Chapter 171: A Conscientious Enterprise

Sun Tao's words had a significant impact on Li Dong. The principle of relying on oneself rather than others was clear to him now.

Among the paths Sun Tao suggested, the quickest and most effective one was to gain fame. As a result, Li Dong quickly took substantial action.

On July 27th, Yuanfang Company, in collaboration with the Pingchuan Municipal Bureau, organized a grand donation ceremony.

To give back to the people of Pingchuan, combat crime, and create a harmonious society, Yuanfang Company donated ten patrol cars to the Pingchuan Municipal Bureau.

Among these, six went to the Municipal Bureau, and four to the Yaohai Branch, totaling a value of two million yuan.

The ceremony was attended by municipal standing committee members, senior law enforcement officials, and the city police chief. Sun Tao, the general manager of Yuanfang Company, gave a donation speech on behalf of the company's chairman, Li Dong.

After the ceremony, the senior law enforcement officials and the city police chief invited Li Dong to dinner. The discussions at the dinner were very pleasant.

That evening, the Pingchuan Evening News and Pingchuan Night News both reported on this donation.

On the first day, the response was lukewarm, with most people not paying much attention to the news.

However, the next day, July 28th, Yuanfang Supermarket took another step.

To help impoverished students achieve their university dreams, Yuanfang Company donated one million yuan to support three hundred impoverished college students.

Due to the focus on education, this donation ceremony saw an even higher level of leadership presence.

The ceremony was presided over by Zhang Yunlong, the Executive Vice Mayor, with the Vice Mayor in charge of education, the Director of the Education Department, senior officials from the Youth League, and the Director of the Working Committee for the Elderly all in attendance.

Once again, Sun Tao was the spokesperson for Yuanfang, delivering a touching donation speech.

Zhang Yunlong, the Executive Vice Mayor, highly praised Yuanfang Company, calling it a "conscientious enterprise."

That day, Yuanfang Supermarket made headlines in major media outlets.

Some media even used Zhang Yunlong's words as the theme of their reports, stating: "Yuanfang Supermarket, the Conscientious Enterprise of Pingchuan!"

And this was just the beginning. Since Li Dong was determined to gain fame, he certainly wasn't going to let the reports die down.

On July 29th, Yuanfang announced a donation of one million yuan to help children in impoverished mountainous areas return to school.

On July 30th, Yuanfang announced a donation of 500,000 yuan in clothes and supplies to several senior care homes in Pingchuan.

On July 31st, Yuanfang donated 500,000 yuan worth of living supplies to several orphanages.

…

Yuanfang's series of actions shocked the media and the people of Pingchuan.

For an entire week, major media outlets were almost completely filled with news about Yuanfang.

More than five municipal leaders attended various Yuanfang events, with leaders from various departments and foundations numbering in the dozens.

The attention Yuanfang received wasn't limited to the media and government; it also sparked heated discussions among the residents of Pingchuan.

Some said Yuanfang was a conscientious enterprise, while others claimed it was just a publicity stunt.

Regardless, Yuanfang had certainly made a name for itself.

After all, spending over five million yuan in cash for a not particularly large private enterprise was impressive and indisputable.

What further boosted Yuanfang's reputation came on August 1st, when the Mayor of Pingchuan praised Yuanfang Supermarket as "the most socially responsible and caring enterprise in Pingchuan" during a public event.

At this point, not only the municipal TV station but even the provincial TV station had reports about Yuanfang.

Yuanfang had become very popular, to the point where Zhang Qing and Niu Meng were somewhat bewildered.

…

At Zhang Qing's home.

Niu Meng sat on the sofa with a dark expression, gritting his teeth, "Wang Fei got incapacitated; it must have been that bastard Li Dong's doing!"

Zhang Qing glanced at him and snorted coldly, "I told you from the beginning that dealing with those unreliable people was useless! Even if you know he did it, what can you do? He's currently on good terms with the Municipal Bureau and the branch, and without concrete evidence, you can't touch him."

Niu Meng retorted, "I don't believe we can't handle him…"

Zhang Qing impatiently interrupted, "Stop with the useless talk! Li Dong is currently spending money like water, and the Municipal Party Committee and City Government are paying attention to him. Don't cause any more trouble at this critical moment; if something goes wrong, no one will be able to protect you."

Although Niu Meng was reluctant, he knew Zhang Qing was right.

Especially since Zhang Qing's father was involved, Niu Meng was even more furious, "You're right, Uncle Zhang, but calling it a conscientious enterprise…"

Halfway through, Zhang Qing gave him a cold look, and Niu Meng immediately felt embarrassed and stopped speaking.

After a moment of silence, seeing that Zhang Qing remained expressionless, Niu Meng anxiously asked, "Qing Ge, what should we do now? Li Dong is currently in the spotlight. We can't afford to provoke him, but what about the Hua Fu land?"

Zhang Qing frowned, feeling frustrated, "There are plenty of wealthy people in Pingchuan besides Li Dong. I'm not working for nothing. There will be someone to cooperate with us!"

Niu Meng scoffed, if they could find someone else, they wouldn't be so fixated on Li Dong.

After thinking for a moment, Niu Meng added, "If we don't get the money soon, the Yaohai land will definitely be auctioned off in a month at most."

"I know!"

Zhang Qing huffed irritably, annoyed by the mention of the topic.

As Niu Meng was about to speak, Zhang Qing's phone rang.

Checking the phone, Zhang Qing quickly signaled for silence and answered, "Dad, what's the matter?"

"…"

While on the phone, Zhang Qing's face turned various shades of blue and white.

After hanging up, Zhang Qing appeared drained, collapsing onto the sofa without speaking.

Seeing this, Niu Meng cautiously asked, "Qing Ge, what did Uncle Zhang say?"

Zhang Qing weakly waved him off, "You should go back. I need to rest for a while."

"What about the Hua Fu land…"

"I said, I need to rest for a while!"

Zhang Qing snapped, his frustration palpable.

It was bad enough that he had suffered at Li Dong's hands, but now he had lost face in his circle and received a scolding from his father. He felt like he had hit rock bottom.

At this point, Zhang Qing hated Niu Meng, blaming him for provoking Li Dong in their first meeting.

Now, Li Dong would rather spend money than cooperate with him.

Zhang Qing believed that 90% of the responsibility for the current situation lay with Niu Meng.

Niu Meng, stunned by Zhang Qing's outburst, was enraged himself. He was embarrassed by Zhang Qing's reprimand and felt he had been humiliated.

Though there were no outsiders, Niu Meng could not hold his head up and stormed out after a heavy snort.

As he walked away, Niu Meng vowed to avoid associating with Zhang Qing in the future.

He had once thought Zhang Qing was capable, but now he saw him as a useless person!

…

Meanwhile, while Niu Meng and Zhang Qing were in turmoil, Sun Tao and Li Dong were also having a disagreement.

In Li Dong's office.

Sun Tao looked heartbroken, "You spent five million just like that?"

Li Dong was puzzled, "Didn't you say I needed to gain fame? I think it's going well now. The money is spent, and the fame is achieved. Not only did the mayor praise us, but even the provincial government is mentioning us. In the future, few people will dare to provoke me."

Sun Tao was on the verge of wanting to slap this spendthrift!

Is this how you gain fame?

Not to mention five million, Sun Tao would consider one million too much.

Suppressing his anger, Sun Tao said, "I won't comment on the other donations, but donating ten cars to the Municipal Bureau is excessive. Two or three cars would have sufficed!"

Li Dong didn't agree, thinking that two or three cars wouldn't reflect his financial prowess.

Moreover, the Municipal Bureau had been very useful. For instance, when the owner of the Feiyang Bar accidentally broke his leg, the Municipal Bureau didn't even file a case. This was the effect he wanted.

Building a relationship with the Municipal Bureau also meant less reliance on Wu Jianguo.

Li Dong had long been displeased with the old man who had taken so many benefits but failed to accomplish much. When he needed help, the old man was of no use.