Chapter 474 The Temptation of Power: The Hardworking Chubais

Chen Yanqiu had something on her mind and couldn't help but observe Ivanov discreetly.

Very good, very profound, they've already started playing chess with their husband, Old Wang.

Of course, they weren't playing Go with black and white stones, nor were they playing Gomoku (Five in a Row), but rather Chinese chess, specifically the chess with the Chu River and Han Border.

It is said that the chessboard is like a battlefield, where soldiers and cannons are used to fight, generals and marshals are protected, and the game is full of ups and downs.

Then Chen Yanqiu stared at the chessboard for ten minutes, feeling a bit of pain in her eyes and a bit of annoyance in her ears—the pain came from her terrible chess game, which had made a complete mess of the board. The annoyance came from Xiaoxiao, that brat, couldn't she just shut up? Doesn't she understand the saying, "A true gentleman observes chess without speaking"? Even a whispered suggestion is still a suggestion!

What's worse, neither of them could put together even half a decent chessboard.

Forget it, if I keep looking, at least Ms. Chen Yanqiu, who was once unbeatable in the steel factory's medical clinic, will be able to spot my high blood pressure.

She decisively turned around, pulled her sister-in-law Chen Qianxuemei, whose face was also full of dismay, and said, "Let's go to the kitchen and see if we can manage to put together the New Year's Eve dinner."

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao, along with their group of bodyguards, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. How could anyone still have any expectations of their boss's chess skills?

Let alone that these two are terrible at chess, they're even worse at cards. Their games are always a mess, they don't use any strategy, they don't count their cards, and they don't even remember their cards. They just play randomly.

They don't care about playing cards with their boss; even if they win, they don't feel any sense of accomplishment.

As expected, after 20 minutes of play, even veteran Wang Tiejun couldn't keep up and quickly captured the opponent's general, ending the game ahead of schedule.

Ivanov felt he could still salvage the situation and attempted to rewind and learn from the experience.

Wang Tiejun pressed him down, smiling, "Aren't you tired from sitting for so long? Stand up and move around."

Then Ivanov stood up and petted the little panda, and when he turned around, he was surprised to find that there was no longer a seat for him opposite Wang Tiejun, whom he had wanted to curry favor with.

Now that Chen Yidong's uncle has taken the seat, he and his brother-in-law can finally play a game of chess to their hearts' content.

Moreover, he didn't need his niece's advice at all, and gently persuaded the eager Wang Xiao: "Don't worry about your uncle, just go and play by yourself."

So, with no place to use his skills, Wang Xiao could only team up with Ivanov again and run to the kitchen. The two of them finally realized that they were the hosts and should do their duty as hosts by helping to prepare the meal.

As for what can be done?

Wang Xiao actively promoted the product, while Ivan was skilled at chopping dumpling filling and supervising the work.

Next, unsurprisingly, the two useless troublemakers were kicked out of the kitchen by Chen Yanqiu.

Fortunately, Ms. Chen was a doctor and also knew a bit about psychology. When she kicked them out, she pinched off two small dough balls of the same size and gave one to each of them, saying, "Go out and play by yourselves."

The housekeeper glanced at it and felt she had learned it.

If these two come into the kitchen and make things worse next time, just appease them like this.

They're so easy to coax; they grabbed the dough and happily left the kitchen.

When the housekeeper cut a plate of fruit and took it out, she saw the two of them huddled together, kneading and rolling dough. Not satisfied, they even used a razor blade and a needle for sewing buttons.

This perfectly matches what Miss Wang said: poor students have a lot of stationery.

However, Wang Xiao wouldn't call Ivan a bad student now. On the contrary, she would exclaim in surprise from time to time: "You made it! Ivan, you're amazing! How can you be so skillful?"

As she spoke, she grabbed Ivanov's hand, looked at it, and said expectantly, "Can you still sculpt a tiger? This year is the Year of the Tiger."

Ivanov was almost dazzled by her bright eyes, and immediately puffed out his chest, full of confidence: "No problem, I'll do it right away."

He was quite good at sculpting clay when he was a child; he could even make a rooster!

Looking at the two people who were having such a great time, Chen Jingjing couldn't help but feel a ridiculous sense of disorientation, as if something was wrong.

Her sister kept praising them, and the more she praised them, the more dough figurines appeared on the table, almost filling the entire table.

Chen Jingjing had volunteered at a kindergarten, and for a moment, she even hallucinated the scene of a kindergarten teacher clapping her hands to coax children to learn handicrafts.

Oh my goodness, her sister actually clapped her hands, and the clapping was so loud, just like the sea lions in the aquarium.

When Chen Yanqiu came out with the tray, she was instantly overwhelmed: "Alright, stop squeezing, is there any room left?"

Turning her head again, she saw the borscht in Xiao Gao's hand and was furious. "Where's the borscht? It disappeared as soon as I turned my head."

In the end, we didn't even make borscht; we just made beef stew with potatoes instead.

Ivanov put down the last piece of dough in his hand and emphasized reluctantly, "I can make another little panda."

Chen Yanqiu blurted out, "Shut up! It'll take forever to steam this! Are we not going to eat New Year's Eve dinner?"

After she said it, she suddenly realized that she had mistaken Ivan for Ivan again.

They completely forgot that he was the Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

Who told him to revert to the way he was two years ago? Like a child. Oh dear, don't even mention it. Xiao Xiao isn't much better. She'll be 29 after the New Year, and she's still happily playing with dough.

Forget it, forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. At home, we'll just do things the way we do at home.

"Eat, eat! Everyone, go wash your hands and come eat."

But the next morning, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Yanqiu felt that Ivan was the deputy prime minister again.

Because early in the morning, the White House Chief of Staff arrived at Ivan's door with bags and packages to wish him a Happy New Year.

When Chen Yanqiu welcomed the people in, she was completely stunned.

Can New Year's greetings be contagious?

It's one thing for the Russians in Jinning to live there, but many of them have been settling in the Jiangzhimen area for years and basically don't return to Russia from November to March of the following year.

In addition, Jiangzhimen hosts many traditional folk activities every year, making it particularly lively. Many foreign merchants join in the festivities and celebrate the New Year together. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, since they don't have any elders in Jinning, they simply exchange New Year's greetings with each other.

But this is Moscow! Why are Muscovites exchanging New Year's greetings? Besides, how could Ivan possibly be the one receiving New Year's greetings?

This Mr. Chubais, she knew him, a celebrity, a real celebrity. He used to be a deputy prime minister, and he's still a high-ranking official. What kind of New Year's greeting did he give Ivan?

Chubais remained serious, deliberately slowing his speech, and emphasized earnestly: "Mr. Ivanov is a leader I particularly respect."

Ivanov had just gotten up, and the tuft of hair on his head was still uncombed, making him look quite comical and as if he had become ten years younger.

But that didn't stop him from dragging Chubais into the house, glaring at him fiercely, his teeth grinding: "Anatole, you'd better have something to say, and it has to be something extremely urgent."

What's this guy up to? Trying to drag him back to work overtime again? Dream on! Absolutely not!

He has already taken leave, and both Prime Minister Chernomyrdin and Deputy Prime Minister Soskowets are very supportive of him.

Even His Excellency the Prime Minister, a man of few words, repeatedly emphasized to him that he didn't need to worry about work matters, that his colleagues would handle everything, and that he should stay home and spend time with his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, striving to turn the future into the present.

Mr. Soskowitz nodded in agreement.

Ever since they learned that Wang Fei had acquired industrial technology in South Korea, including design and manufacturing technologies for electronic fuel injection systems, small motors, car audio systems, and dashboard components; as well as manufacturing and automation technologies for food processing and packaging machinery and plastic injection molding machines; and that he had also finalized a cooperation agreement with POSCO on special materials, and was still vying for technologies in PCBs, display drivers, and passive components—

The two remained silent for a full half minute.

Then Prime Minister Chernomyrdin sighed: "She really did all the work for Russia's Minister of Industry."

As a recognized pragmatist and former Russian gas tycoon, he keenly realized a very important thing from the king's purchasing trajectory.

Those are the assets of small and medium-sized enterprises that collapsed in South Korea, and the technology emergency kits that Russia urgently needs during its transition period.

This technology and production line, which is not the best, most advanced, or most sought-after, is precisely the most appropriate choice for Russian companies that are still struggling to recover production and maintain capacity.

As is well known, 1997 was a year of bankruptcies for South Korean companies. At that time, Russian companies should have actively sought to connect and transfer technology as quickly as possible.

But what were they doing last year?

The oligarchs are busy speculating in stocks, issuing bonds, and making money through GKOs. Everyone is diving headfirst into the financial markets; who cares about factory production anymore?

Even now, no one has thought of using this opportunity—which is poison to one and honey to another—to achieve the transformation and upgrading of Russian industry.

Well, he can't just frown at the oligarchs, because Russia's Minister of Industry is equally unaware of this. Given Russia's current situation, the Ministry of Industry should also be the one to take the lead in this matter.

However, no, nobody had it.

Even though South Korea is actually quite close to Russia, and the Kremlin and the White House are paying close attention to South Korea, their concern is only about how to repay the GKO when it expires.

Only Wang, who rarely spent more than a few days a year in Moscow, couldn't stand it anymore. Starting in the fall, he arranged for people to conduct market research in South Korea, and then personally flew to the Korean Peninsula to negotiate and take charge of the acquisition.

With such strategic vision and such action, my God, why is she serving as an image advisor to the Kremlin president? She should be a senior advisor to the White House's Department of Industry.

Soskovets patted Ivanov on the shoulder and emphasized with utmost sincerity, "Making good impressions of your father-in-law and mother-in-law is the best thing you can do. Living a good life is more important than anything else."

Why spend money on senior consultants? In the field of industry and commerce, they are your best consultants.

Ivanov thus easily secured a week-long vacation.

The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister practically begged him to give them his personal instruction, practically laying bare their entire fortunes to teach him how to win over his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Oh, and there was also a very important uncle.

His vacation has only just begun, so Mr. Chubais, what brings you here to cause trouble?

With a broad smile, Chubais said in a serious tone, "Oh, my dear sir, I've come to wish you a Happy New Year."

Ivanov was going crazy: "Stop being sarcastic, why are you wishing me a Happy New Year?"

Qiu Baisi said with utmost seriousness, "Why can't I wish you a Happy New Year? I've specifically inquired about it. Besides relatives and elders, Chinese people also wish their respected leaders a Happy New Year. And on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they wish their most respected leader a Happy New Year!"

What kind of nonsense is this? Which quack strategist gave him this terrible idea?

But in fact, Chubais's original idea was even more toxic.

I had been planning to come yesterday to accompany Ivanov to the airport to pick up his future father-in-law and his uncle's family.

The reason is that Ivan's parents and family did not show up this time, which was too disrespectful and would offend the king's parents and relatives.

When he found out about this yesterday, he almost rushed out on the spot and went straight to the airport to at least support Ivan.

The reason he didn't go was because his wife stopped him, thinking that New Year's Eve, like Christmas Eve, is a day for families to reunite, and it wouldn't be good for him to disturb them.

Hearing this, Ivanov, speechless, finally couldn't help but sneer: "God, it's true what they say, a clever wife is paired with a clumsy husband. He really pities stupid men and always gives them a smart wife. We should thank God!"

Despite being mocked, Chubais persisted: "Hey! Seriously, I'd like to go to your house and talk to your parents. What are you two up to? Do they have a problem with the King?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Ivanov glared at him. "It's custom, it's rule. They don't meet before the wedding is officially discussed, they absolutely don't meet."

Chubais asked skeptically, "Does China have such a rule? I've never heard of it."

"Customs vary from place to place. China is so vast, with such a large population, that every region has its own rules," Ivanov emphasized. "My family loves the King more than anyone else! Including you all!"

Parents all over the world, just like ordinary people, want their grown children to be stable.

Anyone who can do this is someone who has been affirmed by the former.

His parents and family liked Wang because Wang was their partner, the person they were willing to spend their lives with.

It has almost nothing to do with the king's abilities, character, etc., and there are not many requirements.

These are precisely the things that Chubais, Chernomyrdin, and others value most.

In terms of purity, would Chubais and his ilk dare to say that their preferences are purer?

Ivanov pointed at the cabinet again, gritting his teeth as he continued to refute Chubais: "My grandfather and his family spent a long time choosing gifts; they started preparing a long time ago."

Of course, he was embarrassed to say just how abstract the gift his nearly ninety-year-old grandfather had prepared was.

Antiques, Chinese antiques, said to have been taken from the Winter Palace, genuine and high-quality items.

When Ivanov received the call, his vision went completely black. What was his grandfather trying to do? Was this a marriage alliance? Or was it making an enemy?!

Are you afraid that his father-in-law, mother-in-law, and uncle's family won't remember that Russia invaded China?

Fortunately, he asked one more question, and quickly and decisively replaced it with a copy of the Soviet-era industrial archives.

He believed that this was the kind of gift his father-in-law would like.

So now he was full of confidence and opened his mouth to shoo him away: "Alright, alright, Anatoly, my dear friend, you've already wished me a Happy New Year, you can go back now. I won't keep you for lunch, it's inconvenient."

Chubais, however, grabbed Ivanov's arm with a broad smile: "No rush, Ivanov, my dear friend. There's still some time before lunch. Why don't we go with your father-in-law and his family for a stroll? Let them see how Moscow has changed."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice, "My dear Ivan, your work performance is a testament to your abilities. Believe me, all parents want to entrust their daughters to someone with exceptional capabilities."

Ivanov, however, was realistic: "The changes in Moscow are mainly due to Mayor Luzhkov's achievements, and have little to do with me."

Chubais choked; it was indeed an unpleasant fact.

When he was Deputy Prime Minister, Luzhkov ignored him and insisted on separating Moscow from Russia.

Although the White House now has much closer ties with the Moscow city government, things aren't much better.

Even more problematic is that Luzhkov has been making moves ever since the president announced he would not seek re-election. It's clear to everyone that his goal is to become the next president.

This is really not good news.

Chubais had to take a deep breath and persuade Ivanov: "You can't take people to Siberia and the Far East to see the countryside! The snow has sealed off the ground!"

As he spoke, he urged people on, "Come on, come on, even without your contribution, the Russian people might have to take to the streets to donate gold."

As Ivanov was being pushed along, he couldn't resist spewing venom: "South Koreans are willing to donate because they have 30 years of rapid economic development. Does Russia have that? Who will donate?"

This forced Chubais to raise his voice to drown out his discouraging tone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, would you like to take a stroll around Moscow?" He displayed the approachable manner of the new Grand Steward of the Kremlin. "Moscow in the cold has a unique charm."

Chen Yanqiu and the others didn't care. If they were cold, they would just wear more clothes. Being cold was a unique feature, after all.

Wang Xiao had just finished making a phone call and went downstairs.

In the dead of winter, she didn't want to go out; she probably stayed home.

But she was curious, curious about what kind of trouble Chubais was up to.

Russians don't celebrate the Lunar New Year, so it's even less likely they'd have a holiday. Today is Wednesday, and he's skipping his regular job to come and show them around Moscow?

He's so bored!

She nodded: "Then let's go out for a walk."

We can have lunch at the container market or Huaxia Commercial Street, which will also lighten the workload for the housekeeper.

Chubais's heart finally settled down, and he said with a smile, "Then let's set off."

What was he planning? It was very simple: he wanted to achieve his goal indirectly.

He has not given up on choosing the next president for Russia, and his preferred candidate is still Ivanov.

Indeed, capable people must step forward and take on important responsibilities.

Otherwise, in this world of procedural justice, you never know what kind of fools or idiots might suddenly emerge and become powerful figures.

By then, if you try to overturn the outcome, procedural justice will completely block your way. You'll be forced to either resort to assassination or launch a military coup, which will cause further turmoil and even bloodshed.

Chubais could not tolerate this outcome and hoped that he could personally support his chosen person to become the new president, just like the current master of the Kremlin.

Ivanov had already made it clear that he wasn't interested in the position; you can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to. Chubais's primary reason for choosing Ivanov was his strong sense of self and his unwavering commitment to his word.

How could he possibly listen to your commands?

It's okay, there's still time until the millennium presidential election.

At this point, if we persist patiently and gradually influence him, Ivan might change his mind.

As for how to achieve this slow and steady progress, Chubais took the indirect approach to the extreme, and his chosen targets were Ivanov's future parents-in-law—the two veteran comrades Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu.

Who doesn't strive for a glamorous life?

Chubais had chatted with many people and accumulated a wealth of experience. He put himself in the shoes of other fathers and was very certain that parents with daughters most hoped that their daughters could marry well and achieve success.

The most glamorous wedding in the world is undoubtedly to marry a head of state.

What parent in the world could resist such temptation?

Furthermore, Chubais has analyzed that in East Asian culture, regardless of whether daughters are successful career women, their life's mission is almost always to seek their parents' approval.

That's right.

Chubais was self-aware; he dared not approach Wang Xiao directly. He was no match for those with unwavering resolve, and he feared he would be persuaded by Wang Xiao instead.

He would bait the hole, and those who were willing would take the bait.

It didn't snow in Moscow today, and the sun was out, which is rare. Sitting in the car, protected from the cold, and looking at the sunshine, I felt truly warm and cozy.

Chen Yidong was the first to exclaim, "Moscow has changed so much! It's so beautiful!"

He hadn't been to Moscow for several years. He remembered that the last time he came, the famous red capital was gray and dusty, and on snowy days, the ground was covered in mud and dirt, as dirty as a coal mine.

To be honest, he felt that Bucharest was more beautiful and more comfortable at the time.

But now he has to say, Moscow looks just as good as the big cities in Western Europe; it's clean, tidy, and beautiful.

His Russian was broken and hesitant, but that didn't stop Chubais from immediately switching to English: "Ivan deserves credit for this too; things have changed so much in the past year or so."

Ivanov dared not accept such high praise and immediately emphasized: "Mayor Luzhkov is in charge of the construction of Moscow."

But Chubais still insisted: "When I was in the White House, he wasn't so easy to communicate with. It's clear that he still recognizes your abilities, which is why he's willing to cooperate."

Ivanov got goosebumps listening to this, and seriously suspected he had eaten poisonous mushrooms before going out that day. Moscow is a city in the forest, and mushrooms are everywhere when the season is right; it wouldn't be surprising if he accidentally ate poisonous ones.

Chubais, however, was in high spirits and eagerly urged everyone: "Want to go in and take a look? This is the university's theater, open to students, and they're preparing for the spring drama festival."

Russians truly love watching theater. Many will save up half a year's pension to see a play, even if they can't catch a free premiere. Whether it's a grand theater or a small one, there's never a shortage of audience.

Chen Jingjing was quite curious about how university students in Moscow rehearsed plays, so she immediately turned to look at the adults.

Seeing her sister nod, she happily got out of the car.

As a result, in the theater, they not only saw an avant-garde play being rehearsed—but because it was so avant-garde, they couldn't understand what it was trying to express at all.

Fortunately, the people dancing nearby were having a great time, so it was nice to just watch the fun.

Qian Xuemei asked curiously, "So soon, they're starting school already? How many days is winter break here?"

When Chubais told him that winter vacation usually lasts at most half a month, all the Chinese people present, except for Wang Xiao, Xiao Gao, and Xiao Zhao, were stunned.

Qian Xuemei even blurted out in English: "Russia is too cruel, they don't even give children a holiday."

The Soviet Union had long implemented a two-day weekend, so why were they still so harsh on students?

Chubais quickly explained, "Our summer vacation is long, lasting two to three months."

Now, the group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, Chen Yidong couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you give the winter break a little longer? It's cold and snowing, and it's inconvenient for the kids to go to school. Wouldn't it be better for them to stay home during this time? Summer vacation is cooler, and you can give them half a month off during the hottest period. It's more suitable to have them go to school at other times."

Chubais was stumped by the question.

Actually, Russia also has places with similar long winter breaks, such as Siberia and the Far East. However, in Europe, summer vacations are generally long and winter vacations are short, due to the warmer climate.

But this explanation was clearly inappropriate for the Chinese guests; relatively warm Moscow was still freezing cold for them.

Finally, Ivanov chuckled and continued, "Because of the old tradition, we used to give children a summer break so they could help with farm work. Now, we prefer to let them go out and enjoy the sunshine and life when the weather is nice."

Chen Yidong and the others nodded with smiles, understanding that each country has its own way of life.

A country where an elderly woman who cooks for herself meticulously can still save up half a year's worth of retirement money just to see a theatrical performance certainly values ​​quality of life more.

Chubais, however, could not bring himself to laugh.

He almost had a shock when he heard the phrase "enjoy life".

What kind of life are you looking for? Stop daydreaming, Ivan. You're better suited to working diligently in the Kremlin until the sun and moon disappear.

He quickly urged everyone, "Want to go watch the debate? It's about to start."

In fact, Chen Yanqiu and others were not very interested because their Russian proficiency was quite limited, and watching a debate was too challenging.

But the Chinese have always believed that "since we're already here," we might as well go.

The debate was held in a large lecture hall, with both sides passionately speaking at the front. Spectators who wished to watch entered through the back door.

Today's debate topic is about economic reform, and college students these days are indeed quite passionate.

Wang Xiao was quite curious, so she sat in the back and listened intently. As she listened, she heard Ivan's name.

She turned her head and, sure enough, saw Chubais quietly explaining to her friends and family in the simplest terms.

Tsk! Is this guy up to something else entirely?

She looked at the other person with a half-smile, and the person who had been staring at her quickly turned their head away.

Yes, he had learned about the topic of the debate beforehand and knew the general positions of the debaters.

He needed to use these young mouths to tell Wang's family how much experts recognized Ivan's economic reforms and how much the vibrant college students liked him.

As it turned out, his arrangement was correct, and every debater praised his boldness to some extent.

The only disagreement between the two sides was that some people thought he had gone too far, while others thought he hadn't done enough and that he needed to go further and be more aggressive.

As Chubais heard more and more, his chest puffed out higher and higher.

The 1996 election proved that whoever wins the hearts of young people wins Russia's future.

Look, Ivan is very popular.

However, joy turned to sorrow, and tragedy struck as soon as the debate ended.

Ivanov was so popular that he was recognized. The Moscow university students, fearless as ever, nearly tore him to pieces, leaving his face covered in lipstick marks.

Chubais was going crazy.

Good heavens, whose father-in-law and mother-in-law would be happy to see this?

He risked his life to help, braving danger and working with the bodyguards to rescue him.

Everyone was still in shock when they boarded the bus.

Wang Xiao even jokingly took out her camera and teased him, "Let me take a couple more photos of you as a souvenir."

Ivanov, exasperated, shouted, "Ptooey! Ptooey! Wipe it off right now!"

It was a completely coquettish tone.

Wang Xiao used a wet wipe to clean the lipstick stain on him: "It's okay, it doesn't affect your handsomeness."

Meanwhile, Chubais was still racking his brains, mixing Russian and English, desperately trying to explain to the expressionless Chen Yanqiu and the others: "This kind of thing would never happen normally; there are always security personnel to stop it. Today was a spur-of-the-moment decision; it wasn't planned. These young people are all too emotional, and we prefer to express our feelings with kisses."

Well, this explanation seems worse than no explanation at all. Especially the last sentence.

Chubais felt he had never been this nervous when negotiating with IMF officials.

He frantically directed the driver, "Drive forward, let's go somewhere else for a drive."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Stop wandering around, it's getting late, let's go to the container market for dinner."

Chubais could only nod: "Yes, yes, we should go eat."

He planned to take the man to the Kremlin after dinner, hoping the imposing palace would naturally inspire a sense of awe and reverence for power.

As a result, the car couldn't get in as soon as it reached the entrance of the container market.

A rally was being held in the open space at the market entrance.

Members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation carried red flags and portraits of Lenin and Stalin, denouncing the Russian federal government, cursing economic reforms, and singing "The Internationale."

Some people were handing out flyers with a caricature of Ivanov, who was called "the ruble thief."

Many elderly people also took to the stage to give speeches, arguing that the government's ruble devaluation policy was making their pensions increasingly worthless and causing them to lose all the savings they had painstakingly accumulated.

Seeing this, Chubais turned pale.

He subconsciously turned to look at Wang Xiao, utterly bewildered as to why she didn't intervene. She was simply letting so many people curse the government and Ivan.

Wang Xiao shrugged: "How can this be managed? Citizens have freedom of speech and assembly. Besides, doesn't the Kremlin do anything about it?"

November 7th last year, the first Monday after the ruble devaluation was announced, was also the National Unity Day proposed by the president, which coincided with the 80th anniversary of the October Revolution.

Good heavens, at that time the Communist Party of the Russian Federation held grand rallies, speeches and demonstrations in October Square in Moscow and Palace Square in St. Petersburg.

The police were the same as today; they just stood by and watched, without lifting a finger to stop anyone.

Now Wang Xiao can also comfort Qiu Baisi with a smile: "Most security threats fall into two categories. One is non-violent, which is provocative behavior that aims to attract public attention to achieve its purpose, such as displaying banners or holding rallies. This kind of behavior does not require an overreaction; just control the scope to avoid causing a secondary public opinion incident. The other is violent behavior, such as taking hostages or carrying out bombings. That kind of behavior requires immediate action, and then an announcement should be issued within 24 hours to avoid excessive speculation."

She gestured outside, "Let them stay here."

This was a theory she heard in a crisis management lecture when she was in college before she time-traveled—the fishhook and the spear. The security work for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was carried out according to this theory.

The effect is quite good.

As Chubais listened, his resolve to bring Ivanov into the Kremlin only strengthened.

Look how much trouble such a readily available crisis management expert can save the government!

Wang Tiejun pricked up his ears and listened intently to the complaints from the people outside. Then he turned to the two Russian officials and sighed, "You must be worried about your retirement pensions too!"

Chubais tentatively asked, "Are you also worried?"

Wang Tiejun nodded: "How can we not worry! Half of the people in the factory are on retirement pensions, and every time we get paid, we worry about where the money will come from."

With shared sorrow, Chubais's breakdown subsided somewhat. See, see, we're all in the same boat. It's not that Ivan did anything terribly that he's being cursed like this.

He rallied his confidence and reiterated: "The reforms led by Ivan are very popular among the Russian people. It's just that they are far away, and many of them are not in Moscow, so it is inconvenient for them to come here to express their thoughts."

As soon as he finished speaking, new banners were put up, with Siberian workers protesting that the government's reforms were stealing money from their pockets!

With a "thud," Chubais's heart shattered.

These bastards have turned the container market into their base for attacking Ivan and the government's reforms.

They shouldn't have come here to eat.

He pinched his nose and decided to eat quickly, and then go to the Kremlin immediately, so that the glittering palace would awaken people's deepest desire for power.

That kind of life would be wonderful!

As a result, when they entered the cafeteria, they ran into someone they knew.

To this day, Diachenko has consistently championed Russian products. Even at lunchtime, she doesn't put on any airs of being the president's daughter, eating with everyone in the cafeteria.

Because of this, her public image is quite good now, and even the president has been praised—parents are a mirror for their children, and a person's words and actions reflect their upbringing.

Dyachenko's home education is now widely recognized as excellent.

Even with such good upbringing, she was helpless and could only listen to the young girl across from her pleading incessantly: "Auntie, please help me, please tell Grandpa to get all those bodyguards out. I really can't go to school anymore, I'm always being watched, I can't interact with my classmates normally at all."

Tyachenko tried to persuade her sister's daughter: "But it's all for your safety, dear. We have to get used to it. This is life for the president's family."

"What kind of life is this?" The president's granddaughter broke down, her voice rising eight octaves. "A life where the door is always open, with absolutely no privacy! A life where someone is always following you, with no freedom whatsoever! Even prisoners have a more comfortable life than this!"

Fortunately, it was relatively late, and most people in the cafeteria had already finished eating and left.

So only a handful of diners turned around and looked at them curiously.

Tyachenko quickly reassured her, "Okay, darling, don't get agitated. I'll try to speak on your behalf. But it's best if you say it yourself, and I'll arrange it. You can talk to Grandpa."

Wang Xiao listened intently while sipping his soup.

Very good. Judging from the conversation, Dyachenko's influence over the president is rising. This proves that the president highly approves of the task she assigned to Dyachenko at the container market's Russian goods platform.

Tyachenko also saw Wang Xiao and the others, made a gesture to them, and showed a helpless smile, indicating that it was inconvenient for her to come over at the moment.

Wang Xiao nodded to her, understanding, completely understanding.

She could understand the helplessness of the two ladies at the dinner table.

After listening for a while, Chen Yanqiu muttered to herself, "Sure enough, being a head of state isn't easy. Even your family has no privacy."

Goodness, the door has been open the whole time, how uncomfortable that must be.

Qian Xuemei nodded in agreement; she couldn't stand being stared at by pairs of eyes all the time.

As the old saying goes, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," and this is something that not everyone can handle.

Upon hearing this, Chubais's heart, shattered into eight pieces, was simply ground into powder.

It's all over. Look at the behavior of Wang Xiao's family. It seems they have developed strong sympathy and fear for the president's family.

But there's really no way to solve this.

Assassination is truly terrifying; it appears and disappears unpredictably, employing countless methods.

For the safety of the head of state, he and his family have no choice but to sacrifice their privacy.

After leaving the container market, Chubais lost all enthusiasm and could not continue to actively promote the Kremlin and the power it represented. He could only bite the bullet and continue to act as a guide.

When they parted that evening, Wang Xiao looked at his pale and desolate face and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Sir, your thoughts are practically written all over your face.

"Alright, sir, you don't need to do that. How about this, I can promise that when the millennium election comes around, if necessary, I will help stop Berezovsky and Gusinsky from joining forces."

Although Berezovsky did not suffer serious economic losses due to the GKO because he focused most of his energy on politics, his exclusion from the overall planning and decision-making process created a serious crisis for him.

It is obvious that he hopes the next president will be more considerate of him.

As for Gusinski, although he was not a major investor in GKO, he suffered heavy losses after the ruble depreciated by 15% because he had borrowed a lot of money from foreign banks.

Berezovsky pulled him, and he began to hesitate, likely choosing to form an alliance with the other side.

This was exactly what Chubais was most worried about.

He absolutely would not allow short-sighted businessmen to manipulate the country.

Logically speaking, since both of them had already sparred with Wang Xiao and hadn't gained the upper hand, they shouldn't be so bold as to try and provoke him again.

The problem is that Ivanov has publicly stated that he will not run for the next presidential election. Therefore, they analyzed that Wang Xiao would not intervene in the millennium election.

That's why they had the guts.

After all, as long as Wang Xiao doesn't make a move, the two of them are currently the media tycoons who control the most television, magazines, and newspapers.

Although Wang Xiao's promise wasn't exactly what Qiubais wanted most, it was better than nothing.

Chubais nodded reluctantly, but couldn't help but add, "Your Majesty, you really should think this over carefully. Russia needs Ivan."

Ivanov shoved a hand over his mouth, his eyes blazing with fury: "Shut up, Anatoly! Are you trying to force me to break off our friendship? God! Stop trying to take advantage of me. How about this, I can promise you that if any candidate you choose gains my approval, I will give him/her my full support. Is that alright?"

He had never realized before that Chubais was such a persistent and stubborn person.

Chubais looked dejected: "Alright, let's leave it at that for now."

Ivanov pressed him, emphasizing earnestly, "Not like this first, but like this."

"My God!" Chubais covered his face with his hands.

Seriously, every word Ivan says and every action he takes makes everyone think he's a better fit for the president.

Unfortunately, he didn't cooperate.

In the following days, the deeply affected Chubais calmed down considerably, at least he stopped coming over to nag.

However, Wang Xiao's mood was not cheered by this.

On the contrary, she is feeling very unhappy now.

Investments in the United States have not progressed smoothly.

Zhou Liang told her that Micron was very interested in their investment and would be happy to have another shareholder to facilitate the acquisition of Texas Instruments Semiconductor.

Micron is a truly remarkable company, an anomaly in the American semiconductor industry. It was founded in Ihoda, a state famous for its potatoes—yes, the same potatoes that make French fries.

It just so happens that both French fries and chips are called "chip" in English, and Micron's largest shareholder is an Iowa billionaire who made his fortune from potatoes.

It seems that like attracts like. Micron, growing in such barren soil, excels at cost-saving. It is precisely through its powerful ability to save money that it has managed to survive and thrive in the US-Japan chip price war.

Micron, being in this position, is naturally sensitive to money. It urgently needs external funding to help it complete the acquisition of Texas Instruments Semiconductor.

It's not just because expanding business during a downturn allows for huge profits once the industry recovers; it's also because direct acquisitions are much more cost-effective than building your own factory and training engineers.

With a mere $800 million, if Texas Instruments hadn't been determined to divest its semiconductor division, where else could they have gotten such a bargain?

But even though neither the buyer nor the seller had any objections, someone still jumped out to cause trouble.

Who? The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Its resolute attitude and keen sense of smell directly thwarted Micron's wishful thinking.

Are you kidding me? A company from such a small place clearly lacks any sense of the bigger picture. In such a sensitive field as semiconductors, you actually dare to absorb capital from Russia and China! What exactly are you trying to do?

No way! This is non-negotiable, absolutely not.

Zhou Liang was stunned, because they only planned to exchange their $300 million investment for a small number of Micron shares, and had no intention of banging on the table in the boardroom.

Even so, this is still the treatment they received.

He had no choice but to call his boss and ask how he could achieve his goal indirectly.

Wang Xiao was also at a loss. She could only offer one response: to let Zhou Liang pass the buck back to Meiguang and tell them that it wasn't that they were breaking their promise to pay but not actually doing so, but rather that their government wouldn't allow it.

Since forcing things won't work, there's no point in trying to win them over. There are plenty of other places that urgently need money; we can just invest somewhere else.

“Remember this!” Wang Xiao emphasized, “We don’t necessarily need Texas Instruments’ technology, nor do we necessarily need to invest in Micron. Micron isn’t the most technologically advanced. They developed 1M memory in 1987 and 4M in 1991, but that was later than Japan and South Korea. With money, you can invest anywhere. If Micron wants our money, then they can solve the problem themselves. If they can’t, then we can just say goodbye.”

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiao couldn't help but feel a chill.

She realized that the US would be very strict in its entry requirements, as evidenced by the 909 program, which restricts US companies from investing in China.

But she really didn't expect CFIUS to react so quickly, it was practically a state of hypersensitivity.

Even if they declare that they are not seeking a board seat, will not participate in management, will not have access to core technologies, and that the equity purchase is less than 10%, making it a typical passive investment, CFIUS will still be in a hurry.

Judging from this trend, her investment plan in the United States will have to be adjusted.

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Sorry, I lost track of time while writing and only just updated now.

The fishhook and spear theory mentioned in the article comes from Gao Zhikai. Haha, that's right, it's the same Gao Zhikai from the Gao Zhikai line.