Yang Hongtao nodded. Although he didn't have a very good impression of Xin Yue, it was still thanks to his efforts that the grandmother and granddaughter were able to protect the priceless gemstone they carried with them. For them, this should be considered a huge favor.
So Yang Hongtao didn't say much and simply took the business card from the old man's hand. If he ever needed anything from Bairui Group in the future, he certainly wouldn't be polite.
This old man must be a more important figure in the Bairui Group than Xin Yue. Having his business card should be much more useful than the diamond card Xin Yue gave him.
The business card didn't have much printed on it, only the words "Bairui Group - Zheng Minghui" and a mobile phone number. The back of the card was blank.
In his previous life, Yang Hongtao had met several wealthy bosses and knew that many people of status would carry two types of business cards. One type was for business partners or ordinary friends, and it was often printed with fancy names and titles, and had several phone numbers.
However, when you actually need to contact him, you probably won't be able to reach him directly no matter which number you call.
The person answering the phone is either a secretary or an assistant; unless you have something truly important to say, the person in charge simply won't pay you any attention.
Another type is the simpler business card, which usually only has a name and a phone number, but this number is a private number, and you can definitely find the owner directly.
These kinds of business cards are usually only given to true friends or very important people.
Yang Hongtao was quite satisfied to see that the old man Zheng Minghui had given him such a personal business card. He knew that the old man was somewhat sincere, and if he really needed to find him in the future, he probably wouldn't refuse.
So he casually exchanged a few polite words with Zheng Minghui and then formally put the business card away.
The three of them simply sat together nearby. With Zheng Minghui present, Xin Yue behaved much more obediently and did not use her physical charm to seduce Yang Hongtao anymore.
"Young man, what are you going to Kunming for this time? Is it for tourism or business?"
Seeing that Yang Hongtao didn't seem inclined to curry favor with him, Zheng Minghui didn't overtly try to recruit him either, and simply chatted casually.
Yang Hongtao hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully: "Actually... I just want to go to Tengchong to see the legendary jade gambling. Well... if I have the chance, I might gamble on a couple of pieces myself, that's all."
"Oh...you want to go to Tengchong to gamble on jade!"
Zheng Minghui raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, then gently shook his head and said, "If you just want to take a look and see for yourself, that's fine. But I suggest you don't get involved too easily... After all, gambling on stones is gambling, and young people should stay away! Even if you go to a casino to gamble a few rounds, never gamble on stones. Because if you lose money this time, you might win it back next time, but gambling on stones... for ordinary people, just one loss could be enough to bankrupt you! That's truly a case of one cut to life, one cut to death, one cut to poverty, one cut to wealth, and one cut to rags!"
Yang Hongtao knew the old man meant well, so he nodded and said, "Uncle is right. I've only heard about it from others, but I've never seen it with my own eyes, so I went to see it for myself. Hehe... Even if I really have to gamble, I only have a little over a million. If I lose, it's fine, no big deal."
Zheng Minghui hummed in agreement and said, "If that's how you think, then there's no problem. The worst thing about gambling is getting addicted and losing your mind. If you can stick to your principles, then taking a gamble is fine. However... a million dollars can be spent in a Macau casino for several days of carefree fun, but gambling on stones... if you use it to gamble on those semi-rough stones that show good potential, you can probably only buy one or two fist-sized stones at most. Basically, the chances of winning are really slim!"
Seeing that the old man spoke with great confidence, Yang Hongtao couldn't help but ask, "Sir, you seem to know a lot about the ins and outs of jade gambling. Have you ever gambled on it yourself?"
Zheng Minghui laughed and said, "It's not that I'm a gambler, but our group's jewelry chain needs a lot of jadeite raw materials every year. These semi-finished jadeite raw materials are in very short supply, and there's nowhere to buy them. So we can only try to find them through gambling. Actually, the big players in jadeite gambling are almost all people from major jewelry companies. It's not easy for an individual to get rich through this."
Jewelry companies are forced into this gamble, as jadeite is becoming increasingly valuable while Myanmar's mines are dwindling. The supply of raw jadeite is far from meeting market demand. If they didn't gamble on stones and relied solely on acquiring uncut jadeite rough, jewelry companies would eventually go out of business! Therefore, the current situation forces major jewelry companies to gamble, as they cannot survive without it. And if they gamble and lose repeatedly… they will inevitably decline… and may eventually have to abandon jadeite jewelry altogether and focus solely on gold, silver, and diamond jewelry!
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao suddenly realized why everyone said that gambling on stones was a losing proposition, yet so many people still went to gamble. It turned out that major jewelry companies were supporting them.
"Actually, if you want to gamble on stones, you don't necessarily have to go to Tengchong."
At this moment, Xin Yue, who had been playing the obedient girl, suddenly interjected, "There's a jewelry industry exchange conference being held in Kunming these days. Almost all the major jewelry companies from across the country are attending. There are also some middlemen dealing in jadeite rough stones bringing large quantities to join the fun. After all, opportunities for all the major jewelry companies to gather together are rare. If there are really good pieces, they'll definitely fetch astronomical prices that are unattainable under normal circumstances. Hehe... Generally, there's a jadeite rough stone auction every afternoon. This jewelry exchange conference has its last day tomorrow. If you're interested, how about I take you there tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao subconsciously glanced at Xin Yue's chest, thinking to himself, "No wonder this woman was in such a hurry to board the plane with such a priceless treasure; she's going to some kind of jewelry exchange conference!" He then pondered for a moment, deciding that since he was gambling on stones anyway, it didn't matter whether he went to Tengchong or Kunming. So he nodded and said, "Oh... so there's a jewelry exchange conference in Kunming! I'll have to go and see for myself... Um, thank you, Sister Yue!"
Upon hearing this, Xin Yue immediately revealed her irresistibly charming and mature demeanor, giving Yang Hongtao a flirtatious glance and saying, "Oh... little brother, you saved my life today, and I haven't even repaid you yet. This little thing is nothing, let's not talk about thanks! Hmm... since we're going to the jewelry exchange conference together tomorrow, why don't you come with me later, little brother? Let's go to the hotel and get a room together... okay?"
When Yang Hongtao heard Xin Yue's ambiguous last sentence, he was so provoked that he almost flared up his injuries again. In front of Zheng Minghui, he couldn't say anything, so he could only pretend to be confused and nod awkwardly.
Zheng Minghui had always been at his wits' end with his precious granddaughter, and seeing this, he could only offer Yang Hongtao a sympathetic smile...
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 63: Extra Reward
When the plane finally landed smoothly at Kunming Airport, Yang Hongtao's penetrating gunshot wound to the calf had completely healed under the stimulation of his soul power. As soon as the plane came to a stop, a piercing siren blared, and dozens of police cars rushed to the scene. Given the magnitude of the hijacking and the numerous deaths, the police would naturally intervene immediately to investigate.
No one on the plane could leave the airport immediately after disembarking; they had to undergo police investigation, provide a statement, and be cleared of any suspicion before being released. Yang Hongtao, the hero who single-handedly resolved the hijacking, naturally received special treatment.
Although Yang Hongtao desperately wanted to act like an ordinary passenger and deny his actions on the plane that day, the testimonies of the hundred or so passengers in the business class left him no room for denial. While these passengers had promised Yang Hongtao not to spread what he had done, none dared to cover for him when questioned by the police.
The officers taking Yang Hongtao's statement were not ordinary policemen, but rather Director Liu and Officer Zhang from the National Security Bureau. They happened to be on official business in a southern city, and after news of the hijacking broke, they rushed to Kunming Airport. However, upon arriving at Kunming Airport, they learned that the terrorists on board had already been eliminated by the passengers, and the plane was en route back to its origin.
The officer, Zhang, asked very detailed questions, wanting to know almost every single detail from beginning to end, which gave Yang Hongtao a huge headache.
There were many things he simply couldn't explain reasonably, such as how he threw that 180-pound fat man onto the roof, and how he controlled the pistol to shoot the female terrorist from behind...
Of course, Yang Hongtao couldn't reveal his biggest secret, so when Officer Zhang asked about these situations, he would just give vague answers or simply deny some details, claiming that he wasn't as exaggerated as the passengers described.
The clerk seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Yang Hongtao's answer, and frowned as he asked again, only to receive the same reply. The clerk immediately became a little impatient and was about to reprimand Yang Hongtao when he saw Director Liu wave his hand at him.
“Mr. Zhou is our hero, not a criminal. I’m telling you, Xiao Zhang… don’t treat our hero like you would a criminal!”
Officer Zhang nodded awkwardly and said, "Yes... Director Liu, but... but the details Mr. Zhou just mentioned are clearly very different from what the other passengers said. How should I write this statement?"
Director Liu chuckled and said, "Of course we'll write it according to Mr. Zhou's instructions. You're taking a statement from Mr. Zhou, so what kind of behavior is it if you don't listen to Mr. Zhou but instead listen to those passengers' nonsense?"
"Oh... okay... then I'll write it like this..."
Zhang, the clerk, naturally dared not disobey the instructions given by his superiors, but he was quite skeptical. He thought to himself that if only one or two passengers said that, it was probably just an exaggeration. But the testimonies of dozens or even hundreds of passengers were basically the same. Could it be that so many people had prepared their testimonies in advance to deceive us?
Fortunately, this clerk was a seasoned veteran. Even though he had doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to question his leader's words and could only obey unconditionally.
Yang Hongtao finally managed to cobble together the transcript, and he was already sweating profusely. It felt even more tiring than fighting several terrorists.
After taking his statement, the police didn't make things difficult for Yang Hongtao anymore. They just took down his phone number, saying that there might be a reward for him later, and they would call him to come and collect it.
Originally, the police wanted to arrange for reporters to interview Yang Hongtao and give him a lot of publicity, but Yang Hongtao firmly refused. He hoped that the police would keep all his information confidential, or simply say that the hijacking was discovered by an undercover police officer who stepped forward in a critical moment to save the lives of hundreds of innocent passengers. In short, he didn't care if he didn't receive the bonus, and he didn't want any honors at all.
The police could understand this situation. After all, if terrorists dared to hijack planes, what wouldn't they dare to do? If those terrorists had accomplices, and they found out that Yang Hongtao had ruined their plans and killed their brothers, who knows what crazy methods they would use to retaliate against him.
Therefore, it was understandable that Yang Hongtao didn't want to reveal himself, and the police naturally couldn't force him. In the end, it was Director Liu who personally escorted Yang Hongtao out. Yang Hongtao had a good impression of Director Liu; after all, without Director Liu, he might have been interrogated quite a bit by that Officer Zhang!
Before leaving, Yang Hongtao told Director Liu that there might be two more hijackers among the passengers or flight attendants.
Of course, Yang Hongtao would never tell Director Liu that he could read the memories of the dead. He only said that when the terrorists successfully hijacked the plane, they would never give up control of the cockpit and let everyone rush to attack a business class cabin. No matter how you analyze it, there must have been one or two terrorists in the cockpit controlling the overall situation, so there must have been some who escaped.
Yang Hongtao's words were reasonable, so Director Liu naturally had no doubts and thought it was highly likely. He also believed that the person who slipped through the net was more likely to be an internal flight attendant, and said that he would conduct a more serious investigation into this incident.
Finally, Director Liu handed Yang Hongtao a business card, the same kind of personal business card that only had a name and a phone number, without any title or position.
"I am Liu Haining from the Special Operations Division of the National Security Bureau. If you encounter any trouble in the future... or need anything, you can call me anytime. I will definitely help if I can... Hehe... You have made such a great contribution to the country, but the country cannot give you much reward. It must be very unfair... So... if there is anything you can't solve in the future, don't forget to call me. Consider this an extra reward for your contribution!"
When Officer Zhang took Yang Hongtao's statement, he hadn't introduced their identities, so when Director Liu revealed that he was actually from the National Security Department, Yang Hongtao was startled. Upon hearing Director Liu's promise, he was overjoyed.
Yang Hongtao didn't know how powerful the director of the National Security Bureau was, but he knew that this was definitely a figure of real power. If he came to a local area, even a provincial party secretary probably wouldn't dare to neglect him. Therefore… with Director Liu's promise, as long as Yang Hongtao didn't cause a major disaster, he probably wouldn't have anything to fear anymore!
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 64 Picking Up the Girl at the Airport
After exiting the police station, he found Xin Yue and Mr. Zheng Minghui already waiting for him. Other passengers who had given their statements and been cleared of suspicion were already on the airport's electric buses, waiting to be picked up before leaving together. Yang Hongtao, being a hero, naturally received special privileges; the police arranged a jeep for him, and Xin Yue and Mr. Zheng, benefiting from his presence, were also taken to the airport exit. Stepping out of the airport exit, Yang Hongtao was genuinely startled.
Although he already knew that Xin Yue's company, Bai Rui Group, was probably quite powerful, and that Xin Yue would be carrying such a priceless treasure, so there would definitely be many people coming to pick her up at the airport, he still didn't expect Bai Rui Group to put on such a grand show…
A full twelve cars and more than thirty people lined up in two rows to greet the passengers—the sheer scale of the event was quite intimidating! But that wasn't all; there was also a bank armored truck waiting there, with eight fully armed police officers holding automatic rifles in the procession.
The other people who had come to greet the guests had already been kept at a distance. Under the intimidation of the eight armed police officers, no one dared to approach. Seeing this scene, many people were speculating, wondering if a national leader was coming to Kunming for an inspection!
Upon seeing the three men emerge, a man in a white suit, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, immediately rushed over, eagerly taking Old Master Zheng's arm and asking with concern, "Grandpa, I heard there was some trouble with the plane you were on... Even our connections couldn't get into the airport to pick you up... The entire airport seemed to be under lockdown... What happened? Are you alright?"
"Don't worry! My old bones are perfectly fine, aren't they?" Old Master Zheng patted the young man on the shoulder, then pointed to the fully armed police officers and said, "We'll talk about other things later. You're in charge of taking the things to the bank's safe deposit box first! The plane was delayed for so long, it's caused them a lot of trouble. Go quickly!"
"It's...Grandpa..."
Although the young man was somewhat dismissive of the old man's words, he immediately turned around and waved, signaling his assistant to bring over a miniature safe.
The young man opened the safe, handed it to Xin Yue, smiled slightly, and said, "Sister... thank you for your hard work this trip. Is everything alright?"
Xin Yue gave a wry smile upon hearing this and said, "The items are fine, but your sister was almost scared to death!" With that, she reached out and took off the large sachet hanging around her neck, carefully placed it in the safe, and tightly closed the safe. Then, she used her clothes to block the view of others, reset the safe's combination with her hand from below, and then handed the safe back to the young man.
The young man took the safe, his expression immediately becoming tense. He nodded to Xin Yue and said, "Sister, Grandpa, I'll take the things to the bank as collateral first... I'll have them take you to the hotel! Oh, right... I've already booked an extra room at the hotel, just as you asked... Sister... who is this? Uh... could he be my future brother-in-law...? Don't stare at me like that, I'll come to pay my respects later... Hahaha... Let's go..."
Without waiting for Xin Yue's reply, the young man picked up the miniature safe and, surrounded by eight armed police officers with automatic rifles, boarded the fully enclosed armored truck, leaving the airport first.
Only after the armored truck drove away did the remaining thirty or so well-dressed men and women relax a lot. They rushed forward and surrounded Xin Yue and her grandson, showering them with flattery.
"Chairman, you're getting healthier and healthier!"
"The chairman looks even younger than he did two years ago. It's truly amazing how capable he is! He's even so knowledgeable about health and wellness. I'll have to ask him for advice sometime!"
"General Manager Xin, where did you buy this outfit? Oh my... it suits you so well... If you were to walk down the street dressed like this, I reckon more than half the men in Kunming would run into telephone poles... and the other half would probably crash into cars... so you really shouldn't go out on the street!"
"Oh my... General Manager Xin, look at your figure... How do you maintain it so well? It's a good thing you didn't go into the entertainment industry, otherwise, what chance would other female celebrities have? Even Lin Chih-ling would probably be jealous of you!"
Yang Hongtao found the flattery utterly nauseating and nearly vomited up his dinner from the night before. He thought to himself that people always say officials are hypocritical, but it turns out that people in the business world are no less so.
It's such a waste that these people aren't officials...
Yang Hongtao dragged his suitcase at the very back. These sycophants probably thought he was a follower of the grandfather and grandson, so no one paid him any attention.
Fortunately, that's how it is. Otherwise, if someone had come up to him and flattered him like that, he doesn't know if he could have kept himself from vomiting all over them!
This commotion lasted for six or seven minutes before Xin Yue finally pulled Yang Hongtao into a Cadillac luxury sedan.
Grandpa Zheng Minghui rode in a different car and did not sit with them.
The front and rear seats of the car were blocked by a layer of soundproof glass, and the windows were also all bulletproof and soundproof. After the two people got into the car and closed the door, the noisy sounds around them immediately quieted down.
"Ugh...this is so annoying!"
Xin Yue stretched lazily in front of Yang Hongtao without any regard for her image, then plopped down opposite him. Looking at Yang Hongtao's bitter face, she couldn't help but chuckle and said, "What's wrong... do you think those people are particularly hypocritical? And my grandfather and I... hehe... actually, we can't do anything about it. Those people are all middle and senior managers of some branches of the group company in Yunnan. You could say... Bai Rui Group relies entirely on these grassroots talents to support it and expand its operations to such a large scale. They can all be considered the backbone of the group."
Don't listen to their disgusting words; they are all truly talented people. However, even the most capable people need a good opportunity to rise to the top.
They work at a branch office, and it's not easy for them to even get close to the higher-ups at head office, let alone see my grandfather. Now that they finally have this opportunity, how could they not try their best to impress? It's only natural... My grandfather and I were incredibly annoyed listening to them, but we couldn't be too cold to them, otherwise we'd discourage these junior employees!
Yang Hongtao nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, thinking to himself that Old Master Zheng didn't seem like a vain person. He remained calm and composed, chatting and laughing, even amidst the flattery of these sycophants, seemingly enjoying it... So it turns out he had no choice! Heh... It seems being flattered isn't such a pleasant thing after all!
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 65: The Raw Stone Auction
The convoy arrived at Kunming's most luxurious five-star hotel, where the sycophants treated the three of them like royalty, escorting them to their deluxe rooms upstairs before reluctantly bidding them farewell.
These people were originally planning a grand welcome banquet, but due to the flight delay, the three of them spent a lot of time cooperating with the police to give statements at the airport. By the time they arrived at the hotel, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening. The old man was getting on in years and couldn't take any more of the hassle. He was already showing signs of fatigue in the car. Who would be so foolish as to insist on dragging the old man to some pointless banquet?
The three of them were also very hungry. Fortunately, Xin Yue's cousin was very thoughtful and had arranged for the hotel to prepare food and drinks in advance. As soon as they entered the room, someone quickly brought them hot food and drinks.
All three were exhausted, so they ate in their guest rooms and then went back to their respective rooms to rest.
Although Yang Hongtao was very tired, he didn't dare to relax. He practiced Niu-style Tai Chi in the spacious living room of the luxury hotel room, working up a sweat again before taking a shower, changing into his pajamas, and climbing into bed.
Since his rebirth and the arrival of such a sickly body, Yang Hongtao has been intensifying his exercise these past few days.
He practiced Niu-style Tai Chi Chuan every morning and evening without fail. Niu-style Tai Chi Chuan was indeed miraculous. After each complete practice, Yang Hongtao would feel his body, after extreme fatigue, burst forth with a vibrant vitality, just like a withered blade of grass that had been fertilized and watered.