Chapter 321: One Meal at a Time

"Hello, Boss Zhou. It's such a great fortune to meet you and work under you!" 

"You're too kind."

After some conversation, Zhou Ming walked into his office and collapsed onto the sofa in the reception area with a sigh. At this moment, Su Han brought a glass of water over to Zhou Ming. He grabbed the cup and took a big gulp, saying, "That journey was really tough."

"This is just a reflection of how much respect the people in our factory have for you, Zhou Ming. Everyone knows that not only did you help Engineer Luo get justice in Jin Ning, but you also dealt with the Gao Ming group and labeled them as counter-revolutionaries. The biggest rumor is that you led the troops and engaged in fierce combat with those criminal forces, ultimately eliminating them all. The people here are simple and admire heroes, so naturally, they admire you," Su Han explained.

"Unfortunately, I was never cut out to be an idol!" Zhou Ming sighed. "And they've exaggerated things quite a bit."

Zhou Ming felt helpless. He was too kind-hearted to ignore fans screaming for him like some celebrities do. He still responded subconsciously, even if it was just a smile or a nod of thanks.

He was also puzzled by how his achievements in Jin Ning were being exaggerated. How did it end up being portrayed as leading troops into a battle against criminals? If he really did lead troops against criminals, it might be reported as a fierce battle like the Korean War's Shangganling.

Shaking his head to clear these thoughts, Zhou Ming asked Su Han, "Are the operations of our Eight Treasure Porridge Factory and real estate projects back to normal?"

Su Han nodded, saying, "Everything has already returned to normal. The Eight Treasure Porridge Factory building is almost complete. According to the construction team, it will be ready to move in within a week at most. The only concern is that Director Wang thinks the new factory is too large. With our current equipment and staff, there will be a lot of unused space, which seems wasteful."

Zhou Ming smiled, "What's wrong with having a large space? In business, bigger is better. If our Eight Treasure Porridge Factory is large now, what if we need to add more production lines in the future? Director Wang might end up complaining that this factory is too small in a few years!"

Zhou Ming and Su Han discussed the factory's development for a while when Zhou Ming's phone on his desk suddenly rang. He walked over to answer it, saying, "Hello, who am I speaking with?"

This was the standard greeting for answering calls in official settings, especially since caller ID wasn't available at the time. If it was a wrong number or a crossed line, identifying oneself helped avoid any potential issues.

On the other end, the caller asked cautiously, "Is this Boss Zhou Ming's office? I am Engineer Zhao from the Engineering Bureau."

"Ah, Engineer Zhao, hello. I know you. You're the head of the team working on the highway in Lingnan Shiping County. Is there a problem on your end?" Zhou Ming inquired.

"There was a small problem earlier, but it was resolved smoothly thanks to you, Boss Zhou. That's why I wanted to invite you to dinner," Engineer Zhao replied.

"Helped solve a problem? So, you want to treat me to a meal?" Zhou Ming was stunned. It wasn't that Engineer Zhao's logic was flawed, but this was the first time Zhou Ming had spoken with him. He had only seen his name on documents and knew what section of the road he was responsible for. How did he help solve a problem?

Before Zhou Ming could respond, Engineer Zhao continued, "We'll be hosting the dinner at a big hotel in Lin Yang City. Please be sure to grace us with your presence. Besides me, there will be leaders from the First, Second, and Fifth Bureaus who want to thank you in person."

If Zhou Ming was confused before, this statement left him completely baffled. What was going on? They wanted to treat him to a meal? And leaders from multiple bureaus were involved? How grand was this occasion?

"Engineer Zhao, please hold on. I need to understand why you want to invite me to dinner… Hello?"

Just as Zhou Ming asked this, the phone signal suddenly deteriorated, making the call unstable. Zhou Ming had to hang up, cursing at the malfunctioning phone.

At that moment, the office's landline rang. Zhou Ming picked it up, expecting it to be Engineer Zhao calling back from a different line. Instead, a stranger's voice came through, "Hello, Boss Zhou. I'm Engineer Song from the Fifth Bureau. I'm responsible for the section of the highway in the northern part of Jin Ning."

"Ah, Engineer Song. Hello. What can I do for you? Is there a problem on your end?" Zhou Ming asked.

Engineer Song quickly clarified, "There was indeed a problem before, but it was resolved thanks to you, Boss Zhou. We are all so grateful! I know that the leaders from our bureau are also inviting you to dinner, and I hope you'll give me a chance to personally toast you and express our thanks."

Another dinner invitation? What was going on today? Was it some sort of dinner appreciation day?

Zhou Ming was even more puzzled. He asked, "Engineer Song, what's the situation? Why do you want to invite me to dinner? And why the toast?"

"Of course, it's to thank you for your help! Otherwise, we would have been in trouble!" Engineer Song said. "Sorry, I have to attend to something outside. Please be sure to give me a chance to thank you in person when the time comes!"

After that, the line went dead before Zhou Ming could react.

Seeing Zhou Ming lost in thought, Su Han asked, "What's wrong, Zhou Ming? Did something happen?"

Zhou Ming shook his head, "I don't know, but I'm guessing either these people have been drinking too much or I've been drinking too much."

"Drinking too much?" Su Han was confused. Who drinks in the morning? Or was Zhou Ming not understanding the situation?

Not understanding the situation herself, Su Han was equally puzzled. If the first Engineer Zhao's dinner invitation seemed like a one-time occurrence, what about the subsequent call from Engineer Song with the same invitation?

While Zhou Ming and Su Han were puzzled, Zhou Ming's office phone rang again. He answered, and a familiar voice said, "Hello, Boss Zhou. I'm Engineer Liu from the Second Bureau, responsible for the mountain road in Songguan. I wanted to personally invite you to dinner, but since I know the leaders from the Second Bureau will be inviting you, I'm just taking advantage of the opportunity. Please be sure to give me a chance to toast you and express my gratitude in person!"

The same familiar pattern, the same familiar request!

Zhou Ming felt disoriented. Normally, one would be happy to receive such multiple invitations, but Zhou Ming was completely lost.

"What's going on with all these bureaus?"

Zhou Ming asked, but the call ended before he could get an answer.

"Zhou Ming, someone's inviting you to dinner to thank you. That's a good thing!" Su Han said.

Su Han had listened to all the calls as she was close to the phone. 

Zhou Ming forced a smile and replied, "Having people invite me to dinner is not necessarily a bad thing, but if three different calls are all inviting me to dinner and asking to toast me, it's a bit much."

"All three calls were for inviting you to dinner? Why is that?" Su Han asked in surprise.

Zhou Ming shrugged, "If I knew, I wouldn't be so puzzled. They only said they wanted to thank me without specifying for what, and they all mentioned their respective bureaus would be involved."

"Why not call them back and ask? You have their bureau heads' numbers, right? The calls mentioned that their leaders would also be attending, so they should know what's going on," Su Han suggested.

"Right, I was so caught up in confusion that I didn't think of that. Thanks for pointing it out."

Zhou Ming happily called the number of Ding Kai, the head of the Central Engineering First Bureau, and soon got connected. Ding Kai's voice was recognized, and Zhou Ming said, "Hello, Director Ding, this is Zhou Ming."

"Ah, Boss Zhou, hello. I was just about to call you!" Ding Kai said.

"Is it about the dinner invitation? If so, I already know," Zhou Ming replied.

Ding Kai was surprised, "You already know? It seems your sources of information are very reliable, almost like the Six-Eared Macaque in Journey to the West!"

"Director Ding, you flatter me. I'm no Six-Eared Macaque, just that your bureau's colleagues called me earlier. I'm calling you now regarding this matter," Zhou Ming said.

Ding Kai asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

Zhou Ming explained the situation with the phone calls he received, and Ding Kai burst into laughter, "Why is everyone so eager? Even more so than I am! Yes, I represent the First Bureau in inviting you to dinner to express our gratitude."

"Why is that?" Zhou Ming asked.

"It's because you helped us solve a significant problem!" Ding Kai explained.