Chapter 266: Inauguration Ceremony

Xiao Yan was an intern reporter at the Lingnan Provincial Newspaper. On June 5th, she received an assignment to cover an event and, along with her mentor, traveled overnight to Nanjiang. Early the next morning, she arrived at Nancang Avenue.

This was originally the office building of Nanjiang Development Bank, located next to the Nanjiang Securities Company. However, the sign of Nanjiang Development Bank had been replaced, and a stage was set up in front. A banner was hung on the building, and a small truck delivered firecrackers, giving the place the appearance of a new company's inauguration.

"What kind of business is opening here?" Xiao Yan asked her mentor, puzzled.

Although Xiao Yan was not from Nanjiang, her role as a reporter meant she was familiar with many situations in Lingnan Province. However, the current situation confused her.

From what Xiao Yan understood, since the stock market had taken off last year, the stock price of Nanjiang Development Bank had been rising steadily. It had become one of the most profitable enterprises in Nanjiang, even rivaling several large state-owned banks. With assets exceeding one hundred million, it seemed unlikely that such a bank would be selling its office building. So, if Nanjiang Development Bank wasn't selling its building, what kind of enterprise had the capability to make such a good bank vacate its property?

"According to the information we have, it's a new company involved in mobile communications," her mentor explained.

"Mobile communications? What's that?" Xiao Yan was still unclear.

"It's a company that provides communication services for mobile phones, allowing people to make and receive calls anytime, anywhere," her mentor explained.

"Oh, so it's something for wealthy people!" Xiao Yan said dismissively.

Xiao Yan and her mentor waited in the press area. As time passed, the crowd of onlookers grew larger, and Xiao Yan was surprised by the large turnout. Did everyone have the day off? Later, Xiao Yan realized that many people were there to get firsthand information about the stock market. After her mentor explained the stock market crash from the previous year, she was even more baffled. What was it about stocks that captivated and even drove so many people to madness?

Around 9 a.m., there was an exclamation from the crowd. Xiao Yan and her mentor instinctively stood up to see a convoy of cars arriving, with about ten men in suits being escorted by police.

"Look! That's Chen Yunfei, the Secretary of the Nanjiang Municipal Committee!" someone shouted in surprise.

Xiao Yan saw the Secretary, a prominent figure in Lingnan Province, who also held the position of Executive Vice Governor. Even the Secretary of the Provincial Capital, Baiyun, couldn't compare to him.

It seemed that the mobile communications company was quite significant, attracting such a high-profile official.

As Xiao Yan thought this, she only had a cursory regard for the new mobile communications company. However, another reporter's exclamation soon made her even more astonished: "Look, isn't that General Peng Sen, the Deputy Commander of the Lingnan Military Region?"

Sure enough, Xiao Yan saw a man in military uniform at the front of the group. As a new reporter with limited experience, she couldn't recognize all the important figures in Lingnan Province. While she could identify a commander, she was unfamiliar with the deputy commander. But it didn't matter that she didn't recognize him; many veteran reporters were present, and they surely wouldn't mistake him.

Why was the Deputy Commander of the Military Region attending a stock company's inauguration?

It made sense for the Municipal Secretary to attend, as it was related to economic development. But the military general's presence was puzzling. Although the deputy commander's rank was comparable to the executive vice governor, the military's nature made his attendance unusual.

Her mentor explained, "Mobile communication technology was originally introduced for military use, to address the need for communication during troop movements. The military region previously collaborated with Guoli Company to build several base stations. Now that a new company has been established, it likely has strong ties with the military region, which is why they had to send someone. With the Municipal Secretary already here, it wouldn't be appropriate for the military to miss the occasion, so they sent the deputy commander."

I see!

On the surface, Xiao Yan appeared to understand, but she suspected that the company might be more than it seemed, perhaps even a defense-related unit.

When someone shouted that Cao Jianing was present, Xiao Yan was more convinced of her suspicions. Cao Jianing was the son of the late Marshal Cao Yinghua and the head of Guoli Company, which had collaborated with the military region on mobile communications. His presence confirmed the company's nature.

As Xiao Yan formed her opinion about the mobile communications company, her mentor and other reporters' next actions left her bewildered.

"Look! That's Zhou Ming, a shareholder of the mobile communications company!" someone shouted.

Everyone in the crowd stood on tiptoe to see, and all the reporters pulled out their cameras, clicking away at Zhou Ming.

Xiao Yan was stunned. She didn't understand why everyone was so focused on Zhou Ming. If the onlookers didn't recognize the military deputy commander or Cao Jianing, it was understandable. But why were the reporters so focused on Zhou Ming? Was he more newsworthy than the deputy commander or the executive vice governor?

After a flurry of photos, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask her mentor. Her mentor was surprised and replied, "You don't know Zhou Ming?"

"Is he famous? Why should I know him?" Xiao Yan retorted.

"I can't believe you don't know Zhou Ming after all this time as an intern. He was behind the stock market boom in Lingnan last year and handled the stock market crash that affected thousands of people. When the stock market crashed, all the officials in Nanjiang were helpless, and even the armed police were on standby. But Zhou Ming resolved the crisis single-handedly!" her mentor said with exasperation.

Xiao Yan was stunned, murmuring, "Is that true?" Her mentor confirmed, "So, Xiao Yan, you need to stay informed, especially about valuable information. Zhou Ming is a prominent figure in Lingnan. You'll understand soon enough."

As the ceremony began, the deputy commander and the municipal secretary delivered speeches. When Xiao Yan was preparing to record Cao Jianing's speech, she was surprised to see Zhou Ming take the stage.

Zhou Ming? Why is he speaking? Shouldn't Cao Jianing be speaking now? Did Zhou Ming have some other identity?

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers, startling Xiao Yan. She wondered: Why the cheers for Zhou Ming? There was no cheering for the deputy commander or the executive vice governor, but Zhou Ming received such a reception?

Her mentor explained, "Most of the people here are stock investors. Zhou Ming's handling of the stock market crash left a deep impression on them. They remember him more than anyone else."

"So, is Zhou Ming a descendant of some revolutionary figure from the capital?" Xiao Yan asked.

Her mentor shook his head. "He's said to be the child of an ordinary worker. His success is entirely his own achievement."

If Xiao Yan was only surprised by Zhou Ming before, she was now deeply shocked. She stared at Zhou Ming on stage, muttering, "Is this real? How can an ordinary person achieve such success?"

At this moment, Zhou Ming took the microphone and said, "Today is the inauguration of our mobile communications company. From the speeches by Commander Peng and Governor Chen, I'm sure you have a general understanding of our company's purpose. I won't repeat it here. I just want to say one thing: Our company will open a new door for everyone!"

"Of course, you might not believe this now, but think about it," Zhou Ming continued, "In the past, if you needed to contact someone, you either had to use a phone or a pager. But phones and pagers are inconvenient, often because the person might not be near the phone. With mobile phones, you can make and receive calls anytime, which is very convenient."

"I know mobile phone costs are still high because the infrastructure isn't complete. Our company's goal is to improve mobile phone networks and make them affordable for everyone. We want everyone to be able to use a mobile phone and call anytime, anywhere. Is that good?"

As Zhou Ming asked this, Xiao Yan shouted, "Yes!" Without thinking, she was excited by the idea of mobile phones becoming affordable. It was a great convenience she had longed for.

But she soon realized that she was just one of many in the crowd applauding and cheering.

This realization made her even more amazed: Zhou Ming… truly impressive!