I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 137 is infuriating!
By the time the dishes were served, I had already downed another glass.

He didn't stand on ceremony. After a couple of bites of food, without saying a word, he simply raised his glass to Zhang Da'an, hesitated slightly, and then downed it in one gulp.

Eight cups in a row, exactly two bottles of wine, totaling more than two jin (1 kg).

Just as he was about to open another bottle, Zhang Da'an stopped him, had the maid bring over a glass, filled his own glass, and then said with a smile, "It was originally twenty-four million, but since you're being so generous, I won't waste any more words, thirty million exactly. Let's call it a day, and another day we'll go to Jiangning or Shazhou, 'Zhuangyuanlou' will be the treat."

Even Zhang Da'an, who doesn't drink much, downed it in one gulp right there in front of everyone.

"Damn it, if you drink like this again, I'll be a dog!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Zhang Da'an's cursing made the other party laugh. He wanted to say something, but his steps became noticeably unsteady.

Even a normal person with a capacity of two kilograms would not be able to handle three cups of alcohol. There is no room for recovery. Drinking too much will cause sudden difficulty breathing or even temporary blindness. Feeling unsteady on your feet is already a sign that you are in good health.

Zhang Da'an had someone quickly help the other person induce vomiting, and then sent them to a nearby hospital, just in case.

Such a minor episode could never be published in the newspapers; it could only be a "legend." But if 30 million were actually pulled out, that would definitely be a big deal.

After confirming the matter, Jinan City did not sit idle. They pulled in the Shandong Provincial Youth Development Foundation, which could be of use, and put together a fairly ordinary party.

All the excellent programs that should be included in the cultural performance were presented on stage.

There were acrobatics, local songs and dances, and even a famous Henan opera artist was invited to perform a "black voice" scene of Bao Zheng bravely venturing into the underworld. Even though the nanny couldn't quite understand what was being sung, she could still understand the story.

“Mr. Zhang, actually, we can get a loan from the bank for this money. Banks are short of business right now, so even half of the 30 million could be loaned out.”

"Director Yuan."

"Oh, not yet, not yet. It's just that a management committee has been set up, but the appointments haven't been officially announced yet. We'll have to wait for the city to hold a meeting to discuss it before it can be finalized."

"Hey, you Shandong province is really particular. If it were us in Shazhou, we would have walked backwards and bragged about it, wanting the whole world to know that we are the best."

"The atmosphere varies from place to place. I personally really like the bold style of some comrades in the South."

"You really do speak with such composure. But don't have too many reservations when dealing with me. I'm not a proper businessman, nor am I a respectable person. I'm only interested in making money; if I don't, I'll leave. I'll use those twenty acres to build a vocational school, mainly focusing on hotel management and cultural tourism. Whether you want to offer arts-related majors is up to you. If you need to settle any favors, just let me know."

"..."

This left Director Yuan speechless.

It's clearly like dealing with a mountain bandit; there's no need for any beating around the bush, just get straight to the point.

In fact, Director Yuan only knew that Zhang Da'an should be kept, but he didn't know why.

He thought the 16 million was the key, but actually, what the higher-ups were after wasn't that.

At the same time, he didn't know why the provincial youth development foundation... would jump in and get involved.

He wasn't really in a position to find out what was going on.

However, for someone like him who needs to undergo an "alcohol test" alone, his strength and ability are still insufficient... Did Xia Yuhe by Daming Lake rely on her abilities?
He spread his legs wide, but I didn't see him go to the capital.

It all comes down to ability!
However, things are constantly evolving, and ability can be transformed into strength if it encounters the right opportunity.

As the old saying goes, "A golden carp is no ordinary fish..." It's still quite beautiful.

Yuan Yecheng is considered a capable person in the district, but he is different from people in the surrounding provinces and cities.

There's an old saying: "Three lifetimes of misfortune, and you'll be a county magistrate; three lifetimes of evil, and you'll be a provincial capital magistrate."

If you can't get on at the station, then get off. This situation is quite different from that of a typical prefecture-level city.

Of course, compared to Jiangning and the capital, Jinan is still considered a relatively fortunate city.

"Mr. Zhang, may I ask a question?"

"No need to be presumptuous, feel free to ask."

"..."

Director Yuan Yecheng was still a little unaccustomed to Zhang Da'an's style, but he was a "three-time champion," and perhaps this unprecedented "prodigy" just had a few quirks?
"Then I'll ask."

After organizing his thoughts, Director Yuan asked, "First of all, when you came to Jinan to recruit people, did you consider setting up a school in Shandong Province?"

"The main reason I came to Shandong Province to poach talent is that I can't recruit many people from Luzhou. Although I can poach from Jianghuai Province, the mother of one of my students helped me a lot the year before last and last year by lending me a group of people in the provincial capital, Luzhou. With that favor still in place, it would be too inhumane of me to just go there and poach people this year. As for Zhongyuan Province... they've painstakingly gathered a group of excellent teachers there. If I poach ten or eight of them, the two best middle schools in a county might be completely ruined. All things considered, only Shandong Province can withstand being drained. Anyway, you've all gotten used to being drained by the capital."

"..."

No, I fucking...you, you son of a bitch!
Yuan Yecheng, who thought himself knowledgeable, suddenly felt incredibly complicated. There are some things you shouldn't say. Everyone knows them, but you shouldn't say them out loud.

Director Yuan was in so much pain that his balls hurt. Working in Shandong Province was actually similar to working in Hebei, Liaoning, or Andong. He had to walk on thin ice in his own little corner of the country.
Think beautifully.

Dude, I'll make sure you can't even get a scallion into the city, believe it or not? That's the kind of ability a real man has!
After regaining his composure, Director Yuan almost forgot what he had wanted to ask, so he continued somewhat dejectedly, "So, will you be setting up a school in Shandong Province?"

"It depends on the situation. I definitely won't go with the model of Xindongwei Port Middle School. It's easy to exploit a large area. But I can cooperate with 'public-private partnership' to earn some hard-earned money. In Jiangkou Province, we don't lack that. There's always a way to get people into schools. Whether they become successful or not, at least we have a foundation. Jiangning City actually hoped that I would build a comprehensive school for the children of migrant workers, covering everything from kindergarten to high school, but I didn't agree."

"Is that possible in Shandong Province?"

"If you need it someday, just let me know, and we'll find a large cemetery, gather a few hundred acres of land, and build a school like this."

"..."

Director Yuan found it absurd. "You don't even know who I am, yet you dare to make such a promise?"
"Director Yuan, let me say something you may not like to hear, and don't think I'm just making empty promises. Do you know what 30 million means to me? It means 300 newly recruited students in the 'Top Scorer Tutoring Class.' Just six classes. I have three campuses, do you know how many classes like that I can guarantee?"

"How many?"

"I have sixty of these."

Zhang Da'an turned his head, a look of suppressed laughter on his face, "I'm just too rich, and I make money too fast, I can't even imagine what it would be like if I didn't have money..."

"..."

Although his mind was subconsciously calculating how fast Zhang Da'an was making money, he listened as Zhang Da'an continued with a smug, barely suppressed laugh, "And you know what? This isn't even my most profitable project. Before this year's college entrance exam, I sold over 100 million worth of candy. And now I've produced my third top scorer in the college entrance exam, a perfect scorer at that! Now, the mixers in my food factory are running faster than jet engines. The money is growing every day. A 40-ton truck can turn a six-lane highway into a two-lane highway. Thirty million... I can have it in a few days in Jinan."

"..."

At this moment, Director Yuan's mind had stopped working; it was completely blank, and he didn't know how to understand the matter.

Because he had just realized that if the city's vision surpassed his own focus on only 16 million, then now, by sheer chance, his focus on money was on a higher level.

Yuan Yecheng, after downing two jin of liquor, felt dizzy and went straight to the atmosphere.

Once the funding reaches a certain level, it becomes something that an ordinary public welfare project cannot compensate for through social value.

The difference is too great. "And what's even funnier, Director Yuan?"

"..."

Yuan Yecheng, looking blank, simply shook his head mechanically.

"Haha, what's even funnier is that last year, the Chengdong District of Jiangning City actually hoped to sell another product called 'Top Scholar Gold List.' They thought they could sell 200 million or 300 million. I knew that if we sold at full capacity, 500 million or 800 million wouldn't be out of the question. But I just wouldn't sell it. I was just playing around, controlling production capacity and keeping it at 60 million. I made them furious and anxious, but they couldn't do anything about it. They still had to keep coaxing me and help me maintain production, quality, and transportation..."

Zhang Da'an, with a smug look on his face, said, "Guess what happened in the end? I got a whole thousand acres of land, enough to build my own industrial park. Isn't that infuriating?"

"It's pretty infuriating... uh, no, I mean everyone has their own ideas."

"However, these are still child's play. The real challenges are yet to come."

"Y-more?"

Have you heard of electronic dictionaries or learning machines?

"I heard."

"Right now they sell for 298 or 398. But this year during the Spring Festival, they'll only sell for 98 or 198. Director Yuan, do you know why?"

"Because Mr. Zhang also needs to sell himself."

"Yes, I sell my body, not my skills; what I'm selling is my body, the body of a top scholar. Tell me, which parent in the world wouldn't desire my body?"

"..."

"Is it too much for me to sell it for four hundred yuan?"

"That's not an exaggeration."

"Two billion."

"What?"

"I mean, the output value of this industry is 2 billion. It will continue to rise in the future, and we can enjoy the benefits for many years. I have a capable assistant who is currently in Beijing on business, but he has already completed all the preparations for production. I didn't actually come to Jinan City to invest in a factory. However, there is a guy named Su Xibo who is lucky. I plan to support him to become the richest man in a district or county."

"Support...the richest man?"

"Isn't that very daring?"

"..."

"What a lunatic! Su Xibai also downed two bottles of baijiu?"
At this moment, Director Yuan suddenly felt a little jealous of Su Xibo. Of course, he knew that Su Xibo was the chairman of "Songbai Instruments" and that he had recently run into cash flow problems and was looking for funds everywhere. This time, he had even formed a group with others, hoping to take the opportunity to get some sponsorship.

But to my utter surprise, things took such an unexpected turn...

Of course, it could also be described as full of ups and downs.

Of course, it could also be called "The Adventures of Susie Bo," since if he encountered this, wouldn't he be in deep trouble?

"Mr. Zhang, if I may ask a question..."

"As I just said, there's no need to be presumptuous, just ask."

"Mr. Zhang, do you have any personal aspirations or dreams?"

"This question is a bit presumptuous."

"..."

Damn retarded.

Yuan Yecheng gave up on treatment on the spot, thinking, "Let Zhang Da'an, this anthropomorphic creature, do whatever he wants."

So he stopped watching the cultural performances and, as if some kind of switch had been turned on, Yuan Yecheng immediately entered chatter mode. Before, he had been careful not to say too much and make a mistake, and then be completely controlled by a top-notch person like the "three-time champion".

Now...

It doesn't matter!
“I heard from a CEO from Pengcheng who came to a meeting that there is a capable person in Fengyi County named Zhang Zhengdong, who is also from your Shazhou.”

"Yes, that's my uncle."

"..."

Director Yuan shuddered on the spot, as if he had encountered a ghost in broad daylight.

At the time, the commotion Uncle Zhang made would have made it impossible for the local troops in Pengcheng to take action. If they were to call in the armed police, it would definitely be from Jicheng. Goodness, he brought down the arrogant construction company boss in Pengcheng who had been so powerful for so many years.

A bunch of poor guys suddenly got all excited, and they were so energetic!

Yuan Yecheng still remembers that place, called Chenzhuang Town. He brought his whole family, young and old, to test their skills against the heroes of the construction company.

He didn't go into the details of how many years he was sentenced to, but if this matter became a big deal, it would be mentioned in great detail.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened, so the public outcry wasn't too intense; it would have been more dramatic than a stampede during a lottery draw.

The key point is that Zhang Zhengdong hasn't been hung up and beaten yet, and hasn't even received a public reprimand. That's truly amazing!

Director Yuan thought this mongrel named Zhang Zhengdong was already outrageous enough, but it turns out the guy next to him is his uncle and nephew.
That makes sense; no wonder they can bring up painful memories from the previous year just by chatting.

Talking to Zhang Da'an is likely to shorten your lifespan.

Director Yuan was quite impressed with the comrades from Jiangning and Shazhou, wondering how they had adapted to these rare and exotic animals.

But when he thought of the "three-time champion," he couldn't help but admire him; then he thought of "Zhang An Education," and he was speechless; if he were to add another "champion on the imperial examination," he actually felt that being a sycophant wouldn't be so bad...

Ah, I've definitely fallen into depravity!
Director Yuan was extremely disheartened. In the end, even watching the children's innocent and lively performance, he felt it was nothing special, and even thought that the children's faces, painted like monkey butts, were really ugly.

Zhang Da'an, standing next to him, found it quite interesting, feeling that Shandong Province truly lived up to its reputation as the "hometown of Confucius and Mencius," as the level of its cultural performance was indeed high.

After the event, Director Yuan couldn't sleep at all, but he couldn't bring himself to report every detail of his conversation with Zhang Da'an to the city.

Snap, snap, snap...

He struggled to light the lighter several times before it finally did. He lit a cigarette and stood by the car door, lost in thought with a complicated and unfocused expression.

What principles, what public-spiritedness, what selfishness, what the masses...

The world is so complicated; life is so tiring.

Only then did Director Yuan begin to envy Zhang Da'an immensely. These rare and exotic beasts were truly unlike humans; he lived a damn poetic life.

It's mainly about being wealthy; poetry is something that comes naturally.

(End of this chapter)