Coming to Him on Its Own

The money for buying into Gazprom Industrial Group had not even been raised yet, and another expense had come knocking.

One day in late March, Abramovich suddenly called.

"Misha, have you been busy lately?"

Wang Ye said with a wry smile, "Busy beyond belief. Sometimes, I really envy you. You hide away in Chukotka, far from the capital, hunting and skiing every day, or drinking coffee and smoking cigars. That's what I call living comfortably. What am I even doing this for? I'm only a vice speaker of the Duma, yet I'm busier every day than the man in the Kremlin."

He only complained like this in front of Abramovich. He was not putting on airs, because Abramovich understood how Wang Ye felt.

Sure enough, Abramovich laughed heartily when he heard that.

"You're still young. It can't be wrong to work harder while you're young.

"In a few more years, if you really get tired, you can apply for a remote region and become a governor, just like me. Siberia would be a pretty good choice.

"By the way, I'm not in Chukotka right now. Guess where I am?"

Wang Ye's heart stirred. Where was Abramovich?

He remembered that the last time they had met, Abramovich had mentioned plans to settle abroad in the future, and to...

He blurted out, "London!"

Abramovich laughed brightly. "Haha, you got it.

"There's progress on that team acquisition we discussed last time. I'm in London now, negotiating it.

"I'm planning to buy Chelsea, and the price has already been agreed upon.

"I also made contact with Arsenal on your side. Other than their asking price being a little high, there's no real issue.

"But with your resources, the price shouldn't be a problem."

Buying a Premier League club in 2003 really did not cost