America: I'm causing trouble for environmental organizations

Chapter 50 International Aid

seriously.

Meng then regretted it.

Keep in mind that there were at least dozens of reporters and hundreds of guests in the banquet hall.

In other words, this meant he could only indulge in empty talk.

If they dared to act impulsively and were spotted by some clueless reporter, they and Clarissa might end up on the front page of gossip news tomorrow.

The more you dig into the O'Connell family, the more amusing it becomes.

Standing in front of the bathroom sink.

Meng Ran tidied her clothes carefully.

It took me a while to calm down and suppress that burning anger.

As soon as she stepped outside, she ran into Clarissa, who was waiting there. Her pretty face still had a blush on it.

She naturally reached out and took Meng Ran's arm, stealing glances at his face, and Clarissa couldn't help but giggle again.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You're really funny right now."

"Yes, I feel like I'm a wild rice plant infected with fungus. The root and stem have swelled up into a water chestnut, wanting to sprout and plant, but I don't have the conditions to do so."

"I know wild rice, there's a lot of it in the Great Lakes, but what is water bamboo?"

Clarissa didn't understand the analogy; wild rice in North America wouldn't become water bamboo shoots.

"It's a kind of bamboo shoot-shaped vegetable. You can try it sometime." Meng Ran chuckled.

Clarissa rolled her eyes at him. Although she didn't know what water chestnuts were, judging from the metaphor just now, his "try some" didn't sound like a serious statement.

However, they took two steps forward.

She whispered again, "I can try some..."

"Let's not talk about this." Meng Ran quickly interrupted. At this moment, it would be a crime to say a promise that couldn't be kept. Did they think my brother hadn't suffered enough?

Fuck!

I'm so handsome.

The brothers are also very imposing and domineering.

I've been in America for over a month now, and I haven't enjoyed a single bit of good fortune.

Is this even reasonable?

Amidst their banter, the two entered the banquet hall.

At this moment, in the center of the banquet hall, men and women were dancing ballroom dances to the music of a live band. Around them, small groups of people were chatting idly.

"Want to dance together?"

"I can't," Meng Ran shook her head.

"It's very simple, shall I teach you?" Clarissa now only wanted to stick to him.

Ballroom dancing is undoubtedly a great way to do this.

You can hug openly and honestly.

But Meng Ran didn't want to, because it was torture for him.

He casually took two glasses of wine from a tray carried by a passing waiter, handed one to Clarissa, and then gestured in a direction with his eyes: "Look over there."

Clarissa turned her head.

But then they saw the two directors of the association handing out business cards.

Perhaps sensing something, or perhaps it was just a coincidence, they also glanced in their direction when Meng Ran and Clarissa looked at them.

Eight eyes meet.

Mira and Frank were immediately embarrassed.

This is Clarissa's home turf, and it seems a bit dishonorable that the two of them are poaching clients here.

"Should I go talk to them?" Clarissa took a sip of her wine.

"Alright, this is a good opportunity to repay the favor." Meng Ran nodded.

Seeing that he agreed, Clarissa did not hesitate, picked up her wine glass, and walked towards the two of them.

Mira and Frank thought she had come to confront them, and couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

After Clarissa approached.

Mira further explained, "It's just getting to know some friends, normal socializing, don't misunderstand."

"Congratulations, you were the center of attention tonight. It's an honor to work with you in the association," Frank said, adding some more compliments.

Clarissa deliberately kept her pretty face tense.

Just like that, tense for a second or two, until Mira and Frank's smiles slowly froze.

The cup in her hand suddenly moved forward.

"Ding~~"

The crisp sound of glasses clinking rang out.

Clarissa's expression blossomed like warm sunshine melting snow: "Hahaha...you two are really funny. Did you think I came here to cause trouble?"

"Haha, how could that be?" Mira instantly put on a smiling face as well.

Frank followed up with a flattering remark: "Only Howard would get into trouble over something like this; you're not that kind of person."

"It's a good day, so let's not talk about that nasty guy Howard." Clarissa took the opportunity to state her attitude towards Howard.

Then he added, "There's something I need your help with. After Bane and Thea left, the team for Project Four is short-staffed."

Mira and Frank were both taken aback by these words.

What does that mean?

Could it be that they want to borrow people from their own team?

Isn't that unnecessary? Why not just promote a few unpaid interns?

Just as they were wondering...

Then Clarissa said, "So, I'd like to give part of the budget from the funds raised at this dinner to your team for execution."

"Excuse me, do you mean you're going to give us a portion of the budget?" Mira wondered if she had misheard.

"That's right, the budget for a project team is about $40,000, $20,000 is designated for procurement, and the rest will be from your suppliers," Clarissa stated.

Designated procurement means that half of this $40,000 must be used for proper work.

The remaining money was used to bribe Mira and Frank.

Don't underestimate those 20,000 dollars.

The two individuals' project team only received a few hundred thousand yuan in funding from the association each year.

They worked themselves to the bone, but their annual income was only around 8 to 10 yuan.

However, this is already considered a high income in Detroit. The average white-collar worker earns around $30,000 a year.

Previously, Meng Ran and Xi Ya's annual salary in the association was less than 30,000 yuan, only a little over 20,000 yuan before tax.

Therefore, Mira and Frank at this moment looked as if they had been hit by a huge surprise.

I thought I wouldn't even get a sip of soup.

Now Clarissa is feeding each of them a bite of meat?

Overwhelmed with excitement, Frank tilted his head back and downed the champagne in his glass before turning to Clarissa and saying, "Honestly, you're the most charismatic young leader I've ever met."

"That's right." Mira nodded as well.

"It seems you two have agreed to help me. That's good, there might be similar jobs in the future that will require your assistance," Clarissa said, offering a rosy picture.

"We're all colleagues in the same association, it's only right!" Frank quickly emphasized.

"You're right. We're all board members, and we should work together for the future of the association. Don't you agree?" Clarissa said meaningfully.

These words were spoken.

Mira and Frank exchanged another glance.

They're not stupid; they could easily tell that Clarissa was planning to target Howard.

On the other side...

Inside a private club.

Howard was also drinking with a man.

The two men sat facing each other on two long sofas, each with a woman in his arms.

The difference is that Howard is embracing a female assistant from the project team, while the man opposite him is embracing his wife, Jennifer.

Another toast.

The man chuckled, "I heard from Jennifer that you have a charitable donation channel? And that you have organizations in countries like India, the Philippines, and Indonesia that accept donations?"

"Yes." Howard nodded.

"Our Agapé Foundation's main business is international medical aid. I have a batch of medical aid that I would like to send out through your channels."

"Medical assistance?" Howard asked, puzzled.

"It's things like used syringes, surgical dressings, contaminated medical instruments, and expired medications. You know, it's too expensive to dispose of these things in the United States."

Howard nodded, understanding now, and smiled, "Perfect timing, we have a batch of used electronic products to donate to India and China in ten days."

I can bring your aid along; it's just a matter of filling out a form. However, customs in Country Z is a bit difficult to navigate, while it's easier in India.

"I like India. It's a democratic country, and they know how to be grateful. Unlike China, I donated 05 pieces of medical supplies to them in 13."

Not only did they not thank me, they even shut down our foundation. They even notified the embassy to have the federal government investigate me!

"Why not ship them to those small African countries?"

Howard's female assistant, who had been listening to him for a while, couldn't help but ask a question out of curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Howard and the man both laughed.

There's something that really goes against intuition.

Logically speaking, it would be much simpler to ship to small African countries than to large countries like India.

However, the opposite is true.