Chapter 418 I Need Your Protection: Nobody Can Take It From Me

Since neither of them could be in two places at once, Wang Xiao decided to present the facts and reason with them.

She held Ivanov's hand and looked earnestly into his eyes: "Listen, Ivanov, if you want to realize your industrial ideals, you must seize power. If you want to do software outsourcing, you must prioritize solving the three major bottlenecks of network coverage, foreign investment protection legislation, and financial settlement; if you want to build a chemical empire, you must solve the dilemmas of infrastructure collapse, political and legal loopholes, and a shortage of professional talent. These are things that individuals cannot accomplish; they require state intervention and long-term policy support."

Ivanov, forcing himself to stay upright, resolutely refused to back down: "But I can..."

“No.” Wang Xiao cut him off immediately. “You can’t expect someone else’s power to do this for you.”

She clenched her fist and said seriously, "Power is only useful when it is in your own hands."

The nights in Moscow at the end of April were still cool, and the fragrance of double-petaled lilacs drifted in through the window on the breeze, bringing with it a refreshing coolness.

Wang Xiao looked intently into Ivanov's eyes: "When I read 'The Thorn Birds,' do you know what scene impressed me the most?"

Ivanov couldn't remember anything about the thorn bird; he only knew that it seemed to be a story about rural Australia, the story of three generations of women in a family.

Of these three generations, it seems that the only one who has found happiness is the granddaughter of the third generation.

He couldn't remember the rest, he really couldn't, and he didn't have the energy to think about it now.

Wang Xiao didn't intend to get an answer from him; everyone's thoughts are unique.

“What I remember most clearly is that Meggie’s son Dane died, and Meggie went to Father Ralph and asked him to use his power to help find Dane’s body. Father Ralph, who thought he loved Meggie so much, still ignored her pain and despair without hesitation and refused her. It wasn’t until Meggie broke down and had to tell him that Dane was actually his child that he agreed to go with Meggie to find the child’s body.”

Wang Xiao sighed, "That's the difference between having power in your own hands and having it in someone else's. Without power, you have to beg and plead, trampling all your dignity and pride underfoot in your pleading. And even then, it might not be of any use. You'll only suffer in vain."

She stared into his eyes, her gaze filled with pain and resentment. "My Ivan, how could you suffer such humiliation? I will never allow you to be bullied like this."

The spring wind in Moscow grew stronger at night, making the windows and the flowers and trees outside sway.

Ivanov felt as if he had fallen into the sea, and all his intense emotions were pouring into his body like seawater.

He tried to scream, but no sound came out of his throat.

He looked at Wang Xiao, his intense emotions almost tearing him apart.

She's always been like this, she's always been like this.

She always manages to make the most accurate analyses, making it impossible for anyone not to believe her.

What made him most desperate was that he knew she meant what she said.

Because of his sincerity, he couldn't even find an outlet for his pain.

He could only reach out and cover Wang Xiao's mouth, shaking his head forcefully in refusal, pleading, "No, Wang, don't say anything more, don't tempt me. I can give up all of this."

Yes, he could easily give it up. Those are things he's never had before, so why would he insist on pursuing them so persistently?

Compared to those things, there were more important people and things in his life, and that was being with the King.

He looked at her pleadingly: "You know, you must know, you are the most important, you are the most important, and everything else is irrelevant."

Wang Xiao's tongue parted his upper and lower lips and gently licked Ivanov's palm.

The latter felt a warm, tingling sensation and slightly arched his palm.

Wang Xiao took his hand and pressed it against her face, looking intently into his eyes: "I know, I've always known. So, Ivan, will you protect me?"

She sighed, "I've offended everyone. If the election weren't still ongoing, Khodorkovsky and his men would probably have already started hiring assassins to kill me."

She couldn't even imagine, "Once the election is over, everything settles down, and my usefulness is gone, how will they tear me to pieces? Maybe they will..."

Ivanov covered her mouth with his hand again. Didn't she understand the principle that words have consequences? How could she just open her mouth and say something so terrible?

He couldn't even listen to her guesses.

He pulled her tightly into his arms and pleaded, "Don't say it, don't say it."

But Wang Xiao, leaning against his chest, still wouldn't give up her tongue: "So what are you going to do? Aren't you going to protect me? How are you going to protect me?"

Ivanov could not answer.

He knew he was willing to trade his life for another, and as it turned out, he was fully capable of doing so.

Is that enough? No, it's not enough, far from enough.

Last year at the container market, when Chechen kidnappers took the queen hostage, he bravely stood up, and everyone praised him as a hero. The queen also said that he was the one who saved her.

But he knew the truth all too well: she had saved him.

Even if he were willing to give his life, he wouldn't have the ability to save himself and her. Instead, it would be up to Wang to arrange everything.

The night wind lifted the curtains, turning them into billowing sails, as if only by relying on them could one toss and turn on the sea.

In the rustling wind, he heard Wang Xiao sigh: "I need you, I need you, Ivan, I need your protection."

The next instant, Ivanov lowered his head and kissed her fiercely—not on the forehead, not on the cheek, but on the lips.

If this were a scene from a movie, then at this moment, the background music "Sealed with a Kiss" might be playing, sealing the kiss.

But it isn't.

He didn't want to drown out her words through a kiss.

He wanted to devour her whole; yes, perhaps only in this way could he fill the ever-emptying void in his chest.

No, that's not right either. If he swallows her, what will he do when he's all alone?

So he just kissed; he just wanted to convey the intense emotion of wanting to tear himself to pieces.

They kissed, bit, and entangled for an unknown amount of time. When Ivanov finally had to release Wang Xiao because he had forgotten to breathe, he was panting heavily and his body was limp.

Instead, Wang Xiao hooked her arms around his neck and gently kissed the corners of his mouth soothingly until his breathing gradually calmed down. Then she looked into his eyes and asked, "Do you want me to sleep with you? Hmm?"

If you turn the clock back 24 hours, Ivanov would be ecstatic and then indulge in a night of revelry.

But at this moment, as he smelled the jasmine fragrance emanating from her body—a natural scent cultivated from long-term consumption of jasmine tea—his body felt her softness, his nose touched her smooth skin, yet his chest felt as if it were being violently torn apart.

Ivanov shook his head. The intense pain had brought him back to his senses, allowing him to abandon all pride and say no: "No, I'm in too bad a mood. I'll hurt you."

He couldn't control his strength, or rather, he didn't want to. He would tear himself to pieces, and she to pieces too, as if only in this way could he deceive himself into believing that they were fused together.

Wang Xiao let out a soft sigh and reached out to stroke his face: "So, are you okay? Can you sleep alone?"

Ivanov thought he could, but perhaps he just needed some time alone to think independently.

But Wang Xiao had already made the choice for him: "No, go to sleep. Don't think about anything. Get a good night's sleep. I'll stay with you."

The original purpose of the office rooms in the commercial street was not to provide long-term living quarters; their function was more akin to a duty room.

It's only because the occupant is the boss that it's decorated relatively luxuriously.

Even so, its bed is still not big enough, only big enough for two adults to lie down in front.

The heating in the room had been turned off this time of year. Wang Xiao, wrapped in a blanket, reached out and held Ivanov's hand, then yawned and said to him, "Let's go to sleep."

Her hands were soft and delicate, and he grasped them, completely enveloping them.

So it took the shape of a heart, supporting everything he needed.

The lights were off, and the curtains were drawn tightly to block out all external disturbances.

Darkness, like an old friend, quietly soothes everyone's loneliness and fear.

In the thick, impenetrable darkness, Ivanov's voice rang out: "You can't do this to anyone else, you can only sleep with me like this."

Otherwise, jealousy would drive him mad and turn him into a completely different person.

Perhaps he will follow in Pushkin's footsteps and take up a gun to duel with someone.

Wang Xiao responded with a soft "Mmm," followed by a prompt: "Go to sleep."

She wasn't keen on coaxing people either. Apart from Ivan, who else had she ever coaxed so patiently?

However, unlike countless times before, Ivanov was unable to fall asleep quickly under her handshake.

He couldn't help but worry: "But I don't know how to be a vice prime minister!"

He had never done this kind of work before; he had never even worked properly in a company, meaning a stable, secure job where he could work for a lifetime.

"It's okay," Wang Xiao comforted him. "Nobody knows how to do this. The world is just a giant makeshift operation, and there are bugs everywhere. A bunch of bugs can still work."

Yes, she can please him so easily.

Even though he felt like he was carrying a mountain on his mind, and even though no problems had been solved, he couldn't help but relax for a moment after hearing her words.

Then, drowsiness seized the opportunity and quickly filled his entire body with sleep.

Ivanov slept soundly through the night, dreaming nothing.

When he opened his eyes again, he was the only one left on the bed.

He got up and went to find Wang Xiao, who was busy in the outer office.

The fax machine beeped, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of ink and jasmine tea.

A porcelain cup of floral tea was placed beside her. She picked it up, took a sip, and then continued revising the press release in her hand.

The article had to be published today. At four o'clock in the morning, she got up but couldn't see the crabapple blossoms. Instead, she revised the news article. Now she has the third draft in her hand.

She wasn't complaining about her own hardship when she explained this—there are many people who work much harder than her, otherwise how could the manuscript have been faxed to her at four in the morning? It couldn't have been written by Haitanghua, who hadn't slept all night.

She just wanted to say that the battle had begun, and everyone involved had to give it their all.

When Wang Xiao put down her pen, Ivanov dared to lean over and kiss her on the cheek, offering to help with the work: "Should this be faxed over? I'll fax it."

Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, I'll take it to Gusinski myself. I have something to ask him."

Ivanov didn't press her for details. It was an unspoken understanding between them; when it came to work-related matters, each of them would refrain from digging into the other's responsibilities.

He simply asked as Wang Xiao got up to leave, "We'll always be together, right?"

“Of course.” Wang Xiao turned her head, kissed his chin, and then looked at him with a mischievous smile. “Do you regret it now? You didn’t let me sleep with you last night.”

Ivanov snorted and struck a haughty pose: "I won't let you off so easily. You might just sleep with me and then leave. No way, I'll keep bothering you."

Wang Xiao smiled and touched his face, urging him, "Go eat breakfast. I've already finished eating, and I have to go out."

She went out early in the morning not for a walk, but to talk to Gusinski before he went to work, hoping to get him to step forward and voluntarily give up his plans to enter politics.

This media mogul doesn't live in a villa, or rather, he now lives in a luxury apartment.

After the "face in the snow" incident in the winter before last, realizing his life was threatened, he sent his wife and children abroad. After returning to China last year, he dared not continue living in the villa, but instead lived alone in a high-end apartment with complete security facilities.

Gusinski was greatly surprised to learn from the phone call that Wang Xiao had personally come to visit him.

He had no personal relationship with Wang Xiao, and had never spoken to him alone. Even when they were having dinner together at the Queshan Club, they barely exchanged a few words.

He couldn't figure out why this strange and powerful Miss Wang would come to his house to see him so early in the morning.

However, as a mature member of society and a semi-professional, Gusinski still warmly went downstairs to greet Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao was standing next to the brass-carved gate, looking at the old Art Deco building with great interest.

Wow, the doorman in the navy blue uniform is really handsome, he could be used for a poster shoot. His leather shoes are polished so brightly that they can even reflect the light from the crystal chandelier.

Gusinski stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet her: "Oh, Miss Wang, it's such an honor for me to come in person. How should I put it? It's an honor to have you here."

Wang Xiao laughed: "This is hardly a humble abode; it's a mansion. Otherwise, how could you afford such a handsome doorman?"

Gusinski curled the corners of his lips into a playful smile, with a hint of ambiguity: "What? Interested? Want me to help you make an introduction?"

Although everyone says that Miss Wang is perfect in every way, she just happens to be love-struck and madly in love with Ivanov.

But it was a tradition among the old European nobles that noblewomen commonly had secret lovers. How many of the mistresses of emperors and kings were widows or unmarried?

Following this logic, it's perfectly normal for Miss Wang to want to find a lover.

Wang Xiao nodded seriously: "Indeed, his head-to-body ratio is very good, his shoulders are broad enough, and his face is very distinctive. He could be a model. I'll give him a business card later and see if he wants to change career paths."

Gusinski sighed, “My God, Miss Wang, you are the real businessman, never forgetting to recruit people to make money for yourself.”

Wang Xiao chuckled: "Don't capitalists survive by extracting the surplus value from workers?"

Marxist economic principles are no longer mainstream in Moscow at present, but Gusinsky did not refute Wang Xiao's words, because doing so would be pointless.

He only cared about one thing: "Miss Wang, why did you come here today?"

The corridor was covered with thick Persian carpets, so soft that one could almost sink into them.

Before she transmigrated, Wang Xiao had seen countless questions online: Why would anyone use such a strange thing as a carpet? It's obviously very difficult to maintain and cleaning is a nightmare; you could easily use a floor instead.

Why bother people with carpets?

Perhaps the answer is that carpets can be quite bothersome.

The so-called prestige of a social class is often manifested by making things difficult for others.

She smiled as she lifted her foot from the carpet of the luxury apartment, remaining perfectly composed as she replied, "There are a few details I'd like to confirm with you. You can't explain them clearly over the phone, and going back and forth would only waste time, so I decided to come and find you in person."

Gusinski was skeptical, but given that he himself was a workaholic, he readily accepted the other workaholic's strange behavior and warmly invited him inside to discuss it in detail.

In their view, the idea of ​​a man and woman being alone together in a compromising situation simply doesn't exist.

In fact, there was no such ambiguity.

They're not nobles from the old society. Do they really treat people like objects? Would they really be able to have an ambiguous relationship surrounded by a group of bodyguards?

Wang Xiao took out the final version of the press release, confirmed the details with him, and handed it directly to his assistant: "Okay, this is it. Proofread it and publish it directly."

Gusinski asked instinctively, "Has Boris seen it? Should we have him take a look?"

Boris Berezovsky was the initiator of the Davos Agreement and the owner of the Sparrow Mountain Club.

At the Davos Forum in February of this year, it was Berezovsky who approached him and persuaded him to support the presidential election.

Wang Xiao smiled and shook his head, saying casually, "Why bother asking him to read it again? Mr. Berezovsky is a banker, not a professional journalist. You're the professional; who else should we ask?"

Gusinski subconsciously took a sip of water. His guess was right; she hadn't come all this way just to revise the manuscript.

As he swallowed the water, he made up his mind and cut to the chase: "Miss Wang, what do you want to say to me? Please be direct. You know, if you make me guess, I might guess wrong and mess things up."

Wang Xiao did not answer directly, but walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment.

The Moscow River flows past the luxury apartments, and at this time of day, the morning mist has not yet completely dissipated.

A few tour boats occasionally glided across the river, their engines barely audible, making the apartment even quieter. Only the ticking of the antique clock on the wall slowly echoed through the air.

Wang Xiao spoke up amidst the ticking sound: "Mr. Gusinski, I've actually been wanting to ask you, what is NTV's positioning?"

Before Gusinski could answer, she began her own analysis: "MTV is an entertainment channel, its main focus is variety shows, with movies and TV dramas coming later, not to mention politics and people's livelihood. Channel 1 is the president's exclusive television station, dedicated to speaking for the president, so what about NTV?"

Gusinski's expression changed instantly; this was a question he had been deliberately avoiding for the past few months.

Wang Xiao sighed, "I always thought NTV was an independent television station that reported the news from a completely objective perspective. Otherwise, you wouldn't have offended the Kremlin and angered Korzhakov the year before last, causing a huge uproar. But now, it seems that this independent television station has truly lived up to its name."

This is what pained Gusinsky the most. He considered himself a pure journalist, and he went to great lengths to establish NTV because Russia did not have any independent television stations.

However, now, in order to carry out the presidential election, television stations have increasingly deviated from a neutral stance and have completely become a stage for politicians.

Gusinski cleared his throat and looked at Wang Xiao suspiciously: "Miss Wang, I don't understand why you're saying all this? You should know what we're sacrificing for?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "Of course I understand. For this goal, we are all making sacrifices and have to temporarily go against our principles. Now, I came here specifically to ask you a question: do you still remember your ideal? If you do, then you probably need to take action quickly."

Gusinski frowned, his suspicion deepening: "What do you mean? What operation?"

Wang Xiao turned his head and looked at her seriously: "You have to stand up and tell everyone that you are a pure journalist, not a political tool that some people are trying to mold by smearing you. In fact, you have always kept your distance from politics. You support the president simply to enjoy your right to vote as a Russian citizen. You have never intended to get deeply involved in politics or become entangled with it."

She let out a sound that was almost a sigh. “You have to get moving soon. Otherwise, if you keep dragging it out and wait until after the election to try to prove your identity as a pure journalist with your actions, it will be too late. Because everyone, all Russian citizens, and even all citizens around the world who are concerned about Russia’s developments, will think you are the president’s mouthpiece. By then, it will be too late to clarify that.”

Looking at Gusinsky's complex expression, she earnestly pleaded, "Sir, please make a decision as soon as possible; this is the best way to protect your professional reputation."

Gusinski did not respond immediately, but stared at her instead: "Miss Wang, I am flattered that you are so considerate of me."

There is no such thing as good without a reason in this world.

If he were an exceptionally handsome man, he might have had such incredible luck that a young, beautiful woman would go to great lengths to plan for him.

Unfortunately, he is not, so he won't indulge in such meaningless daydreams.

"Because you are the owner of NTV, if you speak out, your voice can easily be heard by all Russian citizens. This way, everyone will understand your position and that you have no intention of getting involved in politics."

Wang Xiao said seriously, "And your statement, in a sense, also represents the attitude of other tycoons, at least that's what the public thinks. This makes them realize that you don't want to control the president at all, and you don't want to be a shadow government. In this way, no matter how the Russian Communist Party uses this point to attack you, it won't hold water."

She sighed, "It has to be you. NTV's coverage of the Chechen war two winters ago made the public realize that you are not a Kremlin echo. Only if you stand up can you be convincing. It can make our public relations efforts twice as effective."

She was telling the truth, but she didn't mention the last point: that once someone starts, the oligarchs' political pronouncements must continue.

The Jewish oligarchs each had their own agendas, and she didn't have the time or energy to take them down one by one. She had to choose a leader and let him guide them.

Gusinsky said he had no intention of entering government service; so why doesn't Khodorkovsky speak out? What about the others? Including the ambitious Berezovsky, don't they step forward?

When everyone else steps forward, if you stay put, you'll stand out awkwardly, drawing all public attention and pressure.

Can you handle it?

Even if you can withstand it, why would the Kremlin president and Chubais, who intends to return to politics, risk angering public opinion for you?

She wanted to force all the oligarchs to take a stand, so that they would all be ousted and unable to claim the position of vice prime minister.

That was arranged for Ivanov; no one can take it from him.

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[Let me see] Good morning, what a miserable day, I have to work overtime, so annoying. I hate working overtime doing meaningless things.