At the Airbus assembly headquarters in Toulouse, France, an extremely long truck is entering from the main gate of the assembly headquarters. On the truck are the A380 aircraft components produced in various places.
In the square of the headquarters, Airbus COO Ronnie Covey faced the sun, squinted his eyes and looked at the trucks entering the factory. He couldn't help but frowned: "It's two days later than expected."
Next to him, the person in charge of the assembly headquarters was very panicked and hurriedly explained: "Some time ago, there was a strike in France, which affected land transportation, so it was delayed for a while."
"A while? Two days is a while? Is there such a big difference between you and me in our definition of time?" Ronnie snorted heavily. "The recent increase in our company's stock price is entirely due to the A380. If there is any flaw in the A380 plan, you can resign on your own."
The head of the assembly department was sweating profusely: "When making the plan, we reserved some margin, and it will not affect the A380 new aircraft launch conference later."
"That would be best." Ronnie watched the A380 components enter the factory and couldn't help but sigh: "Land transportation is still too slow and is easily affected by many factors."
The head of the assembly department quickly replied: "I heard that the R&D department has finalized the A300-600ST. I heard that five more will be produced later. We can use air transport later."
"Don't use Super Guppy anymore?"
Super Guppy, also known as Super Guppy, is a special-purpose transport aircraft modified from the Boeing 377 Stratosphere Cruiser. It is often used to transport aircraft components by air. Airbus also used the Super Guppy transport aircraft for a long time.
Airbus once joked that every Airbus aircraft was transported by Boeing.
"Probably not." The head of the assembly department said proudly: "I have seen the A300-600ST prototype, which is fully capable of carrying the main fuselage components of the next heavy aircraft. According to the calculations of the Transportation Department, after these A300-6000STs begin operation, our aircraft component transportation capacity will increase by more than 30%."
“But if the A300ER is used as the prototype, it still cannot transport the components of the A380.”
The A300-600ST is based on the A300ER aircraft. Even though the cabin of the A300-600ST has been widened and raised for transport purposes, it still cannot accommodate the huge fuselage components of the A380.
There's no way, the A380 is just too big.
The head of the assembly department froze. “Well… the transportation department said that they have taken this issue into consideration and may develop an XL model of a special-purpose transport aircraft in the future.”
"XL model, which model is it based on?"
"It is said that the prototype is based on the A330." The head of the assembly department said cautiously: "However, it depends on the sales of the A380. If the sales of the A380 are sufficient, the development of the XL transport aircraft will continue to keep up."
"Hmph! In the final analysis, it is your assembly and transportation departments that are incompetent. If the launch of the first A380 is delayed, none of you will be able to escape." When the A380 was mentioned, Ronnie became angry again.
However, a teasing voice suddenly sounded behind him: "What's the matter? Why are you so angry?"
Ronnie frowned slightly, looked back, and found that Airbus's Chief Financial Officer Neo was walking towards him with a smile.
"What are you doing here?" Ronnie seemed to dislike Neo, the CFO. "Wouldn't it be better for you to be an accountant in the office? Is this the place for you?"
Compared to the aggressive Ronnie, Neo's temperament is much gentler. He stood beside Ronnie with his hands behind his back and said, "It's not good to stay in the house all the time. It's easy to miss a lot of interesting things. For example, I just heard that Xu Cang brought down a Boeing 777 with a broken wing not long ago. For example, not long ago, Alpine Manor has received new and sufficient supplies."
"Delivered?" Ronnie raised his eyebrows. He was involved with Mrs. Wharton, Stephen Lons and others, but he did not put all his energy into it. The A380 was his top priority.
After leaving Munich, he went straight to Toulouse, France, but he no longer cared about Xu Cang's affairs. Now, when he heard Neo talk about it, he was a little surprised.
"Not dead?" Ronnie snorted softly, seeming a little unhappy.
"You don't look happy?"
"I'm not sure whether I'm happy or not, but I'm sure you seem quite happy." Ronnie snorted coldly, "I know Xu Cang saved you, but I heard that you actually informed the marketing department to give Xu Cang a discount on three planes. How important is his company to be entitled to a discount?"
Neo's expression didn't change at all. "Xu Cang is not an ordinary person. What's wrong with dealing with him now? Instead of talking about me, shouldn't you be more careful? You don't know who Mrs. Wharton is. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble by making a deal with her?"
"Mrs. Walton, of course I know. Her husband is an executive at EADS. Why do you think I'm helping her?"
EADS, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, is the parent company of Airbus.
"Aren't you afraid of being caught?" Neo said coldly.
Ronnie shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."
In front of the two big leaders, the head of the assembly department was sweating profusely, fearing that he would hear something he shouldn't. To be honest, he didn't want to know about the grudges and secrets between the leaders.
Fortunately, Neo winked at him and let him leave first. The head of the assembly department escaped immediately as if he had been pardoned.
"Let's not talk about Mrs. Wharton for now. Did you instigate the joint Pratt & Whitney sanctions against Bombardier?" Neo asked, "Aren't you breaking off relations with Bombardier by doing this?"
"Humph, when they release the CS300, this day is bound to come." Ronnie said nonchalantly, "Who the hell is Bombardier? How dare they take our market? A second-rate company developing regional jets, who gave it the guts?"
This is Airbus, one of the two giants of passenger aircraft. In the eyes of Airbus, being the world's third largest aircraft developer is considered second-rate.
"I will not only cooperate with Pratt & Whitney, but also with Boeing in the future. I want Bombardier to die without a burial place." Ronnie showed a bit of viciousness: "The supplies from the Alps have been delivered. Although it is not the result I want to see, in a sense, I can also turn it into a situation that is beneficial to me."
Neo couldn't help but frown. He had no doubts about his colleague's ability. It was just that Ronnie was too focused on profit, even to the point of being almost inhumane.
"You don't have to do this. We can communicate with Bombardier privately. Things haven't gotten out of hand yet. There's still room for recovery."
Ronnie turned his head and said, "You are just worried that Bombardier will take our orders in the business jet market? First of all, the business jet market is not big. Even if our business jet sales decline, the impact is not big and is within an acceptable range. In addition, I have already agreed with Embraer in advance that they will be responsible for suppressing Bombardier's possible actions in the business jet field to minimize possible losses."
Although Bombardier is a timid player in the mainline passenger aircraft market, it is a big player in the business aircraft market. However, due to the narrow business aircraft market and limited profits, it can only venture into the mainline passenger aircraft market.
Airbus has business jet products, but they are not their flagship products. Just like what Ronnie said, if Bombardier wants to regain its position in the business jet market, it will not have much impact on Airbus. Of course, Airbus will not sit idly by and watch Bombardier develop their business jet products. It is good to lose less money. No one can resist money.
Embraer is also one of the giants in the business jet market. With Embraer as the mainstay, competition in the business jet market will never be too fierce.
It can be said that Ronnie had thought it through very carefully and had made arrangements in advance, blocking Bombardier's last chance of resistance.
Neo: "Embraer agreed to cooperate with you, is there any condition?"
"Of course." Ronnie didn't care much: "They plan to develop a 110-seat passenger plane in the future, and hope we can turn a blind eye. Humph, these people who make regional aircraft are all fickle-minded."
"One hundred and ten seats." Neo frowned. "Back then, Bombardier's CS100 also had one hundred and ten seats."
"So, Embraer is also very active in its thinking. But it doesn't matter, one hundred and ten seats is the limit. As long as they don't break this limit like Bombardier, then one hundred and ten seats can be tolerated, just like they treated Bombardier before." Ronnie smiled lightly, everything was under control.
One hundred and ten seats is a very sensitive standard. Just like Bombardier, the CS100 had this number of seats at the beginning. In addition, the sales of CS100 were not good, so neither Airbus nor Boeing paid much attention to it.
As a result, Bombardier went further and developed the 130-seat CS300, which directly angered Airbus, which was trying hard to promote the A319, and thus caused a disaster.
Neo didn't know what to say about Ronnie's radical approach. This was a conflict of business philosophies, a complete conflict.
When conflicts arise, Neo tends to communicate and find a solution acceptable to both parties in a relatively gentle and stable way. But Ronnie is different. As long as they don't cross the line, he doesn't care what the other party does. But once they cross the line, it will be a thunderbolt, and the means are extremely cruel.
When Bombardier released the CS300 aircraft, Airbus contacted Bombardier privately after learning about it, hoping that it would stop the development of the CS300. This unreasonable request was naturally rejected by Bombardier, but this was the only time Airbus and Bombardier had a conversation. Later, at the instruction of Ronnie, the head of Airbus North America directly found the president of Pratt & Whitney Power and jointly sanctioned Bombardier.
If Neo were the one making the decision, he would have to have three conversations, and only take action if there was no other solution.
However, Neo is in charge of finance and does not have much say in operations, so there is nothing that can be done about it.
It can even be said that not only Neo was surprised by Ronnie's aggressive behavior, but Bombardier also felt it was unacceptable and was probably waiting for a second round of negotiations. In the end, instead of getting an invitation to negotiate, they were directly hit with sanctions.
Neo knew that it was impossible to do anything, so he could only sigh: "Things are far from that point yet. Bombardier is not a small company. If we let Pratt & Whitney cooperate with us to sanction Bombardier this time, wouldn't we owe Pratt & Whitney a big favor?"
"It doesn't matter. Pratt & Whitney's latest PW6000 is indeed a good engine. We were planning to purchase it anyway. This time it's just a favor. Moreover, Pratt & Whitney's PW8000 project, which has been delayed for a long time, is also worth paying attention to. We owe Pratt & Whitney a favor, but it's easy to repay. As for what you said, things are far from that point..." Ronnie took a deep breath: "The poor sales of CS100 are needless to say, but the CS300 is different. According to the information I have obtained, Lufthansa now has seven CS300s and intends to order ten in the future. LCI Leasing wants to order 20, Air Baltic wants to order 20, Ilyushin Group wants to order 30, Macquarie Group wants 40, and there are some I don't know. Yes, this number is not a lot, but it is much better than CS100, which shows that CS300 has this potential. I don't care how CS100 sells, but CS300 directly conflicts with A319 and must be strangled to avoid future troubles."
"Has it developed to this point?" Neo knew that the sales of the CS300 aircraft were better than the previous CS100 aircraft, but he did not expect that it had already shown signs of becoming popular. He immediately began to re-examine his attitude towards Bombardier.
Even though they have different ideas, Ronnie didn't want to make things too awkward for the CFO who controls the entire Airbus finances: "I have made it very clear. If you still think that Bombardier should be left alone, then I have nothing to say. However, if you can agree with me on the Bombardier issue, I can make concessions on the discount for the three aircraft sold to Spring Airlines."
The discount issue is not a decisive one. It is just a matter of how much profit you make, and the quantity is not large, so it is nice to give face to Neo.
However, the Bombardier issue concerns the sales of the flagship product for a long time in the future. Ronnie does not want to be held back by his colleagues on this issue. Even if he has made up his mind, Neo will be helpless.
However, if Neo also agrees with his strategy for Bombardier, he can be more decisive in implementing many plans. After all, there are all kinds of executives at Airbus headquarters, and there are many who maintain the same moderate attitude as Neo, so it is necessary to win more support.
Neo pondered for a moment and said, "I can't give you an answer now. However, when I return later, I will verify your statement about the sales volume of CS300. If it is accurate, then I should re-evaluate the threat of Bombardier."
"very good!"
Ronnie was quite satisfied with this answer.
Neo waved his hand. "It's all for the company. But I still say the same thing. You are very capable and can get to the top on your own. There is no need to take some crooked paths. This time, Mrs. Wharton's brother Carlos is trapped in the Alps. She doesn't want her brother to come back and inherit Carlos's property. If Carlos knew about this, how would he feel, huh? Don't you know what kind of character her husband Danny Wharton is? Can he support you to get to the top just because of a word from Mrs. Wharton?"
Mrs. Wharton's original surname was Nestor. After marrying Danny Wharton, she took her husband's surname and was called Mrs. Wharton.
Danny Walton, a senior executive of EADS, is a decision-maker. As the parent company of Airbus, it has a lot of say in personnel matters, and Danny Walton's favor has become Ronnie's greatest hope for further advancement.
It's just that Danny Walton has a bad reputation in the industry. He is not only a playboy, but also greedy. Even if Mrs. Walton whispers in his ear, it's hard to say how much effect it will have.
"It took me twenty years to get to this position, which is the highest position I can get based on my personal ability. If I want to go further, I must find a backer. I am not you, and I don't have a backer by nature."
Hearing this, Neo's face turned a little embarrassed, not knowing how to answer this question.
In fact, Neo is younger than Ronnie in both appearance and age. It can even be said that Neo is the fastest promoted among Airbus executives. Of course, this is inseparable from Neo's own ability. However, no matter where you are, ability is important, but it is not the only condition.
Another very important reason why Neo was promoted so quickly was that his last name was Otto, and one of the founding fathers of French Aerospace also had the last name Otto.
That's right, Neo's father is a veteran of Aérospatiale, a true leader. Aérospatiale, Dornier and DASA of Germany, and CASA of Spain form the European Aeronautic Defense Group, among which Aérospatiale is the most powerful. As a veteran of Aérospatiale, Neo's father was elected as the first chairman of the board of directors of European Aeronautic Defense Group. Although he has stepped down now, his influence is still great.
At Airbus, Neo has a nickname, "Otto II". This term is generally used for ancient hereditary nobles, but now it is used for Neo Otto, which shows how much influence Neo has received from his father.
Unlike Neo, Ronnie Covein worked his way up to the top completely on his own, so he always looked down on Neo, thinking that he was just a second-generation rich kid who relied on his father. However, when he really reached the last step, he realized how ridiculous he was.
He once laughed at Neo for relying on his father to get to his current position, but now he has to look for a backer himself. After all, he has become the person he hates the most.
Actually, when I say I look down on Neo, I am actually jealous of him.
Neo is very capable, and with his father's support, he can do things without hesitation, so it's easy for him to get ahead. But he was always trembling with fear, and only after he became COO did he feel a little less restrained, which was really tiring.
"You..." Neo knew Ronnie's attitude towards him, so he didn't say anything on this topic. He just sighed and said, "I don't know what you traded with Mrs. Walton, but if Carlos finds out, you'll be in big trouble."
"Carlos, haha." Ronnie was not worried: "In recent years, he has made some money from the lithography machine business, but he is just a man who got rich overnight. What means can he use? Besides, what's wrong with me? Why don't I know what to trade with Mrs. Wharton?"
Neo didn't expose it: "It's okay for you to say that to me. Carlos doesn't matter, but what about Capet from France?"
"Cape? Which Cape?" Ronnie was stunned.
"Rosfeld Capet!" Neo frowned: "Don't you know he's up there?"
Ronnie's face changed drastically: "Rosfeld Capet! He...why is he there? It's impossible. I checked the list, he shouldn't be there."
Soon, Ronnie realized that he seemed to have let something slip. However, this was no longer important, at least compared to that Capet, many things were insignificant.
"His private itinerary has always been kept secret. However, if you pay attention, you would probably know it. If you really don't know, then the person who provided you with the list probably has other intentions in mind." Neo frowned.
"The person who provided the list." Ronnie's face suddenly turned cold. He had been playing with eagles all his life, but in the end, he was pecked in the eye by an eagle. He gritted his teeth and said, "Stephen Longs!"
…
"Carlos, I'm so glad you're okay." In the Alpine manor, after the snow and wind subsided, a large number of helicopters came, including Mrs. Wharton and the short and fat middle-aged man Stephen Longs. Now, Mrs. Wharton was hugging her brother Carlos and crying bitterly.
Carlos is not old, probably in his early thirties. He has average social experience, even immature, but he is a genius in technological creation. He obtained a core technology patent for lithography machines during college, and after graduation, he co-founded a lithography machine company with Stephen Lons and made a lot of money.
Carlos lost his father when he was young, and his mother died of illness when he was a teenager. His only relative in this world is his sister Kelly Denton. In addition, Carlos is a typical academic nerd with basically no social experience, so he is extremely dependent on his sister.
The experience of being trapped in the manor these days has caused Carlos a great psychological trauma. The person who was frozen to death before was sleeping next to him. Whenever Carlos thinks of this, he feels like it is a nightmare. He hugged his sister, Mrs. Wharton, and cried for a long time before he recovered.
"It's okay, it's okay. We brought a doctor here and he will give you a simple physical examination in a while. There will be a helicopter coming later and we will be able to leave soon." Mrs. Wharton patted Carlos on the back, acting like a good sister.
Next to the two of them, Stephen was adorable, smiling and looking harmless, as if he was happy about the reunion of brother and sister.
Carlos adjusted his mood and glanced at Stephen: "Is there nothing going on at the company these days?"
"No." Stephen smiled and said, "We heard that you were trapped. Some people in the company were agitated, but I quickly adjusted them. It's no big deal."
"Well, I'm relieved to leave the company's operations to you." Carlos nodded: "Thank you for making a special trip."
Stephen waved his hand: “No, no, it should be.”
Seeing that Carlos had calmed down a little, Mrs. Wharton let go of Carlos and pointed to someone somewhere in the hall: "Wait here for a moment. I'll go say hello to Mr. Capet."
Carlos was startled, and looked in the direction Mrs. Wharton pointed. He immediately saw the figure of Rosefield, and immediately understood: "I understand, I understand, sister, you go ahead."
"Well, I'll say hello and be back."
"Carlos, I'll go too." Stephen said.
Carlos nodded: "Go ahead."
He actually doesn't like building and maintaining such interpersonal relationships, but he won't stop others from doing it.
Rosfeld has a special identity, so it is necessary to say hello.
Stephen quickly caught up with Mrs. Wharton, and the two walked side by side. The smiles on their faces disappeared instantly, and Mrs. Wharton's expression was even colder.
"Ronnie Covey is a piece of trash. He kept saying everything was foolproof. Now it's like this. Can I still get Carlos' shares?" Mrs. Walton cursed in a low voice, her expression already a little hysterical.
Carlos's lithography machine company is so profitable that even his own sister is jealous and has started to have evil thoughts.
Carlos invested in the company based on a technology patent, and this company was built entirely around that patent, so Carlos has the largest number of shares, with Stephen Longs ranking behind him.
"I secretly asked some flying friends, and Mr. Covein's idea is indeed quite ingenious, and it is very effective for people with superb skills. I can only say that Xu Cang is a little too amazing to survive this." Stephen whispered.
Mrs. Wharton's face was gloomy: "Everything has been done, there won't be any traces left?"
"Everything has been arranged at the airport. We won't find any substantial evidence." Stephen assured.
"Yeah." Mrs. Wharton's expression eased a little, but then she changed her mind and felt angry again: "You didn't seize such a good opportunity, damn it."
"Madam, maybe there will be another chance later."
Mrs. Wharton snorted coldly: "There is still a chance? There are not so many great opportunities. Or should I wait for Carlos to die of old age? I might even be ahead of him. If I don't seize this opportunity...will there really be another chance in the future?"
"Ma'am, be careful with your words, it's almost time." Stephen reminded in a low voice.
Mrs. Wharton finally came to her senses. She was so angry that she didn't even notice him when he was almost in front of Rosefield.
He adjusted his mood a little, put on a standard smile, walked closer to Rosefield, and whispered, "Mr. Capet?"
Rosfield was talking to someone at the time. When he heard someone calling him, he turned around and looked at Mrs. Wharton, a little surprised: "Mrs. Wharton, you are here too!"
Mrs. Wharton smiled bitterly and said, "My useless brother..."
Rosfeld raised his eyebrows and saw Carlos Nestor, who was still a little nervous not far away. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Your brother is very capable. Even the elders in my family admire him very much."
Mrs. Wharton was immediately flattered and asked, "If there is a chance in the future, can you visit Capet Manor?"
Rosefield was a little surprised that Mrs. Wharton's turn of the topic was so abrupt, but there was one thing he was not talking nonsense about, that is, the elders in his family were indeed very interested in Carlos.
After thinking for a while, Rosefield nodded and said, "Okay, I will mention it to the elders at home. However, they may not agree. If possible, I will tell my wife."
Mrs. Wharton was overjoyed. She had not held out hope at first, but she had never expected that she would actually get a chance.
"Yes, yes, please Mr. Capet."
"It's okay." Rosfeld waved his hand, then pointed at the person he had just talked to, indicating that he had something else to discuss.
Mrs. Wharton quickly understood and said goodbye immediately: "Mr. Cape, you are busy. Sorry to bother you."
After saying that, he hurried back with Stephen.
However, before he had taken two steps, Rosefield's voice suddenly rang out from behind him: "Madam, I suddenly remembered something and wanted to confirm it with you."
Mrs. Wharton stopped immediately and replied very respectfully, "Please go ahead."
“If I remember correctly, Madam is Carlos’ only living relative, and therefore his only legal heir.” Rosfeld chuckled.
"Ah?" Mrs. Wharton was stunned and didn't react, but Stephen Long beside her changed his expression.
"Well... that's right." Mrs. Wharton asked cautiously, "Is there any problem?"
Rosefield smiled even more brightly. "No problem, I just had a rash idea. If Mr. Carlos dies in the Alps this time, wouldn't all his shares be inherited by his wife?"
At this point, Mrs. Wharton still didn't understand that she was just slow to react. However, she couldn't be sure whether Rosefield was just a simple thought or had other meanings.
"Well... Mr. Capet, if you put it that way... compared to shares or something, I naturally want my brother to be safe. After all, he is the only relative I have in the world." Mrs. Wharton forced a smile to cover up her guilty look.
"Oh? Is that so?" Rosefield nodded slightly. "Excuse me, I didn't expect that Mrs. Wharton and Mr. Carlos have such a deep relationship as siblings. I am really being presumptuous."
Mrs. Wharton waved her hand and said, "It's okay, it's just a joke. Goodbye."
After saying that, he left with Stephen Long without looking back. In the brief moment they turned around, both of them looked more solemn than ever before.
…
In the small meeting room of the manor, Xu Cang held a cup of hot coffee and looked at the lively scene outside the square, his face showing no joy or sadness.
On the third day after he delivered the supplies, the wind and snow quickly subsided. Road transportation has not yet resumed, but helicopters can take off and land safely, and more supplies and medical personnel began to be transported here.
The Manor Square, which was once filled with despair and sadness, finally became popular.
Not far from the square, a CS300 was covered with ice and snow, a thick layer of which made it almost impossible to see more than the outline of the aircraft.
"In that case, we wouldn't be able to see the icing on the elevator at that time, right?" Xu Cang stood by the window, looking at the CS300 aircraft in the distance.
Beside him, Richard smiled and said, "We were lucky. There were still cameras in the manor at that time. I took some photos, which should be of some use."
"Did you take pictures?" Xu Cang put the coffee cup aside: "Okay, I didn't even know about it."
Richard looked at Xu Cang, whose face was still a little pale, and couldn't help but show concern: "Don't you need to rest for a while? You were too excited before, you still need to rest more."
"It's okay. There shouldn't be anything I need to worry about for a while. Just take a break." Xu Cang wanted to drink some more coffee, but his hand stopped in mid-air and he retracted it.
"No more sugar?"
"Yeah." Xu Cang nodded: "I don't like coffee that's too bitter. It's just that there are no other drinks now, otherwise... forget it, just make do with it."
Maybe because he was too weak, Xu Cang's mouth tasted tasteless. If he drank hot water, the more he drank, the taste became blander, so he wanted to get some drinks. But there was only coffee here. Because of the shortage of supplies, all the sugar had been used up, and he couldn't find any sugar cubes, which made Xu Cang very helpless.
Richard smiled and said, “By the way, what you said before was true, not a joke?”
"Which one?"
“Bypass CASS and build another payment system for international civil aviation.”
Xu Cang laughed and said, "Do you think I'm joking or serious?"
"If it were someone else, I would think it was a joke. But if it were you, I wouldn't dare to be so arbitrary. I just don't understand, what exactly are you going to do?" Richard organized his words a little: "You are also someone in the industry, you should understand the difficulty of this matter."
"Of course I know." Xu Cang's eyes revealed a profound look: "We Chinese have an old saying, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. But now we can't even be the tail of a phoenix, so we can only be the head of a chicken."
"Chicken head?" Richard was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Xu Cang translated it directly from English, so it was a little difficult for Richard to understand.
After a long while, Richard came to his senses: "I think I understand what you mean. But this kind of thing can't be done just by thinking about it. Don't mind the reactions of those people before. They are not targeting you. If it were someone else, they would react the same way."
"It doesn't matter. Why should I bother with something that anyone can do? Challenging things are interesting." Xu Cang said, "I've said this before. We'll use the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association as an intermediary to connect airlines and form a new alliance."
Richard lowered his head and thought for a while: "Xu Cang, I have also thought about what you said. Although there are many conflicts between our association and airlines now, as long as we are willing to make concessions in certain aspects, such as union struggles, I believe that many airlines are still willing to give us face. However, if you want us to give up some of our interests, you should at least give us a sufficient reason."
Although Richard believed in Xu Cang from a personal perspective, he also had to consider the entire association and at least have a reason that could convince others.
"Reason? Have you ever thought about becoming the third largest civil aviation organization in the world after ICAO and IATA?" Xu Cang chuckled, his words full of temptation: "You shouldn't just want to be the rule breakers, right? If possible, you would rather be the rule makers, right?"
This sentence directly touched Richard's heart. Becoming the third largest civil aviation organization after ICAO and IATA was his lifelong dream. But how could such a thing be so easy?
"Your proposal is very tempting, and I can't help but fantasize about it." Richard smiled bitterly, "But if you want me to use this somewhat unrealistic fantasy to convince other directors of the association, I'm afraid it won't be enough."
Xu Cang leaned on the edge of the table: "It's okay. Words are not enough. I will give you an example that is sufficient for reference. Bypassing the CASS system and using the China-Japan-Korea civil aviation joint market as a demonstration area, this should be enough."
"You want to coordinate the civil aviation markets of China, Japan and South Korea?" Richard was stunned for a moment: "Japan and South Korea are easy to deal with, but your side... I mean... your unions are different from the unions we understand."
Xu Cang laughed after hearing this. In foreign countries, the power of trade unions is very strong, but in China, trade unions are not the same species. The International Federation of Airline Pilots Association, as the leader of civil aviation personnel unions, is very powerful in foreign countries, but in China, it is not so effective.
"You misunderstood." Xu Cang waved his hand: "I don't need your help with the China-Japan-Korea joint market. I can handle it myself."
"You?" Richard was a little skeptical: "Can you do it?"
Xu Cang's face darkened a little. Richard immediately noticed Xu Cang's expression and quickly changed his words: "I mean, if you want to establish a unified standard in the civil aviation market of China, Japan and South Korea, you must have an advantageous civil aviation market position in all three countries, but now you have not achieved any of them, right?"
"You don't need to worry about whether I can succeed or not. My question is, if I succeed, can you convince the other directors of the association?"
Richard thought for a long time: "If you can do it, our association is willing to act as the intermediary, but..."
"No buts. If I say yes, then it must be yes." Xu Cang raised his chin: "I always keep my word!"
Richard opened his mouth, but when he saw Xu Cang's confident profile, he took back some of his words: "Then I'll wait and see."
Xu Cang chuckled for a moment, looking very relaxed. Suddenly, he remembered something: "Is there a strike on European civil aviation recently?"
Richard was very knowledgeable when it came to his professional field. "The European market is overheated right now. It's a labor market, and employees have the initiative. It would be strange if they didn't go on strike. However, the European market is very profitable now, and it should be able to meet the employees' demands for salary increases. In the end, the airlines will still compromise, and it probably won't last long. Why are you suddenly concerned about this?"
"I heard that Kingfisher Airlines did not go on strike." Xu Cang glanced at Richard and said, "I will remember this favor."
Kingfisher Airlines is now in a critical recovery period, and if the strike is too severe, it will seriously affect the company's recovery process. However, many European airlines are in full swing of strikes, but Kingfisher Airlines seems to be doing well.
Given the strong militant character of Kingfisher Airlines' union in the past, it is clear that it was not the Kingfisher Airlines' union that was merciful and willing to let the company go, but rather someone else intervened.
Richard smiled and said, "No..."
Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden sound of a helicopter propeller turning outside. He looked outside and found that a helicopter had landed, and the person who came down was the representative of Bombardier.
"It looks like you have to get down to business." Richard said solemnly.
Xu Cang sneered: "I just don't know whether it is a good thing or... a bad thing."
Not long after, the representative of Bombardier appeared in the conference room. Compared with the sad but strong look a few days ago, the representative of Bombardier now looked very happy. It seemed that Bombardier had received good news recently.
“Xu Cang, thanks to you this time, we have received more than 30 CS300 intention orders in the past two days alone. When the data is released later, the industry will surely understand how good the performance of our CS300 is. By then, the order growth will be even more exaggerated.” The Bombardier representative was getting more and more excited as he spoke. After talking for a while, he noticed that Richard was there too. He immediately greeted Richard and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Bayer, I lost my composure. You’ve worked hard this time!”
Richard didn't respond, just smiled.
Xu Cang hummed , his emotions not fluctuating too much: "This is part of the agreement. I just hope that you can also fulfill your responsibilities according to the agreement."
"Well..." Upon hearing about the agreement, a trace of embarrassment flashed across the Bombardier representative's face.
Xu Cang keenly noticed the subtle change in his expression and laughed: "How is it? What's the problem?"
The Bombardier representative coughed twice and did not answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head and glanced at Richard: "Mr. Bayer, if it's convenient..."
Richard understood quickly and said immediately: "I just happen to have something to do, you guys chat."
After saying that, he left the meeting room directly.
"What needs to be so mysterious?" Xu Cang snorted, his words were somewhat teasing, but his tone was slightly dissatisfied. Needless to say, something must have gone wrong with the agreement.
The Bombardier representative rubbed his hands and said, "Mr. Xu, this matter... um... is like this. You want shares in our C-Series company, don't you? I asked my superiors, but they disagreed."
Xu Cang raised his eyebrows and was about to speak when the Bombardier representative immediately interrupted him: "However, we are willing to give Mr. Xu full compensation. Previously, you wanted 5% of the profit share of the CS300 aircraft. We can increase this ratio by another 5% as compensation for our inability to sell shares."
"Ten percent of the profit share?" Xu Cang pursed his lips and sneered, "I was wondering why you, a Bombardier executive, came here specially. It turns out you wanted to breach the contract."
"No, no, no, no, Mr. Xu, don't be angry. We are not breaching the contract. We are just changing the way of fulfilling the contract. We are sincere. In the future, the sales volume of CS300 aircraft will surely rise steadily. Ten percent profit is absolutely sincere. As a civil aviation practitioner, Mr. Xu should understand what I mean."
Xu Cang snorted: "It's just a trick of giving dividends but not voting rights."
"Mr. Xu, you still need to spend money to buy the shares, but you get the profit share at no cost. It's just out of thin air," said the Bombardier representative.
"I risked my life, and I got this out of thin air?" Xu Cang's eyes were stern: "We signed a preliminary agreement, are you Bombardier going to breach the contract?"
"Mr. Xu, let me repeat, our original intention is not to breach the contract, we just want to change the way of performance. The additional 5% profit share is really..."
"But what if I don't agree?" Xu Cang asked back.
The Bombardier representative's expression slightly restrained: "Mr. Xu, some decisions will make both parties happy, and some decisions will make both parties unhappy. Is it a win-win situation or a lose-lose situation?"
Xu Cang's eyes were fixed on the face of the Bombardier representative, but the Bombardier representative was not afraid at all.
Suddenly, Xu Cang's shoulders moved slightly, followed by a burst of comfortable laughter. It was Xu Cang who came.
The Bombardier representative looked at Xu Cang who suddenly laughed in front of him, and was a little confused: "Mr. Xu, what are you doing..."
"It's okay, I just suddenly thought of something interesting." Xu Cang waved his hand.
The Bombardier representative also laughed: "What about the agreement?"
"Okay, the additional 5% profit share can be used to replace the shares sold. OK!" Xu Cang said with a smile.
The Bombardier representative was overjoyed: "Really?"
Xu Cang nodded in confirmation, his tone extremely sincere: "Of course it's true."
"Okay, okay!" The Bombardier representative said quickly, "I will ask the Legal Department to draft a new agreement as quickly as possible."
He looked so anxious, as if he was afraid that Xu Cang would go back on his word.
After saying that, he took out his cell phone and prepared to leave the house to call the Ministry of Justice.
But before he had taken two steps, Xu Cang stopped him and said, "There is something I want you to tell Ryan Valette."
The Bombardier representative was stunned for a moment: "What?"
Xu Cang grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: "Tell him that I gave him a chance, but he didn't seize it."
The Bombardier representative was stunned on the spot. These words combined with Xu Cang's expression could explain a lot of things.
Xu Cang's smile was not one of happiness, but of anger.
"Mr. Xu, you..."
Xu Cang raised a finger: "Are you planning to call your legal department? Arrange another task with them."
The Bombardier representative felt uneasy: "What?"
Xu Cang smiled even brighter: "How should the bankruptcy procedure be carried out? Let's prepare in advance."
Such words made the Bombardier representative at a loss: "Mr. Xu Cang, what we mean is..."
"All previous agreements are void. You don't allow it... Forget it, you can promote it if you want. You won't live long anyway." The smile on Xu Cang's face disappeared instantly: "You ungrateful thing, get out!"
The Bombardier representative looked at Xu Cang's expression which was as cold as winter and wanted to say something, but in the end he did not say it and left the meeting room in disgrace.
When the Bombardier representative left, the cell phone in Xu Cang's pocket suddenly rang.
Picking up the phone, he found that it was Guan Yueling's number. Xu Cang frowned immediately, answered the call, and adjusted his tone: "What's wrong?"
"Xu Cang, something happened here. I'm sorry." Guan Yueling's slightly apologetic voice came from the other end of the phone.
Xu Cang's face suddenly became so gloomy that it seemed as if water was about to drip out: "What happened?"
"That..." Guan Yueling also sounded very embarrassed: "Don't get too excited!"
"Guan Yueling, I want to ask you what happened!" Xu Cang felt that he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.
Perhaps sensing the anger in Xu Cang's words, Guan Yueling's voice sounded somewhat guilty: "Xu Cang, Xia Shuyue is in trouble!"