Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 1237 - 1018: Appearing on the Spring Festival Gala_2

Chapter 1237: Chapter 1018: Appearing on the Spring Festival Gala_2

The night truly bustled with people, adults and children combined reaching about thirty in number, filling two large tables—one for the adults and one for the kids...

While savouring the sumptuous dishes, they engaged in animated conversations that inevitably circled back to the topic of Wang Ye.

Wang Ye’s Uncle Liu Changyuan asked Wang Ye’s mother with concern, "Why hasn’t Xiaoye come back for the Spring Festival again this year, is he that busy with his business?"

Everyone knew that Wang Ye "did business" in Moscow, and that his business was "quite substantial"!

But as for how big it actually was... that they had no idea.

Wang Ye’s mother vaguely replied, "Yes, the Russians don’t celebrate the Spring Festival, so he’s very busy during this period and so he hasn’t come back."

Over at dad’s side, several relatives were passionately discussing the expansion of business.

The Flour Improver Factory was doing very well, but this kind of business had a "ceiling", and after a certain scale, it became very difficult to expand further.

Last year dad had acquired the county’s woven bag factory, dedicating it to producing packaging bags for his own Flour Improver Factory.

Just from these two factories alone, the total number of on-site employees had already reached over three thousand.

Without a doubt, it was the biggest factory in the whole county, perhaps even the entire area!

However, dad felt it wasn’t enough, and recently he’d been considering whether to invest in some other business.

His sight was set on the food industry, because the one advantage his region had was agriculture, with no real foundation for other industries.

If they entered the food industry, though, they could buy raw materials locally, which would not only be high-quality and inexpensive but also save on substantial transportation costs.

At the same time, it could improve the livelihood of the locals and enhance their enthusiasm for farming.

The benefits were numerous...

"What do you all think—if I set up a factory that specifically produced noodles, instant noodles or even dumplings, wontons, and sweet rice balls, do you think it would take off?"

Dad asked confidently.

This wasn’t him seeking advice from the relatives; in fact, he had already had market research conducted by professionals and was nearly decided on investing in a new factory.

He was just bringing it up now as a topic of casual conversation...

Indeed, even though the relatives might not understand the intricacies, they still felt it was a promising venture, and a flurry of compliments made dad laugh heartily...

As the atmosphere grew warm and harmonious, the voice of a TV host wafted in from the large television situated in a corner of the private room.

"Next, we present New Year greetings from friendly nations across the seas to our country...

Vice Speaker of the Russian Duma, Mr. Mikhail..."

Wang Ye then appeared on the television, beaming as he delivered the well-wishing "jingle" in Chinese, with a fist and palm salute.

Although it was a close-up, the camera didn’t zoom in too closely; it was tight enough to clearly see Wang Ye’s face but not a tight facial close-up.

As a result, the relatives in the room only glanced at the TV, and many failed to notice the person who looked "very much like" Wang Ye!

Even Wang Ye’s Uncle, who was quite familiar with Wang Ye, just froze for a second, thinking he was seeing things: why did the person on TV look a bit like Wang Ye...?

But obviously, Wang Ye’s dad and mom knew very well what was going on, both a bit excited and glued to the television’s "son".

They were filled with admiration, astonished that their son had made it to the Spring Festival Gala!

This was no fleeting appearance; he was featured in a full segment, just look who appeared before and after their son—

The President of the United States, leaders from Germany and France, the Secretary-General of the United Nations...

To be featured alongside such leaders, that in itself was a testament to their son’s current status and influence!

Looking back, it still seemed surreal—how exactly did that boy reach this point today?

...

You wouldn’t believe it, but after making it onto the Spring Festival Gala, Wang Ye’s distinctly "East Asian" features did spark some discussion in the country.

But no one questioned his identity, with people being more interested in his age and position.

After all, being able to appear on the Spring Festival Gala and deliver a New Year’s greeting on behalf of Russia to the domestic audience, one must definitely rank among the top few in the political arena, right?

Yet he appeared unusually young, which naturally made everyone curious as to how he could hold such a high position at that age.

Most people thought perhaps this person only looked young, and must be in his thirties or forties at least; otherwise, how could it be possible...

Some people then searched for information about "Mikhail" online, and to their surprise, they found that he was even younger than everyone had imagined!

And indeed, he was really of Chinese descent...

Perhaps, in China, only one person linked the Mikhail on TV with the ordinary student studying abroad "Wang Ye."

That was the old classmate who had been "expelled," Zhang Ke...

This guy, after being expelled on the grounds of "illegal taxi service," "illegal business operations," and "tax evasion" and sent back to his hometown, started a small business with the help of his parents.

After all, the family conditions were not too bad, so he didn’t starve, but clearly, he also didn’t live a wealthy life.

Although he didn’t show it outwardly, Zhang Ke always had an unresolved question in his heart: Was "Mikhail" actually "Wang Ye"?

Of course, he hoped not...

Otherwise, the gap between himself and Wang Ye was insurmountable. Not to talk of "revenge," even longing for a face-to-face look at Wang Ye had become a luxury!

On New Year’s Eve, Zhang Ke also watched the Spring Festival Gala and had the reunion dinner with his parents. When Wang Ye’s footage appeared, he saw it immediately.

In that moment, a sudden realization came to Zhang Ke—this person was definitely "Wang Ye"!

Otherwise, it would be very difficult to explain the series of ’painful experiences’ he had in Moscow because ordinary wealthy Chinese businessmen definitely didn’t have that kind of clout. There was a close protection bodyguard armed with a gun, and without any fuss, the police station had him deported back to China...

Furthermore, the "Mikhail" on TV didn’t just look almost identical to Wang Ye; the ages matched as well. Additionally, the emergence of this Mikhail coincided precisely with the time "Wang Ye" began to vanish from the school!

One or two coincidences could be explained away, but a series of them couldn’t just be chalked up to coincidence...

Among the Chinese students studying abroad in the Friendship University prep building, besides Song Xiaogang and Nalan Yaqi, perhaps Zhang Ke had the deepest impression of Wang Ye!

But even if he was certain, what would it matter?

Zhang Ke wasn’t brainless; he did have some street smarts. He watched the TV, where the spirited Mikhail appeared, dumbfounded.

In the end, he sighed, shook his head, and let go of the obsession in his mind.

Because they were people from two different worlds now; there was no chance of intersection anymore.

He also realized that Wang Ye had been quite merciful to him initially. Otherwise, with "Mikhail’s" power, making an ordinary foreign student like himself disappear quietly in Moscow would have been all too easy!

But Wang Ye didn’t do that; he merely found a reason to have him sent back to his home country.

In some way, it could be said he spared his life...

......

Of course, Wang Ye would have no way of knowing about these events occurring back in China.

The Embassy’s evening banquet had already begun, and as one of the most noticeable people there, Wang Ye was surrounded by many from start to finish.

Many Chinese businessmen were consciously lining up, holding wine glasses, simply wanting to clink glasses and exchange a few words with Wang Ye.

Naturally, the moment of toasting had to be captured on camera!

Later, this would become their most brag-worthy moment...

Wang Ye knew his own alcohol tolerance, so he hadn’t touched the white wine, only holding a glass of red wine. After clinking glasses with others, he merely moistened his lips with it, not intending to drink any.

But nobody minded or felt unhappy about this because Wang Ye had the privilege to do so.

However, with so many people coming up to offer a toast, his glass inevitably became empty without him noticing.

He waved his hand toward a waiter standing by, signaling for another glass of red wine to be brought over.

But even Wang Ye hadn’t expected that the next person to bring him a glass of red wine would be his old classmate, Liu Xiaojie!