When Simon appeared at the reception in the hall downstairs, the atmosphere seemed to be very lively, and a certain little dot who didn't recognize his life at all looked like he was at ease in the crowd, and he happened to know what to say, which caused everyone to laugh.

Seeing Simon, the little guy who was being held in the arms of Girl A immediately leaned over to Simon and shouted for Dad to hug.

So the atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.

Simon Westeros, of course everyone knows him.

Tonight's cocktail party was initiated by the other party.

It's just that no one knew that this lovely little girl was actually Westeros's daughter, and some people who knew about Simon's personal situation were even more puzzled, but they didn't doubt that with this young man's status, it was not surprising that one or two illegitimate daughters appeared.

Simon took the little girl, and when he saw that the child brought a nut muffin to his mouth, he ate it in one bite, and bit Nina's little hand, which made him giggle.

After an intimate interaction, Simon whispered a few words to the child's ear.

The little girl was actually taught by Shulshikina to be very sensible, but her personality was the opposite of her mother's extroverted type, she was not afraid of heaven and earth, and she liked to pester Simon. However, when he heard Simon solemnly say that he had something serious to talk about, he immediately nodded his head obediently, let Simon send her back to Girl A's arms, and waved his hand at Simon obediently to say goodbye.

When Girl A left with the child in her arms, Simon began to greet everyone in the hall one by one.

Tonight's attendees were mainly high-level officials of the Leningrad region, where the city of St. Petersburg is located, as well as the backbone of the management of the Westeros system in Russia.

Simon is well acquainted with the direction of Russian history.

After the turn of the millennium, Russia was largely controlled by the former St. Petersburg gang for twenty years.

Thus, from the outset, Simon focused the Westeros system's operations in Russia on St. Petersburg, rather than on Moscow, where oligarchs gathered, including Mikhail Friedman's Alpha Group, a range of industries directly or indirectly controlled by the Westeros system in Russia, most of which were headquartered in St. Petersburg.

Over the course of a few years, the relationship between the Westeros system and the unformed St. Petersburg gang can be imagined.

Because of Simon's attendance, the major factions in St. Petersburg, which were already at loggerheads with each other, all appeared at the reception tonight in a friendly manner, and kept an eye on Westeros's movements in the hall. After all, this young man's wealth and power are too great, and those oligarchs in Russia are completely pediatric in front of each other.

Add to that Simon's operations in Ukraine, and it's hard to say whether St. Petersburg will become the next Rivni.

If this is the case, it will certainly not hurt to be friendly with the other party, and the attitude of the other party towards everyone tonight is likely to mean the future political situation of St. Petersburg.

Simon was able to understand the mentality of the crowd in general, so he was more cautious.

After greeting and entertaining for more than half an hour, he basically chatted, and finally came to a short, middle-aged man with thinning hair and a stereotyped face that was obviously a little unsmiling, and raised his glass to the other party: "Hello, Vladimir." ”

The middle-aged man didn't seem surprised that Simon called his name directly, and also raised his glass: "Hello, Mr. Westeros." ”

Simon had a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he was a little straight to the point: "I know something about you, the gray cardinal of Smolny Palace, heh, after Sobchak left, are you sure about your next plan? continue to stay in the city government, or something else?"

Smolny Palace, where the city of St. Petersburg is located, where Lenin directed the October Revolution.

The gray cardinal of Smilny Palace, to put it bluntly, is roughly the one behind the scenes. This is a nickname given to someone in St. Petersburg in recent years, because Sobchak is only a university professor, has no governing talents, and likes to travel everywhere, so many of the affairs of the city government are actually handled by him, a former student and deputy mayor.

Therefore, it is also possible to see someone's ability.

When the middle-aged man heard Simon mention the title of 'Grey Cardinal of Smolny Palace' with a little ridicule, he still smiled a little reservedly, shook his head, and said, "Not yet, but definitely not in the city government." ”

"Would you be interested in working for me?"

The middle-aged man was finally a little surprised: "Huh?"

Simon said: "It's to go into business, you know, it's a common practice in Western politicians to serve the country for a few years and then leave the post to go into a private career. ”

"Mr. Westeros, I don't know much about business. ”

"Anyone starts from scratch in everything they do, there is no one who is born with the ability to do anything, and besides, working for me doesn't have to be in business. ”

The middle-aged man hesitated slightly, glanced at his mentor Sobchak not far away, and finally looked over, and said, "Mr. Westeros, I admit that I am very attracted by your invitation, but if you want me to work for you, you need to agree to my request first. ”

"What?"

"Use your influence in Moscow to help Anatoly get out of the predicament he finds himself in at this time. ”

Anatoly is Sobchak's name.

Simon nodded directly, and said, "No problem, but you can do it yourself." ”

"Huh?"

Simon said: "I have just talked to some people, and soon someone will invite you to work in Moscow, the position will not be too low, and when the time comes, you can use your position to help Mr. Sobchak out of trouble." ”

The middle-aged man didn't react for a while.

Simon raised his hand and patted the other man on the shoulder, and said: "Vladimir, one day you will understand, and then, you can be when I didn't say what I just said, or just a joke." Don't turn down an invitation from Moscow, though. ”

After saying this, Simon decisively left and walked to the others.

In the past, one of the reasons why someone became Yeltsin's final chosen successor was actually a 'betrayal', after entering Moscow, in order to help his mentor who had suffered political oppression get out of prison, he privately sent the other party out of Russia, and then calmly went to Yeltsin to 'turn himself in'.

Because Sobchak was also an opponent of Yeltsin.

As a result, Yeltsin did not pursue the matter, but saw from it that the other party did not hesitate to lose his job's loyalty for the sake of his former mentor and boss, and finally made up his mind.

At this moment, no one knows what this conversation in the eastern suburbs of St. Petersburg, which lasted less than 1 minute, really means.

Simon stayed at the reception for more than ten minutes before leaving.

The next day was June 1.

Saturday.

Simon set off again early in the morning and flew directly to the capital of Rivne Oblast in northwestern Ukraine. The Westeros system-invested airport has been put into operation and no longer needs to be diverted from Kyiv.

Prior to Simon's arrival, another Westeros system 'weeding operation' in Rivne had begun.

Unlike Russia, which has stabilized for the time being, Ukraine's economic downturn has not stopped.

According to Ukraine's domestic economic data in the past few months this year, Ukraine's GDP in 1996 is expected to fall by about 10% compared with 1995. It's always hard for the average person to intuitively understand these economic data, but if you're in the middle of it, you can understand what it means for a country's GDP to fall by 10% in a year.

Today's Ukraine is home to high unemployment, soaring crime, political turmoil, and a massive exodus of hopeless people, worse than the Great Depression of the thirties in the United States.

However, Rivne Oblast, located in the northwest of Ukraine, has become almost the only bright spot in the country because of the Westeros system's unsparing operation.

For ordinary people, this is the best place to make a living.

As a result, the population of Rivni, now the richest man in Rivne Oblast, has continued to soar to more than 700,000 people. After all, although fleeing to Western Europe seems to be a better way out, too many people are still reluctant to leave their homeland if they can stay in a familiar country.

On the other hand, in the eyes of others, the vibrant Rivne region is undoubtedly a piece of fat.

Simon only needs to get control of this area, and as for the benefits, he has never thought of having it alone, and he has not even thought about making any profit from this ruined land, because he can't afford it. Therefore, for many projects here, Simon should not give less benefits at all.

However, because of greed, some people in this country at this time are almost like the oligarchs in Russia who have fallen into madness, thinking that they can stuff anything into their pockets.

So they kept trying to get more from the area.

To be exact.

Actually, it's asking for more from Simon.

When Simon's private jet landed at Rivni Airport, the matter was basically over, leaving only a few important matters for Simon to make a personal decision.

This time, he did not enter the villa in the south of the city.

Simon and his entourage left the airport in the western suburbs and rushed directly through the city to Simon's hot spring estate in the north of the city.

Because of the summer, it is Saturday, and the prosperity and vitality of this sunlit city are even more obvious.

Of course, there are also things that cannot be hidden in the sun.

For example, when Simon's motorvoy crossed a street in the north of the city, a building on the side of the road was still shockingly blackened, as if it had just been caught in a fire, and when he passed by, he could even smell the smell of burnt in the air when he pulled down the window.

In fact, just three days ago, at two o'clock in the morning, the building had just undergone an arrest operation.

Or anti-crime operations.

The Rivni police made a decisive attack to clear up a gang based in this dance hall, during which there was an exchange of fire, during which one police officer was killed and two were seriously injured, and the dance hall also caught fire in the crossfire.

As for the insider.

It's Simon slashing off tentacles that shouldn't be reaching into the city.

The operation was preceded by the arrest of a deputy mayor who had just been transferred to Rivni at the beginning of the year by the Rivni police, and Celia Miller personally represented Simon in strong negotiations with the Kiev side, which eventually forced some people to compromise.

This is just one of the weeds this time.

There is also the interior of the Westeros system on the Rivne side, especially the UFMS.

Simon's control over this private army is far stricter than in the economic field, and if someone wants to make money in Rivne Oblast, if they feel that it is bearable, they will turn a blind eye, but whoever dares to try to mix sand into this private army will completely touch Simon's red line, and will not be polite at all.

Therefore, this time, he did not hesitate to clean up a group of restless people again, and six of them directly evaporated from the world.

Arriving at the spa estate north of Rivni, this one is also in full swing.

UFMS sent 300 armed elites to be stationed around the manor, and the manor was repeatedly checked by the private team of the Westeros family who arrived in advance to ensure that there were no eavesdropping equipment or security risks.

Simon gets out of the car in front of the main villa on the estate, and Celia Miller is greeted by her assistant Emily.

In addition, there are eight girls standing in front of the villa who are as fresh and tender as small shallots.

It's like the scene when Simon first arrived at the villa in the south of the city.

This is the second batch.

In fact, Grace helped pick it up.

Elite has started the new annual Elite World Elite Model Contest around the world since April, because of Simon's layout in Ukraine, Grace, who is close to Simon's feet, also attaches great importance to the event in Ukraine, and said that she would help Simon choose some more girls.

Apparently there are eight not far away.

It seems that the age is about the same as the original six girls, the same immature, the same tall, the same small shallots.

After saying hello, Simon ignored the girls, but noticed that Celia obviously had something to talk to him, so he led her directly into the villa and into a study.

"Boss, before you came, I received a call from Moscow. Celia said, already sending a memo to Simon, and said: "The other party said that her name is Tatyana, and she just met with the boss last night, and she hopes that the boss will go to Moscow after finishing the trip to Ukraine." ”

Simon took the document from Celia, and it was a very simple address in Moscow.

I roughly understand what is going on.

Actually, it's understandable.

What Simon said to someone last night in that private house on the eastern outskirts of St. Petersburg was shocking. On closer inspection, this is almost tantamount to directly controlling the future of a country, and it is not a dilapidated effect like Ukraine, but a big country whose underlying strength should not be underestimated.

That's one thing.

On the other hand, Simon's simple remarks about the arrangement of the Yeltsin family are really hard to convince.

Hence the need for some face-to-face communication.

Moreover, it is obvious that the object of communication this time is definitely no longer Tatyana last night, since the other party invited Simon to go directly to Moscow, then it is actually obvious who to meet with in private.

Glancing at the address on the file again, Simon instructed Celia to find a lighter.

Direct ignition.

Simon didn't plan to go to the appointment.

The choice has been given, and how to choose in the future is the other party's business. Too much meddle at this time, in fact, there is a high probability that it will be counterproductive.