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Reeve's Shad could grow as large as one and a half feet, and its price was steep – its flesh worth its weight in gold. Wang Xiaoqiang naturally wasn't in a hurry to sell them; he was waiting for them to grow large enough to make a substantial profit.

His primary task at the moment was to assess the two orchids – what species were they, and were they worth cultivating?

Three days later, Wang Xiaoqiang drove his Hummer to the Provincial Capital.

The Hummer had an imposing presence on the road, drawing quite a bit of attention along the way.

Upon arriving in the Provincial Capital, he first got in touch with Zhou Mingjun; together, they went to the vehicle management office to transfer the Hummer's registration into his own name.

After completing the procedure, Zhou Mingjun insisted on taking Wang Xiaoqiang out for a meal. Wang Xiaoqiang tried to politely decline, but Zhou Mingjun was very sincere as he said, "Little Qiang, you're my lifesaver. It's not often you come to the Provincial Capital, and I must treat you to this meal. I hope you won't be too polite..."

Zhou Mingjun went to the Provincial People's Hospital to check on his leg injury after returning to the Provincial Capital that day. The orthopedist was shocked after seeing the X-rays based on the size and depth of the wound; the bone should definitely have been damaged, yet the X-rays revealed no issue with the bone at all – which was quite mysterious.

Even if the injury had not reached the bone, skin and flesh infection was almost inevitable, but there were no signs of that either. Apart from the terrifying wounds, his leg was almost as good as a normal one, without any major problems.

The doctor, taken aback, asked him if he had previously received treatment, and who had treated him.

Zhou Mingjun didn't answer the orthopedist but instead relayed everything to his father – Zhou Mantang, the director of the well-known Hongxiang Group in the province.

Zhou Mantang was equally shocked by the news. He did not scold his son for hunting deep in the mountains, nor was he angry about his son losing the Hummer on a bet. Instead, he felt fortunate that his son had met Wang Xiaoqiang and solemnly told his son that Wang Xiaoqiang was a person worth befriending.

He instructed him to treat Wang Xiaoqiang seriously and look for opportunities to deepen their relationship.

Zhou Mingjun naturally took his father's instructions to heart. Taking this opportunity, he was especially eager to show Wang Xiaoqiang great hospitality.

Seeing the warm invitation was hard to resist, Wang Xiaoqiang agreed to go to the hotel for a meal with Zhou Mingjun.

Zhou Mingjun chose Qingcheng Grand Hotel for the meal.

Wang Xiaoqiang was of course familiar with Qingcheng Grand Hotel – it was a major customer of his Chicken Farm.

As the two arrived at the lobby of Qingcheng Grand Hotel, Wang Xiaoqiang suddenly spotted two familiar figures. Because the incident hadn't occurred too long ago and since they were customers who had brought him a significant fortune, he still remembered the woman with the elegant and luxurious air about her, Zhong Ping, and her driver and bodyguard, Qili.

Before Wang Xiaoqiang had the chance to approach and say hello, Zhou Mingjun, as if he had discovered a treasure, lit up with excitement and immediately put on a flattering smile, reaching out with both hands to greet, "Director Zhong, what a pleasure, I'm delighted to see you again..."

In stark contrast to Zhou Mingjun's excessive enthusiasm, Zhong Ping merely glanced at him coolly and extended her right hand out of politeness, "You are...?"

From Zhong Ping's expression, it certainly wasn't feigned; she truly didn't recognize Zhou Mingjun.

"Director Zhong, you must be very busy to forget. I am Zhou Mantang's son, Zhou Mingjun..." Seeing that Zhong Ping didn't recognize him, Zhou Mingjun quickly introduced himself.

"Ah, Young Master Zhou... hello, hello..." When Zhong Ping remembered the Zhou Mantang who had repeatedly sought to cooperate with her, she recalled that this young man was his son.

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Zhong Ping smiled politely and perfunctorily asked how he was doing before immediately shifting her gaze away from Zhou Mingjun to Wang Xiaoqiang standing slightly behind him. Her smile widened, becoming genuine and warm, "Ah, isn't that Wang Xiaoqiang?"

As she spoke, Zhong Ping immediately withdrew her hands from Zhou Mingjun's and extended her smooth, jade-like hand toward Wang Xiaoqiang: "Wang Xiaoqiang, we meet again!"

Wang Xiaoqiang reached out and took her hand, which felt as smooth as if it were maintained by a virgin: "Director Zhong, hello! I'm very happy to see you again."

Feeling slightly awkward, Zhou Mingjun was immediately plunged into deep shock. How did Zhong Ping know Wang Xiaoqiang? And it seemed that the two of them were very familiar with each other.

"Director Zhong? ...Why are you calling her 'Director Zhong' too, when you see her calling people 'Director'...?" Zhong Ping frowned slightly and gave Wang Xiaoqiang a stern look: "From now on, just call me Sister Ping!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingjun almost wanted to kneel for Wang Xiaoqiang. What status and identity did Zhong Ping have? She was usually unapproachable for men, yet now she was fraternizing with Wang Xiaoqiang like siblings. While Zhou Mingjun was shocked, he was also dying of envy inside. He thought, if only Zhong Ping would fraternize with me like that, I'd be willing to kowtow and lick her boots!

What Zhou Mingjun didn't expect was that Wang Xiaoqiang didn't seem to take it into account. He withdrew his hand from Zhong Ping's and said apologetically, "Sorry, Director Zhong, I'm not used to calling someone 'sister,' especially not a beautiful woman like you... "

Hearing this, Zhou Mingjun's eyes almost popped out in shock, a bitter smile spread across his face. He thought to himself, Wang Xiaoqiang, you really don't know what's good for you, or rather, you don't understand the ways of the world. Zhong Ping is the head of Holiland, a leading figure in the national retail industry. Her reputation and wealth rank among the top in the country.

Many people wish to curry favor with her but can't, yet you're rejecting her kindness outright.

Not only was Zhou Mingjun shocked, but Qili, who had been standing behind Zhong Ping, was also astounded. Through their previous interaction, she had gained some understanding of Wang Xiaoqiang's nature. It was normal for Wang Xiaoqiang to refuse to call Zhong Ping 'sister'; however, his remarks about not being used to calling someone 'sister' and about beautiful women...

to her, they sounded like an affront to Zhong Ping.

At this moment, Qili couldn't help but give Wang Xiaoqiang a stern look, her eyes filled with intimidating fierceness.

Yet surprisingly, Zhong Ping wasn't annoyed. It seemed she took an unusual liking to Wang Xiaoqiang's character and chuckled, "Hehe, I suppose you don't have any sisters, which is why you're not used to it... "

"Exactly, I really don't have a sister, so I'm not used to it," Wang Xiaoqiang replied earnestly.

"Alright, call me whatever you like then!" Zhong Ping said, somewhat disappointedly, before inquiring, "You're here to eat, aren't you?"

Without waiting for a response, Zhong Ping invited them: "As it happens, the guests I was expecting today can't come. Why don't we all dine together?"

"I don't mind, since I'm here to be treated to a meal today anyway..." Wang Xiaoqiang spread his hands and looked toward Zhou Mingjun.

Zhou Mingjun immediately looked honored and said, "It's an honor beyond my dreams to share a table with Director Zhong. Of course, there's no problem. But let me play the host today and treat everyone to this meal!"

Zhong Ping frowned, clearly displeased with Zhou Mingjun's suggestion, and said coldly: "The banquet is already booked, so stop arguing about it!"

Seeing Zhong Ping's expression, Zhou Mingjun truly didn't dare to argue with her.

As the group of four walked down the aisle toward the designated private room, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit came towards them with a look of surprise and greeted Wang Xiaoqiang enthusiastically: "Boss Wang, you're here! Why didn't you call ahead, so I could have come out to welcome you?"

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