Chapter 386: Climbing Up the Ranks

A private helicopter was flying above the Great Lakes. Symbols and pentagrams made of a special material were painted on the outside of the aircraft, representing the consortium and family to which the aircraft belonged. It also meant that the aircraft is licensed to fly, so it won't alarm the US air defence system. Otherwise, if it flies so blatantly on the US border, fighter jets will be dispatched to inquire about the situation.

The plane belongs to the Kennedys, the Brighton consortium. Zhou Ming and Edward are both on board, and all three of them are wearing noise-cancelling headphones, but the roar of the plane's engines still makes people dizzy.

'Mr Zhou Ming, due to the fuel and flight speed, we will make a short stopover in Pittsburgh. After maintenance and refuelling, we will fly directly to Brighton. Our entire flight will take about five hours, so please be patient!' 

Edward shouted to Ming Zhou, who gave him a sign of understanding, so half an hour later they landed at a private airport on the eastern outskirts of Pittsburgh.

When the plane landed, Zhou Ming also got off the plane to catch his breath. After all, just a two-hour flight on a regular plane can make a person feel dizzy, not to mention this helicopter that is not suitable for long-distance flights, which will only make people feel worse. At this time, Edward is already lying in the adjacent lounge. God knows why Edward chose to come by helicopter in the first place, maybe it was just for the sake of convenience?

Zhou Ming was not interested in exploring this. His main concern was still the 'outside world', because Zhou Ming had a feeling that it might be the starting point of all stories. From Tao Tao Guoling, the Tan family in Yanjing, the Tao Guoling account he had obtained and the contact information for the Dota project, then later Brighton in northern Russia, and finally the Bigwood family of the Etridge family in San Francisco.

It seems as if there is a hand behind all of this, and the 'outside world' really is just as the name suggests, as if there is someone standing outside the whole world, manipulating everything.

At one time, I thought that I could get rich by reselling treasury bonds, taking advantage of the different interest rates among banks in different parts of the country. Later, I thought that if I went to Hong Kong, I could use my foresight about financial events to make money on Hong Kong stock index and become a financial speculator. Later, he even thought that buying Factory 760 would make his parents stop worrying about work and money, and that it would also bring him and Su Han together.

But then one thing after another happened, whether it was the project to dismantle the mighty Soviet Union, or when he went to the United States and learned that the powerful conglomerates he had only known about from books and the internet he became increasingly aware that the world was far from as simple as he had thought. It was like a pyramid, with each layer revealing a new world.

Or perhaps the world is actually very simple, it's just that if you don't know something, you can't know it, just like this 'outside world'...

'Mr. Zhou Ming, there are still more than three hours of flying ahead, and this time we won't be stopping in the middle. Don't you need to go to the lounge and rest for a while? After all, helicopter flying is very tiring.'

Suddenly Edward said to Ming Zhou, who turned to him and smiled, 'Mr Governor, in fact, I've been thinking about it, and there doesn't seem to be any reason to go to Brighton. I can find a way to take my students with me. I don't think you're the only one in the outside world who knows about it, do you?'

Edward froze for a moment upon hearing this, and then hastily said, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, but haven't we already agreed?'

'Even married people have affairs and cheat on their partners. It's only natural to break promises,' said Ming as he looked at Edward and continued, 'Besides... I think the governor has broken a lot of promises himself. Besides, what I said is all true, isn't it?'

Edward was at a loss for words when Zhou Ming said this, because he knew very well that what Zhou Ming said was the truth. The only bargaining chip he could rely on now was the 'outside world'. . Reneging on a deal is nonsense in a financial family where everything is about profit, otherwise they wouldn't have asked Zhou Ming to help deal with the Addams family.

'So... what else do you want, Mr. Zhou Ming?' Edward asked blankly. If it were anyone else, Edward could think of other explanations, but with Zhou Ming, it's better to be honest and simple.

Zhou Ming frowned and thought carefully for a moment, then said, 'I haven't thought of anything yet, so I'll let you know when I do. Since I've already agreed to help you, it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit the Addams family again. But you must do a good job of taking me out into the world.'

Edward nodded eagerly and said yes, and his heart also followed suit and let out a sigh of relief. On the other side, Zhou Ming was about to laugh out loud.

Because originally Zhou Ming's words were just casually said on a whim, although he had thought about the 'outside world', he could also rely on the Daewood family, or Tong Gang Li Cheng, and at the very least, Tang Ran as the head of the Tang family could always be relied upon to know.

But when Zhou Ming thought about it, as a man, how could he let his woman go into the unknown first, while he hid behind her, wondering if there was any danger? So Zhou Ming had to figure it out for himself first, and the fastest way to do that was through Edward.

But as the saying goes, 'A cheap bastard doesn't take advantage of opportunities.' Since Edward took him up on his casual remark, he would just find something to lie about to him in the future. Even if there was nothing else or better information to lie about, it would be good to extort a few million or tens of millions of dollars. After all, it would be really stupid not to take the money that was handed to you.

Half an hour later, Edward's plane was ready for take-off. Zhou Ming and he boarded the plane, which took off and finally arrived in Brighton after more than three hours of flying.

As the northeastern United States is basically a flatland area, all natural landscapes like Yellowstone National Park are in the Midwest. Therefore, the whole journey was very boring. Coupled with the loud noise of the helicopter's huge engine and the long flight, Zhou felt like he was going to have a nervous breakdown, so he dozed off for a while. When he opened his eyes again, he was already over Brighton.

The helicopter was not flying at a high altitude, so as it flew north along the Charles River, it passed over the university town, and Zhou Ming could clearly see the whole of Harvard University from the sky.

Seeing Harvard, Zhou Ming could not help but feel emotional. After all, this was the place where he had spent the longest time after arriving in the United States. He still remembered that in his previous life, he could always find on the internet stories of inspirational CEOs who were admitted to Harvard without exams or who dropped out of school. I thought to myself, I'm now the protagonist of this story too!

Once Brighton, the advantages of the helicopter showed, because he can fly directly into the city, and some of the financial buildings on the roof is ready for the helipad.

So after another half hour, Zhou Ming and their helicopter landed on the roof of the Kenney Investment Bank building.

As the aircraft came to a halt, Zhou Ming opened the cabin door and stepped down. He saw three familiar figures approaching. Zhou Ming was momentarily stunned, and then felt a fragrant breeze pass by, and a soft body fling itself into his arms: 'Teacher, you're finally back!'

These three three people were none other than the students he had brought with him from the domestic finance class: class leader Chen Shu and vice-class leader Li Yang, and the one who was most excited about pouncing into his arms was Ye Ning, the secretary of the finance class's student union, who was a rare girl in the class. And since there was another reason why he would return to Brighton: these students. Zhou Ming was not a person without a sense of responsibility. Since he had brought these children here, he had to be responsible for them to the end.

'Okay come on! You're all grown up, why are you such a crybaby? Teacher, I just came back from doing some errands, it's not like I died and came back to life, so why are you so sad and emotional?'

Zhou Ming teased Ye Ning, who blushed and got up from Zhou Ming's arms. She was very embarrassed and said she was just too excited to see her teacher back, and Chen Shu and Li Yang nodded in agreement.

Behind them Edward had also disembarked from the plane. He said to Ming Zhou, 'I know you've been away from Brighton for a long time, and your students must really miss you. That's why I made a special arrangement for them to come and pick you up today.'

Shu Chen also said, 'Teacher, originally all the students wanted to come here to pick you up, but there were still things that needed to be done at the school and the investment company, so someone had to stay there. So only the three of us came to pick you up as representatives, but they will all welcome you back.'

Zhou Ming smiled and nodded: 'You've all been good. I hope you haven't been lazy during the time I've been away, otherwise I won't let you off the hook!'

Facing Zhou Ming's words, Chen Shu and the other two immediately assured him that they had not been lazy. Then Zhou Ming told them to relax, and only then did he take them with him and take the elevator down with Edward, but They didn't leave the building, but went to the rest room on the 20th floor. After all, such a long flight required rest, and the situation in Brighton was not urgent enough for Zhou Ming to deal with as soon as he got off the plane.

When he arrived room, Zhou Ming did not fall asleep, but first took out his phone and dialed San Francisco. The phone was immediately connected, and Tang Ran asked excitedly, 'Brother Ming, are you calling to tell me that you are about to fly back from Itely?'

Zhou Ming was caught off guard and replied, 'No, I'm calling to tell you that I've already arrived in Brighton.'

This answer came as a big surprise, and then Lin Muqing took the phone and asked, 'Zhou Ming, why are you in Brighton? has something happened again?'

'Edward said that a lot has happened here, which is why he came to collect me in person in Itterly,' Ming said.

'That damn guy! Didn't I tell him that Ming would naturally return to Brighton once he had finished his business? Why did he have to go to Ethel himself? Isn't this forcing your hand? He's really out of line!' said Lin Muqing angrily.

From Lin Mouqing Lin's words, Zhou Ming could hear that it seems Edward has already approached her. Originally, Edward also wanted to let himself return to Brighton through Lin Mouqing, but since Lin Mouqing was putting pressure on him, he chose to go to Itely in person.

Thinking of Zhou Ming said, 'My dear Muqing, it doesn't matter. I was going to go back to Brighton after Etruria anyway. Now that he's here, I've saved on airfare, which is good.'

'Then Ranran and I will go to your place,' Muqing Lin said.

Zhou Ming said, 'Muqing, you don't need to do that. You'd be better off in San Francisco. First, the Down family needs your help to stabilise Ranran. Also, judging from Governor Edwards's words, this time is going to be a bit of a mess, and if we're all together, it'll be a mess if the Addams family gets us all at once, so I need you guys to be ready to back me up in San Francisco.'

After hearing this Lin Muqing was silent for a long time before saying, 'I understand. Then you must be very careful in Brighton.'

Tang Ran ran to the phone and said, 'Ming, we will stabilise the family situation as soon as possible, but you must remember that Muqing and I will always love you!'