Chapter 183: A Director and a Deputy Director

Zhou Ming slept straight through to the afternoon, waking only as dusk approached, which was partly due to the earlier sunset in Yanjing compared to the south.

In the evening, Du Peng hosted a dinner at the Yanjing Hotel to welcome Zhou Ming and Su Han. During the meal, Du Peng introduced Zhou Ming to several influential friends. Although they were all high-ranking figures in the "Four Nine City" circle, Zhou Ming wasn't familiar with their names or those of their parents. This was understandable, as after many years, aside from a few names frequently mentioned in textbooks, it was challenging to remember all central leaders. Even remembering some of the chairpersons from the 1980s was difficult for many.

At the dinner table, Du Peng introduced Zhou Ming with great enthusiasm, "This is Zhou Ming, the person I often mention to you. And this is his friend Su Han. You all know that I, Du Peng, made a bit of money from dealing in military supplies here in Yanjing. But after getting to know Zhou Ming, I realized that my earnings were trivial. Back then, we might have earned a few tens of thousands a year, and if luck was bad, we could even lose money. But with Zhou Ming, we could make several million in a single day. I went to Nanjing and in just a few months earned over ten million!"

Du Peng's words caused everyone to gasp in surprise. He continued, "I've never bowed to anyone in my life, but I genuinely admire Zhou Ming. He's a great friend, and his business is my business!"

After the introduction, Du Peng had his influential friends toast Zhou Ming, who joked that instead of welcoming him, Du Peng was intentionally trying to get him drunk.

Of course, this was just a joke. Since there was another dinner the next day, Du Peng wouldn't really push too much; he knew how to manage moderation.

The next morning, Zhou Ming slept in and got up around noon. After lunch with Su Han, they spent the afternoon strolling along Chang'an Street, visiting Wangfujing and **.

A fresh layer of snow had fallen overnight, blanketing Yanjing in white. Walking through the snow, which reached up to their ankles, and under the towering red city walls, while observing the bustling Chang'an Street on one side and the ancient city walls on the other, gave a sense of traversing between two different time periods.

Su Han was hopping along, as happy as a child, while Zhou Ming, watching her joy, felt a pang of nostalgia for youth. Despite his young appearance, his mindset had long since aged.

In the evening, Zhou Ming and Su Han returned to their rooms to rest after a bath. They went downstairs around six o'clock, as Du Peng had arranged for a dinner with a deputy director from CCTV.

In the hotel lobby, Zhou Ming and Su Han unexpectedly spotted two familiar faces.

"Isn't that Xiaoli and her husband?" Su Han said to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming saw that it was indeed Zhang Li and her husband Li Hu, whom he had encountered at the station. Since they were there, Zhou Ming and Su Han went over to greet them.

Zhang Li and Li Hu were very surprised to see Zhou Ming and Su Han. Zhang Li widened her eyes and asked, "Xiao Han, what are you doing here? Are you working here?"

"Of course not. We've invited a CCTV leader for dinner and to discuss some matters," Su Han replied.

This answer left Zhang Li astonished. She looked Zhou Ming and Su Han up and down, wondering how Yanjing had developed to the point where even those working in the city could dine at such a restaurant.

On the other hand, Li Hu picked up on the main point and asked Su Han, "Did you book a private room here?"

Su Han was puzzled. "Of course we did. How could we invite someone for dinner without booking a room?"

"That's great. Could you give us your private room?" Li Hu asked.

Li Hu's unexpected request left Zhou Ming and Su Han momentarily stunned. Li Hu continued to explain, "I'm here in Yanjing to discuss a cooperative project with CCTV on behalf of my company. After running around all day, we finally got in touch with a CCTV leader who agreed to meet with us. But when we arrived, there were no private rooms left."

"Private rooms at Yanjing Hotel are indeed in high demand."

Zhou Ming said this, but he knew the reality well. Yanjing Hotel, being the best in the capital, did indeed have booming business. However, this was only true for ordinary people. In the capital, the Yanjing Hotel always reserved some private rooms for special needs. These rooms were generally booked by those with status, and ordinary people could not secure them on short notice.

Li Hu and Zhang Li clearly lacked such connections in the capital. Their last-minute request for a private room could only be met with an answer: none available.

"Yes, they're indeed in high demand. This is the capital for you!" Li Hu added. "Since you've booked the room in advance, please give it to us. I'll compensate you with a thousand yuan. What do you say?"

Li Hu's offer made Zhou Ming frown. "That's not quite right. This room was booked with great difficulty by a friend of mine."

Before Zhou Ming could finish, Li Hu quickly upped his offer. "Alright, then I'll give you two thousand yuan. Just give us the room."

Zhou Ming looked at Li Hu and said, "You don't seem to understand. This room is really needed for a business discussion."

"Then how about five thousand yuan?" Li Hu suggested. "Five thousand isn't a small amount, considering the current poor performance of Factory 760. I know five thousand is a significant sum. Besides, your business discussion could be held elsewhere. Wangfujing and Xidan also have good hotels. With this money, you could host several dinners elsewhere."

Despite Zhou Ming's usually good temper, he could not tolerate Li Hu's repeated offers. "Are you out of your mind? I've said this room is needed. Why can't you understand?"

Zhou Ming then ignored Li Hu, took Su Han to sit on a nearby sofa. Unexpectedly, Li Hu and Zhang Li followed them. Li Hu said, "Brother, I know you booked this room early, and asking you to give it up is a bit unfair. But I'm in a difficult position. Let's set a price. As long as it's not too unreasonable, I can accept it. How about it? Consider it a favor I owe you. If you need anything at Factory 760 in the future, I can help."

Zhou Ming was truly annoyed. "Can't you go somewhere else? And I don't even care about your money."

At this moment, Zhang Li said to Su Han, "Xiao Han, help persuade him. My husband is inviting a director from CCTV. That's a big leader, at least at the level of a county party secretary if sent to Linyang. I heard he's also a descendant of a revolutionary predecessor. Here in Yanjing, he's quite influential. If you give us the room, I can introduce you to him. Isn't that great?"

"Xiao Li, it's not that we don't want to help, but this room is truly needed. We're also inviting a CCTV leader," Su Han said.

Li Hu scoffed, "You're being unreasonable. We're all from Linyang. We should help each other out when away from home. Do you think I don't know about the state of Factory 760? I offered you money to give up the room, which is already giving you face. Why are you acting so pretentious? Let me tell you, if you offend the leader I invited, everyone will have a hard time!"

"That's right. Xiao Han, think about how poor your hometown is. Don't you want to live a good life? Staying with this narrow-minded person isn't worth it," Zhang Li added, trying to convince Su Han.

"Why don't you all get lost? I don't understand where you get the confidence to show off here," Zhou Ming said angrily. "I don't understand why you think you're so superior."

Li Hu replied, "You don't understand? Let me tell you. It's because I work for Yangzhou Company. My unit is better than your Factory 760. I have more money than you. Your narrow-minded views don't fit this era!"

Li Hu said, just as he heard a car pulling up outside. He glanced at the license plate and turned to Zhou Ming, saying, "Let me tell you, the leader I invited has arrived. It's that Santana over there. If he can afford a Santana at his young age, you know he's not simple. So, be careful. If you offend him, Factory 760 might be in trouble too!"

As Li Hu spoke, another car drove up, a Hongqi sedan. A plump middle-aged man got out, and the CCTV director in the Santana hurried over to greet him.

Seeing this, Li Hu was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered and said to Zhou Ming, "Do you know who that is? That's Deputy Director Liang Gang from CCTV. I've seen his photo when I was at CCTV. Look, that director brought the deputy director. Now do you believe me? So hurry up and give up the room. I can offer you ten thousand yuan!"

"Would ten thousand yuan be enough for you to go eat shit?" Zhou Ming said, then stood up and walked towards the door.

Li Hu was infuriated by Zhou Ming's words. Seeing Zhou Ming heading for the door, he quickly followed and

 approached the two CCTV officials, saying, "Director Liang, Director Hu, welcome. I'm Li Hu from Yangzhou Company. Your arrival brings honor to us."

Liang Gang, seeing the sudden appearance of Li Hu, was momentarily taken aback. Li Hu almost ran over to shake hands with Liang Gang. However, at that moment, Liang Gang did something unexpected.

As Li Hu hurried over, Liang Gang noticed Zhou Ming behind him. He bypassed Li Hu and directly shook hands with Zhou Ming, saying, "Boss Zhou, it's a pleasure to meet you."