Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

SnowFlying's goods were held up by St. Petersburg customs for almost half a month, but the customs clearance process has finally been completed.

Pavel picked first, taking all the ones he liked and working overtime to redesign them with Nike logos before handing them over to Galina, the owner of Victory Bar.

Counterfeit clothing infringes on the interests of overseas brands, and local regulatory authorities have a very low willingness to enforce the law.

storehouse.

"Are you satisfied?" Pavel asked with a smug look on his face.

"good."

Galina has already had someone conduct market research.

No matter how well a 1:1 replica is made, you can still tell the difference when you hold the two real items in your hands and compare them side by side.

But the kind of goods that Pavel provides...

The style is consistent, with only minor differences, which customers often perceive as style adjustments.

It's normal for the new and old models to have some differences in details.

"I'll take this batch of goods, and the price will be deducted from the money you owe me, according to the price we agreed on before."

Pavel beckoned to his younger brother, Sasha, who quickly ran over and handed him the jersey.

"Take a look at this."

Pavel handed Galina the sample he had obtained from Li Xiang.

"Is this also a fake?" Galina's eyes lit up as she examined it carefully.

Pavel stepped forward, leaned close to Galina's ear, and revealed his plan to smuggle fake jerseys into the EU.

Adidas is a German brand, and this World Cup is being held in Germany. Under strong pressure from Adidas, the entire European Union is taking strict measures to prevent the influx of counterfeit jerseys.

But the more restricted the selling, the greater the arbitrage opportunity; the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a large number of laid-off military personnel were re-employed and ended up in the criminal underworld.

The number of people that gangs can support is also limited, which forms a very distinctive characteristic of Russian gangs.

Spillover phenomenon.

Go abroad to seize territory.

Europe, with its strong legal system and emphasis on evidence in all matters, is a major area for the spread of Russian organized crime.

Tambov Group is one of the better examples of internationalization.

Pavel has been involved in import and export trade for many years, so getting through customs is no problem for him. However, once the jerseys are in the EU and shipped to the World Cup venue in Germany for sale, that process requires cooperation from others.

He owed Galina a high-interest loan, and cooperating with the Tambov gang was his only option.

"You used to sell clothes in a very conventional way, how come you suddenly have a breakthrough recently?" Galina looked Pavel up and down again.

"It's not because we're poor," Pavel said with an awkward smile.

"This business sounds pretty good," Galina said after a few seconds of contemplation. "It's a transaction within the EU, from any country. I'll take whatever you bring over."

"It's a deal." Pavel twirled his fingers. "Could we put down a deposit?"

Galina thought for a moment and said, "Consider the remaining balance you owe me as a deposit."

Pavel said, "I don't have the money to buy more goods right now."

"Figure it out yourself." Galina waved to her men, "Load it onto the truck."

-

Once you've been there, you'll get used to it. Pavel came to Li Xiang's house again, uninvited.

"Have you raised enough money?"

The 10 sets of jerseys that were extorted from Lao Li have already been shipped and are floating at sea. It's impossible to keep using one handle indefinitely. If they want more, they'll have to pay real money.

Li Xiang wanted Pavel to pay the money for him.

Pavel said, "All my money is tied up in goods, so I'm really short on cash. If you agree, I can transfer the house to you as a deposit."

"Fortune favors the bold. If this deal goes through, I'll buy a bigger house. Even if I lose money, I'll accept it."

"Okay." Li Xiang agreed readily. "Where is your house? I'll have someone appraise it."

"In the Petrograd district, the current market price is four million two hundred thousand rubles, so let's say four million." Pavel smiled awkwardly and held up one finger. "But I have a small request: I don't want to move for now, so you'll have to wait until after July to take possession of the house."

Li responded, "A sale does not break a lease; let's add another lease."

"Deal." Pavel was overjoyed.

Pavel's emotional reaction was very strong, but Li Xiang didn't think much of it.

Pavel had his own ulterior motives.

He owes Galina a high-interest loan. If the jersey smuggling goes wrong and he loses everything, Galina will definitely take back the house.

Transferring the house to Li Xiang now is essentially a way of cashing out.

If the day ever comes when we have no choice but to flee Russia, and all that's left is for Li Xiang and Galina to fight like dogs, then no matter who ends up killing whom, he'll pop open champagne.

-

Deutsche Bank.

"Mr. Li, these are the original documents from your private bank account. Please keep them safe." Pierce had already informed Li Xiang by phone that his approval had been granted, but Li Xiang had not come to collect the documents.

Deutsche Bank's private banking business, with a minimum investment of one million dollars, is not only known for its professional service but also as a status symbol.

Li Xiang didn't seem to care much.

"I recently bought another house in St. Petersburg and am planning to take out another loan." Li Xiang took the property deed out of his backpack and handed it to Pierce, then put away the bank documents.

Pierce reported: "Yukos' stock price has risen significantly recently, and your put options are now showing a 47% paper loss."

If you leverage your position and your unrealized losses become too large and you fail to add margin on time, you will be forced to liquidate your position.

The logic behind options is completely different.

A put option buys the right to sell a stock at a predetermined price within a specified period of time.

What you're buying is a right; even if you lose nearly 100%, that right remains unchanged.

There is no such thing as a margin call.

No matter how much Yukos's stock price fluctuates, as long as the final outcome is bankruptcy, Li Xiang's holdings will make a lot of money.

"Isn't this a perfect opportunity to increase our holdings?" Li Xiang said casually, without a trace of pressure on his face.

"Buy again?" Pierce was neither surprised nor taken aback.

"We can handle it."

"I'll keep the deed. We'll call each other again after the loan procedures are completed." Pierce looked up at Li Xiang with a smile. "Mr. Li, the bank has regulations that account managers must understand their clients and conduct KYC."

"The last house was bought with money from your family, so where did this one come from?"

Li Xiang replied, "It's to settle the debt for the goods."

"You still do business?" Pierce asked cautiously.

"My family is in the clothing business, and I help out with the reselling in my spare time." Li Xiang had expected the KYC process, and judging from Pierce's attitude, he just wanted to go through the motions.

As long as Li Xiang doesn't expose the problem, Pierce doesn't want to know too much.

Not knowing is dereliction of duty, knowing it is a crime, the nature of the two is completely different.

"I can provide the invoices for the relevant transactions."

"Then there's no problem." Pierce grinned. "The most important thing in stock trading is mindset, Mr. Li. I have a feeling that you'll make a lot of money shorting Yukos this time."

"Thank you for your kind words."

-

Russian universities typically have a one- to two-week winter break after the winter semester exams.

This year is quite a coincidence, as it happens to coincide with the Spring Festival.

However, due to the short holiday and economic factors, not all international students who have Spring Festival traditions will go home for the New Year.

Especially students from Yuenan.

The students from Yuenan who went to Russia to study were all government-sponsored students. They had no right to work and could not do part-time jobs. They were the poorest of all the students. Even their farts smelled like potatoes.

But in terms of the future, most of these government-sponsored students have promising prospects after returning to China.

In his previous life, Li Xiang had almost no interaction with these Yue Nan classmates. They were not from the same social class, and they could never get together for eating, drinking, or having fun.

By the time he realized the value of these Yue Nan classmates, they had already achieved great success.

One of his seniors, a student from Vietnam University who was two years ahead of him, rose to the position of Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade at Vietnam University.

There are plenty of people who add flowers to brocade, but there are none who offer charcoal in the snow.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Xiang took the opportunity to hold a gathering, inviting all the international students from the school who were celebrating the Lantern Festival to his home, including those from Yuenan.