How could such exorbitant profits fail to tempt Huang Rongtian, the Huang family's eldest? After discussing it with the family patriarch, Huang Xiaofei, he staked the family's entire fortune on it.

But both Huang Rongtian and Huang Xiaofei made one fatal mistake: they overlooked the political situation in Country X. Striking gold in a country where governments changed faster than the seasons was not something ordinary people could get involved in.

Sure enough, in just over half a year, the provisional government that had signed the contract collapsed, and the former president absconded with the money. One would have expected the new government, in order to win public support, not to alter the contracts merchants had previously signed—and in fact most contracts remained unchanged. Only the Huang family's contract was not honored.

The other merchants all had some private armed force or other in the region, and no matter which government came to power, it would not lightly provoke them.

The Huang family was different—mere merchants, with no backing in Country X. So the moment the new provisional government was established, it tore up the contract between the previous government and the Huang family, hoping to squeeze a large sum of military funds out of them. Of course, if the Huang family couldn't produce the money, that was no obstacle either: the brother of the newly installed acting president, General Karls, was himself an iron mine owner. Hand the mine over to him to run and they wouldn't even have to buy equipment.

Because the small country's provisional government had fallen and the regime had changed, the contract the Huang family had previously signed became a scrap of paper. If they wanted to keep developing the mine, they would have to sign a new agreement with the new leaders.

But the other side set an utterly absurd condition—another five billion US dollars for the gold mining rights. True, this time the contract looked generous, a two-hundred-year agreement, but Huang Rongtian saw through it: two hundred years or whatever was all empty talk. Even a thousand-year or ten-thousand-year agreement would mean nothing—once this provisional government fell, the next regime would refuse to recognize it just the same.

For this kind of behavior—burning the bridge after crossing it, trying to pluck the peach from their hands—the Huang family would never stand for it. The Huang family was a prominent clan in Singapore, with considerable social standing; how could they endure such humiliation?

Huang Rongtian immediately went to reason with General Karls, but only when the black muzzle of a gun was pressed to Huang Lin's head did Huang Rongtian snap awake.

In this small African country with no diplomatic ties and no UN membership, there was no such thing as law. The supreme leader here was the law—a law that brooked no dissent; those who defied him were all eliminated.

Amid General Karls's cold laughter, Huang Rongtian cautiously withdrew, not daring to raise any further objections.

But not daring to speak up didn't mean the Huang family would do nothing—Huang Rongtian was unwilling to let his money go down the drain like that. Still, for him to put up another five billion US dollars was sheer fantasy.

Most of that earlier five billion had been borrowed from banks, secured against their current assets. Now that the mine in Africa had run into trouble, they would be lucky if the bank didn't rush to call in the loans, let alone lend them another sum.

Just as Huang Rongtian was sinking into despair, he suddenly received a very important piece of news: the Li family was also interested in investing in mining in Africa. The Li family was a major clan too, its financial strength roughly equal to the Huang family's; the two had simply operated in different lines of business before and rarely had occasion to cooperate. Now that he heard the Li family was preparing to invest in mining, Huang Rongtian's interest was immediately roused, and he sought out Li Tianjia, the Li family's current helmsman. What's more, according to reliable sources, the Li family had previously done business with General Karls—and that was the most important point of all.

Li Tianjia was about the same age as Huang Rongtian, the eldest son of the Li patriarch, Li Zhicheng. To Huang Rongtian's overtures, Li Tianjia was quite indifferent—neither agreeing nor refusing, saying only that he would think it over.

Seeing Li Tianjia's lukewarm attitude, Huang Rongtian knew the matter was shaky. After all, without some great advantage in it for them, why would anyone get mixed up in it with him?

To bind Li Tianjia to the same chariot, Huang Rongtian proposed the marriage alliance. At first Li Tianjia showed little interest, but when he saw the photo on Huang Rongtian's phone, his eyes went wide and fixed. Huang Rongtian called his name several times before Li Tianjia came back to himself, somewhat embarrassed.

Huang Rongtian, however, was not the least bit offended—in fact, he was secretly delighted. It looked as though Li Tianjia had taken a fancy to Lele, and that meant there was hope for the matter.

Sure enough, after putting up a show of declining a few times, Li Tianjia said, "Rongtian, I'm not opposed to this marriage alliance. Both our families are great and distinguished houses, well matched in every way. But a marriage is a major affair—one has to discuss it with one's parents. In principle I'm in favor, but I'll still need to talk it over with my father."

"That's no problem at all," Huang Rongtian said, delighted.

After Huang Rongtian left, Li Tianjia told his father Li Zhicheng the purpose of Huang Lin's visit, and of course did not conceal the matter of the marriage alliance Huang Rongtian had raised. Li Zhicheng gave no immediate answer after hearing him out. He was not like Huang Lin's father: Huang Xiaofei had already handed most of his authority over to Huang Lin, but Li Zhicheng had not—he still held the power of decision in all major matters.

"Father, I think this business is very much in our favor," Li Tianjia could not help saying when his father gave no sign of a decision.

"You've taken a fancy to that Huang girl." A father knows his son best; Li Zhicheng saw through him at a glance.

"I—" Li Tianjia flushed. It was exactly as his father said: he had indeed taken a liking to Huang Yan.

"A marriage alliance is a major affair, and the investment in Africa is an even greater one," Li Zhicheng said slowly. "We've had dealings with General Carls, it's true, but our personal ties are hardly close. And now that General Carls has risen to power, things are not what they were—my face may not count for as much. He's not likely to give up a source of wealth he had such trouble finding just because I ask him to."

Li Tianjia nodded silently. His father was right—that was indeed the way of it. This was no small matter, after all.

"If we take part in this, there will certainly be profit to be had. The key question is whether it's worth it," Li Zhicheng said with a sigh. "If it were merely a matter of cooperation, I might well have agreed. But this marriage alliance—you should understand—once the marriage is made, our Li family will be sitting in the same war chariot as the Huang family, advancing and retreating together. And then, even if we wanted to extricate ourselves, we could not."

"I understand," Li Tianjia said. "Father, I won't let my imagination run away with me anymore."

"Heh. I didn't say the thing was altogether impossible," Li Zhicheng said, rather amused at his son's expression. "How about this: let me think it over, see whether the business is worth it or not, and then find a time to have a word with General Carls, to see whether he'll do me the favor."