Our car was parked in front of a high-rise building, which is the office building of the Commercial and Trade Office of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Beijing.

Walking into the lobby on the first floor, it feels particularly deserted, there are almost no people here, and it doesn't look like a busy office building.

Tima led us to an elegant reception hall.

I looked at this traditional 50's-style Russian reception hall with great interest and felt that the building was really old.

I'm sipping the coffee that Jima brought me, and Roman is calling Valery on his phone.

At this time, a middle-aged man walked in. He looked to be forty-five or sixteen years old, of immeasurable stature, and of thin form, likewise with serious light blue eyes on his thin face. This person is Tony, the engineering supervisor of the first party of the Roman project, and the uncle of Jima who picked us up.

Tony wore a well-fitting dark suit, and the overall impression was quite lean, and he shook hands politely and greeted us about the hard work of the journey.

Roman introduced me to Tony, and from what they had said, it felt like they hadn't met, if not very well, but it wasn't the first time they'd met.

Tony seemed a little surprised by my presence. However, I found Tony to be generally expressionless, as is often said in the West that he has a typical poker face, just habitually smiling politely before he needs to speak.

Roman wants to know why Tony hasn't let Valery's engineering team start work yet? He told Tony that before he came to Beijing, he called the vice minister of commerce and trade to communicate the date of construction, and the vice minister said that the work must start on time no matter what, and he asked the commercial representative in Beijing to actively negotiate with Party B to solve the specific problem.

Roman was obviously very dissatisfied with the start of construction at Tony's address, and spoke in a very agitated tone, emphasizing that this would seriously affect the contract and damage the interests of both parties, and Roman hoped that Tony would give him a reasonable explanation.

Looking at the somewhat aggressive Roman, Tony just smiled lightly and replied unhurriedly:

- "Roman, I also hope that the project will go smoothly. I have also reported the situation to my superiors, and the problem that affects the start of construction is actually very simple: the main thing is that many of the engineering teams working with Valery are not up to standard. I can't let an unprofessional engineering team come here to do the construction! There are also problems with the quality of the building materials purchased by Valery. I had already raised these issues with Valery, but I didn't understand why Valery had been delayed. It is this delay in the start of construction, which cannot be attributed to us. In fact, as long as Valery's engineering team meets the standards, he can agree to start work at any time, and no one here wants to see the project delayed."

Finally, Tony looked at me and smiled and said:

- "I don't know what Valery is busy with right now?" He said he had been sick recently and hadn't come to work, and I hadn't seen him in days. It's not easy to rush him...... Luckily, Roman you're finally here, and we've finally got a chance to figure things out. ”

Roman told Tony that the purpose of his trip to Beijing was to start work here as soon as possible, otherwise he would not leave.

In contrast to Roman's impatience, I found that although Tony said that he would like to see the project start sooner rather than later, in fact, he was not in as much of a hurry as he said. Even I, who don't know the truth, seem to be vaguely aware that the real resistance to the start of construction seems to come from him.

Roman, who knew it, didn't seem to want to argue with Tony anymore at the moment. Now, only the key man named Valery can make everything clear.

Tony looked at his watch, it was almost time for lunch, he smiled and said to Roman that he was going to pick us up, he knew a very good Chinese restaurant, he could invite us to dinner.

Roman, who was at a loss, had little interest in eating, but he did not object.

At this time, Valery's phone called, and I saw Roman talking to him with a very unhappy expression. Suddenly, Roman drops the phone and says to Tony, Valery says he's coming over now.

Tony smiled and said, "Then we'll wait for Valery to come and go to dinner together."

Roman hung up the phone, he looked away with his chin in thought, it seemed that Roman didn't want to listen to Tony's side of the story anymore.

Tony, who was left out in the cold, didn't seem to feel much embarrassed, he looked at Roman, then looked at me and asked with a smile:

- "Where do you live?" ”

I really hadn't thought about it, and I was stopped by him all of a sudden. I said with some hesitation;

- "I haven't had time to get home yet, and I don't bother to ask where Mr. Roman lives." ”

Tony was obviously surprised to hear my answer.

At this time, Roman spoke:

- "Valery has already booked a hotel for me, Linna, can you also stay in our hotel if it is convenient for you these days?" I'll ask him to book you another room. Roman looked at me with some pleading.

I looked at Roman and felt that except for Valery, who had never shown up, there really seemed to be no one who could help him, and Roman, who was omnipotent in my mind, seemed very helpless at the moment! I didn't expect it, and I even felt a little sympathy for him.

I looked at Roman and smiled and replied:

- "Good! As I said a long time ago, you can tell me whatever you need in Beijing. ”

Roman heard my words and smiled with relief on his face.