When the chef returned to the private room, Igor had not yet left.
Upon seeing each other, Igor stood up and said to Song Heping, "It was a pleasure to et you."
Song Heping nodded, smiled, and did not speak.
As Igor passed by the chef, he smiled at the restaurant owner and said, "Your friend is quite an interesting fellow, stronger than you."
The chef's expression changed subtly.
After Igor left, the chef sat down next to Song Heping, glanced towards the door, and asked, "That guy's really detestable, what did he want from you?"
"He brought so business," Song Heping said.
"He brought you business?" The chef quickly reminded, "Don't get too involved with him, that guy is a madman, many people in Moscow don't like him."
Song Heping said, "He ntioned that just now."
The chef was slightly surprised, "He told you that many people don't like him?"
"That's right," Song Heping said. "He said it as soon as he ca in, ntioning he is an unpopular guy and asking whether I minded if he sat down to discuss a deal."
The chef asked, "What kind of business?"
Song Heping countered, "Is this guy from the FSB?"
The chef nodded, "Yeah, he joined during the Second Caucasus War, made quite a na for himself."
Song Heping pondered, "No wonder... he knows about my plans to build a school in Venezuela."
"He knows?!"
The chef frowned, but then his expression relaxed.
"Humph, he certainly used the FSB's intelligence assets in South Arica. This guy, really, there's nothing he wouldn't dare to do..." Suddenly, his face beca serious.
"I think he ca for ."
Song Heping said, "It seems like you really don't like him."
The chef said, "It doesn't matter whether I like him or not. We work for different bosses. My boss doesn't like this kind of person, otherwise, he wouldn't have put him on ice now. He can't even go back to working for the FSB, just left hanging with a nominal job, bench warming."
After pausing, he asked again, "What business did he bring you?"
Song Heping did not hide it and inford the chef directly, "Training business. He has a team of 300 people and says that once my school is built, whether they could train there for a year. The pay is good, one hundred thousand US dollars per person for training fees."
"Damn it!" said the chef. "You better not take his business; this guy is a troublemaker, that's why he's bench warming."
"Thirty million US dollars though," Song Heping teased. "This guy doesn't seem to be short on cash."
The chef expressed his disdain with another "Humph." "That's definitely not his money. I think soone inside the Hilawick Group is providing him with financial backing. This situation is really worriso! Looks like I need to report this to my boss."
"What is the Hilawick Group?" Song Heping asked.
"In our language, 'Hilawick' ans 'powerful person,' a more colloquial term would be 'big shot faction'. The main mbers of this group are so high-ranking military and governnt officials and tycoons in the Russian governnt—especially those who control large state-owned enterprises. So, it can also be considered the establishnt faction."
"But within this establishnt faction, there are also radicals and moderates. Like my boss, he is one of the moderates."
"Are you suggesting that the Hilawick Group is the Yellow Faction?" Song Heping was confused.
"Of course not!" the chef explained. "The Yellow Faction's ideology is very extre; they adhere to Great Slavism, advocating for the restoration of the imperial territories through war."
"However, many of the power-holders in the big shot faction are realists, and even if they agree with the Great Slav idea, they have to consider practical feasibility. Hence, many bigwigs in the big shot faction are extrely cautious of the Yellow Faction's radical restorationism. People like Igor absolutely cannot stay in the FSB and must be sent off to bench warm, to prevent such individuals from causing big trouble."
"However, among the big shots, there are individuals who are radicals and support people like Igor, always sneakily supporting them and providing financial backing. I reckon that him seeking your training for so many people is likely to be raising a private army."
"A private army?" Song Heping laughed. "Do you guys even allow him to have a private army here?"
The cook shook his head, "Russia's situation is very complex, the waters run deep."
After finishing, he frowned, "But there's one thing I don't understand..."
As he spoke, he scratched his bald head.
At this mont, the waiter began serving dishes, and the two n's conversation paused temporarily.
Once the dishes were served, the cook poured a glass of wine for Song Heping.
"I can't figure out why he dares to be so bold, to seek you out so openly, and in front of , no less, asking you to train a private army for him?"
Song Heping said, "I don't understand it either. How could he entrust with such a task on our first eting? Besides, he himself is from the FSB, why would he need to train combat personnel for him?"
The cook pinched his wine glass, beca more confused the more he thought about it, and downed the wine in one gulp, "Damn, this guy relies on being clever, always likes to play tricks."
Song Heping said, "There's definitely sothing fishy going on here. Tell , should I take the offer or not?"
The cook's gaze fell on the wine glass, and he stared intently for a long ti before finally saying, "Since he wants to play tricks with , then take the offer. Thirty million is not a small sum..."
"This thirty million isn't just for training; he also said he would send people over every year, and rent my barracks," Song Heping said. "I feel like he wants to establish a permanent presence there. Are you guys up to sothing in South Arica?"
"No," the cook shook his head, "We have a bunch of our own issues right now; our focus isn't on South Arica. Even if we were to deploy overseas, it would be Africa and the Middle East."
Song Heping said, "If the power-holders in your boss' faction are so worried about him causing trouble, why don't they just get rid of him?"
The cook gave a bitter smile, "If it were as simple as you say it would be great. As I ntioned, there are people within the faction that are secretly supporting him, and my boss knows it too. It's just that these past few years, the mbers of the Goose Yellow faction have been concealing their ambitions, behaving obediently, maintaining a sycophantic following, playing their trumpets and carrying palanquins with great zeal. Tell , how do you get rid of soone like that without chilling the hearts of many?"
Song Heping more or less guessed who the cook's boss might be.
Judging by the way he spoke, his boss could very well be a top figure within the "faction chiefs."
The fact that the cook gave up everything to return to Russia to peacefully and contentedly be a cook, Song Heping was certain that there was a huge temptation behind it.
He was perhaps just waiting for an opportunity.
"Alright, brother, let's not talk about these unhappy things. Let's drink," the cook raised his glass.
The two n downed another glass.
Only then did the cook say, "I must report this matter to my boss, knowing that it might be a trap set by Igor. It's an overt plot, and I have to go along with it. If he really does send people to your place and they end up stationed in South Arica, the situation isn't too bad. It's obvious that he's letting you monitor him, perhaps fearing that his training of a private army would arouse suspicion, so he'd rather have you act as a voluntary supervisor."
Song Heping said, "I'm not one of your people and I don't want to get involved in your disputes. I can completely refuse this business deal."
The cook thought for a mont and then said, "No, brother, you really should take this deal, consider it a favor you're doing for ."
Song Heping said, "Your favor is one thing, but in doing this, I'll essentially be helping your boss, which will inevitably offend other big shots."
The cook said, "Helping my boss will be to your advantage."
Song Heping asked, "What advantage?"
The cook replied, "Like when you ca to a few days ago asking for help recruiting pilots and maintenance technicians. If you help my boss, in Russia you'll be able to access a lot of resources."
Song Heping had to weigh the cook's words.
He had to admit, the offer was tempting.
Especially now, following his current profession, it was beneficial to have an extra route open.
Even more importantly, his school hadn't started yet, the base was still not built, and here an order for training 300 people was being handed to him.
What does a new business need the most?
Of course, business!
If he did the job well, he could build a good reputation, and his na would get out there. Why not?
"Alright, I'll do you this favor, and take on the business," he said with a laugh, "Then let earn this thirty million with tears in my eyes."
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