Chapter 37: Let's make the news, who's afraid of who? (Pointing out typos): It's just triangular debt.
While having dinner at the buffet that evening, Wang Xiao noticed furtive gazes and pointing fingers.
Seriously, the idea that only women gossip is a completely skewed misconception.
In fact, men are just as gossipy. This whole room is almost entirely filled with men; how could they not be gossipy?
They are more excited than dogs that have eaten bones when they see scandalous gossip about young, beautiful, and capable women.
Tang Yicheng was furious on her behalf.
What kind of family is this? They did bad things and showed no remorse, but now they've made a mess of things and are even trying to shift the blame.
And what about these people? Do they even have brains? They just believe whatever the Ruan family says.
Wang Xiao remained calm and composed; this level of attack was a piece of cake for her.
Which female internet celebrity hasn't been the subject of false rumors? Those who haven't are almost embarrassed to say they have real fans.
As for the onlookers, she has never disappointed the public's discerning eyes. When it comes to gossip, it's not always the bigger and more sensational the juicy story that attracts the most attention.
People just watch the show; they only care about generating traffic, whether it's true or false, or whether you've been wronged.
She cleared her throat, raised her voice slightly, and took the initiative to speak: "Ask me anything you want to ask?"
The bespectacled, Mediterranean-looking man across from them, who had been pointing and gesturing, gave an awkward smile and feigned concern: "Advisor Wang, well, we were just worried about you, being talked about like that."
"Is it true or not?" Wang Xiao gave a direct answer, "Of course it's fake. I realized I'd been tricked into marriage as soon as we got the marriage certificate, so I canceled the wedding. I hadn't even gone to the soap factory yet, so the bus robbery never happened, let alone any 'advanced individual' award. As for Comrade Tang and me, we had a completely innocent working relationship. The Qing Dynasty has been gone for so many years; you can't expect female colleagues to be unable to work with male colleagues now, can you? How would work be conducted then?"
The person who asked the question choked, and his companions were speechless.
In fact, whether a man and a woman have an intimate relationship or not is easy for outsiders to tell if they have spent enough time together.
Wang Xiao and Tang Yicheng, actually, didn't have that. On the surface, they were equal colleagues, but in reality, it was more like a male subordinate to a female boss, a subordinate relationship.
If it were reversed, there might be a chance, but with this kind of situation, there's no hope.
In the awkward silence, someone joked, "Oh dear, who would have thought that someone as smart and capable as Comrade Wang could be fooled?"
Wang Xiao smiled slightly: "Yes, it's impossible to guard against them all. Even a shrewd and capable entrepreneur like you, Director Cheng, has been fooled by swindlers, hasn't you? These people will stop at nothing."
What can everyone do? Of course, they just agree.
If you're in business and you've never been cheated, you're embarrassed to call yourself a businessman.
Especially in this era, there are so many shell companies that there aren't enough fools for scammers to go around.
No matter how capable she is, she's still a young woman, and it's perfectly normal for her to be deceived in matters of marriage and relationships.
After dinner, Wang Xiao contacted a reporter he knew and asked him to come and work overtime.
The Ruan family has indeed become smarter, but their brain capacity is limited.
Don't they even consider whether their family or this moral exemplar has a more powerful relationship with the media?
Let's wage a war of public opinion, bring it on, who's afraid of who?
While waiting for the reporters' interview, Wang Xiao quickly organized her speech.
First, it's important to clarify Ruan Rui's character: a liar, a shameless liar, a despicable person who deceives women.
As for his political ambiguity, his involvement in an incident the summer before last, and the extra page in his file, let's not mention those things.
It wasn't that she had a conscience and wanted to show leniency towards Ruan Rui. Did that kind of trash even deserve it?
Instead, she currently works as a consultant for the Jinning Grand Hotel, where she earns money by connecting foreign businessmen with local governments and enterprises to build her network of contacts.
What foreign businesses fear most is a sudden change in circumstances, a regression in reforms, and a return to the revolutionary era.
If she emphasizes politics again at this point, people will think she's left-wing and will never dare to associate with her again.
Secondly, her innocence must be emphasized.
She was sincere in her relationship and never looked down on the Ruan family's poor financial situation. In fact, out of compassion, she even took the initiative to buy clothes, shoes, socks, and other gifts for the Ruan family's parents and children.
Thanks to the original owner's good living habits, even though she valued love above all else, she had the habit of keeping receipts after buying things, so every expense was clear and could be taken out as evidence at any time.
What does it prove? It proves that she is not a snob.
Although Wang Xiao thinks it's nothing, as a public figure, she has to conform to the mainstream societal mindset.
Her family has always been better off than the Ruan family, so there's no question of her looking down on them after becoming successful.
The saying goes, "Where money is, there is love," and the people have discerning eyes. Doing a lot of housework doesn't generate GDP, so nobody cares. Instead of emphasizing that she goes off to work like a slave every day after work, it's more important to talk about how much money she spends.
In that case, she couldn't believe that Ruan Rui wasn't hated.
Those who truly love their daughters at home would rather kill this brat.
Anyone who wants to sell their adopted daughter should be skinned alive. To steal the cabbage you painstakingly raised without spending a penny, and then make the cabbage pay extra? This kind of bastard deserves to be torn to pieces.
As for men, those with sound values will naturally despise shameless people.
People with warped values will also feel envy, jealousy, and hatred. That bastard! There aren't many naive, innocent girls from wealthy families to begin with, and now that she finally finds someone as devoted as the original owner, she's being tricked into marriage. It's truly infuriating!
With the mentality that "if I can't have it, no one else can either," they wouldn't want Ruan Rui to be well either.
Okay, the general tone is set.
Finally, we need to elevate this point and make a statement.
As a victim in this tragic marriage, she learned a profound lesson. She decided to dedicate her youth to her career from now on, to shine in her work, rather than rushing headlong into marriage.
In front of reporters, Wang Xiao spoke with great emotion: "The country advocates late marriage and late childbirth in the hope that more women will actively strive to receive higher education. I was wrong; I have failed the country's efforts to nurture me. The country spent a lot of money to educate me as a college student, not hoping that I would be busy getting married and having children as soon as I graduated, or working in a boiler room, but hoping that I would contribute to the country's development in my professional field."
Yes, I've declared that I'm going to pursue a career-driven, strong woman path.
Will this stance of rejecting marriage and romantic relationships offend the vast number of "Liu Huifang" fans? Of course it will. Just look at how popular "Aspiration" was in 1990 to know.
But she doesn't care.
Successful online celebrities understand one crucial principle: you must precisely select your audience. Everyone else is unimportant; as long as you don't break the law, it doesn't matter if people outside your target audience ignore you. If everyone cares, it means you can't win over anyone.
Her current target audience is professional women.
A true professional woman is one who possesses a professional mindset and aspires to achieve success at work.
They may not be that many in number, but they certainly have the spending power.
Furthermore, when it comes to creating a persona, it's crucial that it doesn't deviate too much from your true self; at most, you can only amplify certain traits. Otherwise, you'll end up like the last remaining virgins in the entertainment industry, quickly exposed and stripped bare.
Wang Xiao used the original owner's bloody lesson to warn her fellow women: be cautious about marriage, and don't judge people based on blind faith.
Regardless of the other person's education or profession, their character cannot be guaranteed. Blindly trusting them and relying on your own imagination to devise strategies can be fatal.
Don't get married too early. Wait until you've achieved success in your career before considering marriage. This way, you'll have a more comprehensive understanding of the situation. And if you realize you've fallen into a trap, you'll have the ability to escape.
Of course, Wang Xiao would not advocate against marriage and childlessness.
Her life principle has always been to let those who want to get married get married, and those who don't want to get married not get married.
As long as a person is responsible for their own life, that's enough.
Wang Xiao chatted with the reporter for more than two hours, discussing everything from the marital farce to work and life—enough for the reporter to write a report of several thousand words—before finally seeing him off.
The reporter's efficiency was indeed astonishing; the news was published the very next day, perfectly demonstrating the efficiency of public relations within 24 hours.
It's probably because everyone is looking forward to the Lunar New Year after New Year's Day, and they have plenty of time to watch the excitement.
Anyway, the report immediately caused a huge uproar.
Honestly, Wang Xiao can say without blushing that she is now the top influencer in the province.
Her popularity in the provincial capital was no less than that of Liu Huifang, the female lead in the hit drama "Aspiration," and people talked about her everywhere she went.
Chen Yanqiu was furious with her daughter.
What does this brat know? When something like this happens to a woman, the right thing to do is to handle it discreetly. She's made such a huge fuss; what will become of her reputation? What will she do in the future? She's going to suffer a huge loss!
Wang Xiao knew, of course, that female victims always suffered more than male perpetrators in these matters. Because society itself would conduct a second trial.
However, this loss is mainly reflected in the marriage and dating market.
Wang Xiao doesn't plan to get married, so it doesn't matter to her.
She not only wants to create a huge uproar, but she also wants to continuously generate buzz and turn this into a social event.
Why? Is she bored?
Of course not.
She wanted to use this opportunity to make Ruan Rui stay in jail longer.
Cases of the same nature can result in vastly different sentences. What determines this? It depends on the severity and impact of the case.
The former is already established; there are many cases of marriage fraud and bigamy, so Ruan Rui's case is nothing special.
There's only one possibility for him to receive a heavy sentence: if he causes a negative social impact and incites public outrage. Legal principles are not without human consideration, and the court will certainly have to take the social impact into account.
Wang Xiao had previously expressed regret, estimating that Ruan Rui wouldn't be able to stay imprisoned for long.
As it turned out, the Ruan family delivered themselves to her doorstep. If she didn't accept this generous gift from the Ruan family, she would truly be letting them down after their relentless pursuit.
Dr. Chen stomped his feet in anger, complaining repeatedly, "This is going to sound bad from now on."
"Okay, okay," Wang Xiao quickly called out, "Mom, you go ahead with your work, I'm going to the train station to pick someone up."
Who are you picking up?
The second wave of Soviet guests, I suppose.
Chen Yanqiu was taken aback: "So fast? You can't be fooled. It'll take the Russians a week to go back and another week to come over. How could they possibly be here in just a few days!"
“It’s true.” Wang Xiao said helplessly, “This time they didn’t take the train, they flew from Moscow to Beijing.”
Chen Yanqiu couldn't believe her ears: "On an airplane! Goodness, an airplane!"
Her daughter is so big, and she's never been on an airplane.
"Alright. Next time." Wang Xiao coaxed her, "After the New Year, I'll try to get our family passports processed, and then we can fly to Moscow together."
She had heard of the Sino-Russian train robbery and even watched a TV series based on it.
However, just because she's seen it doesn't mean she remembers it clearly; she couldn't figure out exactly which year it happened.
Although it is said that the order on the train only became chaotic after the collapse of the Soviet Union, she had no idea what the actual situation was.
Forget it, I'd rather spend more money on a plane ticket than take this unnecessary risk.
Chen Yanqiu's pride as a mother instantly kicked in: "Who said that? I mean, how are they going to take all this stuff by plane?"
Goodness, she saw that soap mountain last time and felt like it could crush an airplane.
"You can check your luggage in; you can check it in on airplanes too."
"How much would that cost?" Dr. Chen said, feeling sorry for her. "How much are these needles and thread worth?"
Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "What do you think? A soap, toothpaste, and toothbrush worth 50,000 yuan can fetch at least five or six times the price in Moscow. It's very profitable. Otherwise, why would they be willing to let people fly back and forth? This time, the leather jackets, down jackets, jeans, and sneakers they wanted—if they were to resell them again, a profit of seven or eight times would be the bare minimum."
Dr. Chen was truly shocked: "This...so much?"
“Of course.” Wang Xiao said seriously, “Didn’t you tell the Russians that it’s normal for them to make 50,000 rubles in one morning when they’re involved in smuggling? Okay, Mom, I have to go, or I’ll really be late.”
After receiving the guests and inspecting their goods, she had to quickly arrange for her own goods to be shipped while simultaneously entertaining them on their sightseeing trip. She needed to see them off for two days before putting them on the train; she couldn't be late, as flights from Moscow to Beijing only run once every five days, and they needed to catch their flight back.
Chen Yanqiu was still worried and insisted on following her daughter to the door: "So the Ruan family... is that all there is to it?"
Wang Xiao nodded, finding Dr. Chen's question a bit strange: "That's it, what else can happen? The marriage has been annulled."
Marriage is a shackle that Ruan Rui put on the original owner of the body. Breaking this shackle will solve everything.
As for the rest, there's no need to worry about them.
It's like how people never have to confine themselves to a self-imposed prison.
This time, the Soviet guests brought not only night vision goggles, cameras, and binoculars, but also a number of watches. However, due to their tight schedule, the guests couldn't act as models; they simply delivered the goods to the People's Department Store in a hurry, using their high noses and deep-set features to prove that these were genuine Soviet products before leaving.
They also wanted to explore the provincial capital and go shopping at the Friendship Store with Wang Xiao.
This time, the Friendship Store treated Wang Xiao like a big customer, treating her with great enthusiasm and bringing out all the best items for her to choose from.
Because Wang Xiao was very generous and easy to talk to, the sales clerk secretly told her that the antique shop actually had more items. With foreign exchange certificates, she could buy a wider variety of antiques at the cultural shop.
What could Wang Xiao say? She had already paid the invoice and spent all her foreign exchange certificates. She could only wait until next time.
Hehe, this kind of free bargain hunting feels so great!
The second transaction was much easier than the first.
Optical instruments like night vision devices don't need models to demonstrate them; enthusiasts come on their own, and the stock at the counter sells out very quickly.
Especially cameras, displayed in glass cases, with salespeople constantly running around.
Why? Imported goods have a prestigious aura and are cheaper, only 300 yuan a unit, about the same price as domestic ones, and there's no waiting time for delivery. People who have wanted to buy them for a while will definitely buy them as soon as they see them.
Wang Xiao didn't know much about cameras, but she knew the price everyone had negotiated for this batch of goods. Each camera was sold to her for about 60 yuan, plus the cost of getting it from Moscow. In their country, it would only be worth about 30 or 40 yuan.
That's normal.
She bought a down jacket for 300 rubles, and people in Moscow could sell it for 3,000 rubles.
It's just ridiculous.
This business deal was quick and efficient, with the cycle shortened by almost half, yet Wang Xiao's share of the money actually increased to 220,000.
Why? Because military overcoats take up much more space than optical instruments, and the Soviets brought more goods this time than last time.
It's the right opportunity of the times! Wang Xiao felt like even a pig could fly.
Xiang Dong was experiencing both pain and pleasure; the money he earned selling clothes these past few days was far less than what he made selling Soviet cameras and binoculars. At this rate, he felt he might have to change careers.
"Hurry up!" the small business owner urged Wang Xiao. "Make one last big profit before the New Year and have a prosperous year."
Tang Yicheng calculated the time meticulously: "It's too late. There's only one flight every five days. No matter how fast they go, they can't catch up. Once they get to Beijing, they still have to take a train to pick up the goods here. There's no way they can make it before the New Year."
Xiang Dong got anxious: "Why do we have to wait for them to come? Can't we just haul the goods over there? We can hand them over in Beijing, and they can go back that day without waiting for the next flight."
Wow, even Wang Xiao was shocked this time.
These days, anyone who can start a business without any connections really has a lot of guts.
They dared to ship their own goods before even seeing the other party's; that takes real courage.
Tang Yicheng dared not take the risk: "What if their goods are bad and we can't accept them? What will happen to our goods once they reach the capital?"
"We can just ship it back," Xiang Dong said dismissively. "It'll only cost a few thousand yuan in shipping fees. Time is money; saving time means earning more money."
Tang Yicheng remained silent.
Haha, several thousand yuan in shipping fees! That's equivalent to his salary at the soap factory for several years.
Of course, he also received a commission this time, still two percent. The down jacket factory, the garment factory, and the shoe factory all gave him a total of 1200, making his eyes ache just looking at the money.
Feeling guilty.
Seeing that Wang Xiao was interested, he gritted his teeth and decided to join in: "Hey, I'll cover the shipping fee. If it doesn't work out, I'll pay 2,200."
Xiang Dong chimed in, "I'll take care of the rest, okay? Let's do it, Engineer Wang, get it done quickly, it's not like it's impossible."
Wang Xiao quickly stopped her, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll go home and talk to my mom about it."
"What's there to talk about?" Xiang Dong had been traveling around with adults since he was a teenager and was used to making his own decisions. He couldn't understand why Wang Xiao still had to report everything to his parents. "You've been a middleman before."
Wang Xiao's eyes widened: "You're going to buy me a sleeper ticket if I don't tell my mom?"
Xiang Dong wisely kept quiet.
He can't, even if he has money.
Even if he were willing to pay a high price to buy scalped tickets, he might not be able to get them.
Damn it, this is so unfair.
Even with money, you're still a second-class citizen.
Wang Xiao ignored his complaints and ran straight home.
When she parted ways with Tang Yicheng, she suddenly remembered something: "Let me get you a house."
Investment promotion conferences aren't held continuously, and Tang Yicheng can't always stay in his office at the Jinning Grand Hotel. He still needs a place to stay temporarily for convenience.
Tang Yicheng was taken aback for a moment, then instinctively refused: "My home isn't in the provincial capital."
He's only temporarily on a business trip in the provincial capital. Once the soap factory's sales are on track... no, actually, the factory's sales are already looking good. It seems he hasn't been doing much selling soap while he's in the provincial capital.
Most of the time, he was running errands for Wang Xiao, acting as her middleman.
This realization sent a chill down Tang Yicheng's spine. He subconsciously emphasized, "Next time, let's ask the Russians if they want soap."
"Sure." Wang Xiao was indifferent; after all, daily chemical products were in short supply in the Soviet Union.
She estimated that the situation in Eastern Europe was similar.
However, her abilities are limited for now, and she can't reach that far.
Otherwise, she would have to earn money from Eastern Europe.
Wang Xiao hummed a little tune as he entered the house, pondering how to bring up the topic with Ms. Chen Yanqiu.
Her intuition told her that Ms. Chen didn't actually want her to be running around outside all the time.
Unfortunately, unless she's sitting at home and money falls from the ceiling, she'll definitely have to go out and earn money.
Wang Xiao pushed open the door and was surprised to find that both of his parents were there.
She wasn't saying that Ms. Chen Yanqiu and Comrade Wang Tiejun were wandering spirits, never home. Rather, it was because it was the end of the year, and the steel plant was busy; the two often worked night and day shifts, so frequently only one of them was home, or neither was there at all.
Chen Yanqiu was complaining to her husband: "It's getting worse every year. I asked the union, and they said there's not enough to go around for the New Year this year, not even enough to visit relatives."
The steel mill has always been known for its good pay and high welfare benefits. Every year, not only can the family enjoy the New Year's goods from before the New Year to after the New Year, but relatives also benefit from them.
This year is really not going to work out; the union has prepared less than half of what it used to be.
"Alright, be content," Wang Tiejun said, taking it easy. "You don't even know how many factories can't pay wages. It's on TV and in the newspapers every day. You know about triangular debt. Our factory has tens of millions of yuan in debt that we can't collect."
At the same time, the steel mill also owed tens of millions of yuan in foreign debt. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been involved in the triangular debt problem.
Wang Xiao had heard about the concept of triangular debt in his economics class. Simply put, it means "you owe me, I owe him," but in reality, it takes many complicated forms, including multi-party debt and even cyclical debt.
A single debt chain can lead to dozens of sparsely connected debt relationships, spanning industries, regions, and forms; describing it as a tangled mess is no exaggeration.
That's why clearing up triangular debts is such a life-threatening task.
When Wang Tiejun saw his daughter enter the door, he felt like he had found a savior and quickly emphasized, "Alright, our Xiaoxiao is capable now and knows a lot of people. If there are any New Year's goods that are missing, just let Xiaoxiao find someone to help buy them. It's not like the factory is not paying wages."
"Hmph! I wonder how much the factory will actually give out as holiday bonuses."
Wang Xiao touched his ear, and suddenly an idea popped into his head. He asked Wang Tiejun first, "Dad, if you help the factory get a few million back, what kind of reward will the factory give you? Will you be promoted to workshop director?"
Wang Tiejun was startled. Several million? Goodness, that's enough to bury him in cash.
Wang Xiao pressed, "Dad, forget about the millions. I just want to know if there are any benefits? Will I get a promotion?"
Wang Tiejun instinctively refused again: "Your dad is not cut out to be an official. What kind of official would I be? I'm just an eighth-grade worker."
"Stop talking nonsense," Wang Xiao said impatiently.
Of course I want to become an official.
When state-owned enterprises go bankrupt and layoffs occur, those with good futures are mostly leading cadres; the higher the rank, the brighter the future.
Chen Yanqiu, who managed the family finances, was more sensitive to these matters than her husband. She scolded, "If Xiaoxiao asks you, just answer her properly. Go find the leaders. The factory has set up a debt collection team now. If we can recover a few million, surely we can replace a middle-level manager?"
Wang Tiejun had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree to go see his superior.
"Stop dawdling, it's today." Wang Xiao went inside and brought out two bottles of good local liquor and cigarettes, gifts given to her by people at the investment promotion conference; she handed them to Comrade Wang, "Bring over the factory's debt relationship network."
Seeing his daughter about to push him out the door, Wang Tiejun was so frightened that he quickly grabbed the door frame: "No, Xiaoxiao, you should at least tell your dad what's going on. If I run over there and the boss asks me how I'm going to collect the debt, and I can't say a word, wouldn't that make me a laughing stock?"
“I’ll go with you,” Wang Xiao said earnestly. “As long as the leaders are willing to agree, our family will definitely make this contribution for the factory.”
The simplest solution to triangular debt is to sell off the stockpiled products; once the money is in hand, the products can be easily circulated later.
What did she need the debt network for? To find manufacturers in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, select suitable private trading partners to trade with the Soviets, raise money, and ultimately leave it back to the steel mill.
Anyway, the goods are all the same. It would be troublesome to transport them by train from our province. Wouldn't it be more convenient to solve the problem in Beijing, which is closer to home?
As for insisting on getting an official position for Comrade Wang Tiejun at the steel plant.
Sigh, I'm used to doing things on the side.
Why would she voluntarily get involved in the factory's triangular debt if there weren't enough benefits?
If she didn't bring some benefits to her family, the steel mill leaders wouldn't believe she could be so kind!
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Comrade Wang Xiao, a real money-making expert: It's no big deal.
A Jin: Envious! A Jin still hasn't decided on a title. Maybe I should revert to "The Transmigrated Female Supporting Character Doesn't Raise Others' Kids"? Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-10-27 09:17:07 and 2023-10-30 09:17:07!
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