In the evening, Li Muye was invited to participate in a small gambling game at the former Air Force Club on the outskirts of Moscow.
There were six people in the room, playing poker. A very popular game in the world nowadays is called Texas Hold'em.
Timov sat in the throne room, the tall and handsome Bergomi sat in his lower house, and the fat man with a sinewy face and a cigar in his mouth was Chalmov, who sat in Timov's upper house. Li Muye sat opposite Timov. To his left was a beautiful woman named Elena. Timov introduced her as a fur merchant. To his right was a well-dressed, gentle and elegant bearded man named Liu Xin. Ski, who is the president of City Bank from St. Petersburg.
Li Muye judged the status based on the attitudes of these people communicating with each other. Timov and Bergomi undoubtedly occupied the dominant position, followed by Liusinsky, and then it was the turn of the seemingly arrogant Char. Moff, and finally Irina.
At this moment, Li Muye already had the most chips in front of him. But it didn't attract any special attention from others.
Losing small and winning big is the basic skill of a qualified con man. Li Muye's ability in this area is actually at the top level.
In such an occasion, the most important thing is not to win money, but to understand the relationship between these people through the card game, so as to determine Timov's real purpose of getting himself into this card game. Therefore, Li Muye has been deliberately controlling the rhythm of winning and losing, making the game as intense, interesting and long-lasting as possible.
The gambling nature of these people was aroused, and under the stimulation of vodka and cigars, they spoke more and more without scruples. Elena next to her exuded a strong scent of perfume. Although this level of fragrance was actually relatively light to them, it still felt very pungent to Li Muye.
This woman is really beautiful, and her poker skills are average. She can only be said to be not a novice.
In Li Muye's eyes, the one with the highest card skills among these people is Liusinski, who can be summed up in three words: steady, accurate, and ruthless! Timov is a big stick, he laughs and laughs and doesn't care about winning or losing. If Li Muye hadn't been secretly causing trouble, he would have been the first to lose everything. Bergomi was sullen and cautious, rarely talking and a tough guy. However, Charmov, who had plotted against Li Muye once before, was an old gambler. He was good at observing the direction of the wind and was decisive in his actions. He liked to follow luck and feeling.
"Mr. Timov, you are really not that good at taking care of my handsome Oriental brother." Elena showed off her charming look, glanced at Li Muye with a resentful look, and said, "I haven't seen you this night either. After winning several times, you now have the most chips. Every time it is your turn to deal cards, you give Mr. Timov a good hand. This is so unfair. Look at me, I almost lost everything. "
This woman is very attentive and observes carefully. Li Mu was secretly shocked and said, "It's just luck. Miss Elena's card skills are superb. She will definitely be able to win back."
Elena curled her lips and said: "It doesn't matter if you lose at the poker table. What's important is not to lose in the business. I'm in the fur business. Now our business is getting harder and harder. Except Those damn animal protection organizations not only make people uneasy, but they also make those barbarians from remote areas angry. Hey, who made the supply of goods become increasingly scarce?"
Li Muye said like a stick: "Isn't the fur breeding industry here leading the world?"
Elena pursed her lips and smiled, and said: "I don't dare to sell products of that level in my store. I am in the high-end fur business, and they must be high-quality original ecological furs to be eligible to enter my store." 's store."
Timov pointed at Li Muye and said casually: "Dear Elena, you are lucky today. My brother just came back from Yakutia not long ago. His ability is not just for bragging. He even That damn Anasayev has been taken care of by him. If you want a high-quality supply, is there a better fur supplier in Russia than the Yakuts?" He laughed. The expression is very ambiguous.
"Really?" Elena looked at Li Muye pretending to be surprised, and said, "Then I have to get close to this cute little brother and strive for close cooperation." As she said that, she leaned over with a smile. Li Muye was joking around, laughing and joking, and carried her on his lap. Instead, the slut was startled, and she broke free with an ouch and returned to her position.
Timov laughed loudly and said: "Dear Elena met her opponent today."
"Look, you also said that you want to work closely with me. This is unbearable." Li Muye said with a pretentious smile.
Elena said: "What a rude big boy!" Then she looked around at the others and said: "Everyone, the game is over here. It is obvious that our Chinese boy friends have enough level and strength to participate. Now that we’re in the middle of the card game, it’s time to talk about something we’re both interested in.”
Whoever speaks first at this time often expresses his status the most.
Unsurprisingly.
Timov said: "Brother Bergomi and I are only responsible for building a bridge for you. How to cooperate specifically is a question for you."
Liusinsky said: "Dear Li, I am very happy to meet you in this place today. We all know clearly that Eastern Siberia is a treasure that is there but no one can take it away. There are not only animal skins but , as well as oil, natural gas, gold and diamonds. These huge wealth have been lying there quietly for tens of millions of years, but we have to regretfully watch them continue to lie there. Only a handful of them can be discovered and utilized every year. , and all we can get is less.”
When Li Muye heard this, he already understood the purpose of today's gathering. The breakthrough success of Elgin Mining in Yakutsk gave these greedy old men hope of getting a share of the pie. They have nothing to do with Anasayev, but they hope to find a channel to reach Yakut from themselves.
After pondering for a while, he said: "I can't speak Russian well, and sometimes I may not be able to express the true meaning clearly. Today is a happy day. I returned to Moscow safely, met old friends, and made new friends. As a businessman, , the most important secret of success lies in connections, at least that’s how I see it, so my principle in doing business has always been to make money for everyone, share channels, help each other, and with more friends, there may be more ways to make money.”
Bergomi, who had been silent until now, suddenly interjected: "It seems that our Chinese boys are open to cooperating to establish new companies. On this basis, it will be much easier to talk about anything."
This old guy is really not a good bird. He deliberately led me into the ditch they dug.
Li Mu cursed secretly, but said: "It seems that Mr. Bergomi's understanding ability is super strong. He guessed what I said before I said it." Loudly: "That's right, this time I When I returned to Moscow from Yakutia, I just wanted to find a group of like-minded partners and then go back there to show my talents. To be honest, I am very enthusiastic about setting up a new company. I am not only open-minded, but also full of enthusiasm. Looking forward to it.”
"So, my plan is to set up a large-scale trading company. First, set up thirty fixed warehousing and logistics centers along the Lena River to transport the special products there, beautiful furs, delicious caviar, as long as they can All businesses that make big money are getting involved. At the same time, we need to increase investment in Elgin Mining, buy Canada’s latest cold zone engineering equipment, and increase gold mine production capacity. Also, if conditions permit, we will I also hope that the new company can cooperate with Federal Express to lay a railway on the permafrost there.”
Li Muye put on an ambitious face and kept talking. Everyone else in the room frowned, and finally someone couldn't stand listening anymore. Charmov first smiled apologetically at Timov, and then said to Li Muye: "With all due respect, this plan sounds completely complete to me. It's not feasible and it's obviously a plan that requires lots and lots of funding."
Lyushinsky continued: "This is Moscow, not New York. In New York, people often talk about projects worth billions of dollars, but here, we prefer to use a pragmatic attitude to talk about suitable projects. I appreciate that You are ambitious, but you cannot accept this reckless and impulsive plan that lacks practical spirit."
Li Muye showed a disappointed look, and Elena spread her hands and said, "Obviously, young child, your golden shovel needs too much power to move, and this is not the purpose of our coming here."
Timov coughed slightly, smiled awkwardly, and then said: "It seems that our little lion is about to encounter Waterloo in his first gathering. This is really a very regrettable thing, but the advantage is It allows us to spot a wrong option until we find the right one.”
Li Makino thought about the telegram and analyzed the current situation. Most of the people in front of him belonged to a small group similar to members of a club. Among them, Charmov had sent someone to plot against him. After finding out the truth at that time, he did not Speaking to Timov, this was the reason for the current gathering. During the operation to assassinate him that day, there were many suspicious things about the performance of the Moscow police. Even if Timov was not involved, it was unlikely that he was unaware of it.
In other words, in the heart of Timov, his brother-in-law, my little life is not as important as a certain member of this small group. Now I have finally received an invitation to join this small group. Judging from the reactions of these people, they are obviously more interested in the business opportunities in Yakutia. Among these people, Elena has the smallest business scale and feels like a vase. They are here today just to get some benefits.
Charmov seemed to still be unable to let go of the fact that he failed to kill Li Muye and successfully took over Gurnov's property last time, so he didn't say anything nice to Li Muye. His behavior is like that of a child who is dissatisfied because his parents brought a child back from outside and the candy was given away. This legend of a giant in the past era of oligarchs has now been completely recruited and turned into a lowly person.
The most unpredictable person is Liusinsky. This bearded man who is indifferent to mood and anger always looks polite and harmless, but there is one detail that is particularly noteworthy, that is, whenever he speaks, that Bergomi, who is also unsmiling, will subconsciously sit up straight, and others, including Timov, will definitely listen carefully. Perhaps, his identity is not just as simple as a bank president from St. Petersburg.
Today's party seemed simple, but in fact it was an undercurrent. They concealed Lyushinski's true identity, arranged for Irina, a beauty, to act ungrateful around them, and let Charmov, their former competitor, Time and time again, they kept telling themselves, and all signs showed that tonight's party was more like a targeted test. They were stimulating themselves through card games, women, and opponents to test my reaction. .
The question is, what conclusion do they want to draw from this test? (End of chapter)