Chapter 33: Return to the New Village

As the undisputed dark horse of this year's ChinaJoy, the news of Anlan Technology's early withdrawal from the exhibition has also caused quite a stir. This can be seen as a strategic retreat after achieving success. Other exhibitors, apart from feeling envy, are left with nothing but jealousy. Undoubtedly, with Huawei's annual order agreement of no less than 1 billion RMB, Anlan Technology will soon transition from a small company with an incomplete personnel structure to a top-tier large enterprise.

The exhibition organizers naturally received the news and, before Zhao Lianan and the others could leave, hurriedly sent a staff member to stop them. This person was the same young man who had previously argued with Cao Zheng over the booth pricing issue, after all, he was the head of Hall E7. "Mr. Zhao, this is the internal invitation for next year's Chinajoy. The organizing committee sincerely invites you to attend." The young man said somewhat awkwardly, he never expected that Anlan Technology, which had been so low-key at the beginning, could soar to such heights in just three days!

Zhao Lianan took the invitation letter and without even looking at it, tossed it directly to Cao Zheng. He knew that this kid had a small grudge in his heart, so he was just taking this opportunity to rub it in! 

"Yo! Hall N1, the hub of large enterprises! Tsk tsk... an exhibition area of 200 square meters, quite impressive, huh? They didn't even write down the cost, is this a freebie?"

The sound of Cao Fatzi's cold mockery came to his ears, and the young organizer's face turned red as he lowered his head, not daring to say a word. In fact, a booth like this, given out a year in advance, is practically like giving it away for free. You have to know that a ticket to ChinaJoy isn't cheap, costing several dozen yuan! A company capable of attracting a large flow of people is undoubtedly a treasure trove in the eyes of the organizing committee!

"Yes, we've already received the invitation letter. As for whether we'll come, it depends on our mood." Cao Zheng deliberately disgusted the person by stuffing the exquisitely crafted invitation into his chubby butt pocket. "Oh, by the way, this is our fifth meeting, isn't it? I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Cao Zheng, Cao as in Cao Ying, Zheng as in Wei Zheng, General Manager of Anlan Technology Co., Ltd.!"

Having said that, amidst the young man's smile that was uglier than crying, Cao Zheng casually wiped a few strands of hair at his temples that hadn't been stuck down by hair wax, then with his hands in his pockets, he turned 90 degrees on the spot and left gracefully.

Because they were waiting for Zheng Xiling, Zhao Lian'an and the others stayed in Shanghai for another night. Early the next morning, the four of them boarded an Airbus A320 bound for Chengdu.

Sometimes, human experiences are just like this, as unpredictable as the weather, changing in countless ways. Ten days ago, Zhao Lianan and the others came to Shanghai with trepidation. Forty days later, the three of them returned with a swagger, carrying 1 billion in cash and a stunning mixed-race beauty, making their gains quite substantial.

Regarding Zhao Jianan's words, these are certainly worth celebrating, but there is one thing that excites him even more. After numerous interviews during this period and the surging popularity of Anlan Technology, his reputation has skyrocketed, reaching 131,761 points. He has automatically been promoted to a Level 1 Artisan!

Strongly suppressing the idea of using his reputation for a lottery, Zhao Lian'an decided to first deal with the pile of tasks at hand. Those were the current priorities. This is how it is when collaborating with big companies; not having to worry about lack of interest is certainly a good thing, but if you can't meet their needs, it can also be extremely troublesome.

It is foreseeable that he will definitely be very busy in the coming period, probably not having a moment of peace, so other things will just have to be put on hold for now, including the promise made to Zheng Xiling.

The flight time from Shanghai to Chengdu is only three and a half hours. A trip to Shanghai undoubtedly increased Zhao Lian'an's spending level significantly. After being picked up from the airport, he took a taxi back to Xinxing Village, and the taxi fare of over 300 yuan made him prioritize buying a bus. After all, as a billionaire boss, it really doesn't suit him to take a taxi every day.

Although it was already speculated that this time returning home in glory might receive some welcome, when a few of them actually approached the village entrance, they were still shocked by the sight before their eyes.

In the past, seeing a van at the village entrance felt quite rare, but now various brands of cars are parked there, numbering in the dozens, lined up in a row, stretching nearly two kilometers. Under the stone archway at the village entrance, inscribed with the words "New Village," there is a sea of black heads, estimated to be the entire village's population gathered together. Moreover, directly above the heads of the crowd, a huge red banner is hanging, with large white characters printed on it—"Warmly welcome Anlan Technology Co., Ltd. and Huawei to

At the front of the crowd stood a dozen or so middle-aged men with big bellies, easily distinguishable from the villagers by their attire. From a distance, Zhao Lian'an could see his father, Zhao Weiguo, and the village secretary, Zhao Shanhe, being surrounded by this group, their faces beaming with smiles.

"Finally, you're back!" After Zhao Jianan and his group arrived, Zhao Shanhe quickly stepped forward to greet them, then hurriedly brought them in front of his group of people who clearly had some background, introducing them one by one.

"Hello, this is Chen Ren from the Commissioner's Office, and next to him is Director Xie from the Bureau of Industry and Commerce!" Zhao Shanhe has been working hard in the Xinxing Village Committee for over ten years and knows to start introducing from the higher-ranking officials first.

"Oh, what does this mean? It's troublesome for the leaders to come here in person!" Zhao Jianan's attitude was very humble to avoid gossip. In reality, after dealing with people like Ren Zhengfei and Apple's Wilson, facing a few leaders who probably wouldn't even make it into the top ten in the government really didn't feel like anything.

The already exceptionally clever Chen Ren obviously had the highest standing. With a hearty laugh, he said, "Hey! What are you talking about, General Zhao? This time, Anlan Technology has brought great honor to our Chengdu people. Even Secretary Lu personally instructed me to ensure the welcoming work is done properly, so it's no trouble at all, not at all."

Zhao Lian'an hurriedly thanked him, looking flattered and surprised, and then exchanged a few pleasantries with Director Xie of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

When Zhao Shanhe saw that they were almost done chatting, he quickly introduced the other two people next to him, his enthusiasm even greater than before. "An'an, you should know these two, right? Our Secretary Jiang and County Chief Guo from Linshui County."

"Uh... nice to meet you, I've always seen you on TV before, but this time I finally get to see you in person!" Zhao An joked, quickly getting ready to shake hands, but in reality, he didn't know a damn thing! The inaction of the Linshui County TV station is already well-known to everyone. They only air some tacky real-life ads for rheumatism plasters, making even his grandmother, who is over seventy, too lazy to watch. "General Zhao is young and promising, and he is a leading figure of the younger generation in Linshui County. He must set a good example in the future!" Secretary Jiang spoke in an official tone, but that smile was definitely heartfelt; you can't imagine how happy he was.

Without a doubt, Anlan Technology's cooperation with Huawei this time will also indirectly benefit some people. At present, this Secretary Jiang has undoubtedly greatly benefited from it; this is indeed an impressive achievement! Even if he didn't participate in the early stages, he can still make up for it later. After all, Anlan Technology ultimately belongs to Linshui County, and he is the leader of Linshui County—it's just that simple. But this achievement cannot be taken away by anyone.

County Chief Guo was also very pleased. After all, the county chief was in charge of the economy. The more he saw Zhao Lian'an's humble attitude, the more he liked him. He generously said, "I heard that General Zhao is planning to expand the company significantly this time. If you encounter any difficulties, just bring them up. The county committee and the county government will definitely provide strong support!"

Everyone had already reached this point, and if Zhao An continued to be polite, he himself would feel a bit awkward. After scratching his head, he chuckled and said, "Secretary Jiang, Director Guo, actually, I do have something to trouble you with."