Chapter 255 Let's muddy the waters: None of them are good people
Unfortunately, Wang Xiao was destined to be disappointed.
The backup plan of Chinese businessmen, represented by Lao Li, was so simple it was almost comical.
What is their trump card? It's instigating a strike by container handlers in the container market.
Wang Xiao was able to speak confidently to Romanian officials because the existence of the container market not only maintained relative price stability during Romania's economic transition but also created numerous jobs for Romanians.
There are thousands of porters in the entire market alone.
If they start a strike, the entire market will indeed be paralyzed.
From this perspective, Wang Xiao really shouldn't have said that the traitors were just putting on a show.
Their approach is correct; even the best market needs to be created by people.
But they overlooked an important point, which is a phrase capitalists often use: "If you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will."
They forgot that they possess no irreplaceable qualities.
When Chinese businesses vacate their properties, new tenants immediately take over, and the market's business is not affected in any way.
Even if porters go on strike, someone can fill in.
The porters in Bucharest feel their wages are low, but their income level is actually high compared to the local average, enough to make the forest workers in the Carpathian Mountains drool with envy.
The porters at the market said they were going on strike, so Ruan Xiaomei brought in forestry workers to do the work.
Oh, don't ask why they arrived so quickly.
The answer is that General Manager Ruan was naturally wary of them. Before they even revealed their trump card, General Manager Ruan had already made preparations. Under the pretext of inviting the workers to the capital for tourism, leisure, and shopping in turn, he directly brought them to Bucharest.
It's okay if they didn't think of this; consider it a benefit for the forestry workers.
The market porters were clearly less confident than the Chinese businessmen. As soon as the forestry workers joined the work, they immediately switched sides, swearing that they would never dare to be instigated by such villains again.
Therefore, Ruan Xiaomei treated them much more leniently. She simply removed them from their positions as leaders and demoted them to ordinary porters. She then arranged for a different manager and fined all the porters a month's bonus.
Although the porters were unhappy, they had nothing to say compared to the Chinese businessmen who were simply kicked out. They were also afraid that their jobs would be replaced by the lumberjacks, so they could only follow along and behave themselves.
Not only did Wang Xiao find it utterly boring, but even the two bodyguards, Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao, couldn't bear to watch.
No wonder the boss said that with the arrival of the new businessmen from the 1992 generation, the individual business owners from the 1980 generation who made a name for themselves by being bold and lucky will soon be eliminated.
With their limited skills, what makes them think they can compete with others?
No wonder the boss complained that the press releases he was holding lacked any sensational elements to grab attention.
But this was just Wang Xiao's own feeling.
In fact, the press release from the container market did attract considerable attention from the Romanian public.
As clearly stated in the news, the container market received a report that many shops within the market had been sublet multiple times, which severely increased the operating burden on the actual operators and forced them to raise commodity prices, thus harming the interests of customers.
Therefore, after launching an internal investigation, the market terminated the contracts with these "sub-landlords" and the actual operators leased the properties directly.
From now on, such subletting will not be allowed in the market.
This is related to price changes in the Bucharest market, and the newly leased stall owners are even offering discounts to celebrate. How can the people who rely on the market for their livelihood not care?
As for how the businessmen who terminated their leases will cry, that's not something anyone cares about.
After all, when they were making big money and living a carefree life, they didn't share any of the profits with them.
The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Michael, had been waiting all day, only to receive this result, leaving him utterly disappointed: "These idiots, China is finished. So many men, and they can't even take down a woman. Eunuchs, um, they're like the eunuchs in 'The Last Emperor,' castrated men."
"Shut up!" Minister of Culture Popescu snapped. "Aren't you having enough trouble already? Newspapers, television, all the news is relentlessly pursuing the welfare home. This is the real problem!"
Michael dismissed it completely: "I'm telling you, you guys are just too indecisive. Since those reporters have been eyeing the orphanage for so long, why don't you just get rid of that idiot director sooner? Embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds, fine, dereliction of duty is fine too, just dismiss him first, and that'll be the end of it, right?"
Popescu said impatiently, "We don't need you to tell us what to do. The important thing is to find that damn prop master first. Who is plotting against us?"
Michael then took out the white powder, opened it with trembling hands, and mumbled, "I said it was that Chinese woman. You were fooled by her, actually believing there was some mastermind behind it all. Ha!"
He took a deep breath, and after a long while, his dazed eyes gradually became able to make out human figures. "Making a mystery out of nothing, aha, this is what the Chinese are best at."
Popescu disagreed: "No, this is not good for her; it does not serve the interests of a businessman."
"How do you know?" Michael exhaled slowly, appearing somewhat clear-headed. "Perhaps she's in Tuda?"
Popescu grew increasingly impatient: "Props maker, get the props maker here right now! Are all of you in the Internal Affairs Department useless? You can't even handle this little thing!"
“Sir,” Michael’s expression darkened, “please understand, it is we who are sending money to your Ministry of Culture.”
Popescu disagreed: "It's all for Romania, not for me personally, or for the Ministry of Culture. God, when will these damned journalists ever stop? There are so many terrible things happening in the world, none of them are worse than our welfare home. Why do they keep harping on this endlessly?"
Michael took out the white powder again, but Popescu slapped it away, saying, "That's enough! You're crazy! Don't you want to die?"
Michael's desires had just been satisfied, so he didn't insist. He simply raised his hand and revealed a mocking, lazy smile: "Probably because people always pick on the weak. We Romania are just too weak and incompetent, so anyone can step on us."
Popescu's chest heaved as he stretched out his hand, as if in a fierce gesture: "For a strong Romania, for a great Romania."
Michael didn't look at him, but reached out and shook his hand.
They are allies.
The secretary knocked on the office door: "Minister, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have some news that I think you might want to see now."
As he spoke, he handed a labeled newspaper to Popescu.
The news headline was quite sensational: Shocking scandal: Orphanage becomes hell on earth.
Popescu saw this and was immediately displeased: "What, my dear secretary, don't you think we've had enough trouble already?"
“No, no, no, sir,” the secretary hurriedly explained, “It’s not St. Mary’s Welfare Home, but the North Wales orphanages in the UK. From 1974 to the present, serious cases of sexual assault and child abuse have occurred in several children’s homes in North Wales, including Bryn Esting Children’s Home in Wrexham!”
He was so delighted that his eyes sparkled.
Good heavens, the British have a much bigger problem than they do.
Popescu, realizing what was happening, excitedly grabbed the newspaper: "Is this news reliable? This news..."
My God, He really has saved Romania.
Michael chuckled lazily beside him: "That's really good. After all, compared to Britain, what is Romania? Hardly anyone pays any attention to it."
Popescu was displeased, but too lazy to argue with him, he just stared at the newspaper and asked, "Where did the newspaper get the information? An anonymous submission? God, that won't do, it's not convincing."
The secretary quickly explained, "It's said to be information leaked from the Soviet Union, KGB files."
That's somewhat convincing. Anyone who's seen the 007 series knows that the main villains are basically the Soviet Union.
It's perfectly normal for the KGB to be keeping an eye on Britain.
Given their capabilities, it's only natural that they would uncover something.
Ha, I wonder how many deals they made with the British using this.
The secretary continued to emphasize the key points: "As early as 1978, there were complaints of abuse from victimized children, and in the early 1980s, there were also four related reports, but the local government has been trying its best to cover it up."
He almost burst out laughing as he spoke, “Why doesn’t The Guardian report this? Is it blind to what’s right under their noses? They can’t even see the ugly things happening right in front of them.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized his mistake and quickly lowered his head to change the subject, "Mr. Minister, are we preparing to hold a press conference?"
Popescu was overjoyed and didn't even mind his secretary's loose tongue. He laughed and nodded, "Yes! We really should hold a press conference to properly address the public's concerns."
“Hmm—” He raised his eyebrows, raised his hands, and imitated the image of a character in a movie, “Why would a Guardian reporter have such unfounded fantasies about St. Mary’s Home? Because such a reality has been playing out in welfare homes in Britain all along.”
“Yes.” He displayed public relations acumen, acknowledging some of the problems. “We need to be sincere. Our welfare home does indeed have serious problems, as the reporters have captured on film: insufficient staff and a lack of supplies. Therefore, we need more international aid to help us emerge from the shadow of socialism. Very well, that’s the report to His Excellency the President and the Prime Minister. We need to hold a press conference now.”
God, how much he has suffered since that damn movie premiere.
Those foolish politicians just yell at him and demand that he solve their problems.
It's as if he doesn't know how crucial this moment is, and that they're in a hurry to join NATO.
He patted the newspaper hard: "What a lovely bunch of little guys."
The secretary quietly withdrew.
Anyway, the office wastebaskets are emptied promptly, so it doesn't matter even though the minister was tearing up newspapers and cursing every day a few days ago.
Michael slumped on the sofa, looking completely boneless, and chuckled lazily: "It seems our Miss Wang is quite capable. She can easily get her hands on KGB files and get so many media outlets to work for her."
Minister Popescu scoffed: "KGB files, God, don't act like you don't know them. You can buy them if you have the money. As for the media, they're just a bunch of bloodsucking flies; they chase after whatever's trending."
However, after thinking about it, he still called Wang Xiao before attending the press conference.
"Miss Wang, a leaf hidden in the forest is like a drop of water merging into the sea."
Wang Xiao cursed inwardly, "You're filthy, you're perverted. Don't assume the whole world is as dirty and perverted as you."
On the surface, her voice sounded genuinely surprised as she spoke into the phone, "What are you talking about, Mr. Minister?"
Popescu was filled with surprise and delight: "Is there anything else? My God, Miss Wang, just how many British scandals do you know?"
Wang Xiao vehemently denied it: "What scandal?"
She seemed to ask someone nearby before her voice returned to the receiver, "Oh, you misunderstand, sir. I'm not familiar with European newspapers. Besides, I know nothing about the North Wales orphanage. My God, is it true? Is it really that terrible? They don't even need to find a remote island, they're just setting up an orphanage right here in England?"
"My God!" she exclaimed repeatedly, "The movie actually came true! Dead Island is actually a British orphanage!"
Popescu barely had time to press her for answers, because he felt that her words had given him a great inspiration.
Yes, he said that at the press conference, admitting that the conditions in Romanian welfare homes were poor and similar to the first half of the movie.
But the child suffered abroad.
Romania has already strengthened its supervision and restrictions on this matter, prioritizing the interests of children above all else.
Foreign crimes should be combated by foreign governments.
He hung up the phone, and Michael sneered: "What? Our Miss Wang doesn't want to offend the British. Look how cautious she is, she won't even admit it on the phone."
Popescu waved his hand impatiently: "That's not the point. The point is that she's a smart person, isn't it? Working with a smart person is always more pleasant than dealing with a bunch of idiots, isn't it?"
Michael's face instantly darkened as he thought of that group of foolish and greedy Chinese merchants.
They messed everything up, yet they still dared to come back to him.
He will definitely investigate them thoroughly and carefully.
So what if I have a legal identity? No business can withstand being investigated.
Even if they stopped doing business, they never took in undocumented immigrants.
Popescu warned him, "Don't push people too far. There's an old Chinese saying, 'Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.'"
"Rabbits?" Michael laughed as if he had heard an incredible joke, rolling around on the sofa with tears in his eyes. "They're not innocent rabbits. Don't worry, the more they get beaten, the more obedient they'll become, and they'll only blame that Chinese woman, thinking she's the one who caused them so much trouble. Hahahaha."
Popescu said sullenly, "Just don't go too far. By the way, when does the train leave?"
“The usual.” Michael finally stopped laughing strangely. “Don’t worry, 30% will go into the Ministry of Culture’s account. After all, Romanian civilization needs to be promoted.”
The Minister of Culture pursed his lips: "Then I wish us all the best. Great Romania needs pure and excellent bloodlines."
And those useless burdens who shouldn't have been alive should repay the country for all the support they've received over the years.
He threw the newspaper away in disgust.
It had photos of orphans from the St. Mary's Welfare Home printed on it.
What disgusting and stupid faces, nauseating like maggots. Great Romania has no need for such cumbersome things.
Wang Xiao put down his newspaper, stretched his neck, and announced, "Let's go."
She's been in Romania long enough. Now that the shops in Beijing's electronics market have been sold, the container market crisis in Bucharest has been resolved, and "Escape from Death Island"—well, okay, Hungary has been released—what else can she do? Let them do whatever they want.
Public opinion can be guided. Now that Romania is broadcasting it again, viewers will only associate Deadly Island with Britain, which is good.
That's right. Although the character of the Minister of Culture and the Deputy Minister of the Interior is unknown, they can't be complete idiots, as they can hold ministerial positions in a country with 20 million people.
At the very least, they were right about one thing: the scandal involving the North Wales orphanage was indeed obtained by Wang Xiao and leaked through various channels.
It wasn't Wang Xiao's transmigrator identity that helped him obtain this weapon for a counterattack.
In fact, she drew inspiration for Dead Island from Lolita Island. How could she know the current situation of British orphanages?
She chose to uncover the truth from this angle simply because of a very simple logic.
That means when a country needs to import a certain type of labor or goods, it's basically because its domestic production is insufficient.
The countries that have adopted the most orphans from Romania and other Eastern European countries are the United States, Canada, and Western Europe.
Given that the influence of "The Great Swordsman" is mainly concentrated in Europe and the former CIS countries, she narrowed down the scope of her search and started looking into Western European countries.
Soon after this, insider information came back.
Don't be surprised.
Many of these events are shocking scandals to the public.
But within certain circles, they are an open secret.
For example, the scandals surrounding North Wales orphanages have been reported by the government. In fact, the government has received numerous reports of such misconduct, and some caregivers at the orphanages were even dismissed in the 1980s for reporting crimes.
Inaction by officials is far more serious in capitalist countries than one might imagine.
Besides the orphanage in North Wales, there was also the Garena Welfare Home in Jersey, which closed in 1986, but according to the information Wang Xiao saw, what happened there was even more cruel and terrible.
By the way, the UK isn't the only Western European country with this phenomenon; Ireland has the same problem.
Because of the tight schedule, she has only been able to collect this much information so far.
But she believes that if she continues to dig deeper, what she can uncover will not be much whiter than what was found on Lolita Island.
If you can't suppress it anymore, then don't suppress it. Just drag more people down with you.
It's like when a scumbag in the entertainment industry is exposed, everyone collectively exclaims, "Wow! Is that even possible?" But when one after another, with a lot of such incidents exposed in a short period of time, the audience can't even keep up with the criticism, and it becomes less noticeable.
Moreover, given Romania's current international standing and social image, the international attention it receives from scandals is comparable to that of the UK, even if ten of them were combined.
Let them all be destroyed. They're all bad news. Let's make a huge scene, turn the world upside down, and expose the truth to the fullest extent of public opinion.
Anyway, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Britain is in the lead, so Romania's embarrassment is limited.
This is what is meant by a leaf hiding in the forest.
She waited for the person behind the scenes to make another move.
If you build a stage for someone and they still can't sing, then they're just a pretty face with no substance.
If he (or she) can perform the opera, then she really looks forward to what he (or she) will sing.
Lyuba asked her boss, "Should we continue releasing the rest of the news?"
This job also utilized her connections.
Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, let's stretch it out and see their reaction."
She was also flexing her muscles for the minister, emphasizing that she hadn't actually laid a hand on them before.
But that's not a reason for him to boss her around.
The fact that she doesn't do it simply means she's not interested, not that she can't.
She tolerated the last incident at the container market because you were the hosts.
But if you don't know what's good for you and actually think she's easy to bully, then don't blame her for digging up your past.
How many government officials during this transition period are truly clean?
Wang Xiao silently defended himself in his heart: "Plot master, this isn't about politics, it's about the light of righteousness. I should be rewarded!"
I wonder if it's because she's too shameless that she angered God.
The group boarded the plane and flew for about an hour. Wang Xiao had just finished reading the latest issue of The Guardian. Unfortunately, probably because established newspapers are more cautious, it did not publish the scandal of the Welsh orphanage immediately.
The flight attendant pushed the food cart over to serve them in-flight meals. Just as she was about to hand them to her small table, her hand suddenly trembled.
Let alone Wang Xiao, even the flight attendants' first reaction was to apologize: "Excuse me, ma'am..."
Before she could finish her apology, she was already floating away.
It really was like in a science fiction movie; the flight attendant was floating in the air, her head even touching the ceiling of the plane.
"What's going on? What happened?" Wang Xiao also felt her body floating upwards. If she hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, she would have definitely crashed into the ceiling.
The flight attendant was completely unable to answer her questions, and the entire cabin was in complete chaos.
The plane was falling rapidly, crashing heavily into the sea like a 10-meter high dive.
Wang Xiao's mind went blank. She had flown so many times and even owned her own air cargo company. She never imagined she would be involved in a plane crash.
But soon, her mind went blank.
Because she was wearing a seatbelt, it couldn't stop other people who weren't wearing seatbelts from flying up and then watching helplessly as the meteorite-like figures crashed heavily onto her.
In that instant, Wang Xiao felt so much pain that his soul seemed to leave his body.
No matter how many bodyguards she had, they couldn't save her. In the midst of the plane's sudden ascent and descent, almost no one could control their own body.
Worse still, after being hit once, Wang Xiao not only failed to receive the protection of a human cushion, but also lost her seatbelt as the plane plummeted again.
In the time that followed, she became a punching bag in the underground boxing ring, tossed around like a sandbag.
As she fell, her head hit the seat; as she flew up, she hit the plane's ceiling, smashing the light bulb and its socket; then she landed in the aisle and couldn't get up at all.
Finally, it was Liu Ba, Xiao Gao, and Xiao Zhao, all with blood on their faces, who managed to lift her back to her seat.
As it turns out, it's quite necessary for the boss to be generous.
If she travels in first class by herself, with only one bodyguard at most, and makes everyone else travel in economy class, then no one can control her now.
She struggled to open her eyes. The lights on the ceiling of the workbench flickered like will-o'-the-wisps. This inexplicably reminded her of the ghostly passage created by lasers on the stage of the orphanage's auditorium.
Suddenly, the intercom blared, broadcasting the captain's urgent announcement: "The plane has encountered severe turbulence... We are currently making preparations for an emergency landing... The crew is not certain whether we can land safely, please prepare for self-rescue."
At this moment, the television in front of the seats turned on. The picture was flickering wildly, but it still stubbornly persisted in explaining emergency procedures to everyone, including how to put on a life jacket and use oxygen.
In the darkness, Wang Xiao heard a sigh from behind her: "God, we Romanians shouldn't fly, especially not to Moscow."
This is a meme; a high-ranking Romanian official died in a plane crash while traveling to Moscow for a meeting in the 1950s.
He could have survived, because the people sitting in the back were fine.
But as the plane was landing, he wanted to see how the Soviet pilots operated it. As a result, the tail of the plane hit a tree, the plane broke in two, and the nose hit a rock. He and the pilot both perished.
At any other time, Wang Xiao would always smile.
Indeed, she really likes Romania, especially its optimistic and humorous spirit, which allows them to joke around anytime.
But now, she can't smile.
Even when the flight attendant reminded everyone to write their wills, she held the pen and paper, her mind went blank, and she didn't know what to write.
Grandma, at least when the last earthquake happened, she had Ivanov by her side to give her final instructions.
This time, we're completely in the dark and can't rely on anything.
If she had known she would be involved in a plane crash, she would have preferred to take the train.
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The cases mentioned in the article are all real. If you are interested, you can search for them yourself. I will not post the information here, as it may be locked.
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