Chapter 145: How Did I Become an Arms Dealer?
Xu Youyou had no idea what he meant, so she braced herself and said to Xie Ran, “Here’s a hint: Bear Country, battlefield.”
Xie Ran froze for ten seconds before suddenly slapping his thigh. “Boss, you’re a genius! I misunderstood you—I thought you’d lost your mind buying this factory, but now I see you’re the real smart one!”
Xu Youyou was still confused but noticed that Xie Ran seemed to respect her even more. She had no idea what was going on, but she maintained her composure and said, “I’m glad you figured it out so quickly.”
Xie Ran nodded vigorously. “Boss, I’ll contact them right away.”
Xu Youyou was shocked. She knew Xie Ran had connections, but she never expected him to actually have direct contact with Bear Country’s military.
Moments later, she watched as Xie Ran made a phone call and spoke fluently in a language she couldn’t understand.
The call lasted a long time—at least half an hour—while Xu Youyou sat anxiously waiting.
Finally, when Xie Ran hung up, he turned to her and said, “Boss, we’ve got a buyer. These 100,000 electric scooters will easily net us a profit of at least 100 million.”
Xu Youyou’s eyes widened.
She had bought the entire factory, including its workers and land, for only 80 million. And now she was already making it all back just by clearing out the inventory?
Xie Ran immediately had the factory’s senior management notify workers to ramp up production, ensuring that they continued making the exact same high-speed electric scooters.
Xu Youyou hesitantly asked, “You managed to negotiate that smoothly?”
Xie Ran replied, “Boss, you saw the bigger picture from the start. You knew these lightweight and silent scooters would be perfect for the battlefield—fast, portable, and quiet, ideal for transporting supplies. Bear Country’s military procurement officer was thrilled when he heard about them. He said we’ve solved a major problem for them.”
Xu Youyou: ???
She had no idea about any of this, but she acted like she had it all under control. “I just had you try it out. It’s thanks to your connections that it worked. I just hope the deal goes smoothly.”
Xie Ran explained, “When it comes to making electric vehicles, no country can compete with us. I just pitched the idea, and they were eager to buy. Their representatives have already booked flights to meet us in person and test the scooters.”
Xu Youyou felt a sense of unease. “Could anything go wrong?”
Xie Ran waved his hand confidently. “Boss, don’t worry. This deal is locked in. They’re just coming for a test ride. Our scooters are practically custom-made for their battlefield needs. If anything, they’re the ones worried that we might back out.”
The representatives from Bear Country arrived quickly, just as Xie Ran predicted. They took a short test ride and immediately gave enthusiastic thumbs-ups.
They arrived in the morning, signed the contract by noon, and didn’t even stay for dinner before boarding their flight home. The next day, the first payment was already in Xu Youyou’s account.
Looking at her bank balance, it felt like the 80 million she had spent had never even left.
But then another unexpected development occurred.
Xie Ran, looking thrilled, said, “Boss, our thinking has expanded. There are so many ways to make money.”
Xu Youyou blinked in confusion. “What else?”
“Boss, we can export a batch of hand warmers,” Xie Ran said.
Xu Youyou frowned. “Because Bear Country is cold?”
Xie Ran shook his head. “Here, they’re just hand warmers. But on the battlefield, they’re called ‘Infrared Decoy Self-Heating Disruptors.’ These things can lure infrared-tracking drones into wasting missiles on them. We’re talking about using a few dollars’ worth of hand warmers to destroy enemy drones that cost tens of thousands. It’s basically a modern version of borrowing arrows with straw boats.”
Xu Youyou: !!!
She looked at Xie Ran differently. This guy was terrifyingly quick-witted—drop him on a battlefield, and he’d probably make a brilliant strategist.
“I also found a pressure cooker factory in the next county that’s about to go bankrupt. We should buy it,” Xie Ran added.
Xu Youyou was lost again. “Why would I buy a pressure cooker factory?”
She could feel the respect she had gained from her “one hint” rapidly slipping away with all her clueless questions.
Xie Ran sighed and explained patiently. “Boss, pressure cookers don’t just cook food. If misused, their power…”
Xu Youyou’s mind reeled as she recalled a famous crime drama where a female villain used a pressure cooker in an attack, earning her the nickname “Pot Auntie.” This thing really was no joke.
Then it hit her—she had started as an entertainment company owner and somehow ended up as an international arms dealer?! This was definitely not a career path she had ever envisioned. That “one hint” from the system had taken a wildly unexpected turn.
Still, she realized these were mostly one-time deals, so she asked Xie Ran, “Are we still selling electric scooters in the domestic market?”
Xie Ran responded, “The electric vehicle market is pretty competitive here, but it’s not impossible. We’ll focus on exports for the next couple of years while slowly expanding locally. If things get tough, we can have Song Zhibai endorse them once he becomes a superstar.”
Xu Youyou thought that wasn’t a bad idea. A top-tier celebrity’s influence was immense and could turn an obscure brand into a household name overnight—such business miracles had happened before. Given Song Zhibai’s future popularity, this plan made sense.
She transferred a large sum to Xie Ran. “Handle it as you see fit. Since you came up with these business ideas, I’ll give you 40% of the profits.”
Even though he knew Xu Youyou was generous, Xie Ran was still stunned by her offer. He was speechless for a full minute before saying, “Alright, I’ll get everything done.”
Xie Ran was a born business genius. In just ten days, he had closed all the deals, and payments had already been received.
With this series of transactions, not only had Xu Youyou recouped her investment, but she had also made an extra nine-figure profit.
Meanwhile, the surveillance cameras were quickly installed in her villa in the capital. An account named “Grandma Li, Who Takes Care of Cats and Dogs” appeared on a video platform.
Grandma Li was a natural at social media. She had only uploaded three videos, yet one of them—a clip of her cat stealing dried fish—had gone viral, racking up over a million views in just a few days.
Of course, sharp-eyed netizens quickly noticed that Grandma Li lived in one of the most luxurious standalone villas in the capital: Yihe Mansion.
Some even started digging into her background.
“This old lady used to be a scrap collector. I used to see her in Pi Village. She could never afford to live in Yihe Mansion. Someone must be backing her—it’s all a scam!”
