Moscow, in the magnificent banquet hall of the Kremlin.
Yeltsin is personally hosting an investment delegation from the United States. This visit was facilitated by the Kremlin, mainly to attract foreign investment in order to coordinate with the new phase of economic reform plan that Yeltsin is brewing.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Russian economy experienced five consecutive years of collapse and decline. This year finally showed signs of easing. Even though Russia's GDP data in 1996 is expected to still fall slightly, it will not collapse like in previous years.
This is a good sign.
The presidential election of the past six months made Yeltsin fully aware of the harsh political environment in which he and his family were living. Therefore, whether active or forced, Yeltsin hopes to make as much difference as possible during his second term, so as to minimize the possibility of his family being liquidated in the future.
Restoring the Russian economy is undoubtedly the most urgent matter.
"Yes, Boris, I am very optimistic about the future of the Russian economy. As for the past few years, I am sorry to say, but I have to say that this has nothing to do with you. It is just an inevitable pain of national system reform. Now that it has arrived After reaching the bottom, Russia’s economy will definitely continue to grow.”
In the banquet hall, George Soros, who came to Russia in person, chatted with Yeltsin.
Yeltsin held a glass of whiskey in his hand. Even though the doctor repeatedly warned him, he couldn't help but drink some wine. His face was red, but he was not drunk at all: "I'm glad to hear such comments from you, George. But, you know, Russia needs it most now. What we need is financial help. We are planning to issue a US$1 billion treasury bond to the international market. I wonder if Quantum Fund is interested?"
George Soros nodded without any hesitation: "I have heard the news, Boris, this is Russia's first national debt issuance since it left the Soviet Union. It is of great significance for Russia to further move towards a market economy. I have read relevant information, Russia has shown great sincerity in terms of interest rates and repayment models, so I can agree now and Quantum Fund will purchase a share of US$100 million."
In the past few years after its disintegration, Russia, which has directly opened its door to the world, has seen an influx of tens of billions of dollars in overseas capital, including loans and assistance from the World Bank or Western countries, as well as direct investment from overseas companies, etc. However, to This is the first time that government bonds have been issued in the international market.
This symbolizes the further opening up of the Russian economy.
In this way, it is indeed of great significance.
In fact, US$1 billion is far from meeting the financial needs of the Russian government, which is financially tight. It is mainly a test.
As the main financial backer behind Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin, and indeed optimistic about Russia's economic direction in the next few years, George Soros decisively chose to subscribe. After continuously shining in the operations of sniping the British pound and harvesting Mexican pesos, the scale of Quantum Fund has expanded rapidly. The current nature of the fund is no longer limited to the hedging field, and is gradually moving towards a comprehensive investment fund.
The two chatted for a while about the details of the national debt subscription, and Soros suddenly asked about another thing: "Boris, before I came here, I heard that Simon might also come, but he didn't seem to show up?"
Yeltsin's eyes flickered slightly, but soon turned relaxed, and shrugged: "Probably, Simon prefers to stay with young girls than us old men."
"Oh, that's such a shame."
"Well, George, have a good time tonight and I'll go say hi to the others."
"You too, Boris, please help yourself."
Watching Yeltsin walk away, Soros suddenly became distracted.
With the contacts he had, he knew that Simon was in Ukraine at this time.
There is a group of private mercenaries of the Westeros family there. Soros is not surprised that they attach such great importance to them. In fact, if he thought about it, if he were in that young man's position, he would not be able to bear to build a private army to ensure his own safety. Feeling, after all, a wealth of more than one trillion US dollars is really shocking.
What Soros doesn't understand is Simon's lack of interest in Russia.
Soros just talked with Mikhail Friedman, the spokesman for the Westeros system in Russia, and invited him to participate in the privatization project of Russia Telecom Investment Joint Stock Company with Potanin. After all, the amount of money involved in this privatization Reaching the US$2 billion level, the Quantum Fund and its family simply cannot afford it. Moreover, Viper Communications, a subsidiary of the Alpha Group that Friedman is responsible for, has developed very well in Russia, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries in recent years. Coupled with the Westeros system as a big backer, it is undoubtedly the most powerful company. Good partners.
Unexpectedly, Friedman declined without even thinking about it.
This situation is obviously the result of the instruction of a certain young man.
In addition, Cersei Capital also sent people to this investment inspection team from the United States. However, compared to him, the head of Quantum Fund, who came in person, Cersei Capital only sent a vice president from its Apollo Management Company. , who knows how many vice presidents there are under the Wall Street financial giants, this standard is really too low.
Soros is a very determined person. However, facing the young man who had created too many miracles, it was difficult for the financial giant to maintain absolute confidence. Thinking about the meeting some time ago, the two had obvious differences on the issue of Russia. Westeros He believes that Russia will once again become a strategic rival of the United States, and he firmly believes that it can completely control this country through economic penetration.
Could it be that my judgment this time was wrong
With this in mind, Soros once again looked at Yeltsin who had walked away. Instead of greeting other guests, he was explaining something to a short Kremlin staff member with thinning hair in the corner of the hall. When Soros looked over , the two just ended their conversation, and the stern-looking middle-aged man happened to notice him looking over, nodded politely to him, not seeing anything special, and then turned and walked towards the door of the banquet hall.
Yeltsin turned his back to Soros, but did not notice this detail. After giving instructions to the deputy director of the Presidential Affairs Bureau, who had become more and more comfortable recently, and watching the other person hurriedly running to do things, an idea suddenly occurred to him. Perhaps, next month, after the second term inauguration on August 3, the position can be adjusted for the other party.
Yeltsin did send out the invitation to Simon Westeros yesterday in a somewhat tentative mood.
However, it was not that pure. Even Yeltsin himself could not describe the specific feelings. He did not even know what kind of results he expected. What if the other party goes to the appointment today, what if he doesn't go to the appointment, or what should we talk about if we meet
Yeltsin himself knew that he was a thoughtful and suspicious person and could never have too much trust in anyone.
Ultimately, the implications of that matter were too great.
Even though he was greedy for power deep down in his heart, Yeltsin did not want to be labeled as a 'traitor' in the future.
Over the years, Yeltsin has been repeatedly emphasizing that everything he does is for this country.
Let’s talk about the middle-aged man who just left. Through observation during this period and repeated review of his past file experience, Yeltsin can be sure that the subordinate recommended by Simon Westero is indeed very capable. In this case, the opponent should be placed in a position that can better utilize his abilities as soon as possible.
After all, in the Kremlin today, there are very few people who are truly capable and loyal to him, and there are only too many careerists like Berezovsky who can't wait to cash in on their rewards for supporting his re-election.
Ukraine, Rivne Oblast.
In the afternoon, Simon dealt with some matters at the shooting range of the military theme park. In the evening, Simon dined with Leon Kuchma's son-in-law and confidant Viktor Pinchuk who came from Kiev, so of course it was impossible to know about Yeltsin's meeting at the Kremlin banquet. And the mentality of people like Soros.
As for the decision Yeltsin made quietly at the banquet, it happened to be in line with Simon's judgment yesterday.
In any case, if Simon showed up at the Kremlin tonight, the wary and suspicious Yeltsin would inevitably continue to hesitate for a while rather than decide to adjust someone's position after the inauguration early next month.
Victor Pinchuk came here for nothing special, just to communicate feelings.
The two parties are allies after all.
Compared with other Ukrainian oligarchs in history who ended up in a mess, Victor Pinchuk, who successfully immigrated to the UK and became a famous philanthropist after Kuchma was ousted, is undoubtedly the one with the best ending. Simon also likes and succeeds more who cooperate.
So the host and guest enjoyed the dinner.
After finishing this social gathering at around eight o'clock, Simon left the city and returned to the hot spring manor. It was about half past nine.
They returned late the previous two days, and today they returned early. The girls, who had not expected this, were enjoying their free time. After hearing the announcement, Eve came out to greet her, but Simon did not enter the villa directly, but chose to walk around the manor casually. Walk.
The architectural style of the hot spring manor is completely different from the open and flat lawn-style manor in the West. Instead, it is more like an oriental garden. There are all kinds of flowers and trees, corridors, flowing water, and wooden bridges. Although there are no rockeries, the terrain is not flat. The main and secondary villas Several other buildings appear scattered in the spacious manor.
Chatting casually with Eve who was following him, Simon came to a brightly lit villa on the east side of the manor. Simon knew that this was not the annex where the maids lived. He glanced at Eve, and the girl immediately said: "This is the girl. Where we have classes.”
Simon continued to walk over and said with a smile: "Is there anyone still in class now?"
"It's Anna," Eve obviously knew. After saying this, she realized that Simon might not know which Anna it was, and added: "Anna Belkoska."
As he spoke, he turned around the stone corridor and came to the front of the villa.
Simon entered the door, walked through the living room, turned to the corridor on the left, and came to the door of a room decorated as a classroom. Under the bright white light, there were only two people sitting side by side in the room. One was young and slender, with a ponytail, and the other The figure was wearing a black Weijia maid professional suit. Her blond hair was pulled up, revealing a slender white neck. Although part of her figure was blocked by the desk in the back row, looking at it this way, the woman's back still showed a very capable look. The gracefulness that stirs up a man's heartstrings is like a ripe fruit that one can't help but take a bite of.
When Eve saw her boss standing at the door and not going in, she also stopped.
However, immediately noticing where the man was looking, Eve suddenly showed a little helplessness with a bit of resentment in her expression.
Even, a little regretful.
She should have sent the woman sitting next to Anna away. Eve is not stupid. This woman still stays here at night. Although she often made up for Anna's lessons in the past, she still doesn't understand at this time. This woman always stays here on weekdays. The woman who was more enthusiastic than other teachers and even took the initiative to befriend her in private must have had some thoughts for a long time.
Simon looked at it quietly for a moment. He didn't know whether it was a woman's instinct or something else. The woman next to Anna Belkoska noticed something strange first and turned her head to look over. The bright light that was well concealed flashed through her eyes, and she quickly took a picture. Shoot girl Anna and stand up together.
It also showed a bit of appropriate embarrassment.
Simon was also able to see the woman's appearance.
She still has the face of a typical Slavic woman, but because of her age, she has a kind of maturity that the manor girl and even Eve next to her don't have. Moreover, compared to the weak-tempered Natalya Banshikova, this woman also has a... With an elegant and refined bookish air.
Moreover, the woman's waist was very slender under the slim-fitting professional suit, but her chest was stretched so hard that it couldn't be buttoned up, and even the white shirt underneath was stretched too tight.
After looking at her for a few times without concealing it, Simon turned to the girl next to the woman.
Suddenly, I had a sense of sight like Chinese cabbage vs. scallions.
The rank difference is obvious.
Seeing Simon looking at her, Anna did not pretend to be shy and silent like a woman, and greeted politely: "Good evening, Simon."
Simon nodded, walked into the room, and came to the table and chairs where Anna and Anna were just now. He leaned on a table next to him, picked up a book on the table in front of him and slowly flipped through it, smiling: "Mathematics?"
Anna nodded: "Yes."
Simon took a look at the plain little girl: "Speaking of which, I discussed a problem with Marta yesterday. Anna, do you know why you want to learn mathematics?"
Anna hesitated slightly, and then quickly said: "Simon, I think I can study abroad in the future, go to, um... the United States."
"Very good," Simon nodded, then shook his head: "But that's not what I'm asking. In addition to preparing for studying abroad in the future, what use do you think learning mathematics will have for you?"
Anna was a little confused this time.
In the hot spring manor, Anna Belkoska is relatively young, only 14 years old this year. The reason why she is able to make such progress is mainly due to her relatively rough background. The hardships of life always make people more precocious. Therefore, compared to other girls who are gradually addicted to the luxurious life in the manor, Anna instinctively feels that she should not be so wasted.
However, a girl’s understanding of learning is limited to taking exams, and then she can find a good job and live a good life in the future. This is somewhat similar to the life logic of the sheep-herding boy: work hard to herd sheep, save money to marry a wife, have children, and let the children continue to herd sheep.
As for deeper aspects, such as why Simon asked why he should study mathematics, the girl had not considered it.
Seeing that the girl didn't know how to answer for a while, Simon did not ask further questions, but said directly: "In addition to pursuing the results on the test paper in order to advance to the next level, in my opinion, the biggest role of learning mathematics is that it can actually train us Our logical thinking ability makes our brains sharper, more agile, and more efficient in the process of statistics, analysis, and integration of all aspects of life. Anna, everyone’s life is limited. If you have excellent With mathematical ability, compared to ordinary people, you can often significantly shorten the time it takes to handle a task, or find a more convenient way to complete a job. In the end, you may even have several times the life of others. This is why you You must learn this subject well. As for other subjects, you can think about it yourself, but any kind of learning, in the final analysis, will make us stronger."
After getting along with each other for a few short times, Anna Belkoska mostly felt awe towards Simon, as well as some instinctive attachment after being taken away from him. At this time, after listening to Simon's words, the young girl who raised her face slightly had a touch of gratitude and admiration in her eyes.
Because of her precocious maturity, the girl knew that the words of the superior man in front of her were definitely not something that just anyone could hear. They were also life principles that her parents, who were born as workers and were numbed by the weight of their heavy life, could never teach her.
Thinking of this, Anna nodded sincerely, firmly remembering what the man just said in her heart, and said: "Thank you, Simon."
Eve stood next to Simon, listening to the conversation between the two, thoughtfully, and sighing secretly.
If my troubled sister stood here, she would definitely think that this guy was too nagging. She would not learn something as scary as mathematics.
Even I was very afraid of this course back then.
Obviously, the girl in front of Simon really listened to these golden words.
Simon returned the math textbook to the desk and reached out to pick the girl's pretty little chin: "Then, that's the end of tonight's class. You go back to the main villa first and go to bed early."
Anna didn't have the slightest objection to Simon's little move of picking her chin. Instead, she turned her head slightly and rubbed it against the man's big hand, with a sweet smile on her lips: "Good night, Simon."
After Anna simply packed up her personal belongings and turned to leave, Simon looked at the woman who had been standing quietly behind the girl just now. Without the cover of the seat, he realized that the woman's legs under the skirt were also slender and straight, and she was wearing high heels. He was a little taller than Anna, who was just about 1.75 meters tall, and was probably about the same height as herself.
The most rare thing is the golden body proportion that is definitely close to 0.618.
What a stunner!
After looking at it like this, Simon raised his head slightly to indicate, and his eyes became more aggressive: "What's your name?"
The woman still seemed a little embarrassed. Facing Simon's gaze, she lowered her eyes slightly, clasped her hands in front of her, and occasionally looked at him with a hint of unwillingness to resist. When she heard Simon's question, she whispered: "Ugh Riyana, Mr. Westeros, my name is Ulyana Meretskova, well, you can call me Ulya."
Simon nodded, and then said to the tall girl next to him: "Eve, you should go back first. Teacher Uliya and I will discuss some math problems."
“…”
Eve almost wanted to roll her eyes.
Just a moment ago, I was a life coach that people admired, but in the blink of an eye!
Can't you just hold on a little longer
With such slander, Eve did not dare to disobey Simon's instructions. She responded softly like a kitten, turned around and left the room, and thoughtfully helped him close the door. After going out, she felt a little sullen and complained about why she had to do this. So thoughtful.