Chapter 99 I Will Definitely Send Them to Jail: The Queen of the Sea's Car Crash

While the quality inspector was caught, the product selector secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it had little to do with them.

It's just a thousand or so dollars at the card table.

Once at the card table, it was normal for everyone to win or lose, and he didn't accept any bribes.

But the trade city lost millions of dollars and was left in a sorry state, so how could he possibly let it all go unpunished?

After all, when you see one cockroach in a house, everyone knows there are already a hundred cockroaches hiding inside.

The police didn't use torture to extract a confession; they just left him hanging overnight. The next morning, a policeman sat down across from him at the table and casually said, "Confess yourself."

The product selection process terrified him so much that he almost lost his mind and completely broke down. He immediately spilled the beans, telling everyone all the good deeds he had ever done.

Accepting invitations from manufacturers, going to nightclubs, and winning money by playing cards are all standard practices.

Through these means, he actually received eight thousand yuan in bribes. As for his entertainment expenses, he couldn't say exactly how much that amount was.

Nightclubs are notorious for burning through money.

What's there to say? This behavior is a typical case of embezzlement; how could it be considered a trivial matter?

The police arrested two people at once, and the rest of the people in the commercial city involved in the incident were trembling with fear.

Especially those quality inspectors, no matter how they were misled or evaded the issue, it cannot cover up the fact that they neglected their duties.

Bonuses will be deducted, a public apology will be made at a staff meeting, the employee performance evaluation for this year will be deemed basically satisfactory, the employee's advanced status for this year will be revoked, and the employee will be barred from promotion for two years.

These are all basic operations.

But no one could dwell on their resentment towards the unit for being ruthless, because the ones who were truly dealt with ruthlessly were the ones who were taken away by the police.

They're really going to go to jail.

The news caused an uproar throughout the venue.

Honestly, nobody expected the boss to be so ruthless.

Frankly speaking, most organizations nowadays are government-owned, and a major characteristic of government-owned organizations is that they handle everything internally, regardless of whether it's good or bad.

This is similar to how many organizations have their own disciplinary inspection departments.

However, sometimes the main task of discipline inspection is not as stated in their job responsibilities, such as uncovering all corrupt and criminal acts and punishing evil and promoting good.

On the contrary, what they often have to rack their brains to deal with is suppressing things, turning big problems into small ones, and small problems into nothing.

Why do we have to do this?

According to regulations, leaders bear joint responsibility.

The subordinates have made a huge mess of things, and the leader says it has nothing to do with me and that I know nothing about it—that's wishful thinking.

If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. Why don't you mention that when you say you've achieved something, it has absolutely nothing to do with you?

But what if a leader only wants to claim credit for their subordinates' work and doesn't want to take on any related responsibilities?

Then let's keep it hidden, treat our own people like a gentle spring breeze, and solve problems internally.

Right now, the security guards at various major factories are tacitly doing pretty much the same thing.

Over time, this has led to a psychological law that everyone can accept: unless it's a heinous crime like murder or arson, everything else can be minimized or ignored.

Especially when it comes to money, the stick is raised high but then gently brought down, and that's it.

After all, if it were handled strictly, the prisons wouldn't be able to hold so many people.

Looking across the country, which state-owned factory hasn't had instances of reselling goods? It's long been commonplace. And the amounts involved are often much larger, reaching tens of millions of yuan.

And so it all just passed by in a blur.

But Wang Xiao doesn't play by the rules. She simply sent the person to the police station and then washed her hands of the matter.

Xiang Dong couldn't believe it: "Do you really want them to go to jail, or are you just trying to scare them?"

He initially thought she was just planning to fire a group of people as a warning to others.

Last May, they fired one of their employees.

For a long time after that, everyone behaved themselves, afraid of losing their jobs.

Sigh, to put it bluntly, this kind of thing is impossible to completely prevent. He's already prepared for his bonuses to be deducted every few days.

Wang Xiao shook his head, speaking in a serious tone: "We'll handle it exactly as the law dictates."

Expulsion doesn't deter people at all.

Because most of the employees in this commercial city are children of workers from large factories. Their economic situation is generally such that even if they lose their jobs, their families will not go hungry.

In fact, children born into such families are neither rich nor poor, and are among the least likely to experience bad things.

They haven't experienced much poverty and lack a deep-seated desire for money.

They weren't particularly wealthy, so they didn't spend money extravagantly.

Contentment with modest wealth is their common state of mind.

However, such people can also be said to have grown up in a greenhouse, without having experienced the dangers of society, and are equally easily tempted, gradually heading towards the abyss.

For people like them who have already broadened their horizons and experienced excitement, a simple expulsion is no longer enough to terrify them.

Give it a shot, and your bicycle could become a motorcycle.

Even if I get fired, the tangible benefits I receive are equivalent to several years' salary, so what's there to be afraid of? I can always just find another job.

Only by sending people directly to prison, making them eat prison food, and completely losing their freedom will they know fear.

Whether laws, regulations, and rules are effective depends not on how comprehensive they are, but on the strength of their enforcement.

Wang Xiao is now going to take the most severe action because she needs to establish her authority.

As the plate grew larger, she became a ready-made piece of fat meat. Not to mention those outside, too many people wanted to tear her apart.

The situation inside wasn't much better; many people thought: "Since you've already made so much money, what's wrong with me taking a little more?"

A good leader will earn the respect and love of his/her subordinates, who will be willing to go through fire and water for him/her and will never feel that the leader is not giving them enough.

But Wang Xiao knew her own limitations; she didn't have that much ability. She could only be a second-rate leader, someone who instilled fear in her employees and made them realize they couldn't fool her.

Moreover, what she wouldn't tell Xiang Dong was that she was a woman and that she had many male employees under her.

There are far fewer men in this world who can truly value women's abilities than the mainstream narrative suggests.

Even if they clearly see that a woman is very capable, they will still look down on her from the bottom of their hearts and think that she is easy to deal with.

Instead of spending a lot of time trying to change their minds slowly, it's better to make them afraid directly.

Fear, a strong emotion, makes it easier for people to confront the object of their fear than liking.

Moreover, something quite interesting is that people are more likely to sense even the slightest bit of goodwill emanating from the object of their fear.

If there's even the slightest improvement, they'll mentally defend the other person: "See, even the 'big boss' isn't that bad. If he/she weren't so strict, how would the company generate profits, and how could they provide so many benefits?"

So whether you say she's using this as an opportunity to cause trouble or to make an example of someone, she's definitely established her authority this time.

"Don't hide this matter; post it openly in an announcement. Use the latest issue of the promotional brochure as a model and publicize it widely."

Xiang Dong instinctively wanted to object: "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Any organization that gets associated with negative public opinion, regardless of who is right or wrong, will make people feel uncomfortable.

Because the thought of your house evokes bad memories, and people will keep their distance from it.

Selling counterfeit and substandard products is something that can happen in any shopping mall, and it has happened in every mall.

But as long as no concrete evidence is publicly announced, the matter will quietly pass by and leave no trace.

Reputation is extremely important to businessmen.

If the trade city gets a bad reputation and is associated with counterfeit and shoddy products, people will always think of you and how you're always causing trouble. How can they possibly want to buy your goods then?

Wang Xiao shook his head: "We've come this far. If we launch a high-profile recall of our sneakers, we're destined to be unable to keep it a secret any longer. Rather than hiding half of it and leaving people speculating, we might as well be open and tell them everything."

She comforted Xiang Dong, "I've thought about the things you're worried about too."

If possible, it would be best if nothing happened at all.

This is similar to how celebrities get embroiled in scandals; even if they are the victims, their reputations will still suffer.

It's not pleasant because it's covered in dog poop.

People prefer the idealized version of something, even if they only think about it briefly and realize how fake that idealized version really is.

"But our customers are different. Our customers are mostly middlemen and traders from the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries."

People in these countries have a strong aversion to the highly consistent tradition of only reporting good news and not bad news, to the point of being overly stressed.

They deeply abhor underhanded dealings, hate the tendency to downplay major issues and dismiss minor ones, and hate the idea that they should never be told the truth and should only keep things from them.

They vehemently demanded transparency, saying that no matter how messy the situation, as long as it was laid out in the sunlight and everyone could see it clearly, people would accept it.

Our attitude of facing the facts, admitting mistakes, correcting them, and welcoming supervision is actually what they want.

Xiang Dong pondered for a long time. Although he still had many doubts, he ultimately chose to trust his boss's judgment.

Because Wang Xiao had at least spent time in Moscow, Bucharest, and Budapest, even if it was just a brief experience, it was still better than him.

This has really blown up; it's a real headache.

Unfortunately, Wang Xiao felt it wasn't enough, far from enough.

Because the instigator was someone who made counterfeit and shoddy products.

Their international trade city lost millions of US dollars and caused a huge uproar. How could that Yongnian shoe factory possibly stay out of it?

She would never let this factory go.

To be honest, even if the shoe factory tried to influence the selection of products by the trade city, as long as they honestly supplied the goods afterwards, the matter would have been over.

Their biggest mistake was not doing proper production and management after opening up sales channels, but instead using inferior goods to cheat people.

They have to pay the loss of millions of dollars, even if it means going bankrupt.

However, Wang Xiao knew perfectly well that Yongnian Shoe Factory was not in Jiangdong, far from the capital, and its family was a major taxpayer in the local town.

Moreover, the structure and history of township enterprises mean that, to put it bluntly, they are often the private banks of the local township governments.

Demanding money from Yongnian Shoe Factory is tantamount to taking money from the pockets of local officials.

If they were willing, that would be the strangest thing in the world.

Even if it's difficult, even if it offends people, Wang Xiao is determined to do it.

Because if we don't take this opportunity to intimidate the suppliers and make them understand that playing tricks in the trade city will not only lead to financial ruin but also imprisonment;

So there will always be suppliers who resort to underhanded tactics and drag the trade city down with them.

As for whether such stringent requirements would displease suppliers, Wang Xiao didn't care at all.

Because the essence of a businessman is to pursue profit.

As long as they cooperate with the commercial city, they can generate a continuous stream of profits.

No matter how unhappy they are, they will still try their best to become suppliers for the trade city.

Moreover, although there is an old saying that no merchant is honest, in reality, most people in this world prefer to do things honestly and do not like to resort to tricks.

Otherwise, if we are always forced to spend our time on crooked and unethical practices, how can we do our jobs properly?

Even if not everyone can love what they do, after working in a job for a long time, most people will develop some affection for their profession and their own professional ethics.

The ability to achieve results through honest and diligent work aligns with the career aspirations of the vast majority of people.

The same goes for manufacturers.

To achieve a win-win situation for both suppliers and the trade city, Yongnian Shoe Factory must be punished severely and become a negative example.

Wang Xiao's influence doesn't extend to the neighboring province, so he has no way to influence the actions of local judicial practices.

But she can use that force against her.

The fact that the Jiangzhimen International Trade City suffered such a huge loss, especially the major blow to its reputation, is a terrible thing for the entire light industry in Jiangdong.

Shouldn't the leaders in charge take action to protect the interests of the Jiangdong light industry sector?

From a personal perspective, she naturally hopes that officials will not interfere with the law.

Only a society governed by the rule of law can truly protect the dignity of its citizens.

The problem is that building a society governed by the rule of law is a long and arduous task, and this construction is still in progress.

The most blatant example is:

The founder of the famous "Silly Melon Seeds" was arrested in 1989, but is now about to be released.

Why? Because he was mentioned in the Southern Tour speeches, which is equivalent to his being recognized by the leadership.

He was able to go home without even realizing it.

This was the situation in 1992: a leader's word was far more effective than any law.

Wang Xiao called Deputy Secretary Cao and explained what had happened.

Deputy Secretary Cao couldn't help but complain to her: "Why does your commercial city always have to go outside to get its goods? Tell me, what doesn't Jiangdong have?"

Wang Xiao spoke frankly: "The middlemen and dealers are picky too. They not only want the goods and the quality, but also the style and color. There are so many travel shoes on the market, mostly white. Very few can innovate in terms of design. Yongnian Shoe Factory is one of them."

The trade city is working itself to the bone to gather 50,000 pairs of similar sneakers. If they were white sneakers, they could source them in no time.

Deputy Secretary Cao was still angry: "Don't you know about their Leshui County? They were notorious for counterfeiting back in the 1980s, and their reputation is already ruined."

Wang Xiao smiled wryly: "Didn't they rectify the situation back then? They even set fire to so many counterfeit goods. I thought things were better now."

"Change my ass! A leopard can't change its spots!"

Even a refined female cadre like Deputy Secretary Cao swore, which shows just how angry she was.

Wang Xiao had no choice but to obediently comply: "Then I won't buy goods from that place anymore."

"No entry allowed, absolutely no entry allowed!" Deputy Secretary Cao was furious and even threatened, "From now on, we in Jiangdong will not accept any goods from Leshui County."

Wang Xiao felt relieved when she hung up the phone.

This is tantamount to Deputy Secretary Cao representing the Jiangdong business community in expressing their stance: if this matter is not resolved properly, then all products from Leshui County will be effectively blacklisted by Jiangdong.

This is 1992, a time when state-owned department stores accounted for the majority of sales. If the authorities said they didn't want any more goods, it could really save the entire county's factories.

This kind of ban is very serious.

Firstly, the Jiangdong consumer market is already quite large, and losing this sales channel would be a heavy blow to Leshui.

Secondly, once Jiangdong's attitude is revealed, it will only worsen the already poor reputation of Leshuihuo. Other places will likely follow suit.

Just now, the Southern Tour speech mentioned the need to "grasp both hands": to promote economic development on the one hand and to combat crime on the other.

Isn't the behavior of Yongnian Shoe Factory a typical example of economic crime? If we don't crack down on it, who should we crack down on?

Wang Xiao pressed his temples, pondering what other areas he might have overlooked.

Xiang Dong proactively stated, "I don't want this year's year-end bonus."

It's only the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, and this kind of thing has already happened. He's really at his wit's end.

Wang Xiao comforted him, saying, "These kinds of things are always happening."

Whether in China or abroad, no major company has ever been free of corruption problems. Business development and procurement are consistently the positions most prone to scandals.

What can be done? Establish stricter rules and regulations, conduct internal audits, and severely punish those who cross the line.

Besides that, there's really no other good idea.

Their trade city was lucky; at least the problem was discovered early, and remedial measures could be initiated immediately.

“We will allocate one million yuan to establish a reward fund for reporting corruption.” Wang Xiao borrowed the plan from JD.com’s anti-corruption reward fund. “For individuals or organizations that report violations and whose reports are verified, a reward of five to ten thousand yuan will be given, depending on the circumstances.”

Although Xiang Dong felt that the amount of money was a bit much, when he thought about the loss of millions of US dollars, it seemed that this was nothing.

“I’ll come up with a plan later.” Wang Xiao had made up his mind. “I’ll also talk to Ivanov, and then it’ll be settled.”

Who are the best anti-corruption role models? The people of Chaoyang District.

Only by mobilizing and relying on the masses can we achieve the final victory in the fight against corruption.

Xiang Dong nodded; he had no objections. He just had to carry out the boss's orders.

Wang Xiao then instructed him: "We must take this anti-corruption struggle seriously. No matter who tries to say good things about you, you absolutely cannot back down."

Xiang Dong rubbed his face: "It's easy for me, anyway, I'm not from the steel factory. I think you should lay low for a while, otherwise there will definitely be a lot of people blocking your door."

It's because the person involved in the incident was a child of someone from a large factory.

In fact, the Wang family's gate was already blocked, and a bunch of old men and women were crying and making a scene.

They are very good at grasping the essence. If Wang Xiao wants to send their child to jail, then they will definitely have to find Wang Xiao's parents.

Let Deputy Factory Director Wang and Chairman Chen step in and properly discipline their own children.

How can this be? We see each other all the time, and now they're shouting for violence and sending people to jail.

Is there anyone in the world who treats their own people like this?

Comrade Wang Tiejun and Ms. Chen Yanqiu weren't going to argue with anyone. As soon as they received their daughter's call, they ran away without saying a word.

Where did they go?

Comrade Wang Tiejun went to Mongolia to discuss the purchase of scrap steel.

This deal wasn't actually arranged through Wang Xiao's connections.

However, strictly speaking, there is some connection.

Because the person who introduced us was Mr. Zhang from the steel factory.

Yes, it's that Mr. Zhang who originally taught Mongolian at night school, but Wang Xiao suggested he go to Erenhot to do border trade. He grew up in Inner Mongolia.

To be honest, Master Zhang has been completely transformed now.

When he led the team to Erenhot last year, he was completely clueless and knew nothing about it.

However, their team has three major advantages: First, language; they can strike up conversations with both Chinese and Mongolian merchants. Second, they are not guerrillas, but a regular army, backed by a legitimate factory. Third, Master Zhang has lived in Inner Mongolia for over a decade or two, knows the local situation inside and out, and is not easily fooled.

So initially, they served as translators for businessmen from both countries who were doing foreign trade in the area.

Once they had accumulated experience and understood how doing business worked, they immediately took action.

The first few business deals were just enough to make ends meet, so when Master Zhang returned home for the Chinese New Year, he was secretly relieved to hear that Wang Xiao's family hadn't returned from Moscow.

At least I don't have to report my work to people anymore.

When they returned to Erenhot after the New Year, they were surprised to find that the atmosphere had changed.

Erenhot, a small border city with a permanent population of less than 10,000, suddenly saw a surge of people, and the market was incredibly bustling.

Especially after the opening of the Erenhot-Zamyn-Uud international passenger train, the streets of Erenhot were packed with people, and many people came to look for opportunities to do business.

Master Zhang and his team opened up the market in a daze, selling several million yuan worth of goods in one go. After deducting all costs, they earned a full million yuan.

He and his apprentices were stunned; they never imagined they could actually make so much money.

Even when they worked as translators before, they had never seen so much money.

In this way, Mr. Zhang's mother's medical expenses will no longer be a problem.

He was truly an honest man; he immediately called the factory to report on the progress of his work.

He was quite thoughtful; when he returned to the factory during the Spring Festival, he heard that the factory was buying steel from outside.

There happened to be a lot of scrap steel in Mongolia, so he asked the factory if they wanted it and if so, they could bring it back.

Without hesitation, the factory leaders immediately dispatched Comrade Wang Tiejun to Inner Mongolia to discuss the steel purchase.

If we don't send him, who else can we send? Comrade Wang is very capable; he even managed to buy back tanks.

The head of the security department at the steel plant made a phone call to his old superior in the military, and the superior took the tank away, saying there were still things inside that could be used.

These guys wanted to get something for nothing, but the steel factory stopped them and brought back a batch of specially supplied Moutai liquor, and then everyone was even.

If we don't send Lao Wang on a business trip, who should we send? Leaving him at home is just asking for trouble, isn't it?

The old saying is absolutely true: when buying pigs, look at the pen; the kind of parents you raise determines the kind of child you raise.

The child caused this kind of trouble, resulting in a loss of over a million dollars for the commercial city. The parents even had the nerve to make a scene and ask the steel mill to put pressure on them to release their child.

Are steel mills crazy to do something like this? This is millions of dollars, not a hundred dollars.

Let alone something happening in an unrelated commercial city, even if it happened inside a steel mill, do you think you can just downplay it? Sending you to your death would be the least of your worries.

The factory manager flew into a rage, gave these dim-witted fools a thorough dressing-down, and then kicked them out.

As for Chairman Chen, of course he led the delegation on a tour.

However, this time they only strolled around Red Square before heading straight to St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad.

The sanatorium over there is quite nice. What's most interesting is that the people in the sanatorium are actually fans of Chinese Qigong and believe that Qigong can cure tuberculosis.

Unfortunately, Dr. Chen had not studied this area and was unable to properly exchange ideas with the other party.

In short, with the elderly Wang couple gone, they can no longer be easily manipulated.

Xiang Dong kindly warned Wang Xiao: "Be careful, or an old lady might hold a knife to your neck and threaten to jump off a building to commit suicide."

Goodness, he had witnessed the fighting power of middle-aged and elderly women before; they were unstoppable and invincible.

You can't really confront them directly.

Wang Xiao had no intention of confronting them directly; she called Ivanov and asked him to come and oversee the situation.

Why?

Sometimes, when foreigners are involved in the same matter, the results are much better.

Whether officially or unofficially, China places great importance on international influence.

When Ivanov received the call, he was actually quite excited and asked her with great interest, "So what should I do? What attitude should I have?"

"Be tough. No matter who tries to be nice to you or asks you to make an exception, ignore them."

Wang Xiao was afraid that this guy was used to being carefree and wouldn't think that a million US dollars was a big deal, so he immediately started to do the conversion for him, "Think about it, with a million US dollars, how many hectares of land can you get? How many farmers can you hire to farm the land?"

Ivanov instantly perked up. These guys were absolutely despicable! They made him lose four million tons of wheat for nothing!

How was this number calculated? He asked, and one hectare can produce 10 tons of wheat. 400,000 hectares of land would yield four million tons, right?

One ton of wheat is enough to feed four people for a year, so four million tons of wheat would be enough to feed sixteen million people for a year.

This is such an important thing.

Wang Xiao was completely confused by him and couldn't figure out the wheat yield either.

Fearing he would go on and on, she quickly emphasized, "Then hurry up and come over."

Ivanov readily agreed: "No problem."

He acted swiftly and immediately boarded the next available flight to Jiangzhimen.

When Wang Xiao picked him up at the airport, he was still waving his arms proudly: "Hehehe, Wang, bear paw!"

Wang Xiao was stunned. His first reaction was, "Dude, you really know your place. How did you know your current look is a bit like a bear?"

However, Ivanov couldn't wait to show off his treasure, and he brazenly opened the ice box in front of everyone.

People nearby leaned over to take a look and immediately screamed in fright, "My God, what is that? Is it a wild man's arm?"

It was a large, dark mass covered in fur.

Ivanov was still proudly showing off: "Bear paws, I brought bear paws with me."

Wang Xiao was incredibly surprised: "How did you bring this out? Will customs let you through?"

Ivanov, head held high and chin puffed out, looked on with a smug expression, eager for praise: "Because I told them my mother-in-law really wanted to try bear paws. I'm going to propose to my girlfriend, and I have to please her. So I have to bring bear paws to China. How about that—"

He nudged Wang Xiao's arm affectionately, beaming with pride, "Wasn't I clever? Hahaha, even the customs officers wished me a successful proposal. Hahaha, I think I can succeed too."

Wang Xiao subconsciously turned her head to look at Wu Haoyu.

He has been by my side ever since the incident at the commercial city.

Now, for no apparent reason, Wang Xiao had the illusion that the "Queen of the Sea" had just had a car accident.

But honestly, she did nothing wrong; she and Ivanov were completely innocent.

Ivanov even acted as a pimp for him, or rather, a go-between.

However, the employees of the trade city present, who could understand Russian, and even after Xiang Dong's meaning was conveyed by the translator, all showed shocked expressions.

So it turns out their Chinese boss and Russian boss are a couple.

No wonder they trust each other so much.

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes and chuckled at Ivanov, "You're proposing? Who are you proposing to? Aren't you afraid your girlfriends will fight?"

Ivanov chuckled and said truthfully, "None of them want to marry me."

oh--

The employees of Huaxia exchanged glances. Sure enough, the Russians were unreliable.

He says "I love you" all day long, yes, but at the same time, it doesn't stop him from loving other people.

Their hearts are like those rare tropical fruits, durians, with people standing on each of their tips.

With Ivanov there to back him up, Wang Xiao was able to leave and see Wu Haoyu off.

He came to Jiangdong to accompany a buyer from Imai Department Store in Japan on a business trip to China.

Now that the matter of Yun Jin has been settled, he naturally has to return to Japan.

Wang Xiao also felt a little embarrassed and kept humming and hawing to the person.

I'm so sorry, so very sorry.

"It's all because there are too many bad people who are bullying me," she said, sounding very aggrieved. "I finally get two days off, and now I don't even have that."

Wu Haoyu had no idea she was on vacation; she had been working the whole time.

But she spoke softly and coquettishly, and he simply couldn't resist. He could only ask, without even realizing the hurt in his voice, "When will you be free to go to Tokyo?"

Wang Xiao's reaction was to chuckle inwardly.

When I have time... but it's hard to say exactly when I'll be free.

She simply emphasized, "After I finish what I'm doing."

What are the things?

The first to be affected is the Bucharest container wholesale market, which will have to open once the goods arrive.

Then there's the matter of setting up a garment factory locally. Although there are readily available workers, there are many things to handle when setting up a factory in a foreign country, and she can't just sit back and do nothing.

In addition, she also needs to keep an eye on the importation of Chinese dramas by Romanian and Russian television stations.

She also needed to pay attention to Ivanov's large-scale farm plan.

Construction of the commercial city is still ongoing, and the resort is not yet finished.

Oh, and she also has a piece of land waiting to be developed.

As for Xiao Zhou, she still needs to expedite the flight route; she needs the first batch of container cargo to fly directly to Bucharest.

Because shipping by sea would take at least a month, and she couldn't wait that long.

Oh, and she should bring her large inflatable tent too; it might come in handy.

Look, there are so many things to do, one after another. How could she possibly know when she would be able to finish them all?

All she could do was maintain a positive attitude: "I'll do it as soon as possible."

Wu Haoyu simply looked at her quietly, then reached out to hug her and kissed her forehead: "Then I'll wait for you."

Ivanov watched the commotion from a distance, and only when Wang Xiao returned did he nervously ask, "Wang, you're not really going to be with him forever, are you?"

Good heavens! If that's true, then what an incredibly stupid thing he did—he even acted as a go-between for them!

Wang Xiao was baffled: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Ivanov then felt a sense of relief, exaggeratedly clutching his chest and panting, "God help me, that scared me to death."

Wang Xiao looked at him with interest, then suspiciously sized him up: "Why are you asking this? You wouldn't be... Hey—brother, for the sake of our pure friendship, you should at least tone it down a bit."

Ivanov immediately raised his hands in surrender, exaggeratingly emphasizing, "No, no, no, that's not true. I'm just worried that you'll start a family, have children, and your life will revolve around your husband and kids. Really, that's a terrible thing. It means I'll have to find a new business partner then."

He emphasized again, "No, no, no, Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot do that."

He boasted shamelessly, "Even if I get married, it won't affect our cooperation in the slightest. But you're different. Of course, I won't get married."

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes: "You're overthinking it. It's nothing like that. You should focus on dealing with this matter properly first."

Ivanov asked curiously, "Where are you going?"

"Let's go to the Jinning Grand Hotel." Wang Xiao said without turning his head. "I want to eat bear paws."

Ivanov tried to argue: "The bear paw is cooked, call me over to eat with you."

"Okay, okay," Wang Xiao waved his hand impatiently.

She was exhausted. She wanted to eat something delicious, to treat herself, and to replenish her energy.

Unfortunately, to her dismay, the chef at Jinning Hotel was indeed highly skilled and knew how to cook bear paws.

However, bear paws must be soaked in cold water overnight before cooking.

In other words, Wang Xiao won't be able to eat bear paws until tomorrow at the earliest.

She had no choice but to hand the bear paw over to the head chef and wait to enjoy a delicious meal tomorrow.

Everyone around was incredibly curious; it was truly rare to be able to eat bear paws these days.

Wang Xiao suddenly had a brilliant idea. She thought it was really possible to take over a sanatorium in Moscow and cater specifically to Chinese tourists, offering top-notch delicacies, including imperial-grade bear paws.

This is a delicacy that is hard to find in other countries.

No, she had to call Ivanov and ask. How many bear paws could they provide in a year if they hunted?

Also, are there any requirements for hunting? Can you provide hunting trip services?

Unfortunately, she still believes that Ivanov cannot recoup his investment in those 400,000 hectares of land by selling grain alone.

They must find ways to increase ancillary industries and boost output.

By the way, large-scale greenhouse cultivation is indeed possible. There aren't many people doing this in China right now, but in Romania, there's a serious problem of abandoned greenhouses, leaving a large number of professionals with nothing to do.

Russia's greatest strength lies in its abundant natural gas resources, which can significantly reduce the cost of greenhouse heating.

Fruits and vegetables are indeed quite expensive in Russia, so growing these would be economically beneficial.

Ivanov wasn't sure how many bears the hunter could kill, but judging from the bear pelts, it shouldn't be too few.

He doesn't object to growing vegetables and fruits, such as watermelons, in greenhouses.

Anyway, there's plenty of land.

only--

He seriously doubted whether Romanians would be willing to work in Russia. He had a keen sense of just how much he was disliked.

Wang Xiao comforted him, saying, "Why don't you ask?"

As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise, and most people, given the choice, would prefer to do what they are good at.

Even if you go out to work and do something you're familiar with, you'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment.

Compared to urban workers, Romanian farmers are less likely to find suitable jobs when they go to Western Europe.

If we can offer them a salary that satisfies them, then there's still hope.

"I'll ask around. If it works out, great. If not, it's not a big deal. At most, we can send someone over to learn, and then go back to Russia to build greenhouses."

She hung up the phone and returned to the restaurant, where the chicken soup rice she had ordered earlier had just been served.

But before she could even pick up her spoon, someone came over, took her rice bowl, and said with a smile, "Oh, Mr. Wang, please do us the honor of coming in and eating with us."

As he spoke, he gestured to the private room next to him.

The two bodyguards who had just come from Moscow with Ivanov were both mindful of their boss's mood.

Seeing that the boss just smiled and then stood up, the two of them followed him into the private room.

The private room was sparsely populated, with only seven or eight people seated. Clearly, not all the guests had arrived yet, and only cold dishes were laid out on the table.

The person sitting at the head of the table immediately stood up and offered his seat: "Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang, please sit here."

Wang Xiao waved his hand: "I dare not. I cannot accept a reward without merit. What virtue or ability do I have to sit in this position?"

The person who invited him smiled like Maitreya Buddha: "You're too modest. If you're not qualified, who is? Come, come, have a seat."

Wang Xiao raised his palm, making a gesture of refusal: "Then you have to explain clearly what the reason is for this meal today?"

The man then looked troubled: "It's nothing serious, I just want to ask Mr. Wang to be lenient and forgive my little brother."

Wang Xiao was completely confused: "I don't quite understand what you're saying. What exactly do you mean?"

A man came over to pour tea for Wang Xiao, bowing and scraping, and said, "Mr. Wang, it's my fault for poor management. My subordinates were all messing around and messed things up, and they sent the wrong goods. That batch of shoes wasn't meant for you. We've always valued the business in the trade city, and we only send good quality goods, without any problems whatsoever."

Wang Xiao realized that this was the owner of Yongnian Shoe Factory.

He certainly has a wide network of connections; he organized the gathering so quickly and even invited her into the private room.

Wang Xiao bluntly stated, "What's the use of telling me this now? The police have already opened a case and are investigating. If you have something to say, just tell the police directly."

The Maitreya Buddha, seated in the main seat, immediately smoothed things over: "Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang, please sit down, let's talk slowly."

As he spoke, he glared at a man who was about to smoke, who immediately put his lighter away.

Wang Xiao nodded: "Okay, but let me make this clear from the start, I lost more than two million US dollars on this deal. The client is still holding me accountable."

The Yongnian boss subconsciously emphasized, "It's only $500,000 worth of goods in total."

Wang Xiao sneered: "Tenfold compensation for counterfeit goods, that's the signboard in the store. We only compensate four times the amount because they're old customers and they're giving us face. The shipping and customs fees combined are astronomical."

"Maitreya Buddha" reached out and slapped the still-arguing Boss Yongnian, then turned to Wang Xiao and smiled: "Oh, Mr. Wang, look, we've squeezed every last drop of oil out of him, and we still don't have two million US dollars. Please be merciful and give him a way out."

Wang Xiao's face remained icy: "Something sounds off to me. It sounds like you're implying I should be the sucker and suffer in silence. Did I hear that right? This is two million US dollars, not two hundred dollars!"

The people around him tried to smooth things over: "That's right, Lao Peng, you should at least show some sincerity. We can't let our CEO Wang suffer for nothing."

Factory Director Peng said irritably, "I only have one factory. I have no money, but you can take my life."

"Oh, so you're trying to carry on your glorious tradition?" Wang Xiao sneered. "Place an obituary in the newspaper, then erect a new grave and a tombstone, saying the person is dead. So you tell people not to come and collect debts? Don't you find that disgusting?"

Several of the businessmen present gave awkward smiles, emphasizing, "That's nonsense, that's ancient history. Only unscrupulous people would do that. Reputable business people around here never do such things."

Wang Xiao smiled but said nothing.

The others reached out and nudged Director Peng, urging him repeatedly, "Alright, alright, you can't just leave without saying anything. General Manager Wang is easy to talk to, you can't bully him."

Wang Xiao didn't react at all; such flattery was too cheap, and she couldn't even be bothered to give it a second glance.

After hesitating for a long time, Director Peng finally made up his mind: "General Manager Wang, let's be honest, it's an undeniable fact that our Yongnian factory's shoes are popular, at least in terms of style."

Those around him chimed in, "That's right, that's right, Old Peng's shoes are quite nice."

Factory Director Peng said with a hint of smugness, "President Wang, how about this? If you're magnanimous enough to let me off this time, I'll tell you how my shoes are designed."

Everyone else pricked up their ears curiously; they really had always wanted to know who the shoe designer at Yongnian Factory was.

They're both shoes, whether leather shoes or sneakers. But their designs are specifically tailored to appeal to the Russians. Whether it's on Yabao Road in Beijing or in the Jiangdong International Trade City, their goods sell exceptionally fast.

Everyone was incredibly envious and wanted to poach him, but to this day, no one knows who actually designed the shoes.

Factory Director Peng made a bold statement: "As long as you nod your head, I can design shoes for you for free, and then you can produce them and make money."

Wow, that's ruthless! They've pulled out all the stops.

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Did you design this? You should think it over before you speak."

Factory Director Peng blushed slightly, awkwardly touched his nose, and then mumbled, "In short, the designs I bring out will definitely be popular. I can guarantee that."

“Of course you can guarantee that, and so can I.” Wang Xiao looked at him with a half-smile. “Actually, I know exactly where the styles of your shoes come from. —You don’t believe me, do you? Should we clear the room so I can explain?”

The people in the private room started teasing, "Hey, hey, what is it? Don't keep us in suspense!"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "These are Director Peng's three tricks, his trump card. That's how he makes money. I said it's because I sell shoes, not make them. You all own factories. If you learn his methods, how are they supposed to make a living?"

Everyone felt awkward and could only manage a forced laugh.

Factory Director Peng, feeling he was losing face, retorted angrily, "Tell me, then tell me where my payment came from?"

Are you sure?

"Sure!"

“Alright.” Wang Xiao nodded. “Leshui is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. Many of your fellow villagers are making a living in Europe, in France and Italy. Some of them own factories, some own restaurants, and some work in sales. What shoes and clothes the locals like to wear is no secret to them at all. That’s where the style of shoes you mentioned comes from, right?”

Factory Director Peng was stunned and blurted out, "How did you know?"

When he first went to work for his distant uncle in Italy, he was making shoes in a workshop.

As a result, Italy later investigated undocumented immigrants and deported him.

When he returned to Leshui, he didn't know how to do anything else, so he went back to his old trade of making shoes.

Then he unexpectedly discovered that the shoes he made based on his memory of Italian shoes were very popular, especially among the Russians.

So he had a breakthrough and spent a lot of money to have his distant uncle send him a workshop that produced the most popular and best-selling shoes.

Sure enough, these styles sold like hotcakes among Russians, and each one was a hot seller.

It was precisely because the goods were so popular that there wasn't enough time to get the raw materials that he thought he could make more money by taking advantage of the situation, which led to the creation of the Monthly Shoes incident.

But he never expected that the secret he thought he had hidden so deeply was so obvious to others.

Wang Xiao really didn't expect it to be a shoe workshop. She originally thought that the other party determined the popular styles by selling shoes.

However, she certainly wouldn't undermine herself in front of Director Peng.

She simply smiled slightly: "What's so strange about that? Everyone here knows what's going on. They just didn't do it that way."

But after tonight, it's hard to say how many people will follow suit.

Wang Xiao picked up her bowl of chicken soup rice again, smiled and nodded, then stood up to say goodbye: "Don't all try to take my rice bowl away."

She glanced at Director Peng and said, "The only way to resolve this is through compensation. We'll pay whatever amount is due. My partner has already come from Moscow. There's no room for evasion in this matter."

As she spoke, she carried the chicken soup rice and strode out of the private room.

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I originally wanted to split it into two chapters to see if that would increase its visibility. But I think I'll leave it as is.

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