Chapter 2306 - 735: Private Territory (Part 3)

Wen Ruan is undoubtedly a prime breakthrough point.

...

The car slowly started and drove out of Lanfeng International Apartment.

The snow-laden street views of Yan City receded slowly outside the car window, the air chilly.

Within a few minutes, the car arrived downstairs at the Financial Center Building A.

Shen Yuyan got out of the car, carrying her bag, and walked into the lobby in high heels.

"Morning, Shirley."

"Morning."

At the company, Shen Yuyan first poured herself a cup of coffee, and then sat down in her office.

She opened her computer and started continuing her research on [Smile Holding]’s materials.

Focused and earnest.

Time passed quietly.

"Ding dong—" WhatsApp notification sounded.

[Lu Ziming: "Finally done with work, I’m exhausted. Just saw the message you sent. Are you really coming to New York this weekend? You’re not kidding, right?"]

Shen Yuyan paused her work and replied with a smile, "Of course it’s true, I’m going for a business trip. So, Lu the analyst, do you have time to catch up?"

She’s not going just to chat with Lu Ziming or reminisce; she purely hopes to surprise Tang Song.

In a foreign land, in front of his old roommate, the former university school beauty initiates an intrigue...

For a man, it should bring a unique sense of fulfillment, right?

[Lu Ziming: "I would love to, but I’m really not sure if I have the time."]

Shen Yuyan: "Working so hard? Wall Street warrior spirit possessed you?"

[Lu Ziming: "Ugh, it’s not me hustling; it’s the project being too challenging. Who says there’s no human nuances in the United States? It’s all a damned lie! Can we talk now? It’s hard to explain in texts."]

Shen Yuyan stood up and walked into the quiet conference room across the hall, directly dialing the voice call.

Immediately, the sound of car horns and Lu Ziming’s weary voice came through the receiver: "Hello, Yuyan... Oh, mentioning work here gives me a headache."

Then, as Lu Ziming explained, Shen Yuyan gradually understood.

The project invested in by [Tiancheng Capital], because it involves AI algorithms, has been strictly scrutinized by CFIUS (United States Foreign Investment Committee) citing "national security risks."

It has now entered the administrative purgatory of secondary investigation.

The project is basically declared in stasis.

This also explains why Lu Ziming has been stuck there for over two months, overwhelmed.

Shen Yuyan pondered for a moment and said, "With these matters, is it very difficult to purely follow legal procedures? Has your company leadership considered seeking a solution from the top?"

In China, for such matters, one would definitely work on smoothing government relations.

In the United States, it’s likely the same, only in a more legalized manner.

Lu Ziming’s voice was filled with helplessness and self-deprecatory tone: "Our company, although has some recognition in Yan Province, amounts to nothing on Wall Street here. Also, the project isn’t actually that big. To talk about top-level, that’d be the professional lobbying firms on K Street, which we can’t afford and don’t have the clout for."

Shen Yuyan comforted him: "You’re right. Don’t worry too much, anyway, there’s a leader up there to bear the pressure."

"Leaders just shirk responsibility!" Lu Ziming said angrily, "If we really fail, I guess it’s dreaming to think about a promotion in the next two years, can’t say..."

They chatted a bit more and hung up the call.

Shen Yuyan stood in front of the conference room’s floor-to-ceiling window, taking a deep breath.

She keenly realized that the trouble Lu Ziming encountered today, companies at the level of [Xuanji Light Realm] would undoubtedly face the same issue in the future, perhaps even more severe.

And she, as the Chief Eco Officer, as the assistant who will accompany Tang Song globally in the future, must personally step into this filled with intrigue, truly top-tier Vanity Fair.

Back to the office.

She immediately opened the browser and started searching and consulting on information related to CFIUS and K Street lobbying firms.

Quickly, a newly released Wall Street Journal tech edition headline caught her attention—

"DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice) unexpectedly withdrew the lawsuit, European chip giant Orione Semiconductor acquisition case sees a turnaround, with [Sloan Huntington] as the influencer once again succeeding."

She clicked on the report, her eyes slightly moved.

[Sloan-Huntington Strategy Group].

Regarding this company, she had heard of it while working at P&G (Procter & Gamble).

This is one of the top and most mysterious bipartisan governmental special agencies on Washington K Street.

The co-founders are Huntington and Elizabeth Sloane.

The former is a seasoned bigwig in the U.S. political scene.

And the other, Elizabeth Sloane, a top-notch woman of 40 years, whose career is considered wild.

To win a debate on a gun control bill, she once single-handedly orchestrated and ignited a scandal strong enough to impact the Senate;

To gain opponent’s intelligence, she could even calmly utilize robot cockroaches for eavesdropping during congressional hearings;

It’s also said that at her career peak, for some unknown justice, she did not hesitate to destroy herself and sent the dirtiest secrets of the entire industry to the court.

After experiencing that earth-shattering hearing storm and a brief silence for a few years.

In 2017, she co-founded with Huntington this new strategy group, specifically handling the hardest and most undercover international mergers and political lobbyings.

Some say she was the youngest strategy consultant in the White House; others say she’s the illegitimate daughter of an ancient political family; there are even more outrageous rumors that she is not fighting alone, and behind her stands a mysterious shadow board of directors unknown to the world.