By the end of February, more and more people had arrived in Moscow, as if hyenas from all over the world had set their eyes on the dragon's corpse lying beneath the red flag.
The authorities of Soviet Russia, still not fully stabilized after the chaos, had also noticed the "loss of state-owned assets" and begun tightening approvals for all kinds of joint projects.
Of course, not everyone knew this news.
Sophia came to see Li Ye and apologized, saying that the "comfortable and pleasant" mode of cooperation they had enjoyed recently was about to end, and that future cooperation would become "fairer."
However, implementing the policy would take time. She could help stall for a while, but Li Ye and the others needed to pick up the pace and wrap up the projects in their hands as soon as possible, lest unforeseen complications arise.
"Mr. Li, I'm truly sorry. Although all our cooperative projects have signed agreements, when the opposition becomes too loud, there's nothing I can do."
"'There's nothing I can do'—you used that idiom very well."
Li Ye was not surprised by this, because in a country with an order as chaotic as Soviet Russia's, anything could happen.
So Li Ye calmly asked, "Comrade Sophia, how much time do you think we have left?"
Sophia smiled. "Li, I can't give you an exact promise. Under normal circumstances, perhaps one week, perhaps two."
Li Ye smiled as well. "And under abnormal circumstances?"
What was normal? What was abnormal?
Wasn't it simply that, as long as there were benefits to be had, even the abnormal could be turned into normal?
Sophia's eyes lit up. She asked teasingly, "That depends on just how abnormal it is. But the projects in your hands are almost finished, aren't they? Have you set