Chapter 130

Zhang Xiangming and Gao Xiaomei were both daughters-in-law from the First-Class Family Compound, and naturally, they both knew Zhou Xueqin.

After discussing business, it was time for some gossip.

Since Zhou Xueqin was Yan Zhao's ex-wife, they couldn't help but talk about her.

Zhang Xiangming said, "Meilan, I saw Zhou Xueqin in the capital a few days ago. She said she's doing business there. Oh, and she has a son, a chubby little boy who's particularly good at mathematics. He's preparing to participate in the National Mathematics Olympiad Finals in September. My son Liu Zhuang will also participate in the math competition. How about your children? Are any of them participating?"

The boy with Zhou Xueqin was, of course, Lu Dabao.

Most business people are particularly sensitive to mathematics.

Lu Dabao had always been good at math, and with his father's guidance and careful education, he was becoming a worthy second-generation rich kid who wouldn't disappoint his father.

In his previous life, Lu Dabao hadn't participated in math competitions.

In this life, due to Zhou Xueqin's deliberate nurturing, Lu Dabao seemed even more excellent than in his previous life.

He was even able to go to the capital to participate in math competitions.

When it came to studies, Little Wang wasn't as good as Lu Dabao.

He never put much effort into studying. If he did well on one test, he would deliberately do worse on the next one, consistently ranking fourth or fifth in his grade, never striving for first place.

When Chen Meilan tried to persuade him, he would say, "Why bother getting such good grades? Mom, don't you know that the top three students always get called on by teachers to answer questions? It's so annoying. I hate being called on by teachers."

Chen Meilan only wanted Little Wang and Little Lang to grow up peacefully. She had no intention of pressuring her children to bring her glory, so she didn't bother comparing them with Lu Dabao.

Therefore, Chen Meilan told Zhang Xiangming, "My children won't be participating."

Gao Xiaomei interjected, "Zhou Xueqin's marriage doesn't seem very happy. From her tone, it seems all her hopes are pinned on her child now. Fortunately, the child is doing well; otherwise, her life would be quite difficult."

Chen Meilan guessed that Lu Jingyu, now wealthy, had probably started philandering.

When a man fools around but refuses to divorce, it's the most frustrating thing in a marriage.

However, Zhou Xueqin had chosen her own path, and how she lived her life was none of Chen Meilan's business.

So she changed the subject.

After three rounds of drinks, it was time to wrap up.

Xiong Dapao hadn't attended the meal but now arrived in a hurry.

Liu Peng was now a division-level leader, and Cui Zixiang, who hadn't transferred to civilian work, had become a regiment-level cadre. They were still in the second line, but after Yan Peiheng's group of old officials retired, it would be their turn to take over.

Although military region leaders didn't interact much with the outside world, their connections, influence, and available resources were their greatest assets. Since Xiong Dapao was now in business, he had to maintain contact with these people.

So there would be another gathering that evening, organized by Xiong Dapao, to drink with his fellow soldiers.

Of course, women and children wouldn't attend this one.

When saying goodbye, Zhang Xiangming held Chen Meilan's hand, shaking it repeatedly: "Meilan, then we'll see you in the capital. We'll first get the sales going with Hu Xiaohua, and when Gu Xiao arrives, you must introduce him to us too."

Gao Xiaomei, worried that Chen Meilan might feel uncomfortable, also took her hand and said, "We're all daughters-in-law of the military region. We're not necessarily inferior to you. Once sales get going, if you want Hu Xiaohua back, we can return him to you."

"Alright, we'll discuss it then," Chen Meilan replied with her usual response.

The next time Gu Xiao returned to the country, he would come with Yan Jun.

They had originally planned to humiliate Yan Peiheng and the Chinese military.

Never mind the military region leaders, but the way these family members were acting now - weren't they just asking to be slapped in the face?

Since Chen Meilan had been drinking, and Yan Zhao had to go to the next gathering, Xue Mingfang drove Chen Meilan home.

On the way home, Chen Meilan needed to call Hu Xiaohua to tell him about the situation in the capital. She also specifically informed him that she had negotiated a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan for him.

Hu Xiaohua wanted to be general manager, but he hadn't planned on leaving Factory 271.

Moreover, he had a dream where Chen Meilan was his deputy general manager, serving him tea and following his lead.

She would always be his dearest sister-in-law; that wouldn't change.

When he first heard that he was being transferred to the capital with a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan, he was both surprised and delighted, but also a bit anxious: "Sister-in-law, what will you do when I'm gone?"

"I'll handle whatever comes my way," Chen Meilan earnestly advised, "By the way, remember to work hard when you get to the capital. Don't bring shame to our Factory 271."

So even though he was deserting his post, not only did Chen Meilan not blame him, but she had also found him a better position.

Hu Xiaohua was both moved and saddened. He choked up for a while on the phone before saying, "Sister-in-law, I don't want to leave."

"Go ahead, go out and see the world. But remember, you're from Factory 271. Remember our factory's honor and spirit, carry it forward, and absolutely no illegal activities, okay?" Chen Meilan said.

"Alright then, sister-in-law. Remember, I'll always be your soldier. Whatever you need, I'll be there." There was a snap - Hu Xiaohua was saluting on the other end of the phone.

After she hung up, Xue Mingfang angrily slapped the steering wheel: "Sister-in-law, you must know that Hu Xiaohua secretly contacted Gu Xiao, but they didn't want him, otherwise he would have become a traitor long ago. He has no sense of national honor. Talking to him about honor is like casting pearls before swine."

Little Wang also said, "Right, Uncle Hu is just a traitor, an even purer traitor than Jim."

This time Jim disagreed and raised his hand, saying, "In World War II, the Nazis were defeated by the Soviet Union and China together. We Chinese drove out the Japanese devils in eight years, which directly determined the outcome of World War II. I know all this. I'm Chinese, I'm not a traitor!"

They all chattered away, one after another.

Chen Meilan had a headache from all the noise but still tried to mediate: "People can grow and change. Your Uncle Hu will develop a sense of honor and responsibility eventually."

Hu Xiaohua developing a sense of honor?

Even the most honest Little Lang didn't believe that, pouting as he said, "I don't believe it at all."

"Then don't eat my mom's cooking," Yuanyuan stomped her foot in anger.

She was the only one willing to support her mother, believing everything her mother said.

When they got home, the battlefield hadn't been cleaned up yet. Spicy strips and beef jerky were scattered everywhere, and when they picked up the pants left by the well, more spicy strips fell out.

Bottles of Jianlibao rolled around the courtyard - it looked like another world war had taken place.

But with Xue Mingfang there, he would help the children clean up, so Chen Meilan didn't have to worry about it.

Yan Xishan had returned yesterday and brought Chen Meilan two boxes of perfume from DIOR. The scent was quite nice. Looking at the perfume on her dressing table, Chen Meilan bit her lip and called Xue Mingfang in: "Xiao Xue, I'll give you an address. Please deliver this bottle of perfume there, to someone."

"Yes, commander. Just give me the address," Xue Mingfang said.

At this point, he didn't know that he would be delivering the perfume to Xiong Dapao's house.

And the perfume was for Xiong Xiaohua.

This young man was sincere, enthusiastic, and most importantly, handsome.

More pleasantly, he was the same age as Xiong Xiaohua, both twenty-six - they were adults, more suitable for each other than Liu Jingjing, who was eight years younger.

Not to mention his joy when he delivered the perfume and discovered that the recipient was the girl he had seen at the hotel earlier, the one who had instantly captured his heart.

Although Yuanyuan had only been away for half a day, the boys suddenly realized her importance.

Usually, Little Wang was particularly annoyed by Yuanyuan's bossiness and often pulled her hair.

But today, Little Wang hadn't pulled Yuanyuan's hair at all.

In the evening, the children needed to take baths. In the cold winter, while one bathed, another would wait outside with a large blanket, ready to wrap up the person coming out of the bath to prevent them from catching cold.

Usually, Yuanyuan would be the one holding the blanket waiting for Little Wang and Little Lang.

But Little Wang never waited for Yuanyuan; after his bath, he liked to lie on the kang bed, enjoying comics in the warm air conditioning.

But today, the boy stood holding the blanket, waiting since the moment Yuanyuan entered the bathroom.

When she came out, he wrapped her up tightly in the blanket.

"Oh, Little Wang, why are you here today?" Yuanyuan asked.

Little Wang pointed at Yuanyuan's nose and questioned, "Did you promise Liu Zhuang that you'd go with him to KFC when you visit the capital?"

"He said he has coupons, it's free. Why don't we all go together?" Yuanyuan said.

Little Wang, who was nearly a head taller than Yuanyuan, suddenly gave her a playful flick on the forehead. "Liu Zhuang is just like Liu Jiaxuan, he has bad intentions. I forbid you to go."

Liu Jiaxuan was a boy in Little Wang's class who had always liked Yuanyuan, and often got bullied by Little Wang because of it.

"Brother, you're just being petty. Because of you, I can't even have a single friend," Yuanyuan said angrily.

Jim, who was reading comics in his bedroom, poked his head out the window and said, "Liu Jiaxuan, I'll teach him a lesson sooner or later."

So now, there were two mean brothers bullying Liu Jiaxuan, which was enough to annoy Yuanyuan.

Chen Meilan watched them and shook her head with a smile.

...

As for Yan Zhao, by the time he returned home, it was almost midnight.

The house was already cleaned thoroughly, and the children were asleep.

Chen Meilan had also gone to bed.

However, just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard Yan Zhao whistling.

Most men could whistle, but this was the first time Chen Meilan had heard Yan Zhao do it.

Because of this, she sat up startled in bed, wanting to see what the whistling Deputy Director Yan looked like.

Drawing back the curtains, she saw Yan Zhao stop whistling and stand by Yuanyuan's window, seemingly listening for something. After a while, he resumed whistling and went to the bathroom to wash up.

...

"You saw it today, didn't you? Those unruly boys were wrapped around my daughter's finger like obedient puppies," said the Deputy Director Yan, smelling of soap, as soon as he entered the room.

This was truly a father's tone - proud, boastful, full of love.

Chen Meilan thought to herself, indeed, Yuanyuan's spoiled nature was just on the surface. She was naturally kind-hearted and rarely had conflicts with others. When she was with people, she always liked to promote unity within the group. If there were any conflicts, she would try her best to mediate, and if anyone was unhappy, she would be the first to notice.

This was why Chen Meilan, despite having three children, had always found it so easy to manage them.

Her Yuanyuan had sacrificed her entire previous life for her sake, which was Chen Meilan's biggest regret.

In this life, even with her best efforts at education, a child's nature couldn't be changed. Yuanyuan's kindness and tolerance were the key reasons why Chen Meilan had been able to live peacefully for five years after her second marriage.

Well, just because Yan Zhao had noticed this point, Chen Meilan was genuinely happy. Smelling the alcohol on his breath, she got up and said, "You're drunk, aren't you? Should I make you some sour plum soup?"

"No need." Yan Zhao's alcohol tolerance wasn't great, and he was indeed drunk, but he could still keep his composure.

Lying in bed, he turned to look at Chen Meilan. This man, probably especially pleased because Yuanyuan had made him proud today, actually smiled again and unexpectedly said, "You know what Zong Jin said today? He said he wanted to become in-laws with me..." He paused, then continued, "Liu Peng also wanted to become in-laws with me, damn it... But I don't approve of any of their sons."

The usually well-mannered Deputy Director Yan had actually cursed today?

It was all because Yuanyuan had let him experience the treatment of being pursued by many families for their daughter, being praised by a group of men.

This feeling had caused the usually stern Yan to break character severely today.

It was only after today that Chen Meilan realized why this man almost never drank.

He was usually quiet and reserved, but after drinking, once he started talking, he couldn't stop.

"If it weren't for the military downsizing, I should still be in the army now, at least as a Deputy Division Commander," Yan Zhao said after being quiet for a while.

It was said that once, Yan Peiheng had planned for his three sons like this: the eldest would join the military, following in his footsteps; the second would work in civil service in a government position; and the third would stay in their rural hometown, so when Yan Peiheng retired and returned home, they could take care of their elderly parents.

So when Yan Zhao wanted to join the army, Yan Peiheng strongly opposed it, insisting that he should work at their hometown position.

He even specifically pulled some strings, wanting to get the then 16-year-old Yan Zhao a job as a carpenter at the Ximei Furniture Factory.

At that time, working at the Ximei Factory would earn eight yuan per month.

In Yan Peiheng's view, this was good enough.

But Su Wen believed that if Yan Zhao joined the army, his achievements would definitely surpass his father's.

At that time, the couple was already at odds, and Yan Peiheng couldn't be counted on. Yan Zhao didn't want to leave either, thinking he could be a carpenter earning eight yuan a month to take care of his mother.

But Su Wen registered him anyway, pushed him out the door, and told him: "I, Su Wen, don't need a son who's a carpenter, so you must join the army. Don't come back if you don't do well, because I, Su Wen, don't want a son who's a deserter."

So Yan Zhao joined the army, with Su Wen forcing him to go behind Yan Peiheng's back.

During his 12 years in the army, none of his superior officers knew he was Yan Peiheng's son.

Joining the army for his mother's sake and wanting to do better than his father - this was Yan Zhao's goal when he enlisted.

But the military downsizing cut short his dream. For the sake of national stability, to set an example for soldiers who were unwilling to retire, he gave up his chance to bring glory to his mother and resolutely took off his military cap.

As for Liu Peng, Commander Liu had once sent him to serve in the harshest conditions in Qinghai, and he had endured it.

Later, when he had the chance to go to the battlefield, although his poor command nearly led to the annihilation of Yan Zhao's entire regiment.

But the military was also political, and because of Yan Zhao's impulsiveness, because he had struck a superior officer in Liu Peng, and because Commander Liu would protect his son while Yan Peiheng wouldn't, it turned out that Liu Peng was faultless while he became the guilty party.

That's why Liu Peng could become a Deputy Division Commander at such a young age.

Retirement was a very bitter thing for Yan Zhao.

He had been drinking, so he needed to vent some of his bitterness and complaints.

Chen Meilan helped him take off his shoes, then his clothes, helped him change into his pajamas, and with rare gentleness, patted Yan Zhao's face and said, "Don't you still have me and the children? Isn't this good enough?"

Yan Zhao had his eyes closed but suddenly opened them to look at Chen Meilan.

His wife was so gentle, and the daughter she had brought him had made Yan Zhao look so good in front of Liu Peng today.

"Go to sleep," he closed his eyes.

This man, he really changed after drinking - even though Chen Meilan was clearly showing interest, wanting to get intimate, he just ignored it?

However, after a moment, Yan Zhao suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Sending Hu Xiaohua to the capital might not work, right? Although it means one less trouble for you, can the Liu and Cui families really handle him?"

Hu Xiaohua was someone even Chen Meilan couldn't handle; sending him to the capital, how could Zhang Xiangming and Gao Xiaomei possibly manage him?

Earlier, Yan Zhao had doubts in his mind; to be frank, Chen Meilan's approach was selfish and harmful to others.

"Since they're planning to take Gu Xiao's money, they'll eventually want both Hu Xiaohua and Xue Mingfang, maybe even the entire management team of Factory 271. I'm just giving them Hu Xiaohua one step ahead - what's wrong with that? As for management, if they can't handle Hu Xiaohua, then they shouldn't be in the food business at all. Safety is paramount in the food industry - even I wouldn't dare to do it," Chen Meilan laughed lightly as she spoke.

After five years of marriage, Yan Zhao had never truly understood his wife.

Just like when Deputy Director Zheng wanted to help Yu Xiaoqiao take away Factory 271's management team.

The Liu and Cui families were just starting their business, Zhang Xiangming didn't understand business rules, they wanted to take Gu Xiao's investment, and if they couldn't handle sales, they would come to Chen Meilan for people; if they couldn't handle management, they would still come to her.

They were all old acquaintances, and since they were leaders' family members, it wouldn't be good to have open conflicts.

By giving them Hu Xiaohua, Chen Meilan was testing them. If they could handle him, then even without Gu Xiao's investment, they could run Food Factory 81 well.

If they couldn't handle him, once the stored milk powder was sold out, they would have to close down anyway.

Although what Chen Meilan did wasn't very kind.

But the business world was just that cruel - if they couldn't handle Hu Xiaohua, how could they manage something as critically important as milk powder?

Yan Zhao remembered something else: "Oh right, after Xishan returned to the country, I had him get a medical checkup. Everything else was fine, but the doctor said he has severe fatty liver disease. He can't drink alcohol - how will you handle your sales?"

In his previous life, Yan Xishan died of liver cancer.

In this life, he's not even forty yet, and he already has fatty liver?

Chen Meilan sat up immediately: "Really?"

"His liver is failing. The doctor said if he drinks again, he'll die." This was the first time Yan Zhao showed concern for Factory 271.

He was considered quite skilled in office politics.

Given his way of doing things, he should have been destroyed by the unit's leadership long ago.

But he survived because he understood some strategy.

However, Factory 271 faced one problem after another, all bewildering issues that Yan Zhao had no hope of resolving.

Yan Xishan didn't want to get a medical checkup, but Yan Zhao caught him at a nightclub and forced him to go, mainly worried that he might have contracted AIDS, syphilis, or other STDs abroad and could accidentally transmit them to Yuanyuan during their time together.

While they didn't find any STDs, they did discover fatty liver.

So now he couldn't drink alcohol anymore.

Wouldn't this become another problem for Chen Meilan's sales?

"So what do you suggest?" Chen Meilan asked with a smile.

After a long pause, Yan Zhao said: "Meilan, money is important, but family is more important. We've already wronged Xiaohua enough. Xishan may have wronged you before, but he's still Yuanyuan's biological father. A biological father means something different to a child than a stepfather."

"So you think I'm disregarding Yan Xishan's life just to sell products?" Chen Meilan countered.

Yan Zhao remained silent, but clearly, that's what he meant.

Chen Meilan continued smiling and extended her hand, saying, "How about this: let's make a bet. I guarantee Yan Xishan won't drink a single drop of alcohol but will still secure the orders at the trade fair. However, there's something I can't tell you about yet. I can only say that when it happens, you'll be extremely angry with Little Wang and want to beat him, but you can't hit him when the time comes."

Yan Zhao getting angry and hitting his son was a common occurrence.

And since Little Wang often caused trouble, Yan Zhao wasn't particularly interested in this aspect.

Whether he beat him one more time or one less time, in his view, it wouldn't affect Little Wang much. But making sales without drinking?

Yan Zhao didn't believe it.

In today's business world, with its diverse products and fierce competition, every factory needed sales managers, and they didn't need any other skills except one: the ability to drink.

Every boss would bring a secretary or assistant who could drink on their behalf when they went out.

As long as someone could drink three to five jin of alcohol in one sitting, they could name their salary.

In such a market environment, Yan Zhao couldn't believe in making sales without drinking.

Seeing Chen Meilan's extended hand, he half-believingly slapped it, but when he tried to hold it, Chen Meilan quickly withdrew her hand like a dragonfly touching water and wrapped herself in the blanket to sleep.

"...Lan."

"Don't want to, no," Chen Meilan mumbled from under the covers.

Chen Meilan had never wronged Hu Xiaohua.

Yes, she had made Hu Xiaohua drink competitively, but that was because she couldn't change the market environment.

She had never intended to go along with the environment, risking lives for money through drinking competitions. Yan Zhao's assumption that she cared more about money than life made her very angry.

She had always been trying to change the environment, to change the current situation where sales depended on drinking competitions.

Though it was normal that others didn't understand, Yan Zhao's assumption that she didn't care about Yan Xishan's well-being really angered her.

Let him watch carefully how she would handle this sales situation.

...

Society had truly changed. Not only had Yan Xishan, once a hooligan and illiterate, put on glasses and become a guest professor, but he was also now helping Chen Meilan with training, seriously preparing course materials, and personally coming to Factory 271 to help Chen Meilan interview sales talent.

While the old leaders in the military region still maintained their integrity, their family members were getting restless, abandoning their good jobs to go into business, wanting to learn from Chen Meilan's money-making success, which was quite frustrating.

Yan Peiheng, Chen Meilan's father-in-law, naturally paid close attention to Factory 271.

He also knew well that if Factory 271 were a car, Hu Xiaohua would be its engine.

Liu Peng and Cui Zixiang, both sons of his old comrades, had organized a gathering in Xiping City, and these prodigal children had essentially removed Factory 271's engine and taken it back to the capital.

One can imagine how angry the old man was when he heard about this.

But he couldn't do anything about it.

Because now, the news about Mac taking the West Point entrance exam had spread in the capital.

It was said he had already passed two rounds of tests, with just two more rounds before the results would be known.

As the Second Commander of the military region, known for his strictest discipline and impeccable conduct, his eldest grandson was now taking the West Point entrance exam.

Even though he had declared he would sever ties with his eldest son and even pursue military legal action.

But since he hadn't done so yet, he could only watch as Hu Xiaohua settled into Food Factory 81, flourishing while selling milk powder for Zhang Xiangming and Gao Xiaomei.

However, the old man felt guilty and wanted to express this to Chen Meilan.

That day, Yan Peiheng suddenly called to ask for Chen Meilan's ID number.

Chen Meilan gave it to him and then asked: "Dad, what do you need it for?"

"The Little Red Building where we used to live, I bought it outright as private property. I had it renovated thinking your mother would live there someday. It's not as good as today's new houses, but it's very comfortable to live in. I'm getting the property certificate changed, and I want to put it in your name," after a pause on the phone, Yan Peiheng added, "Keep that house as Yuanyuan's dowry in the future."

"Thank you, Dad," Chen Meilan said.

She was about to hang up when she heard the old man continue: "About Factory 271, if it really doesn't work out, you can just quit. Meilan, I'm getting old, and I never felt regret before, but now I deeply regret not insisting that my third son stay in the military back then."

His cultivated son had been wasted.

Among the younger generation in the military now, Yan Peiheng hadn't found anyone particularly outstanding.

When Yan Zhao was discharged, if he had just spoken up for his son, he could have kept him in the military.

But he didn't.

At that time, he was particularly resentful of Yan Zhao because of Zhou Xueqin, so he remained silent and let his son remove his military cap and return home.

Now, it was too late for regrets.

For Yan Peiheng to regain his prestige and authority in the military region, he would have to wait until Yan Jun returned to file the lawsuit to sever their father-son relationship, and find the person who took Yan Jun's temple property to bring them to justice.

For now, the old man could only wait.

Of course, national affairs were not for small figures like Chen Meilan to worry about.

For her, the most important thing remained the spring trade fair.

And training a large batch of sales talent.

Meanwhile, Yan Xishan had directly moved into Factory 271, prepared his course materials, and was attempting to first teach the retired military personnel.

Although he had never been a teacher before, he had attended night school for four years, and while he hadn't eaten pork, he had seen pigs run, so he could still teach.

Moreover, when he got excited while teaching, he would gesture enthusiastically with both hands and feet, becoming truly eloquent.

The military personnel might not understand all these things, but according to general feedback, they mainly found Yan Xishan's speaking style interesting and humorous, completely different from the rigid old professors they had encountered before, so they particularly enjoyed his lectures.

At first, there weren't many listeners, but gradually, whenever Yan Xishan took the stage and started gesturing enthusiastically while teaching, even the bathroom cleaning ladies would come to listen. Several cleaning ladies even became Yan Xishan's fans, serving him tea and water and wiping his table, treating him much better than they treated Chen Meilan.

It was currently winter break.

Yuanyuan and Little Lang still needed to attend training classes, so they stayed at home.

But Little Wang and Jim insisted on going to work with Chen Meilan every day.

They attended every single one of Yan Xishan's sales classes, never missing a session.

However, alcohol remained an unavoidable problem.

On the day of the trade fair, there were still several tables set for drinking, with exactly twenty cases of Wuliangye liquor delivered to the venue.

Perhaps even Yan Xishan hadn't expected that the person most concerned about his health would be Yan Zhao.

After all, they were brothers, and alcohol was a deadly poison. Yan Zhao didn't want Yan Xishan, who had been a hero all his life, to die at a drinking table serving as someone's grandson or dog.

For this reason, in the cold winter night, he had spent the previous night checking for drunk driving and overloaded trucks at every intersection in the city, and at dawn, he still had to check overloaded passenger buses. But after work, instead of going home, he came directly to Factory 271, thinking that if Chen Meilan didn't call it off, he would intervene to prevent Yan Xishan from drinking too much today.

However, this trade fair took on a completely new approach.

This time there was no performance, but the factory had a display board that read: "90s Sales Revolution, Guest Professor - Yan Xishan."

Below were a few lines of small text, introducing Yan Xishan's profile, listing titles such as Chairman of Xishan Coal Mine, Honorary General Manager of 271, and Visiting Professor who had studied in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

This was clearly an attempt to glorify Yan Xishan, as his titles were not entirely genuine.

Standing on stage, Yan Xishan was enthusiastically lecturing a group of nouveau riche about sales, discussing how sales should be revolutionized, and how they, as the pillars of the new era, should excel in sales.

The nouveau riche audience below was thoroughly engaged, partly because unlike those academic scholars who spoke in obscure and profound terms, Yan Xishan was approachable and used plain language that everyone could understand.

Yan Zhao was surprisingly engaged as well, watching his son's entire lecture alongside him.

However, what concerned him most was the evening banquet, as in his memory, Hu Xiaohua had nearly drunk himself to death before.

He was particularly worried about the evening feast.

Seeing how enthusiastic the nouveau riche were, Yan Zhao feared they might force his son to drink himself to death.

But this time, Yan Zhao was in for a surprise.

Though there was indeed a banquet, the nouveau riche showed utmost respect for Yan Xishan. Whenever he approached a table, everyone would stand up in unison, and the nouveau riche only drank among themselves, adamantly refusing to let 'Professor Yan' drink, fearing they might damage his ant-waist, praying mantis-leg physique.

Aliali: 6748beacc4f3f33ac47d814c

Money?

Wherever 'Professor Yan' went, everyone paid up readily.

How could they not?

'Professor Yan,' dressed in a suit and tie, wearing glasses, and carrying himself with scholarly dignity, was exactly the kind of learned person these simple folks admired most. Finding a professor who would associate with them was rare, so they were more than happy to pay.

No one treated Yan Xishan like a dog, as they had done with Hu Xiaohua.

After making rounds to seven or eight tables, Yan Xishan hadn't even finished the single drink in his hand.

Times make heroes, and Yan Xishan probably never imagined he could play the role of professor so successfully. S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

After completing his rounds, he saw Yan Zhao standing at the entrance with Little Wang and Jim. He swaggered over and asked Little Wang, "Yan Wangqi, how do you think I did?"

Little Wang was thoroughly impressed: "Uncle Xishan, I only wish I were your son."

Compared to his fierce, dark-faced father, Yan Xishan was Little Wang's ideal father figure!