Capítulo 1801: Chapter 1780: There’s Always One That’s Right for You

As it turns out, most plans don’t go as smoothly as expected. Gao Yang thought he could finish his work that day, but it wasn’t until the third day that he made some progress. He thought he could wrap things up in two days, but it took until the sixth day to see some light.

“I strongly suggest you reconsider.”

“There’s nothing to reconsider. We don’t need to meet.”

The particularly difficult phone call was cut off after a few sentences. Gao Yang held the phone in a daze. Seeing this, Selin stood up with a tense face and said, “What’s up? Didn’t it work out?”

Gao Yang shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said, “No way to even talk. I couldn’t even lay out my terms. He hung up after hearing my intention for calling.”

Selin sighed, feeling quite helpless, and said, “Sorry, all I can do is give you his number. I can’t arrange a meeting for you.”

Gao Yang sat there, contemplating what to do next.

Undoubtedly, Gao Yang’s first attempt to contact Dmitry failed. Selin couldn’t arrange a meeting for him, only managing to get Dmitry’s phone number. As the head and chief designer of the Antonov Design Bureau, Dmitry was not willing to listen to Gao Yang’s terms at all. He simply hung up after hearing that Gao Yang wanted to acquire aircraft blueprints.

Gao Yang felt he might have been too hasty. For a long time, there had been nothing he couldn’t solve with money, so he assumed that as long as he waved enough cash, everything would be sorted. But the truth showed that sometimes money can’t solve all problems, especially when the other side isn’t even willing to hear an offer.

Seeing Gao Yang’s frown and deep thought, Selin whispered, “How about we go see Mr. Kinko Wally now? He will surely meet you. We already agreed.”

Gao Yang shook his head and said softly, “No, let’s wait. Maybe waiting is better. I feel like I’ve been too impatient. Um, thank you, Selin, for what you’ve done for me. Here is fifty thousand, please keep it. When I think the time is right, you’ll need to help me get in touch with Mr. Kinko Wally again. For now, I think I should focus on drafting a more thorough plan.”

Selin accepted the payment and left, feeling satisfied.

Gao Yang got in the car driven by Nikolai Yashkov and started heading back.

Nikolai Yashkov, the taxi driver Gao Yang found in Kiev—it’s a bit of a tongue-twister, but suddenly Gao Yang realized that when he habitually treated Nikolai as his driver, he had overlooked Nikolai’s identity as a former senior engineer at the Black Sea Shipyard, and as a chief engineer leading a team.

Ever since unintentionally picking up Gao Yang as a passenger, taxi-driving engineer Mr. Nikolai Yashkov felt like his ancestors were blessing him. Gao Yang offered him a generous salary just to occasionally drive him to unfamiliar places in Kiev and to keep an eye on the place he used to frequent.

Of course, Nikolai lived up to his salary, at least never speaking out of turn and handling all tasks given by Gao Yang with the meticulousness typical of an engineer.

After moving with the Black Demon into the hideout that had been bombed to pieces, Gao Yang sent Nikolai home, so he wasn’t in any danger and didn’t even get a fright. Now that Gao Yang had no one suitable around him and needed to move around in Kiev, he called Nikolai back to drive for him.

After the negotiation with the aircraft chief designer ended before it even started, Gao Yang was startled to discover that the shipbuilding engineer beside him was quite easygoing.

Upon realizing his oversight, Gao Yang suddenly got invigorated, cleared his throat a couple of times, and smiled, “Mr. Yashkov, can I ask you something? If you were offered a chance to continue shipbuilding in Huaxia, would you take it?”

Nikolai’s hand slipped on the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve. He quickly corrected it, prompting an irritated honk from the car attempting to overtake them.

“What did you say?”

Gao Yang chuckled and softly said, “Well, I’m planning a large-scale talent exchange with Ukraine, including technical exchanges. You know, the situation in Ukraine is worsening. I feel you should leave Ukraine for a place where you can truly showcase your value.”

Nikolai quivered as he said, “But I’m old, and where would I go?”

Gao Yang smiled, “To Huaxia, of course. I mean no offense, but you should be ready for relatively basic work. I think your experience will still be of use, and despite the years, you haven’t let your expertise slip. Even if you can’t be a chief engineer, being a senior engineer shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Nikolai cleared his throat and said tremblingly, “Of course, I’d like that, but only if they’ll have me.”

Gao Yang, with great confidence, said, “They won’t just have you; they’ll welcome you. Trust me, when you and a whole team of senior engineers from the Black Sea Shipyard go to Huaxia, carrying complete shipbuilding blueprints, engine blueprints, and the like, you’ll be welcomed with open arms. I’ve heard that even outdated blueprints have great value to major industrial countries, am I right?”

Nikolai nodded repeatedly, “Of course, they’re valuable. Even if they’re not used for production, they serve as technical reserves! Transferring decades of hard-earned technical reserves from one country—it’d be foolish to refuse. Engineers are welcomed everywhere, but even the smartest engineer can’t remember every construction or design blueprint. But how could you possibly acquire the blueprints? I mean, complete design blueprints?”

Gao Yang laughed and said in a low voice, “You don’t need to worry about that. I think it might be possible. Let’s put it this way: heading to a country in its rise to power, which welcomes any highly skilled talent, surely you wouldn’t refuse to take your whole family, would you? Your children and wife, you’d take them all to Huaxia, right?”

Nikolai swallowed hard and said incoherently, “Of course, no question about it, of course, but how could it possibly be done?”

Gao Yang smiled, “Don’t worry about how I’ll do it, Mr. Yashkov, but you’ll need to help me first. In the coming days, contact some of your former colleagues for me. As long as you believe they’re talented, help me get in touch. You don’t need to discuss terms yet, just mention favorable offers. Also, if you can connect me with officials in charge of the Black Sea Shipyard, I’d like to meet them. As for everything else, just be ready to leave Ukraine at a moment’s notice.”