Chapter 251: Various Envy, Jealousy, and Hatred

At noon, Zhou Ming took Gu Ping to a high-end teahouse on East Gate Commercial Street. As they walked, Zhou Ming introduced Gu Ping, saying, "Secretary Gu, the person we are meeting today is Cao Jianning, the owner of the publicly listed company Guoli Co., Ltd. He mainly deals with processing raw materials and has recently started developing some hardware products. We can discuss with him about the possibility of investing in building a factory in our area."

Listening to Zhou Ming, Gu Ping nodded enthusiastically, like a well-behaved student listening to a teacher.

This situation was impossible before yesterday, but after yesterday's events, Gu Ping realized Zhou Ming's influence in Nanjing and understood that he had no right to be arrogant in front of Zhou Ming.

Perhaps the title of "consultant" seems insignificant in modern times, just a ceremonial position. However, in an era where reform and opening up had just begun and everything needed negotiation, many consultants had substantial influence on party and government policies. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any Central Advisory Committees. Even if these members were nominally just consultants, they could still affect national policies.

Given the presence of the Central Advisory Committee and the attitude of the Nanjing big bosses towards Zhou Ming, Gu Ping had no reason to doubt Zhou Ming's influence.

Zhou Ming added after a moment of thought, "Cao Jianning is the youngest son of Marshal Cao Yinghua, Secretary Gu, so please pay attention."

"Marshal Cao's youngest son?"

Gu Ping took a deep breath and instinctively straightened his back. The name Marshal Cao Yinghua was so impactful that it shook him. Marshal Cao was a founding general, a towering figure who established the country, and such people were once considered royalty. So, if this was Marshal Cao's youngest son, didn't that make him part of the royal family? Did Zhou Ming even know someone like that?

Gu Ping looked at Zhou Ming and realized how naive he had been about Zhou Ming. Even after meeting many Nanjing big bosses yesterday, he thought he had a high opinion of Zhou Ming. Today, he found out that he had underestimated Zhou Ming's influence.

Gu Ping trembled with the realization that this might just be the tip of the iceberg of Zhou Ming's power. How formidable must Zhou Ming's influence be? Yet, Zhou Ming was just a descendant of the 760 Factory in his county. How did he achieve such success? Or was Nanjing just his land of opportunity?

Gu Ping didn't understand these things, but he knew that from now on, he had no capital to be arrogant in front of Zhou Ming. Whatever Zhou Ming said, he would follow without question.

Zhou Ming felt Gu Ping's gaze behind him but said nothing. In fact, this was exactly what Zhou Ming wanted. He was tired of the back-and-forth with Gu Ping and wanted to assert his dominance now so that there would be fewer issues in the future. No matter if he was the county party secretary or the first director of the investment promotion bureau in Lin Yang, Zhou Ming just wanted him to follow orders.

They knocked on the door of a private room and found a young man in his late twenties drinking tea inside. Zhou Ming greeted him warmly, "Hello, Mr. Cao. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

Hearing "Mr. Cao," Gu Ping immediately straightened his back even more.

Cao Jianning greeted Zhou Ming and then Zhou Ming introduced Gu Ping, "Mr. Cao, this time the Provincial People's Congress accepted my suggestion and officially approved the establishment of a township industrial park in Shanhui County. Secretary Gu and I are here to discuss investment for the industrial park."

"Mr. Zhou, you're always so restless, aren't you? First, you created a nationwide sensation with your eight-treasure porridge during the Spring Festival, and now you want to create a small Nanjing in your area and build a highway connecting Lin Yang and Nanjing. Your imaginative ideas are truly astonishing!" Cao Jianning exclaimed.

Although Cao Jianning addressed Zhou Ming, Gu Ping nodded in agreement, feeling that Zhou Ming was an incredible person.

Zhou Ming shrugged indifferently, "Mr. Cao, you flatter me. I just think I'm fully exercising the greedy nature of a capitalist."

Cao Jianning laughed heartily, "If all capitalists in the world could be as greedy as you, I believe the day when the red star shines worldwide wouldn't be far off."

"Alright, Mr. Cao, no more jokes," Zhou Ming said. "I came to see you because I know you recently want to build a hardware factory. My 760 Factory is a metalworking factory. If you build your factory there, it will definitely be more beneficial than detrimental."

"Mr. Zhou, I didn't expect you to have everything planned out already," Cao Jianning said, pointing at Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming spread his hands, "That's why I say I'm just fully leveraging my greedy capitalist nature."

"Alright, Mr. Zhou, I'll definitely help with your request. Don't worry, I'll have the company manager contact Secretary Gu in a few days to discuss the investment in the factory," Cao Jianning said.

"Thank you very much for your generosity, Mr. Cao. Since there's no alcohol here, I'll toast you with tea instead," Zhou Ming said, raising his teacup.

Cao Jianning also raised his cup, "It's no trouble. I might need to trouble you with more things in a few days."

"No problem, Mr. Cao. I'm happy to help with any trouble," Zhou Ming said politely. However, he did not anticipate that the "trouble" mentioned by Cao Jianning would indeed turn out to be a real issue.

...

In the evening, Zhou Ming took Gu Ping and his secretary to a Nanjing nightclub. Zhou Ming told Gu Ping, "Secretary Gu, since we've wrapped up things in Nanjing, let's relax today. This is the first nightclub in the country, with bars, a dance hall, and karaoke facilities."

Gu Ping nodded dazedly and followed Zhou Ming into the nightclub. Although he had mentally prepared for what Zhou Ming had proposed, he was still shocked once inside, like an outsider entering a grand mansion, finding everything novel.

Finally, Zhou Ming took Gu Ping to a karaoke room. As they entered, Du Peng was singing with a new woman he had just met. Zhou Ming and Gu Ping sat down, and Zhou Ming encouraged Gu Ping to sing. Gu Ping repeatedly shook his head, saying he wasn't confident enough to sing in front of Zhou Ming. However, he decided not to defy Zhou Ming's wishes and had his secretary Xiao Zhang pick a song and sing.

Zhou Ming merely smiled indifferently. Even though Gu Ping had lost his arrogance in front of Zhou Ming, he still maintained his high status in front of Xiao Zhang.

After a while, the nightclub's general manager, Kong Xiaolin, entered the room. Zhou Ming waved her over and introduced her to Gu Ping, "Secretary Gu, this is Kong Xiaolin, the general manager of the nightclub. I think once we get the industrial park going, with more people coming and many big bosses from Nanjing, we'll need such leisure and entertainment facilities. So I plan to bring this nightclub to our area."

"Alright, Mr. Zhou, I'll do whatever you say," Gu Ping agreed. However, Zhou Ming noticed that Gu Ping seemed distracted, his eyes frequently darting toward Kong Xiaolin.

Although Kong Xiaolin's looks and figure didn't compare to Su Han's, Gu Ping had seen Su Han before and shouldn't have reacted like this. Kong Xiaolin's well-fitted uniform added a lot to her appeal. For many older men, mature women often had more charm than younger girls. The dim lighting and music in the nightclub created a sense of imbalance for Gu Ping, which explained his reaction.

"Hello, Secretary Gu. I'm Kong Xiaolin. I hope you'll take good care of the nightclub matters in Shanhui County in the future."

Kong Xiaolin smiled professionally, holding up a drink to Gu Ping. She wasn't particularly surprised by Gu Ping's earlier behavior, given that she was the general manager of the nightclub and was used to receiving attention from men. If she were shy every time she faced admiring gazes, she would have to live like women in desert countries who don't go out without covering their faces.

Seeing the beautiful woman toasting him, Gu Ping immediately raised his cup, "Alright, no problem. Manager Kong, whatever you say goes."

Gu Ping drank the toast in one go, and Kong Xiaolin thanked him with a smile.

Watching Kong Xiaolin whispering to Zhou Ming, Gu Ping felt a surge of jealousy. From Shanhui to Nanjing, Gu Ping had already seen three beautiful women accompanying Zhou Ming, and each one was stunning.

Jealous, Gu Ping thought to himself: "This capitalist is truly a capitalist. Once they have some money, they start seeking pleasures everywhere, using money to corrupt these girls' dignity for their own enjoyment. In the past, this would have been punishable by death!"

Zhou Ming had no idea what Gu Ping was thinking. If he did, he could only helplessly think that Gu Ping was just envious.

Moreover, it's normal for a wealthy man to be surrounded by women. Zhou Ming was only involved with Su Han, while Tang Ran and Kong Xiaolin were purely professional relationships. If Gu Ping thought otherwise, it was a bit unfair. Even if there had been more relationships, Zhou Ming's situation was still insignificant compared to some officials in the future.

After a while in the private room, Zhou Ming encouraged Gu Ping to sing again. It was unclear whether

 Gu Ping's mental state was still affected by Kong Xiaolin's beauty or if he really wanted to relax. He finally took the microphone, sang a few songs, and started to get into the mood. Kong Xiaolin was very supportive, and Zhou Ming's suggestion was indeed good for Gu Ping's relaxed state.

Just as the evening was reaching its peak, Zhou Ming received a call from Liu Haoran. Zhou Ming glanced at Gu Ping, who was still singing, and then answered the phone, "Hello, Haoran, what's up?"

"Mr. Zhou, everything is going according to plan. I've received news that they are preparing to start moving the machinery to the new factory in the next few days. All the facilities are being installed. It seems that the news about the factory project is also quite lively. The media is already reporting on it. The effect is better than we expected. Also, the new facility is expected to be operational soon," Liu Haoran said.

"Good. This time I will make sure that everything goes smoothly. Let's continue to monitor the progress and deal with any issues promptly," Zhou Ming replied. 

...

As Zhou Ming hung up, he noticed that Gu Ping was not paying attention to him. Kong Xiaolin had taken advantage of the moment to start chatting with him, which made Zhou Ming feel a bit relieved.

Zhou Ming raised his glass to Kong Xiaolin, "Manager Kong, I'm going to leave soon. Please take good care of Secretary Gu. I'll have to leave early tomorrow morning, but I hope this evening is enjoyable for everyone."

"Alright, Mr. Zhou. We'll take good care of Secretary Gu," Kong Xiaolin responded.

With that, Zhou Ming left the private room. He was satisfied with how the evening had gone, and the factory project was proceeding smoothly. However, the mixed emotions and jealous gazes from the night made him realize that human nature was indeed complex.

Zhou Ming left the nightclub, feeling a bit tired but content. He had successfully completed his business and achieved the results he wanted, even if it meant dealing with various envy, jealousy, and hatred along the way.