At 7:30, Zhao Qiang had almost finished tidying up the business hall. He put the few still intact main units back on, and it took him a lot of effort to drag the broken counter out. Just as he was about to move it outside and throw it into the trash can, a Mercedes-Benz pulled up and stopped at the door. Liu Yiyi, dressed in a mature business suit, opened the car door and walked up to Zhao Qiang, swaying her hips.
"Zhao Qiang, I should call you President Zhao now, right? This is just a small token of my appreciation, please don't think it's too little." Liu Yiyi smiled and handed over a red envelope. Zhao Qiang had invited Liu Yiyi to his opening today because she was his client, and he didn't expect her to be the first to arrive. She was really giving him face. Could it be because she was afraid he would spread those photos of her everywhere?
Handing over the red envelope, Liu Yiyi exclaimed in surprise, "What happened to you? Are you injured?"
Zhao Qiang covered it up by saying, "I slipped and fell while setting up the counter last night, and now the counter is broken."
Liu Yiyi said, "How could you be so careless? Let me help you."
The broken counter was covered in shards of glass. Zhao Qiang didn't dare let Liu Yiyi do any work, because he wasn't familiar with her. They only had a business relationship, and that relationship was based on Liu Yiyi's attempt to silence Zhao Qiang. Otherwise, why would Liu Yiyi pay attention to someone as insignificant as Zhao Qiang? So how could Zhao Qiang let her do any work? He quickly stopped her, saying, "No need, go sit in the break room for a while."
Liu Yiyi's clothes were indeed unsuitable for work. Any bending over or squatting would expose her private parts. So she didn't refuse and headed to the break room. On the way, she glanced curiously at the business hall and immediately noticed something was wrong. There were only a few machines inside, and there were no monitors. Moreover, the machines had obvious signs of being dropped. It looked like something had happened!
Liu Yiyi asked Zhao Qiang behind her, "This isn't as simple as just falling down, is it? Are you planning to hide it from me?"
Zhao Qiang smiled sadly and said, "I offended someone, and they smashed it up."
Liu Yiyi asked, "Who?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's Qian Gang from Xinhua Computer."
Liu Yiyi's expression suddenly turned serious: "Qian Gang has a lot of influence. Someone in his family holds an important position in the municipal government. I have a friend who is on good terms with him. Should I ask my friend to talk to him?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Thank you, President Liu. I don't think there's any possibility of reconciliation between us. Let's ignore it and go to the lounge for a drink of water."
Liu Yiyi said, "Don't hesitate to ask if you need any help."
Regardless of Liu Yiyi's motives for being so enthusiastic, Zhao Qiang was grateful to her. It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. Zhao Qiang would never forget those who were kind to him at this time.
Zhao Qiang made tea for Liu Yiyi, then turned on the TV for her to watch by herself. He still needed to clean up the broken pieces of the counter, in case more people came and saw them.
Volume 1 [083] Senior Brother Comes to Congratulate
It took a lot of effort, and he even cut his hands several times, to finally move the broken counter to the trash can. Zhao Qiang planned to go back to the yard to find an iron bar to lift the broken counter into the trash can, otherwise the sanitation worker who came to collect the garbage would scold him.
With a screech, a beat-up Volkswagen Santana braked less than a meter in front of Zhao Qiang, startling him. The car door swung open, and four men emerged. The leader was quite old. "Congratulations, junior brother!" It turned out to be the four senior brothers Zhao Qiang had recognized at Professor Gu's house. Xu Xiaoya had probably notified them, as Zhao Qiang hadn't contacted them.
Zhao Qiang touched his heart: "Senior brother, you scared me to death. If the brakes had suddenly failed, I would be dead."
Dan Hongfei said, "How could that be? I know what I'm doing. By the way, hurry up and take the things out."
Ning Xiangdong and Zhou Baoqiang took a plaque out of the trunk and loudly announced, "Ta-da! Wishing my junior brother a prosperous business!"
It turned out to be a large painting of the God of Wealth, probably worth a thousand or so. When Zhao Qiang saw the signature in the lower right corner, he was startled. It also included Professor Gu Yu's name. Shan Hongfei patted Zhao Qiang on the shoulder: "The teacher said he wouldn't be coming. The five of us, teachers and students, presented you with this painting of the God of Wealth. It's not a big gift, but it shows our friendship. The teacher values you highly. Don't disappoint him, junior brother."
Zhao Qiang rubbed his hands together: "Since it was given by the teacher and senior students, I need to wash my hands first, then burn some incense before I can welcome the God of Wealth in."
When it came to washing hands, Shan Hongfei noticed Zhao Qiang's hands and face. Zhao Qiang had smashed the car window with his fist, and his hands were still covered in blood. In fact, he still didn't believe that he had the ability to smash a car window with one punch. At that time, he was probably just unleashing his potential in a fit of rage.
Dan Hongfei pointed at Zhao Qiang's injuries with a puzzled look and said, "What's wrong with you, junior brother? What's going on? It's like you just came back from the front lines in Vietnam."
Zhao Qiang didn't want the guests who came to congratulate him to get angry or upset, otherwise he wouldn't have been in such a hurry to clean up earlier. Zhao Qiang continued to cover up, saying, "I slipped and fell while setting up the business hall last night, and I smashed the counter too."
Of the four fellow disciples who remained in Donghai City, Ye Wen was the most composed. He immediately noticed something was wrong and said, "Junior brother, do you think we're children? How many times have you fallen? I see two or three sections of this broken counter. Are you just playing around smashing counters for fun? Come on, let's go inside and take a look."
Zhao Qiang's smile vanished as he said, "No need to look. I knew I couldn't hide it from you. They had the shop smashed up."
Bang! Shan Hongfei slammed his fist on the hood of the Volkswagen Santana, leaving a large dent. Fortunately, the car wasn't expensive, so there was no need to worry about the repairs costing too much. "Well, I really didn't know that someone in Donghai City would dare to do something like this so openly. Who is it!"
Because Liu Yiyi said that this matter involved people from the municipal party committee and government, Zhao Qiang didn't want to put Liu Danhongfei in a difficult position. He reassured Danhongfei, "Senior Brother, don't worry about it. I'll handle this myself." Zhao Qiang hadn't spent the whole night racking his brains; in his eyes, those four people were already dead! It was only a matter of time.
Dan Hongfei was furious. He grabbed Zhao Qiang and pointed at the plaque with the God of Wealth on it, saying, "What did you say? You want me to stay out of it? Do you even know how to write? You're just going to let the plaque the teacher gave you watch your shop get smashed to pieces? Where does that leave the teacher's face? Do you expect us to save face? Are you even a student of the teacher anymore? You're just going to swallow your anger like this! If the teacher finds out about this, he'll slap you across the face!"
Zhao Qiang felt quite aggrieved by Shan Hongfei's words. He didn't want revenge? He wanted it to death! But the people who came were law enforcement, and behind them was the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee. Could Zhao Qiang afford to offend them now? A gentleman's revenge is never too late. Zhao Qiang didn't intend to take ten years; he wanted to rise rapidly in three to five years, then trample these people under his feet, crushing their intestines, anuses, feces, urine, stomach juice, bile… until he killed them! Even if these law enforcement officers didn't die, Qian Gang had to die! He absolutely had to be eliminated!
Zhao Qiang was somewhat excited. His hands trembled as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Now he understood why men liked to smoke—it numbed the nerves. Ye Wen noticed something amiss and asked Zhao Qiang, "Not an ordinary person?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Several departments were conducting a joint enforcement operation, and I got into a conflict with them..."
Law enforcement? Shan Hongfei's expression turned serious. If government agencies were involved, he couldn't use his original methods to resolve the issue. Shan Hongfei said to Ye Wen, "Xiao Ye, this is the development zone's territory, right? Call District Chief Xu and ask him to come over. I need to hear his explanation for this."
Zhao Qiang said, "Alright, senior brother, it has nothing to do with any district head. It's Qian Gang, the boss of Xinhua Computer Company, who is the mastermind. I heard that his uncle is Secretary-General Zhong of the municipal government. Today is the opening of my little shop, so don't let this messy thing spoil everyone's fun."
Upon hearing this, Shan Hongfei sneered, "So it's still a collusion between officials and bandits. Even if the mayor came, he would have to explain things to me! Don't worry about it. This isn't just your personal matter; it's about the teacher's reputation being trampled on! However, in officialdom, we must follow the 'rules'."
Zhao Qiang thought to himself, "I finally managed to start a business, and I've had the worst luck in eighteen lifetimes. Now I'm dragging my senior brother and the secretary-general of the municipal party committee into this mess. I don't know who can outdo whom. Should I really not go it alone?"
Before Ye Wen could find the phone number, an Audi pulled up. Ye Wen said, "You're quite proactive, coming all by yourself."
Zhao Qiang was stunned when he saw that Xu Xiaoya was getting off the bus. The middle-aged man standing next to her vaguely resembled Xu Xiaoya. Could he be Xu Xiaoya's father? It must be. Xu Xiaoya's father is District Chief Xu! Zhao Qiang finally understood Xu Xiaoya's identity. They had been classmates for three years. It hadn't been easy. He really lived up to the saying that he was oblivious to school affairs and only focused on his part-time job.
"Secretary Shan," District Chief Xu greeted him with a smile, extending his hand before Shan even reached him. Unfortunately, Shan Hongfei didn't shake his hand; he was still angry. Instead, he asked Xu Xiaoya, who was standing behind District Chief Xu, "Junior Sister, you're not going to tell me this is your father, are you?"
Xu Xiaoya looked a little aggrieved, her eyes red and swollen, and said, "Oh, it's my senior brother. You've arrived quite early. Yes, this is my dad. By the way, what kind of secretary are you?"
District Chief Xu glared at his daughter: "You child, these are Secretary Shan from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Deputy Director Ye from the Finance Bureau, Director Ning from the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, and Section Chief Zhou from the Construction Commission. They are all national elites with great potential."
Xu Xiaoya asked in surprise, "Senior, why didn't you mention having dinner at the professor's house last time?"
Shan Hongfei said, "What are you talking about? The four of us are the teacher's most useless students. We're terrible at research and can't even get a job in the government. What are you asking us to brag about? We'll just be laughed at."
Xu Xiaoya said, "You guys didn't laugh your teeth out, but Zhao Qiang had his teeth almost knocked out. I wonder if you, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, can control the secretary-general of the municipal party committee."
District Chief Xu glared at her: "Xiaoya, what nonsense are you talking about?" Such words are fine as jokes, but they are definitely inappropriate to say in public. The officialdom is a place that pays great attention to the art of language. Even if you hate someone to the bone, you still have to be polite to them on the surface.
Shan Hongfei said, "District Chief Xu, since you're here, please explain. I heard that some officials and thugs have colluded to smash up someone's shop. The Development Zone Management Committee will be held responsible for this."
District Chief Xu considered his words for a moment and said, "Secretary Shan, this was actually an accident that occurred during law enforcement. As things progressed, both parties were responsible. I have just learned about the details of what happened. As for the specific handling plan, we will have to wait for everyone to express their opinions at the Standing Committee meeting."
Dan Hongfei replied noncommittally, "Oh, really?" He couldn't afford to lose his temper on the spot if Zhao Qiang was in the wrong. Dan Hongfei was very frustrated that he couldn't immediately save face for his junior brother and teacher. He had made a big promise before.
District Chief Xu began to recount the events, explaining that Zhao Qiang had indeed attacked Qian Gang first. He had been unable to control his anger at the time, which made it difficult for Shan Hongfei to resolve the matter immediately, putting Shan Hongfei in a somewhat troublesome position.
After considering for a moment, Shan Hongfei asked, "Have these joint enforcement actions by several departments been filed with the district?"
District Chief Xu shook his head: "No, but they prepared a supplementary copy afterward, and Secretary Liu of the District Committee also approved it."
Shan Hongfei said, "Okay, can you give me a copy of the filing?"
District Chief Xu said, "Okay, I'll have someone deliver it to Secretary Shan as soon as I get back."
Dan Hongfei patted Zhao Qiang on the shoulder and said, "Junior brother, it's easier now that you know who's involved. I won't let you be bullied, and I'll definitely get back our teacher's face. Just wait and see. I'll give you an explanation, so don't worry about it. Come on, let's invite the God of Wealth into the company first."
(All three chapters for today have been updated at once, please vote with your recommendation tickets!)
Volume 1 [084] Opening Ceremony (Part 1)
Xu Xiaoya walked beside Zhao Qiang and whispered, "Zhao Qiang, I'm sorry. My dad was originally part of Zhong Shuhuan's faction. There's nothing he can do about this. Please don't hate me, okay? I've already had a huge fight with my dad. He has his own difficulties too. Please don't be angry with him either."
Zhao Qiang said, "How could that be, squad leader? There's really no need to make a big deal out of this. I'll handle it myself, but not now."
Xu Xiaoya argued, "But our company is being bullied right now. Shouldn't we resolve this now and wait until they're all dead before seeking revenge?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Although I don't understand the ways of officialdom, I do know a little about them. If things get out of hand, it won't be good for anyone. So anyone who handles this matter will have a lot of concerns. If you really want revenge, then develop our company into the largest technology company in Donghai City, or even the whole country, in the next year or two! Then I will make my own arrangements."
Xu Xiaoya said excitedly, "Yes, Zhao Qiang, I believe you can do it! We will definitely develop Shunfeng Technology into a first-class company in the country and even the world. At that time, Qian Gang and Zhong Shuhuan will be no match for us!"
Just as Xu Xiaoya was full of ambition and ready to make a name for herself, she was stopped by someone. It turned out to be her father, Xu Liming, the district chief. Shan Hongfei and the other three had already gone into the lounge with Zhao Qiang to find a place to hang the God of Wealth. Since revenge couldn't be rushed, they would still open for business today.
Xu Liming said to his daughter, "Xiaoya, why do you call Secretary Shan 'senior brother'?" He hadn't dared to ask in front of Shan Hongfei earlier.
Xu Xiaoya said indifferently, "Do you still care about my affairs?"
Xu Liming said angrily, "Xiaoya, what kind of attitude is this? Your father and I are busy with work and there are some things we can't take care of for you. You should understand us."
Xu Xiaoya said excitedly, "Fine, I can forgive you for not having time to take care of me, but you can clearly see that the vandalism of Shunfeng Technology Company was done intentionally, especially since there was collusion between officials and businessmen involved. Why don't you do anything about it!"
Xu Liming sighed: "Xiaoya, you think too highly of your father. I do want to help, but the problem is, who can I help? The power in the district is all in Secretary Liu's hands. If it weren't for my relationship with Zhong Shuhuan, I'm afraid I would have lost my position as district head a long time ago. Do you think your father has an easy life?"
Xu Xiaoya asked, "So you're planning to indulge them?"
When did he indulge them? Xu Liming gave a helpless bitter smile. What does it mean to be caught up in the ways of the world? How could his daughter, at her age, possibly understand these things? Outsiders only see his glamorous exterior as the district head, but the officialdom is fraught with danger. One wrong step and you're doomed. Xu Liming felt helpless and exhausted, but life had to go on. Every morning he had to repeat this routine, and now he was misunderstood by his beloved daughter.
Suddenly, Xu Liming's gaze was drawn to the wind chimes hanging on the glass window of the finance department's inner room. "Xiaoya, isn't that the wind chime you used to hang on your bedroom window at home? You said you took it to school, so how come it's here? By the way, I haven't had a chance to ask you yet, what's your relationship with this Zhao Qiang, and what's your relationship with Shunfeng Technology Company? There's a reason why you're so enthusiastic, isn't there?"
Xu Xiaoya blushed. She dared not tell her parents about these things. They always thought she lived in the school dormitory. What should she do? She decided to say what her father wanted to hear. "Dad, you don't know yet, do you? I was admitted to Professor Gu Yu's graduate program. Zhao Qiang, whom you just saw, was also admitted at the same time. His grades are even better than mine. He got full marks in every subject. That's why we call Shan Hongfei and the others our senior brothers and sisters. They are also Professor Gu's students."
Xu Liming was overjoyed to hear that his daughter had been admitted to Professor Gu's graduate program: "Really? Xiaoya, you're amazing! Dad is so proud of you. But why didn't you tell me what was going on with that wind chime? I have to go in and take a look."
Xu Xiaoya couldn't stop her father. When the door to the bedroom in the department was pushed open, revealing Xu Xiaoya's underwear openly thrown on the bed, Xu Liming's face immediately darkened. His heart ached. He suddenly thought of Zhao Qiang, that boy. Was it him who left his daughter here at night, holding her to sleep? His daughter was his precious darling, and she had actually lied to her family and run off to live with a boy! Xu Liming was furious. If he had a knife, he would definitely chop that brat up.
Seeing her father's troubled expression, Xu Xiaoya became anxious. "Dad, it's not what you think!"
Xu Liming's face hardened: "Pack your things and come with me."
Xu Xiaoya wanted to argue, but seeing that her father was indeed angry, she dared not say anything more. She silently packed her clothes and then got into the Audi with her father. Xu Liming went to the lounge to greet Shan Hongfei and the other three. The specific handling of the incident involving the vandalism of Shunfeng Technology Company still needed to be discussed at the Standing Committee meeting. He had no say in this matter.
After 8:30, the invited clients began to arrive one after another. The men and women varied in height and weight. Shan Hongfei and the other three helped to greet them. Liu Yiyi was also busy, making tea and offering cigarettes. Zhao Qiang felt guilty and uneasy that such a beautiful female boss was doing this kind of thing. However, Xu Xiaoya had too much business to handle. More than 30 people had already arrived, and Zhao Qiang couldn't keep up at all. In addition, he also had to stand at the door to greet the guests. If Wang Yidong were here too, that would be great.
Beep, beep, another car horn outside. Luckily, the open space in front of the door was big enough, otherwise Zhao Qiang would have had to arrange parking all day. Seeing such a lively scene, Zhao Qiang sincerely admired Xu Xiaoya. If all these people became his customers in the future, his business would definitely be booming. It was a pity that she was taken away by District Chief Xu, otherwise she would definitely proudly boast to him.
Zhao Qiang recognized the car that had just arrived; it was Luo Xiaowei's Ford. It wouldn't be right for her not to congratulate him today, since she was trying to win over Zhao Qiang on behalf of her cousin. It would be impolite not to show her appreciation on such a day.
Luo Xiaowei stepped out of the car wearing a beautiful sky-blue dress. Her long, slender legs were almost exposed up to her thighs as she got out of the car, causing Zhao Qiang's heart to skip a beat. After Luo Xiaowei straightened up, her long, slender legs were mostly covered by the dress. She waved to Zhao Qiang, who was greeting guests at the door, and said, "Mr. Zhao, congratulations! Come on, help me carry the opening gifts that my cousin and I gave you inside."
Opening the trunk, he saw another plaque, this time featuring a pine and crane design, with the words "Hu Qian and Luo Xiaowei wish you a prosperous opening" written in red ink in the lower right corner. Before Zhao Qiang could even move the plaque, more guests arrived. These guests were his roommates, Liu Dazhuang, Hu Le, and Wang Xiaonian. He didn't need to bother greeting them, and in fact, he planned to have them help entertain the guests.
Before the person even got close, Zhao Qiang urged, "Hurry up, come over and help me take the plaque inside and hang it up."
Liu Dazhuang and his men rushed over, and Hu Le and Wang Xiaonian carried the plaque. Liu Dazhuang handed a red envelope to Zhao Qiang: "Xiaoqiang, the three of us have pooled together some money for the gift. Don't think it's too little. You'll be a big boss in the future, so please take good care of us three brothers."
Zhao Qiang accepted the red envelope and said with a smile, "Don't worry, you can use the internet here as much as you want from now on, I won't charge you for electricity, and you can even help me with some chores, I'll pay you double!"
Liu Dazhuang was naturally pleased with Zhao Qiang's promise. He winked at Zhao Qiang and said, "Xiao Qiang, look, even Luo, the beautiful girl from our school, came to congratulate you. You've got quite the influence. We didn't even know you two had developed this kind of relationship, and you're even doing things secretly. By the way, why didn't the class monitor come? Logically speaking, someone who loves to join in the fun shouldn't be absent. Xiao Qiang, you didn't tell her, did you? If so, you're in big trouble. If she finds out you opened a company and didn't invite her, you're in for a world of trouble."
(Thanks to Fengxinwudong, huanxiyudewo, and bh6208 for the donations! Thank you to Fengxinwudong for the review vote and the urge-to-update vote! Four chapters today! Actually, there will be a big show after chapter 100. The revenge that needs to be taken will eventually be taken, and the debts that are owed will eventually be repaid. Please tune in on time. There will also be an update after midnight tonight. I hope everyone will support it with their votes.)
Volume 1 [085] Opening Ceremony (Part 2)
No one at school knew that Zhao Qiang and Xu Xiaoya were running a company outside. If Zhao Qiang hadn't taken the initiative to inform Liu Dazhuang and the other two, they wouldn't have known that Zhao Qiang had now become so successful.
Beep! The piercing sound of a car horn alerted the people in the middle of the road to swerve immediately. A Passat sped up and then pulled up neatly to the side of the road. The driver's side door was hurriedly opened, and Xu Xiaoya emerged, her clothes somewhat disheveled. "I was so anxious! I barely managed to jump out of the window. Zhao Qiang, what are you standing there for? Are all the guests in the cars outside? Go in and greet them."
Luo Xiaowei stepped forward to help Xu Xiaoya tidy up her appearance. It must have been messed up when she climbed out the window to escape. Zhao Qiang felt another surge of emotion. Liu Dazhuang whispered to Zhao Qiang, "Xiaoqiang, what was the class monitor saying just now? She hasn't been going to class these past few days. Could she be helping you here? Damn, I'm really impressed with you. You secretly brought two of the most beautiful girls from Donghai University here."
Zhao Qiang said, "Dazhuang, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by 'getting things done'? The squad leader has been helping me all along. Without her help, how could I have invited so many guests? Now she is the most important employee in the company, uh, of course, the only employee."