Chapter 493 At Least We'll Get Through This Year: If We Have Money, We'll Go Big and Strong

Given Wang Xiao's personality, once a decision is made, he'll definitely roll up his sleeves and get to work immediately.

But it's Chinese New Year now.

Aside from business owners, very few employees are willing to work overtime on holidays.

You mean triple pay? Ha! Anyone who gets involved in this is a high-ranking official. Given their regular salaries, they really don't care about earning triple pay on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Especially in 1999, the mainstream way of raising children was to let them grow up freely. Adults were in charge of going to work, and children were in charge of going to school. You could hardly hear of any parent being so angry while helping their child with homework that they had to be sent to the ICU.

Therefore, even staying at home and watching over one's own good-for-nothing children during the Lunar New Year is better than going back to work overtime.

Yes, yes, Wang Xiao can indeed force them to come back to work.

But is it necessary? People aren't machines; they're emotional beings.

If you force people to work overtime, they'll just dawdle and drag out a week's worth of work that could be done in a day, and then they'll be full of resentment.

Instead of doing that, let people enjoy the New Year in peace and quiet first.

So on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Wang Xiao didn't waste any time and immediately packed her bags to go to Moscow with the Russian delegation.

When Chen Yanqiu took her daughter to the airport and they had to go through security, she looked at her daughter with a face full of unspeakable emotions.

She knew her daughter was destined for great things.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Premier Hong personally went to the airport to see off the Russian delegation and even spoke a few words to Xiaoxiao.

What did you say?

Praise Xiaoxiao.

They said Xiaoxiao is an outstanding entrepreneur with a strong sense of social responsibility, and even brought up her past experience of making concert movies.

In short, the leadership highly values ​​her, as she has always been so socially responsible.

Chen Yanqiu was delighted when she heard this, but the next moment she wanted to cover her daughter's mouth.

That brat! You need people to carry you, don't you understand?

The Premier just praised you. He was just being polite and asked if you had any other thoughts. Why don't you just say something nice? It's the New Year, wouldn't it be better to say something auspicious?

And what happened? Her troublesome daughter immediately said, "Regarding the issue of corruption, the national and local governments have provided corresponding living allowances to laid-off workers, but I am very worried that corruption problems will arise."

Chen Yanqiu almost fainted.

But she had no way to squeeze to the front and shut the girl up.

Wang Xiao said earnestly, "The rope always breaks at its thinnest point, just as laid-off workers are in a difficult situation. But the more difficult it is, the easier it is to be bullied."

"From the perspective of public officials who manage related expenses, if even employees of large factories with secure jobs are being laid off, how long can they keep their own jobs? They might be the next wave of layoffs."

“In this state of panic, even those who work diligently might have other ideas. I can be noble and endure poverty. But what about my parents, my children, my family? They can’t all suffer with me. So while I have power and can make money, I’ll quickly make some money to at least secure my future.”

"From the perspective of laid-off workers, they have considered the factory their home their whole lives; the factory is their organization. After leaving the organization, if they are bullied, they don't know who to turn to when they are asked to complain."

"Moreover, laid-off workers feel that they have been abandoned by the country, that the country doesn't want them anymore. They even feel that it's normal that the money that was promised will not reach them, because they believe that the money promised before was just a trick to keep them from causing trouble."

Chen Yanqiu was furious when he heard this. "What kind of nonsense is this? How can you say such things in front of the Premier?"

Xiaoxiao is still used to being disrespectful to Secretary Fang and the others; she really doesn't watch her mouth.

Wang Xiao was completely oblivious to her mother's resentful gaze and continued, "If the country and the government spend money, they have to make sure that money is used effectively. Otherwise, it will be like when the educated youth went to the countryside back then, the country spent 6 billion yuan, and all they got in return were four things that were unsatisfactory."

Prime Minister Hong nodded: "Thank you, Ms. Wang."

Because he was in front of members of the Russian delegation, he did not address Wang Xiao as Comrade Wang Xiao as was customary.

Even this small detail made Wang Xiao sigh inwardly; those who can become high-ranking leaders are truly meticulous.

She added, "We need to be especially careful in the Northeast. I'm not being regionally biased, saying that corruption is more likely to occur in the Northeast. It's just that the Northeast has many old industrial bases, and the market economy is relatively less active. When workers in the South are laid off, they can go to the Pearl River Delta or the Yangtze River Delta to find work. It's more difficult in the Northeast. There are fewer job opportunities, and if subsidies are embezzled, and the weather is so cold and it gets dark so early in winter, life is really tough."

She nodded to Prime Minister Hong, slightly embarrassed, "I don't know much about these things, and these are just some shallow and presumptuous opinions. Please forgive my ignorance."

"No, you're right, thank you so much."

The airport announcement reminded them that they had passed through security, and Prime Minister Hong escorted them to the queue.

He waved goodbye only after watching everyone pass through security.

Chen Yanqiu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled slightly. She grabbed her daughter and glared at the troublesome child, saying, "You brat, really!"

Wang Xiao hugged her pleadingly, "It's alright, Mom, it's okay, it's okay."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanqiu became even more worried and sighed as she looked at her daughter.

Wang Xiao was at her wit's end by her sighs, so she had no choice but to suggest, "Mom, why don't you and Dad come with us to Moscow?"

The Ice and Snow World in the dead of winter is actually quite interesting.

Chen Yanqiu sighed again: "What are we going to do with you? You have your own important things to do."

Yes, neither she nor Wang Tiejun had plane tickets; they came to see someone off.

Under normal circumstances, neither of them could pass through security. If you don't have a ticket, why would you go through security or enter the waiting room?

But Ivan's status is different; he's the Deputy Prime Minister. As family members, they enjoy the same diplomatic protocol, and can even enter the waiting room with him. Just look at that security check process—good heavens! The elderly couple has flown so many times, both domestic and international flights, and this was the first time they'd been subjected to such a security check. It was incredibly fast, and their privacy was truly respected.

They went through a private, VIP security checkpoint.

Now look at this waiting room again, is this really a place to wait to board a plane?

If she hadn't been told, she would have thought it was a VIP reception room.

Once the soundproof door was closed, the airport announcements and the noise of the crowds vanished without a trace.

And don't worry about missing the announcements. Wow, there are so many people, a whole team, all there to serve them. They don't need to worry about things like baggage check-in or border checks.

They only need to sit on the luxurious sofa, drink coffee or tea, eat snacks, and wait to board the plane.

This is not something that can be achieved simply by having money.

Chen Yanqiu sat down on the leather sofa, her feet resting on the thick, soft wool carpet. When she looked up and saw the calligraphy and paintings by famous artists on the wall, that inexplicable anxiety began to fill her heart again.

She glared at her daughter and said, "What else can I do? You won't let me do the things I'm capable of doing."

Wang Xiao immediately snuggled up to her mother, begging for forgiveness, and kissed her, saying, "Okay, okay, Mommy's not angry anymore."

This cheesy, mushy stuff gave Chen Yanqiu goosebumps all over. She immediately tilted her head back to avoid it, and said with disdain, "Don't try that on me. Do you think I'm Ivan?"

Ivanov, who was singled out, is now on high alert.

Good heavens, he was really afraid that the king and his mother would quarrel.

If he stays out of it at that point, that would definitely not be right.

But if he were to offer advice, how should he do it? Advising either side seems inappropriate.

So he instinctively turned his pleading gaze to his future father-in-law.

However, if Comrade Wang Tiejun had that ability, he wouldn't be caught in the middle like this. He now wishes he could shrink away, afraid of being seen.

Nemtsov couldn't understand Chinese either, but that didn't stop him from watching with great interest.

He also remarked to Yura, "Oh, so the Queen is a young woman."

Many times, he completely forgot about that.

Yura looked at him seriously and said in a solemn tone, "Boris, you should go to the hospital to get your eyes checked when you have time."

What kind of nonsense are you spouting!

Nemtsov gave him a disgruntled look: "Of course I can see it."

Anyone could tell at a glance that this was a young and beautiful woman.

But she was too smart and too reliable, so once we got to know her, her age and gender were overlooked.

After finishing a cup of Longjing tea with Longjing tea pastry, the diplomats came over to remind them to board the plane.

Chen Yanqiu had no choice but to let go of her daughter's arm, sighed again, frowned and waved her hand: "Let's go, let's go quickly."

What a debt collector!

If I can't see people, I miss them terribly; if I can see them, I'm filled with worry.

There is nothing more miserable in the world than being a mother!

Ivanov didn't dare to breathe loudly, and only then did he quickly hug his parents-in-law to say goodbye.

Once on the plane, he carefully observed Wang Xiao's expression, and after a long while, he whispered, "Wang, don't be angry with Mom."

Given the Queen's temper, she'd probably only talk to her mother like that; anyone else who dared to nag her like that would have already turned on her.

Wang Xiao fiddled with the keychain in her hand; it was a panda version, with a fluffy big tail swaying back and forth.

She asked, puzzled, "Why would I be angry?"

Given Wang's habit of hiding her emotions—a strange instinct—Ivan stared intently at her face for a long time, still unsure: "Are you really not angry?"

Wang Xiao nodded: "Really."

She sighed softly, "Because I suddenly realized that my mother can no longer care about me in any other way."

Is there anything else Ms. Chen Yanqiu can focus her efforts on? No, there really isn't.

The elderly couple couldn't earn money for their daughter—with their normal income level, she wouldn't need their money at all; nor could they help her with her career—although it sounds a bit arrogant, in fact, she did a lot of things that her parents couldn't understand.

They love their daughter, so they always try their best to do more for her.

But after racking their brains, what else could they do besides help their daughter take care of her child? They really couldn't think of anything.

Wang Xiao leaned her head on Ivan's shoulder and whispered, "One day, parents will also feel powerless, fearful, and at a loss. They are afraid of losing their connection with their children, so they can only desperately clench their hands and hold on to what they think they can hold on to."

Ivan nuzzled her head with his chin and whispered, "It's good that you're not angry. Mom and Dad are very nice people."

They remain calm in the face of both honor and disgrace, and always maintain their own rhythm in life—that's the kind of people my parents are.

Wang Xiao reached out and touched his arm, soothingly saying, "Mmm, don't be angry, go to sleep."

I finished watching the Spring Festival Gala at midnight yesterday, and then rushed back to the hotel. How many hours of sleep could I possibly get? What else could I do but sleep all the way back to Moscow on the plane?

Everyone thought the same thing. As soon as the plane took off, everyone lay back, closed their eyes, covered themselves with blankets, and went to sleep.

Nemtsov was woken up midway through by the urge to urinate.

Thank God this wasn't that horrible flight from Wuzhou International Airport, so he was able to go to the toilet.

When he realized this, he even felt that God was indeed merciful.

When he finished using the restroom and returned to his seat, he saw that Wang was already awake and was scribbling something on the small table.

"God!" he groaned from the depths of his soul. "This is the industrial advisor I've been dreaming of!"

See, she didn't need any arrangements; she got to work on her own.

Wang Xiao was indeed planning her work after she got off the plane.

Yes, yes, yes, China is still celebrating the Spring Festival. Making people work on the first day of the Lunar New Year is like being struck by lightning.

But not everyone in the world celebrates the Spring Festival.

Her biggest advantage over her peers in running an online shopping website lies in her strong and diverse physical resources.

She doesn't need to build skyscrapers from scratch; she can directly utilize the container markets in Moscow and Bucharest, and the Huaxia City in Cape Town, as ready-made overseas warehouses, seamlessly integrating online e-commerce with offline physical markets, maximizing the use of the current gray areas in international trade regulation.

The container markets in Moscow and Bucharest serve as core logistics hubs and forward warehouses for the European and CIS markets.

By leveraging Russia/Eastern Europe's trade relations with Europe and the CIS countries, these relations can be used as a springboard for goods to enter the EU and CIS countries.

Yes, although life has generally been difficult for CIS countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union, every country has wealthy people. Being geographically close to Europe, they have a high acceptance of online shopping.

Having money naturally leads to greater generosity in spending it. We can't afford to lose these customers.

The China World Trade Center in Cape Town was the earliest foundation of "WoBuy.com", and it made outstanding contributions to the local African market and the development of the American market.

But that's not enough; it also needs to serve as a secondary transit point to other continents.

As for the domestic physical market, its position in the online shopping landscape is that of a powerful domestic supply chain base, responsible for the centralized procurement, quality control, and initial distribution of goods.

Oh, and there's also Yui.

Over the past few years, it has opened 53 chain stores in Japan. Moreover, due to the impact of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the economic downturn in Japan, the affordable Enoyu chain has been doing quite well.

Currently, it has one branch each in Shanghai and Beijing, and both are performing well.

But as a greedy boss, Wang Xiao wouldn't be satisfied; she believed that the value of Yi No Yu needed to be explored further.

Because in terms of clothing design, quality management, and brand image, Japanese goods have a far superior international reputation than Chinese goods.

Although she started Yi no Yu purely out of boredom, her idea was to take advantage of the influence of Japanese culture on Asia in the 1990s, hoping that even if it didn't sell well in the Japanese market, it could still use its Japanese brand influence to continue to sell well in the Chinese market for at least ten years.

But now that she's doing online shopping, of course she wants to find a way to squeeze the brand value to its limit, or rather, to use it to the extreme.

A shirt can instantly gain increased value and credibility by transforming from an "unknown product made in China" to a "product of a well-known Japanese chain brand."

Moreover, Japan is a mature, high-value consumer market, or to put it another way, Japanese consumers are notoriously discerning.

The fact that a product sells well in the Japanese market is itself an endorsement. Its strict requirements can force manufacturers at the source to upgrade their management, quality standards, and service systems.

Wang Xiao's pen paused silently on the paper for a moment, then he added the words "Southeast Asia".

Her experience in Bangkok, Thailand in the summer of 1997 taught her that Thailand's internet infrastructure was already quite advanced.

Japan has a very strong presence in Southeast Asia, with a large number of Japanese-owned companies. This explains why Japan was immediately affected when the Southeast Asian financial crisis broke out.

Japan's strong presence means that Japanese products are very well accepted in the Southeast Asian market.

Moreover, after the outbreak of the Southeast Asian financial crisis, the "Asian Avengers Alliance" was at the height of its power during the US stock market crisis from the end of 1997 to the beginning of 1998.

This incident has intensified anti-American sentiment in Southeast Asia.

As is widely known, "WoBuy.com" gained global fame instantly by piggybacking on the US president's sex scandal.

Because of this subtle emotional influence, Southeast Asia accounts for a significant proportion of Womai.com's new user base, making it a market well worth cultivating.

Ivanov slept until the plane landed.

Good heavens, this deep sleep is so comfortable; he can finally get a good night's sleep.

Leading a delegation abroad for negotiations, regardless of which country or who the negotiating partner is, is an extremely demanding and exhausting task.

Only when things were settled could he truly sleep soundly.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw Wang Xiao putting away his notebook. He immediately nuzzled closer and mumbled, "Wang—"

The voice was soft and sticky.

Wang Xiao patted his head and said softly, "Are you awake? Get ready to get off the plane."

Ivanov shook his head up and down, nuzzled against me, and whispered, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Their experience of frequently crossing time zones by plane means that sleeping until they land is the best way to adjust to the time difference.

Wang Xiao had already put away the notebook. She patted his head and tidied his hair, saying, "I'm awake. I don't have to work as hard as you. You've worked so hard!"

As she spoke, she kissed him.

Xiao Gao, Xiao Zhao, and others were close protectors of the boss, sitting in the seats in front of, behind, and beside him.

Good heavens! Xiao Gao sighed inwardly.

He read an article online that said people should provide emotional value.

When it comes to this, he thinks his boss is definitely a top expert.

Look at Mr. Ivanov, how heartily he's smiling!

However, his joy was short-lived, because after getting off the plane, the delegation did not go home to rest, but instead took a car directly to the Kremlin.

They need to report on their work.

Time difference? That doesn't exist.

Do you expect me to wait two or three days until you've adjusted to the time difference? The Kremlin doesn't have that kind of patience.

Wang Xiao parted ways with the rest of the group at the airport and went straight back to the villa by car.

Once inside the familiar door, the little panda circled around her feet twice, probably recognizing the familiar scent, before jumping onto her lap to play.

When it comes to raising red pandas like cats, Wang Xiao feels she could write a whole book. As for how she did it? That's the zookeeper's job, but as the boss, she should at least have a say in the story.

As she petted the panda cub, marveling at the comfort of the warm room on this cold winter day, she used her free hand to call Zhou Liang.

Zhou Liang left the United States on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, barely making it home for the New Year's Eve dinner—this was only after he bought a house in Shanghai and settled down there.

If he goes back to his hometown for New Year's Eve dinner, he probably won't be able to eat until after New Year's Eve.

Wang Xiao first greeted him with a smile, wishing him a Happy New Year, before asking, "How is the overall market sentiment right now?"

"Excited!" Zhou Liang's voice rose involuntarily. "Extremely excited, extremely excited."

He used a string of words to describe it, and by the end he didn't even realize his voice was trembling.

How could he describe this frenzy? Leaving aside his own website, eBay went public on September 23, 1998, at $3 per share. The stock doubled the next day, reached $25 two months later, and then continued to soar. Now eBay's market value has reached $16.6 billion, more than 10 times its initial value when it went public.

eBay is like this, and so are other tech companies; everything related to the internet, everything with a market capitalization is going crazy.

Everyone says that the wealth accumulated by industrial society over 200 years can directly crush the wealth accumulated by agricultural society over five or six thousand years.

Now we live in the information age, where 20 years of information society can overshadow more than 200 years of history accumulated by industrial society.

Is this statement correct? Zhou Liang didn't know.

But this is indeed reflected in the stock market.

Good heavens! He's about to join the Americans in calling for God.

When he personally managed the short selling of US stocks and left with billions of dollars, he was already in a daze, feeling that making money was incredibly easy.

Although he was only one part of that matter, he vaguely realized that it was a rather large-scale plan involving an astonishing number of organizations.

It is precisely because of the scale of that organization that shorting US stocks can be successful.

But now, he feels like he hasn't done anything at all. Everyone is just watching the Nasdaq market boom and stock prices soar, all for no apparent reason.

Now, the combined market value of just the two listed websites he took over has exceeded 30 billion US dollars.

This is a value that many world-class companies can only dream of.

Who can resist the allure of stocks?

Zhou Liang couldn't help but mutter, "I find it terrifying, the market is terrifyingly crazy."

He now firmly believes in the saying that humanity learns nothing from past historical lessons.

The 1997-98 financial crisis is still fresh in our minds, or more accurately, it's far from over. Many countries may have escaped its influence, but some haven't even managed to climb out of the mire yet.

But this did not hinder the booming Nasdaq market.

Before the slaps on investors' faces had even faded, they plunged headlong into new markets.

Wang Xiao chuckled and said, "Who knows what era the next one will be?"

Zhou Liang took a deep breath to calm himself down a bit: "So, boss, what's the next step?"

“There’s nothing we can do,” Wang Xiao said casually. “Market value is market value, and cash is cash. We need cash to establish our own warehousing market and build our own logistics network in the global market.”

How do you get cash? By cashing it out.

She really didn't know when this dot-com bubble would burst.

Because history has been slightly rewritten, the boom in the internet economy market has arrived ahead of schedule. Perhaps it can last until the clock strikes midnight, or perhaps it will collapse sooner. Who can say for sure?

Even Newton couldn't figure it out, let alone her.

All she knew was that the website's market value was already astonishing enough, and it was time to monetize it and get things done.

"We need to automate global warehousing, introduce warehouse management systems, and improve sorting and packaging efficiency; we need to secure exclusive logistics channels and make logistics speed and quality our core advantages; and we need to integrate data systems and link inventory information to achieve overwhelming operational efficiency advantages."

Zhou Liang felt like he understood, but at the same time, he felt like he didn't understand anything.

What the boss said sounded more like a sales pitch to trick unsuspecting people into investing.

He was absolutely certain, and he was absolutely certain that with the current booming market, if the boss wanted to fool people like that, he would definitely succeed every time.

Wang Xiao sighed: "We need money, so we need to dilute our shares and turn the stock into cash so we can do all this. Okay, I'll send you a few documents for you to look at first. When we go to Beijing, we can sit down and talk in detail."

Thank goodness, thanks to the internet, information transmission has been sped up.

Zhou Liang stared at the emails on his computer, propped his head up with his hand, and began to ponder what his boss was trying to do.

He could understand acquiring a logistics tracking software company, because integrating its technology to make global parcel trackability far superior to its competitors could indeed create an ultimate user experience barrier.

Moreover, this is technically feasible; FedEx and UPS are already using mature package tracking systems.

But why have your own payment system? There are already payment tools available, and they are widely trusted by the mainstream online shopping community. Developing your own payment system would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and people might not even trust you.

However, the boss only wrote a few simple sentences in the document and did not explain in detail how to operate this matter.

So Zhou Liang had no choice but to suppress his doubts and focus all his attention on how to reduce his stock holdings.

Even high-ranking cattle and horses have to work hard during the Lunar New Year.

The boss had it much easier than him. After making the call and sending the email, Wang Xiao lay down on the bed and went straight to sleep; she was tired.

When Ivan woke up, he was looking at documents at the table next to his bed.

Seeing that she had opened her eyes, he quickly said, "Get up and eat something."

Good heavens, he fell asleep on the plane; he figured she probably hadn't eaten anything.

As for when she got home, the housekeeper also said that she hadn't eaten anything.

How long has it been? Her stomach must be suffering.

Wang Xiao didn't feel hungry, but when she was called to eat, she felt she should. The two went downstairs and ate oatmeal porridge with salted duck eggs and stir-fried cabbage.

The TV was on, serving as background noise.

Wang Xiao's mind was still a bit foggy, and he glanced at it half-heartedly.

Suddenly, her gaze stopped, for she saw a familiar face on television: Ivan was being led out surrounded by reporters.

Russia has a diverse political landscape, with each faction having its own representatives.

Ivan led a delegation to China for business negotiations, which was understandable. Everyone has to make a living. Although the pro-Western faction was unhappy, they had to grit their teeth and accept it.

But why did he go to China to watch the Spring Festival Gala? Doesn't Russia have suitable cultural programs? Why did he have to go to China to watch it? And he even watched it with the next president of China. What exactly was he trying to express?

Is he Russian or Chinese?

Tsk tsk, that's already quite a strong question, it's practically a threat to slap someone.

The president, who was walking out of the Kremlin with him, suddenly stopped, beckoned to the aggressive reporter, and said slowly, "Young man, do you have a girlfriend? Do you have a wife? Haven't you ever worked at your father-in-law's house?"

There was a moment of silence, then laughter came from the television.

The president continued in a serious tone: "Oh, you young men have it too easy. I worked for my father-in-law for a long time before he and my mother-in-law dared to entrust their wife to me. I have two daughters and a granddaughter, so I know that feeling all too well. If you young men don't behave well, I will absolutely not entrust your precious children to them."

The laughter from the audience grew even louder.

The president pointed at Ivan: "Marrying far away is a huge risk for any woman and her family. So young men like him need to be put to the test."

He sighed, “Please have some understanding of our poor Deputy Prime Minister; he’s still a 35-year-old bachelor.”

The laughter from the audience could be heard clearly even without a loudspeaker.

When Ivanov was called out, he made a helpless gesture and shrugged his shoulders, looking extremely comical.

Wang Xiao laughed while sitting in front of the TV.

Inside the room, Ivanov, holding a salted duck egg, shook his head and muttered in dissatisfaction, "These people are so boring."

Wang Xiao smiled and suddenly blurted out, "It seems that His Excellency the President has really given up on you."

Ivan paused for a moment: "I already told him that I wouldn't run for president in the next election."

This is probably one of the reasons why the president is not so wary of him.

Wang Xiao shook his head and said meaningfully, "Your attitude and his own decision to give up are two different things."

Ivan became interested and gave her the yolk of the salted duck egg: "Then why do you think he has given up on me now? Is it because he said I would have a Chinese wife and in-laws? That shouldn't be a big deal, everyone knows about it."

He has never shied away from this point since he first became vice premier.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "No, he said you're a bachelor!"

She sighed, "Only after a man gets married is he considered truly mature by mainstream Russian society. Married men have more social rights than unmarried men. If you don't believe me, think about it yourself."

Ivanov thought about it for a while, then suddenly realized, "It seems that's really the case."

Let's talk about him, Punonin, and Yura.

In fact, Yura's official position was initially higher than Punonin's. Not to mention, the First Deputy Prime Minister is effectively the third most powerful person in Russia.

But strangely enough, it seems that in the elders' minds, Punoning is the eldest of the three.

Just because Punonin got married and had a child? Tsk, the child was clearly born to Lydia, not him.

Ivanov was completely baffled: "Why is this happening?"

Wang Xiao chuckled: "Because the family is the smallest unit of slavery, as Engels said."

Without a word, Ivanov knelt down on one knee in front of her, took her hand, and said, "Your Majesty, please accept me as your slave."

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "Get up, get up, what are you doing? Eat your food properly."

Ivanov then stood up, sat back down, wiped his hands, and continued drinking his porridge.

He was a little dissatisfied: "Honestly, how can he have such a strong desire for power?"

Given the president's health condition, it is virtually impossible for him to participate in the next election, and he himself has said that he does not intend to run for office.

But he just happens to have such a strong desire for control, and he tries to decide who the next president will be.

Wang Xiao laughed: "This is all due to the terrible history of the Soviet Union. Every new leader would purge the previous one. Stalin was purged, Khrushchev was purged, and Gorbachev didn't fare any better. Your Excellency is afraid, afraid of following in their footsteps."

Ivan snorted through his nostrils, still dissatisfied: "What kind of pillar are you using me for? How annoying."

His decision not to become president is his own business, but that doesn't mean he enjoys being sabotaged behind his back.

Wang Xiao pointed to his nose and joked, "Maybe it's because I stayed in Moscow for too long that the president felt threatened. Who told me to be such a troublemaker?"

Ivan immediately became alert: "We'll ignore him, you don't leave."

They finally get to spend some time together, but then an earthquake or a tsunami strikes, and they don't care.

Besides, it's just the president's displeasure. Who cares!

Wang Xiao smiled, grabbed his hand, and nodded: "Okay, I won't leave."

She needs to at least get through the New Year, otherwise she won't be able to do anything else.

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[Winking face] I finished writing the last paragraph, so I'm late! [Sparkling eyes]