Chapter 436 Killing the Bear (Revised): Spring, spring, please come quickly.

The Asian financial crisis of 1997 was started in Thailand.

Wang Xiao, an unlucky guy who was trapped in stocks before he time-traveled, remembers it so clearly because the timing of the Thai baht collapse was very special—July 2, 1997.

This once ambitious Asian economic tiger, which hoped that its capital Bangkok could replace Hong Kong as a financial center after the handover, only managed to hold on for one day after Hong Kong's return before having to give up its efforts to defend the Thai baht's exchange rate.

Wang Xiao flipped through the documents in his hand and felt that Soros truly lived up to his reputation as a financial tycoon; his eye for finding unlucky victims was incredibly accurate.

Although crocodiles are bloodthirsty and ferocious, and will attack other creatures without reason, they will not attack indiscriminately; they will not risk their lives.

It will carefully assess the situation to ensure that it can successfully swallow its prey.

Thailand in 1997 was indeed a hapless case, showing signs of exhaustion.

Since last year, its robust economic growth rate has declined from 8.5% in the previous decade to 6.47%.

Don't think that's already pretty good. It's important to understand that Thailand's economic growth is currently driven primarily by exports. Last year, its export growth rate dropped from 22.5% in 1995 to 3%.

At the same time, its current account deficit is 8.5% of GDP, far exceeding the safe lower limit of 5%, and even higher than the 7.8% deficit during the 1994 Moscow financial crisis.

Poor exports, a sluggish real estate market, a staggering housing bubble, and high levels of short-term foreign debt for banks—these factors combined have put Thailand's economy on the brink of collapse.

But to be honest, without outside intervention, it might have been able to carefully navigate the precipice and find a turning point.

Unfortunately, it was targeted. An unseen hand reached out silently and pushed it heavily into the abyss.

Zhou Liang, seeing his boss's eagerness, asked, "Boss, should we short the Thai baht?"

How to short sell? Of course, you borrow a large amount of Thai baht and then frantically sell it on the market, causing market panic and the baht to depreciate immediately.

For example, if you borrow Thai baht worth $1 million, and the baht depreciates by 50%, you only need to repay the bank the equivalent of $500,000 in Thai baht. You then make a profit on the remaining $500,000.

Even with interest payments, you can still earn at least $400,000.

The back-and-forth buying and selling is no easier or faster than running a factory, working hard to ship goods, and making money.

Wang Xiao smiled at him: "Why are you trying to make a move now?"

Zhou Liang nodded: "The information I've gathered shows that the Quantum Fund has already made its move. I'm afraid that if we're too slow, the Bank of Thailand will realize what's happening and won't be willing to lend money to foreign investors anymore."

Wang Xiao was quite surprised; she never expected Soros to have been planning this for so long. It turned out that the bigwig had spent more than half a year to bring down the Thai baht.

Wow, she almost wanted to give them a thumbs up—no wonder they're one of Asia's "Four Little Tigers" of economic power, they really can handle it.

It's worth noting that when Soros shorted the British pound in 1992, it only took him about three months.

So Wang Xiao shook his head without hesitation: "No rush, observe first, don't act rashly. Don't forget, Thailand is one of the Four Little Tigers, it won't be defeated so easily."

If you buy in too early, you're going head-to-head with the Bank of Thailand. They'll use their massive foreign exchange reserves to pressure you, preventing the baht from depreciating, and you'll still have to pay high interest rates to the banks.

So, if you calculate it this way, you're not going to make money off others, but rather to become a money-giving benefactor and give away money to people.

Although Zhou Liang was disappointed, he still nodded honestly and agreed: "Okay, I will have people keep an eye on things at all times. I promise to inform you, boss, immediately if there is any disturbance."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Relax, this battle is going to be tough. Don't be too stressed, or your body will break down first when it comes to a real fight."

As she spoke, she took the red envelope handed to her by the bodyguard and stuffed it into his hand, saying, "The New Year is a holiday, it has to be celebrated eventually."

If Wang Tiejun heard his daughter say that, he would probably be furious.

Oh, the New Year always has to be celebrated! So why did you go home instead of spending the New Year with your parents? And you even went to Moscow during the New Year!

Just thinking about it made Deputy Factory Director Wang's heart feel like it was being fried in oil.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Xiaoxiao told him and her mother that she wanted to arrange for them to spend the Chinese New Year in South Africa this year, and her uncle's family would also go.

He was overjoyed. Yes, yes, it's the perfect time to bask in the sun in the dead of winter; how comfortable it is to have the whole family together; and look at the lions and savannah in Africa, how wonderful!

But before he could even open his mouth in a smile, the girl dropped a bombshell—she wasn't going; she was going to Moscow.

Wang Tiejun held onto this anger tightly in his heart.

Even as his daughter was taking them to the airport and they were going through security, he still looked at them expectantly and asked, "Xiaoxiao, are you really not going to spend the New Year with us?"

Chen Yanqiu immediately slapped her husband's hand. This old rascal, he's such a troublemaker!

She immediately straightened her face and said sternly, "How can you talk like that? We're not going there for fun; we're representing the factory on an inspection tour."

Indeed, the elderly couple's trip was quite prestigious—a business trip to South Africa.

With the Mandela government about to establish diplomatic relations with China, the steel plant, being a large state-owned enterprise, naturally had to go to South Africa to see if there were any opportunities for cooperation.

After all, central leaders have called on enterprises to go global, integrate with the world, and participate in the global economy in order to increase China's international influence.

The selfless act of comrades Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu, who went on inspection trips on behalf of the factory at their own expense, is truly a noble and virtuous act.

Hehe, I have to say it this way.

These days, as a state-owned enterprise cadre, you really can't get the necessary paperwork to go abroad without a decent reason.

Deputy Factory Director Wang mustered his courage and retorted to his wife, "With Xiaoxiao around, our investigation is clearer and more comprehensive."

Chairman Chen felt his life was over; he had actually married such a clueless man.

He was always worried that his daughter wouldn't find a boyfriend. Now that his daughter has found a boyfriend and is willing to spend the New Year with him, he's starting to cause trouble again.

What a pointless mess! They know their daughter's temperament perfectly well. If things turn out badly, they'll just break up, and it'll be the parents who will be anxious and upset.

Chen Yanqiu could only glare at the old man again: "Does Xiaoxiao go to Moscow just for fun? It's all for work. Come on, come on, let's get on the plane. Stop dawdling."

Yes, yes, yes, during the Chinese New Year, Wang Xiao's reason for going to Moscow was quite noble and righteous—she had to accompany Governor Nemtsov back to report on his work.

There are so many township enterprises in the entire Yangtze River Delta region, and even though he rushed around, he only visited about 50 in total. He only visited them superficially, and there were many things he couldn't explain clearly.

Besides Wang Xiao, who else can be found who understands township enterprises better and can report to the Russian high-level officials?

Nemtsov was quite embarrassed by this, and even suggested, "How about we forget it, Miss Wang? I can go back by myself."

Having spent so much time in China, he has come to deeply appreciate the significance of the Spring Festival for the Chinese people.

Whether you're rich or poor, you should go home for the Chinese New Year.

They would come from all corners of the country, using every means possible, to head home so that they could have a reunion dinner with their families.

Wang Xiao shook his head: "It's alright. The sooner we sort this out, the sooner you can get started. Time waits for no one, we can't delay any longer."

Tang Yicheng chimed in from the side, "That's right, work comes first."

In this era of inconvenient transportation, many college students do not go home for winter break, not to mention migrant workers who cannot buy tickets.

There's really no such thing as having to go home for the Chinese New Year.

Besides, if President Wang doesn't go to Moscow, wouldn't it be less exciting?

Yes, I don't believe my boss was so proactive in going to Moscow to promote the development of Russia's manufacturing industry.

After all, given Russia's geographical location, port conditions, and population reserves, he couldn't really find any advantages for it to develop manufacturing.

Just make do and don't overthink it.

The path that is truly suitable for Russia is actually the one the United States takes: relying on military power to maintain its financial hegemony and extract money from the world.

Unfortunately, the Soviet Union lost when it fought it back then, let alone Russia today?

So what else can we do? Just make do.

Anyway, no one dares to hit it, so as long as it doesn't do anything stupid, it can always survive.

Tang Yicheng was eager to try and looked forward to going to Moscow to see the excitement.

The mere thought of Mr. Ivanov now being Russia's Deputy Prime Minister fills him with a sense of endless excitement.

Unfortunately, the boss didn't even bring her parents, let alone an outsider like him.

Therefore, Mr. Tang, whose gossip-loving heart was swelled, could only wave goodbye to Wang Xiao with lingering reluctance and send him onto another plane: "Take care, boss."

Wang Xiao was speechless when she saw him grinning and winking: "Remember, you have to sell before June. No matter how good the price goes, you have to sell. Don't think about making the last 10 yuan."

Tang Yicheng quickly nodded, straightening his expression: "Okay, I'll definitely remember."

He certainly wouldn't dare risk selling in July, by which time the rumors about the "hand-held building" would be dispelled, and there would definitely be a large number of properties eager to be sold.

If there are more sellers than buyers, then the house will be stuck with you.

Tang Yicheng asked curiously, "Boss, do you have any big plans for the future?"

Selling off properties is a way to raise funds. Is this a large sum of money intended for reinvesting in real estate elsewhere?

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "It'll be a secret for now; you'll find out later."

Tang Yicheng laughed along, "Well, boss, you've made quite a move, with such a large sum of money!"

Wang Xiao shook his head and sighed, "It's not enough! I have to go to Moscow to raise more money."

Tang Yicheng was increasingly confused, but the security check line had already started, so he could only wave goodbye to his boss and reiterate, "I'll get started on this as soon as I get back."

Nemtsov couldn't understand Chinese, and no one helped him translate. He judged by intuition that the two men were talking about work.

He exclaimed, "Miss Wang, you really go to great lengths."

Wang Xiao laughed: "I'm nothing yet. You'll soon see the truly hardworking people."

Who is it? Probably some middlemen who've finished their shopping spree and are flying back to Moscow on a China Airlines flight.

Sigh, what's so hard about their work? The conditions on Wuzhou Airlines may be a bit rough, but it's not like it's unusable for passengers.

Nemtsov believes that, based on his extensive observations and experience, shuttle merchants are the ones who reap the best value for money in the entire production and sales process.

But once he boarded the plane, he could no longer bring himself to say those words.

Oh no, the return passenger plane has turned into a cargo plane!

Simply checking in luggage wasn't enough; almost all passengers treated their large and small bags of purchases as carry-on baggage and stuffed them all into the cabin.

There is no doubt that the shelves simply cannot accommodate it, and no one is even entertaining such wishful thinking.

Everyone resolutely and decisively turned the aisle into a distribution center for goods, filling it to the brim.

In this situation, people become like sesame seeds on a pancake, merely decorations sprinkled on the seat.

Nemtsov stared in disbelief, turning his head forward and then backward.

He simply couldn't imagine how flight attendants could walk around and provide services to everyone under such circumstances.

In fact, he was overthinking it; there was no such thing at all.

The flight attendant just stood in front of them and didn't come over at all.

For the long seven-plus hours, everyone sat on their seats, tiptoeing, supposedly to prevent economy class syndrome and deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs.

When it's time to eat, each person gets a piece of bread, a bottle of drink, and a bottle of mineral water, just like students taking an exam and receiving their test papers, which are passed from one end to the other.

Nemtsov, lacking experience, began drinking large gulps of cola to relieve the oppressive atmosphere.

It turns out that cola is a high-sugar drink, and its hyperosmolarity makes it very easy for the bladder to swell, so he soon felt the urge to urinate.

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone and with immense psychological pressure, he struggled to squeeze a path through the goods and staggered to the toilet.

God, he swears, he's never been on such a difficult flight.

After returning, he dared not eat or drink casually anymore; even when thirsty, he would only take a small sip of water.

Then he observed carefully and was horrified to discover that no one had gone to the toilet for such a long time.

Seven hours! How did they manage to endure that? It's simply not in line with human physiology.

After getting off the plane, Nemtsov finally couldn't help but ask Wang Xiao, "Is everyone this good at holding back?"

Wang Xiao glanced at him and said meaningfully, "In the commercial city, adult diapers can be sold at retail."

Who are its customers? They are middlemen and speculators.

Nemtsov watched as the businessmen rushed to the restrooms as soon as they got off the plane, and he was instantly speechless, as if he had lost his ability to speak.

Intense emotions, like a rampaging bear, roared and ran rampant in his heart, as if to shatter the entire world.

In the end, all he could say was, "No wonder the airport built such a big restroom."

After saying that, he even felt he had offended someone, so he closed his eyes again before speaking, "I misspoke, we also have our salespeople."

During his visit to township enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region, he repeatedly expressed his regret that Russia did not have as many hardworking salesmen.

Township enterprises, which originally had no advantage in the consumer market, managed to open up the market by relying on the persuasive tongues of their salespeople, well, and bribery.

Russia is a different story. In terms of sales, apart from scammers like MMM and the All-Russian Automobile Union, the salespeople of other legitimate companies seem to have had their tongues cut out; they have absolutely no idea how to sell.

They were lazy and unwilling to travel around to expand the market; they weren't willing to endure that hardship.

But now, Nemtsov truly understands that they are capable of enduring hardship, Russians are capable of enduring hardship, or rather, everyone in the world is capable of enduring hardship, as long as the hardship is meaningful and leads to what one desires.

He looked at Wang Xiao, a thousand words welling up in his throat, but he couldn't say them.

Wang Xiao immediately clarified: "Don't look at me like that, I didn't. My method is to give myself a mental suggestion: once I'm on the plane, it's like I'm sleeping. I'll go to the toilet after I wake up from my nap when I get off the plane."

Nemtsov laughed: "You're really something, you can succeed with just a hint."

Wang Xiao said meaningfully, "Believing in yourself is always the first step to success."

As they walked out of the arrivals area, Ivanov rushed towards Wang Xiao like a whirlwind and hugged her tightly.

Good heavens, ever since he learned a week ago that the King would be going to Moscow for the Spring Festival, his heart has been filled with joy. As the days draw closer, the garden in his heart has blossomed into a riot of colors, a vibrant spring.

She is that flower fairy, the flower fairy holding a magic wand, who will turn his cold and lonely wasteland into a sunny and fragrant garden.

Wang Xiao smiled, reached out, and hugged him back tightly.

Thank God, just when Nemtsov doubted that the embrace would last forever, Deputy Prime Minister Ivanov finally remembered that it was he who had arranged for him to go on this long business trip.

The Deputy Prime Minister nodded to him, smiled, and then winked mysteriously: "Sir, you've worked hard. Please go back and rest. A huge surprise awaits you."

Once in the car, Wang Xiao jokingly teased Ivanov, "My sir, Russians don't celebrate the Lunar New Year. Is it really necessary for the whole family to be together?"

Without a doubt, the surprise he was referring to was bringing Nemtsov's wife and daughter to Moscow.

That's right, Nemtsov got married quite young. He's 37 this year, and his daughter is already in middle school.

As for why a married man with a daughter is still considered a playboy? Sigh! Whether a man is a playboy or not has absolutely nothing to do with whether he's single or not.

Ivanov said in a serious tone, "All days when families reunite are grand festivals."

Wang Xiao smiled without saying a word.

But even if she says nothing, her very presence is a huge celebration.

Like a show-off child, Ivanov couldn't wait to make the little panda stand up and bow to Wang Xiao as soon as he returned to the villa.

Wang Xiao even suspected that if he tried a little harder, the next time those two big-tailed furry kids would be able to open their mouths and say, "Congratulations on getting rich, here's your red envelope."

He then pulled Wang Xiao to show off the dumplings he had made, each one round and plump, like a full ingot.

He emphasized, like a child seeking praise, "I chopped the pork and prepared the filling myself."

Of course, there is a meat grinder at home, but he insisted that the minced meat produced by grinding is not as fragrant as the chopped meat, and he insisted on doing it by hand.

The housekeeper was too lazy to pay attention to him, so she just let him be.

Now, listening to the old lady's mutterings, Wang Xiao smiled at Ivanov, making the latter blush. He quickly urged, "Let's eat, let's eat New Year's Eve dinner."

Based on his experience of celebrating the New Year with Wang's family, dumplings were probably eaten as a late-night snack after the New Year's Eve dinner, while watching the Spring Festival Gala.

But this time, the housekeeper mistakenly thought he was about to show off, so she cooked it and served it on the table with the New Year's Eve dinner.

Ivanov was on the verge of collapse: "My God, madam, how are we supposed to eat this?"

The housekeeper was a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, how about I take it down first and then fry it again later?"

Wang Xiao waved his hand: "It's okay, just leave it."

She smiled at the man sitting opposite her, "Anything you make tastes good, no matter how it's made."

Ivanov's face flushed red instantly; he was intoxicated by his own presence, not by the wine.

But in reality, no matter how nicely Wang Xiao spoke, he only ate two dumplings in the end.

Otherwise, what should we do with all those dishes on the New Year's Eve table? We can't just let them go to waste.

Finally, everyone had eaten their fill, and Baba sat at the door watching the fireworks.

Thank goodness, the weather was very kind to us today. Although it was still freezing cold, there was no wind or snow. Fireworks shot into the sky, bursting into a riot of colors, like a grand banquet extending an invitation.

The smell of sulfur permeating the air, when it enters the nostrils at this moment, carries a unique warmth reminiscent of everyday life.

Ivanov hugged Wang Xiao tightly, rested his chin on her shoulder, and asked with a smile, "What about the fireworks for the drone show you promised me? I'm waiting for you to send them to me."

Wang Xiao rubbed his forehead and laughed, "Don't worry, I keep my word, I won't go back on my promise."

She also looks forward to the day when drones will perform fireworks; what a carnival that will be!

In the middle of the night, Ivanov was awakened from his sleep. His arms were empty, and his bed was empty. Where was the king?

He looked up in alarm and finally saw someone standing by the window.

For about half the year, Moscow is covered in snow. February is especially snowy and icy.

The velvet curtains were drawn back, revealing a snow-covered landscape outside. The bright snow light even gave the illusion that it was already daylight.

There was only silence, not a sound to be heard, except for the occasional thud of snow breaking tree branches, reminding people that it was still the dead of night.

Ivanov carefully rolled out of bed, gently approached her, hugged her from behind, and whispered, "What are you looking at?"

Wang Xiao's gaze fell on the distant view outside the window, where a kingdom of ice and snow lay.

She muttered to herself, "I'm going to kill that bear."

Yes, the bear on Sakhalin Island didn't provoke her or anyone else; it was living its life peacefully in its own territory, but she still shot and killed it.

Asian countries, whether it's Thailand or South Korea, are also dutifully playing their roles as the Four Asian Tigers and Four Asian Dragons. None of them have started wars or invaded other countries, but the dark muzzles of guns are still pointed at them.

This is a world of hunting, where hunters are always present, and the unseen smoke and bloodshed have never disappeared.

Ivanov didn't understand what she meant and thought she wanted to go hunting, so he began to rack his brains to figure out which season was the best for hunting.

Sakhalin Oblast is definitely out of the question; bears are hibernating in February and won't show up at all.

The bears ended their hibernation in search of a warmer place.

Go to tropical and subtropical regions to hunt black bears? Hmm, he'll have to find a way to arrange a trip abroad.

Wang Xiao listened to his muttered plans and suddenly laughed, then took the initiative to put her arms around his neck and kiss him: "You're so cute, my baby, you're so good."

Ivanov wanted to protest. Good heavens, he was almost 33 years old, and being praised as cute made him feel a shiver of shame.

But in the next instant, his protest was swallowed up by the kiss.

Her warmth enveloped him; there was no better time than this.

It wasn't until noon that the sun lazily peeked out.

Wang Xiao skipped breakfast and went straight to lunch. It was leftover pork skin jelly from last night's New Year's Eve dinner, eaten with oatmeal porridge, which she enjoyed quite a bit.

After she put down her chopsticks, Ivanov took her hand and said, "Come on! Let's go shoot."

You definitely can't hunt bears in Moscow in February, but you can go to the shooting range to shoot them.

Although Wang didn't say anything, Ivanov could still feel the pressure she was under; otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to hunt bears in the dead of winter.

She needed release, and the banging of gunshots might be a good stimulus for her.

Several shooting clubs have opened in Moscow, which has become a distinctive tourist industry here.

But probably because it was too cold and the peak tourist season was long over, there were very few customers in the club, and the only sound at the shooting range was the deafening sound of Wang Xiao firing his gun.

Just as Ivanov raised his gun, his cell phone rang. It was the highest-ranking phone, and he had to answer it.

On the other end of the phone, Chubais made a request: "My dear Ivan, could you come with the King? We need to sit down and discuss something very important."

The president contracted pneumonia after heart surgery, causing his return to office to be repeatedly postponed. Now it's February, and Chubais still has to grit his teeth and continue playing the role of the guardian of the throne.

Embarrassingly, the throne in the Kremlin was empty, and his role as regent was precarious, lacking any real power or confidence.

Now he was speaking to Ivanov in a pleading tone.

Unfortunately, Ivanov remained unmoved and refused without hesitation: "God, Anatoly, please say the truth, can't I take a vacation? How long has it been since I took a vacation?"

Since he became Deputy Prime Minister, he has hardly ever taken a vacation.

The Russian concept of a two-day weekend is so strong, but it doesn't apply to him either. He spends at least 18 out of 24 hours a day on official business.

Chubais quickly softened his tone: "Ivan, my dear friend, I know, we all know how hard you work, everyone sees it, really."

The latest opinion poll shows that he is currently one of the most popular politicians in Russian politics.

Despite the flattery, Ivanov remained unimpressed: "Since you know that, then please don't disturb my vacation any longer, sir. You know how precious my vacation is."

Upon hearing the gunshot, Chubais immediately said, "Are you at a shooting club? Okay, we're coming right away."

Why the rush? Because he was also afraid that the elusive Miss Wang would suddenly leave Moscow again.

Why did he care about Wang Xiao's whereabouts? Because this matter required Wang Xiao's approval.

Don't misunderstand, Chubais wouldn't consider Ivanov a puppet of Wang Xiao.

He now even suspects that Ivan was playing dumb before he actually did something.

Moreover, regardless of whether it is true or not, Wang Xiao has already shown enough restraint. If he were to force people to lean towards the direction of the manipulator, it would be a bit too much.

There was no need for Chubais to do something so foolish.

He approached Wang Xiao hoping she would agree.

“Miss Wang, we all know that our short-term government bonds are abnormal.”

What's abnormal about it? The interest rate is too high, ridiculously high.

Wang Xiao knew all too well how astonishing the interest rates on these bonds could be; some bonds could have annual interest rates as high as 200%.

This is precisely why, during last year's presidential election, Chubais was able to use his initial capital to purchase short-term government bonds and rely on the large amounts of interest generated to pay for his campaign team's expenses.

That's just how people are; their stance is determined by their self-interest.

The more Chubais welcomed high-yield government bonds in the first half of last year, the more headaches he now faces.

He needs government bonds to return to a normal profit range so that investors will be willing to invest their money in more areas, such as real economy stocks, and Russia's high inflation rate can be alleviated.

Wang Xiao looked at him calmly: "So, sir, what do you need me to do?"

Chubais was a little embarrassed: "Sell off, I hope you can sell off government bonds to cool down the market."

God knows this is an extremely unreasonable request.

He knew exactly how she made her money.

Using low-interest or even near-interest-free loans from Japanese banks to purchase Russian government bonds is a safe and highly profitable way to profit from interest rate differentials.

Who wouldn't love this way of making money?

Wang Xiao nodded: "Alright, sir, you are an expert in economic reform. Since you say this is beneficial to Russia's economic development, then I am willing to cooperate, and I will sell off government bonds."

Chubbs, fearing she might get upset, subconsciously emphasized, "Please believe me, madam, your decision to forgo this short-term investment and choose a long-term one is undoubtedly the wisest and most farsighted choice."

Who is the target of long-term investment? Without a doubt, it is Ivanov.

As a veteran of the new presidential government, Chubais believes that Ivanov has the opportunity to rise to a higher position.

As for how far it should go? He decided to be cautious before making a judgment.

Wang Xiao responded with a smile: "Of course, we're in the same boat, and I always hope that Russia's economy can improve."

Alright, with Russian bonds being sold off, there's another source of funding for all-in betting.

Spring, spring, please come quickly! She can't wait to get into the battlefield.

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[I'm exhausted] I worked overtime until 9 pm last night and didn't get home until 10 pm. The plot at the beginning of this chapter is new. I was too tired when I was writing it and forgot about it. But then I realized I had to add it, otherwise the later plot wouldn't connect.