Chapter 880: Chapter 855:
Obama was left speechless by a single sentence, so much so that he didn’t even want to open his mouth. In the end, Obama threw down a line: "Building a city is fine, but gaining sovereignty is absolutely out of the question!"
"Why?!" Ye Chen asked curiously.
"Because that place of yours is too close to me, and I’m not comfortable with it!" Obama, much like an angry child, plopped himself down on the sofa, crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and gazed out at the sea view. Yesterday, it was all overcast skies, but today it’s an endless expanse of clear skies. Staring at the beautiful scenery, Obama’s mood suddenly improved a lot, and he heaved a sigh of relief, saying, "Ye Chen, I suddenly realize this place of yours is really something, isn’t it? It allows one’s thoughts to expand freely, how wonderful!"
"How about we switch? You become the clan leader of the Luo Sijue family, and I’ll become your United States president?" Ye Chen flashed a mischievous smile. Unexpectedly, Obama quickly shook his head, saying, "No, I find being president much more comfortable than you!"
"Haha..." Ye Chen laughed heartily, then Obama shook his head helplessly and said, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I refuse!" Ye Chen shook his head, then looked seriously at Obama and said, "This is a matter of principle. I promised my brothers a stable environment, so they can live fulfilled lives. Therefore, I must have a sovereign nation, don’t you think?"
"You...!" Obama was momentarily infuriated by Ye Chen, but the young man before him indeed could not be offended; he could only use minimal costs to placate him. If possible, he would even try to draw him into his own camp. However, as things stood, assimilating Ye Chen seemed impossible. Someone like him could only be a friend, not an enemy. To avoid falling out with Ye Chen, he swallowed his resentment and calmly said, "Ye Chen, do you truly want to become a sovereign nation?"
"That’s right!" Ye Chen nodded, and said, "I not only want to become a sovereign nation, but I also want to have my own army!"
"You... you’re being irresponsible to this world!" Obama was taken aback. He had originally planned to recognize Ye Chen’s sovereign nation but didn’t want him to have his own military power. Yet Ye Chen wanted exactly that. Obama was immediately angered and roared, "You’re being irresponsible to the people of the world!"
"Is that so? Haven’t you already been irresponsible for a long time now? Haven’t you been letting down the people of the world for a long time?" Ye Chen smirked coldly.
"I certainly am not!" Obama glared angrily at Ye Chen, then stood up from the sofa and said, "The United States of America is a friend to the world’s people; we have always advocated for peace, and we station troops in multiple countries, helping to train soldiers, and strive to maintain peace across the world. Working tirelessly for world peace!"
"I can talk big too!" Ye Chen smiled faintly and said, "How about this, when my kingdom is established, I’ll go around training soldiers as an instructor? Maybe I’ll become the world police too, safeguarding world peace?"
Obama was momentarily unnerved. If Ye Chen also did that, Obama might not even sleep at night. He looked at Ye Chen and said, "Haha, Ye Clan Leader, just joking. I acknowledge your sovereignty and also allow you to have your own military strength. But you must agree to one condition!"
"Go ahead!" Ye Chen smiled at Obama. He understood that this was what the black president before him wanted to discuss.
"Join the North American Alliance, join NATO. Everything is negotiable!" Obama looked seriously at Ye Chen and then sneered, "If you don’t agree, no matter how powerful you are, no matter how strong your military power is, I will eradicate you. It’s up to you!"
"Uh-huh?" Ye Chen was taken aback, then a slight smile curved at the corner of his mouth as he said, "I was thinking I might consider joining, but now that you’ve threatened me, you should know I hate threats the most. So now, I’m feeling rebellious!"
"Ah, don’t!" Obama quickly smiled to appease him and then said, "About my tone just now, the issue is indeed serious, so I hope Ye Clan Leader will consider it carefully? How about it?"
"No need to consider!" Ye Chen waved his hand.
"So...what do you mean?" Obama looked at Ye Chen with confusion. Ye Chen smiled and said, "I’ll join, but first, you have to tell me what benefits come with joining NATO?"
"Hahaha, the benefits are numerous!" Obama quickly took a deep breath and said, "You can enjoy the military protection from NATO countries, and most importantly, you can enjoy the military power protection of the United States of America. You can gain camaraderie among allied nations. You must understand, once your sovereign nation is established, you’ll need to establish diplomatic relations, right? So, you’ll have to start everything from scratch, and once you have the support of powerful allied nations, everything will become much easier!"
"Uh-huh, I understand now!" Ye Chen nodded and then said, "So, I should really thank you?"
"No need for thanks, just hope you’ll genuinely see me as a friend in the future!" Obama quickly waved his hand.
After a brief conversation, Obama quickly took his leave, not daring to linger any longer. Ye Chen was indeed a cunning person, even more so a sly one, who would lay a trap for you to fall into if you were slightly careless.
Ye Chen escorted Obama from the small airport, and the plane flew directly to Tokyo Haneda Airport. This time, Obama’s visit wasn’t an open trip to Leisure City, but rather a secret one. On the surface, he was visiting Japan for a friendly visit.
Regarding Obama’s visit to Japan, some domestic experts started interpreting it in various ways. Some experts and professors suggested that Obama was going to Japan mainly for the South China Sea issue and the Senkaku Islands dispute. Some experts even speculated that within three months, there would surely be a military exercise between the US and Japan. The continuous voices of the experts and professors overwhelmed the public, especially with a cross-strait linkage program that left everyone in a panic.
But in reality? Obama was just seeking an opportunity to visit Leisure City, using Japan as a cover to divert the world’s attention. Secretly, he and Ye Chen had reached a verbal agreement.
After seeing Obama off, Ye Chen also breathed a sigh of relief. At least his objective was achieved. He initially thought he would have to personally travel to the United States and find a way to inform the President of this matter. Gaining recognition from a superpower like the US was a kind of support, at least it wouldn’t subject him to immense pressure from countries worldwide while establishing this sovereign nation.
Ye Chen couldn’t help but smile, feeling at ease and content. At this moment, another small passenger plane was slowly moving on the tarmac, specially prepared for Ye Chen. This time, he was heading to Tongzhou City. He dared not ignore Zhang Yantong’s words. Although a woman’s thoughts are hard to guess, perhaps she just wanted him to come back and scratch an itch on her back. Regardless, he could not take it lightly. Perhaps there was something really important waiting for him.
Ye Chen didn’t dare to gamble with these matters. So, he boarded the plane.
The plane crossed the ocean and quickly arrived in Shanghai. Leisure City’s special aircraft was only permitted to land at Shanghai Pudong Airport or Hongqiao Airport and not directly at Tongzhou City’s airport, so a transfer in Shanghai was necessary. Everything was arranged by Zhao Zimo, and Ye Chen, in the blink of an eye, arrived in Tongzhou City.
Tongzhou City was bathed in sunshine, with the afternoon sun casting a glow on the flowers and green grass, greatly enhancing Ye Chen’s mood. Outside the airport, a black car was parked by the road. Inside, a man in a black leather jacket was smoking a cigarette, occasionally glancing toward the airport exit. When he saw Ye Chen emerge, he immediately pushed open the car door, jumped out of the driver’s seat, and excitedly said, "Hi, Brother Chen!"
"King Guangmu!" Ye Chen was taken aback, then burst into laughter and said, "How did you know I would come?"
"Oh, Brother Haozi told me and arranged for me to pick you up!" King Guangmu laughed.
"Alright, let’s go!" Ye Chen chuckled and walked over, with King Guangmu hurriedly handing him a cigarette. Ye Chen took the cigarette, got into the front passenger seat, and the car headed towards Tongzhou City. King Guangmu curiously asked, "Brother Chen, Brother Haozi just said to pick you up, but didn’t mention where you were going!"
"Hmm, take me to a neighborhood in the city; I’ll guide the way!" Ye Chen puffed on the cigarette, exhaling clouds of smoke.
"Got it!" King Guangmu nodded.
Soon, the car arrived at the new home of Ye Chen and Zhang Yantong. However, after going upstairs, Ye Chen found that Zhang Yantong was not home. Looking at this empty house, with an area of 160 square meters and yet only one person living there, Ye Chen sighed with emotion, "Tongtong really has it hard!"
"Brother Chen, you let Sister-in-law live here all by herself?" King Guangmu asked, puzzled.
"Yes!" Ye Chen nodded.
"That’s not good, married women have certain needs, can you bear to let Sister-in-law live like a widow?!" King Guangmu looked at Ye Chen curiously and then said, "Brother Chen, you’d better keep Sister-in-law by your side; it’s more reassuring that way."
"Enough, this isn’t something for you to worry about!" Ye Chen glared at him.
"Oh, so... what should we do now? Are we going to find Sister-in-law, or do we..." King Guangmu looked at Ye Chen curiously.
"Come on, today you’ll be my full-time driver. I need to make some preparations!" Ye Chen smiled.
Afterward, King Guangmu drove Ye Chen around Tongzhou City. Over time, the back seat of the car gradually became filled with roses—999 roses in total. Then, King Guangmu drove to a food market, and Ye Chen, following a group of housewives, bought lots of groceries. Ye Chen could cook but wasn’t necessarily good at buying groceries. For him, cooking was a talent, but buying groceries required acquired experience.