When Ruonan returned to the banquet hall, she was stunned by the scene before her. There were more than twice as many people in the hall as when she left, but at least two-thirds of them were gathered together. With her background and keen eyesight, she could tell that everyone was focused on Lin Yao. People would humbly ask for Lin Yao's opinion on any topic. Moreover, there were clearly two small groups among them that didn't get along.
Am I seeing things? Maybe I'm just too tired today. Thinking this, Ruonan turned around and walked out of the archway of the reception. She went to a quiet courtyard and washed her face in a stone pool with artificial spring water flowing continuously. After cleaning herself up, she felt refreshed and returned to the reception hall.
The situation in the hall was exactly the same as before she washed her face; it wasn't a dream. Could this kid have something that these princelings would covet? Ruonan suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, and she immediately called out in a girlishly willful tone, "Lin Yao, how come you didn't notice I've been here for so long?"
For a moment, the entire reception hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the men and women stared wide-eyed, frozen in place, staring blankly at Ruonan. The fact that such a sound was coming from the mouth of an ice person led everyone to collectively believe they were hallucinating.
At this moment, Ruonan, who had been blushing, regained her composure and rushed forward to pull Lin Yao along, dragging him out of the banquet hall like a mother dragging a disobedient child.
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This is today's chapter. I have to catch a train to another city this morning, so the next chapter will be updated in the afternoon or evening.
Recently, due to rewriting, the writing quality was poor and the word count was low. It is gradually recovering now. The general plot of the chapters that are written will not change, but the description techniques and methods of the plot will be modified and adjusted to avoid making it too boring. These will be dealt with when I get back, and it will not affect the reading experience of old readers.
Now that I've signed a contract, of course I want to make this book as good as possible, so please feel free to tell me any problems you encounter, and I will definitely take them seriously.
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Chapter Seventeen: So That's How It Is (Seeking Recommendations)
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"What exactly is going on?" Ruonan asked coldly, instantly reverting to her icy beauty persona, so cold that Lin Yao felt a bit of a toothache.
"I don't know. I've been waiting for you to come to my rescue. They treated me like the governor of the central bank, and all they talked about was the international and domestic economic situation. What's worse is that they always wanted me to give my opinion. If I had that ability, I wouldn't be a doctor anymore." Lin Yao said self-deprecatingly, and then shifted the blame to Ruonan, meaning that it was because Ruonan was late that he suffered.
Ruonan felt she had made a fool of herself and awkwardly withdrew her anger. Her face was still a little hot, after all, her courageous act was a first for her. Pretending to admire a dove tree in the courtyard that was about to sprout new leaves, she said, "They are not good people. Some of them are ruthless and cannibalistic. Be careful and don't be fooled."
"I really don't know what happened. After you left, more and more people came, and I saw that they had conflicts with each other. Maybe it's because I'm handsome?" Lin Yao joked, then immediately realized he was asking for trouble and quickly said, "Oh, by the way, I still don't know your last name. My name is Lin Yao."
"Ling Ruonan." After saying that, she fell silent. At this moment, Lin Ruonan felt a little restrained. She had never encountered a situation where she had nowhere to go in "Hey Life". She couldn't bring Lin Yao into those close female friends' circles, nor could she take him to see the big brother. Going to a bar for drinks? She couldn't imagine what she would do if she went there.
"Lin Yao, you're here! I've been looking for you everywhere." A voice came to Lin Ruonan's rescue. It was Ye Zhaoxian, the person Lin Yao had the most affection for before.
"You guys chat first, I'm going to the restroom." Lin Ruonan immediately stood up, and even in the dim light, Lin Yao could still see that her face was a little red again.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Lin Yao shook his head, dismissing the urge to continue thinking about it. People from two different worlds, raised under two different educational systems, shouldn't be thinking about things that are completely impossible. According to his mother, Lin Hongmei, even if two young people were head over heels in love, they weren't suitable to start a family because their values and attitudes were too different. Lin Yao agreed with his mother's view.
Lin Yao stood up with Lin Ruonan and greeted Ye Zhaoxian with a genuine smile. Although Ye Zhaoxian's ideas were full of naivety and fantasy, Lin Yao could feel his sincerity. Unlike other people who surrounded him and made him hard to understand, Ye Zhaoxian was clearly not the kind of person who was easy to be wary of.
Lin Yao regretted it as soon as he thought of this. At this moment, Ye Zhaoxian's eyes were full of longing, hope and tenderness as she looked at Lin Yao, which made Lin Yao feel his scalp tingle. He just wanted to turn around and leave immediately, to get as far away as possible.
"Lin Yao, you're amazing!" Ye Zhaoxian said in an admiring tone, "It was so tiring talking in the banquet hall before. I've been holding back for so long, and now I can finally talk to you alone."
Lin Yao suppressed his urge to beat Ye Zhaoxian up, pretending to listen attentively to what he was saying. He subtly took a step back, placing a wooden stool between them, and said, "It's lively inside. It's good to come out and get some fresh air once in a while."
Ye Zhaoxian clearly didn't want to talk to Lin Yao about the weather and air quality, and said directly, "I won't beat around the bush with you. Those people who were surrounding you inside just now all had their own purposes, including myself, but my purpose was different from theirs."
Lin Yao stopped abruptly, his pupils contracting as he sensed danger.
“Actually, we already knew who you were. We were pretending not to know you inside, which made me very uncomfortable.” Ye Zhaoxian continued, “Everyone knows that you came to Beijing to get the permit. Everyone came here tonight because what you have is too tempting.”
"Of course, we often come to Heylife, but I came here specifically tonight after receiving the news. I imagine Ning Qingfan and Xiang Guoqing did the same. You were spotted as soon as you got off the plane, but we didn't expect you to come to Heylife and know Ruonan, so everyone held back."
Ye Zhaoxian's words shocked Lin Yao. His mind went blank. Being targeted the moment he stepped off the plane was sudden and disorienting. Energy drinks, only energy drinks—Lin Yao had nothing else to attract these people's interest. Even if he were a hundred times more handsome, they wouldn't give him a second glance.
Although he knew that the functional beverages related to the upcoming approval had many amazing effects, he did not expect that these princelings would come knocking on his door so soon after the approval was granted. The wolf came so quickly, which was really beyond his expectations.
Ye Zhaoxian was unaware of the shock in Lin Yao's heart. He still tried to express his thoughts, saying, "I hope you will make good use of the approval for the drought-resistant functional beverage that is about to be obtained. I hope you will not only focus on commercial profits. This thing is beneficial to our entire country and can be extended to many functions. It can only belong to the country and the nation."
Lin Yao curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Has this guy lost his mind? He's always bringing up national and ethnic issues. His own family wants more, but they're powerless to do it." Thinking about the difficulties in the manufacturing process, he felt a chill. The medicinal liquid added to the energy drink required a catalytic enzyme, and this enzyme's source depended on Lin Yao's "saliva" for generation. He and Xiao Cao had already exhausted their energy and didn't want to experience that again.
No way! Lin Yao made up his mind. He originally created this energy drink to save the health of the residents in the drought-stricken western region. He had planned to stop after the drought was over. If they wanted him to continue, they could ask whoever wanted to. Anyway, Lin Yao would not get involved anymore. He could provide the formula, but they could forget about any other help.
Thinking of this, Lin Yao immediately said to Ye Zhaoxian seriously, "Mr. Ye, I think you have all misunderstood. I applied for this permit on behalf of someone else. Moreover, it is said that this beverage cannot be produced continuously. The permit application is only for the disaster in the west. The product will not be sold in other regions. It must be ensured that it is sold to those who really need it."
"That's great, Lin Yao! That's exactly what I meant. I was just worried you'd use this achievement to produce high-end beverages. I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, but my father works for the Ministry of Civil Affairs and can entrust the distribution of the beverages to the various civil affairs bureaus in the western region." Ye Zhaoxian immediately became excited.
"Uh... I'm selling these drinks to make money, not donating them. My family is poor. Although I don't plan to make any profit from them, I at least need to recoup the costs. Even if I lose a little, I can't lose too much. The money to start my factory was all borrowed." Lin Yao was having a headache dealing with Ye Zhaoxian. Typical idealists are really hard to deal with.
“Then the civil affairs department can take the lead in sales. Don’t worry, I will definitely help you.” Ye Zhaoxian was still full of enthusiasm, feeling that he could participate in a great cause.
"Thank you! I will definitely ask for your help. However, the sales method has already been planned. We plan to recruit volunteers nationwide to participate in sales management. Each township and town will have a dedicated volunteer in charge. We will first conduct a pilot program in a county and then promote the experience." Lin Yao had no choice but to explain the sales plan. Although Ye Zhaoxian was too idealistic, he was still a good person. At least he was pure in thought, and Lin Yao liked pure people.
“Volunteerism is also a good approach. It can enhance national cohesion and launch a vigorous patriotic education campaign. I’m the first to save my life.” Ye Zhaoxian is a natural optimist. As long as it aligns with his ideals, any decision is bound to be good.
"Really? Thank you. You're the first volunteer in the country. I'll contact you as soon as I'm ready. Volunteer recruitment is already underway, and I hope you can participate in the preparations." Lin Yao's eyes lit up, and he immediately seized the opportunity. Having a princeling involved in the volunteer preparations would make things much smoother.
"Alright, I'll go home and discuss it with Grandpa. I'll go back to Sichuan with you tomorrow after you get the approval." Ye Zhaoxian once again showed Lin Yao another good quality of hers; she left without any hesitation or pleasantries.
Just as Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief and continued to consider how to make use of Ye Zhaoxian, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Brother Lin, you're just strolling around here by yourself. I feel an instant connection with you today. We should get along better in the future and do business together. We can only expand our business by complementing each other's resources." Ning Qingfan said with his usual warm smile, "Brother Lin is a guest in Beijing, so let me, as your host, keep you company today. Although Sichuan is quite good, Beijing has its own unique projects. Let Brother Lin have a taste of them today."
"Thank you, Brother Ning. I'm a bit tired today. I have errands to run tomorrow and then I have to rush back to Sichuan. I'll trouble you again next time I come," Lin Yao said with a regretful tone. Knowing the other party's intentions, he didn't even have time to avoid them; he certainly didn't dare to sample any of the featured items.
"Oh? Brother Lin, are you rushing back to work on the production of the new product?" Ning Qingfan asked with concern. "I heard that Brother Lin came to Beijing this time to obtain the necessary permits. I've also heard about this project and think we can cooperate well. By leveraging the capital and distribution channels here, combined with Brother Lin's technology, it will definitely be a win-win situation. What do you think, Brother Lin?"
Lin Yao then realized Ning Qingfan's true purpose. They were all so eager to express their intentions, which meant they had already thoroughly investigated the testing data of the functional beverage. Lin Yao was aware of the huge business opportunities involved, but even he himself had to give up his long-term production plans, so how could these people possibly share in the profits?
He immediately said, "That's wonderful, thank you so much for your kind offer, Brother Ning. I will definitely convey your good intentions to my father when I return to Sichuan. I'm sure they will seriously consider cooperating with you. It's just that there are some documents..."
"The documents are fine. Someone will deliver them to your room immediately. You can pick them up when you return to the hotel." Ning Qingfan was quite satisfied with this result. He figured the other party understood the power and influence he represented; indeed, he was a smart man who made decisive decisions. However, the reality was that Lin Yao had no idea about Ning Qingfan's background at all. All his words were just perfunctory, and Ning Qingfan was destined to be disappointed.
After getting rid of Ning Qingfan, Xiang Guoqing came in as if they were taking turns. Lin Yao carefully dealt with this young master who clearly looked down on him but pretended to be enthusiastic. He made some ambiguous promises before he was able to get away. At this point, he had no interest in looking for Lin Ruonan, nor did he care about appreciating this high-end club. He already regretted going out tonight. It would be more comfortable to stay in the hotel room and surf the Internet. He could even pretend not to hear the knocking.