Chapter 56: We are connected to you with our hearts, and you're playing mind games with us?

Inside the room, Wang De paced back and forth.

Qian Wenbing's phone call today had been too suspicious, forcing him to think deeply.

Previously, Xu Dongguo had unilaterally obstructed the progress of the second 956E purchase, while Qian Wenbing had shown concern; Wang De could interpret this as a conflict of opinion between the two leaders.

It was normal for each to have their own concerns.

The Navy's predicament was known to the entire nation, so he had very much hoped to negotiate for two 956Es at a lower price.

But now, even Qian Wenbing's attitude had changed, which forced him to suspect that something had happened.

"Could it be that something has truly happened in the Navy that I am unaware of?"

"Or is the procurement plan too costly, and they truly cannot afford that much money?"

"But that doesn't seem right. From the tone of Chief Qian's voice on the phone, he didn't sound heavy-hearted."

Wang De thought long and hard, but he truly could not figure out what was going on.

Just as he was pondering how to face Turgenev and the others later, the landline on his desk suddenly rang again.

He picked it up, and his expression instantly turned solemn.

"Yes, Chief, I understand."

After hanging up again, Wang De's confusion only deepened.

This time, even Xiao Chongjun had called.

And he had explicitly emphasized that the matter of the second 956E procurement was off the table.

"The three leaders have reached a consensus on this matter again!"

The last time this had happened was when they decided to procure the 956E in the first place.

"Something has definitely happened in the Navy!"

This thought became even more firmly rooted in his mind.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Heavy footsteps echoed in the room.

After a long moment, his body stiffened, and he let out a sigh.

"Sigh, what on earth is happening to the Navy!"

He could never have dreamed that the core technology of the 956E—which the Navy and countless military enthusiasts yearned for—had already been mastered. Even the "backdoor" left by the Russian Bear in the 956E had been resolved.

If given enough time, the Navy could even build the 956E themselves!

"Forget it, I won't think about it. I'll know when the time is ripe."

Putting aside his stray thoughts, Wang De shifted his focus back to how to deal with Turgenev and the others.

"Negotiations failed" and "Our side is not buying" were two different things.

Turgenev and his team had already been in China for nearly three months; this matter could not be brushed off with a simple sentence saying they didn't intend to buy.

If handled poorly, it could cause unnecessary trouble.

If the Navy truly had some secret, this approach would instead increase the risk of exposure.

As a negotiation representative, Wang De was no amateur; he quickly thought of many possibilities.

Regardless of whether his suspicions were true or false, he needed to be prepared in advance.

***

While Wang De was contemplating his response, inside the Beijing Foreign Guests Guesthouse.

Kovsky paced back and forth with a dark expression.

The other Russian representatives all wore varying expressions.

Turgenev said, "Kovsky, stop pacing. You're making me annoyed."

"Twenty-one days! We have waited for twenty-one days! That Wang De still hasn't sent anyone to contact us! What are they trying to do?"

Kovsky was somewhat exasperated.

Last time, following Turgenev's suggestion, they had intentionally gone silent for half a month without contacting Wang De, thinking he would become anxious.

To their surprise, the seventh round of negotiations failed directly.

This time, the headquarters had finally relented, offering a two-hundred-million-dollar discount, yet Wang De still hadn't rushed to contact them.

"We've been here for nearly three months and have achieved nothing! If this continues, the Chinese will be celebrating the New Year before we're done! Are we supposed to celebrate their New Year too?" Kovsky said urgently.

"Headquarters is still waiting for our news!"

Someone suddenly suggested, "Why don't we stop waiting and contact Wang De directly?"

"Inappropriate," Turgenev shook his head. "That would put us in a completely passive position. They are the ones who want to buy our warships; we are the ones holding the upper hand!"

"We've already conceded two hundred million dollars; if we're passive, so be it. The sooner this is finished, the sooner we can go back and report."

"I agree!"

"I agree too!"

Seeing that everyone agreed, Turgenev could only nod helplessly.

Subsequently, they contacted Wang De and arranged a time and place.

Three days later in the morning, Turgenev and the others appeared, brimming with confidence.

This was the final negotiation; they were determined to secure this order. If they delayed any longer, they really would be staying through the Chinese New Year.

"Secretary Wang, regarding the second batch of 956E procurement..."

Just as Kovsky opened his mouth, Wang De interrupted.

"Mr. Kovsky, have you been enjoying your recent stay in Beijing?"

"Enjoying it! Regarding the price..."

"I'm glad to hear that. If there are any gifts you'd like to take back, just say the word, and we will do our best to accommodate you."

"As for gifts, I think that... no, I didn't come here today to talk about that..."

"I know, I know. Mr. Kovsky, you are being considerate of our Navy's lack of funds by declining gifts. But regardless, we must fulfill our duties as hosts."

No matter how Kovsky tried to steer the conversation back to the 956E, Wang De would skillfully deflect it.

After half an hour, Kovsky felt numb. He realized that in terms of verbal sparring, he was no match for Wang De.

Kovsky looked to Turgenev for help. Turgenev understood immediately and spoke up.

"Mr. Wang, let's stop beating around the bush. We will reduce the original price by another two hundred million dollars! This is our sincerity!"

Wang De, who had been smiling, suddenly looked helpless and let out a heavy sigh.

"Gentlemen, our Navy truly has no money. Forget a two-hundred-million-dollar reduction; even if we cut the price in half, we still couldn't afford it."

"To tell you the truth..."

Another half hour passed. Wang De looked dejected, his expression as if he had suffered a great grievance.

On the contrary, Kovsky and the others were sitting on pins and needles, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Mr. Wang, don't say any more. This agreement is indeed inappropriate; we failed to consider things thoroughly."

"That won't do. How will you report back to headquarters? Let me try to think of another way."

"It's fine, we have a way."

"Gentlemen, I will remember this kindness. In the future, if you come to China, let me know in advance, and I will certainly host you well. I'll go prepare some gifts for you now..."

With a heavy expression, Wang De stood up, shook hands with them, and left.

"Mr. Wang is such a good person," Kovsky and the others remarked emotionally.

The final negotiation had failed, but under Wang De's "heart-to-heart" talk, Kovsky suddenly felt: *Damn it, why are we selling it so expensively? We are truly heartless!*

Only Turgenev, who had dealt with the Chinese a few times, looked puzzled. He felt as though something had gone wrong in some part of the process, but he couldn't pinpoint where.

As soon as they returned to their quarters, while the others were still considering how to explain this to headquarters, Turgenev suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Damn! We've been played by Wang De!"

Kovsky sighed, "Turgenev, don't overthink it. Wang De has it hard too. The Chinese Navy has it hard. They live so frugally, and we are still trying to sell them the 956E at a high price. We are the ones in the wrong. I'll tell headquarters in a moment that this deal..."

"Kovsky, you're being foolish!" Turgenev, having realized the truth, snapped, "Think about it. What was Wang De's reaction during the previous rounds? They had already reached 1.3 billion dollars, and now suddenly they can't even produce 900 million? How much time has passed? There is clearly something wrong!"

"Huh?"

Turgenev quickly explained. After listening, the group immediately snapped out of their emotional state.

"You mean... we were played by Wang De?"

"That damn Wang De! We were opening our hearts to him, and he was playing mind games with us!"