Chapter 259 Of course I have to come (to catch bugs): I'm not here to break you up, but to join you.
Wang Xiao's three-step negotiation method of "complaining, enticing, and intimidating" is comparable to Corleone's olive oil diplomacy in "The Godfather," and the effect is truly outstanding.
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao observed that these middlemen and women, who had come to act as intermediaries, ended up leaving as intermediaries themselves.
Yes, he went to act as a lobbyist for his boss.
These three individuals are already preparing to contact Chinese businessmen throughout Moscow in order to acquire 800 acres of land for the electronics city development and shops.
If the boss hadn't patiently advised them that nothing is achieved overnight, they would have been eager to cover all the development costs for the 3,000 acres of land.
The bodyguard was truly amazed. While others were begging and pleading to raise money, the boss was the one who was always the one scrambling to give her money.
Those who couldn't deliver the goods acted as if the sky had fallen.
Look at the traitors in Bucharest, aren't they typical examples?
After drinking the fruit tea, the cooked fruit was no longer considered cooling, so she could eat it. Hmm, it was quite sweet and delicious.
Want to know why?
The bodyguard immediately pulled out his notebook and started acting like a student.
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "It's simple. I genuinely want to help them make money. They know that too. If you want your business to grow and thrive, you can't cheat your partners."
Ivanov flipped through the development draft prepared by Wang Xiao, listening to their conversation in a disjointed manner.
Good heavens, He couldn't bear to look at the hopeful eyes of those two young men.
Because he knew perfectly well that none of them would become the next Tang.
Why? Because their strength is insufficient for Wang to make an exception, and because Wang doesn't need to cultivate another executive with a bodyguard background.
Having a Tang as a role model, providing psychological reinforcement to the bodyguards, is enough to maintain their loyalty.
Of course, Wang would never reveal this to them, but would instead make them constantly adjust their self-perception until they finally realized that they were not cut out for it.
Presumably, Wang's teaching of Tao has made Gao and Zhao doubt themselves, wondering if they really have the ability to step forward.
Well, strictly speaking, they might not be much worse than Tang was back then.
However, even if the same person encounters the same benefactor, the outcome can be vastly different depending on the timing.
The current king would never again provide Gao and Zhao with the same level of resources as he had given Tang, allowing them to grow into powerful regional officials.
Knowing this, Ivanov felt incredibly proud of himself.
Look how perceptive he was in the autumn of 1990. On Yabao Road in Beijing, he caught up with Wang's words when he struck up a conversation, and also caught up with his immense wealth.
He's awesome!
After giving the bodyguard a lesson, Wang Xiao turned to his partner and asked, "Any thoughts?"
What he was looking at was less a draft and more a table, showing the land use and phased planning for 3,000 mu of land in Pudong.
The first phase covered 800 acres and was a mixed commercial and scientific research project. Its core functions were an electronics city and an electronics incubator. It was developed over three years, from 1994 to 1997.
The second phase, covering 1,200 acres, was industrial land, intended as a drone test flight base and chip packaging plant. It also took three years to complete, by 2000.
The third phase covers 1,000 mu (approximately 67 hectares) and is designated for residential and educational use. It will include talent apartments and a science and technology university. This phase will take a long time, with an estimated five years to complete and construction to be finished by 2005.
Ivanov shook his head, his only question being: "Are the electronics markets in Shanghai the same as those in Beijing?"
“It’s different.” Wang Xiao said ambitiously, “This one in Shanghai is benchmarked against the Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan.”
Yes, it's one of the world's largest electronic information manufacturing centers, renowned for its integrated circuits.
"The rise of Hsinchu is the result of policy support, talent advantages and supporting services, which Pudong happens to have."
Needless to say, there was strong policy support. Without such strong policy support, the massive scientific research fraud scandal involving Hanxin, which involved removing the logo, would never have happened.
As for talent advantages, Shanghai happens to be the leading city in the Yangtze River Delta, which is home to numerous universities and has a sufficient talent pool.
“The most important point is—” Wang Xiao looked at Ivanov and emphasized earnestly, “Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is backed by the United States, but we also have the Soviet Union. I firmly believe that Soviet technology is the light of humanity and should not be buried by history, but should go from the laboratory to the factory and to every household.”
Ivanov was excited once again.
His eyes started to burn.
True death is being forgotten. And the Soviet Union should never be forgotten.
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Wang Xiao patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, let's go and complete the discharge procedures."
Ivanov, who was almost moved to tears, widened his eyes instantly upon hearing this: "Discharged? Good heavens, why are you being discharged now? You need rest, you need to recover. You can't ignore your health. If you're going to do this, I'll call Mrs. Chen."
Hey! The bodyguards and assistants in the ward were all surprised.
The male boss is really something, threatening the female boss now. Even if it's by complaining.
Wang Xiao felt helpless because, to this day, Chen Yanqiu and Wang Tiejun were unaware that she had been in a plane crash.
There's no other reason than that it's unnecessary.
She's not dead, why bring this up?
The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, which is the busiest time for the steel mill's union. She said that she had suffered a broken bone in a plane crash and almost died. Should Chen Yanqiu fly to Moscow to take care of her, or not?
She doesn't lack people to take care of her.
As for why such a major air disaster occurred, which was widely reported by media from various countries, she didn't say anything, and she apparently didn't know.
Of course, it's because Wang Xiao used his connections to avoid media interviews and the leakage of his personal information.
She didn't want to bring it up again. Although she had no moral compass or bottom line, she didn't want to step on so many innocent lives to promote her image as a lucky charm who "survives great calamities and is destined for good fortune."
Even the Chinese businessmen in Moscow, if it weren't for raising development funds, she wouldn't let them hear a single word about the plane crash.
So, although Ivanov's move was naive, it actually got her under control.
Wang Xiao could only reason with him and present the facts: "Can't I go back home to recuperate? Is the hospital a good place to recover? I can't even breathe from the smell of disinfectant. I have a fracture; I need to recover anywhere. Hospitals are full of germs. What if I catch some disease here while I'm perfectly healthy?"
Ivanov couldn't accept it: "Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry to be discharged? Is there some urgent matter that requires you to leave the hospital?"
“Of course!” Wang Xiao reminded him, “Don’t forget, the projects in Beijing and Shanghai are all waiting for support from Soviet scientists.”
Ivanov was shocked: "You're not thinking of going to talk to someone right now, are you?"
"Otherwise what?" Wang Xiaoqi asked curiously. "Of course, the sooner the better. How tall the buildings in Beijing can be built depends on when we can get the plaque for the China-Russia Science and Technology Cooperation Base."
She simply couldn't accept losing to Oriental Plaza.
Ivanov stretched out his arms, trying to stop her: "No, no, no, you're injured, you've broken a bone, you can only use a wheelchair now."
With Lyuba's help, Wang Xiao began putting on a large coat, and replied naturally, "That's perfect, it just shows our sincerity."
Ivanov was going crazy, pacing around the bed: "Wang, we can make a phone call, yes, we can talk on the phone."
“No way—” Wang Xiao looked at her feet with regret, realizing she couldn’t wear her nice leather boots now. “It’s hard to explain over the phone. Besides, guess how many people are listening in on our phones right now?”
Ivanov's face fell instantly. Damn Punonin, he would never forgive him, never!
Once he's dealt with the drug and child trafficking case in the train carriage, I'll definitely teach him a lesson!
However, no sooner had Ivanov finished venting than he began to look worried: "Your Majesty, he's really staring at me. Good heavens, are the tax police so idle? With so many people around, why does he have to be staring at me?"
Don't be fooled by Punoning's apparent guilty conscience this time. It's because he mistakenly believes he's involved in drug trafficking and human trafficking, but that doesn't mean he no longer suspects himself of smuggling titanium alloys to China.
On the contrary, precisely because he had been caught red-handed, given Punoning's tough personality and love of controlling everything, he would definitely turn the tables and make it impossible for him to stand up straight in front of him.
Ivanov was both happy and worried.
The good news is that someone as powerful as Punonin would never try to poach the king from his side. After all, two equally powerful people can't coexist peacefully; they both want to be the king.
I'm sticking with the right person, so I'm pretty secure.
What worries him is that having such a hawk-like friend watching him means he will be constantly hampered in his future endeavors.
Wang Xiao was already fixing her appearance in front of the mirror, and casually replied, "If you can't beat them, join them."
Ivanov's eyes widened, revealing an almost childlike fright: "Your Majesty, are we going to give up? Just because of Punonin?"
Ha, he's not convinced, he's jealous, the king actually thinks so highly of Punoning!
Wang Xiao was utterly speechless: "I mean, let him join us."
Ivanov shook his head instinctively: "Impossible, Punonin is an upright man."
Tsk, Wang Xiao didn't like hearing that.
"Are you saying we're not honest? That we're not doing the right thing? Huh?"
Ivanov paused for a moment, then hesitated before asking, "What do you mean?"
“That’s right.” Wang Xiao carefully adjusted the curve of his hair. “Find common ground. Different beliefs don’t mean we can’t enter the same trench and fight side by side for the same goal. We hope the Russian people are doing well, and so does he.”
She finally picked out a suitable hat, put it on, adjusted the angle, and then announced with satisfaction, "Okay, we can set off now."
Ivanov finally realized he had gone off-topic and hurriedly objected: "Hey, Wang, I can bring them over to talk. In fact, they need an opportunity, don't they?"
“No.” Wang Xiao refused without hesitation. “Sincerity, we must show the utmost sincerity. We are comrades, not arrogant employers who try to bribe us. This is our most basic courtesy to true communist scientists.”
Seeing that Ivanov still wanted to say something, she had to remind him, "Don't forget, more than two years have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Scientists who were willing to fully embrace capitalism have long since left. Even if they weren't so proactive or their economic strength didn't allow it, Europe and America have tried to poach several groups of people. Those who have persisted until now are those who are unwilling to work with them."
Science may indeed have no borders, but scientists have their own beliefs.
Ivanov tried to stop her: "Doesn't that just show that we have the advantage and can bring people over?"
"Quite the opposite," Wang Xiao shook his head. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be our turn. China's talent attraction program started in 1992. The fact that they didn't leave means that the program didn't appeal to them either. What we need to tackle is the toughest challenge."
To put it bluntly, the essence of this negotiation was to put Moutai in a vodka bottle.
No one is an empty-headed fool, driven solely by passion. Everyone knows that the true intoxication of this fine wine comes from the mourning for the old empire and the thirst for a new order.
Ivanov groaned, "Your Majesty, you just don't want to stay in the house and rest. Look how pale you are. Um, are you sure you can go out now? Do you want to put on some more makeup?"
He understands women; women always strive for refinement.
Wang Xiao declined: "No, this is the best state for me. I don't need to appear in front of the scientists looking radiant."
Especially scientists whose lives and work are not going well these days.
If they're in good form, they won't have the chance to undermine Russia.
Every time Wang Xiao visits a research facility in Russia, he has the illusion that they are remnants of the old Soviet era, forgotten by social changes.
Just like the Electronics Research Institute in front of her, the traditional Soviet-style gray-white marble building stands quietly, shrouded in the winter fog of Moscow along with the Kremlin, and the murals on the dome still retain the socialist aesthetics of cosmonaut Gagarin and particle collider.
However, the plaster on the walls had peeled off due to aging and water leakage from the heating pipes, revealing the remnants of a Brezhnev-era slogan: "Нaука–двигательпрогресса! (Science is the engine of progress)", which also exposed the predicament of the Soviet Union, which had sheltered it, already collapsing.
Nikitin, the office director whom Ivanov had previously contacted, was quite optimistic.
He first hugged Ivanov, then shook hands with the beautiful Eastern lady, and then, in response to Ivanov's concern, he said with great joy, "It's much better now. At least our water, electricity, and gas are still there. Otherwise, we would definitely be frozen solid here."
Oh, this is really good news for the Russians.
But for capitalists, this isn't exactly a wonderful thing.
Wang Xiao's gaze fell on the corridor they were about to pass through. Amidst the mixed smells of iodine, ink, and old books, a dozen or so researchers in khaki lab coats were queuing up, their target a brick-red, rotary telephone.
She instinctively flinched.
Seriously, anyone who's ever used one of these rotary machines knows how good they are.
She even suspected that the brick-red color was chosen to cover up the fact that the person making the call had swollen their fingers like carrots from fiddling with the dial.
However, her gaze caused Nikitin to misunderstand, and he gave an awkward laugh: "Oh, young people have to survive, scientists are human too."
It was only then that Wang Xiao noticed that the windowsill was piled high with transistor components wrapped in Pravda newspapers.
People live off the land and water; others use cigarettes and vodka as hard currency, but what can microelectronics offer are just transistor components.
“Of course,” Wang Xiao smiled slightly. “Every scientist should live a dignified life.”
Nikitin shook his head, "Since you've seen through me, I won't pretend to be dignified anymore and I'll just go all out."
He sighed deeply, shook his head with a bitter smile: "Dignity? God, anyone can say that, but we can't. It's terrible, everything, everything is terrible. Our dear Mr. Petrov always has to carry his blood pressure medication in his pocket. Last month, we lost five more colleagues. You see, we can't just stop people from living."
This is the benefit of making arrangements in advance. On the surface, you're complaining to them, but in reality, you're providing a safety net.
The Institute of Microelectronics is experiencing a serious problem with the loss of researchers, so please feel free to poach them.
Wang Xiao, however, looked distressed and shook his head repeatedly: "Oh my god, this is such a pity. I'm so sorry we're late. As you know, I ran into a bit of an accident. Otherwise, if we had come earlier, this regret might have been avoided."
Nikitin looked at her sitting in the wheelchair; well, because she was wrapped in a fur coat for warmth, he couldn't see her legs.
But given that she survived such a severe plane crash, it's safe to assume that her injuries were serious.
As it turned out, it became a minor accident when it reached her mouth.
Nikitin sighed inwardly, a rare moment of genuine admiration for the resilience of businessmen, so he said, somewhat insincerely, "Yes, what a pity."
Let's just say he's regretting that Miss Wang didn't manage to recruit those five people.
As the wheelchair was pushed forward and neared the director's office, a heated argument erupted from inside: "No! Sir, you can't do this! You're pushing the entire institute to its doom!"
Nikijin gave the guests a wry smile, shook his head, and said nothing more.
Suddenly, a loud phone call rang out in the office.
Nikitin silently counted to three in his mind before running almost at a brisk pace to the office door and knocking: "Sir, Mr. Ivanov and Miss Wang have arrived."
Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao, having followed the boss around for so long, have at least developed a keen eye for things.
See, no wonder he's the office director, the kind of person who's like the chief eunuch in ancient times—he knows how to handle people.
Even though you've clearly witnessed your boss's anger, you deliberately don't show it, and instead act as if you're doing something that will help your boss change their mood.
Tsk, from now on, if anyone says that Russians are all looks and no brains, they'll definitely slap them in the face!
As a result, the chief steward also got the short end of the stick. The director in the office coldly refused, saying, "Please ask them to go to the reception room. I have other things to do."
Nikitin inwardly groaned; why was he always being made to do things that offended people?
He tried to persuade his superior: "Sir, they have come from afar, and Miss Wang is in a wheelchair."
Good manners, the kind of good manners a Russian man should have.
How can you, a man who has lived a respectable life, turn a lady away?
However, the director was probably really angry, and his voice remained cold: "Apologize for me, just say I'm not available, treat them to Georgian tea, and um, bring out all my chocolates to serve the guests."
Given the current dire financial situation of the Institute of Microelectronics, offering chocolates to guests is truly a privilege reserved for distinguished guests.
But is that the point? The point is that you were rude, leaving your guest outside and putting me in an awkward situation.
The unfortunate Director Nikitin could only manage an awkward laugh, dryly making excuses for his superior: "I'm sorry, madam and sir, Mr. Petrov, well, he's probably not feeling well and needs to be alone for a while. Yes, that's right, he's a very refined scholar, and he doesn't want to appear in front of a beautiful lady in such an embarrassing way. Please understand."
Ivanov was quite understanding: "Of course, scientists always prefer to be alone. How about we have some tea first, and maybe Mr. Petrov will be willing to see us later?"
The others quickly helped lift Wang Xiao's wheelchair to change its direction.
Turning his head, Wang Xiao abruptly asked Nikitin, "Excuse me, has Mr. Petrov ever experienced something like this before? I mean, how long would it take?"
“Of course not,” Nikitin defended his superior once again. “He has always been a gentleman of impeccable manners…”
Wang Xiao's expression changed instantly: "Quick, break down the door and stop him!"
Nikolai had already rushed to the office door like a nimble leopard and kicked the door open.
God, thank goodness the Institute of Microelectronics was in dire financial straits, even the director's office door was in disrepair, otherwise, if he had been a second later in kicking the door open, he wouldn't have been able to kick away Mr. Petrov's gun pointed at his temple.
As Nikitin rushed to the door, the pistol fell right in front of him, making a metallic clanging sound as it hit the dilapidated floor.
The poor office manager's eyes widened, and he was instantly terrified.
Before his vision cleared, his voice rang out first: "What are you going to do? Sir, what exactly are you going to do?"
Look, what's written on this piece of paper quietly under the ashtray on the table? Is it a suicide note?
"Sir!" Nikitin's voice trembled with tears. "My sir, how could you do such a thing?"
Petrov was being held down by Nikolai and Xiao Gao on either side, but his face didn't turn red; instead, it was even paler than the Moscow winter smog outside the window.
When the pistol was kicked down, it knocked over a metal box on the shelf. The box lid was printed with: "BESM-6 Project Team, 1983".
His fingertips lightly touched the faded group photo in the metal box, and the smell of vodka mixed with solder paste suddenly rushed into his nostrils.
In the photo, I see myself looking so young, with such bright eyes.
The younger version of himself is holding up the КР580ВМ80А chip and grinning foolishly at the camera.
Behind him was a brightly lit cleanroom, where his colleagues, dressed in white lab coats like him, raised their glasses high for the camera, their smiles brighter than the lights.
That was the night they celebrated their successful reverse engineering of the Intel 8080 processor.
"Comrade Leonid said that this chip will allow our missiles to fly 1,000 kilometers further than the Americans'!"
The cheers I remembered overlapped with the deathly silence of the corridor before me.
He really wanted to get completely drunk.
He clearly remembered that when the test was successful, the Military Industry Commission specially approved three truckloads of black caviar and Georgian wine.
Three whole truckloads! Black caviar and premium Georgian wine, meant to be exported to earn foreign exchange!
At this moment, all that lay scattered at his feet were empty bottles, not even vodka, but cheap liquor made from moldy rye bread.
It's only right, all of this is only right.
Back then, they created the КР580 chip.
Now, all that's on his desk are disassembled Texas Instruments chips. And even those were bought at a high price on the black market.
He gasped for breath, letting out a mournful cry that was almost a scream: "What can I do, Nikitin? I can't do anything. I can't face you, face the institute, those robbers, they've transferred all the money."
By the end, his voice had cracked.
But Nikitin's voice was louder, filled with shock and anger: "Who? Who stole our money? The money you finally got back!"
For a little bit of funding, how many departments did he accompany the director to, and how many cold looks and perfunctory treatment did he endure?
Now, they're trying to steal the money!
"Water, electricity, gas." Petrov gasped for breath, like a fish forcibly thrown ashore by the tide of the times, unable to survive no matter how hard he struggled. "All of it, all of it was confiscated, my wages, three months' wages, not a single ruble."
Nikitin didn't know how to comfort his superior, so he could only futilely repeat, "It will be alright, sir, everything will be alright."
“There will be milk, there will be bread,” Petrov said, a look that was both a laugh and a cry. “Then everything will be gone. Get better? How will it get better?”
He suddenly pointed at Wang Xiao and Ivanov, "Are you going to let people like them completely dismantle the research institute and devour it piece by piece?"
The customer who was ordered was completely taken aback. It was truly a case of being at home when disaster struck out of nowhere.
They haven't spoken a single word to anyone yet, and they haven't done anything.
The basin was dumped on their heads first.
Wang Xiao took a deep breath, directed her bodyguards to push her forward, bent down to pick up the metal box, her fingertips tracing the "БЭСМ-6" engraving, and suddenly recited aloud in Russian: "ЭВМнетолькомашина, этобудущеечеловечества."
This is a famous quote from Lebedev, the father of the Soviet computer: "Computers are not just machines; they are the future of mankind."
Petrov looked up abruptly, repeating the same words he uttered at his victory celebration in 1983.
Wang Xiao quickly adjusted the lines and contours of his facial muscles and looked at him seriously: "No, sir, you are wrong. We are not here to dismantle the research institute. On the contrary, we are here to help you preserve and promote the entire Microelectronics Research Institute."
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The director's suicide was inspired by Vladimir Nechai, the director of the Chelyabinsk-70 nuclear laboratory in Russia.
In 1996, Vladimir Nechai was found dead in his office, suspected to be a suicide. His colleagues said the 61-year-old theoretical physicist had led the Chelyabinsk-70 laboratory for ten years, and was under immense pressure due to the Russian atomic bomb research institute's increasingly serious financial problems. A deputy director, Vladislav Nikitin, told Interfax news agency that Nechai left a note, which was taken by the police.
Chelyabinsk-70 laboratory is one of Russia's two major nuclear weapons laboratories. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the laboratory faced numerous problems, including funding shortages. Employee salaries were long overdue, some of the laboratory's accounts were frozen, and government funding was insufficient to solve the problems. Under these dire circumstances, Vladimir Nechay chose to end his life.
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