Power and Wealth Chapter 1905

Dayti.

The county was busy preparing for next month's upcoming Investnt Promotion Cultural Festival—selecting venues, booking hotels, arranging lighting and sound equipnt, contacting investors, and more. Tasks were assigned individually, and Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang had to confirm anything unclear. Even though Dong Xuebing said he would only handle the cultural performance part, leaving everything else to the county governnt, as the county leader, he couldn’t just sit back and let others take care of things. Many decisions still needed his direct approval.

One hour.

Three hours.

Five hours.

Finally, the workday ended.

When the ti ca, Dong Xuebing wasn’t planning on staying late. He asked Su Yan to stay behind and keep an eye on things, letting him know if anything urgent ca up. Dong Xuebing got in his car and left. He didn’t want to avoid work; he had his tasks to take care of. Renting venues and arranging equipnt—were minor tasks that could be handled with a little coordination. With Zhang Dongfang there, Dong Xuebing didn’t need to oversee things constantly. What mattered now was the actors and stars. This was the key aspect of the Investnt Promotion fair, the highlight and point of attraction. If the performance wasn’t properly organized or if they couldn’t get any stars to show up, the whole Investnt Promotion Cultural Festival (Investnt Promotion Conference) would be a failure. Other county leaders were waiting to see how Dong Xuebing would pull off getting stars without spending a penny. If it fell through, Dong Xuebing’s credibility would be shattered, and the political achievent he was aiming for would be gone, possibly even affecting his promotion to Deputy Division Chief in a few months. Therefore, success was the only option for Dong Xuebing.

At ho.

The sunset bathed everything in golden light.

Dong Xuebing went upstairs to his bedroom, removed his jacket, walked to his desk, turned on the light, and took out a notebook and pen. He then pulled out his phone and paused for a mont, deciding to call Zhang Longjuan, who was in the U.S. After a few rings, the call connected, but there was so static and delay—international calls, after all.

“Xiao Bin!” Zhang Longjuan’s voice ca through with a big yawn, sounding hoarse and tired.

“Yo, you’re sleeping?” Dong Xuebing asked.

Zhang Longjuan replied lazily, “We’ve got a ti difference. I was sleeping soundly.”

Dong Xuebing apologized, “Sorry to disturb your rest. I just needed to ask you sothing.”

Zhang Longjuan chuckled. “What, are you being polite with , Xiao Bin? Haha, I’m not bothered. My little handso boy is calling anyti is fine. Wait, let light a cigarette.” The sound of a lighter clicked, followed by her saying, “Alright, go ahead, what’s up?”

Dong Xuebing said, “We’ve got an investnt Promotion fair next month. If free, you could co over and symbolically invest in a project.”

Zhang Longjuan laughed. “So you’re always doing investnt promotion wherever you go, huh?”

Dong Xuebing awkwardly laughed, “Well, it's a fast way to get results that benefit the people. And it’s the one thing I’m good at.”

Zhang Longjuan didn’t hesitate: “Alright, next month, I got it. If I can’t make it, I’ll send soone from my company. I definitely have to support my handso boy’s event, haha. But I really don’t think I’ll be busy then, so I should be able to go. And when I co over, I’ve got sothing to discuss with you. Let’s talk then; it’s not convenient over the phone.”

“Okay,”Dong Xuebing replied.

Zhang Longjuan yawned again, “Alright, your sister is going to sleep now.”

“Hold on, wait a bit. There’s one more thing.”Dong Xuebing blinked and said, “Do you happen to know any foreign celebrities?”

“Why?” Zhang Longjuan asked.

Dong Xuebing explained, “We’re organizing an Investnt Promotion Cultural Festival, and I want to host a performance, so…”

Zhang Longjuan thought montarily, “Oh, I see, haha, let ask around for you. I know a few, but I’m unsure about their schedules.”

Dong Xuebing was sure Zhang Longjuan would know so. Having lived and worked in the U.S. for many years and being a billionaire businesswoman with a company she wholly owned, her influence was well-established, even internationally. With that kind of background, she had the connections. Dong Xuebing felt he was right to ask her. However, he added, “By the way, our county’s finances aren’t very rich, as you know… ahem... so, while we can cover the airfare and accommodation, we might not be able to afford the appearance fees.”

Zhang Longjuan chuckled, “You, with all your shares here and a personal fortune of one to two billion, can’t even cover a little money for this?”

Dong Xuebing explained, “Sister Zhang, it’s not that I don’t want to fund this personally. It’s just that this is the county’s Investnt Promotion Cultural Festival, and if I pay for the guests, I won’t be able to keep it quiet. It wouldn’t be proper or in line with the rules. I can’t operate outside the county’s budget—it’s a governnt agency, not the business world, and many considerations exist. I can’t make exceptions.” He paused before adding, “However, if you could sponsor a few foreign celebrities as a friendly gesture, we can make it work. Of course, you can deduct the costs from my shares and dividends.” Since this was for his project, Dong Xuebing didn’t want to let Zhang Longjuan suffer any loss—business was business, and personal matters were separate.

Zhang Longjuan laughed, “Alright, stop joking, kid. You want to find a few stars for you, and then you will make pay? You’re sothing else. As the second-largest shareholder of our company, you don’t even know the company’s investnt projects? We’re an investnt company; we don’t just focus on one industry—we’re also in real estate and dia. Years ago, I invested in an entertainnt company in the U.S. It’s not a huge company, but it’s not small either. There are so big nas involved. Even though I’m not the largest shareholder, just having an 8% stake ans I get to attend shareholder etings. They won’t dare disrespect . So don’t worry about the airfare; just handle the accommodation, and I’ll help contact them and check their schedules.”

Dong Xuebing said, “Wow, that sounds great. Thanks, Sister Zhang!”

Zhang Longjuan replied, “You have shares in the company, too, so don’t ntion it. Stop being all formal with . Anyway, I’m going to sleep now, no more talking.”

“Alright, sleep well,” Dong Xuebing said.

“Co on, give your Sister Zhang a kiss.”

“Uh, let’s talk about that when you get here. We’ll talk about it then.”

“Haha, I’m not kidding. Go on, get out of here.”