Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 1297 - 1048: They’re Actually Alumni_2

Chapter 1297: Chapter 1048: They’re Actually Alumni_2

She had been speaking Russian with Wang Ye, but Wang Ye said to her in Chinese, "Let’s speak Chinese. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? My Chinese isn’t bad either, not worse than your Russian, haha."

Wang Ye could speak fluent Chinese, which Yu Xin naturally knew since she had been following this "distinguished alumnus" during her university years.

The reason she had been speaking Russian with Wang Ye was out of courtesy, after all, "Mikhail" was a high-ranking Russian official, and she, as a journalist wanting to interview him, had to use his mother tongue to be more easily accepted.

Now that Wang Ye had said this, she naturally would not object and immediately responded in Chinese, "Alright, how should I address you when we are outside? Should I still call you Director Mikhail...?"

Wang Ye joked, "I heard that people around Xiangjiang like to call others ’Boss,’ so you can just call me Boss."

"Understood, Boss! Where are we heading next? There are quite a few large shopping centers nearby, do you want to take a look? Or shall we go to the harbor to take in the night view of Victoria Harbor?" Yu Xin said playfully.

Wang Ye thought for a moment and shook his head, "Let’s not go to the harbor. Let’s just walk along the footbridges and sidewalks to get a feel for the local atmosphere of Xiangjiang and hopefully also get a peek into the lives of ordinary people."

This outing wasn’t really about inspecting Xiangjiang for Wang Ye; he just wanted to take a casual stroll, just like an ordinary person...

If it were a real inspection, there was no need for him to personally step in; he could have simply sent a professional investigation team to "station" themselves here for a month, then return and present him with a report so detailed it would surely contain much more information than he could see for himself...

Yu Xin’s eyes twinkled as she moved a bit closer and whispered, "You want to see the life of ordinary people? Maybe... you can come to my place. My home is just a typical Xiangjiang family, so it should be quite representative, right?"

Wang Ye paused, hesitating, "Would that be convenient? Your family..."

What he really wanted to ask was whether Yu Xin lived alone or with her family. If she lived with her family, that would be easy to handle, and visiting could work.

But if it was just Yu Xin living alone and she was inviting him over, that might mean she had "ulterior motives"...

As a single young man out on his own, he too needed to be cautious and protect himself!

Seeing what Wang Ye was thinking, Yu Xin quickly explained, "I live with my dad and mom. It’s just that our house isn’t big and the space is a little cramped. However, real estate in Xiangjiang is famously expensive, so houses for ordinary people are all pretty small."

Wang Ye breathed a sigh of relief, good...

He smiled and said, "That’s fine then, but I won’t disturb your parents’ rest, will I? It’s quite late."

Yu Xin shook her head, "It’s no problem, we usually go to bed late. At this hour, my mom is definitely chasing soap operas, and my dad is probably on the phone with clients. Oh, my mom is a full-time housewife, and my dad is a real estate agent specializing in luxury homes, he has dealt with many but unfortunately, they’re all beyond our buying capability."

From her description, her family did indeed seem to be a typical Xiangjiang family, perhaps with slightly better economic conditions than the average person, but not by much.

After thinking for a while, Wang Ye said, "In that case, let’s find a quiet coffee shop and have a cup of coffee first, so you can complete your interview, and then I’ll take you home and pay a visit to your family."

This arrangement seemed quite reasonable, since it would not be convenient to conduct an interview at Yu Xin’s home.

It would be utterly inappropriate to start discussing at her parents’ place things such as "the positive changes Russia’s accession to the WTO will bring to the global economy," "the disagreements between the United States and Russia on the accession," "how things will proceed in the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference"...

......

The two randomly chose a quiet-looking coffee shop by the road, each ordered a cup of coffee, and began their informal interview, after all, work still had to be done.

In the interview, it was mainly Wang Ye talking, with Yu Xin holding her recording pen and occasionally interjecting questions.

What Wang Ye talked about was fairly official and formal, focusing on the necessity and importance of Russia’s accession to the WTO, as well as the benefits it would bring to WTO member states upon joining.

As for the differences with Europe and the United States, he spoke less about that, merely stating his confidence that before the upcoming WTO conference, a formal bilateral agreement would be signed with Europe and the United States, finalizing an accession process that had already been dragging on for over a decade...

The interview was over in less than twenty minutes, and the two of them walked out of the coffee shop, ready to make a visit to Yu Xin’s home.

Standing by the roadside, Wang Ye asked with a smile, "Is your place far from here? Should we get the hotel to send a car, or is it easier to take a taxi or the subway? Oh, before we go, I need to buy a gift. It would be impolite to visit someone’s home for the first time empty-handed."

Yu Xin pursed her lips but did not object, saying only, "Having you visit my home is honor enough. As for a gift, just a bunch of flowers will do."

Wang Ye didn’t make a point to "show off" his financial strength either, and really just bought a bottle of red wine and a bouquet of flowers casually, which wasn’t very expensive – just over two thousand Hong Kong dollars, which could only be considered very ordinary.

Then he and Yu Xin hailed a taxi by the roadside and headed straight for the residential area where Yu Xin’s home was.

......

Yu Xin’s home was not far from Central, and after a twenty-minute taxi ride, they arrived.

It was a very ordinary residential area, containing the densely packed high-rise residential buildings that are a hallmark of Xiangjiang. According to Yu Xin, even a modest neighborhood like this one had housing prices that had reached eighty thousand Hong Kong dollars!

Based on the exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the US dollar at that time, the price in this neighborhood was as high as ten thousand US dollars per square meter!

That’s quite outrageous...

You see, during the same period, even in Moscow, the capital of a major power and an international metropolis, housing prices had only reached three to four thousand US dollars per square meter, which was much lower than in Xiangjiang.

Moreover, the high-end apartments in Moscow were far superior in terms of both environment and building quality compared to these ordinary residential complexes.

Of course, Wang Ye was also aware that even such high prices were actually historically low for Xiangjiang.

After surviving the 2008 financial crisis, the housing prices in Xiangjiang would have a real surge!

In a neighborhood like Yu Xin’s, future prices reaching two to three hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars per square meter would be easy...

The saying "every inch of land in Xiangjiang is worth its weight in gold" was not just talk!

......

Taking the cramped elevator, they reached the twenty-sixth floor.

"This is where I live," Yu Xin said as she pressed the doorbell. The door opened quickly, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman who bore a resemblance to Yu Xin; it must be Yu Xin’s mother.

After giving Wang Ye a once-over, a smile appeared on the middle-aged woman’s face.

Indeed, Wang Ye looked quite presentable. The young man was tall, handsome, and genteel, with an air cultivated from holding a high position for a long time, which made him stand out and shine in any setting!

"Yu Xin, this must be your... friend, right? Come in," Yu Xin’s mother said with a beaming smile.

Wang Ye politely greeted her with an "Auntie" and handed over the flowers and red wine he was holding, which made Yu Xin’s mother’s smile even brighter.

After entering the room, Wang Ye took a quick look around. It was indeed quite small; the living room was just over ten square meters and barely accommodated a small double sofa and a coffee table, adjacent to which was a small dining table.

If one were the slightest bit overweight, turning around in this living room would require great care—it’s no wonder residents of Xiangjiang are generally slim...

"Where’s dad?" Yu Xin asked her mother.

"He’s in the room on the phone. He’s on calls all day long but doesn’t seem to sell many houses!" Yu Xin’s mother complained discontentedly.