Chapter 940 Unexpected Meeting

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St. Petersburg, Simon ended the call with Amy Pascal, took care of some other work, turned off the computer, got up and walked out of the study.

This is a coastal suburb southwest of St. Petersburg.

For how to choose a place to live in a city, it is absolutely right to follow the residence of the powerful or the government department.

The southwestern coastal area of ​​St. Petersburg, which is close to the Gulf of Finland, is home to many residences of Russian dignitaries during the Tsarist period, including the former Peter the Great's Summer Palace. Simon began to lay out in Russia a few years ago, and he naturally placed himself in Russia. St. Petersburg's residence is here.

Russia is vast and sparsely populated, and the most important thing is land.

Therefore, Simon's seaside manor has a full 100 hectares of land. It is located between Peter the Great's Summer Palace and another Constantine Palace. It took three years to complete the construction. The main building in the manor is a building. It is similar to the baroque castle-style three-storey villa of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, except that the appearance is simple and heavy original lime, rather than the grass green of the Winter Palace.

Moreover, in order to avoid being "mixed with sand" during the construction process, the building materials, including the construction team, are all from Ukraine.

Simon knew the allusions about the bugs that were stuffed into the bricks of the American embassy.

Since the experience at the Plaza Hotel, Simon has always had a shadow on this kind of thing.

Simon left the study, and Lady A quickly greeted her with two waitresses. The waitresses also held two sets of clothes in their hands. She picked one at random, put them on in the next bedroom, and then went downstairs.

The car was already waiting outside the villa.

Aware that Simon was about to go out, a little boy broke free from his mother's arms and ran over.

to be together.

Simon picked up the little girl and saw Shurshigina coming to pick up the child. He shook his head with a smile, and said to the little guy in his arms, "We can go together, but we must be obedient."

The little guy's mouth is sweet: "Of course, Dad, Nina is very good."

Yulia Shurshigina didn't quite know what Simon was going to do next, but she understood that it was definitely not an ordinary entertainment, so she stepped forward and tried to stretch out her hand: "Sir, give me the child, Nina. Inappropriate."

When the little guy in Simon's arms saw his mother come forward, he immediately put his arms around Simon's neck like a koala, and urged, "Dad, go."

Shaking his head at Shuer Shijina again, Simon came out of the villa with the child. The waiting bodyguard drivers saw Simon holding the child.

Simon got into the car with the child in his arms, and Girl A followed in. When the door was closed, the little girl immediately made a face at her mother outside the car window.

Without reminding the little guy that her mother couldn't actually see the inside of the car, Simon just told the driver to drive.

Two identical black Mercedes-Benz sedans left the manor through a long corridor and turned into the road heading for the city of St. Petersburg.

It was already more than seven o'clock in the afternoon, and the sky in St. Petersburg, which is located in a high latitude area, was still bright, and it was expected to get dark around eight o'clock. While dealing with the various problems of the little guy in his arms, Simon looked at this place outside the car window. City.

This ancient city at the mouth of the Baltic Sea is a testament to Russia's transformation from a small backward country in a remote corner to a European power.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg, and forced the process of Europeanization of Russia, accepting various advanced technology and culture, and finally established Russia's status as a European power until nearly three hundred years before the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Speaking of which, Peter the Great happened to be in the same period as Emperor Kangxi of China.

The two have led the two countries to completely different directions.

A forced push to open up and eventually become a world-class power.

One insisted on closing the country and was abandoned by history.

Now, this city, which has experienced nearly three hundred years of vicissitudes, has fallen into the lowest period of its life.

When Simon's car entered the city of St. Petersburg, except for the asphalt road left over from the Soviet era, it was still wide and solid. In other respects, there was a decadent atmosphere similar to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and many buildings on both sides of the road appeared due to lack of maintenance. Dappled and dilapidated, combined with Russia's relatively sparse population, it looks like a ghost town at first glance.

However, Simon knows that now is still not the lowest period in Russia.

Although Russia's gdp has dropped from $517.9 billion in 1991 when the Soviet Union just disintegrated to $395.5 billion in 1995, a drop of 24%, the real abyss is still after 1997.

The turning point happened just this year.

1996 was not only a presidential election year for the United States, but also a presidential election year for Russia.

Yeltsin succeeded in stealing the Russian presidency. In recent years, he has made the country into a mess , either 30% or a paltry 3%.

Yeltsin, who knew very well what would happen to him once he stepped down, decisively joined forces with major Russian oligarchs and invested huge sums of money to reverse the situation.

Before the advent of the information age, due to the limited channels of media communication, it was quite easy to manipulate public opinion. Therefore, a few months later, Yeltsin's approval rate has risen to about 50%, leading the way.

Ahead of his rivals, not surprisingly, will be re-elected in the general election in July.

Since the major oligarchs have given Yeltsin so much support, of course they have to give back.

As a result, the second feast of dividing Russia's state-owned assets became more unscrupulous during Yeltsin's second term. Coupled with the impact of the Southeast Asian financial crisis, the Russian economy fell into an even more inextricable abyss. At the lowest point in 1999, Russia's gdp had only more than 190 billion U.S. dollars left, a further 50% drop compared to about 400 billion U.S. dollars at this time.

If Yeltsin did not do the only thing right in the final days of his administration, electing a qualified successor, after the millennium, it would not be impossible for Russia to go back to selling Alaska to make a living by selling land again.

Simon and his party entered the urban area of ​​St. Petersburg from the southwestern suburbs, crossed the Neva River, and after a journey of more than 40 minutes, finally entered another private residence in the eastern suburbs of the city.

This is the private residence of Mikhail Friedman, the oligarch who was propped up by the Westeros system in Russia.

A small-scale political and business reception will be held here tonight.

The reception was personally arranged by Simon at the behest.

Over the years, as Simon, the big butterfly, has become more and more influential, few things have become more and more backwards from the history in memory. After all, according to the butterfly effect theory that people usually understand, two things that seem to be completely unrelated will eventually affect each other under various implication, not to mention that Simon has been involved in it very early.

So some things are unavoidable.

In order to prevent history from going in an unfamiliar direction that he completely cannot understand, Simon decided to gently push the wheel of history at a critical moment.

Like this time.

On the Russian side, the much-anticipated presidential election is related to the political trend of this country in the next four years, and another event, the mayoral election of St. Petersburg, which happened almost at the same time, can almost be said to be related to Russia in the next two decades. political direction.

Because it involves a very important person.

In fact, the mayoral election of St. Petersburg had already ended on May 19, and the current mayor Sobchak lost to his rival by a meager 1.5% of the vote. Unlike the U.S. election, which is usually sworn in the following year, in St. Petersburg, the mayor will be sworn in on the last day of August and will take office in September.

If there are no other external influences, the original mayor's team is likely to be scattered and lead to various unknowns at that time.

One of the guys who was entrusted by the current mayor Sobchak with an important role is definitely not likely to be left behind, and in my memory, the other party was able to finally get a vacancy in Moscow, which is actually full of chance.

It's hard to say what's going to happen next if Simon doesn't step in.

Even if Simon wants to change history now, it's actually very easy. Give the other party a high-paying job in a private company that cannot be refused. Then, the future Russia may no longer be the Russia in Simon's memory, and everything will change.

With too many considerations in his mind, Simon doesn't plan to change.

In the darkness of the city slowly falling, Simon just got off the car in this private mansion, and Mikhail Friedman, who was very cautious about the presence of the big boss this time, greeted him in person, and Clearly has something to say.

Simon handed over the little girl who was looking around curiously in his arms to the girl behind him. He didn't need too many hints. The bodyguards around him stepped back a little. Then Friedman leaned into Simon's ear and whispered. What a few words.

Hearing what the other party revealed, Simon was also a little surprised, but still said: "Then go up and talk."

Mikhail Friedman immediately made a gesture of invitation: "Simon, this way."

The two entered from the side door of the villa, and Friedman noticed that Simon's entourage followed naturally, paused, but did not stop it.

The corridor of the villa connected by the side door did not turn on the lights. In the dim light, you could clearly see the scene of the reception in the hall, which was already crowded with people.

Simon explained to the girl behind him and told her to go directly to the hall. He and Friedman turned to the stairs and came to the second floor of the villa. The lights were also not turned on in the corridor. There were two burly figures standing on the right, and when they saw Simon appearing, they first looked here vigilantly, and then relaxed after confirming their identities.

However, when they saw the bodyguards following Simon and the two, they hesitated again.

Simon ignored the two and went straight to the door. One of them seemed to pause for a while, but he took the initiative to help push the door open, and said something softly inside.

This is a study room.

Only one wall lamp was turned on, and the light was as dim as the outer corridor.

Simon entered the door and saw a short-haired woman in a black professional suit sitting on the sofa in the reception area. It was not until Simon came closer that the woman stood up leisurely. Although her face was raised because of her height, she looked towards him with an unconcealed arrogance. Simon stretched out his hand: "Hello, Mr. Westeros."

Simon shook hands with the woman with a smile: "Hello."

The woman paused, then took the initiative: "You can call me Tatyana."

"OK."

Simon nodded, walked to the opposite single sofa and sat down directly.

The woman just subconsciously pinched it, but she felt that she was completely empty. At this time, seeing the man sitting down on his own, she couldn't help frowning slightly, but she still sat down and saw a guy on the opposite side leaning in relaxedly. Looking at her appearance on the sofa, finally

The first time he opened his mouth, he pointed to a bottle of whisky on the coffee table in front of him: "Mr. Westeros, do you want a drink?"

"No, you do it yourself."

The woman nodded, hesitated a little, still picked up the glass of wine she had just poured, and then felt that she was completely at a disadvantage, like a little girl with a guilty conscience who subconsciously picked up something to protect her in front of her. After a pause, the woman put the wine glass back on the coffee table, and wanted to lean back on the sofa as relaxed as the man opposite her. After a little hesitation, she sat up straight in the end.

Simon looked at the corner of his mouth with a smile for a moment, and finally said again: "Now is the critical moment of the general election. If it is revealed that you meet Simon Westero at this time, it will definitely bring a very big potential risk to your father."

Hearing the words, the woman couldn't help but say, "We are not Mr. Westeros. We will be known wherever we go. This secret ability can still be achieved."

Simon arrived in St. Petersburg in the morning. It was originally a secret trip. There was no news in the public media. Now he was suddenly approached, and obviously many people noticed.

Just smiled, Simon said: "Tania, then, do you have anything to do with me?"

When the woman heard Simon's question, her expression became visibly stagnant, and it was only when she remembered the serious business of this secret visit.

However, just now, she couldn't help but run on a guy and changed her tone directly, it seems... but she is not a sloppy woman. In recent months, she took the initiative to stand in front of the stage to organize elections for her father. It can be said that the results are remarkable, so she quickly said : "Mr. Westeros, my father has always admired you very much. He said that you are absolutely the most unexpected miracle of this era."

"thanks."

The woman froze again, a little stingy, shouldn't they be polite to each other at this time?

Finally some regret the initial deliberate manipulation.

In fact, I read the secret file about the young man in front of me in advance. Many things are very detailed, but the conclusion given about the character of the other party is unpredictable.

It's like a mix of multiple personalities.

This doesn't seem surprising at all, after all, a certain guy's experience in a mental hospital is well known.

Because it is too complex, it is difficult to set a targeted response.

After thinking for a moment, the woman finally said again: "Mr. Westeros, what do you think of this Russian presidential election?"

Seeing that the woman asked another question that was not nutritious, Simon shook his head and said, "Tania, I think we should be more direct, tell me, why are you looking for me?"

Tanya.

It's Tania again.

Are we that close?

The woman slandered a little, but finally said: "Mr. Westeros, we found that the spokesperson of the Westeros system in Russia, Mr. Mikhail Friedman, seems to have an endless development layout in our country in recent years. And this election, unsurprisingly, my father will be re-elected. So if Mr. Westeros wants to develop further in Russia, maybe we can be allies?”

Simon finally showed some interesting expressions: "Who are we referring to?"

The woman said: "The Westeros family, the Yeltsin family."

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