Chapter 248 If you don't want it, that's great (bug fix): Why are you still angry?
Winters in Bucharest are also far from warm and comfortable.
As soon as the plane arrived at Ottobeni International Airport, Wang Xiao was hit by a blast of cold air.
Winter in the northeastern Balkans is really not a good time to travel.
Ruan Xiaomei drove to the airport to pick up her boss herself.
She looked much better than the last time I saw her. It seems she has completely moved on from her heartbreak.
Hearing Wang Xiao praise her for her radiant appearance, she laughed heartily: "Now there are several TCM health centers in Bucharest. I go for massage, moxibustion, and facial scraping whenever I have free time. If it doesn't work, then I've wasted my money on the membership."
"Oh?" Wang Xiao was quite surprised. "Traditional Chinese medicine is now doing beauty treatments? That's pretty trendy."
Ruan Xiaomei chuckled: "It was an unexpected success. First, someone went to get treatment for insomnia and lack of energy. After the treatment, she lost 15 pounds, and her whole demeanor changed."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao couldn't help but burst into laughter.
If a man's ultimate passion is aphrodisiacs, then weight loss is definitely a lifelong pursuit that women constantly talk about.
Yes, when she drinks milk tea, she also says she wants to lose weight.
Ruan Xiaomei shrugged: "No matter how the doctor explains, he's there to treat patients, not to help with weight loss, no one believes him. They all insist on him helping them with their health. He can't argue with his customers, well, they're no longer considered patients, so he has to change his approach."
So, what exactly is beauty treatment?
Because most women who feel they are fat are actually of normal or even underweight.
Normal humans don't look like Barbie dolls at all.
So the TCM doctor patiently advised the customer to stop dieting, saying that her qi and blood were insufficient, which was why she was not in good condition, and that she should replenish her qi and blood first.
Wang Xiao laughed until tears streamed down his face, nodding vigorously and saying, "The beauty economy is an eternal trend."
The fact that traditional Chinese medicine practitioners can open health and wellness centers in Bucharest shows that life is not difficult for Chinese people here, which is good news.
This time, the car didn't go directly to the landlady's house, but instead went straight to Bucharest's largest Chinese restaurant, the same restaurant where Wang Xiao had attended Qiang Qiang's wedding last time.
It was renovated again in the summer, and now it looks even more magnificent.
Bright red lanterns hung high, adorned with golden "福" (good fortune) characters, exuding auspiciousness and joy.
Red paper-cuts were pasted on the windows, and they were so lifelike, depicting flowers, birds, fish, and insects, that it was clear that they had put a lot of thought into them. The wooden decorations hanging from the ceiling were also carved with rather intricate patterns.
The restaurant even had potted plants of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums on display. It must have taken a lot of effort for the restaurant to keep them all alive in one space.
As soon as Wang Xiao entered, he bowed to the people in the private room and apologized: "I'm sorry for taking up everyone's time and keeping you waiting. There was a traffic jam on the way."
An older Chinese businessman laughed out loud: "That's really your fault, Mr. Wang. If you hadn't brought so many people to Bucharest, there wouldn't have been this traffic jam."
Wang Xiao laughed along, "That's because everyone's business is doing well, they can retain customers, and they can attract more people."
Someone egged him on: "Mr. Wang, shouldn't you be punished with three cups of wine?"
Wang Xiao waved his hand with a smile: "No, no, I'm taking Chinese medicine. My mom prescribed it for me and got the medicine herself. If I dared to drink alcohol, my mom would take my pulse and I wouldn't be able to celebrate the New Year this year."
The crowd burst into laughter again.
Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, the waiter brought out the hot dishes with a beaming smile. Wang Xiao picked up his chopsticks and called out, "Everyone, dig in and eat more!"
The dinner table became increasingly lively, with everyone enjoying the cold dishes and the hot dishes, praising the restaurant's newly hired master chef as worthy of serving state banquets, whose skills were truly authentic.
Wang Xiao ate with a smile, listened with a smile, and occasionally chimed in with a few words, looking quite content.
After eating for a good twenty minutes, someone finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Boss Wang, you treated us to dinner today, saying you'd help us get rich. What's the deal? Do you have any special treats?"
Wow, that fleece trinkets from last time really made everyone a fortune.
I don't know why these Russians suddenly went crazy, almost everyone has to wear a fleece jacket on the street.
Yes, they knew that this matter seemed to be related to that American singer because the American singer wore fleece when he got off the plane.
Yes, they also know that when that American singer held a concert in Bucharest two years ago, wow, the crowds were so huge that it was impossible to move, and several people even died.
They can't understand how Westerners think, that going to a concert could kill them.
But regardless of their true intentions, if they were to place another bet on fleece, well, then this year's New Year would be truly extravagant.
Wang Xiao shook his head: "This time it's not Bucharest, it's Beijing. I've acquired 40 acres of land within Beijing's Second Ring Road, planning to build an electronics market. The US is building the information superhighway, and the future will be the information age, so the electronics industry is developing very rapidly."
"But we haven't really started working on this part yet. We just got the land, so I thought I'd fill it in."
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Wang, you've even acquired land in Beijing! You're really something!"
"Just lucky," Wang Xiao said casually. "A friend helped make the connection; the Singaporean boss and the factory on the original land just couldn't reach an agreement."
Tsk, she said it so casually, but it was enough to shock anyone who could understand it.
Land in the Second Ring Road area is always scarce in Beijing, which is right under the emperor's nose.
If it were 40 acres of land in a satellite city, people wouldn't react much.
In the countryside, acquiring land is a simple matter.
But the Second Ring Road is different. It's a proper urban area. If someone can get 40 acres of land in one go, then the friend who connected her with her must be someone of considerable influence.
Another thing is that even Singaporean businessmen couldn't outmaneuver her.
That's Singapore, the country Deng Xiaoping specifically requested to learn from during his Southern Tour.
Back in China, many of us watched a lot of Singaporean dramas. Now we also watch Singaporean videotapes; they dress so stylishly and beautifully, it's easy to buy clothes that match their fashion sense.
As a result, even the Singaporean tycoon couldn't compete with Wang Xiao, which shows just how powerful her background is.
It's no wonder people misunderstood, because in the era of land acquisition through agreements, those who could enter the market were indeed competing based on their background and connections.
Wang Xiao didn't correct everyone's misunderstandings, only verbally expressing humility: "It's the government's generosity that's willing to give us private opportunities. It's also thanks to friends who helped and acted as matchmakers. They say you rely on your parents at home, but on your friends when you're out in the world. After I acquired the land, I thought about how you all said I wasn't being fair, that I was only thinking about bringing my brothers and sisters from Moscow along when I acquired land in Shanghai, without even informing you..."
Wait a minute, the people at the dinner table are in an uproar.
Someone couldn't wait to ask, "Mr. Wang, did you acquire land in Shanghai?"
Wang Xiao paused for a moment before nodding: "That's right, don't you know? It's either in the city center or in the countryside. Pudong is now developing a new district, and I got two plots of land, totaling 3,000 mu."
Wow! The atmosphere at the dinner table immediately erupted, even more so than the tender beef tumbling in the hot pot.
They know? They know nothing!
My goodness, she's acquired land in both Beijing and Shanghai now; she's going to become a landowner!
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Don't even think about the land in Shanghai. I've already agreed to Moscow. They have a lot of people, and 3,000 mu of land is simply not enough to go around."
"I secured this piece of land in Beijing, and before I even dared to go to Moscow, I was already in Bucharest. You see—"
She gestured, "I came alone this time. I didn't even bring Ivanov."
Laughter erupted from the private room: "That's rare, you're all inseparable."
Some people asked their companions, "Who is Ivanov?" When she came to Qiangqiang's wedding at the end of last year (referring to the lunar calendar, but actually the end of 1992), she seemed to have brought bodyguards with her.
Wang Xiao pretended not to hear and continued, "So, I've done everything I could. I've specially reserved this electronics market for you. From now on, if anyone says I'm not being fair or that I don't think of everyone when good things happen, I won't accept it."
An eerie silence fell over the dinner table. Then someone asked, "So, Mr. Wang, how do you plan to help us make a fortune?"
"Pre-sale." Wang Xiao smiled. "I'm now pre-selling shops, 5-year operating rights, package price, monthly rent of 100 yuan per square meter."
The people in the private room looked at each other, and for a moment no one spoke.
Wang Xiao also made a request: "To prevent monopolies, each person can only take a shop of 50 square meters at most. I won't give any more than that."
Everyone gasped. 100 yuan per square meter, just monthly rent, not cheap at all. And she even had purchase restrictions—no, rental restrictions.
It's truly a place paved with gold.
A businesswoman with tattooed willow-leaf eyebrows and permed and dyed hair frowned and said, "Mr. Wang, isn't your shop a bit too expensive? We're in Bucharest, we can't even see it. If you finish building it, we can't easily go over to do business."
Others chimed in, "Exactly, it's not like we're in Bucharest."
Wang Xiao smiled, stretched out his hand, and Liu Ba distributed the newspapers to everyone.
When everyone grabbed the copies, they found they were copies of the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. Except for the first one, which was the original, the others all received photocopies. The news articles they were supposed to read had been circled and highlighted.
The key point is that the Shenzhen Electronics Building Electronic Components Trading Market has an average daily customer flow of 30,000 people and an annual transaction volume of 5 billion yuan.
"This data is from last year, which is 1993. What was the rent for the Electronics Building? It was 300 to 500 yuan per square meter per month. This was the price we got from the building itself. The rent we got when we sublet it was 1,000 to 2,000 yuan per square meter."
If it were anyone else, they would probably gasp in shock upon hearing this number.
Goodness, does that mean the first person to rent a stall could live a comfortable life without doing anything but making a living by profiting from the price difference?
However, in Bucharest's kiosks and container rental market, subletting is commonplace. If the price difference isn't double, nobody's willing to resell. Everyone prefers to work the hard work themselves because there's a profit to be made.
Therefore, if business is good in the Shenzhen Electronics Building, it's perfectly normal for people to rent out stalls to make money.
However, Shenzhen is Shenzhen, and Beijing is Beijing.
Shenzhen is close to Hong Kong and is a special economic zone.
They enjoy preferential policies such as tax breaks and foreign exchange retention. They manufacture electronic components, so import tariffs are low and customs clearance is efficient.
In addition, Shenzhen's hinterland is the Pearl River Delta, where the electronics manufacturing industry is well-developed, and Huaqiangbei is home to most of the country's electronics factories, specializing in the production of electronic components.
Don't ask why the black marketeers in Bucharest are so knowledgeable; it's all written in the newspapers Wang Xiao showed them.
Although Beijing is the capital, it doesn't have the same advantages as Shenzhen.
Can the electronics market built in Beijing compare to the business in Shenzhen?
We're all business people; we know how to do the math.
The Chinese businessmen exchanged glances, generally adopting a cautious attitude.
Yes, everyone is eager to find investment opportunities. While they may be making money in Romania, there are really no safe investment channels besides buying and selling goods.
Meanwhile, the Romanian lei also plummeted silently, causing widespread panic as people feared they would wake up to find their money gone.
The crowd remained silent, waiting for Wang Xiao to offer a discount.
Unexpectedly, she only waited less than five minutes, finished her apple and white fungus soup, put down her spoon, wiped her mouth, and impatiently put an end to the matter: "Since no one is interested, then this matter is over. Everyone here can be my witness, if anyone says in the future that I am not fair, that I favor one side over the other, or that I have forgotten our brothers and sisters in Bucharest, I will definitely slap them in the face."
She smiled and said, "Everyone, please continue eating and drinking, and feel free to sing karaoke afterwards. I've already arranged with the restaurant to put it on my tab, so please don't be shy."
Then, she stood up, cupped her hands in a gesture of apology, and said, "I'm so sorry, I just came from Beijing and I'm very tired. I'll go back now."
The group of Chinese business representatives in the room were all dumbfounded.
No, ma'am, this isn't how it works.
So you came here just to go through the motions, without even offering us a word of advice?
Who does sales like this?
Someone followed her and asked, "Ms. Wang, who are you planning to rent the shop to?"
Wang Xiao looked exhausted: "Kyiv, Budapest, Almaty, South Africa, and Tanzania—I've had countless people reach out to me wanting to buy a shop in China. Don't worry, don't feel pressured. Everyone has their own ideas. I see you're doing quite well in Bucharest; it's normal not to want to go back to China. It's alright, I was just asking because I thought you might be interested."
As she spoke, she started to walk out, as if someone was chasing after her, "Don't see me off, everyone can eat and have fun on their own."
Everyone looked at each other, unsure how to react for a moment.
Some quick-witted people had already chased after him, but they only waved and turned back after watching Wang Xiao get into the car.
But after turning back, they were still caught in a dilemma.
People are afraid of losing money when investing in shops, fearing that their hard-earned savings will go down the drain.
But if they don't invest, everyone is afraid of missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In Beijing, within the Second Ring Road, such a prime location, isn't it normal for shops to appreciate in value?
Someone frowned: "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Beijing and Shenzhen are not the same thing. Beijing already has Zhongguancun, who would go there to buy things from its electronics market?"
The person next to him disagreed: "She's an old Russian, she specializes in doing business with Russians, she's the most experienced. Besides, Zhongguancun is just a village, it's so remote, it can't compare to the Second Ring Road. I don't believe that ordinary people in Beijing would go to such lengths to buy property."
After hearing this, even more people present regretted their decision.
Yes, Shenzhen's is for domestic sales. Beijing's is for export.
The Russian market is not even comparable to the Pearl River Delta? How could that be!
Some people complained, "I told you, following Boss Wang would definitely make money."
Those who had previously opposed the move immediately flared up: "Have some backbone! They're eating meat in large chunks, and you're just scrambling for a bone? Wouldn't it be better if we used that money to build the market together?"
These words warmed the hearts of several people.
Yes, who knows what the electronics market in Beijing will actually look like?
But everyone can see how good the container market business is in Bucharest.
If they could build a decent market that belongs only to them, they'd be making money hand over fist.
Wang Xiao got into the car, rubbing his temples as he asked Ruan Xiaomei, "Is someone trying to form a small gang?"
Ruan Xiaomei laughed out loud: "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Some people just have it too easy; they only see the thief eating meat, but they don't see the thief getting beaten."
Seeing her relaxed demeanor, Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow: "You seem quite confident, don't you?"
Ruan Xiaomei laughed even louder: "It's nothing, it's just that their little gang has several people."
What does a large number of people mean? Infighting, of course.
Everyone says that dictatorship is bad, but when it comes to getting projects moving forward, dictatorship is always the most efficient.
Otherwise, for trivial matters, you'll just see those in power arguing and making all sorts of excuses.
While they were arguing, the matter would have been finished long ago.
After laughing, Wang Xiao nodded and reminded Ruan Xiaomei, "Take it easy, don't let them make a big fuss, otherwise people will just say that we Chinese love to cause trouble."
Ruan Xiaomei nodded: "I'm keeping an eye on them. Ugh, these people are so annoying. Why don't they use this time to make some money?"
Wang Xiao couldn't help but laugh again: "Maybe they think that as long as they are diligent in strategy, they don't need to work on tactics anymore."
Dream on! Even the greatest theories need to be put into practice, otherwise they are just empty talk.
Following the military principle of "if the enemy doesn't move, I don't move," Wang Xiao seemed to be only in Bucharest on business, treating everyone to a meal and mentioning the shop incident.
She left the hotel and went to her landlady's family-run inn. After enjoying the small cake that the old lady had prepared especially for her, she took a shower, snuggled into the warm, sun-dried blankets, and drifted off to sleep.
The Chinese businessmen, who were still worried even after dinner, felt even more anxious after learning about this.
Goodness, she doesn't actually intend to sell the shop to them.
If this is for business negotiations, shouldn't we at least stay in a big hotel so that people can come to our door for detailed discussions?
She recovered and is still living in the old Romanian woman's dilapidated house.
Such a big boss, doesn't he feel ashamed of being so shabby?
Having exhausted all other options, the group decided to try and catch her again the next day.
As a result, they were a step too slow again.
When it got light, everyone had breakfast and went to visit the family-run guesthouse, only to find that they hadn't arrived.
Wang Xiao has already left; she went out very early this morning.
As for where they went, the landlady shrugged, indicating that she didn't know either.
Maybe she went to check out the market, maybe she visited friends, maybe she went to see relatives, who knows? All she knows is that after dinner tonight, she will put on her most beautiful dress, dress up beautifully, and attend her first movie premiere.
Good heavens, the kind of thing that only happens in foreign movies and TV shows actually happened to her.
It's a new year, and with it, new hope.
The Chinese businessmen had no choice but to wait until night to ambush the people.
Wang Xiao wasn't deliberately avoiding them.
It's not worth it.
She didn't get something for nothing.
She's genuinely acting like Lei Feng.
She wouldn't have approached them if it weren't for the fact that they contributed the majority of the market's revenue in Bucharest.
Wang Xiao went to the film production company, discussed the details with the main creators, and then went to the entrance of the National Theatre to pick up his uncle's family and his landlady.
She had just finished making arrangements for everyone and hadn't even had a chance to say two words before she went out again to personally greet the ambassador to Romania, as well as the Romanian Minister of Culture and senior officials from the Ministry of the Interior.
Chen Jingjing's eyes widened in surprise. Wow! Amazing! No wonder it's called "The Great Swordsman"—even making a movie has so many high-ranking Romanian officials coming to support it.
With a beaming smile, Wang Xiao, along with the director and lead actors, led the officials to sit down in the front row.
The Minister of Culture even complimented her, saying, "Miss Wang, you are the most dazzling star tonight. You are so beautiful."
Wang Xiao, all smiles, promoted his outfit: "Clothes make the man, and this is Yun brocade, which can be registered and ordered at the market. Mr. Popescu, we have prepared a small gift of Yun brocade, and we hope you will like it."
She escorted the person back to their seat, and the premiere ceremony officially began.
The atmosphere at the scene was quite lively, with die-hard fans of "The Great Swordsman" who had specially bought tickets to come and support the film showing great enthusiasm.
Even when high-ranking Romanian officials took the stage to speak, everyone politely gave them face, without booing or telling them to get off the stage.
Okay, everyone bear with it so we can finish the process quickly and get to the movie.
Ah ha! I'm really looking forward to it! I really want to see the master and his apprentice go abroad to fight bad guys and see what kind of excitement it will be.
Oh my, this little apprentice is so clever for his age, he already has a girl he likes.
Tsk tsk tsk, you say you don't like her, but you clearly care a lot about that girl.
Oh dear, where is this girl being taken? Her father doesn't seem like a reliable person.
Chen Jingjing was so engrossed in the story that her heart clenched when she saw the little girl being taken to an unnamed island in the Black Sea.
That instinctive fear, born of womanhood, sent chills down her spine; she felt danger was about to strike.
As expected, the VIP services on the island all used coded reservation codes.
For example, ordering tulips, which refers to girls aged 12-14.
Good heavens! They're only in junior high school.
But what's even more frightening is the cornflower, which means the little girl is under 10 years old.
Why is there such a terrible place? Those adults are truly devils.
As Chen Jingjing watched, she began to tremble uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face.
Actually, the movie didn't show the children directly, including the scenes of the little boy being tortured.
But their running, fear, and despair have already said it all.
The camera mostly focused on the well-dressed VIPs, both men and women, all of whom were impeccably dressed and had children of similar age.
They speak tenderly to their children on the phone, but can torment the children on the island the moment they turn their backs.
After the entire movie finished playing.
Chen Jingjing was still trembling.
She felt as if the ubiquitous surveillance cameras on the island had jumped out of the movie, like pairs of cold eyes, cruelly staring at her.
Waaaaah—why is it so scary?
Wang Xiao didn't have time to carefully observe the audience's reactions, because she still had to invite officials from both countries to the stage to speak.
But before she could speak, the Minister of Culture suddenly stood up, his face ashen, and strode away.
Wang Xiao was utterly astonished.
What's wrong? Is there a problem with the movie? To prevent the film from being too dark, the creators even designed a bright future.
The hero comforted his young apprentice, saying that darkness will always be defeated by sunlight, and life will always get better.
Look, just like this year, industry has begun to grow positively, and the economy is developing. This country will surely be walking towards the sun and on a road full of hope.
They've all worked so hard, so why is the Minister of Culture still so angry?
It's clear that all the bad guys, except for the little girl's father, were located overseas.
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Note: In the second half of 1993, Romania's industrial production growth rate was 1.3%.
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