Chapter 140 Let's Go to China: We Still Need to Finish Things Up

Regarding the question of where to seek refuge, Wang Xiao's first choice was Japan.

Before she could even explain why, Ivanov exploded: "Your Majesty, lust is a dangerous thing. You can't risk your life for a man."

Then he immediately started making arrangements to select concubines for Wang Xiao, so that he wouldn't be stuck with one crooked tree.

Wang Xiao was completely speechless: "What are you doing? What's going on here?"

“Wang, Wu is good, but you must believe that you can’t give up the whole forest for one tree.”

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "What are you talking about? Don't spout nonsense. My suggestion to go to Japan was to expand the market for our dolls. Now that sex hotels are all buying our products, it's the perfect time for us to introduce our dolls to more families."

It's quite a subtle thing.

According to user feedback from love hotels, among the 10 dolls, the most popular one is not the traditional gentle oriental doll, but the blonde, blue-eyed hot girl.

The hotel was surprised and placed two more orders.

Even so, the Western Spice Girls' hours were fully booked.

Some customers even opted for a monthly subscription in order to get in line sooner.

Who said Japan is facing a financial crisis? At least for now, Japan remains the world's most notorious spender.

The key is to quickly open up the market while they are willing to spend money and are clearly interested in high-end sex dolls.

Ivanov, half-joking and half-seriously, asked with a hint of skepticism, "You didn't go to Japan for Wu?"

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. She couldn't take it anymore: "My dear Comrade Ivanov, can you men please stop making yourselves act like this?"

Let alone a queen of the sea like her, even the sister in the team who was recognized as a virtuous wife and loving mother before she transmigrated into the book, whose career almost came to a standstill because of having a child, was still happy and didn't want to go home when she went out for team building and could temporarily cut off from her family.

I can't even imagine a man.

Wang Xiao cruelly told her partner, who was acting like a drama queen, "Men's status in women's hearts is not as high as men themselves imagine."

Do you think you are important?

Haha, most of the time women are just being perfunctory, just like they're being perfunctory with a boss they have no choice but to be.

Well, Ivanov wisely refrained from rambling on.

However, he still refused to go to Japan.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Wang Xiao's integrity, but rather that Japan was unsafe.

If they have already been targeted by the mafia, they could be easily assassinated in Japan as well.

He wasn't exaggerating; the influence of the Russian mafia worldwide has reached an astonishing level.

The Russian president himself has admitted that more than a thousand mafia organizations have now established connections with international criminal groups.

Mafia organizations in Eastern Europe and Russia joined forces to sell arms to the Sicilian Mafia.

Japanese and Italian criminal gangs held a joint meeting in Paris.

A former boxing champion who worked as a debt collector for the Mafia absconded with millions of dollars to the United States. At the government level, there was nothing that could be done about him.

But he had offended the Mafia, so when he was walking on the streets of America, he was shot dead.

There was no escape.

Therefore, Japan is unsafe, and Eastern Europe is even less safe.

The latter, in particular, is practically the Russian mafia's backyard.

Wang Xiao watched him pace back and forth like a trapped beast, and said with a sigh of helplessness, "So where do you think we should go? To the moon?"

Honestly, after feeling like she might be being targeted, she felt really helpless and didn't know where to hide to be completely safe.

After all, the Russian mafia are not ordinary people; they are KGB agents, and they come from elite backgrounds within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He can do two hundred push-ups in one go without getting out of breath, and he can remember everything he sees after just one glance at a document.

They can fly in the sky with airplanes, and on the ground, cars and armored vehicles can take off like lightning. If you hide on the water, their ships can handle it with ease.

The main theme is that it can go to the sky and disappear into the earth, and is omnipotent.

Shooting, hand-to-hand combat, wilderness survival, interrogation, assassination, and surveillance—these are all their specialties.

If I kill you, where do you think you're going to hide?

“No. They’re afraid of the Red Army,” Ivanov said seriously. “So we should go to China; only in China will they dare not enter.”

Only true family members know their own worth; even Wang Xiao didn't have as much confidence as him.

Speaking of public security, Wang Xiao really couldn't bring himself to boast about it in 1992—oh no, it's past January, it's 1993 now—the level of public security in China.

However, everything should be considered in comparison. Even though China's public security is indeed lagging behind now, it is still quite respectable compared to Moscow.

Wang Xiao had no objection: "Alright, then let's go back to China."

As for the sex dolls from Japan, we can only ask Sachiko Ito and her team to put in more effort.

Wang Xiao glanced at the time. Well, there was no need to set an alarm. It was morning in Japan at this time.

She called Sachiko Ito directly, emphasizing that it was time to act decisively, and that magazine and television commercials could be placed to strike while the iron was hot.

Taking advantage of the fact that there are no similar sex dolls on the Japanese market yet, we should quickly seize the market gap.

Sachiko Ito is quite satisfied with her current job.

She doesn't need to work regular hours; she lives in an apartment rented by the company. All she needs to do each day is go out to visit customers and maintain client relationships.

Every time a new customer is discovered, not only can you receive a substantial bonus, but you can also continue to earn sales commissions.

Sachiko Ito has even started to have the courage to save money to buy a house herself.

Therefore, she responded very positively to her boss's requests and proactively reported on her work.

“I provided a tip to the TV station about the love hotel introducing a new high-end lifelike doll. The TV station took it, interviewed the hotel, and it was featured on TV Tokyo.”

Wang Xiao was overjoyed and spared no expense in praising Ito Sachiko.

Very good, girl, you've got it.

When used effectively, social news can be more effective than large-scale advertising campaigns.

"Let's take advantage of this favorable trend and do a good job of promoting the dolls."

Wang Xiao also offered a glimpse of the future, saying, "If business goes well, there will be a surprise for you. By the way—record the news broadcast, and I'll try to get it on the news in Russia too."

She emphasized earnestly, "I haven't forgotten that Love Power has always wanted to open up the Russian market. Now we all have to work hard to fulfill the old man's last wish."

What she said sounded so true.

If she could accurately name the previous owner of the Power of Love, her words would be more credible.

But she had already forgotten. She never remembered people who were unimportant.

Fortunately, Sachiko Ito didn't care about that at all. She simply expressed her gratitude respectfully: "You really are a man of your word."

Wang Xiao boasted without a hint of arrogance: "Of course. Now that I have taken over the power of love, I must carry it forward. Russia is one stop. Next, all the CIS countries and the entire European market are the territories we need to conquer."

She was deeply moved. "Ms. Ito, I think we are engaged in a great profession, a profession that can prevent more people from being harmed."

You know what? I recently heard some horrific rumors about the cruelty inflicted on women working in the sex industry.

They were deceived, forced into drug addiction, and then turned into money-making tools.

When they can no longer earn money, they become human organ banks, and their hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys are harvested at any time to become organ suppliers.

Those who manage to escape this calamity will suffer an even worse fate. They will be driven away, left to languish on the streets, until they freeze or starve to death.

Those murderers even targeted solo women traveling by car, in order to save on travel expenses for human trafficking.

Before transmigrating into the book, Wang Xiao had heard similar stories.

Someone suddenly disappeared while traveling abroad. When they reappeared, it was on the dark web.

There is no organization like the Dark Web yet, but crimes of the same nature have already emerged.

Wang Xiao heard that the reason why criminal organizations directly kidnapped women, instead of using sweet talk to traffic women from Eastern Europe and the CIS countries to various parts of the world;

This was solely to save on the travel expenses required for human trafficking;

She felt a chill rising from the top of her head.

All the harm done to women will never truly harm women from the lower classes.

When you feel good about yourself, thinking, "I don't want to go anywhere to make big money anyway, so I'm safe."

Evil eyes have already set their sights on you.

Women who can afford to travel abroad are probably not in bad financial condition; they could even be described as "rich, beautiful, and successful."

They are also a prime target for criminals.

Sachiko Ito felt a chill run down her spine.

She had originally planned to travel abroad, not with a tour group, but on her own, going wherever she wanted.

After hearing what Wang Xiao said, she had no more ideas. She decided to stay in Japan quietly.

Sigh, I just need to work hard, earn more money, and buy my own apartment as soon as possible.

Wang Xiao hung up the phone and checked the time.

Never mind, she's sleepy, she needs to go to sleep quickly.

There's still a lot of work to be done before leaving Moscow.

She gets up in the morning and immediately starts working.

Although we haven't received the videotapes from the Japanese news yet, we still need to start the publicity plan.

Mr. Wang set the direction for the sanatorium's publicity department's future work.

This sex doll, which has gained recognition in the Japanese market, was handmade by Japanese artisans, with technical support provided by the Moscow Robotics Institute.

Emphasizing this point caters to national pride.

Even if the Russians love to make fun of themselves, deep down they are proud of their former status as the Soviet Union's big brother.

After Wang Xiao finished explaining, the milk was almost at the right temperature.

She downed a glass in one gulp, ate a piece of pie, wiped her mouth, and went out with Ivanov.

They need to check the market situation today to gauge the current sentiment.

As the two got up, Ovechkin, who had been eating breakfast, suddenly jumped up and asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"

"Nonsense, of course we're going back to the city." Ivanov wasn't going to say anything nice to him now.

Those damned guys are just trying to use him as a shield.

Ovechkin's voice rose eight octaves: "You're going back to the city?"

Ivanov looked at him like he was a fool: "How can you work if you don't go back?"

Ovechkin is going crazy.

He was so scared last night that he didn't sleep a wink, and now that his lifeline is leaving, it's enough to drive him to the brink of collapse.

Even though Ivanov repeatedly assured him, "Don't worry, as long as you stay in the sanatorium, you will definitely not be in any danger,"

But he was still scared.

Honestly, are the Russian mafia just ordinary gangsters?

While ordinary thugs rely on watermelon knives to navigate the underworld, local mafia gangs, when fighting each other, can be as skilled as driving a T-90 tank or carrying a machine gun.

He was terrified, terrified to death, so he insisted on following Ivanov and fighting alongside him.

In short, he wants to be a qualified accessory.

But Ivanov didn't want to.

If Ovechkin were a beautiful woman, he might have reluctantly agreed, perhaps because she was attractive.

What's so special about a grown man like him, a smelly grown man?

Can't you just stay in the nursing home quietly?

“Ivanov, my dear Ivanov,” Ovechkin pleaded, “I promise, I promise I will absolutely not cause you any trouble. Hey, friend, my dear friend. I believe that one day in the future I will still be able to help you in a little way.”

Ivanov chuckled and said, "I really wouldn't dare trouble you."

“Hey! My friend, you have to take me with you.” With that, he grabbed Ivanov’s arm and wouldn’t let go.

Oh God.

Ivanov had never encountered such a persistent nuisance before; he couldn't shake it off no matter what.

He had no choice but to take the person with him into the car.

Wang Xiao observed the whole thing with a detached eye, wondering what Ovech was really up to.

Today they're going to Huaxia Commercial Street first to see if anyone's coming to cause trouble.

Then go check the rented shops to see if there are any unexpected situations.

The final focus is on wholesale markets.

Because the commercial street has been operating for more than a year, it is relatively mature in all aspects, and the probability of an accident is relatively low.

The shops that were rented out each paid 30% of their profits as protection money, so in this respect, the Mafia actually had a pretty good reputation.

The shop's tenants had nothing to say.

After all, although the government doesn't charge taxes in Moscow's free markets, the mafia still collects protection money. If you don't pay, even if you're a native Muscovite, you can forget about doing business.

The most dangerous place is the wholesale market, where there are many people coming and going and a lot of money flowing in and out, making it easy to be targeted.

Just as he said, Ovechkin remained completely obedient from beginning to end, without uttering a single word.

Even when he arrived at the entrance of the military barracks wholesale building, he cooperated quietly when the policeman at the gate checked whether he was carrying a weapon.

Next to them, two young men who had been found carrying guns were protesting angrily: "We're doing this for our own safety. There are robbers everywhere now."

The police officer ignored them completely, tossed the pistol into the empty slot of the safe next to him, locked it, and coldly ordered, "Register your identification information. We'll take the gun back when you come out."

The two young men were quite surprised and stared at the policeman in disbelief.

They actually returned the guns to them? Shouldn't the police have just confiscated the guns?

The police officer replied meaningfully, "It's my off-duty time now."

The wholesale market in Moscow operates in cooperation with the police department, with officers taking turns to guard the premises.

However, the patrols inside are handled by one of Moscow's largest security companies.

Their company's security guards are allowed to carry weapons; Sergei's employment contract was issued by this company.

Their weapons came from the Ministry of the Interior; they weren't stolen, but rather rented openly.

Their security personnel are also veterans of the security agencies, with similar backgrounds to the Mafia.

The saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

They are probably the only ones capable of dealing with the powerful Mafia.

Ovechkin was as quiet as a chicken, truly like a proper accessory, obediently following Ivanov closely without letting go.

He knew about the wholesale market before, but this was the first time he had actually walked in.

He was taken aback when he reached the stairwell.

He originally thought that Huaxia Commercial Street was already lively enough, especially compared to those large department stores, it was incredibly lively.

However, compared to the foot traffic of the wholesale market, the commercial street pales in comparison.

Really, there were so many people, a huge, overwhelming crowd.

Each room is a small shop.

Some specialize in fashion, and their rooms are filled with all sorts of trendy clothes.

Some of them run a leather boot business, with bunk beds serving as shelves, neatly arranged with leather boots of various styles and colors.

Some of them sell bedding, and they've separated bunk beds into two separate beds so they can display more of their products.

There are also businesses that sell cosmetics, samovars, carpets, rice cookers, watches, knitted underwear, and so on.

There's nothing they won't sell, only things you can't imagine.

Almost every open door had a humidifier running inside.

Although Moscow winters are damp and cold, the indoor heating is so good that without a humidifier, even one's nose can't stand it.

Surprisingly, this newly emerging small appliance didn't have much of a market initially.

After all, the main hub for small household appliances in China is the southern region. Currently, people in the south rely entirely on their own resilience to keep warm in winter, and very few households have air conditioning.

But it quickly became popular after resellers accidentally obtained wholesale goods for their own use.

In the CIS countries and Eastern Europe, heating is generally supplied by the government at low prices, so there is still a considerable market for air humidifiers.

Besides these small appliances, other products are also selling very well.

Almost every customer comes in with a bag of money and then leaves carrying large and small bags.

Wealthy clients use sedans, with Ladas and Moskva being the preferred choices, capable of hauling away at least three or four packages of goods at a time.

Those who run small businesses rely entirely on their integrity, carrying large bags on their shoulders and in their hands.

Some people use trailers. They buy goods from wholesale markets and then transport them to the free market to sell them at a higher price, thus making a profit from the price difference.

The hallway was bustling with activity.

People were constantly on the go, making phone calls, sending faxes, and helping customers with shipping.

There were also rows of rooms with signs hanging on the doors, such as "Legal Consultation" and "Visa Registration." People were constantly coming and going.

Next to the law firm is a branch of the Russian Bank.

They kept collecting bags of rubles, either exchanging them for dollars or helping customers send money home.

If all goes well, the bank that handles the wholesale market can transfer the US dollars to the customer's designated Huaxia Bank account, or any other bank account in any other region or country in the world, within three days.

Interestingly, the barbershop in the building originally catered specifically to resellers.

The stylist only managed to keep it halfway through, then couldn't continue. He became a self-taught stylist yesterday, only knowing how to do a few different types of hair.

But perhaps because haircut prices in Moscow have risen so drastically, quite a few locals are now making special trips to him for haircuts.

He was on the verge of a breakdown by the end of the cut and had to shout, "Wait a minute, I need to eat first!"

It's lunchtime, and the entire wholesale building is filled with the aroma of food.

The cafeteria ladies pushed their insulated food carts up and down the stairs, delivering boxed lunches to everyone.

There was no way around it; business was so good that the merchants didn't have time to go down for a meal and had to eat boxed lunches while serving customers.

As a result, the people who ended up dining with Wang Xiao and the others in the cafeteria were actually customers who came to buy goods, residents from the neighborhood who came to get haircuts, and some who even came specifically to eat.

The canteen at the wholesale market serves authentic Chinese cuisine.

Moreover, since the ingredients are all sourced directly from the farm, they are self-produced and self-sold, resulting in low costs. In addition, since it is a canteen, the operating costs are relatively low, and the selling price is not expensive.

For the price of a large loaf of bread, you can have a simple rice bowl with unlimited rice and extra broth if you want more vegetables.

Therefore, its existence is quite attractive to the nearby residents.

However, Wang Xiao didn't want rice with toppings; he wanted vegetables with dipping sauce.

Seriously, whether it's radish or cabbage heart, rice rolls made with egg sauce are absolutely amazing.

Wang Xiao ate one bite after another, and Ivanov also tried it, enjoying it immensely.

He felt like he had opened the door to a new world; he had no idea that vegetables could be eaten raw like this, and that they were actually quite sweet.

"Your Majesty, let's eat like this from now on."

Wang Xiao shook his head, cruelly shattering his illusion: "This can only be eaten in a cold place. It won't work in a different environment."

Why does she know this so clearly? Because she has experienced such a painful realization.

When she was in college, she went home with her roommates from Northeast China and ate raw vegetables once, which amazed her.

After she went back, she did the same thing, and she almost got dehydrated and ended up in the hospital.

No, it really won't work. The warm climate of the South can't support vegetables that have been exposed to freezing temperatures.

She then comforted the disappointed person, saying, "It's okay, there are plenty of delicious foods out there. You'll forget about this soon enough."

Ovechkin was very perceptive and immediately grasped the key point: "What are you talking about? Where are you going?"

But Ivanov completely ignored him and only nodded to the security team leader.

The other party came over with a plate of food, showing off fresh vegetables.

In Moscow right now, vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers are priced the same as meat, around 1,200 rubles per pound at the market.

So now eating vegetables is definitely not about eating grass, but about having money to afford them.

Ordinary people mainly rely on pickled vegetables, potatoes, and rye bread to make a living.

The security captain proactively reported the current situation: "Overall, the wholesale market is relatively stable. Of the seven theft cases that occurred, three have been solved."

Wang Xiao pressed further, "What's going on?"

“Four of them did it while customers were shopping.” The security captain’s expression turned subtle. “The remaining three were prostitutes. They stole money from the customers as they left.”

Wang Xiao almost cursed on the spot, "Fuck! These bastards!"

The security captain explained, "We can't turn away prostitutes; they might be customers too."

Indeed, that is the case.

They not only buy for themselves, but even prostitutes come to wholesale cosmetics, such as perfumes, lipsticks, and lingerie, to sell in their own circles, and business is quite good.

Wang Xiao's face was gloomy.

She knew, of course, that this was not the responsibility of the wholesale market manager.

Those bastards, they'll never behave themselves until they're hung on the wall.

She wasn't angry that the man had solicited a prostitute.

In Moscow, the red-light district is a legal industry, and she never makes moral demands on others.

What angered her was that these people couldn't distinguish between what was important and what wasn't, and couldn't even control their own desires at a crucial moment.

There are no lone prostitutes in Moscow; they are now mostly backed by the mafia, otherwise they would have no way to survive in the underworld.

Bringing prostitutes into the wholesale market is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.

Not only will they harm themselves, but they will also implicate innocent people who are morally upright.

Seeing that things were not going well, Ivanov quickly changed the subject.

After all, he can hardly be considered innocent in this matter.

"How's the drug testing going? How's it progressing?"

The so-called drug testing refers to the random checks conducted on all merchants moving into the wholesale market to see if they test positive for drugs.

Because prostitution, gambling, and drugs are the root of all evil, getting involved with any of them will lead to big trouble.

From a theoretical perspective, the management of the wholesale market has no right to conduct any tests on the merchants, as doing so would violate their personal privacy.

But the merchants did not object to this.

Among the Chinese businessmen in Moscow, some gamble, and some use drugs.

Others kept their distance from them, after all, gamblers and drug addicts were ruthless and capable of anything.

Excluding these people, especially the latter, is actually a good thing for everyone.

Fortunately, the security captain's answer to this question was satisfactory.

No, no drug use has been found so far.

Chinese businessmen have been framed with heroin by Moscow police before, so most people are quite vigilant about this.

The two bosses then relaxed a little and continued eating.

After eating two rice rolls, Wang Xiao finally put down his chopsticks and slowly explained his decision.

"Soliciting prostitutes is not allowed in the wholesale market. If you want to have fun, go outside. But whether you live or die outside has nothing to do with the wholesale market."

Damn it, how much effort and cost did they spend to ensure the safety of the wholesale market?

Do you think security work is easy? These security guards are all hired at a high price.

Their starting monthly salary is 80,000 rubles. There are a total of 40 security guards on duty 24 hours a day. What a huge expense that is.

The security captain was the first to agree, nodding happily: "OK!"

When other outsiders enter and interact with the merchants in the wholesale market, it is at least in a public place, and the interaction is relatively controllable.

The only thing that can't be done in public is that soliciting prostitutes can't be done in a public place, and it can't last for a very short time, so it's easy for something to go wrong.

As for whether they might lose their lives while searching, that has nothing to do with their security work.

Ivanov hesitated, because he had serious doubts about whether the merchants could comply with the regulation.

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes: "Whatever, if you don't want to, just get lost."

She was absolutely fed up with those jerks.

If the lower-ranking person controls the upper-ranking person, you can't plaster mud on a wall!

The food cart that delivered the boxed meals returned, and the cafeteria lady, seeing the extra lunch boxes, asked curiously, "Who's not eating?"

"Old Zhao," the delivery man complained, "His door was locked. I knocked but no one answered, and the people next to me said they didn't see him either. I thought he had come over for dinner."

The others shook their heads, saying, "No, we didn't see it."

Oh dear, that must be a ghost! Could it be that Old Zhao went out?

Wang Xiao and Ivanov exchanged a glance, their scalps tingling.

Their intuition told them that something seemed to have happened.

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