Ning Qingfan's spokespeople made contact with influential figures from both legitimate and illegitimate circles across the country, weaving a vast network of relationships to seek personal gain or orchestrate clandestine illegal activities.
Normally, Li Gennong wouldn't have been able to obtain this kind of information given his level and rank, but because he was a trusted confidant of the biggest boss in Chongqing's underworld, he learned about some relationships and inside stories.
Those who are doing well in the underworld are cautious, especially when it comes to matters involving powerful figures. Doing good deeds anonymously is not their style. After receiving the mission, Li Gennong spent a lot of time investigating the person behind the scenes, eventually tracing it back to Ning Qingfan's representative. This made Lin Yao realize that Ning Qingfan was the one who arranged the kidnapping.
Lin Yao knew that his communications would definitely be monitored after dawn, so he suppressed the urge to contact Dengpao immediately and waited until he returned to Chengdu before contacting him online. He knew that Dengpao's abilities could block network surveillance and eavesdropping.
"Xiao Gou, I need to tell you something. Change your phone number right away and try to contact me as little as possible in the future. I might be being monitored." Lin Yao's first words were to express his concern directly. As someone who also lived in the shadows, he knew that the situation would be even more serious once the light bulb was exposed.
"Oh, I see. My phone number is new; I've only used it to contact you. The content of the text messages won't be a problem. From now on, let's not talk about work on the phone; let's communicate online. I've already installed some plugins on your computer, so it shouldn't be monitored." Gou Xiaogou's tone was relaxed, as if he had expected this situation. "You might be monitored when you're browsing the internet normally, but as long as you contact me through this QQ account, the anti-monitoring plugin will activate. The other party will only see that you haven't been using the computer, and visiting other websites is not within the plugin's protection range."
"Actually, it's best to contact me through my own custom communication tool. I've already installed it for you. There's an icon called 'DDP' on your desktop. Just click on it and change the password yourself. The original password is 123456789, and it must be at least eight digits."
Gou Xiaogou was very efficient. This time, he hacked into Lin Yao's computer again and installed a communication tool for him, which made Lin Yao feel a little amused and annoyed. Didn't these hackers know to ask for other people's permission before hacking in? Although he understood Gou Xiaogou's behavior, he was very bothered that his things were used without permission.
"You're amazing!" Lin Yao was speechless. It seemed that hackers had a tough life, having to be wary of people all the time, because once exposed, their lives were over.
"Help me look into someone in Beijing, Ning Qingfan, around 25 or 26 years old, maybe older or younger. I only know he's a princeling type, but I don't know the specifics. He has some influence among the powerful young people in Beijing." Lin Yao didn't mince words and got straight to the point. The shorter the contact, the better; he didn't want to implicate the other person.
"Received. I'll text you when I have news. The message will be casual and won't mention these details. You can contact me online later." The lightbulb was quite straightforward, which seemed to be his usual style.
"Oh, by the way, how's the database program I asked you to write coming along?" Lin Yao asked one last question.
"Boss, what do you mean 'last time'? It was yesterday, okay? To be precise, it was early this morning." Gou Xiaogou felt a bit overwhelmed. "Setting up the Oracle database is too much work; it can't be done so quickly. Besides, I also need to prepare to pick up Xiaoxue to visit you in Chengdu. This matter is more important to me."
Lin Yao also felt a little anxious. He wanted to establish a database architecture as soon as possible to store patient files for future direct sales. After experiencing some things, he did not want to blindly help and save people. With customer information, his ultimate goal was to selectively treat and save people. If handled properly, it could also promote national spirit and good morals throughout society.
"I was too hasty. Please help me as soon as possible. I'll take responsibility for healing your Xiaoxue." Lin Yao awkwardly took back his words, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"By the way, Yao-ge, does your company hire network administrators? We have a guy who's about to graduate who's pretty good; maintaining databases is no problem for him, and he also has a lot of experience in network security." Gou Xiaogou suddenly switched roles, now acting like a job agent, recommending a technician to Lin Yao.
"Of course we need to hire. The company already has two part-time network administrators, but they don't work regular hours. We need to hire network administrators who can work regular hours. Is your buddy any good?" Lin Yao chuckled. Gou Xiaogou's recommendations were always top-notch. He was just worried about finding talent.
"Zhang Yunan, 22 years old, is about to graduate from the Computer Science Department. He previously worked part-time at Oracle's Shanghai office in Beijing, and also served as a system security consultant for several companies in Shanghai. He has good technical skills and is a very honest person," Gou Xiaogou introduced concisely.
“Sure, just have him report directly to Minhong Pharmaceutical. Tell him it was my arrangement.” Lin Yao was naturally satisfied and made the decision without hesitation.
“Brother Yao, let me make this clear first, he won’t take any job for less than 10,000 yuan a month. It’s just that the competition in Shanghai is fierce, and he feels that the companies here won’t allow him to fully utilize his talents, so he doesn’t want to stay at Oracle and the companies he used to work part-time at.” Gou Xiaogou continued to explain, as if worried that Lin Yao would think Zhang Yunan was too arrogant. “It just so happens that your company’s server and database maintenance used to be temporarily rented and outsourced. Zhang Yunan can independently install database servers and build the entire network. I recommended him to you because I think he’s quite capable. Don’t think I’m pulling strings or using connections. It’s not even certain whether he’ll want to come.”
Lin Yao smiled, thinking that no matter how capable Gou Xiaogou was online, it couldn't compare to his age of only 21. At this moment, he didn't realize how valuable his identity as China's number one hacker was. Let alone recommending a master, even a mediocre hacker, as long as he asked, no company would doubt the ability of the person being recommended.
“No problem, let him name his conditions and we’ll try our best to meet them, including his salary.” Lin Yao immediately cut off Gou Xiaogou’s words. He didn’t want to see a high-profile person belittle his own worth like that.
“Okay, I’ll tell him tomorrow.” Gou Xiaogou was obviously very happy, his tone was light and cheerful. After resolving his girlfriend’s life-threatening situation, he was excited all day and hadn’t slept at all. “Don’t reveal my identity, okay? He thinks I’m just a computer enthusiast.”
"Of course, do you need to teach me that?" Lin Yao retorted irritably, thinking that Gou Xiaogou's emotional intelligence was probably not high, but his intelligence was okay. No, his intelligence was quite high.
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The following days were quite lively. All the volunteers gathered in Chengdu. It was a big problem to have 4,351 volunteers all together for a meal, as it was difficult to find a restaurant or hotel that could accommodate so many people at the same time. The accommodation problem was relatively easier to solve, as they used the school building that had previously housed patients suffering from beverage poisoning. However, this time they had to pay to rent the place.
The volunteers had no complaints about the simple living conditions, as they had endured even more hardship in the drought-stricken disaster area over the past few months.
Moreover, they knew best what kind of company Minhong Pharmaceutical was. Whenever they sold bottles of beverages that could be bought for 2,000 yuan to disaster victims at extremely low prices and received a few tattered banknotes or coins in return, they were even more grateful to Minhong Pharmaceutical and on behalf of the disaster victims.
All the volunteers were excited about the successful gathering in Chengdu to celebrate the disaster relief efforts. No one objected to the cost-saving measure of staying in school dormitories. They even preferred to sleep on the streets to save Minhong the not-so-high school dormitory accommodation fees. They often slept on the ground in the disaster area.
Another purpose of gathering in Chengdu is to allow everyone to get to know each other better. Many volunteers who were not assigned to the same county or township do not know each other. These equally noble people are eager to get to know their comrades, because they are the true comrades who share the same ideals and goals.
The deepest feelings are forged in the revolution, and some single volunteers have perfectly illustrated this principle. Among the volunteers, about ten couples developed feelings for each other through frequent phone calls. The men were fighting on the front lines, while the women were working hard at the service center in Chengdu. After gathering in Chengdu, many men and women who were attracted to each other met for the first time, and twelve couples have already decided to start dating. Whether more couples will emerge in the future remains to be seen.
Lin Yao was delighted to hear the news and immediately arranged for people to inform the couples that once their love had withstood the test of time and distance and both parties decided to start a family, Minhong Pharmaceutical could arrange employment for either party. The principle was that the woman would work in the city where the man lived, and vice versa.
Because Minhong Pharmaceutical's next step is to establish a nationwide direct sales network, these branches, which are essentially small hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, lack trustworthy management personnel. Volunteers are the most genuine and selfless candidates; experience is not important, good character is the most crucial factor.
With the guarantee from Minhong Pharmaceutical, some single men and women who hesitated due to geographical factors and therefore dared not talk about relationships quickly found each other and formed fifty-two potential couples. Lin Yao sighed that single people are still free. Most of these volunteers who can squander their time and energy according to their own wishes are single. Many volunteers with families left after serving for about a month. After all, everyone has their own responsibilities to bear, and there is a limit to dedication.
With this in mind, Lin Yao extended an olive branch to all the volunteers gathered in Chengdu, inviting them to join Minhong Pharmaceutical. Volunteers currently unemployed or in less desirable jobs could join the Minhong Pharmaceutical family and, based on the principle of proximity, serve in their hometown or the branch closest to their hometown. This initiative made the volunteers feel even more welcome; even those already in very good jobs felt they had become part of Minhong Pharmaceutical.
The banquet was ultimately held at "Yipin Tianxia", located on "Yipin Tianxia Street" outside the third section of the West Second Ring Road in Chengdu. It is a street that gathers almost all of Chengdu's representative food streets, with distinctive buildings and many well-known catering companies that have opened branches here. There are more than 100 restaurants gathered here, and they are all doing brisk business. It can be called a paradise of food.
To create a lively atmosphere and strengthen relationships among the volunteers, the dinner was held in the main hall. With over 4,000 people, the dinner had to be arranged at one of the twelve adjacent restaurants. These arrangements were naturally made by the female volunteers from the service center, which attracted numerous media outlets for coverage. This was quite a big deal in China.
During the meal, Lin Yao did not join his parents in toasting each table. He only started toasting each table individually after his father Luo Jimin, mother Lin Hongmei, Wen Youmin, Wu Jianwei, and others had left.
Lin Yao, disguised as a Korean-style thug, was still dressed neatly. However, his face and hairstyle were still in the style of a Korean thug, making the volunteers feel sorry for the handsome Luo Jimin and the beautiful and dignified Lin Hongmei, wondering how they could have given birth to such an unattractive son.
But appearances are never the most important thing. After learning that Lin Yao was the young master of Minhong Pharmaceutical, the volunteers who were not much older than him became even more enthusiastic. They were not allowed to bring their own drinks when toasting, and someone would naturally replace or refill the drinks at each table. After going to a few tables, Lin Yao simply took an empty glass and went to the next table to toast, not caring about so many formalities, since the glass would be replaced anyway.
One cup per table, more than 400 cups of baijiu in total. Even if it's a small cup with a capacity of five qian, you still have to drink 22 jin of baijiu. This forced Lin Yao to use his internal energy to neutralize the alcohol. After toasting one restaurant, the first thing he did upon arriving at the next restaurant was to run to the toilet. After that, he would announce his identity to thank everyone and then start toasting.
The volunteers were clearly in close contact. Those who chose restaurants based on their own tastes informed their familiar companions. The young master's act of toasting each table with real wine caused a sensation. Volunteers who hadn't had their turn waited eagerly for the young master to toast them, while those who had already been toasted waited to see when the young master would get drunk. As a result, the meal lasted a full four hours.
Luo Jimin and his entourage simply offered a toast at each restaurant, and of course, thank-you speeches and media photos were also included. It took them a full two hours to visit all twelve restaurants, with ten minutes allotted to each one.
Lin Yao's toasts were rushed, almost like a rescue mission. At each of the 436 banquet tables, he spent an average of 33 seconds: coming over, giving a speech, pouring wine, drinking, changing tables, and moving from one volunteer table to another in a whirlwind tour, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.
Lin Yao ultimately didn't get drunk, which greatly surprised all the volunteers. The wine was poured by them personally, completely undiluted and not mineral water. When everyone calculated, the sheer volume of 22 jin (11 catties) of wine seemed unbelievable.
Later on, some well-meaning volunteers even followed him into the restroom to check if the young master was vomiting. Lin Yao had no choice but to endure being watched while he was feeling unwell. This situation was unexpected, but since it had already begun, it had to continue. He was truly grateful to these noble volunteers, and only a small glass of wine could express his gratitude.
Fortunately, Ge Yong had anticipated some of the situation and gathered dozens of veterans to escort Lin Yao, which prevented the media from capturing videos and recordings of him. Some volunteers who took photos with their mobile phones were also moved by the security guards' remarks after Lin Yao left. They either reluctantly deleted the photos and videos or secretly vowed never to spread them, thus avoiding explosive news such as "the astonishing drinking capacity of 22 jin of high-proof liquor" and "the mysterious young master of Minhong Pharmaceutical enjoying himself with volunteers".
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