When Ivanov met his secretary's gaze, his heart skipped a beat. Indeed, who could guarantee that such a possibility wouldn't exist?

He rubbed his temples, his head aching. The items auctioned that evening had vanished into thin air, and the auction house had returned his check in the end. But his mood didn't improve. A lingering unease remained.

Before Ivanov could offer any other solutions, the secretary, of course, had to offer advice to her boss. Thinking ahead of the boss is essential for job stability, right?

"I have already contacted Japan. I originally wanted to talk to them about cooperation and hoped to buy some of their products."

Ivanov looked up at his secretary, who shrugged. "Their situation isn't much better than ours. The places where timber can be produced have also been taken over by that gang. They're already resource-scarce, and they don't even have enough to supply Japan itself, so they don't have any surplus to export to us."

Ivanov rubbed his temples. "What about the other places?"

The secretary hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "Sir, there is actually a country that would be a very good choice."

Ivanov opened his eyes and looked at his secretary, understanding her thoughts from her expression. "You mean importing from China?"

The secretary nodded. "China is a vast country with abundant resources. From any perspective, importing from China is the most convenient way. Moreover, I heard that they urgently need foreign exchange, so even if we lower the price, they will still be willing to cooperate."

Ivanov thought it was a good option. But then he shook his head, "The government is currently imposing sanctions on China, and any aid to China is prohibited."

The government probably won't agree.

The secretary was somewhat anxious. "Sir, that means we're not allowed to export any technology or equipment to China. But now we're importing. We might only need to spend half the money we would in Russia to buy even better materials in China. I think this deal is worthwhile."

Why don't you give it a try, sir?

Now that such a change has occurred in Russia, I think the higher-ups will approve our proposal.

Ivanov seemed to be persuaded. "Then let's put together a proposal. I'll have my older brother take it over tomorrow and see if it's approved."

Tang Yue narrowed her eyes slightly. Perhaps all countries think the same way about China? They want to take advantage of China while also suppressing its development. Heh, might as well let them take all the advantages.

This is indeed a rather thorny issue. The explanation of this secret technique is quite accurate; China might actually agree to this plan. Because they are truly desperately short of foreign exchange.

For some unknown reason, Tang Yue curled her lips into a cold smile again. "Sigh, it's been so long since I've contacted the battalion commander. I kind of miss him."