I have to admit, the laws and customs in Dubai definitely favor men.
Jiang Hai had thought about joining the club after hearing that, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn't stand the rule that allowed only beef and mutton to be eaten. Just kidding—if he couldn't have pork, he would be really uncomfortable.
The restaurant on the top floor of the Burj Al Arab is called Skyview Bar. This isn't the Burj Khalifa—Burj Al Arab is "only" 200 meters tall, which isn't that high. After taking the elevator up, Jiang Hai and Du Famen enjoyed a delicious meal.
When Du Famen sent Jiang Hai back to the villa, he asked if Jiang Hai wanted him to call the girls to come over that evening. He also suggested scheduling the trip to the ranch three days later, since it would take two days to get there. Du Famen said he needed to use those days to clear some work from the past two days and couldn't accompany Jiang Hai during his stay. So, he asked if Jiang Hai needed anything else.
As for women, Jiang Hai had already forgotten about it—his legs and feet were still a little weak. Instead, he simply requested a car.
Of course, he wasn't asking Du Famen to give him a car. He just wanted something for transportation during these days, to get around more conveniently.
Du Famen naturally agreed to everything without protest. After dropping Jiang Hai and Azarina off at the villa, he left. Jiang Hai and Azarina slept in separate rooms, per Azarina's request.
Although she could be with Jiang Hai anytime, she was currently on a mission and had to protect his safety. Even a minute or second of distraction or poor health was unacceptable. If Jiang Hai wanted to wait, they could wait until they returned to Winthrop. Outside of Winthrop, Azarina didn't feel safe enough.
The next morning, when Jiang Hai and Azarina woke up, they found a sports car parked outside the villa.
This was the car Du Famen had sent for Jiang Hai's use. But looking at the car, Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile and shake his head. He only wanted a means of transportation, but Du Famen seemed to have overthought it. Jiang Hai wasn't out to show off—why did he get such an extravagant car?
It was a Bugatti Veyron, a famous French sports car. Jiang Hai didn't bother reciting the specs; anyone curious could find them online.
The price in China was around 25 million RMB. Though rare in China, to Du Famen—a local tycoon—this was just a car, nothing special, given to Jiang Hai for transportation.
Though he smiled and shook his head, Jiang Hai didn't ask to switch to a regular car. It wasn't his first time sitting in a supercar, but it was his first time driving one. After firmly buckling up with Azarina, Jiang Hai sped off toward the city of Dubai.
To be honest, Dubai is not small, and there's a lot to see. Jiang Hai didn't encounter any dangerous situations, and the three days flew by.
During that time, he got to know Dubai a little. It wasn't as wild as the rumors he'd heard back in China.
He had heard stories about Dubai's local tycoons—that if a beautiful woman smiled at you, you might get an LV bag, or if you chatted with a local in the desert, you'd wake up the next day to find a sports car waiting. Jiang Hai told everyone these stories were nonsense. Maybe some gifts were given, but their intentions were obvious.
Men only give gifts to women for one reason: they want to be with them. Haha. Bags and cars are just the flashy bait.
Dubai's buildings were impressive—small communities built on the sea, twisting skyscrapers with windows at different angles, and massive palace-like hotels. Many buildings were still under construction, often by Chinese developers. But from Jiang Hai's pragmatic view, most of these structures were just for show.
More importantly, Dubai's tourism development seemed to be faltering. Near the city, many buildings were unfinished. The summer heat could reach 50 degrees Celsius, and many construction workers suffered severe sunburns or worse every year.
Jiang Hai wondered if it was really worth it to make money this way—especially since locals considered these profits trivial.
Regarding luxury cars, there were some but fewer than imagined on the roads.
The local tycoons owned multiple cars, each with a specific use, similar to what Jiang Hai had seen in the U.S.
In Dubai, sports cars were for nightlife and fun, while SUVs were used mainly for commuting.
Jiang Hai even saw Lamborghini police cars—only a few, though. Still, most police vehicles were worth over a million RMB. It must hurt if one got scratched.
As for pets, Dubai tycoons kept real wild animals—tigers, lions, leopards, and the like. Du Famen said he had many such beasts, all brought from Africa.
He owned a nature reserve there, paid for its construction, and employed local rangers with top-tier equipment and good pay to prevent poaching.
Though somewhat controversial, the African local government welcomed such tycoons. After all, one man playing alone couldn't do much harm. In fact, Du Famen helped protect animals and improve local livelihoods. Compared to the drawbacks, the benefits outweighed them—though others didn't have such advantages.
Most people could only buy exotic pets from pet stores—which were basically black markets.
Common pets were either peacocks and camels or rare big cats like lions and tigers.
Jiang Hai asked about prices. A male lion cost around $50,000; a female lion, $30,000; young lions ranged from $10,000 to $20,000; and white lions could go for $80,000. Tigers were similarly priced; leopards were cheaper.
Jiang Hai was interested but, sadly, couldn't take any of these beasts home.
He sighed—looks like he wouldn't be getting any wild animals after all. Though there might be a mountain lion's den on his manor...
During these days, Jiang Hai also learned about the cultural tensions here. There was significant conflict between locals and foreigners.
Locals enjoyed high wages, light workloads, and easy jobs. Foreigners worked harder for lower pay, without guarantees. Locals could skip work to play or eat out as long as they punched in and out normally—they wouldn't get fired, even if they slept on the job.
Foreigners, however, could be fired for the slightest dissatisfaction. The problem wasn't wealth—it was inequality.
For public healthcare and education, locals had many advantages. At public hospitals, locals paid only a registration fee and some basic supplies, while medicines and surgeries were free. Even hospital meals were free. Still, locals were wealthy enough to prefer private hospitals.
Public schools favored local students, too.
Since locals could have up to four wives, you never knew which powerful family someone was connected to.
Dubai's people were extremely unreasonable, prioritizing family above all. If a local child performed poorly, it was the teacher's fault—poor teaching meant the teacher could be fired with one phone call.
If a local child misbehaved or fought, it was still the teacher's fault. Winning was fine; losing meant the teacher was responsible. The solution? Fire the teacher.
So basically, only local teachers dared teach local students. Foreign teachers tended to work at foreign language colleges, avoided conflicts, and even helped local kids cheat on exams—sometimes writing answers themselves. It was probably the most frustrating place in the world to be a teacher.
Jiang Hai heard these stories everywhere but just smiled.
These issues didn't concern him, and he was unwilling to get involved. He trusted that Du Famen and others knew what was happening—and since they allowed it, they had their reasons.
Simply put, their power came from the locals. If there was chaos, it came from local residents. No matter how bad life was for foreigners, they could always leave if they wanted. Who was stopping them? Any rebellion would be crushed legally.
As long as the locals didn't revolt, the rest didn't matter.
In short, their rule depended on the locals. There was no such thing as equal treatment here.
Yet despite this inequality, many foreigners still poured into Dubai. Though they earned much less than locals, they had far better lives than back home.
For example, a Chinese IT worker in his thirties might earn 500,000 to 1 million RMB annually in China, even as a department manager. The same position in Dubai might pay 5 to 10 million RMB. Medical care was better here. Though more expensive than for locals, it was cheaper than in China. Education was also better.
Despite the heat, Dubai offered a better economy and quality of life than any city in China.
Whether food, housing, transportation, healthcare, education, or livelihood, everything was better than in China. Except for a few small European countries, Dubai's welfare system was superior.
So, despite inequality, people came to Dubai to make money—that was the reality.
After three days, Jiang Hai had a rough understanding of the city and bought many things—mostly brand bags, clothes, and a lot of gold. Most were sent back to Winthrop.
He kept some with him as gifts for Qi Li, Feng Yunchen, Ai Xiaoxi, Qi Li's mother, Bernice, Xiaoya, Darlene, and Marianne—people he expected to see after returning to China.
As for Azarina, it was good that she got the moon first. Jiang Hai bought her several sets of clothes but sent those back to Winthrop. Luxury goods were indeed cheaper here than in New York.
The three days passed quickly. On the morning of Jiang Hai's fifth day in Dubai, Du Famen—who had been missing for three days—reappeared.
This time, he brought a convoy of twelve cars—not the Rolls-Royces of the wealthy, but off-road vehicles: eleven out-of-production Hummer H2s, once known as the world's best SUVs. It was rare to see so many together nowadays.
Among them was a car Jiang Hai recognized immediately—the War Shield.
"You have one of these too?" Jiang Hai said with nostalgia, touching the car door.
"I thought you looked good in it, so I got one after I came back," Du Famen said with a smile.
Jiang Hai smirked. He got one just because Du Famen saw him drive well? When would he ever be that frivolous?
After seeing the convoy, Jiang Hai and his team said no more. The destination was far. After getting into the cars, the convoy left Dubai and headed toward the desert.