Chapter 181 Going to Japan: Vixens Are Everywhere

Wang Xiao and Ivanov found themselves new business and immediately got busy on Sakhalin Island.

They didn't wander around aimlessly; instead, they made international long-distance calls and sent faxes, inquiring about new raw materials all over the world.

The good news is that this raw material has indeed been around for over ten years. It was originally used to make toilet seat covers, but it was later spotted by outdoor mountaineering clothing brands and began to shine. It has also been recognized by the US military, and its comfort and warmth are top-notch.

The bad news is that it's a niche product, expensive, and they want to import fabrics from the US.

That price, lol, money is a real obstacle.

Wang Xiao, without thinking twice, said, "Do you know how to synthesize it? If you do, we'll make it ourselves."

She didn't mention raw material patents at all, because that's just how things are in China. Who talks about raw material patents?

But it's okay not to talk about it, because the inventor of fleece didn't even apply for a patent. He had a broad vision; he believed that true innovators are never afraid of being imitated, and imitators are destined to be left behind.

This kind of vision is something that a businessman like Wang Xiao, who only cares about money, can never hope to achieve.

The bosses were busy inside, using both phones and fax machines.

Outside the room, the assistant refilled the hot water for the deputy governor once again, smiling and apologizing: "I'm sorry, madam, the conference call isn't over yet, so I shouldn't go in and disturb you."

The deputy governor was extremely anxious and had to force a stiff smile: "Could you please tell him?"

The assistant shook his head vigorously, refusing without hesitation: "The boss is talking about deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. If anything goes wrong, even if we were to sell myself off, it wouldn't make up for the loss."

The deputy governor dared not force the issue and could only grit his teeth and continue waiting.

Wang Xiao just left the person outside like that.

Yes, he's a leader, a state leader.

But how many people are there in Sakhalin Oblast? Only 500,000. In China, that wouldn't even be the size of a decent county town.

To put it another way that's politically incorrect, according to domestic standards, anyone below the level of a city leadership member is not allowed to sit at Mr. Wang's dinner table.

Even if she's considered lowly when she's away from home, she doesn't need to fawn over this stinking person.

Didn't you want to embrace capitalism? Let me tell you now, in the capitalist world, everything must serve capital.

It's nominally socialist, but in reality it operates like feudalism, which won't work in this world.

Which local government, eager to attract investment, would dare to act this way? Don't even think about defying the established order.

Watching the sun go from high in the sky to sunset, and then being swallowed by the ocean until its last ray of light.

As the blue sky turned from azure to grayish-blue and then faded away, the sky darkened into pitch black, and the stars and moon could no longer be seen.

As the room door opened and closed, the staff jogged inside, bringing in freshly squeezed juice and various carefully prepared snacks.

Good heavens, tropical fruits on Sakhalin Island are so expensive that they can only be imported by air, yet they are simply juiced and drunk like water to soothe the throat.

As darkness fell and the howling sea breeze came through the window, Wang Xiao finally ended his long conference call, stretched, and went outside.

Upon seeing the lieutenant governor, she appropriately widened her eyes, then covered her mouth, exclaiming, "Oh my God, madam, what are you doing here?"

She turned to her assistant, her expression reproachful. "What's going on? How could you let Madam sit here? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

The assistant, with a perfectly natural expression of grievance and timidity, cautiously explained, "Miss Wang, we dare not disturb you. You said today's business is very important."

Wang Xiao shook his head repeatedly, looking like he had really had enough: "There are priorities. No matter how important something is, can it be more important than Madam?"

The deputy governor had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak up for her: "It's alright, I told him not to bother you, Miss Wang. I'm so sorry about what happened today."

When she heard that the group of foreign businessmen left the state government meeting room without saying a word, and that they said they couldn't get the oil and gas field project to go, she knew that things were going to get really bad.

No one really needs to worry about not being able to spend their money.

The only thing the whole world is worried about is not being able to make money, especially in an impoverished region like Sakhalin.

Oil and gas field projects are their only remaining lifeline. Without oil and gas field development, attracting investment and developing tourism are all just empty talk.

“Miss Wang, I’m so sorry.” The deputy governor’s gray-blue eyes were filled with remorse. “I didn’t handle this well. I hurt you, my friend.”

Wang Xiao's face showed emotion as she took the initiative to hug the deputy governor: "I understand, I know. As a woman, you must be having a tough time at work."

Across the room, Ivanov sat in front of the fax machine, drinking soda and trying to resist the urge to devour a whole Napoleon cake.

No, he has to restrain himself. He can't develop a potbelly at such a young age; it would seriously affect his charm.

The assistant tiptoed into the room and began a live broadcast: "They were all crying."

"oh."

Ivanov began to idly chew on dried small fish. These dried small fish, which were stored in the salt lake without any other seasonings, were full of protein and had no fat, which was why he dared to eat them without worry at night.

It's perfectly normal for the deputy governor to come looking for him.

He had discussed with Wang Xiao the state government's sudden attack. He believed that while it was common for government officials to be brainless and only concerned with whether they could pocket the small, immediate gains, the timing of their attack was wrong. It was more likely that the state government officials were playing good cop and bad cop, so that Wuzhou Company could choose a close official as a partner.

Without a doubt, this person is the lieutenant governor.

Compared to Ivanov, who came from a privileged Soviet family and knew all the ways of that class, Miss Wang, from China, was clearly a more suitable target.

Women, especially young women, are naturally empathetic, kind, soft-hearted, and emotional. They are too easily swayed by a few words and regard older women as their confidantes and mentors in life.

It would be strange if they didn't pick out such an easy target to exploit.

Look, he's the one who kicked over the chair in the conference room, but the person they went to is Wang.

Sigh, Ivanov took another bite of the dried fish, leaving the trouble to his companion; he felt a little embarrassed.

So he ate a whole bag of dried fish by himself and kept drinking water to quench his thirst.

The assistant watched silently from the side, secretly complaining: "Don't yell if your face is swollen like a pig's head when you wake up tomorrow morning."

Wang Xiao hugged and cried with the deputy governor, but didn't give in directly. She only said that she would have a good talk with Ivanov.

With such a large project, they must be accountable to the tens of thousands of shareholders behind them.

The lieutenant governor said she understood, acknowledging that the state government had indeed acted in a poorly considered manner.

When I left, my assistant brought me a cashmere coat.

Wang Xiao personally stood on tiptoe and draped the coat over the deputy governor's shoulders: "It's so late and so cold, and I feel really bad for troubling you to come all this way. When I saw this coat in the mall, I thought it would suit you perfectly. Please accept it; it's my small apology."

The case is solved. There's no magic trick where a meal can conjure up a cashmere coat.

Even though Wuzhou Transportation Company has its own planes, this is still Russian airspace. No matter how incompetent the current government is, or how powerful you are, you still have to report your destination in advance.

Otherwise, the Soviet-era arsenal is no joke.

The reason they were able to bring Douglas a well-fitting cashmere coat after just one meal was simply because they had prepared it in advance.

They planned to give the gifts to state government officials to foster harmonious government-business relations.

The fact that they fit perfectly was simply because they had the sizes of the state government's top officials and had prepared several in advance.

Now, there's no need to send anything else; just send it to the deputy governor first.

Even though it's already May and summer is just around the corner, it doesn't matter. Winter comes even earlier on Sakhalin Island; by September, the winds are howling and snow is falling.

The deputy governor hesitated for a moment, but eventually accepted the precious gift.

However, despite Wang Xiao's reluctance to part ways, as if she wished she could go back with the deputy governor and sleep next to him, she still felt a deep connection with him.

The next day, when the deputy governor returned to the hotel, she was told that Miss Wang had left.

The deputy governor was so frightened that he turned pale and exclaimed in shock, "When did they leave? How could you let them go?"

The hotel staff suspected she was mentally unstable. Did they think things were different now? The Soviet Union was gone; why would a hotel obstruct a guest's movement?

The waiter replied curtly, "That's the guest's right."

Just as the lieutenant governor was raging, the hotel manager rushed over and told her some good news: the people from Wuzhou Petroleum Company hadn't checked out, and the representatives from the American Petroleum Company hadn't left either.

Miss Wang and Ivanov did leave, they took suitcases with them and mentioned taking a plane.

As for where they went, the hotel really doesn't know.

The deputy governor felt his vision go black and black again.

From a normal person's perspective, if the guests haven't checked out, it means they'll definitely be coming back to sleep that night. Otherwise, with so many people, the room fees alone would be a huge expense.

Unfortunately, the rich and the poor don't live in the same world; at least Wang Xiao and Ivanov clearly didn't care about this expense.

The deputy governor waited at the hotel until the moon was high in the sky. She even saw the American oil company representative put his arm around a fashionable woman with an Asian face and enter the room, but she didn't see Wang Xiao, Ivanov, or anyone else in their team.

She tried to comfort herself, thinking that maybe they had just gone out to conduct a site survey, stayed at a friend's house, or even stayed in a military tent in the wild.

But another day passed, and the hotel room they had booked was still empty.

Where did Wang Xiao and Ivanov go? Did they go hunting bears in the island's primeval forest to avoid the deputy governor's wife?

Well, Wang Xiao was indeed eager to try hunting, full of all sorts of mischievous thoughts; but she really didn't have time right now.

As for avoiding the deputy governor, there's no need for that; he doesn't have that much influence over us.

She left Sakhalin Island purely for fleece.

Fleece products are currently mainly produced in the United States, but Japan also has the technology.

She was going to negotiate with Toray Industries regarding the import of fleece raw materials.

Toray is a long-established Japanese textile company that has always excelled in developing new raw materials. For example, they are very good at making the renowned carbon fiber material.

However, due to the pressure of the yen's appreciation and the decline of the traditional textile industry, Toray began to transform itself in the 1980s and did not continue to struggle in the traditional textile industry.

Therefore, although it possesses the raw material technology for producing fleece, it has not developed it further or directly produced finished fabrics for sale.

Wang Xiao didn't expect the other party to produce the fabric. Labor costs in Japan were high, and for labor-intensive industries like textiles, only by doing it on the mainland could the price of fleece be driven down.

A single garment costs over a thousand yuan; how can ordinary people afford that now? Wang Xiao's goal is to keep the price of a fleece jacket around a hundred yuan.

It is estimated that the economic situation of Russia and other CIS countries will hardly improve significantly in the foreseeable 5-10 years, and may even worsen.

Only inexpensive products that provide good warmth can win over customers who are short on cash.

As for what will happen in 5-10 years? Well, fleece is hailed as one of the 20th century's 100 greatest inventions, and for good reason. It's a classic, evergreen material, and its superior performance has kept it consistently popular.

She plans to do this long-term.

Ivanov always trusted her judgment, and when he heard that she was going to Japan to talk to Toray about importing raw materials, he immediately jumped up and said enthusiastically, "I'll go too."

Wang Xiao asked, puzzled, "What are you going there for? Wouldn't it be better for you to stay on the island and keep an eye on the oil and gas field projects?"

She also teased her companions, "It's good that I'm not here. They want to 'conquer' you, and maybe you'll have a memorable romantic encounter."

Ivanov wasn't falling for it: "I think you're the one looking for a romantic encounter."

Wang Xiao didn't get the hidden meaning in his words and looked confused: "Romantic encounter? What romantic encounter?"

Ivanov began to wink: "That male vixen, Wu."

Wang Xiao suddenly realized what was going on and was both amused and exasperated: "You mean him! That happened so long ago, how do you still remember?"

She really racked her brains before she came up with the person.

Ivanov snorted, clearly disbelieving: "But you haven't looked for anyone else yet. So many great young men, and you haven't taken a single one."

"What does that prove?" Wang Xiao asked, puzzled. "Do I really have to lower my standards and just eat anywhere just to prove something?"

Ivanov was shocked: "They were carefully selected by me, not just any random person."

Wang Xiao was too lazy to argue with him about this: "Fine, I'll be picky. If you're going to come along because of this, I'll finish quickly and come back as soon as I'm done."

Ivanov shook his head: "No, it would be more effective if I went with you. Ha, it's the state government that's begging us to invest, not the other way around."

Wang Xiao turned her head and rolled her eyes; she knew it would be like this.

All male creatures have an inherent inferiority complex.

They were clearly acting in their own self-interest—which is normal; any living being would act from its own perspective.

But they'll subconsciously package it as—look, I've given up everything for you. Your affairs are the most important thing to me.

If females believed their nonsense, they would be in deep trouble.

Despite her inner grumbling, she didn't actually leave Ivanov on Sakhalin Island and act on her own.

Instead, Wang Xiao contacted the Moscow Chemical Research Institute and asked them to send an expert to Tokyo to meet with them.

That's right, Wang Xiao is quite greedy; he doesn't intend to let others earn the money he can himself.

Fleece is a synthetic material; to be precise, it is actually a fabric made of polyester, a petroleum derivative.

Since we're talking about oil, the chemical experts trained in the Soviet Union, which had abundant oil and gas resources, had to focus their efforts on this area.

If we can produce the raw materials ourselves, why do we need to import them? It's too much trouble.

So, comrade, come along and see if you can do it. If you can, the subsequent raw material orders will be yours.

In the past, it was not easy for scientists from the Chemical Engineering Institute to go to Japan.

However, Russia has now relaxed restrictions on its citizens leaving the country, so the chemical expert named Artem Bidlovich arrived at Tokyo airport only two hours later than Wang Xiao and his group.

Sakhalin Island is very close to Japan, so there was no jet lag for them. Sachiko Ito, who picked them up at the airport, took them out for a simple lunch first.

In the early summer of 1993, Tokyo, though already mired in an economic crisis, remained bustling and vibrant, showing no signs of decline. Cars thronged the streets, and pedestrians hurried along.

Inside the restaurant, Ivanov was still sighing, his tone rather sinister: "How come they're acting like nothing happened?"

Both cities suffered setbacks, but Moscow's situation was far worse in comparison. The roads were neglected, riddled with potholes, and the streets outside the subway stations were muddy after rain or snow. Everyone wore a weary and indifferent face.

Wang Xiao's Chinese bodyguards are now quite fluent in Russian. Although they can't read or write it, it doesn't stop them from listening and speaking. They immediately comforted their boss: "Russia is a poor country among rich countries. Russian people have houses and cars, which we all envy."

Just as Ivanov was about to feign modesty and show off his pride, the chemist Bidlovich, who had remained silent, simply dismissed it and uttered a Russian proverb that roughly meant, "It's just that our ancestors were once wealthy."

Ivanov nearly suffered internal injuries from holding it in.

He gritted his teeth and finally spat out a sentence: "Watch your mouth carefully later, and don't say anything carelessly."

Wang Xiao turned her head away, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

No, even if she thought of all the sorrows in life, she couldn't help but laugh.

Ivanov glanced at her and said sullenly, "Laugh if you want to."

Wang Xiao couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, then sincerely said, "Being able to be rich is a skill, it means you've at least been blessed by God."

Ivanov felt a little comforted, but not much.

Wang Xiao felt he still had room for improvement, so he pressed on: "You need to think more broadly. According to the course of human social history, China's feudal society was the most developed, and it was the most prosperous society in the world until the Qing Dynasty, wasn't it?"

Ivanov thought this was still acceptable.

If it weren't powerful, it wouldn't have turned itself into the United Nations, with concessions everywhere, yet no country could swallow it up.

Wang Xiao sighed: "So, theoretically speaking, shouldn't China, with its well-developed feudalism, be the first to enter the new capitalist world?"

Ivanov became interested; this was indeed something that had puzzled him greatly.

In fact, the seeds of capitalism had already sprouted in China during the Ming Dynasty, but unfortunately, it failed to develop further.

Ha! He disliked the Qing Dynasty. He believed that the queue (braid) ruined aesthetics, and that the Qing Dynasty, like the Tsarist era, was a slave society, a regression to a slave society.

Seeing that he had turned his head away, Wang Xiao continued, "But there is always a huge gap between theory and reality. The rise of capitalism is closely related to the Industrial Revolution, and the symbol of the Industrial Revolution is the invention of Watt's steam engine. But why did the steam engine rise in Britain? Because the British Isles had a lot of coal."

Ivanov paused, realizing that having grown up in the Soviet era, his understanding of Western Europe was truly limited. He knew London was foggy, but he certainly hadn't considered that Britain was rich in coal.

Compared to him, his KGB-trained bodyguards were truly knowledgeable. They laughed and echoed Miss Wang's words: "Lots of coal, and they're especially shallow; you can dig up coal in any cellar."

The female bodyguard, Lyuba, nodded in agreement: "Not only is there plenty of coal, but also plenty of iron ore, and it's high-quality iron ore."

Wang Xiao sighed: "There's plenty of coal and iron, and the cost of mining is low, so we don't feel bad about using them and can build as much as we want. With so much production, it's only natural that we would develop steam engines. If we keep building, it's only natural that steam engine technology will develop rapidly."

"Scientific progress may rely on scientists, but technological progress absolutely relies on the accumulation of resources. It comes from the waste of a lot of resources and the practice of countless engineers and workers. It can never come from mere theoretical discussions."

"Unfortunately, the first industrial-scale coal mine in China's history was the Kailuan Coal Mine, which was 70 meters deep. You had to dig out the topsoil, the deep soil, the rocks, the coal gangue, and then the coal. To mine coal, you had to dig deep shafts and very, very long coal mining tunnels."

Ivanov was aware of this as well, because the Soviet Union had abundant coal resources, and he had worked in coal mines.

Wang Xiao continued with the main point: "What to do with the excavated soil and gravel? They had to be transported out using steam engines. The steam engines also had to blow air into the tunnels to bring in fresh air. The 'monkey cars' used to transport the workers up and down were what we now call elevators, and back then they were powered by steam. If any of these processes were missing a steam engine, everything would be over. Kailuan Coal Mine used British technology."

The Chinese bodyguards were about to curse. This was like giving them neither the chicken nor the egg, completely blocking their development and forcing them to wait for capitalist guns and cannons to come and bring their technology.

Wang Xiao spread his hands: "And another thing, Britain's coal bases and handicraft bases are very close, and they can be transported by water. China, on the other hand, is a hundred and eight thousand miles away, and the transportation costs are extremely high."

The Chinese bodyguard was so angry he almost slammed his fist on the table!

It's as if God is deliberately going against China!

Suddenly, cheers erupted from next door: "A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study! Brilliant!"

Then, someone came around from next door, knocked gently on the door, and said with laughter, "Sorry for the intrusion, but I really wanted to see you."

The place where Wang Xiao and his friends ate was a well-known Chinese restaurant in Tokyo, with a layout somewhat similar to a traditional Japanese izakaya.

Although the owner tried to create private rooms, the soundproofing was only so-so; normal conversations could still be heard clearly.

When Wang Xiao and his group entered the restaurant, the peak dining hours had passed, and there were not many customers. They deliberately chose a quiet place, and since they were speaking Russian, they didn't bother to lower their voices.

Unexpectedly, I met a fellow countryman in Tokyo who could understand me.

The assistant went to open the door, and a young man with slightly curly hair wearing a white shirt greeted him with a smile and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect: "What I heard today was truly enlightening."

Wang Xiao turned her head and nodded slightly at him, but her gaze fell on the man in the T-shirt next to him, and her smile deepened slightly.

An old friend.

Ivanov's alarm bells were ringing all over his body; he was practically grinding his teeth in frustration. He knew it, he knew it—male vixens were everywhere!