Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

55. My brother-in-law is released from prison

"You're so insidious! You told me this was a joint crime, a pledge of loyalty. I thought we'd be in the same boat after this, but it turns out I'm all alone." Galina said indignantly.

Li Xiang rebuked him vehemently, "What have you been doing in the Tambov Gang all these years? When something goes wrong, the underlings take the blame, while the boss only pays for their resettlement. You want to stick with me? Do you even have a brain?"

Galina pouted and remained silent for a while before emphasizing again, "At the police station, they all told me that as long as I implicated you, I wouldn't go to jail. I didn't betray you, so I think I passed the test."

"You have the nerve to accuse me of leaking information? With your background, who wouldn't want to trade you for their future!"

Galina was a little agitated. While arguing, she pointed at Li Xiang and even tried to stand up.

Li Xiang turned his face to the side and reminded him, "Sit down."

Galina sat back down in the water, her two large white breasts submerged, and continued to argue, "The police must have been watching you for a long time. I accidentally took a knife for you. You should thank me; I brought you good luck."

"Stop patting yourself on the back. I'll ask you one last question. Think it over carefully before you answer; there's no second chance." Li Xiang asked slowly, his face stern, "What's your relationship with Kumarin of the Tambov Gang?"

Galina's heart skipped a beat.

"It's okay."

Galina and Li Xiang looked at each other. Seeing that Li Xiang didn't speak, Galina bit her lip and added, "I hope it has nothing to do with him, but some things can't be changed."

Galina's voice trailed off, "He is my half-brother."

Galina resumed speaking at her normal volume and continued, "I am indeed an undercover agent sent by the Kumarin family to your side. You made me watch 'Infernal Affairs,' and you already guessed it. I'm not afraid to admit it, but I just feel unconvinced. I didn't betray you."

"You haven't had a chance to betray me yet." Li Xiang's icy expression gradually melted as he asked, "What task did your brother give you?"

"This is the second question, and I refuse to answer it." Galina picked up a towel, wrapped herself in it, and got up from the pool. "The mission failed, so I'm leaving on my own. Don't tell anyone about my relationship with the Kumarin family."

Li Xiang was still soaking in the pool when he turned his head and asked, "Do you still remember the test question I left you last time? Hurry up and finish the solution for me."

"Okay, okay! You're making such a fuss even though you're not getting paid."

Galina didn't turn around, continuing to walk away, a smile playing on her lips. "I really don't want to go back to that cannibalistic place in Tambov."

-

After taking a shower, Li Xiang returned to his residence, locked the door from the inside, and moved the mural aside. Behind the mural was a safe, which Li Xiang had installed himself after moving in.

He opened the safe compartment, took out a Blackberry phone, and dialed Elena's landline.

"I heard you had a bit of a problem. You were able to call me, so it seems like everything's alright." Elena was practicing yoga and was using speakerphone to answer the phone.

"It's just a misunderstanding. They're not here for us. Just wait to collect your money."

Elena frowned and snapped, "Don't discuss business matters on this phone. This is the landline. Are you out of your mind?"

Li Xiang admitted his mistake, saying, "I forgot. I was only thinking about using my spare phone. I'll definitely be more careful next time."

Elena offered a double entendre: "If you're under a lot of pressure, take a break."

Li Xiang smiled slightly and said, "I was just afraid you'd worry, so I called to let you know. Everything is as usual. The money will arrive in seven days. Bye."

Li Xiang hung up the phone, but Elena was a little confused.

I already reminded him once not to talk about money laundering on this phone, why did he still bring it up? What does he mean? Seven days for the money to arrive? It was supposed to be three months.

Wasn't this meant for me?

Elena gave a wry smile and continued doing her yoga.

Elena couldn't be sure if the landline at home was being tapped; she could only say it was a possibility. According to her agreement with Li Xiang, if they absolutely had to make a call, they would use an anonymous SIM card, which they would discard after use.

-

If this arrest operation was indeed just a misunderstanding, as Chief Sokolov said.

The large group of people who suddenly appeared on Li Xiang's "hostile list" should have disappeared gradually as the misunderstanding was cleared up, but in reality, they did not.

These people came specifically for him.

Catching the thief red-handed, the 30 million rubles hidden in the can is Li Xiang's current Achilles' heel.

How can I make this money safe?

It's actually quite simple. Just make the other party think that the dirty money has been laundered and flowed overseas, and that the evidence is gone, so they will naturally stop investigating.

That's why Li Xiang deliberately made that call, gambling on his luck, just in case he was being tapped.

To make the performance convincing, words alone are insufficient; the $950,000 actually needs to be transferred to Elena. Only by receiving the money can Li Xiang's profit-sharing scheme be proven viable, and only then can Elena's subsequent reactions appear genuine.

Only then can they deceive those investigating behind the scenes into believing that the money is truly gone.

One thing Chief Sokolov wasn't lying about: in less than three days, in just one and a half days, the Pushkin district had completed the verification of the banknote serial numbers and notified Li Xiang to send someone to the police station to collect the money.

Li Xiang didn't go; his lawyer, Petrov, handled it for him.

He took all the cash and the investigation certificate issued by the Pushkin District Police Station, found a nearby bank, and transferred the money to the Hong Kong account designated by Li Xiang.

The purpose of the remittance was stated as payment for server accounts.

After the money entered the Hong Kong account, Li Xiang transferred the funds to the UK via online banking before finally depositing them into the receiving account designated by Elena.

This is a shell company registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Of the one million raised from selling the house, 95 was transferred to Elena, a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Now the money for buying the server is nowhere to be found, and we still need to find a solution.

-

Of the seven oligarchs who once held absolute power in Russia, some are in exile, some are in prison, and only Potanin and Friedman remain in power.

Potanin took the helm at Norilsk Nickel, while Friedman took the helm at Alfa Group.

As the power center shifts, Russia has seen the emergence of many new oligarchs, the most representative of whom is this year's richest man—Roman Abramovich.

Acquired the English Premier League club Chelsea, elected governor, and moved between Britain and Russia.

Potanen, Friedman, and Peter Evan, the number two figure in the Alfa Group, are three "old guys" who have successfully transitioned from the old era. They often get together to play cards and talk about old friends.

Friedman: "I heard you've taken a fancy to that dirty worker under Khodorkovsky."

Potanin glanced up at Friedman and continued playing his card, "Their family would rather go to jail than turn around and bite their master. When you raise a dog, you have to raise this kind of loyal one."

"You mean Andrei Ivanov?" Evan confirmed.

Friedman: "You know him too?"

As Evan played his cards, he said, "Last week, Chakhodolkovsky's asset recovery team borrowed a group of police officers from Moscow to go to St. Petersburg to handle the case."

"It looks like they grabbed their white gloves."

"Did you catch him?" Potanin asked.

Friedman: "If we caught him, would he even know? He'd definitely make a fool of himself if we didn't catch him."

Evan: "What I heard is that they were released a few hours after they were caught, apparently with Gusinski's help, but I don't know the specifics."

Friedman chuckled as he looked at Potanin, adding fuel to the fire: "Looks like our old friend wants to take the toy from you. He's not having an easy time overseas, so just let him have his way."

Potanin suddenly lost interest, threw his cards on the table, and said, "I'm not playing anymore, I'm going to make a phone call."

Evan grumbled, "He's cheating again. He makes up excuses as soon as he knows he's going to lose."

Potanin went to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and only started making a phone call after he finished smoking.

"Tell Andrei that, as a sign of sincerity, I will release his son first."