May 1, 1992. No matter how much he rubbed her eyes and blinked, the numbers wouldn't change. It was a situation similar to when he first obtained a new life. "Shasha, what does the date say here?"

"Can't you see it?"

"My eyes have been a bit blurry lately. I can't read small letters well."

"It's not that small. It's February 15th."

"Are you sure? I might need to go to the hospital…." Nikolai asked again.

"Come on. You don't need to go to the hospital just because you asked about the date."

"This brat makes a fuss over a simple date question." Sasha thought to himself.

Do I really need to go to the hospital? Nikolai furrowed his brow, lost in thought. But would pondering over it solve anything? If it's not a problem that can be solved through contemplation, then he should just accept it humbly and enjoy life. Stay as positive as possible. After all, even being inside this body is an abnormal event; there's no point in fretting about other strange situations arising. Nikolai pushed the newspaper toward Shasha. "Can you read from here? Like a news anchor, fluently."

"Really? You want me to read it?"

"Yes, read it. My body feels tired, and reading is a bit difficult."

"Are you sure?"

"Just read it. Don't keep saying the same thing; I'm starving to death here."

Nikolai's stomach grumbled. Oh, I'm hungry. I really hate feeling hungry. "Oh, right. I forgot about the tea. Should I order some black tea?"

Black tea? A word he doesn't even want to hear in his dreams. "Hey! No way. Absolutely not! Don't ever order black tea!" he protested.

"Wow, you startled me. Why are you suddenly like this?"

"Anyway, just don't order it."

Just the thought of a teacup makes him break out in a cold sweat remembering what happened he last drank one.

"Okay, okay. I won't order it, so calm down. You seem really exhausted. Is the order we placed still far from coming?"

Upon hearing Shasha's shout, a kitchen staff member glanced over casually and replied, "Yes, it's ready. I'll bring it out soon."

The phrase "soon" sounds as vague as asking when the red borscht will arrive after making a phone call. But if he adds an order for seafood noodles, they always take that into account. They said "soon" a little while ago. "What are you doing? Read it quickly."

"Alright, I'll read it for you."

With an expression that seemed about to explode, Shasha picked up the newspaper and began reading. "Hmm. The Supreme Council rejected the appointment of 'Yegor Gaidar,' who once served as the Finance Minister, as Prime Minister. Gaidar carried the banner of 'economic reform for new liberalism,' shouldering the presidency after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, his economic policies have caused much confusion and anxiety... As the number of protesters supporting the Supreme Council increases, Red Square is becoming more tense..."

"Wait!"

"Huh?"

"Give me the newspaper."

Something was different. Completely different. It was the same newspaper, but the article Nikolai saw was entirely different from what Shasha read. 【On the same day at 2 PM, the Supreme Council and People's Assembly passed a motion for the impeachment of President Yeltsin. On September 20, the Constitutional Court rejected the impeachment motion. President Yeltsin disbanded the Supreme Council and People's Assembly, officially resuming his presidential duties.】

The article reflected in Nikolai's eyes contained completely different content. But... "President Yeltsin almost stepped down due to the impeachment."

Despite studying Russian history deeply through her Russian mother since childhood and delving into Putin's chronicles, there were still things she couldn't know in detail. Nikolai analyzed the newspaper article. "So, according to the newspaper, on May 1st, Yeltsin was facing an impeachment trial."

The pro and anti-Yeltsin forces were fighting fiercely until September 20th when the unconstitutional verdict was announced, signifying Yeltsin's return to power.

This means... there might be a traitor among Yeltsin's allies. Within the next four months, a choice must be made on which side to align with. "Facing an impeachment trial, it must be nerve-wracking. Some may even think Yeltsin's political life has come to an end."

With the already devastated economy, if politics also becomes chaotic, it will be truly difficult... "No, wait. Isn't this a perfect opportunity?"

The reason behind the weakening of the Yusupov family's power was due to their continuous support for Gorbachev's leadership until Yeltsin took over, making them nothing but a pawn to Yeltsin. Amidst such circumstances, an opportunity has come knocking once more. Not just any opportunity, but an extraordinary chance to cozy up to Yeltsin and take advantage of him for a staggering 8 years until December 31, 1999.

The Romanov family faced a downfall as they continuously supported Gorbachev's leadership like our family did. However, they managed to survive by later forming ties with Yeltsin, who had a strong foundation in Europe. But if Yeltsin faces an impeachment trial, the uncertainty might lead them to break that bond. "No, I must make sure they break that bond."

If the Romanov family faces a blow in both politics and the economy... "They'll be completely destroyed."

In summary, "I must stand in the right line."

Having experienced several instances of standing in the wrong line during military service and facing severe consequences, my life would become utterly tangled for 8 years if standing on the opposite side of Yeltsin. "But there's something strange."

Even though they've read the newspaper several times before, there were no such changes then.

Could it be that when significant events occur, the newspaper changes its content? Even though Nikolai knows that Yeltsin will remain in power until 1999, seeing such different content in the newspaper makes him wonder. Or perhaps, later on, there might be content that diverges from this as well. Having confirmed the stark contrast between what Shasha read and what he read, Nikolai couldn't help but believe in this change. Lost in deep thoughts, he remained fixated on the newspaper, oblivious to the food that arrived.

"You said you're hungry, but why aren't you eating? If you're not eating, I will."Just as Shasha reached out for the bowl, Nikolai warned, "Don't touch it! My hands are pretty light right now."

"What, what? What are you saying?"

"My bowl is mine. Anyway, thanks for reading it; let's eat now."

With a faint smile, Nikolai enjoyed the red borscht, a soup made with cabbage, tomatoes, meat, onions, and red beets to add color. "I really can't adapt to Russia's heavy dishes. I should establish a factory and produce delicious Korean food as soon as possible."

Three days later, Shasha asked, "Why do you keep setting up ropes?"

"I must stand in the right line."

Shasha looked at Nikolai with a peculiar expression after seeing him repeatedly set up ropes after exercise. "You're doing strange things now. What time did you our guest would arrive?"

"Lunchtime"

"Wow, have you already found that person?" Shasha was still shocked.

"Since he is in Russia, I could find him more quickly, but it took two days because he's American, and I only knew his name and approximate age. If he weren't of Russian origin, it would have taken even longer."

"Regardless, you did a great job finding him. You're a man of many talents."

"Don't make a fuss about this. Nowadays, everything can be done with money. It's a matter of time."

"Then let's have lunch and go right away."

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and a man entered as the door opened. Shasha, seeing him, quickly put on a smile and greeted politely, "Hello."

"Long time no see, Shasha. Is Nikolai home too?"

"Yes, hello." Nikolai greeted.

Nikolai recalled the man from his memory and greeted him courteously. Sergey Vysukhbu, a man in his early forties, was Shasha's only older brother, who had worked as a prosecutor for fifteen years before becoming a lawyer. "His name feels somewhat endearing. Maybe it's because it's similar to the person I found?"

Lost in thought for a moment, Shasha displayed an unusual sense of courtesy. "Thank you for helping me with the request before."

"Why thank me for such a small favor? But by the way, was it resolved well?"

"Yes, it was."

"Really? It was the last thing I handled before stepping down, so I'm glad to hear it ended well."

Sending a subtle gesture to ask what was going on with Shasha, Sergey made a secret mouth shape, indicating it's confidential. He said it's a secret, so he won't tell what he's going to use the mushrooms for. Just a small secret. "Oh, you're still young, doing exercises outside in this cold weather. Is your mother inside?"

"Yes."

"Since you're done with exercises, shall we go inside together?"

"Sure."

As Shasha and Sergey entered the living room, Maria closed her magazine and greeted them with a bright smile. "You said you'd have lunch and then come, but you came back so quickly?"

"I have to have something special to do when I'm free. If I stay at home, I'll just waste time eating. So, I wanted to gain something from being here. Is Ivan at work?"

"Yes, he's been quite busy these days, so he comes home late."

Maria and Nikolai sat side by side, and Sergey and Shasha sat facing them. "Could we have some drinks here, please?"

"Yes, ma'am."

As Sergey looked around the living room, he gulped down the drink that was served. "Ah, it's nice here. It's so spacious and large that it doesn't feel like a regular house."

"Hoho, you're right, Sergey. Just admit it if you're envious." Shasha teased.

"Well, I suppose so. That aside, Maria, you asked the Chairman to buy dollars and gold, right? Did the Chairman really make such an important decision based on Nikolai's opinion?"

"I've told you many times. Yes, that's right."

Sergey's gaze shifted to Nikolai, who was sitting beside Maria. "That's... It's impressive that the Chairman listened to Nikolai's words and made such a significant decision. You're truly remarkable."

"I just expressed my thoughts when he asked for my opinion."

"It's amazing how you managed to catch the Chairman's attention like that. I've heard you're a prodigy since childhood, but I never knew you had such insight in the economic field too."

Sergey's eyes sparkled with a different light than usual. Concerned, Maria asked, "How much did our side buy?"

"The Chairman received your call and emptied out his available funds."

"Good for him."

"I found out two days ago that he even took out a loan using the house as collateral. I also followed his example and borrowed some money, but I'm not sure if it's a wise decision."

"Don't you trust our grandfather?"

"Of course, I do. But honestly, I feel a bit uneasy about it. And the fact that the Chairman made such a decision surprises me. That's why I came here to see for myself."

Sergey had a lot of conversations with his younger brother after receiving his call and made a decision. He decided to trust Yuri Usupov's judgment and invested almost all his money in buying dollars and gold. "Well, it's already done. Just trust and wait. If the Chairman decides to sell, I'll contact you right away."

"Well, for now, we can only wait."

"What is he doing these days?"

"He spent his whole life in the legal field, and now that he's retired from his uniform, there's not much he can do. He tried opening a law firm, but there's hardly any work. He spends most of his time fishing, just for the fun of it."

"And what about you?" Shasha asked/

"Once I took off my uniform, I became somewhat similar. I go to the dacha (a small country cottage with a vegetable garden), relax there, go fishing, and do various things."

The Sergey household was deeply connected to the legal profession. His father, Zahar, and his late mother were both judges, while Sergey and his younger sister were prosecutors. Sergey's younger sister, Maria, used to work as a rookie prosecutor until she married Ivan Usupov. However, when Gorbatchov stepped down and Yeltsin took over, most of the existing officials were removed from their positions. Those vacancies were filled with people close to Yeltsin. "While you're here, let's talk about outside matters. How is the government's atmosphere?"

"Don't get me started. The Red Square was packed with people to the point of bursting. Yeltsin tried to appoint 'Yegor Gaidar,' who served as the Minister of Finance, as the Prime Minister, but he got rejected."

"Ah, I saw that in the newspaper."

"He's in a power struggle with the Supreme Soviet. The situation looks like Yeltsin is losing. If things continue like this, it might turn into a real mess."

Sergey and Shasha had a good understanding of each other. Despite engaging in a lot of conversations, they occasionally showed moments of concern and support for each other. Nikolai didn't just sit beside them to eavesdrop on their conversation; he was here to learn about Sergey's character, seeking to paint the bigger picture. "Speaking of the bigger picture..."

"He seems flexible and straightforward, and having worked as a prosecutor for nearly 15 years, his attention to detail goes without saying. We need to keep an eye on him further, but with these qualities, he should be fine to stick with Yeltsin." Nikolai thought.

In his early 40s, in 8 years, he would be in his late 40s, similar to Putin's age when he became president. "The timing seems right. He'll be useful."

Nikolai smiled faintly.

After the four of them had lunch together and Sergey returned home, Nikolai and Shasha went outside. They were going to handle the task Shasha had been asked to do. "I still have about 4 years left, but I should build relationships in advance. He'll be around 20 years old, and our ages are similar, so we should be able to become friends easily."

Once we become close, he'll be more receptive to my investments. Right now, I don't have money to invest, but 4 years should be enough time to earn some. "Sergey Brin, the creator of Google, you've created something great. I'll invest generously in it, so get ready."