Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 773 - Big Talent, Small Use_1

Chapter 773: Chapter 773 - Big Talent, Small Use_1

In the city center, in Khodorkovsky’s luxurious apartment, it was not Wang Ye’s first visit.

Inside the spacious to slightly vacant living room, Khodorkovsky, Rilinov, and Wang Ye sat across from each other.

Each held and pinched a large cigar, drinking black tea, smoking cigars, and talking.

"Rilinov... uncle, I heard you have something to discuss with me. May I know what it’s about?" Wang Ye politely asked.

Rilinov had retired at this moment, hence Wang Ye had to change his way of addressing him. He couldn’t call him speaker anymore, so uncle was the most suitable. Subtly he had managed to shorten the distance between them.

Moreover, when Rilinov was in power, he did care a lot for Wang Ye. Calling him uncle was not a loss.

If Rilinov hadn’t retired, it wouldn’t be Wang Ye’s turn to be vice speaker!

Rilinov did not respond immediately. He lowered his head silently and took a hard puff of his cigar. The curling smoke veiled his face.

Khodorkovsky beside him was also silent, puffing on his cigar, sipping his tea, but he looked relaxed.

Wang Ye, of course, remained patient, and he did not press further. He quietly smoked his cigar without rushing.

After a while, Rilinov raised his head. His eyes were reddened, whether from the smoke or something else, no one knew.

He stared at Wang Ye for a few seconds before he asked, "Have you ever wondered why I chose to retire back then?"

It’s not even a guessing game, Wang Ye had asked him the reason for his retirement. It’s just that Rilinov chose not to disclose it.

So, Wang Ye nodded but did not utter a word.

"Huh, I couldn’t speak freely at that time! There were a lot of things you hadn’t come across... However, it’s best if you never come across those matters. There’s no benefit in knowing. I can’t tell you the real reason even now. I can only say that I had no choice but to retire at that time. My only motive was... to make way for you!"

Rilinov shook his head and bitterly smiled.

Wang Ye’s heart skipped a beat. This possibility was not something he hadn’t considered.

But hearing it from Rilinov personally was different from his own speculations.

He didn’t expect Rilinov had really retired for his sake...

As for why he agreed to it, until now, Rilinov did not disclose the exact reason. It could only be chalked up to the fact that he was in some sort of predicament.

At this point, Khodorkovsky interjected. He bluntly stated, "At this point, there’s nothing to hide anymore. Misha is no outsider. Weren’t you forced to retire by the Kremlin, and you thought since it’s for Misha, it wasn’t too much of a loss, plus... Hm, so you volunteered to resign."

Among his words, Wang Ye understood everything except that "plus" part, which Khodorkovsky swallowed mid-sentence.

But he did reveal the true instigator behind the scenes. As expected, it was the doing of the Kremlin...

This left Wang Ye in an awkward position.

Relationship-wise, he should be siding with Khodorkovsky and Rilinov.

After all, one was his "dear uncle", who had helped him greatly.

The other was his former superior, who provided significant support when he first entered Duma.

However, the actions of the Kremlin turned out to be beneficial for him, allowing him to gain the most, even one might say, boosted his career overnight!

This placed Wang Ye right in the middle, creating a dilemma...

......

Seeming to notice Wang Ye’s predicament, Khodorkovsky chuckled and said nonchalantly,

"Misha, you don’t need to worry so much. In politics, there’s no father or son.

"We are not part of the same faction, so we should each consider things from our respective faction’s perspective.

"The Kremlin has been good to you. You should understand their motive.

"I have never asked you to keep your distance from the Kremlin. I understand that in order to achieve something in the political arena, you have to maintain a good relationship with them.

"That’s your future. Nobody should stand in your way.

"Additionally, after our faction participates in the election next year, in broad daylight, there might be some competition between us and the Third Faction.

"Then it will be a matter of who can earn the trust of the voters.

"Of course, if your faction is defeated, even if you lose your seat in Duma, I might consider offering you an important position in the cabinet setup at that time.

"What do you think of becoming the Prime Minister then?

"I value your abilities, kid. Haha..."

Rilinov laughed along from the side, nodded in approval, and chimed in, "Indeed, I think it’s an underutilization of Misha’s capabilities for him to just be the Deputy Speaker of Duma. Making him the Prime Minister and letting him oversee the actual governmental affairs is the optimal position that can unleash his potential!"

Their conversation flowed as if they had already secured the victory in next year’s general election and as if they were assigning positions to Wang Ye...

Wang Ye cracked a half-smile but didn’t laugh.

He had many thoughts but couldn’t voice them out!

Wang Ye really wanted to tell Khodorkovsky and the rest not to be so naive!

Are they presuming they’ve already secured victory?

Perhaps, before the election starts, the two of them will be incarcerated...

Do they really believe the folks from the Kremlin are good-natured?

Don’t forget, who they really are!

But he couldn’t spit these words out because even if he could, Khodorkovsky, and Rilinov wouldn’t believe him now.

After a long silence, Wang Ye finally spoke up,

"Perhaps it would be prudent to take one step at a time. Your faction is newly formed, and despite attracting some veterans, it remains a new faction and is unfamiliar to the public.

"It might be more secure to first get a seat in Duma, establish it for a few years, and then aim for the general election."

Wang Ye had already lost count of the number of times he had tried to urge Khodorkovsky to not be so impatient.

But it was clear that this time, his efforts were wasted once again.

Perhaps due to the smooth formation of the new faction and the invaluable assistance of Rilinov, Khodorkovsky was brimming with confidence at this moment.

He smiled slightly, dismissively said,

"Time waits for no man!

"Looking at the present condition of our country, I wish the election could start tomorrow!

"When our faction comes to power, I want to..."

What followed was an overwhelming discourse, elaborating on his governing philosophies.

In Khodorkovsky’s depiction, the future state would be an environment filled with freedom and democracy, where the economy thrives, and all industries prosper...

Wang Ye hung his head silently, puffing his cigar, paying no heed to his monologue.

He was thinking about what Gavriil and the others might be discussing at this moment.

Could they also be in a meeting, discussing matters about Khodorkovsky...