America: I'm causing trouble for environmental organizations

Chapter 5 Are you a legitimate system?

The Detroit metropolitan area.

It consists of the city of Detroit and its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities.

Just like Ford's headquarters, which is not in Detroit, but in Dearborn, a satellite city to the southwest.

The Renaissance Center, the destination of Meng Ran and Clarissa's trip, happens to be the headquarters of General Motors.

Located in downtown Detroit, right next to the Detroit River, it consists of seven high-rise buildings and is a landmark building in Detroit.

On the other side of the river lies Windsor, Canada.

It's not too far from Toronto, Canada's largest city.

Therefore, many corporate executives from Canada prefer to stay at the Marriott hotels here.

This hotel is indeed huge, occupying an entire 73-story "Central Tower".

About twenty-five minutes later...

Meng Ran parked the car in the hotel parking lot.

Then, Clarissa and I took the elevator straight to the casual dining room on the 6th floor.

After getting off the elevator, I glanced at my watch.

【10:11】

There are 19 minutes left until the agreed time.

Therefore, the two of them were not in a hurry and strolled over slowly.

Unexpectedly, before they even reached the restaurant entrance, they encountered three people—two women and one man—in the aisle.

The fat man at the head of the group was very eye-catching; his buttocks were a meter wide, and he had no neck, making him look like a bullfrog.

This person is Conrad, the executive director of the Michigan Green Alliance.

It's that colleague who pretended to be a bullfrog and jumped around on the street yesterday.

Clarissa stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowing slightly.

Conrad was also taken aback when he saw the two of them.

However, he quickly realized what was happening.

She deliberately spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Wow~~Wow~~Wow~~ Look who I see, Clarissa, why aren't you home learning flower arranging with your mother? What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Ran instantly realized that Clarissa and Conrad must be old acquaintances.

The same is true.

The two men's fathers were rivals in the city council elections, and their relationship was extremely hostile.

Their appearance at this restaurant now clearly indicates they're trying to secure the same donation.

That would be an even bigger misfortune.

However, Clarissa received what is known as the "Irish lady education" from a young age.

Even though I'm very angry now, I still managed to suppress my rage.

She gave a standard, fake smile: "Do I need to report my actions to you?"

Upon hearing this, Conrad shrugged and mocked, "Of course not. I heard that since you joined the Great Lakes Environmental Justice Association, you haven't been able to get a single donation."

With your work ability, you simply don't meet my requirements for subordinates. Therefore, you really don't need to report to me, because I won't be your leader.

"Hahaha~" The two women next to Conrad laughed in unison.

Clarissa's fair face visibly flushed.

She's actually not good at arguing.

Conrad was well aware of this; his mockery was intended to drive away Clarissa, his rival.

Normally, this approach might actually work.

But today, Meng Ran showed up.

He then imitated Conrad's tone.

Youyou said, "Wow~Wow~Wow~ Look who I see, it's Mr. Bullfrog. You do seem to need vegetarian food more than we do."

Zhenshou turned slightly.

Clarissa looked at Meng Ran beside her.

Meng Ran gave her a reassuring smile.

The Asian woman who came with Conrad immediately retorted, "Kid, you're so rude! Apologize to Conrad right now!"

"Wow~~ Bullfrog No. 2?" Meng Ran glanced at her in a nonchalant tone.

"Pfft~~" Clarissa first lowered her head, then turned to look to the side, her red lips slightly pursed. Her face, which was already flushed with anger, became even redder after suppressing a laugh.

Conrad, who originally intended to annoy others, was instead angered by Meng Ran.

He glanced at Clarissa and said, feigning composure, "Clarissa, you're incompetent, and your subordinates are equally ill-mannered."

"My parents certainly don't have the same breeding skills as your parents." Meng was all offense and no defense.

"FKU!" Conrad finally couldn't hold back any longer and instantly flew into a rage.

He had never heard such vicious words in his life. What was this "breeding technology"?

"Listen, kid, I'm going to sue you. This is a personal attack on me and discrimination against my body."

"When did I ever comment on your physique? Do you think 'Mr. Bullfrog' is a discriminatory term? Damn it, I thought you genuinely wanted to protect bullfrogs."

"You!" Conrad was speechless.

Yes, which NGO worker doesn't know that pretending to be a bullfrog jumping is just a show? Who the hell cares whether the bullfrog lives or dies?

But such words should never be said in public.

Especially for Conrad, the issue of "bullfighting protection" is far from over there.

It was clear that he couldn't win the argument.

The Asian woman who had just demanded an apology from Meng Ran grabbed Conrad's arm.

He then deliberately scanned Meng Ran's clothes from head to toe, and said, "Conrad, you are an upper-class elite. You shouldn't waste your breath on this poor kid. Come on, let's go inside."

These words made Conrad feel much better instantly.

It can also be considered a stepping stone.

He regained his composure, glanced arrogantly at Meng Ran with his head slightly raised, and then turned and strode into the restaurant.

As for Meng Ran...

She also looked down at her own attire.

His faded jeans, creased canvas shoes, and cotton jacket made him look rather shabby, a stark contrast to the impeccably dressed Clarissa beside him.

Honestly, if he had come by himself today, the restaurant staff might not have even served him.

Even if they do receive him, they will most likely ignore him.

This was the prevailing trend in upscale restaurants in Detroit in 09.

However, as a transmigrator, Meng Ran's tricks were no match for his defenses.

But Clarissa was somewhat angry. She said to Meng Ran, "Don't let these three rude and arrogant bastards affect your mood. You're much better than them! Really!"

"I don't care," Meng Ran laughed.

Just then, a man's voice came from behind: "Sorry, I'm not late, am I?"

The two turned around and looked.

The visitor was Martin, the vice president of Garden Meat.

He was in his thirties, quite burly, and clearly a regular at the gym.

Upon seeing their target arrive, Meng Ran and Clarissa immediately went to greet them.

The two sides shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

However, Martin seemed somewhat indifferent to both of them.

After exchanging polite pleasantries as they entered the restaurant, he went up to Conrad and warmly embraced and greeted him.

Then, he left Meng Ran and Clarissa standing to the side and chatted for two or three minutes without any restraint.

Now, Meng Ran, who hadn't felt anything before, also frowned.

He leaned close to Clarissa's ear and whispered, "When you asked Martin to meet you, was he reluctant?"

"No, I wasn't planning to meet him today. He just called me and asked me to come over," Clarissa shook her head.

"What does he mean by this? We and Conrad are guests, isn't he going to even put on an act?"

"Forget it, let's go. We don't need this donation. I have a feeling that Martin called us over just to put some pressure on Conrad; maybe they've already agreed on it."

Clarissa couldn't stand it anymore; she felt like a clown.

But it's impossible to give up on it.

The Garden Meat quest offers a reward of 500 Chaos Reputation Points + two random skill cards.

Meng Ran is determined to win this over no matter what.

Seeing Martin still chatting with Conrad, Meng Ran immediately activated the [Basic Intelligence Card].

[Intelligence gathering in progress...]

[Intelligence 1: Martin's secret girlfriend "Cerone" is the publicity director of Garden Meat. She is of Brazilian descent and has a very strong desire for control, possession, and sex, which makes Martin suffer.]

Martin desperately wanted to be apart from Theron for a while. But Theron's father was the major investor in Garden Meat, and Martin dared not defy or anger Theron, as that would cost him his job.

"?" Meng Ran.

[Intelligence 2: Martin secretly went to the Menjos Bar near 6 Mile Road last night and had a great time, and plans to go there again at 9 pm tonight.]

"Are you a legitimate system?"

"Why is all the intelligence just gossip about Martin?"

[Intelligence 3: Martin met with Conrad, the executive director of the Michigan Green Alliance, yesterday, and the two agreed to sign a donation agreement next week.]

Conrad promised that once the $15 donation was received, he would pay a kickback of $2.5 through Martin's sister under the guise of project consulting fees.

Martin was not satisfied with this and wanted to find some way to get more kickbacks from Conrad.

These three pieces of information made Meng Ran frown deeply.

So Clarissa was right. Martin called her over to put pressure on Conrad so that he would give her more kickbacks.

The good news is that Martin and Conrad have not yet signed a "donation agreement".

In other words, there is still a chance to get Martin to change his mind.

It seems I'll have to resort to some tricks.