It was a good thing the superior department had given him a heads-up; otherwise, he definitely would have done the same as China Mobile – at most sending a deputy general manager and one sedan to the airport for reception.
Sitting in the small Hongqi, Operations Director Ma Guoqing sensed that something was quite out of the ordinary. "Should we call the General Manager? Tell him to come right away?" he asked the secretary hesitantly.
But then, on second thought, what if he was wrong, just getting worked up over nothing, and the people China Unicom were meeting weren't the Russian guests? Wouldn't the General Manager chew him out mercilessly...?
"How about we wait and see? If things seem really off, we'll call right away?" The secretary stopped reapplying her makeup, her entire focus now on observing China Unicom's movements.
However, just as she was watching, a pure white A380 passenger jet made an exceptionally grand landing on the Beijing International Airport runway.
Its enormous fuselage was clearly much larger than the Boeing 747s coming and going! Ma Guoqing and the President's secretary in the car were so stunned they almost forgot to blink!
"That flag printed on it, isn't that the Russian flag? Is this plane for the Russian foreign guest? Or is it Russian Airlines? But I can't find the Russian Airlines logo!" Due to their limited exposure, Operations Director Ma Guoqing and the President's secretary had no idea what model this giant aircraft was.
But this didn't stop them from feeling the immense presence of the Airbus A380. Even China Unicom President Fang Zhengde and others standing not far away were startled by Mavi's private jet (in 2001, the domestic communications industry wasn't as developed as it would become later).
"Mr. Fang, that Russian foreign guest must be someone really important! I heard this A380 currently costs at least 170 million US dollars. That's... around 1.5 billion RMB..." the male assistant said, showing a look of astonishment that hinted at deeper implications.
And the China Unicom executives standing nearby, listening to him speak, couldn't help but gasp and stare at the plane in front of them. They could sense the plane was expensive, but they never imagined it was this expensive!
"1.5 billion RMB? This... one person... is flying in a plane that expensive? That's too extravagant!" one male Unicom official was shocked by the massive figure. In his mind, having a meal costing 50,000 yuan was already considered incredibly, incredibly luxurious.
But that kind of luxury was just like a grain of sand on the beach compared to Mavi's 1.5 billion yuan vehicle – utterly insignificant...
This was also why Mavi spent the money to buy an A380. He wanted to make an immediate impact, to shake people with his display before they even saw him.
The intangible ways wealthy people show off, frankly speaking, boil down to a few areas: sports cars, mansions, yachts, private jets, spending lavishly without needing discounts... To be honest, it's quite vulgar, but, well, it's the kind of vulgarity that people adore...
"How about we quickly call Mr. Wang? Tell him to come to the airport fast?" Seeing the situation getting increasingly out of hand, the President's secretary quickly urged the Director to inform the General Manager.
Ma Guoqing hurriedly picked up his phone and immediately dialed the General Manager's number. "Hello! Mr. Wang! This is Ma Guoqing. It seems like the situation is not right. Can you please come to the airport right away? That investor from Russia is someone very important! Even the head of Unicom..."
Just as Ma Guoqing was halfway through his sentence, his voice suddenly cut off. It wasn't because he couldn't speak anymore, but because another giant plane flying from the direction of Russia interrupted Ma Guoqing's mobile signal. It also caused him to stop what he was doing, completely dumbfounded...
At this very moment, an An-225 super transport plane, much larger than the Airbus A380, was landing at the Capital Airport, carrying Mavi's "Rolls-Royce Phantom Presidential LWB" armored vehicle, plus several Mercedes-AMG armored cars.
Its massive size, combined with the super luxury cars that were so extravagant they made people forget to breathe, didn't just shock Ma Guoqing and the secretary beside him yet again. Even China Unicom President Fang Zhengde and others standing not far away couldn't help but exclaim, "This foreign businessman from Russia is just too rich! His setup... it's almost comparable to the President of the United States?"
"And that transport plane, it's huge, isn't it? It looks even bigger than the A380? What model is that?" They had never seen such a massive transport plane before; today was certainly an eye-opener for them.
"And that black luxury car, I've never seen it before either! I do recognize the Mercedes-AMGs behind it..." In the eyes of ordinary people, these telecom company executives were quite important figures. But in front of Mavi, the situation was instantly reversed.
...
While almost everyone was deeply surprised by Mavi's arrival setup, only China Mobile President Wang Liang'an on the other end of the phone, due to the poor signal, couldn't hear clearly what Ma Guoqing was saying...
What Russian, very important? What even the head of Unicom...? What is all this rambling?!
As the Airbus A380 cabin door opened, a silver airstair slowly descended from above. Then, Russian bodyguards in black suits and black sunglasses quickly disembarked. They rapidly checked the surrounding area for their boss's safety.
This scene was long commonplace for Mavi, but for China Unicom President Fang Zhengde, China Mobile Operations Director Ma Guoqing, and others, it was a very rare sight.
After all, among the wealthy people they had received, none could compare to Mavi, a billionaire who traveled with an Airbus, an An-255 transport plane, plus a Rolls-Royce Presidential armored vehicle.
How much money did this trip's gear and cost amount to?! It was practically like an ancient emperor's tour, reaching the level of "troubling the people and wasting resources"...
Seeing a young Russian man in a suit descend the plane, surrounded by bodyguards, China Unicom President Fang Zhengde immediately stepped forward with a translator to exchange greetings. "Ahem! Hello there, Mr. Mavi! Good afternoon, and welcome to Beijing, China! First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fang Zhengde, and I am the current Chairman of China Unicom..."
Normally, Fang Zhengde would leave such self-introductions to his subordinates. But Mavi's astonishing display made him drop any airs. He enthusiastically smiled and extended a warm welcome to Mavi.
"Hello, President Fang Zhengde. Actually, such a grand reception at the airport wasn't necessary," Mavi said calmly after shaking Fang Zhengde's hand.
"Oh, it's absolutely necessary, absolutely necessary, Mr. Mavi! You've come all this way from Russia; naturally, our Unicom company must fulfill our duties as hosts and receive you at the airport," Fang Zhengde spoke smoothly to Mavi.
(End of this chapter)