Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 192 Without power or influence, how could Zhong Xiaoai, a phoenix, be worse than a chicken?

Zhong Xiaoai readily admitted it.

Now that things have come to this, she has nothing left to hide.

The fact that a high-ranking father has fallen from grace is surprising enough.

That night, she and her husband, Hou Liangping, were summoned from their home and taken away.

Hou Liangping's unusual reaction after taking drugs was extremely eye-catching.

Good things don't go out, bad things pass thousands of miles.

Since the Zhong family's embarrassing incident had spread almost throughout the system.

He had already resigned and started his own business, becoming a businessman.

A businessman is someone who prioritizes profit above all else.

As long as there's money to be made, who cares about saving face!

So what's there to hide?

Rather than hiding it or being ashamed to admit it, it's better to be open and honest.

Zhong Xiaoai's frankness naturally surprised Zhang Xiaoxue.

She was just making a casual guess, but she was right.

And Zhong Xiaoai actually admitted it so frankly.

For a while.

Zhang Xiaoxue, who is usually very intelligent and quick-witted, was at a loss for words.

"What's wrong, Sister Xue?"

Zhao Ruilong asked with a smile.

"I...I'm really a bit surprised. I never expected to meet Zhong Shuji's daughter here!"

Zhang Xiaoxue's smile looked very awkward.

As Zhong Xiaoai just said.

Her father, Zhong Zhengguo, was arrested in Linjiang Province.

And who governs Linjiang Province?

Isn't that Zhang Xiaoxue's father, Zhang Jingchong?

Also.

Zhong Zhengguo held a high-ranking position and was also the head of the education rectification working group.

Such a "big tiger" was suddenly brought down by Lu Shuji, who was at a higher level, in Linjiang Province.

Even if Zhang Jingchong didn't intervene directly, this matter was done with his consent and support.

Otherwise, even if Lu Shuji personally took action, he wouldn't be able to arrest whomever he wanted in Linjiang Province.

and so……

From a certain perspective.

They should be considered 'enemies'.

However, upon meeting, they did not feel like enemies.

Zhong Xiaoai didn't seem to harbor any resentment; her smile was full of warmth.

“My father has been dismissed from his post and is no longer the Secretary, so you no longer need to address him as Secretary Zhong.”

"Moreover, before his downfall, he took advantage of the education and rectification campaign in your Linjiang Province to amass wealth, betraying the trust of the organization and letting down the people of Linjiang."

“I have now resigned from my government job and started my own business. Today I came to Jingzhou to order a batch of electronic products from Mr. Zhao. I heard that you came from Jiangcheng, so we came here together to wait for you.”

Faced with Zhong Xiaoai's frankness, Zhang Xiaoxue was once again left speechless and embarrassed.

Isn't that a bit too direct?

She's nothing like the "powerful and capricious" Zhong Xiaoai I'd ever heard about.

I heard that she used to be very willful and arrogant.

They don't even care about those at the bureau or department level.

And now...

Where was the last trace of arrogance in Zhong Xiaoai's eyes?

She calmly explained why she was there.

This really surprised Zhang Xiaoxue.

Has she already accepted the facts and resigned herself to her fate?

Seeing that Zhang Xiaoxue was embarrassed again, Zhao Ruilong immediately interjected:

"Let's not dwell on the past."

"You two flew all the way from Yanjing and Jiangcheng to Jingzhou, you must be starving!"

"Come on, I'll take you to have lunch first, so you can enjoy some of Jingzhou's specialties!"

"Okay, okay, let's eat."

Zhang Xiaoxue forced a smile.

She was a little confused.

She was certainly aware of Zhong Zhengguo and Hou Liangping's collusion with Cai Chenggong to amass wealth.

She also heard how 'powerful and proud' Hou Liangping was on the night he and Zhong Xiaoai were taken away.

Therefore, she could understand why Zhong Xiaoai resigned and went into business after her father and husband were both dismissed from their posts and became infamous.

But she couldn't understand it...

Zhong Zhengguo and Zhao Lichun have been fighting for so many years.

Zhong Zhengguo's downfall was orchestrated by Zhao Ruilong.

He had his father accompany him, and together they staged a 'entrapment' operation with Cai Chenggong.

Finally, by following the clues, Zhong Zhengguo was identified.

Even so, Zhong Xiaoai was unaware of this inside story.

But Zhong Xiaoai should have guessed that the Zhao family would have played a huge role in her father's downfall.

But why doesn't she blame the Zhao family at all, or blame herself and Zhao Ruilong?

Does becoming a businessman really mean only caring about making money and not wanting to seek revenge?

"You didn't look too good when you came out. Are you still angry about what happened last night?"

Zhao Ruilong asked as he walked.

As soon as the events of last night were mentioned, Zhang Xiaoxue immediately became clear-headed.

"You guessed it!"

"I haven't been this angry in all these years."

"The Han family, relying on their power and money, managed to find my phone number..."

Zhao Xiaoxue, still angry, ignored Zhong Xiaoai's presence and complained to Zhao Ruilong as she walked.

After succinctly recounting what had happened, she made no attempt to hide her feelings, stating openly that she had been coerced and tempted, and that she had simply reached her breaking point.

We have already ordered a thorough investigation into Han Changfeng and his family, who think they can get away with anything because they are rich and powerful, as well as Director Xu, who is indiscriminate in his right and wrong, opportunistic, and pretends to be a good person.

After listening, Zhao Ruilong sighed:

"To be honest, it's only because you have a good temper that you would talk so much with Director Xu."

"If it were me, after hanging up on his cousin Han Changyu, I would immediately have someone investigate the Han family. I wouldn't give Director Xu any chance to coerce or bribe them!"

"That Han Changfeng is so arrogant, domineering, and ruthless. He's clearly here to smash cars and hurt people. Can we just swallow our anger and forgive him?"

"For ordinary people, a new car plus a trunk full of cash is indeed very tempting, but how can we let him go for such a small gain?"

Zhang Xiaoxue nodded in deep agreement and said:

"That's right! If I forgive him and let Han Changfeng escape this time, he will definitely become even more reckless in the future."

"He thinks that no matter how big a mess he makes, his family can easily handle it, so he will become even more bullying and taking advantage of honest people."

"Wouldn't that make me an accomplice to evil, raising a great scourge for the people of Linjiang?"

Zhong Xiaoai listened quietly.

She was not surprised by Zhang Xiaoxue's angry attack.

If it were the old her, she would have been even more decisive than Zhao Ruilong.

If someone has a powerful background but is still bullied, what's the point of having that powerful background?

If you have power and influence, you don't have to use it to bully others, but if you've already been coerced, bribed, or threatened with death, why should you tolerate it?

After their car was vandalized last night, they will definitely find someone to deal with Han Changfeng and his family immediately.

Where would the Han family find time to find a new car and raise cash?

How could he possibly let his cousin find his phone number, and then, after failing to get his pleas, go to his supervisor to coerce and bribe him?

of course.

People have self-knowledge.

Zhong Xiaoai knew very well that she could no longer act as arbitrarily as before.

If you were the one who was provoked, had your car smashed, and was subsequently threatened or bribed.

Even though Zhong Xiaoai knows some people, she has a background and connections that are far stronger than those of ordinary people.

But she was too embarrassed to ask for help, just to vent her anger.

"Right now, I definitely won't choose to go all out against the Han family!"

"Just give me a break and you get a new car plus tens of millions of dollars. Where else can you find such a lucrative business?"

"It's a pity that when I had power, I wasn't bullied, but now that I'm powerless and all I want is to make money, I don't have the opportunity to get rich!"

While muttering to himself.

The three of them arrived at the van.

"Mr. Zhao, please have yourselves in the second row!"

“I know Jingzhou very well, but this must be Sister Xue’s first time here. Please give her a proper introduction!”

Zhong Xiaoai smiled slightly, quickly opened the door, got into the car, and sat in the passenger seat.

Zhao Ruilong was too lazy to be modest.

Although I don't mean to look down on anyone, the objective fact is that Zhang Xiaoxue is more important.

After all, Zhong Zhengguo has already been dismissed from his post, and Zhong Xiaoai has already resigned to go into business.

Zhang Xiaoxue's father, Zhang Jingchong, still holds a high position and is the top official in Linjiang.

She herself works at Linjiang Radio and Television Station, in the influential news media industry.

Especially now that Zhong Xiaoai needs his help and wants to buy goods at a lower price, it's purely a business transaction between them.

But Zhang Xiaoxue is different. He is about to make a large-scale investment in Linjiang Province, and he will rely on Zhang Xiaoxue and her father a lot in the future.

soon.

The van left the airport and headed to the city center.

Zhao Ruilong temporarily acted as a tour guide, introducing Jingzhou to Zhang Xiaoxue, who had come from afar.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhong Xiaoai didn't quite hear Zhao Ruilong's introduction; her mind was filled with memories of her last trip back to Jingzhou.

That was when my father was stepping down as the top official in Handong and was about to be transferred back to Yanjing. I and Hou Liangping came to pick him up and pack his things.

That time when I came to Jingzhou, I was picked up by a special car and accompanied by people from the Organization Department. It was quite a grand and respectable occasion.

however……

In less than five months, everything has changed.

That trip back to Yanjing, even if my father wasn't promoted, still offered him a chance for advancement.

Neither Hou Liangping nor Hou Liangping had ever imagined that their family would fall into decline so quickly.

The couple believed their future was bright and limitless.

One resigned to start his own business, while the other is about to go to jail.

In contrast.

Zhao Ruilong and Zhang Xiaoxue in the second row are truly enviable.

Both of their fathers were provincial leaders, high-ranking officials in their respective provinces.

As long as the two of them don't make any major mistakes, they can live a life of wealth and luxury.

Even if there are some self-righteous, blind fools who bully the two of them, a simple greeting is enough to make them regret it for the rest of their lives.

Just like Han Changfeng, who smashed a car and assaulted someone last night.

He was used to bullying the weak and didn't take Zhang Xiaoxue and Zhao Ruilong seriously.

As a result, he kicked a steel plate, and his whole family was going to suffer, even the people who helped him would be unlucky.

What Zhong Xiaoai envied most was not Zhao Ruilong, whose father Zhao Lichun still had great potential for improvement and who was also very capable.

She genuinely envied Zhang Xiaoxue.

He didn't envy her youth and beauty, but was jealous of her father Zhang Jingchong's high position and power.

Where does it resemble myself?

Now it's truly a case of 'a fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken'.

Even though Zhao Ruilong personally came to pick her up at the airport, he didn't look down on her in the slightest.

However, without the support of power and background, Zhong Xiaoai still felt a little inferior.

This inferiority complex made her feel that it was a great honor to be able to ride in the same car and eat at the same table with top-level powerful and wealthy people like Zhao Ruilong and Zhang Xiaoxue.

Back then, she relied on her father, Zhong Zhengguo, to be on equal footing with any other son of a powerful family without feeling inferior or timid. If the other party had not been involved in politics, she would have felt superior.

After lunch, the group arrived at Huilong Electronics.

I saw many trucks with out-of-town license plates parked on both sides of the road near the factory gate.

Many drivers gathered at roadside stalls under the shade of trees, where they ate their boxed lunches and chatted or played cards.

This astonishing scene was so overwhelming that Zhong Xiaoai couldn't help but muster her courage and turn around to ask:

"Mr. Zhao, why are there so many out-of-town trucks in front of your company?"

Zhao Ruilong glanced out the window.

"They are waiting to pick up the goods."

"Huh? We have to wait in line?"

Zhong Xiaoai was terrified.

"Didn't our MP3 players officially launch on May Day? Are there already many distributors frantically stockpiling them?"

"They're not here to transport MP3 players, they're waiting to load up their PHS phones!"

Seeing that Zhang Xiaoxue and Zhao Ruilong were both confused, he quickly explained:

"The PHS (Personal Handyphone System) service has been launched in most major cities across the country."

"The Xiaolingtong (a type of mobile phone) was of good quality and low price, and was especially popular among ordinary people, to the point that it was in short supply."

"Distributors in various regions simply send vehicles to wait, and once the products are produced, they are quickly transported away to save as much time as possible."

Zhong Xiaoai clicked her tongue in amazement and exclaimed, "My goodness! Even the cheapest PHS phone costs several hundred yuan, right? Yet it's still selling out!"

"There's no other way. We can't afford to buy or use cell phones, and it's very inconvenient to communicate using public phones, so the cheap and good PHS (Personal Handyphone System) is naturally very popular!"

Out of kindness, Zhao Ruilong quickly added another reminder.

"However, the PHS (Personal Handyphone System) market is now fiercely competitive. Don't be tempted to get in and grab a share just because it's popular and selling well."

“The basic mobile phone, such as the Xiaolingtong, which can only make and receive calls and send and receive text messages, cannot access the Internet and has a poor signal, was basically just a transitional device.”

"Once 3G communication technology matures and begins to be widely adopted, the economic strength and consumption level of Chinese people will also rise, and it will inevitably be eliminated sooner or later."

Zhong Xiaoai was stunned.

I never expected that Zhao Ruilong would offer such kind advice when I just asked him casually.

If it were any other manufacturer, they would probably be eager to sign a contract and place an order as soon as possible.

As long as the delivered products are of acceptable quality, whether they can be sold and generate profit is their own business and has nothing to do with the manufacturer.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, I won't be half-hearted. I haven't even made any money selling MP3 players yet, and I'm already thinking of selling PHS phones while the market is hot!"

Turning back, Zhong Xiaoai couldn't help but secretly make plans in her mind.

Even if a mobile phone only earns 100 yuan.

Producing 10,000 units a day can earn you a million.

This is still a conservative estimate!

But given Huilong Electronics' current production scale, its capacity is far more than 10,000 units per day.

In addition, Huilong Electronics is now not only producing PHS phones, but also busy supplying computers to internet cafes all over the country.

If this isn't making a fortune every day, what is it?

After a while.

The van stopped in front of the office building.

Just as Zhong Xiaoai predicted, the gap still became apparent.

Zhao Ruilong asked the marketing manager to coordinate the procurement work with him and instructed him to offer the most favorable price before accompanying Zhang Xiaoxue to the R&D department.

Although I really wanted to visit and broaden my horizons to learn about Huilong Electronics' latest technological products, I simply couldn't muster the courage to go.

I could only comfort myself silently.

If you don't understand the technology, it's useless even if you look at it.

All I want to do now is be a distributor and make a fortune selling MP3 players.

Other new products that are still in the research and testing phase are not very meaningful to look at or try.

In comparison, it would be better to try to get more goods.

The demand for PHS phones is so high that it can't keep up with the demand.

After trying it out for many days, I found it to be an excellent MP3 player. How could it not be a hot seller?

Besides, if Zhao Ruilong dares to invest huge sums of money in research, development, production, marketing and promotion, what do I have to be afraid of?

But when the contract was actually signed...

Zhong Xiaoai couldn't help but pray silently in her heart.

"This is three million that I scraped together from all sorts of sources!"

"Please, God, bless me to make a fortune!"

"Otherwise, without power and money, you'll truly be a phoenix fallen to earth, worse than a chicken!"