Chapter 201 I'll Find Someone for You: Michael Jackson's Concert

Wang Xiao made a request: "The drivers for the convoy should still be veterans, preferably those who are skilled in martial arts."

The reason is very simple: there are many bandits on both sides of the road.

She certainly didn't mind giving compensation to the families of her subordinates.

But what normal person would be so bored and have nothing better to do than hand out pensions? Wouldn't it be better to let people earn wages and bonuses?

Tang Yicheng readily agreed: "No problem. I don't trust most people; they're hard to manage."

Ivanov had been listening for a while without getting a chance to speak, but now that he finally had his chance, he got excited and asked, "Wang, could we go into real estate in Shanghai?"

Look! The infrastructure boom in China is fading, and they're even no longer buying steel from Russia. That means the price of building materials in China is falling, making it a great time to build houses.

Wang Xiao found it quite surprising to see the look of surprise on his face.

This guy is clearly a pure third-generation rich kid, but he just happens to like building farms and houses!

She nodded: "Okay."

Tang Yicheng had at least tried to acquire land in Hong Kong before, and although he failed, he was still actively seeking positions for his underlings: "If you want to acquire land in Shanghai to build houses, I have connections here."

Ivanov sensed he was getting a little carried away and immediately reminded him, "This is Shanghai, not Hong Kong. How can you treat land acquisition in the same way in both places?"

Tang Yicheng laughed heartily: "Most of the land buyers in Shanghai are from Hong Kong. My people know how to deal with them."

Wang Xiao didn't agree to his request: "Wait a minute, I've already arranged for someone to do this. Let me ask about the progress."

She glanced at the time and felt that making a call now wouldn't risk being stabbed in the back, so she dialed a number in Shanghai.

In July on Sakhalin Island, she talked to Ivanov about how Shanghai's economic status would continue to rise and how it would become a new financial center. After Ivanov expressed his desire to invest in Shanghai, Wang Xiao did not give him a perfunctory answer and actually arranged for someone to acquire land.

At that time, Tang Yicheng was still struggling in Hong Kong, so it was definitely not him who went to Shanghai, but Xiao Tao.

Well, Ivanov had no recollection of this girl bringing it up out of the blue.

Wang Xiao repeatedly explained: "The person in charge of bringing Chen Yu from the Zhimen side, Chen Yu who was personally brought out by Xiang Dong, her assistant is Xiao Tao."

At this point, Ivanov suddenly realized: "The girl who applauded enthusiastically every time you spoke?"

Haha, he still can't help but laugh when he thinks about it now.

He's definitely a comedian.

Wang Xiao dialed the phone, casually making a sarcastic remark about Ivanov: "How can you talk like that? That young lady has a good eye for people."

Sending Xiao Tao there, frankly speaking, is still because talent development is lagging behind.

They reaped too much of the benefits of the times, leaving no time for the development of their cadre. The university graduate reserve cadres recruited earlier have already been sent out to gain experience in various departments, but they are all still inexperienced.

Xiao Tao is one of them. She's been forced into this situation, like a duck being dragged out and thrown into a trap.

Wang Xiao also thought she was clever and gave her a chance to try. If she could handle it, then she would be the pioneer going to Shanghai.

Don't say the boss is inhuman; he sent a young girl who had only graduated two years ago to Shanghai to pioneer a new field all by herself.

She was very considerate; she even found two bodyguards/assistants for the girl to at least ensure her personal safety.

However, when the call was made, the message transmitted over a long distance did not bring Wang Xiao any good news.

Under discussion.

Upon receiving the notification in July, Xiao Tao immediately set off for Shanghai to directly approach the government and try to acquire the land.

But land in Shanghai is hot right now, and the locations she likes are already in high demand, so negotiations are ongoing.

Wang Xiao rubbed his temples: "How did the talks go? When can the architects come in to plan and design? When can construction begin?"

Xiao Tao was startled and stammered, "Mr. Wang, things are a bit difficult now. We can't compete with the wealthy bosses in Hong Kong. The government recognizes their strength in this area."

Wang Xiao immediately stopped them, saying, "Alright, I'll find someone else for you to go over there, and you can learn from them properly."

She then called Suifenhe and asked Tang Yicheng, "Is the person you recommended available? If so, I'd like to have a phone interview with him now."

The other end reacted extremely quickly, clearly having been waiting.

A slightly accented voice came through the microphone: "Boss... my name is Zhang Junfei, I'm 23 years old, the one who was discharged from the army last year."

"Alright," Wang Xiao interrupted him. "Fax me this basic information. Now I have a question for you. Imagine you're going to Shanghai to acquire land, and there are Hong Kong and Taiwanese business owners competing with you. The local authorities in Shanghai believe they are more powerful and are more inclined to give the land to them. What would you do?"

Don't bring up things like land auctions or the highest bidder winning.

People who did not experience this era generally have a misconception that land transfer began to enter the bidding, auction, and listing model starting from the first auction in Shenzhen Huaxia in 1987.

However, this system was actually not issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources until May 2002.

Between these two points in time, spanning more than a decade, how was land transferred for paid use? The answer is land transfer through agreements.

With land prices in Hainan skyrocketing, who ultimately decides the price at the auction?

The commercial city acquired land in Jinning and Xiaozhou, which was directly allocated to it by the local governments.

The situation in Shanghai right now is similar.

Without hesitation, Zhang Junfei blurted out, "Tell the leaders that Hong Kong and Taiwanese businessmen are unreliable. They like to hoard land; they acquire it but don't develop it, just waiting for it to appreciate in value before reselling it."

They followed Brother Tang to Hong Kong to acquire land, and the piece of land they had their eye on was in this situation.

Ha, they're trying to rip us off, treating us like suckers. They want to triple the price of a piece of land in three years, making it far more expensive than surrounding land. They'd have to be crazy to fall into this trap!

Wang Xiao declined to comment, but pressed further: "Anything else?"

Zhang Junfei stammered, his tongue almost tied in knots: "I...we won't hoard the land, we'll develop it as soon as we get it."

As his voice trailed off, he had a sudden inspiration: "We can develop a seafood market. We have planes that can handle international air freight, providing only the freshest seafood."

As he spoke, he got excited, "We can do the seafood business ourselves. The price doubles when it lands in Shanghai, so it's very profitable."

Ivanov, listening nearby, burst into laughter, finding Zhang utterly amusing.

Wang Xiao sighed, unsure how to react.

Tang Yicheng, realizing something was amiss, quickly tried to smooth things over for his subordinate: "This is just a statement to the government. Tell them we want to develop it; there are many ways to do it. As for whether or not to develop the seafood market later, it depends on the surrounding transportation. If it can be developed, we'll benchmark it against Japan's largest fish market—Tsukiji Market. Our group also has business in Japan, so everything will be convenient then."

Wang Xiao wasn't surprised that Tang Yicheng was helping his subordinates.

The more important the positions of the soldiers he trained in the group, the greater his personal influence within the group naturally became.

A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier.

If Tang Yicheng has been fed so many resources to this day and still has no ambition at all, then he's doomed. He's reached his peak and there will be no further development.

Wang Xiao also refrained from commenting on the fish market, instead pressing further, "Anything else?"

There was a silence for about three seconds.

Who was suffering during those three seconds, and how much they were suffering, was completely unconcerned by the ticking seconds.

Fortunately, the long three seconds finally passed.

Tang Yicheng gritted his teeth and gave his analysis: "Local governments tend to favor Hong Kong and Taiwan businessmen acquiring land, firstly because they believe the businessmen have strong financial resources, and secondly because they believe that the development of the land will bring corresponding resources to the local area."

"First, we have stronger financial resources and abundant cash flow. We don't rely on bank loans to make a living."

"Secondly, the planned economy mentality is unacceptable. Real estate developers cannot buy a piece of land and then be responsible for the work and life of the people in that area."

Upon hearing the second point, Ivanov began grinding his teeth.

This is because it's a meme about Russia attracting foreign investment.

European media quoted foreign businesspeople as saying that foreign investment is afraid to enter Russia because it completely fails to understand the logic of the country's government.

If someone invests in building a factory there, they're doomed. The entire neighborhood's food, drink, and basic needs will be your responsibility.

Tang Yicheng became more and more confident as he spoke: "We are much more reliable than real estate developers in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Look at the markets we have developed in Jinning and Xiaozhou. We have high-end office buildings and wholesale markets. The markets themselves alone have provided tens of thousands of jobs. Not to mention how many orders the companies linked to the markets have received and what their current production scale is."

Wang Xiao listened without saying a word.

Although there are still some oversights and assumptions, it is still acceptable.

It's like being in a completely different field; if you've thought of this much, then you can make do with it for now.

“You should teach him more now. Fly to Shanghai tomorrow and let him meet with Xiao Tao. Zhang Junfei, you and Xiao Tao can discuss the work in Shanghai afterwards.”

The call here has ended, but the call to Shanghai still needs to be made.

Wang Xiao asked Xiao Tao, "Tell me, how did you carry out your work in Shanghai?"

After listening to the other person for less than three minutes, she noticed the problem: "You have typical student thinking. You believe whatever others say and then act within that framework. That won't work. You're going to Shanghai to develop the market. The leaders in Shanghai say that Hong Kong people are rich and powerful, and you accept that statement and start working based on that premise? Our trade city is so big, with such a large turnover, is it so that you'll become petty when you go to Shanghai?"

She launched into a long, rapid-fire speech, which almost brought Xiao Tao to tears.

This girl doesn't have any major flaws, but her fatal flaw is that she's too weak-willed.

This is inevitable.

Xiao Tao graduated from university less than two years ago, and she still has a strong student mentality, with a natural sense of obedience to teachers and elders.

Later, at Jiangzhimen, he became Chen Yu's assistant, where he did the same work of following orders.

But she happens to be a girl.

For women, ambition is a derogatory term dictated by society.

If you don't believe me, go and look at male-oriented revenge stories. Aren't they all about the four words: "If you're not convinced, then fight!"

The first step in a story about a woman's triumphant comeback is awakening.

The sheer belief that a woman can succeed can consume a significant portion of her life.

This is also why Wang Xiao particularly likes ambitious women.

They don't engage in internal strife; they believe they can win; and they won't waste time and energy on pointless questions like, "Am I being too much?"

But people aren't NPCs; she can't just mold them however she wants.

If she had a weak-willed subordinate, she would want to use him, but she would also have to train him.

Wang Xiao earnestly instructed: "Look at how your General Manager Chen deals with officials in Jiangzhimen, and learn from him. So what if it's Shanghai? Shanghai is just a city, not the Heavenly Court. So what if it's Hong Kong businessmen? Haven't you seen enough Hong Kong businessmen in Jinning? Your General Manager Tang has sent someone over to you, and the two of you can work together from now on."

Ivanov waited until she hung up the phone before complimenting her, "With a boss like you teaching her step by step, I'm sure she'll succeed quickly."

"No." Wang Xiao picked up her glass, took a sip of soda water, and said calmly, "Most likely, she will be sidelined."

"What?" Ivanov's eyes widened. "Why? Oh, God, that's terrible."

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "It's obvious, why are you pretending!"

Ivanov chuckled and started drinking his soda water.

Just as Wang said, it was only natural that Zhang formed an alliance with Xiao Tao's two bodyguards and assistants after he went to Shanghai.

They don't even need to form a special alliance to understand each other tacitly.

Because they are both men and both veterans, they have a natural sense of mutual recognition.

Because Xiao Tao failed to demonstrate the leadership qualities expected of a leader in the past month or so. Most likely, she hasn't yet won over her subordinates.

If you want a man to obediently submit to a woman, you absolutely cannot expect the man to fall in love with the woman.

If he truly falls in love, he will treat the woman as his possession.

The only solution is for this woman to demonstrate overwhelming power, enough to suffocate the man and prevent him from having any second thoughts.

Ivanov found it increasingly amusing, and winked at Wang Xiao, looking like he was enjoying the show: "Wang, it's the other way around. If it's one man and three women, then it can become a romantic love story."

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him, not really wanting to talk to him.

"Xiao Tao might not necessarily lose."

Ivanov became interested: "Why? I don't think those men would be chivalrous towards women."

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes even more, and said disdainfully, "Can you take your eyes off relationships? Xiao Tao has her advantages. She's a graduate of a top university."

"The Soviet education system was very successful, so in the Soviet Union, being a university graduate was not a remarkable status. I'm afraid you're not very sensitive to this."

“China is different. In China, college and university students can automatically obtain cadre status. You should understand what this means for the Chinese people today.”

"Therefore, in China, whether or not one has attended university is also a threshold. It can be understood as a threshold between two social classes."

"If Xiaotao can seize her advantage, then she is not without a chance to turn defeat into victory."

Ivanov blinked, feigning innocence: "Your Majesty, then tell me, is she suitable?"

"How should I know?" Wang Xiao put down his soda water in an annoyed tone and continued flipping through the newspaper. "Opportunities are there every day, but they also vanish in an instant. Whether you can seize them or not depends on yourself."

If the resources are given out but can't be kept up, then replace them with someone else.

Capital can be so fickle and ruthless.

Seeing that she was upset, Ivanov wisely refrained from provoking her further, instead winking at Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao while shaking his head repeatedly.

This left the two veteran bodyguards extremely embarrassed, feeling like they were being implicated.

Xiao Gao chuckled and said, "Actually, Comrade Xiao Tao could also ask President Chen for advice. She's just too shy and suffers because she doesn't speak up. She should be like Zhang Junfei now, clinging to President Chen."

He didn't dare to cricket in front of his boss.

This isn't about the men sticking together; it's clearly the women who aren't united.

Xiao Tao went to Shanghai in July, but she still hasn't settled the land acquisition issue.

This is what happens in the country, where the emperor is far away and the country is far from the emperor's reach.

In Moscow, who would dare to work so inefficiently? The boss's glare would freeze you to death.

The fax machine beeped, and Tang Yicheng faxed over Zhang Junfei's personal information.

Wang Xiao picked it up and looked at it, then casually replied, "Chen Yu might not be able to give her any guidance on this matter."

Why? Because Chen Yu didn't get into university. After graduating from high school, she studied English and Japanese at night school. She's very capable, but since she's not in this circle, it's hard for her to understand the intricacies of the situation.

If Wang Xiao hadn't pointed this out, Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao would have remained completely bewildered, utterly clueless.

Wang Xiao ignored them and picked up the newspaper again.

This time, it was Ivanov's turn to be busy with the telephone.

Since he's going to build a new racing team, he naturally has to step up his efforts.

Poor Kamaz Automobile Plant, the trucks they produce are so great, they are the pride of Russia.

It should resume normal production as soon as possible, and he is willing to make his due contribution to this.

Of course, he would be more than happy to have it privatized to him.

Ivanov made one phone call after another.

His bodyguards and assistants watched as he alternated between laughing and cursing, bursting into tears, becoming passionate and righteous, and then wanting to drink and sing.

Seriously, it's fortunate that they are all professionals with strong mental fortitude.

Otherwise, if they see their boss acting like this every day, they'll go crazy first, not the other way around.

Their female boss was even more mentally resilient, continuing to read her newspaper and take notes on her own.

Then, when the boss hangs up the phone, comment on their conversation and casually remind them of something for the next call.

Surprisingly, it's quite harmonious.

When Ivanov finally finished his performance—or rather, finished his phone call—he sidled up to Wang Xiao and started gossiping.

"Hey! Your Majesty, after they fight it out, what should we do with them? Should the loser become your deputy?"

The assistant brought them lunch, a one-pot eggplant and green pepper rice in a rice cooker. It's that lazy person's meal, where you put tomatoes, eggplants, and green peppers into the rice cooker, add rice, and cook it all together.

Originally, this was Wang Xiao's emergency measure, since sometimes when she was out and about, her Chinese stomach would be craving something, and she might not be able to find a suitable chef in time.

As a result, Ivanov tasted it and strangely fell in love with it. Now they can eat this lazy person's meal every few days, with potatoes added.

Wang Xiao picked up a piece of blanched vegetables with his chopsticks and placed it on top of the steaming rice, casually replying, "Nobody will be an assistant. The winner has the right to choose first; they can choose to continue managing the project in Shanghai, or they can choose to go to Beijing to pioneer the project. It depends on which path they think is easier."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao exchanged a secret glance, sensing that the boss was still more lenient towards the domestic employees.

See, even the losers don't have bad results.

Either stay in Shanghai to manage the real estate project independently, or go to Beijing to find ways to acquire more land; neither option would be a loss.

In fact, Wang Xiao's patience stemmed from her own unique advantage: she knew that land and housing prices in China wouldn't skyrocket until the year 2000, or more accurately, after the four trillion yuan stimulus plan.

Before this, he wasn't considered crazy.

She is willing to use this time to train talent.

Otherwise, where would she find someone when she really needs help?

Ivanov sighed heavily; it was such a pity.

He was originally hoping to watch a romantic drama about love and hate between two people.

Wang Xiao was completely speechless and sincerely suggested, "Why don't you go and have some fun?"

That way I won't be overthinking all day long.

Ivanov sighed heavily, a look of confusion in his eyes. Even the potatoes soaked in tomato juice tasted bland to him. "It's meaningless," he said. "I feel like everything before was meaningless. Your Majesty, tell me, what is the meaning of life?"

Wang Xiao was afraid that this guy would fall into emptiness and seek greater stimulation, such as drug use, so he quickly pulled him back: "It will get interesting when you earn the next billion dollars."

A person who feels their soul adrift and seeks the true meaning of the universe instantly awakens, returning from philosopher to businessman.

He confidently told Wang Xiao, "Don't worry, I have a feeling that our container market will make a lot of money."

After finishing a bowl of braised rice, Wang Xiao put down his chopsticks, slowly wiped his hands, and casually replied, "Of course, wish us good luck."

Ivanov looked intently at her face and suddenly asked, "Wang, will you not be able to smile happily until you earn the next billion dollars?"

"Yes!" Wang Xiao wiped his mouth. "So, let's make some money."

Ivanov persisted: "So what about Wu? How about I find a way to get him to come to Moscow on official business, so you can have some fun?"

Good heavens, even he was moved by his own actions.

He swore that it was absolutely true love, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have gone this far.

However, Wang Xiao's heart was clearly much colder than his, and she showed no reaction at all: "It's useless. Only 1 billion US dollars can make me happy."

Oh dear, I can't think about it. If I do, I can't breathe. My heart aches so much that I can't breathe.

She immediately stood up: "Let's go, my dear friend, we need to go check out our container market."

Ivanov wasn't keen on moving.

Good heavens, summer is supposed to be a time for vacations.

But look at how he spent his summer!

I was on a trip to Hokkaido for less than a day when an underwater earthquake struck.

Back on Sakhalin Island, less than a week after returning and starting my beachcombing trip, the ruble was struck by an earthquake.

Oh, no! He hopes to enter autumn more easily.

However, Wang Xiao was cold and ruthless, completely ignoring his struggles and resolutely shoving him into the carriage.

The container market is still a huge construction site. Large areas of cement have been laid, rain shelters are under construction, and glass greenhouses are just starting out.

Even more striking than these are the containers being towed by cranes.

The use of container houses near the Sakhalin Island oil and gas fields has given Ivanov considerable confidence. He now fully believes what Wang Xiao said: that containers can replace traditional houses.

For example, in the frigid city of Moscow, the most troublesome problem of keeping warm can be solved by building insulation layers inside and outside the shipping container, as well as providing internal heating.

Of course, this cost is not considered low by today's standards.

But it's fast, and its heavy metal industrial style directly appealed to Ivanov's aesthetic tastes; he absolutely loved that vibe.

He wanted to paint the houses in rainbow colors, to transform Moscow's gray winters into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Wang Xiao felt this was a bit risky, because Moscow starts to snow in the fall; it's a city of ice and snow.

There were many people in military uniforms working on the construction site. Every 50 minutes, they would stop to drink a cup of coffee or soda, eat a couple of Kangyuan biscuits or snacks, and then continue working.

The officer in charge saw Ivanov and came over to greet him, looking slightly troubled: "My dear Ivanov, could we spare a few young men to go out and help?"

Ivanov embraced him warmly: "My dear friend, what happened?"

"No, it's at Luzhniki Stadium. There's going to be a concert. You know, a lot of my guys are Michael Jackson fans, and someone asked them to help set up the venue. They couldn't resist the temptation—there are tickets, and those who do the work can get tickets to the concert."

Wang Xiao's attention was initially focused on the construction site, but suddenly his eyes widened: "Michael Jackson is coming to Moscow for a concert?"

Ivanov casually replied, "Yeah, I guess so. Oh God, if only we had a Michael Jackson. He charged $400,000 for one concert. That's... oh oh oh..."

The assistant's mental arithmetic skills were clearly much better than the boss's: "146 million US dollars."

Ivanov blinked, and suddenly it didn't seem like that much.

He would have to work non-stop for at least seven years to raise $1 billion.

Oh God, that damn billion dollars.

Ivanov turned his head, wanting to share his thoughts with Wang Xiao.

But what he saw was an excited, incoherent Wang Xiao.

"Michael Jackson is coming to Moscow! He's going to have a concert in Moscow!"

Ivanov was dumbfounded. Hadn't they agreed that she wouldn't smile until she earned the next billion dollars?

He was deeply depressed.

Even if he and Wu Haoyu combined provided emotional support (one offering emotional support, the other physical support), they still couldn't make her laugh.

This American man, whom she hasn't even met yet, has already driven her crazy!

But Wang Xiao was even more frustrated than him, and slapped his hard arm: "Hey! Why didn't you say so earlier, you bastard! When are you going to have a concert?"

The officer stared at her in disbelief. He had always thought that Chinese women, or rather, young Chinese girls, were gentle, reserved, and introverted.

Wang Xiao was completely unconcerned about the surprised looks from others.

She was about to jump up and down.

That damn Ivanov, does he even know what concert economics is?