Chapter 258 Suppress Him to Death (Catch the Bug): Who is the Real Master?

What should you do if you inevitably offend someone in a high position?

Wang Xiao's answer was: Kill him.

Honestly, she had no intention of antagonizing Minister Popescu unless she was forced to.

Yes, even if she knew he wasn't a good bird.

After all, how many good birds can there be in politics?

If she were a champion of justice, she should have gone straight for Clinton and taken him down, instead of making a half-hearted film like "Escape from the Island."

But things have changed now. Ever since Punonin investigated the drug and children's train from Bucharest, she has become Popescu's mastermind.

She tried to explain that it had nothing to do with her, but would the suspicious minister believe her?

Absolutely not.

Who could blame her and Ivanov for being well-known partners, and who could blame Ivanov for being a close friend of Major General Punonin since childhood?

Even if Punonin were to investigate the Kuznetsk steel plant train, Popescu would probably think it was just a charade.

The goal was to swallow drugs and children from Bucharest.

As for the fact that anyone with a modicum of common sense wouldn't associate these two legitimate business tycoons, worth over $1 billion, with drug dealers and human traffickers—

Major General Punonin was convinced that the goods belonged to Ivanov, so why should Minister Popescu be expected to think otherwise?

Just as Gong Shenbao said, prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain.

In the eyes of officials raised under the planned economy system, businessmen were inherently sinful, someone who couldn't be respected. Gaining their respect was harder than climbing to heaven.

The radiators hissed as they delivered 65°C hot water, making the 12-square-meter single-room ward unbearably hot. The air was thick with the mixed smells of hydrogen peroxide, cedarwood oil, and Cuban coffee, which, amplified by the heat, made everyone feel even more dizzy and lightheaded.

On the hydraulic lifting bed made in East Germany, Wang Xiao slammed his fist on the soft mattress and cursed, "Shit!"

She's unhappy right now, extremely unhappy.

Compared to her, Ivanov was clearly more humane.

After hearing the whole story, he immediately forgot about how jealous the king hadn't helped her turn back and had even given credit to Punoning. Instead, he showed his magnanimity.

"Hey! Wang, it's nothing."

"Nothing?" Wang Xiao's voice was chilling, colder than the weather outside the window. "I became a gun in his (her) hands. From the moment I boarded the train in Punoning to investigate, I was forced to become a gun, holding my nose!"

She hated being a pawn more than anything in her life, but now, even though she knew there was a pair of hands manipulating her, she had no choice but to play by the other side's rules. She was so frustrated she was about to explode.

“And—” Wang Xiao looked up at Ivanov, “you don’t still think that the carriage number being changed to yours was just a coincidence, do you?”

Ivanov was stunned.

He suddenly realized something: if he could bribe the dispatcher to change the carriage number, others could do the same!

In the warm and cozy hospital room, he suddenly felt a chill down his back.

Because he didn't know when it started, but there were eyes secretly watching him.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He thought he was the one getting to eat at the table, but he turned out to be someone else's meal!

Shit!

Ivanov was both shocked and furious: "Who? Who is it? How long have they been watching us?"

Very few people knew that he had changed his carriage number.

Dispatcher?

Wang Xiao stared blankly at the ceiling.

Where her gaze was focused, a crystal chandelier hung, made in Czechoslovakia, part of the last glory of Soviet socialism inherited by Russia.

The gilding on the lamp arm has oxidized and turned black, but the crystal edges still tirelessly refract the snow light from outside the window, casting spiderweb-like fragments on the wall, resembling dense train lines or a huge maze.

She murmured, "Maybe you could try looking for him. But I suspect he either doesn't know anything about it, or he's already disappeared."

In the desolate Siberia, it's incredibly easy for someone to go missing.

Chaotic Russia has long since abandoned the strict household registration system of the Soviet era. People are now lost in the sea of ​​people, truly a drop of water merging into the ocean.

Ivanov, panting heavily, sat on the leather sofa like an enraged bear. The silver fox fur blanket beneath him did not make him feel soft and comfortable; instead, it made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Wang Xiao's IV drip bottle: "So who is it? Who is so powerful that they can make a fool of us in both Romania and Russia? Oh no, Wang, you know what I mean, I'm the monkey, and you're not."

Wang Xiao chuckled: "You're wrong. I was also completely fooled by him (or her)."

Ivanov had no choice but to skip that topic and focus on the important question: "So who could it be? Who has such great abilities?"

Wang Xiao turned her head, her gaze drifting into the distance through the deep navy blue double-layered thick velvet curtains.

Outside the window, the outline of the Kremlin's spires was blurred by the iron-gray mist. Her voice, too, seemed shrouded in mist, carrying the same bewilderment: "I don't know."

She wasn't being deliberately mysterious; she genuinely couldn't have imagined it.

Before she learned that her carriage had been switched, she guessed that the person behind it was a high-ranking Romanian official or a big shot, like Popescu's rival.

However, given the current situation, it's clear that this level of person cannot accomplish this.

She couldn't even imagine who could be so powerful and influential.

This is Romania and Russia in early 1994. The red flag has fallen, the old social order has collapsed, and a new order has not yet been established.

If even the government is powerless to do anything about the local areas, who has the ability to wield power in these two countries that don't get along?

Ivanov jumped up from the sofa, suddenly remembering something: "Wang, could it be that he (or she) was behind the plane crash?"

He was instantly enraged.

This is a matter that could result in death.

In fact, apart from Wang Xiao, her bodyguard, and the flight attendants, no other living person has been found on the entire plane of over a hundred passengers and crew members.

The fact that Wang and his bodyguard survived was purely due to good luck.

That's so cruel, how could anyone do such a thing?

Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, the plane crash should have nothing to do with him (or her)."

She was simply thinking about the issue from a purely profit-driven perspective, focusing on the return on investment.

There are plenty of ways to kill her, and any of them is more cost-effective than simply taking down an airplane.

So what if she had three bodyguards? John F. Kennedy was the President of the United States; his security detail was strong, wasn't it? He was still assassinated even though he was meant to be.

"Moreover, when the plane crashed, Punoning hadn't even had time to find the carriage. This doesn't make logical sense."

But Wang Xiao couldn't be happy at all when he said this.

Nonsense, no one who survives a plane crash can be happy.

Don't say things like "a great calamity is sure to bring good fortune." Whoever wants that good fortune can have it; she doesn't want a single bit of it.

No, when she gets back, we have to find a temple and pray properly. This is just too unlucky.

Seeing her listless appearance, Ivanov belatedly realized that he was dealing with a patient, and quickly put on a fawning smile: "Then, Your Majesty, you should rest."

Rest my ass! You can't even relax in bed, and you need help to go to the toilet. Who wants this kind of rest?

Fortunately, money can always effectively improve people's quality of life.

She was staying in a deluxe single room, which meant the room had an imported Toshiba "Rocket Gun" series color TV with excellent picture quality.

Unfortunately, when I turned on the TV, it was broadcasting news about the plane crash.

The families of the deceased passengers were wailing and some even fainted.

God! Ivanov felt a chill run down his spine.

When he was a child, he went swimming in the river with his friends. One of his friends suddenly got a cramp, fell in, and never came back up.

Long afterward, he still felt a strong sense of guilt whenever he thought about it. It was as if his survival was a sin.

Ivanov quickly turned off the television and gave a dry laugh: "Your Majesty, there's nothing interesting on television. Let's watch a videotape instead."

Wang Xiao was indifferent; she didn't share Ivanov's sensitivity at all. She even specifically asked, "Is there a video camera? What brand is it?"

"JVC HR-DVS3".

Ah, another Japanese product. It seems that Japanese electronics are truly a global trend.

The video recorder was of good quality, but I just don't know what the person in charge was thinking. The videotape they brought was "The Last Emperor".

Okay, she admits that John Lone is indeed very handsome and the film's composition is beautiful, but she has no interest in Puyi's life.

She watched it intermittently, treating it as a mental break.

But as she looked around, she suddenly asked Ivanov, "Who do you think is the true master of the palace? Who truly controls everything inside?"

Ivanov was stunned: "The Emperor?"

He shook his head after saying it, for even emperors have many times when they are powerless to do anything.

Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, I think it's the people who actually do the work. After the higher-ups give the order, someone has to do it. The eunuchs and maids in the palace are the ones who actually do the work. They know the real secrets of the palace, and if they want to, they can decide how things go."

Ivanov's eyes lit up: "You mean, there's no big shot involved, it was them? The prop master, the dispatcher did it themselves?"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "I don't know, I'm just guessing. Not everyone can treat people as commodities, even if they have intellectual disabilities, they are still living, breathing human beings."

Indeed, after the children in the carriage regained consciousness, a doctor's examination confirmed that they all had intellectual developmental delays.

So what? Does it mean they have no human rights and are only fit to be commodities?

No, commodities can only be the product of human labor, not human beings themselves.

This is what a normal person would think.

Normal people always have moments when they can't help but show kindness and help even strangers.

Ivanov fell into deep thought, and after a long while, he concluded: "Your Majesty, perhaps we should just forget about it."

Even if they were used by these insignificant little people and used as pawns, let it go.

Because the wealthy occupy too many social resources, including channels for expression.

It's so hard for ordinary people to make their voices heard.

They can only use someone else's strength against them.

Being exploited by such people is a kind of alternative energy conservation.

Wang Xiao snorted and said sarcastically, "Hmm, the proletariat of the whole world, unite!"

Ivanov gave a forced, dry laugh.

Ah, he had to admit, when he heard her say that the person plotting against them was probably just an ordinary person, the Marxist blood in his veins instantly boiled.

Yes, we must resist. No matter what method we use, we must fight back against oppression and injustice.

Wang Xiao snorted coldly, having lost interest in watching "The Last Emperor" any longer. He lay down and closed his eyes: "As long as they stop causing me trouble, I won't bother with them."

Anyway, she's already gotten rid of the burden, so the pressure has shifted to Punoning.

How to handle it and how to maximize its benefits is a matter for the Major General.

Unfortunately, Wang Xiao was destined to have very few days of leisure.

There was a soft knock on the door, and the assistant peeked in, glancing at his boss's expression before lowering his voice to report, "Several Chinese businessmen want to visit Miss Wang."

Without hesitation, Ivanov raised his hand and waved it downwards: "No."

A low warning came from the down comforter on the hospital bed: "Ivanov."

The person whose name was called immediately deflated, looking aggrieved: "Your Majesty, you need to rest well."

God, why did He go through all that trouble to transport her from the Greek islands back to Moscow instead of providing her with treatment nearby? Wasn't it because in Moscow, they could mobilize the best resources to help her recover?

Wang Xiao's head had already poked out from under the down comforter, and she had a poker face: "Do you think now is a time to rest?"

Are you kidding me?

The people who come to our door aren't poor relatives trying to freeload; we can either see them or not.

Those are all gods of wealth, gods of wealth related to the development of 3,000 acres of land in Shanghai.

She nodded slightly and beckoned to her assistant, "Please invite them in and apologize, saying that we haven't been able to entertain them properly."

The assistant, not daring to look at the male boss's expression, quickly agreed and turned to leave.

Seeing Ivanov's chest heaving and her face turning away in grievance, Wang Xiao smiled and comforted her, "Get me some strawberries, they're too dry."

As Ivanov got up to wash the strawberries, he complained, "You can't get chilled. Your leg is injured, and strawberries are cold in nature."

Wang Xiao was indifferent: "OK, then get me some drinks, my mouth is dry."

So when the third sister and several other Chinese businessmen entered the room, what they saw was Wang Xiao half-lying on the hospital bed, drinking tremella soup sip by sip.

Tsk, with a broken leg, he should be stewing some big bones to nourish himself, why is he drinking white fungus soup? What kind of nonsense is this?

But the third sister only sighed inwardly, and when she spoke, it was all concern.

She clutched her chest and sighed, "My God, Mr. Wang, to be honest, I only feel at ease when I see you in person."

Wang Xiao smiled and finished the rest of the white fungus soup in one gulp before putting down the spoon.

Ivanov quickly took it away and handed her a hot towel to wipe her mouth. Yes, wet wipes are cold too; a hot towel is necessary.

Wang Xiao remained nonchalant, wiping her mouth clean before speaking formally. She teased, "What, afraid I'll really fall and die, and your stall and shops won't be able to explain themselves?"

"Pah, pah, pah!" The third sister felt she could finally assert her authority as the eldest sister and teach the young man a lesson. "Children's words don't count, God, don't listen to them."

As she spoke, she clasped her hands together and bowed in the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

Wang Xiao laughed out loud again, which earned her another teasing remark: "Oh, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're such a big boss, how can you speak so carelessly? You can't say things like that again."

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded: "Okay, okay, I won't talk nonsense anymore. I knew that my third sister was like my own sister, and she was the best to me."

The other two Chinese businessmen cursed inwardly, thinking, "Third Sister is such a sly old fox, she really knows how to get close to people."

See, suddenly, the two of them have become allies and have put them on the spot.

Seeing that the third sister was all smiles and only talking to Wang Xiao about how to take care of her bones, the remaining two Chinese businessmen secretly exchanged glances and had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak up: "Um, Mr. Wang, we're relieved to see you're alright. Um, how's everything going in Romania?"

Wang Xiao knew the real purpose of the visit as soon as the other person mentioned Romania.

Then, without hesitation, she poured out her grievances: "Smooth sailing? Don't even mention it. I worked so hard all day, racking my brains to get land in Beijing to build an electronics city, just thinking that everyone had followed me and made me a lot of money, so I had to leave everyone a way out, right?"

"As it turned out, the electronics market in Beijing felt that I was ripping them off."

"I didn't say anything. You can't force things. Since Romanian and Arab businessmen were interested, I rented the shops in Beijing to them."

"But even so, they were still not satisfied, and complained that the rental fees in the container market were too high, so they wanted to terminate the lease."

"I'll say it again: you can't force a sale. You can't make a cow drink water if it doesn't want to. If they don't want to rent it, they don't want to rent it. Anyway, people who actually use this stall for business don't have to worry about finding another place to rent."

“That’s right—” Wang Xiao looked furious and complained to her third sister, “I feel terrible. I’m so disliked. I was going to spend the New Year in Bucharest, but I can’t go on like this. I just want to go back to Moscow and talk to my third sister. What have I done to offend them?”

Both Chinese businessmen were speechless.

They came to our door today because they had no other choice.

These days, most Chinese businesspeople who venture abroad come from several different places. So, people from the same hometown are often connected, especially in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries, where Chinese businesspeople can generally find connections with each other.

Wang Xiao took over the container stalls of hundreds of Chinese merchants in Bucharest, packed his bags, and flew away.

What remained were hundreds of Chinese business families, weeping and wailing in despair.

They went to Moscow through connections, hoping that Mr. Wang would show leniency.

In fact, the Chinese businessmen in Moscow were also unwilling to get involved in this matter, but they were also worried because of Mr. Wang's tough approach.

But now, everyone says that he was so angry that he left Bucharest, otherwise he wouldn't have suffered such a plane crash. What else can they say?

Advise her to be magnanimous? Are you kidding me? She almost lost her life.

Seeing the two of them looking like they'd had their tongues snatched away by a cat, the third sister sneered inwardly. "Serves you right for being so capable, managing to drag me here. You'll see what happens to you now."

Wang Xiao looked disheartened: "I'm too lazy to care anymore. Everyone has their own destiny. I would also appreciate it if you could tell everyone that if they feel that the wholesale building, the container market, or other shops are not good and they don't want to rent them anymore, then just say so. I won't force them."

As she spoke, she gave a slight smirk, "Perfect timing, the vacant shop can be given to the people from Bucharest, so that no one will say I'm heartless for watching a family cry their hearts out and not caring about them."

"No, no, no." The Chinese businessman in Moscow's expression changed drastically. "We're doing just fine. Who wants to terminate the lease? Nobody, really nobody."

Are you kidding me? Business this winter is exceptionally good, it's double the volume of last year.

Shops and stalls are like gold mines right now, with a hundred eyes watching them. Anyone who wants to sell them now is out of their mind.

The third sister chimed in, "That's right, all I want now is more shops."

She said half-jokingly, "Mr. Wang, why didn't you call me when they were moving out? I would have just bought them all."

Wang Xiao clapped her hands, and Ivanov immediately rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and exclaimed with wide eyes, "You're still on an IV drip!"

The person who was stung by the needle then realized, "Oh dear, when will this filth ever stop? How is it ever going to end?"

"I'm not hanging up anymore, I can eat." Wang Xiao frowned. "Give me my medicine."

The doctor came over and talked for a long time, basically saying that this medicine was more effective when administered intravenously, so we should continue with the IV drip.

Wang Xiao had no choice but to take another injection.

After this little incident, the third sister had to change the subject back to the electronics market in Beijing: "If you ask me, they should stop making a fuss. They can make money just as easily by buying shops in the electronics market in Beijing."

Wang Xiao shook his head: "They're gone. The pre-sale operating rights have all been bought up by Romanian businessmen and Arabs."

The three were taken aback: "So fast?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "That's right, they're really keen on doing business in our country."

As she spoke, she laughed, "Even the shops in Shanghai are being eyed by a lot of people, but I absolutely refused to give in. It was agreed that those shops were reserved for you. Unless you don't want them, I will never give them to outsiders."

Her voice turned sad, "Actually, I can understand what's going on in Bucharest. I'm a lazy person, I only go there twice a year, and over time, people's hearts drift apart. It's normal that they don't treat me like one of their own."

She looked at the visitors in the ward with anticipation, "But Moscow is different. We're all close friends, we've been through so much together. Our bond is incomparable to that of outsiders. Whatever you want, I'll make sure to leave it for you."

All three were put on hold. One of them wanted to say that he was not interested in shops in Shanghai, but he was also afraid that he would miss a good opportunity to make a fortune.

Wang Xiao seemed to sense their predicament and quickly emphasized, "It's alright. Like I said, our relationship is different; business is business, but friendship matters. Don't worry about me. There are plenty of people in Shanghai who want to invest."

She chuckled, "Now Shanghai has a blue-stamp household registration policy, which means you can get a household registration by investing in Shanghai. There are plenty of business owners from Liangjiang Province who want to get a Shanghai household registration."

"If you're not interested, you should have said so earlier. There's no need to keep pushing it back home and offend those bosses for nothing."

The third sister's heart was stirred again, and she tentatively asked, "Mr. Wang, is business good in Shanghai?"

Wang Xiao's face was very animated: "Oh my, go and see Huanghe Road, it's so crowded there you can't even keep up with the demand. I missed the good time to grab land on Huanghe Road, so I can only do it in Pudong. Let me give you a sneak peek, land in the development zone used to be $12 per square meter, but now it's gone up to $90."

Everyone gasped in astonishment. Good heavens, the Pudong Development Zone has grown seven or eight times in just a few years.

This is even more outrageous than land speculation in Hainan!

A Chinese businessman pressed, "Mr. Wang, at what price did you get it?"

Wang Xiao just smiled and said, "The contract is signed. It was a lot of work to snatch the land back from the Canadians. The price can't be disclosed to outsiders."

Everyone's hearts were filled with renewed excitement.

This Mr. Wang is truly incredibly powerful; he can even snatch land from Canadians.

Goodness, her connections in Shanghai are truly high enough to reach the highest levels of government.

Wang Xiao yawned, looking tired: "Everyone, please give me a straight answer soon. After the New Year, I need to give them an explanation no matter what."

As for the traitors in Bucharest, if we don't teach them a lesson, they'll never know their place.