Chapter 230: One Shouldn't Make Promises Lightly

After Kaja left, she didn't go far. After giving Xu Maohé a good scolding, Li Xian went out and caught up with her just as she reached the street corner.

After all, she was here, so what could be done?

Li Xian had initially hoped for a pleasant reunion, but Xu Maohé's investment in the water-to-oil project had left him quite distressed. However, considering that Wang Hongcheng hadn't yet reached the point of being controlled and that there was still a chance to recover the money, Li Xian refrained from further complaints.

He reminded Xu Maohé once again not to take his words lightly and then started discussing recent events.

Xu Maohé was his usual self. Li Xian had been busy with business matters recently, so there wasn't much to say. Instead, Kaja's situation was particularly poignant.

Since the fall of Gaidar last year, the entire northern region had descended into chaos. The ruble had depreciated rapidly, to the point of being excluded from international currencies. Correspondingly, prices had soared. Compared to the end of 1991, the ruble price of a loaf of bread had increased more than 300 times, and Old Huang's salary could no longer afford even a jar of jam. If it weren't for the income from translating for speculators, his family might not have managed.

In the streets and alleys, due to the alcohol ban, idle people roamed everywhere. Robbery and being robbed had become a part of daily life. Besides the usual clubs, some strip clubs on street corners had quietly put up signs.

Seeing all this, Old Huang realized he couldn't stay any longer. Kaja, who had long despaired of such a life, was even more eager to leave this place as soon as possible.

Upon learning about the situation in the north, Li Xian fell silent.

This pain would not be resolved in a year or two. Next year, the Chechen conflict was set to break out, and the northern situation might become even more chaotic. This was also one of the reasons why he had declined Cheng Liu's invitation to build a large market in Russia.

"What are your plans?"

Seeing Kaja's worried face as she talked about recent events, Li Xian cut a piece of beef for her and asked.

Kaja shook her head in confusion. "I don't know. Actually, it's not too bad, just that I feel a bit scared staying in Chita. I didn't think much about it when I came; I just wanted to see you. In the future, if I can stay, I will stay in China. If I can't, I'll go back and see if there's any solution from my father. If not, I'll look for a job at the big market. At least it's relatively safe there."

Seeing the confusion in Kaja's brown eyes, Li Xian nodded.

Kaja's family in Russia was just an average family. If nothing changed, such a family would likely fall into poverty in the coming years. Considering the only viable future in the north, the highly developed red-light industry, girls like Kaja with her appearance, if they didn't have a decent job to support them, would have few options.

Even though he wasn't interested in her, Li Xian didn't want to see her fall into a dire situation.

After thinking for a moment, he asked Xu Maohé, "Is it difficult to get passports for Old Huang's family?"

"It's not that difficult. What in the north can't be handled with money?" Xu Maohé sipped his red wine.

"Not really." Kaja shook her head. "It's very difficult to get passports for going abroad now. To prevent domestic assets from flowing out, the immigration bureau is very strict."

"Nonsense! That's because you're too poor!" Xu Maohé waved his hand. "This matter…"

"Can you handle it?" Li Xian blinked.

"Ahem, give Sixth Master a call. It's just a matter of lifting a hand for him," Xu Maohé said, knowing his own limits and not daring to boast.

Li Xian nodded, picked up the phone, and called Cheng Liu. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he asked Cheng Liu to handle the passport and exit issues for Old Huang's family. Cheng Liu readily agreed without hesitation.

With thoughts of the CCTV advertisement, Li Xian didn't plan to stay in Harbin. He had a train to catch at seven in the evening and needed to return that night.

At the train station.

Kaja and Xu Maohé accompanied Li Xian to the waiting room. Kaja had just settled into the hotel under Xu Maohé's arrangement that day. Although she had hoped to see Li Xian, she was now disappointed to learn that he was leaving so soon.

Seeing her like this, Li Xian felt he needed to clarify a few things.

Although he didn't dislike Kaja, he wasn't someone who casually engaged with women. It was better to make things clear. He told her that he was already in a relationship, and there was no possibility between them.

Upon hearing this, Kaja's face turned even more awkward.

But what Li Xian didn't expect was that, unlike Chinese women, Russian women were different.

After a moment of dejection, Kaja seemed to rally. "What does it have to do with me if you have someone you like? That's your business. I like you, and that's my business. There's no conflict. What I need to consider is whether you will accept me before you get married and have a wife."

As she spoke, Kaja's face remained composed, drawing scornful glances from several nearby women.

"Russian girls are so shameless!"

"Indeed, no sense of decency."

Li Xian was also quite annoyed. "Why are you so unreasonable?"

Kaja blinked, glanced at the women in large cloth shirts and headscarves, and thrust her chest out in defiance. Then she turned back to Li Xian and tilted her head. "Love doesn't need reason."

Li Xian scratched his head in frustration.

"Ah! God!"

Just as he was agonizing over Kaja's view of love, she suddenly covered her eyes and crouched down in pain.

"What's wrong?" Li Xian quickly crouched down beside her.

"Bug! A bug flew into my eye!" Kaja cried out in pain while rubbing her eyes.

"Don't rub it. Let me see." Li Xian lifted her from the ground and opened her eyelids.

Her lashes were long and curled, brown in color. Possibly irritated by the insect, her eyes were filled with tears.

"There's nothing there?" Li Xian checked her eye thoroughly but found nothing.

"It's inside. Blow on it," Kaja still looked pained.

Li Xian leaned in and blew.

"Mm!"

Then, he was suddenly embraced around the neck.

Li Xian, with his eyes wide open, even saw the person who had used tricks to steal a kiss slightly lift her leg behind her.

"Train 6046! Boarding for Train 6046!"

A voice called out from the ticket gate.

Li Xian pushed Kaja away, wiped his mouth vigorously, grabbed his bag, and pointed at Kaja. "This is the second time! You, you wait for me! I'll settle this next time!"

Watching the panicked man flee, Kaja raised her eyebrows and waved a finger.

"You'll be mine sooner or later."

On the side, Xu Maohé, watching with his arms crossed, chuckled. "This is the first time I've seen someone so bold. He doesn't even eat the meat served to him. If I were him, I'd handle it tonight and kick you away when it's time to get married."

Looking at the fleeing figure disappearing in the crowd, Kaja touched her lips and smiled like a little fox. "Perhaps… that's why I like him and not you."

"Pah! I've slept with ten or eight of your kind. Who doesn't say they like their brother in bed?"

"So, among those ten or eight girls, were any of them not asking for money?"

"... I won't argue with you. Speaking of serious matters, when you went to the restroom at the restaurant earlier, Li Xian instructed me to arrange a study abroad program for you once Sixth Master's passport comes through. Just stay at the hotel for now; I have no other arrangements for you."

"Will it be you or him who pays?"

"Of course, it'll be him. What would it be if I paid?"

"So you see, he still cares about me. Even if… he doesn't say it."

With a proud turn, Kaja walked towards the station exit, attracting the attention of many men and women. She smiled like a little fox.

---

**Provincial Party Committee Office**

Sun Weimin looked at the faxed document, frowning deeply.

According to the document from the Planning Committee titled "Opinions on the Backup Guarantee Responsibilities in Economic System Reform Work in Northeast China," his heart ached.

With this document's issuance, the entire economy of Northeast China would, over the next decade, fall far behind other provinces and become a hybrid of planned and market economies.

After the 14th National Congress last year, despite the setback with Daqiu Village and Shen Taifu, overall reform results were encouraging.

The economic situation in Longjiang Province was booming, and the entire team was optimistic about the economic growth within the province over the next three years.

However, with the issuance of this document, Sun Weimin's envisioned future changed drastically.

A little later.

The Provincial Office Director, Lai Yunhao,

 knocked on the door and entered the room. Seeing Sun Weimin's serious expression, he carefully placed the document on the desk.

"Secretary Sun, I need your signature."

"Oh." Sun Weimin nodded, put on his reading glasses, and like an old accountant, dabbed his lips with his finger, flipping through the top document.

Upon seeing it was a loan approval report from the Finance Bureau, his brows furrowed. "Why is the Finance Bureau's report here? Isn't this usually handled by the Jin Province?"

The secretary handles party and government affairs, and Sun Weimin was careful not to overstep his bounds.

"Ahem," Lai Yunhao said awkwardly, "Jin Province said they were unaware of this loan, so it was transferred to you."

The explanation was smooth, but Sun Weimin still felt the dissatisfaction from Jin Province.

He looked at the document's heading and understood.

It was a loan receipt of 20 million yen approved by the Finance Bureau for Bangye—something he had indeed approved beyond his authority.

"Old Jin, is this a deliberate thorn in my side?"

Sun Weimin's relationship with the number two was delicate. In this position, it was impossible for the top two leaders to be completely in sync. Beyond the positional relationship, Sun Weimin found the number two's personal style quite unacceptable.

It was too ostentatious, and many things seemed contrary to party principles.

But this issue had to be addressed as work had to be done.

He picked up a pen and signed the document.

Sun Weimin couldn't help but recall the young man who had come to toast him with a bottle of alcohol at the system reform meeting.

After approving the documents, he looked up at Lai Yunhao. "Yunhao, are there any major events in the next few days?"

"Yes, there's a standing committee meeting tomorrow morning, and an event to honor outstanding provincial teachers in the afternoon the day after tomorrow, and the day after that…"

"September 10 is still far off; postpone the event." Sun Weimin waved his hand.

"Secretary Sun, do you have any plans?" Lai Yunhao immediately inquired.

"See, one shouldn't make promises lightly. When you say you'll do something, people will keep an eye on you. You have to be responsible."

Sun Weimin removed his glasses, placed them in a worn-out case on the desk, and sighed.

"Prepare for tomorrow afternoon; come with me to Bangye."

"Okay, Secretary Sun. I'll make arrangements," Lai Yunhao nodded, tidying up the documents on the desk and exiting the office.