1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 528 Opening Ceremony (Part 1)
Banks are not only the ticket to capital, but also the key to the center of power.

No matter how large their trade and smuggling operations become, they are still just opportunistic businessmen in the eyes of politicians.

However, by binding the finance, foreign affairs, and military departments with banks, they will become recognized cooperative financiers.

This is why Zhai Yuan told Alexei that arms dealing was a poor man's game.

Far Eastern Bank

This was Zhai Yuan's first real step into the upper echelons of capital.

The paid-in foreign exchange margin of US$1500 million was frozen at the central bank headquarters.

Mayor Popov first followed the rules and openly took 10%, and the remaining amount was passed around to the heads of various departments two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times...

This deposit, originally intended to support the brand and reputation, has become nothing more than a string of numbers on paper, effectively achieving the goal of freezing assets.

It's May now.

Zhai Yuan stood at the entrance of the Far Eastern Bank, which was under renovation, and counted on his fingers.

With just over a year left before the collapse of the empire, the Far Eastern Bank had enough time to make a killing in the Soviet Union, accumulate capital, and wait for the second wave of dividends after the disintegration.

There was a time when I even considered saving the crumbling empire, since only if the Big Brother survived could it attract American firepower.

But as things stand now, no medicine can save him.

Then let's just let each person take care of themselves, since the father is dead and the mother is remarried.

Zhai Yuan smiled and waved to Li Zhi, who was standing to the side, as he watched the citizens who had gathered around to watch the commotion caused by the renovation.

After arriving in Moscow, although the food was a bit worse, it did not affect the development of his voluptuous secretary at all. Her waist became even thinner, and her bust and hips became even more voluptuous, which made Zhai Yuan unable to resist pulling her into his arms and caressing the exaggerated curves between Li Zhi's waist and hips with his palm.

Zhai Yuan glanced at the gathered crowd, leaned close to her ear and asked, "How's the flyer printing going? I see the renovations are progressing well; we can get those White Russian women into their uniforms and start doing the promotions."

Lizhi let out a soft murmur and nestled in Zhai Yuan's arms for a few more moments. Even though she was a few years older, her eyes still held a hint of a young woman's adoration.

She rubbed her chin against Zhai Yuan's chest and asked, "You've even built a bank, and I, as your secretary, am still learning Russian. I can't help you at all. Aren't I useless?"

When women ask this kind of question, they are usually not looking for a real answer, but rather for emotional support from the man.

Zhai Yuan gently traced her waistline with his fingertips and teased her in a low voice, "Of course it works. I even used it until the early hours of last night."

Lizhi shuddered sensitively, blushed, pushed Zhai Yuan, and turned to walk into the Far East Bank's glass door, which was only half-open.

Zhai Yuan looked at the woman's voluptuous figure, even more impressive than that of a Belarusian woman, hidden beneath her trench coat, and clicked his tongue in admiration.

Tell me how you developed.

In terms of her professional skills as a secretary, Lizhi is indeed only slightly better than the interns; she is basically equivalent to a personal assistant.

This position is not uncommon in the Hong Kong film industry. For example, there is Chen Desen, who is in charge of Chen Shilong's food, clothing and accommodation, and Tian Qiwen, who wakes up Zhou Xingchi every day. After all, Boss Zhai's persona is not afraid of being embroiled in scandals. It's just that the man has been replaced by a woman.

Some things may sound unpleasant to hear, but in reality, whether you're doing legitimate business or shady dealings, the more partners you have, the more favor you'll gain from your business partners.

This applies to both politics and business: married people are more trustworthy than unmarried people. If you say you've been a virgin for thirty years and are still pure, no one will want to hang out with you.

After all, you've never tasted or seen it before, so who knows if you might suddenly be tempted and get involved with an entire interest group.

Even if a woman like Li Zhi has no special skills, Zhai Yuan still has to take her with him when he goes out.

Getting things done? We have a professional accounting and finance team!

The trade and economic team brought in from Hong Kong, plus the local talent poached from specialized banks in the past two days, is enough to support this bank in the Moscow Far East.

However, Zhai Yuan's goal is not as simple as just one company.
Besides Moscow, other economically vibrant cities like Yekaterinburg, Kyiv, Vologda, and St. Petersburg will be able to expand outwards once the Far Eastern Bank of Moscow has established a firm foothold.

Otherwise, given the Soviets' unworldly attitude, they might not even be able to spend their HK$50 billion in a year.

Zhai Yuan stood at the bank entrance and let the cold wind blow on him.
Before long, Lizhi came out with a group of tall, beautiful White Russian girls.

In May, the temperature in Moscow was below 10 degrees Celsius. The women, all wearing white shirts underneath blue uniforms, pencil pants, and high heels, with light makeup on their faces, created a unique scene as they walked out of the glass door, immediately attracting the attention of the surrounding citizens.

The Belarusian girls lined up, smiling, and handed out stacks of leaflets, still smelling of ink, to the citizens.

"Welcome to Far Eastern Bank!"

Please note the opening date of Far Eastern Bank.

Far Eastern Bank, a commercial bank that can lend US dollars.

The eye-catching flyers, printed with bright red and blue hues, made the onlookers hesitate before taking them. After a brief examination, they couldn't help but swallow hard.

The building sign of 'Far Eastern Bank' is prominently printed on the full-color, fine oil paper.

More striking than the bank buildings are the greasy fried chicken, hamburgers, coffee, and fries, comparable in scale to KFC and McDonald's.

On January 31, 1990, the first McDonald's opened in Pushkin Square in Moscow. On the first day, more than 30,000 people lined up, making it a landmark building for the reformists' opening up of the economy to the outside world.

However, the McDonald's in Pushkin Square was only open for a month. Due to the lack of an independent agricultural production and supply system, it had to put up a sign for limited supply, and the price soared to the level of a worker's daily wage for a serving of fries, yet it was still in short supply.

But this Western fast food also came into the view of the Soviet people.

"Deposit today, live with peace of mind tomorrow."

Outside the Far Eastern Bank, a weathered worker held a flyer, his gaze shifting from the hamburgers and fried chicken to the words he mumbled indistinctly: "Secure your future, starting with a cup of hot coffee..."

The flyer contained the main text of the announcement in bold.

'

Dear depositor,
Far Eastern Bank is about to open. During the opening period, anyone who opens a savings account with our bank will not only have their funds protected, but will also enjoy real care for you and your family every day.

For every 500 rubles deposited, you will receive a free loaf of fresh rye bread.
Deposit 3000 rubles and you can collect a freshly brewed coffee at our VIP lounge every Saturday and Sunday.
Deposit 10000 rubles or more, and our bank will prepare a monthly family gift package for you (including milk powder, cooking oil, sugar, canned goods, etc.).

The longer the deposit period, the more generous the benefits.

Note: Our bank will provide more professional and attentive services to high-net-worth clients.
Deposits exceeding 50000 rubles will receive a Far East membership card, granting access to exclusive items such as Western-style cocktail parties, imported spirits, and cigarettes. Deposits exceeding 100000 rubles will receive an opportunity for an overseas business trip or imported appliances (color TV, VCR, refrigerator).

For special VIPs with deposits exceeding 500000 rubles, our bank will assign you a dedicated account manager who will personally visit you to ensure that investment and lifestyle services are tailored to your family.

Note: The gift can only be enjoyed if the deposit period is more than three months. If the deposit is withdrawn in advance, the eligibility for the gift will be automatically cancelled.

Far Eastern Bank, making your life more convenient and better.

'

In the cold wind, flyers were handed out one by one.

The surrounding citizens whispered among themselves, and the murmurs gradually rose. Some of the quicker ones grabbed the arms of the White Russian girls and waved leaflets to ask them questions.

"Comrade, is this information true?"

"Of course, we are a state-approved, legitimate commercial bank, so you can rest assured."

"Save 10000 rubles, and you'll have baby formula and canned food every month?"

"Yes, Far Eastern Bank has deposited US$1500 million as collateral with the National Bank. We will repay our customers who trust us with the utmost sincerity."

"Can I deposit money and withdraw it on the same day?"

"Sorry, you need to have a deposit period of at least three months to enjoy the service..."

The elegantly dressed Belarusian girls underwent a week-long pre-job training.

When faced with questions and doubts from those around them, they all wore a formulaic smile and answered fluently.

Because Belarusian women age and lose their figure easily, these future saleswomen are all around twenty years old.
Looks and figure are also a resource, so in addition to a basic salary of 200 rubles per month, they also have free meals, toilet paper and cosmetics to enjoy, which is better than the treatment of the wives of officials.

The Belarusian girls darted through the crowd like swimming fish.
They then dispersed to various streets and distributed their flyers to areas with high pedestrian traffic.

In early June,
Far Eastern Bank's promotional flyers have appeared on the streets of cities as close as Odintsovo and Balashikha to as far as Vladimir and Yaroslavl.

At the same time, national television, radio, and newspapers also began to exert their influence.

The news anchor, with a smile on his face, interrupted the broadcast:
Far Eastern Bank is a socialist commercial bank that serves the working people and safeguards their funds. We protect your funds and care about your daily needs…

The radio commentator's tone was full of authority:

The Far Eastern Bank has entrusted $1500 million in foreign exchange reserves to the state to ensure the safekeeping of every ruble. New savings account holders can receive fresh rye bread daily to provide nutritional support for their families, and freshly brewed coffee weekly to warm their working lives.

The headline on the front page of the newspaper was eye-catching:

'Far Eastern Bank – a bridge between national trust and people's lives; all workers actively participate in savings, jointly building a better socialist life.'

In addition to mentioning meat, eggs, and dairy products, all the promotional slogans also included high-return deposit interest rates.

At that time, the interest rate for fixed deposits offered by the central bank and a number of specialized banks generally fluctuated around 3% per year, because they were promoting the safety slogan of "not going bankrupt" and treated everyone the same regardless of the amount of deposits.

However, before Far Eastern Bank even opened, a large sign saying "6% annual interest rate" was posted on the bank's exterior wall.

Long-term deposits earn extra interest, further reinforcing the idea that the longer you deposit, the more you earn.

"Phew! Anyway, the Soviet Union is about to collapse, so it doesn't matter if I give them a little bit of capitalist sugar-coated bullets."

Zhai Yuan stood on the second floor of the former opera house, now converted into a VIP lounge, his hands in his trench coat pockets, looking down at the crowd of citizens gathered at the entrance through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Everything proceeded smoothly as expected.

After this trip to the Soviet Union, when we return to Hong Kong, the Far East's reputation will be able to rival those of the old-established foreign firms...

In mid-August,
Honghuang officially established a trading company called Hongshi Trading Company in Yanjing.
Zhai Yuan holds 10% of the shares, and Hong Huang holds 28%.

In this way, a train traveling from Yanjing (Beijing) to Ulaanbaatar to Moscow, loaded with several carriages full of supplies, sped along the vast Trans-Siberian Railway, crossing wastelands, snow-capped mountains, and rivers, and finally slowly came to a stop at a freight station outside Moscow.

Outside the freight station, a squad of Moscow railway guards were on duty, carrying rifles.

As the train arrived at the station, several guards in dark blue uniforms approached the train with wary eyes, intending to check the customs declaration documents.

"My dear comrades, you can leave work early now."

Just as the guards approached with their guns drawn, a military vehicle drew near the station.

Orlov stepped out of the car with a defiant smile, wearing a military uniform with medals jingling all over his front.

In the cold wind, dozens more vehicle lights turned on, piercing the night, and parked outside the freight station.
Rows of soldiers with rifles and pistols advanced in neat formation, reaching Orlov's side and blocking several guards outside the train carriage.

"stand at attention!"

At Orlov's command, the sound of his boots pounding down was like a heavy hammer hitting the ground, making the guards' eardrums ring slightly.

He glanced at the guards who were looking at each other in bewilderment, no longer daring to approach the train, a sneer playing on his lips, and waved his hand: "Unload!"

…………

Dozens of military vehicles returned fully loaded. Except for meat, eggs, and milk, which required renting special cold storage, most of the remaining supplies were neatly stacked in the warehouses originally used to store weapons. As for the weapons that were freed up, they were randomly piled up in the snowy mountains and forests.

"With these logistical reserves, Far Eastern Bank can officially open for business."

Zhai Yuan walked into the warehouse, looked at the neatly arranged boxes in front of him, and grinned at Orlov beside him: "General Orlov, the Far East Bank is no longer just my business. You also have a 5% stake. You should treat it as a serious business."

Far Eastern Bank's shareholding is unrestricted; Zhai Yuan could own 100% if he wanted to. However, he still allocated a portion of his shares to align himself with interest groups.
After deducting generals, mayors, ministers... and other miscellaneous titles, Zhai Yuan now only holds 74% of the shares.

The burly Orlov embraced both of them, while two White Russian girls in bank uniforms lit a fire beside him, their smiles ingratiating, and began grilling steaks in the warehouse.

Authentic mainland yellow cattle, made from scraps of frozen beef, extruded and blended, high quality and inexpensive.

The steak sizzled in the pan, releasing its oil, and the warehouse was filled with the aroma of meat.
Orlov looked up at Zhai Yuan, squeezed the White Russian girl's chest in his arms a couple of times, and grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth: "Don't worry, Boss Zhai. The depositors' money is only a small part. For the sake of our bank, I will bring you more and bigger orders, and you only need to pay a small reward like this, such as these steaks, such as these women..."

(End of this chapter)