words, your family will have a five percent dividend. Nominally, this twenty percent of shares will be owned by your family." Cao Xiao interrupted Dapu and said.

"Oh, the area there is too large, but if purchased in a large area, the unit price will be much cheaper. At least 1.5 billion us dollars of initial capital needs to be prepared. If it's still not enough, we can apply for installment payments." Dapu breathed a sigh of relief. His family couldn't even come up with one hundred million Rand in cash right now, and scraping together five hundred million us dollars would require selling some non-essential assets. It was good that he didn't have to provide the capital. Cao Xiao also hesitated when he heard the figure of 1.5 billion. He hadn't investigated that area, and the reason he wanted to buy the mineral rights in that area was because after the news of the oil field was made public, someone would definitely be interested in the surrounding area, and he could resell it for several times the price. But he only had 2.15 billion us dollars in funds right now, which he had originally intended to keep for the construction of Tianxing Garden after returning to the country. However, now he needed to come up with 3 billion us dollars, and he was still short by nearly half. Where was he supposed to find it for the time being?