Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 588: Really Big Appetite_1

Chapter 588: Chapter 588: Really Big Appetite_1

Wang Ye was a bit taken aback; he hadn’t expected the latter party from the small notebook agreement to accept his terms.

Because according to him, the very reason why the small notebook suggested the new pipeline plan was to create a nuisance.

But instead of frustrating Wang Ye, they had ended up succumbing to his strategy.

If the new pipeline route proposed by Wang Ye were to be used, they would have essentially funded a project without receiving any significant benefits -- nothing but "labor" for nothing.

He never thought that the other party would actually agree!

He was a bit puzzled as to what exactly they were up to...

But it did not matter, as long as they were willing to cover the costs, it was a good deal. Regardless, it was beneficial for him and both the China-Russia parties.

Perhaps he was being too pessimistic about them, maybe they really did have the intention to purchase Russian oil and gas resources through this pipeline in the future.

...

After a brief chat and just as he was about to hang up the phone, Wang Ye suddenly remembered something.

He quickly asked, "Hold on, are you in the office right now?"

Aleksey promptly confirmed that he was.

"Then I’ll stop by. You’ve been promoted, my friend, and I haven’t yet seen your new office. This is the perfect time for me to drop by and get acquainted," Wang Ye said with a chuckle.

Of course, Aleksey didn’t refuse. Aside from the fact that he had nothing pressing at the moment, even if he did, he would have set it aside, making sure to be available for Wang Ye’s visit.

He knew very well that although Wang Ye’s position was not very notable, his energy was astonishing!

He took his friendship with this man very seriously.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Ye stood up and said to Rossiyana, "Let’s go. We’re going to the Ministry of Energy to chat with Aleksey."

Rossiyana, of course, knew who Aleksey was. During their last international trip, they were all part of the same delegation.

It’s just that at that time, Aleksey was only the president of the Russian Gas Industry. Now, he was the head of the Ministry of Energy!

She hadn’t expected Wang Ye to have such a good relationship with Aleksey.

Just by listening to their conversation on the phone, it was obvious!

She nodded and got up, following behind Wang Ye, ready to head to the Ministry of Energy.

...

The building of the Ministry of Energy was similar in appearance to the Duma Building, only a bit smaller.

Moreover, it wasn’t far; just about a ten-minute walk.

However, the weather was not so good today, gloomy with a steady drizzle, making it somewhat cold.

So, Wang Ye let Xie Liaosha drive, and they took a car there.

A few minutes later, the motorcade arrived at the base of the Ministry of Energy building. Unlike in China, this was not a large compound, but a single building with a small square at the front.

As soon as they got out of the car and before they could climb the steps, they saw a man in his thirties, dressed in a suit, coming quickly down the stairs to meet them.

"Hello, Member Mikhail, I’m an assistant to Minister Aleksey. I’m here to take you up," he said politely, with a slight bow.

Under the guidance of the assistant, Wang Ye and Rossiyana went directly to Aleksey’s office.

What could not be denied was Aleksey being the head of the Ministry of Energy, has a quite spacious office.

It was much larger than Wang Ye’s office at the Duma.

If in comparison, the floor area was about the same as that of the office in Puding...

Of course, in terms of overall grandeur, it simply cannot be compared.

For example, the national emblem on the wall behind the desk was not as large as that in Puding’s office, and there was no national flag next to his desk.

Seeing the assistant bring Wang Ye and Rossiyana in, Aleksey put down the documents in his hand, got up, and warmly welcomed them over.

"Haha, welcome Member Mikhail, here to guide the work. Oh, and our big journalist Rossiyana! How did you two come together?"

Obviously, he knew Rossiyana too, but he did not know that Rossiyana was Wang Ye’s personal assistant.

As for whether he knew about Rossiyana’s background, Wang Ye wasn’t sure.

He probably did...

Wang Ye shook hands with Aleksey, smiling and introduced, "Let me introduce to you, my special assistant, Madam Rossiyana."

Aleksey, who was holding Wang Ye’s hand firmly, paused for a moment, looking surprised at Wang Ye and then at Rossiyana.

He seemed to find it hard to believe Wang Ye’s words.

Next to them, Rossiyana just smiled and nodded.

Aleksey narrowed his eyes slightly, and as he broke off the handshake with Wang Ye, he said, "Congratulations, having such a distinguished journalist like Rossiyana as your assistant is quite a remarkable feat!"

Aleksey’s words were laden with deeper implications, but Wang Ye only smiled without saying a word.

But, he confirmed one thing, Aleksey understood Rossiyana’s background.

...

"You flatter me in terms of guiding the work, but I came here to discuss something with you," Wang Ye said upfront, making no effort to beat around the bush.

Aleksey nodded and replied straightforwardly, "Tell me, as long as it’s something I can do, then there’s no problem!"

Wang Ye said with a smile, "Just now on the phone, you told me China and Japan have agreed to prepay the pipeline construction costs, a total of thirty billion US dollars, right?"

"Right, what’s the issue?" Aleksey did not know why Wang Ye suddenly brought up this matter.

"I would like to borrow five billion US dollars from this amount, to be returned within five years. As for the interest, the normal bank interest will apply," Wang Ye said without hesitation.

Aleksey was a bit flustered, he had not anticipated that Wang Ye would want to touch this money!

Even Rossiyana, sitting next to Wang Ye, was a bit taken aback. She frowned slightly, looking at Wang Ye’s profile, wondering what he was up to.

This money was supposed to be used to build the oil and gas pipeline, part of a super order worth hundreds of billions of US dollars!

It could even be said that the pipeline concerned the future of the entire energy industry in Russia, so no matter how much importance was attached to it, it would not be an exaggeration.

Even though $30 billion was certainly a huge pie, the State Pipeline Group was also eager to get a piece.

But they were state-owned companies and had ample justification to participate.

As for individuals, who would dare have such a fantasy!

Logically, with Wang Ye’s fortune and his political wisdom, he wouldn’t be so entranced by money so as to jeopardize his future.

So, neither Aleksey nor Rossiyana understood.

...

After a long pause, Aleksey hesitantly asked, "You ... what do you need the money for? What business requires so much money?"

Indeed, Wang Ye had asked for five billion US dollars right off the bat – his hunger was not small.

Wang Ye said matter-of-factly, "Didn’t you forget that I mentioned during dinner a couple of days ago that I wanted to acquire a few automobile brands? That requires a lot of money, so of course I would need to borrow it for this matter."

Upon hearing Wang Ye say this, Aleksey was somewhat relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

But he still shook his head and said, "You can’t just use this money at will, it was put up by both China and Japan for the pipeline construction. I can’t convey this if I lend it out."