Somehow, Zhou Wang suddenly thought of that song lyric—
"Wearing the flashiest shirt, pretending to be sentimental, remember to put your hands in your pockets when someone takes a photo."
So Zhou Wang suddenly laughed, feeling unexpectedly calm. He relaxed his body, put one hand in his pocket, placed the lit-up phone screen on the table, and held the microphone.
"Hello, everyone, I’m Zhou Wang."
Roaring applause erupted again.
"Let me introduce myself, I am a native of Jing City..."
In a formal occasion with official attendees, Zhou Wang certainly couldn’t do any impromptu speech. First, you had to be serious when it was required, second, he simply didn’t have the skill...
So, besides the initial part that was his own well-rehearsed introduction, the rest he only needed to read from the speech draft Jiang Qingkui had sent him, following it step by step.
Initially, Zhou Wang didn’t expect much because Jiang Qingkui wasn’t a language expert, but given her education, the polished draft wouldn’t be too bad either.
But as he read, Zhou Wang was genuinely surprised...
Jiang Qingkui’s literary talent was impressive!
Listen to these phrases.
"Reading isn’t the only path, but compared to others, it is the best path..."
"Don’t chase your dreams, pursue your passion..."
"The mountains are high, offering endless vistas; the road is long, but press on undeterred; when the winds are favorable, seize the wave to sail forward; the journey is heavy and long, speed is needed to cover the vast distance..."
As he read, Zhou Wang himself felt inspired.
Looking at the audience, especially the enthusiastic feedback from the young students still in school, Zhou Wang knew his speech was quite effective...
Only occasionally, when his gaze swept over the front rows, did Zhou Wang see Lv Bo’s twisted expression, and he couldn’t help but be secretly puzzled.
Seriously, buddy, with everyone’s eyes on you and a camera filming, why look so furious no matter your grudge against me?
...
Lv Bo was genuinely losing it.
What Zhou Wang was reading was undoubtedly his damn speech draft!
That was the speech he spent two days crafting with all his heart and soul. Although Jiang Qingkui made some changes, and it wasn’t a verbatim copy, the golden phrases were the result of him racking his brains.
Having the honor of speaking on stage stolen was one thing, after all, they donated ten million, but for even the draft to be plagiarized from him, and he couldn’t even say anything...
Lv Bo almost felt faint, about to collapse.
Beside him, Zhong Huilan’s beautiful eyes blinked frequently, unblinking as she gazed at Zhou Wang on stage, feeling as if she suddenly became ten years younger...
It had been a while since she’d had such a crush!
Not until Zhou Wang finished his brief yet content-rich speech, and he was already off the stage, did Zhong Huilan come back to her senses.
She pressed her lips together, picked up her phone, and saw that in the short while she had received a multitude of unread messages.
Zhong Huilan opened her phone to find her "Jiahui International" work group had exploded, with many habitual lurkers emerging.
Initially confused, Zhong Huilan scrolled up to find the cause of the group chat frenzy.
"New shareholder?"
Zhong Huilan blinked and opened the web screenshot one colleague had taken regarding business registration information.
A moment later, Zhong Huilan covered her mouth in surprise.
"Wow!"
...
A restaurant near Jing City First Middle School.
It was already six in the evening.
The morning had the opening speech, the afternoon was for visiting and face-to-face exchanges with students still in school.
Zhou Wang had never toured a campus in this way before; needless to say, posing for photos had made his face stiff...
After the day’s events, dinner certainly couldn’t be like lunch at the school cafeteria, dealt with simply, so everyone moved here.
However, compared to noon, the crowd was notably smaller.
Besides the school leaders and official representatives, mainly outstanding alumni representatives were present.
Some alumni had already left early, like Zhong Huilan, who had only taken a day off and had to get back to the Magic City, and Lv Bo, who had disappeared at some point without a word of farewell...
Zhou Wang was arranged at the main table, not too resistant to the strong atmosphere of such a banquet.
Having gained such a significant spotlight today, it was the time to consolidate relationships, which would benefit his later evaluations.
A meal was just eating, drinking, and mutual commercial flattery; the only thing that left Zhou Wang somewhat moved was Old Guo coming to toast midway.
Initially, Old Guo lacked the qualifications to attend this dinner, but Qin Li, perhaps considering he had been Zhou Wang’s former class teacher, brought him along.
Not just Old Guo, several key teachers who taught Zhou Wang’s class were present as long as they were free.
Old Guo seemed drunk, and when toasting Zhou Wang, his glass wobbled unsteadily, rim significantly lower by three points.
After that, he shared many heartfelt words with Zhou Wang, who expressed understanding.
Ultimately, it wasn’t an irreconcilable conflict; in this world, too many things dissolve with a bitter cup of wine and a laugh...
By eight in the evening, the banquet ended.
Having collected a heap of contact information, Zhou Wang, with Jiang Qingkui supporting him, exited the restaurant. When they reached beside the Mercedes G Wagon, Zhou Wang suddenly straightened up.
Jiang Qingkui wasn’t surprised, just smiling faintly, "You sure can act like you’re drunk quite convincingly..."
"I’m no professional, but I’ve read "The Actor’s Self-Cultivation."
Zhou Wang chuckled.
"Since you’re standing steady, can your hand move too?"