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They wouldn't mistakenly assume that the A380 in front of them was a flight from Air France. The aircraft's tail fin clearly displayed the Russian flag.
Considering the timing of the foreign guest's arrival, it was obvious who the owner of this Airbus A380 was—it had to be the Russian oil tycoon.
As the white aircraft landed smoothly on the airport runway, Wu Guanyu, Vice President of PetroChina, was momentarily stunned by the sheer extravagance of their foreign guest.
Compared to the Mercedes-Benz S320s they had arrived in, the size and wingspan of the A380 were on an entirely different scale—like an extreme contrast between a giant and a dwarf.
Ren Yuan, Vice President of Sinopec, watched as the massive A380 came to a halt before them and shook his head with a helpless smile. His expression clearly conveyed his thoughts:
"Sigh… Those Russian businessmen really know how to enjoy life. Their private jets are several times larger than anyone else's, and the cost alone—10 billion RMB—would be enough to dominate an entire region in China!"
As the group stood in front of the aircraft, staring blankly, the cabin door of the A380 suddenly opened, followed by the deployment of the staircase. A group of Russian bodyguards, all dressed in black suits and wearing dark sunglasses, descended in a disciplined formation. The scene looked like something straight out of a Hollywood action movie.
After the entire team of Russian bodyguards positioned themselves in a standby formation beneath the aircraft, a casually dressed young Russian man leisurely walked down the steps, as if he were simply stepping out of his own home. His laid-back demeanor stood in stark contrast to the highly alert bodyguards around him.
The senior executives from PetroChina and Sinopec couldn't take their eyes off him. It was immediately clear that the most nonchalant person on the scene was their distinguished guest—Mr. Mavi.
"That's the Russian guest? He's way too young!" one high-ranking official from PetroChina muttered in disbelief. He had assumed that Mr. Mavi would be at least in his fifties, similar in age to their company's vice presidents.
But to their surprise, the Russian guest was only in his early twenties. It was simply unbelievable!
"Hello, Mr. Mavi! I'm Wu Guanyu, Vice President of PetroChina. Thank you for visiting China!" Wu Guanyu stepped forward with his translator to greet Mavi.
Not wanting to be left behind, Ren Yuan, the Vice President of Sinopec, also approached with a welcoming smile. "Mr. Mavi, hello! Allow me to introduce myself—I'm Ren Yuan, Vice President of Sinopec. Welcome to Shanghai!"
Due to the discovery of significant oil reserves beneath the auctioned land, both vice presidents were exceptionally eager to welcome Mavi. Their enthusiasm was so uncharacteristic that their subordinates couldn't help but steal a few curious glances at their bosses.
Even during their previous business trip to Pakistan for negotiations, the executives hadn't been this hospitable…
What the crowd didn't know was that Mavi had not been informed in advance about this airport reception. The two vice presidents had arranged it as a surprise to show their hospitality.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wu Guanyu."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ren Yuan," Mavi said, shaking hands with both vice presidents. Besides discussing the oil business, another purpose of his visit to Shanghai was to handle some real estate matters.
"Mr. Mavi, I've already arranged a hotel for you! It's the best hotel in Shanghai. If you don't mind, our PetroChina team can take you and your entourage there in these Mercedes-Benz sedans," Wu Guanyu offered eagerly.
Not wanting to lose the opportunity to host Mavi, Ren Yuan immediately signaled to his translator and added, "Actually, Mr. Mavi, we've booked three five-star hotels for you! They are all ranked among the top three in Shanghai. You can choose whichever you prefer!"
"The photos and details are inside the Volvo we brought to pick you up. If you'd like, we can take you there to review them."
In their bid to secure a partnership with Ma V Energy Group, both PetroChina and Sinopec's vice presidents were going all out.
After all, in 2001, the two oil giants had not yet fully developed, and the domestic market still had many independent gas stations competing separately, without a unified or consolidated structure.
Faced with their enthusiastic invitations, Mavi smiled politely and was about to decline when—
Suddenly!
From the entrance of the airport tarmac, several military-green Dongfeng Mengshi military vehicles roared in, escorting an extended bulletproof Lincoln limousine!
The Dongfeng Mengshi vehicles all had military license plates, indicating they were from the army. As for the bulletproof Lincoln—it was the kind of car used by U.S. presidents. The display of authority was unmistakable.
"Could it be that some high-ranking military official is flying out of Pudong International Airport?" Wu Guanyu wondered aloud, watching the convoy approach. At the same time, a natural instinct kicked in—whatever happened next, they had to be careful not to offend these people.
Even though he was a high-ranking executive in a state-owned enterprise, Wu Guanyu knew that his authority didn't extend far enough to interact with the military on a regular basis.
Ren Yuan, standing nearby, had similar thoughts. "An extended bulletproof Lincoln? Who could be inside? Someone as important as the U.S. Secretary of Defense? But there hasn't been any news of foreign government officials visiting Shanghai recently…"
Both Wu Guanyu and Ren Yuan were baffled by the unexpected scene, and the other high-ranking executives from PetroChina and Sinopec also became visibly cautious at the sight of the military convoy.
They were all worried about accidentally offending someone important.
But as fate would have it—what they feared most was exactly what happened next.
To their astonishment, the Dongfeng Mengshi military vehicles and the bulletproof Lincoln didn't head anywhere else. Instead, they drove straight toward them!
Wu Guanyu, Ren Yuan, and the rest of the executives felt a sudden jolt of anxiety.
"What's going on?! Why, out of the entire airport, is this military convoy heading directly toward us… Could it be…?"
(End of Chapter)