Chapter 151: The Aircraft Deal Process

Liu Yiqian's complaints stemmed from a report about an economist named Wu Jinglian.

This economist held a very prestigious position within the country. Upon learning about the August 10 subscription form turmoil in Shenzhen, the upright and principled old man could no longer stand by. He stepped forward and angrily declared, "The Chinese stock market is even worse than a regulated casino."

His words caused a massive uproar, sending shockwaves across China. Just four days after the August 10 incident, the Shenzhen stock market had already plummeted by eight percent. Because of this single remark from the old man, it plunged into another severe crash.

Some retail investors even went to the municipal government to protest, shouting angrily in the lobby that they wanted to see the mayor. Their reason was: "Why are my stocks still dropping? Isn't this thing you created just a scam to steal our money?"

This was a true story, and it had even been reprinted and mocked by foreign media not long ago. Having endured this painful experience, Chinese investors finally began to look at stocks with calm and rational minds. The naive notion that anyone could buy stocks without knowing what they were and instantly become super-rich had vanished.

At this stage, the stock market was still declining, bringing an end to its period of wild and untamed growth. Even Liu Yiqian was having trouble reading the market, and his spirits were somewhat dampened.

Seeing his aggrieved expression, Chai Jin spoke up, "The entry price for the stocks in your hands is low; you don't need to be this pessimistic." He continued, "The stock market cannot rise forever, nor can it stay low forever. By now, there must be many major players waiting in the wings. Once the decline stops, it will definitely become a massive bull market again."

Liu Yiqian gave a bitter smile. "That may be true, but in my heart, I still feel uneasy."

Chai Jin smiled and did not delve deeper into the topic. The stock market was the primary source of funds for him at this stage, and he would never reveal a single detail about it.

Nearby, Zheng Lianshan suddenly spoke up again, "President Chai, you've signed a contract for six planes with Shenzhen Airlines. The capital involved is far from trivial. What are your plans?"

Chai Jin could tell that Zheng Lianshan was actually sounding him out, fearing that he might mess up the deal in the end, which could bring trouble down upon himself if investigations were launched. Considering things for his own safety was completely normal. Chai Jin felt no resentment and said with a smile, "I'll play it the exact same way Mou Qizhong did."

He then roughly outlined his strategy: First, use his own funds to bring in one aircraft, then ship goods to Russia while mortgaging this aircraft to a bank for a loan. He would repeat this process continuously until the transactions for all six planes were completed.

At this moment, Zheng Lianshan had no idea just how massive Chai Jin's ambitions truly were. Right now, an even bolder plan was brewing in Chai Jin's mind. This plan stemmed from some news he had recently read: his home province of Jiangnan had announced the establishment of Jiangnan Airlines last month.

With the new company just founded, it would certainly need airplanes. Since the new airline was strapped for cash, he could completely step in to fill that role, buying back the airplanes from Russia and acting as the airline's "landlord." However, he had not yet put this specific idea into practice.

Hearing this, Zheng Lianshan's expression of doubt visibly relaxed. The three of them then continued their meal, dropping any further discussion of business matters.

...

Russians were very straightforward in how they did things. After returning, Semyonov used his various connections to finally form a delegation and immediately brought them to China. He had no choice but to rush this deal through.

The Soviet Union had dissolved at the end of last year, splitting into numerous independent countries. It was like a large family where the brothers and sisters were dividing the household estate, and the family property could not possibly be split overnight. As a result, the various successor states were engaged in endless verbal disputes, each wanting to secure a larger share of the inheritance.

Former Soviet officials, in particular, had to seize the moment while the political situation and borders were still in utter chaos to leverage their remaining influence, carting away assets and turning them into merchandise to stock the warehouses of companies they registered back in Russia. After all, nobody knew what their ultimate fate would be once the dust settled.

This was the exact reason why Chai Jin had suddenly decided to expand his airplane-flipping business on an even grander scale. Semyonov had called to inform him that at an airport in Ukraine, there were twelve large Tu-154 passenger jets parked on the tarmac. His team could handle those planes, but the only requirement was speed.

When Semyonov had visited last time, he only brought a small contingent of disguised guards. This time, however, his operation was much larger, arriving directly in a chartered plane that landed at the Shenzhen airport.

After resting and adjusting for a couple of days, on September 14, the delegation arrived at Chai Jin's front company, Huasheng Trading. Chai Jin and his team were waiting to welcome them with utmost courtesy.

The massive company premises almost resembled an international exhibition hall. Chai Jin had prepared an abundance of food, red wine, and other refreshments. Guests could browse the items on display in the exhibition hall while enjoying snacks, creating a remarkably harmonious atmosphere.

The goods in the exhibition hall had been carefully screened by Chai Jin and his team multiple times, ensuring their quality was top-notch. The Russians praised everything they saw in every corner of the hall.

Seeing this scene, Chai Jin relaxed, and so did Semyonov. This single warehouse full of samples was more than enough to prove that this young man had the capability to organize such a massive supply of goods and successfully complete the transaction with them.

Old Huang, Liu Shan, and the others were entertaining the guests enthusiastically. Meanwhile, Chai Jin and Semyonov withdrew to an inner office.

Semyonov had served as a battlefield advisor in China representing the Soviet Union for a few years during the Liberation War period, so his Mandarin was extremely fluent.

Once the door was closed, he said, "Mr. Chai, how are you handling the freight transportation? That is the most important part."

Chai Jin poured him a cup of water and said with a smile, "A dedicated freight train will be dispatched from Beijing straight to Russia. Someone has already taken care of that for me. You just need to receive the goods on the Russian side when they arrive."

With that, Chai Jin wrote down a phone number and handed it to him. "You can have your subordinates verify this first to see if it's genuinely the dedicated freight train belonging to our Huasheng Trading. Once you select your goods this time, we can dispatch a full trainload within a month."

Semyonov took the number and passed it to his accompanying secretary. The secretary took the number and left the room to make inquiries.

A few minutes later, the secretary returned and nodded to Semyonov. Once this critical link was verified, a smile finally appeared on Semyonov's face.

"Apologizes. You know our situation isn't great, and I have many subordinates I need to take care of."

Chai Jin understood completely. From this, he could also deduce Semyonov's current predicament: First, Semyonov would definitely not continue a political career in Russia—whether by choice or force was impossible to guess, but at least it meant he would avoid political purges. Second, Semyonov's former subordinates would, like him, transition into the business world. Third, he could have easily flipped this batch of planes, taken the money, and fled abroad to enjoy a life of luxury like many former Soviet bureaucrats, but he chose not to do so. Instead, he stayed in Russia to establish a company, continuing to shelter and provide for his former subordinates. This showed that Semyonov was a man of deep loyalty.

Even in such a chaotic political climate where staying in the country carried the constant threat of political liquidation, Semyonov still chose not to abandon his people, proving his extraordinary loyalty.

Such a man was worthy of long-term cooperation.