I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 188 The Labor Knife Technique is really powerful!

At the 9th Beijing International Book Fair, "Zhang An Education" signed several large contracts with agents in several Southeast Asian countries. Apart from directly importing finished Chinese books from countries with relatively well-developed Chinese communities, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, the rest were all about local language translations.

The three main categories—children's picture books, children's books, and teen comics—each represent orders worth tens of millions of yuan.

The biggest advantage here is the "team of a thousand illustrators," which can customize illustrations or picture books in almost every style.

Currently, the best-selling books in the "Zhang An Education" picture book category, besides "Atlas of Tourist Attractions in Jiangkou Province", are "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "Chinese Mythological Stories". These three series can be continuously updated and published every year. If a monster from "Classic of Mountains and Seas" is found, it can be drawn to make an updated or revised version.

Mythological stories are endless, because in addition to the well-known ones, there are a large number of local legends and myths. There is a section of "Chinese Mythological Stories" called "Chinese Local Myths and Legends", which are picture books and albums priced in the hundreds.

Among them, the best-selling areas of the "Jiangkou Province Tourist Attractions Atlas" are almost all in North China, with unrealistic fantasies about "Jiangnan Misty Rain", and then they are tricked into coming here to be steamed and then baked.

In the sweltering summer heat, the sticky feeling all over makes northerners curse like crazy.

They are all liars!

What nonsense about "a small bridge, flowing water, and a family"? The family itself has flowing water!
However, these three sets of books, or rather three book series, have also performed quite well in exports. In addition to Southeast Asia, the United States, Japan, and South Korea are the next three major buyers.

While it wasn't in the tens of millions, a trial deal worth one million US dollars is quite impressive.

There are no competitors in the surrounding area that can rival "Zhang An Education" in this market segment. Whether the "team of a thousand illustrators" can actually earn more money depends mainly on the future mobile communication market and subsequent orders from Southeast Asia.

To ensure delivery, Zhang Da'an continued to cooperate with the Shazhou City Printing Factory, and also invested an additional 24 million yuan to purchase large-scale printing equipment on the basis of the packaging factory he had originally invested in in Mazhou City, which became "Zhang Da'an Printing Factory".

The employees of several old printing factories in the surrounding area that had gone bankrupt were screened and interviewed by the "Labor Development Division" and then recruited to "Zhang An Printing Factory".

This gave Huang Dingjun more confidence in communicating with publishing and printing units in Qinjiang City. When "Jinbang Comics" was officially launched, Huang Dingjun's editorial team no longer needed to grovel before others. However, the printing plants in Qinjiang City did not think about having any in-depth cooperation with Huang Dingjun, and basically did not think that this place could produce any big business.

The first place to showcase "Golden List Comics" was at the 9th Beijing International Book Fair. Publishing companies in Southeast Asia were very interested, mainly because the content was plentiful and covered all kinds of genres. It wouldn't be a problem to release a standalone edition in their own language.

The issue is that the buyout fee hasn't been agreed upon, so it's been temporarily shelved. For example, Malaysian publishers want a "one country, one buyout" rather than a "one language, one buyout," but the reality is that there are quite a few languages ​​in Malaysia.

On the contrary, Cambodia is very simple; all you need is the Khmer language.

However, the market is small, and a business worth two hundred thousand US dollars is, strictly speaking, quite a thankless task, but it is of great significance. The press officer of the Cambodian royal family even personally took a group photo in front of the "Zhang An Education" booth and expressed his gratitude.

The main point is that in 1944, at the United Nations level, at least the United States could no longer support anti-government armed groups in Cambodia.

At the border between Thailand and Cambodia, the resource transport route previously established by the CIA has been effectively shut down, and the Cambodian government forces have set up a decent outpost there.

When Coach Zhang has nothing better to do, he spends his time gossiping on the "Golden List Blog," tarnishing the "hope of humanity" with numerous small stains.

The key is that no one dares to criticize him yet. He doesn't care about verbal sparring, since it's a one-on-one fight.

The publications in Khmer have significant symbolic meaning, enhancing the national image and also improving the personal image of the "three-time champion".

There is plenty of food in books, enough to fill your stomach.

However, it's a bit disgusting that Coach Zhang said he likes to eat barbecue.

Originally, this year's business was just targeting overseas Chinese, but "Zhang An Education" stands out from the crowd and can compete with many rivals in Europe, America, and Japan.

In the past, long-running manga series like Dragon Ball almost swept the market with no rivals. However, this year, a "golden list manga" has emerged, which is quite powerful. Whether it can become a hit is unknown, but its significance is considerable.

The main issue is related to the background of the parent company of "Jinbang Comics". Originally, some people planned to block "Jinbang Comics" in June, July and August, using "catch-all" charges to prevent "Jinbang Comics" from going public.

However, because of Hu Xianda's burnt state, the person in charge of the matter didn't want to provoke Zhang Da'an, that lunatic, so they didn't agree. Anyway, they wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics and would compete fairly.

Zhang Da'an didn't care about anything else. At the "Corporate Culture Development Seminar" jointly held by Beijing and Shanghai, all that could be heard was the barking of dogs.

Of course, at first, he barked at people in the cultural circles, calling them all trash, and said that anyone who dared to cause trouble in "Golden List Comics" would have their whole family killed...

They couldn't keep up with the various CEOs who came to the meeting.

No, we're not just friends. We're all dressed in suits and ties; we're successful people!

Can't you act like a CEO?!
You keep saying things like "kill the whole family" all the time. Even if it's true, don't say it in such a high-class setting.

I thought Zhang Da'an would be criticized, but nothing happened to him.

So the bosses all felt that General Manager Zhang truly deserved to be called a "three-time champion," and if it weren't for the changing times, he would definitely have been a "martial arts champion." As the saying goes, "He can govern the country with his literary skills and stabilize the nation with his martial arts skills." He is both literate and martial, and extremely handsome.

This barking at "cultural figures" has been completely over.

However, the subsequent barking was rather jarring in the "intellectual circles" and "academic circles".

Some of them were even towering figures, with many senior political commissars as their disciples and followers. However, at one of the discussion meetings, Zhang Da'an didn't care about anything else and just ruthlessly attacked whatever was being withdrawn.

Not much, just "one cut".

The key point is that no one can actually break his swordsmanship.

Whether or not you chant scriptures depends on who you chant with.

Head Coach Zhang, having eaten barbecue in Japan, was a bit irritable, so he used slightly more force.

"In my view, using advanced culture to guide the construction of corporate culture is the inherent meaning of developing and prospering the culture of today's society, and it is the requirement of the times and the social quality characteristic of corporate culture in China."

"Professor Hu, does the corporate culture building you mentioned include compliance with the Labor Law?"

"Mr. Zhang, we have invited entrepreneurs today to discuss the construction of 'corporate culture'. Legal matters are related to the construction of corporate culture, but they are not the focus."

"That's not the point. What kind of culture are you talking about if you don't abide by the Labor Law? I'm not targeting anyone in particular. What I mean is, no matter what kind of culture you talk about, corporate culture, social culture, academic culture or whatever, you have to eat first. If you can't even eat, what kind of culture are you talking about? That's just nonsense."

"..."

Zhang Da'an claimed he wasn't targeting anyone, but he kept arguing with Hu Yaoxian, a leading figure in theoretical research. A barking fit ensued, and many of the rumors in the underworld immediately became the truth.

The various business leaders who were previously admiring the scenery at the Bund in Luzhou have now finally confirmed that Hu Xianda was indeed killed by Zhang Da'an.

Damn it...

The reason for targeting Hu Yaoxian is simple: Hu Yaoxian is Hu Xianda's elder, from the same clan.

Sometimes, theoretical development is about accumulating seniority; outlasting your competitors is how you become a leading figure.

However, Zhang Da'an, this young man, lacked martial ethics and immediately used the "Labor Knife Technique," slashing directly at Hu Yaoxian's face.

The old man adjusted his glasses and smiled: "Comrade Zhang An, do you have a problem with my opinion?"

"of course."

"..."

Why the hell am I being polite to you?

Zhang Da'an directly admitted to having objections, saying, "You, this incompetent 'paperhanger,' are just like Li Hongzhang, good for nothing but flattery. What kind of bullshit corporate culture is this? You've only been in business for a few years, and you're already starting a new 'Westernization Movement' on the ideological front? Is the 'Science and Education Revitalizing the Nation Strategy' not clear enough?"

"If you ask me, anyone who doesn't comply with the Labor Law should be fined every year, every month, and every day. If the fines are enough, why would we be worried about not having a corporate culture?"

"Take Mr. Zhou of 'Daqian Rare Earth' for example. Last month, he poisoned five people and owed his workers 18 months' wages. Did that stop Mr. Zhou from buying a villa on the Bund? Or are the sea-view properties in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong just freebies? These are luxury homes worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Is this what you call corporate culture? Professor Hu, are you living a life of leisure at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences? How dare you associate this phenomenon with the development of advanced culture? You are simply lawless!"

"..."

"..."

The "double-up" method has always been effective since ancient times. When the fragrant and the foul are mixed together, it is not easy to cut them apart.

However, at the "Corporate Culture Development Seminar" jointly organized by Zhang Da'an in Beijing and Shanghai, the barking of the dogs was quite loud.

After all, there were acquaintances among the people hosting the meeting; I had met them once before when we took a group photo.

Then don't blame Coach Zhang for taking this opportunity to cause trouble.

"Mr. Zhang! Don't throw mud at me like that!"

Mr. Zhou, who originally just came to join in the fun, never expected that he would find a huge stink bug while having a meal in Luzhou.

"Don't say I didn't splash it. Even if I did, what can you do to me? You're just a damn lowly son-in-law. I can stomp on you a couple of times, what are you going to do about it?"

Zhang Da'an was incredibly arrogant. He sat in his seat watching a group of prominent figures from the intellectual and industrial circles suppress their laughter as they watched the spectacle unfold. In fact, when they heard that Zhang Da'an had been invited, they knew that something was amiss.

Seeing that the person presiding over the meeting was also no ordinary person, they became even more convinced that Zhang Da'an was being used as a tool.

However, whether you want to be a knife depends on whether you have the ability to do so.

Most importantly, the knife cannot belong to any one family or individual. It's a public treasure; how can you take it home for your own use?

"What's wrong, Professor Hu? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I just don't want to argue with unreasonable people; it's pointless."

"If you won't fight for it, then I will."

"..."

Completely ignoring Hu Yaoxian, Zhang Da'an leaned back casually, one hand on the table, still sporting his arrogant, dog-like expression. "Learning from foreigners about 'corporate culture,' I don't object. But always eating what the foreigners have left over—aren't you theorists utterly useless? If you can't handle external propaganda, maybe it's due to differences in national development levels; but you can't even handle internal propaganda properly—are you all receiving foreign exchange subsidies for your families?" "Zhang An! Do you know you have to take responsibility for saying things like that in this kind of setting!"

"Go to hell! Would I make things up without evidence?"

Zhang Da'an suddenly picked up a stack of papers on the table, waved them, and said, "Professor Hu, have you heard of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' allowance?"

"..."

"Mr. Zhou, the British Empire's level of bribery is among the highest in the world. Do you remember the 'Orwell Fund' in London? They not only invest in real estate in Hong Kong, but also have a large number of properties in Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Melbourne. Some of these properties are over 140 years old, ancestral properties. How could these foreigners sell them to Asians? Mr. Zhou, do you want to explain?"

"..."

With a grin, Zhang Da'an tossed the paper in his hand, scattering it like petals from a fairy shower. With a "hiss," he opened a can of Coke with one hand, took a small sip of the chilled Shaoxing wine.

The two retired old men from Luzhou Earthquake University never expected to see such a "Western spectacle," and they immediately became very interested. They were law school graduates, but they had retired many years ago and didn't have much influence. Their only advantage was their hard skills, which is why they weren't killed.

Seeing Zhang Da'an's arrogant demeanor now, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

It felt strangely good.

“How could I, a person who strictly abides by laws and regulations, possibly share the same ‘corporate culture’ as you bunch of insects? A company that can’t even distribute the pie fairly has no right to claim the title of ‘advanced culture’.”

"Professor Hu, if your skills aren't up to par, don't come out here swindling people. If you're not good enough, just admit it. You can't even make a decent domestic 'meat megaphone,' but you're top-notch at spouting foreign nonsense. And 'corporate culture'... Have you ever earned even a single day's hard-earned money?"

"you you you……"

"What do you mean, 'you'? You can't even handle this? You old good-for-nothing...you're quite good at stubbornly holding on."

"No manners!!!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Da'an burst into laughter, and many senior scholars in the intellectual circles also secretly laughed along.

After all, what Hu Yaoxian said was nonsense. Everyone present knew that Zhang Da'an had absolutely no manners.

Especially those from Beijing, who experienced the "Tong Jinmei incident," how much did that old lady weigh in total?

A person who has been the top scorer three times in a row really dares to slap someone hard across the face.

That's a skill I can't compare to.

That's incredible.

"I have only one sentence: companies that cannot abide by the Labor Law have no right to talk about 'corporate culture'."

After saying this, Zhang Da'an sipped his cola and smiled as he looked at the group of people around him with their various expressions.

Some were unhappy, some were annoyed, some were gloating, and some were indifferent...

A thousand people, a thousand faces, are the same everywhere.

Poor people love watching excavators, and rich people love watching them too; kids love watching them, and kids will love watching them when they grow up.

Each person is unique, yet they all share commonalities with their respective social groups.

Zhang Da'an was clearly there to sabotage this "Corporate Culture Development Seminar," but since the event was a relatively low-level collaboration between Beijing and Luzhou, he wasn't worried about being gossiped about.

Those media outlets accompanying them were all shrewd and wouldn't possibly expose their true colors.

It's too easy to find out; there's no need to take the risk.

Since today's meeting is a seminar, it's certainly not very serious, and there aren't many powerful figures endorsing it.

However, turning it into this kind of public spectacle, and then criticizing "a few veteran comrades" by hanging them up, is a bit excessive.

It's been so many years, we can't keep doing it like this.

Just as the person in charge of maintaining order at the meeting was about to make a move, they saw that Chief Instructor Zhang had another move besides the "Labor Knife Technique".

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention. Professor Hu, the passage you just said, 'Using advanced culture to guide corporate culture construction is the inherent meaning of developing and prospering contemporary social culture, and it is the contemporary requirement and social quality characteristic of corporate culture development in China,' is plagiarized by you. No matter what, if you don't know it, you don't know it, but don't plagiarize. Academic misconduct is a very serious matter."

"Just like you just told me, we need to take responsibility."

"Alright, that's all I have to say now. If I've offended you in any way... please bear with me, I'll do it again next time."

"..."

"..."

"..."

That's absolutely insane!

However, Zhang Da'an's moves were quite sophisticated. He used the "labor knife technique" to seize the dog's right to bark, but finished with the "academic misconduct sword," which was essentially "stabbing to death or wounding." The best way to get rid of Hu Yaoxian was not about economic issues, nor about personal conduct, but about getting to the bottom of things in one step... academic issues.

Those who need to be skinned alive will be skinned alive, and those who need to have their tendons pulled out will have their tendons pulled out. Now is the time to test the strength and resources of each sect.

It just so happens that Zhang Da'an's trip to Luzhou has already won the favor of the Jiangning University group. Everyone chose Zhang Da'an because his nickname on the "Golden List Blog" is "Li Mei Tokyo Barbecue".

He claimed to be an exceptionally skilled barbecuing expert, and people from all the major schools of thought in the Jiangning university cluster believed him.

Unity is impossible, but going out together to get some benefits is no problem at all.

Finally, the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was in charge of meeting discipline, made his move. He was very polite and told Zhang Da'an to get lost. So Zhang Da'an left the meeting hall with a smile.

A seminar is a meeting for research and discussion.

Not letting people speak is so petty!
Zhang Da'an's outburst at the "Corporate Culture Development Seminar" was described as "pooping and pissing everywhere," and he received no shortage of criticism.

However, it's not a big problem. There are many critics, and there are also quite a few people speaking up for them.

The Jiangning University Cluster doesn't just focus on science and engineering; it also collaborates on humanities, history, and philosophy.

Especially in the development of the video game industry, Zhang Da'an is now a decision-maker in leading companies, and that would be impossible without the support and advocacy of cultural figures in the fields of literature, history, philosophy, and social sciences.

Furthermore, the "college entrance examination season" is the main ACEC tournament, and the "World Cup" has virtually no appeal to some groups, far less than the "Anglo Cup".

However, to treat the "World Cup" and the "Angola Cup" as the same field, it's not enough to rely solely on "those who play video games"; we need someone like Hu Yaoxian to step up and help promote them.

The local scholars in Jiangning City who are currently receiving money from Coach Zhang and conducting research projects in literature, history, philosophy, and social sciences are busy trying to convince parents that "video games" are a form of exercise.

The ensuing verbal sparring at the "Corporate Culture Development Seminar" is no longer relevant to Zhang Da'an. Whether he was criticized or named, it's all over now.

All he needs to do is muddy the waters and let people know that the "direction of the development of advanced culture" is not a framework, and that bad people are planning to add sand into it.

The problem is that the methods used are too crude, with frequent references to the Labor Law, which puts considerable pressure on some of the newly wealthy "private entrepreneurs".

The person who chaired the meeting was from the Policy Research Office. After the "Corporate Culture Development Seminar" ended, he arranged a dinner with Zhang Da'an. They had a casual meal in the "Western Suburbs". The master chef of Shandong cuisine flew from Beijing to Luzhou that day.

Don't ask why the master chef of Shandong cuisine came from Beijing rather than Jinan. It's because 70-80% of the top figures in various cuisines are in Beijing, and only a small number of them are descendants of local warlords who stay in the birthplace of their respective cuisines.

"We have also conducted in-depth research on your views on the 'Science and Education Rejuvenating the Nation Strategy' and are currently reintegrating the theory. However, in practice, we certainly hope to see more results."

"You think highly of me?"

"After all, he is a literary star of our time, so your views still have a lot of influence among young people."

"Aren't you afraid that my low moral character will corrupt the children?"

"Low quality means great potential for improvement."

"Damn, that's impressive. No wonder you're a national-level think tank. I'm truly impressed. But... if I may ask, is my current level of practical experience insufficient?"

“You’re not the head of a state-owned enterprise, so taking bigger steps isn’t a bad thing. No local government is asking you to build a landmark building, and no strange people are asking you to take on any unnecessary responsibilities. The country has always strongly supported excellent enterprises.”

"Next year."

"when."

"Spring recruitment?"

"Then we'll wait and see. We're just scholars who write articles; we have a heavy workload and limited time, so we have no choice. We are very grateful for your help."

"It doesn't matter. With your encouragement, I can really go all out. Just remember to cover for me if anything unnecessary happens."

"..."

Although I knew long ago that this guy was a prime example of someone who never leaves empty-handed, it's still frustrating that he still manages to squeeze every last drop of profit out of the Policy Research Office, a place with so little to no lucrative opportunities.

Fortunately, the problem is not serious. As long as the combination of theory and practice yields results, it will all be worthwhile.

(End of this chapter)