Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

The door was gently closed.

A soft "click" separated the inside from the outside of the room.

The suite returned to silence.

Shen Guodong did not move.

He was still leaning back in his armchair, the smile on his face not yet completely gone.

He just sat there quietly, watching the direction Gu Ming left in.

The assistant next to him, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was breathing very quietly.

He had worked for Chairman Shen for ten years and knew that his boss was only outwardly calm.

The more silent the boss is, the deeper his calculations are.

Time passed second by second.

About a minute later.

The smile on Shen Guodong's lips slowly disappeared.

His expression turned cold, yet with a hint of amusement.

He was reflecting on Gu Ming's performance just now.

He withdrew his gaze and fixed it on the teacup in front of him. Gu Ming only took a sip.

The tea has cooled down a bit, but the aroma is still there.

He held up two fingers, picked up the purple clay cup, and smelled it.

Then, he let out a very soft chuckle from his throat.

"That's interesting."

He spoke, his voice not loud, breaking the silence of the room.

The assistant, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, immediately stepped forward, leaned slightly forward, and asked in a low voice, "Chairman Shen, this Gu Ming..."

Shen Guodong raised his hand to interrupt him.

"A smart young man who, having just entered the workforce, already aspires to do great things."

"They are tough and ruthless enough, knowing when to be assertive and when to show weakness."

His assessment sounded like a compliment, but his tone carried a hint of disdain.

"pity……"

He shook his head, his tone filled with regret.

"But he's still just a young man."

"Spending their whole lives messing around in small places, doing petty things, and thinking they're something special."

"But little did they know, there was someone above him who truly controlled the situation."

"I don't need to compete with him."

Shen Guodong leaned back in his chair and looked at his assistant.

"All I need to decide is whether to let him succeed or let him fail."

These words made the assistant wearing gold-rimmed glasses feel uneasy.

He knew that the boss had already made a decision about Gu Ming.

He immediately understood and offered direct advice.

"Chairman Shen, should we take action?"

He lowered his voice even further.

"I've investigated his company, Xingchen Media. The registered capital is very small, so you can always find problems if you check the accounts. Whether it's the business registration office or the tax office, if we put a little pressure on any of them, it's enough to break their cash flow."

He paused for a moment and then proposed a second solution.

"Or, to put it more directly. His '100 Million Pixels to See the Earth' project, and that virtual human, are good ideas. We can have Apocalypse Entertainment follow up, using our people, traffic, and funds to create a competing product, and within a month, we can squeeze him out of the market."

These are the methods they used to employ.

It's used to get rid of anyone who gets in the way or makes the boss unhappy.

However, this time, Shen Guodong scoffed again.

"Crude," he commented. "This kind of method is meaningless."

He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window was the night view of Hegang, and the lights of the small town were at his feet.

"Letting him fail directly is too easy on him."

He had his back to his assistant, as if talking to himself.

"That young man was very proud, thinking he was very smart and capable of great things."

"and……"

He changed his tone, sounding somewhat helpless.

"It'll be difficult to explain to An'an. My daughter idolizes him now. If I let him fail now, she'll be unhappy."

The assistant remained silent; he knew this was the key point.

If it weren't for Shen An'an, this young man named Gu Ming wouldn't be worthy of Chairman Shen's personal visit to Hegang, nor would he be qualified to sit here and drink tea. He wouldn't even be qualified to be evaluated by Chairman Shen.

"Therefore, we cannot allow him to fail now."

Shen Guodong turned around, a playful smile on his face.

"Not only can't we prevent him from failing, I'm also going to give him a hand."

"I want him to succeed."

His voice was soft, but every word he spoke felt cold.

"I want him to experience the benefits of having money, to think that he has been accepted by us. I want him to make the company even bigger, so big that he can't control it anymore."

He stretched out one hand and made a loose grasping motion in the air.

"I want him to invest all the money my daughter gave him. I want him to stake his men, his hopes, and his pride on this."

His eyes were shining.

"Then..." He clenched his fist tightly and laughed.

"At the height of his success, when he was happiest and thought he had achieved his goal..."

"I will personally reduce everything he has to nothing."

The assistant, who wore gold-rimmed glasses, felt a chill run through her body.

He had worked for Chairman Shen for ten years and had witnessed all sorts of business tactics.

But never before has it been like today.

This is a form of mental torture.

This is to elevate a person's hopes, ambitions, and dignity, and then destroy them with one's own hands.

This method is ruthless.

This is how real big shots play.

Shen Guodong seemed quite satisfied with his assistant's reaction.

He walked back to the tea table, looked at his assistant, and began to give instructions.

His tone was casual.

"Let our Skyhawk Capital contact him."

Skyhawk Capital is one of the many investment institutions under Shen Guodong's control, specializing in handling early-stage investments or nurturing potential projects.

"Remember," Shen Guodong held up one finger, emphasizing, "you must be thorough in your approach and follow all the procedures. Due diligence, project evaluation, and business negotiations—not a single round can be omitted."

"We need to make him feel that it was his talent and projects that attracted investment from Beijing through his own abilities."

"We need to make him feel that we're begging him to invest."

The assistant's breathing stopped; he knew the crucial instructions were about to come.

Shen Guodong picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it, and slowly uttered a number.

"Give him five million."

"Not too much, not too little."

The corners of his mouth turned up.

"This amount of money isn't enough for him to fully succeed and break free from his dependence on me. But it's just enough to fuel his ambitions."

"Enough for him to achieve something in Hegang, rent a bigger office, hire more people, and start two or three new projects at the same time, turning him from cautious to arrogant."

"It turned him from being down-to-earth into someone who has unrealistic ambitions."

"It turned him from a shrewd man into a gambler controlled by desire."

"Go and do it."

Shen Guodong waved his hand.

"Yes, Chairman Shen."

The assistant bowed respectfully, said no more, and quietly left the room.

She walked very carefully, as if afraid of disturbing Shen Guodong.

Shen Guodong was left alone in the room again.

He sat back down at the rosewood tea table and poured himself a full cup of hot tea.

His face was inscrutable in the steam of the tea.

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then turned his gaze to the lights outside the window.

"young people……"

"The plan has been set up, and I've already taken the first step for you."

"I hope you..."

Don't disappoint me too quickly.