Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin stepped in after Jiaolin County officials made a poor first impression on arriving investors by forgetting their business details. He impressed Wang Ying and Zhou Zhongxiang by reciting precise facts about Zhou’s company, leaving the county officials astonished.

• Jiaolin County officials split up to welcome investors arriving by plane, train, and local transport while Dong Xuebin coordinated the cultural gala preparations.
• Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan greeted Wang Ying, Zhou Zhongxiang, and another investor but could not recall their companies’ details.
• An Investment Bureau employee wrongly claimed that Zhou Zhongxiang’s company was about to go public, cooling the investors’ reception.
• Dong Xuebin intervened and correctly described Wanxiang Real Estate’s listing date, recent projects, stock performance, and possible financing deal with Fang Ke.
• The investors and Jiaolin County officials were stunned by Dong Xuebin’s detailed knowledge.

Dong Xuebin impressed the investors and county officials by smoothly correcting an airport reception mistake and demonstrating his knowledge of the investors. As more investors arrived, he recognized and welcomed even an uninvited businessman, leaving the staff astonished by his work ability.

• Dong Xuebin corrected the Investment Bureau employee’s mistake by identifying Zhou Zhongxiang, Wang Ying, and Zhang Shuaibing and praising their businesses.
• Dong Xuebin told Xiao Chen to study the investors more carefully, while Wang Ying and Zhang Shuaibing were impressed by his knowledge.
• Dong Xuebin welcomed President Chen of Dongyu Group and recognized his company’s recent acquisitions.
• Dong Xuebin recognized the uninvited Director Dong from a charity auction and made him feel welcome.
• As more investors arrived, Dong Xuebin identified them one by one, stunning Zhang Dongfang and the Investment Bureau staff.

Dong Xuebin impressed the investors and Jiaolin County staff by personally welcoming them and demonstrating detailed knowledge of their backgrounds and businesses. After the first group departed for the county, Zhang Dongfang scolded the Investment Bureau staff for their mistakes while Dong Xuebin stayed at the airport to receive more guests.

• Dong Xuebin welcomed the investors, recognized them, and discussed their companies and business projects, earning their respect and the admiration of the county staff.
• Zhang Dongfang suggested sending the investors back to Jiaolin County for lunch, and Dong Xuebin arranged for Wei Zhixuan to lead them there while he remained at the airport.
• Dong Xuebin exhausted his voice while seeing the investors off, and Zhang Dongfang gave him water and thanked him for his hard work.
• After the buses left, Zhang Dongfang reprimanded the Investment Bureau staff for their chaotic work and failure to prepare basic investor information.

Dong Xuebin refused to chase after city officials who declined Jiaolin County’s gala and insisted that the event would draw plenty of guests. His confidence was vindicated when actress Chen Ying arrived to perform, having come on her own after hearing he needed performers.

• Dong Xuebin learned that Zhang Dongxing would miss the gala and refused Zhang Dongfang’s suggestion to persuade him or ask a deputy mayor for help.
• Dong Xuebin ordered that gala seating tickets be tightly controlled, reserving the remaining tickets for approval by him and Zhang Dongfang.
• A clerk told Dong Xuebin that a woman had arrived to perform, so he sent Su Yan to prepare the County TV Station crew to film her arrival.
• Dong Xuebin recognized the arriving performer as his elementary school classmate Chen Ying, whose celebrity status astonished the county staff.
• Chen Ying told Dong Xuebin she had cleared her schedule to help with the gala after hearing he needed performers, and he explained that he had avoided contacting her because she was busy.

Dong Xuebin welcomed Chen Ying and then Zhang Longjuan’s group of internationally known singers to Jiaolin County for its Investment Promotion Culture Festival gala. Their arrival drew crowds of fans and gave the county’s officials confidence that the gala would attract attention.

• Dong Xuebin greeted Chen Ying at the airport, and she agreed to perform without an appearance fee in exchange for food, lodging, and a meal.
• Chen Ying signed autographs for fans before Su Yan escorted her to a car bound for Jiaolin County.
• After Zhang Longjuan called to say she had arrived, Dong Xuebin told the officials and camera crew to prepare to receive the next guests.
• Zhang Longjuan arrived with Amy, Ellen, and members of the SS group, whose appearance sparked a frenzy among airport fans.
• Dong Xuebin welcomed Zhang Longjuan and the singers, then arranged cars to take them to Jiaolin County.

Dong Xuebin and Jiaolin County officials welcomed wave after wave of famous performers arriving to support their gala, including Liu Han, two comedy stars, Li Mengmeng, and a military troupe led by Zhou Xuguo. The arrivals left the officials stunned as the General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe joined the growing list of guests.

• Jiaolin County officials led by Zhang Dongfang greeted a group of investors at the airport as passengers spotted Liu Han arriving.
• Dong Xuebin welcomed Liu Han, who offered to rehearse, but Dong Xuebin arranged for him to visit the venue without a rehearsal.
• Liu Han recognized comedy stars Teacher Feng and Teacher Qian, and Dong Xuebin welcomed them despite their concerns about their throats.
• Li Mengmeng arrived, told Dong Xuebin that Hui Lan had asked her to help, and chatted with him.
• Zhou Xuguo led thirty or forty uniformed performers from the General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe into the airport, astonishing the Jiaolin County officials.

Dong Xuebin welcomed a large group of celebrities and the General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe to Jiaolin County for its arts gala, strengthening the event and its Investment Promotion efforts. By evening, the performers had begun preparing the program, and Dong Xuebin brought them and Director Sun to dinner.

• Dong Xuebin welcomed Zhou Xuguo and the General Political Department Song and Dance Troupe at the airport and arranged buses to take them to Jiaolin County.
• Zhang Dongfang and Meng Hanmei recognized the troupe's value to the gala and its Investment Promotion work, while Dong Xuebin assured them it was a public-service event with no appearance fees.
• Provincial Television reporters arrived too late to film the celebrity arrivals, so Jiaolin County agreed to share footage and interview materials for publicity.
• Dong Xuebin confirmed that no more celebrities would arrive that afternoon, then returned to Jiaolin County as Zhang Dongfang received investors.
• At Central Park, Director Sun organized performers' acts and technical requirements for the gala, and Dong Xuebin persuaded him to join the performers for dinner.

Dong Xuebin hosted celebrities and investors in Jiaolin County, using his connections and drinking skills to strengthen ties. When he learned the county’s funds were nearly exhausted, he negotiated free meals from the restaurant in exchange for publicity, leaving his colleagues embarrassed and Chen Ying amused.

• Dong Xuebin and Zhang Dongfang toasted the guests, then Zhang Dongfang asked whether Zhang Longjuan might invest in Jiaolin County.
• Dong Xuebin joined the investors next door and built rapport with them by drinking several glasses of Moutai.
• Dong Xuebin overheard a county clerk asking the restaurant for a discount and proposed that the restaurant provide free meals in exchange for news coverage featuring the stars and its name.
• The restaurant owner agreed to cover the meals and alcohol, while Zhang Dongfang, Chen Ying, and county staff heard Dong Xuebin’s deal.
• Dong Xuebin walked with Chen Ying and asked her to keep the bargain quiet, and she laughed at how difficult his job as County Party Secretary was.

Dong Xuebin watched news reports reveal that he had brought a large group of famous stars to Jiaolin County’s Investment Promotion Culture Festival without paying appearance fees. The news caused a province-wide sensation, and Dong Xuebin concluded that the Investment Task was more than halfway complete.

• Dong Xuebin hurried home to watch the County TV Station report on the Investment Promotion Culture Festival.
• The county news showed the stars arriving and greeting Dong Xuebin and Zhang Dongfang, astonishing officials who had not known the performers were coming.
• Provincial Television Station aired the report, prompting excitement among residents and fans across the province.
• Baohong City officials called Jiaolin County and learned that Dong Xuebin had invited the stars through personal connections without appearance fees.
• Websites and media portals spread the story as praise, excitement, and skepticism poured in; Dong Xuebin checked the coverage and judged the Investment Task more than halfway successful.

After Jiaolin County’s star-studded gala made headlines, officials and families clamored for tickets, and Dong Xuebin controlled access to the remaining seats. He gave ordinary callers tickets readily but made Baohong City officials who had previously declined Jiaolin County’s invitation struggle for them.

• Zhang Dongxing’s son begged to attend the gala to see Amy, so Zhang called Jiaolin County’s Investment Bureau and learned tickets required Dong Xuebin’s approval.
• Zhang Dongxing called Dong Xuebin to request tickets, and Dong reluctantly offered him two after a long string of excuses.
• Provincial officials and leaders from nearby counties and cities called Dong Xuebin to ask for gala tickets.
• Dong Xuebin gave tickets to most callers but stalled and limited the requests of Baohong City officials who had previously refused Jiaolin County’s invitation.
• The Baohong City officials reluctantly kept seeking tickets from Dong Xuebin because they feared being turned away and embarrassed at the gala.

On the opening morning of the Investment Promotion Culture Festival, Dong Xuebin checked preparations and helped staff and early visitors as the crowds began gathering. When Director Sun worried that the gala lacked variety, Dong Xuebin offered to perform magic and made Sun's phone disappear.

• Dong Xuebin arrived early at Central Park, thanked the workers, and promised them credit and bonuses for their hard work.
• Dong Xuebin and Meng Hanmei arranged chairs for elderly visitors waiting in the long ticket line and prepared staff to maintain order.
• Dong Xuebin inspected the festival area and spoke with Director Sun, who said the stage was ready but the gala's lineup felt too heavy on music.
• Dong Xuebin offered to perform magic, then made Director Sun's phone vanish and revealed it in his own hand.

Dong Xuebin impressed Director Sun by making his phone disappear and was added to the Culture Festival program as a magician. As the festival opened, a huge crowd poured into Central Park, leaving officials scrambling to maintain order while welcoming investors through a side entrance.

• Dong Xuebin made Director Sun’s phone vanish without moving, then returned it and agreed to perform magic at the festival.
• Director Sun added Dong Xuebin’s improvised magic act to the program, surprising Chen Ying and the Jiaolin County staff.
• Director Sun rehearsed the performers and gave them instructions for the outdoor show.
• Dong Xuebin arrived at Central Park at the festival’s opening and found thousands of people crowding the entrance for the evening performance.
• Dong Xuebin told Meng Hanmei and the staff to prevent pushing and instructed Zhang Dongfang to direct investors’ cars through an unused side gate.

Jiaolin County’s first day of the Investment Promotion Culture Festival drew huge crowds and sparked strong investor interest, forcing Dong Xuebin to manage safety and logistics as the festival continued. By lunchtime, visitor numbers had passed forty thousand, and more than seventy additional investors had contacted the county.

• Zhang Dongfang told Dong Xuebin that several investors had signed letters of intent and asked about celebrity autographs, so Dong arranged to collect signatures for them.
• Dong Xuebin asked Chang Lin to control entry at Central Park, setting a target limit of one hundred thousand visitors and an absolute maximum of one hundred fifty thousand.
• By 11:30 a.m., more than forty thousand people had entered the park, and Dong, Zhang, the celebrities, and staff left through a side entrance for lunch.
• Dong Xuebin heard exhausted county staff discussing the crush of people and recognized how overwhelming the event had been for them.
• Wei Zhixuan told Dong Xuebin that more than seventy new investors had contacted the county, with around one hundred fifty expected to arrive that day or the next.

Dong Xuebin faced a surging crowd of more than ten thousand people who tried to force their way into the full park after ticket sales stopped. As the gate gave way, he pushed it shut with one hand and sent the crowd behind it sprawling.

• Dong Xuebin warned county officials that the park could hold at most 120,000 visitors and told them to manage the crowd without outside help.
• When the park reached capacity, staff stopped selling tickets, angering more than ten thousand people who remained outside.
• Dong Xuebin arrived as the crowd threatened to break through the main gate, and dozens of police officers braced it while he tried to calm the people.
• The crowd resumed pushing, and Dong Xuebin stood at the gate despite officials urging him to retreat.
• The iron chain snapped, the gate opened, and several officers were knocked down as the crowd surged forward.
• Dong Xuebin pressed one hand against the gate, shut it, and sent the packed crowd sprawling.

Dong Xuebin stopped a crowd of more than ten thousand from forcing its way into the park by holding the main gate shut with one hand. As the crowd charged again, he remained at the gate, holding it in place while staff fetched replacement locks.

• Dong Xuebin shut the park gate against the crowd, knocking dozens of people down and protecting the officers at the entrance.
• Dong Xuebin sent the officers to help at the side entrance and told Meng Hanmei to attend to her duties while he held the gate.
• Zhang Dongfang directed the investors toward the gala venue, while Zhang Longjuan stayed to watch Dong Xuebin.
• Incited by people in the crowd, the protesters regrouped and rammed the gate repeatedly.
• Dong Xuebin held the gate steady with one hand through the renewed charges as Jiaolin County staff waited for replacement locks.

Dong Xuebin held the park’s main gate against a crowd of ten to twenty thousand people until they gave up and left. Meanwhile, the gala’s other entrances continued admitting guests, and Dong Xuebin remained at his post even after the crowd dispersed.

• Jiaolin County staff admitted gala guests through the side entrance, enforcing Secretary Dong’s reserved-ticket list and removing people without tickets.
• Chang Lin worried that Dong Xuebin might not be able to hold back the enormous crowd at the main gate.
• The crowd repeatedly charged the gate, but Dong Xuebin held it in place with one hand and did not move.
• The people gave up and more than half of the crowd left, while Dong Xuebin continued guarding the gate.

Dong Xuebin secured the entrance after stopping a crowd from forcing its way into Central Park, then returned to prepare for Jiaolin County’s gala. As the live event approached, he changed the speaking order and hinted that he had plans for his appearance.

• Dong Xuebin let the troublemakers disperse, had park staff lock the gate, and told Jiaolin County staff to document the damage and contact the police.
• Dong Xuebin returned to the venue, assured the cadres he was unharmed, and said he had not yet decided when to perform his magic act.
• Dong Xuebin greeted visiting leaders and investors, then reassured Director Sun and Chen Ying that he was fit to perform without props.
• The gala’s lights came on as Television Station staff prepared the live broadcast and the countdown began.
• Dong Xuebin told Zhang Dongfang to speak before him, despite Zhang Dongfang’s objection that the order broke protocol, and said he had other arrangements.

At Jiaolin County’s live cultural gala, Dong Xuebin amused the crowd by cutting his speech short and pretending to hide beneath a table. He then reappeared hundreds of meters away on an artificial rockery, stunning the audience with a magic trick.

• Zhang Dongfang delivered a nervous, stiffly read speech before leaving the stage.
• Dong Xuebin spoke without notes, joked about the audience wanting him to hurry up, and declared his speech finished.
• The female host revealed that the program list included a magic performance by Dong Xuebin, and he joked about being caught off guard.
• Dong Xuebin ducked beneath the dais’s tablecloth, then appeared on an artificial rockery at the back of the venue, astonishing the audience.

Dong Xuebin amazed the Jiaolin County audience with a magic act, appearing behind a table and then atop an artificial rockery. After he seemed to fall into a lake, he reappeared from beneath the stage table, leaving the crowd stunned.

• Dong Xuebin appeared behind the table after seeming to enter it, winning thunderous applause from the audience.
• Backstage celebrities and Jiaolin County officials praised Dong Xuebin’s performance, while Zhang Dongfang felt embarrassed by his own nervous speech.
• Dong Xuebin continued joking with the audience from atop the artificial rockery and suggested he had discovered a space-time tunnel.
• Dong Xuebin stumbled from the rockery into the lake, alarming the audience and prompting people to rush to save him.
• Dong Xuebin emerged smiling from beneath the table onstage, stunning the crowd again.

Dong Xuebin stunned the audience by appearing on the main stage moments after seeming to fall into the lake, then turned the finale into a comedy routine and promoted Jiaolin County’s investment projects. The performance ended with the crowd and investors laughing and applauding.

• Dong Xuebin appeared dry and unharmed on the main stage after seemingly falling into the lake, leaving the audience astonished.
• Meng Hanmei and Sun Changzhi recovered from their fright as the audience erupted in applause and celebrities backstage wondered how Dong Xuebin had done it.
• Dong Xuebin joked with the hosts about Jiaolin County’s spatial technology and invited the audience to inspect the table for hidden mechanisms.
• Dong Xuebin moved and turned over the table, revealing no mechanism, then insisted that his feat demonstrated Jiaolin County’s spatial technology.
• Dong Xuebin addressed the investors and urged them to contact the Investment Bureau about cooperating on the county’s technology projects.