Xiang Kun's Influence

"Not at all, I'm the one who's caused Director Liu trouble," Xiang Kun said apologetically.

Liu Caifu shook his head and sighed, "These two lads are my distant grand-nephews. We village elders also bear some responsibility for not raising them well. Alas, these two fools are obsessed with making quick money and soaring to the top. Do they think that 'Pighead Bao' is some kind of good thing?"

As he spoke, Liu Caifu said with some concern, "I heard A Meng mention before that you had a minor altercation with someone yesterday afternoon, which you settled privately. I didn't expect it was with that 'Pighead Bao.' Did something unpleasant happen between you? That guy doesn't have a good reputation in my Tongshi Town. He's always been domineering and arrogant. He was exposed a few years ago, and that's when he toned it down a bit."

Xiang Kun looked puzzled. "We got out of the car and discussed it quite a bit. They were fully responsible, but they were in a hurry to leave, so they didn't call the police or go through insurance. Everyone was very friendly during the discussion."

He knew that Liu Feibao was unlikely to retaliate and would even try his best to avoid such a thing from happening, so he used this explanation to reassure Director Liu. In his view, this matter was just those two simpletons acting on their own initiative, and it should end here; there was no need to make any further trouble.

Sure enough, hearing this, Liu Caifu felt relieved, got on his electric bike, and led the way.

After Xiang Kun returned to the car, Yang Zhen'er immediately leaned out from the back seat and asked curiously, "Does your friend know those two people who staged accidents? How did he manage to make them run away with just a few words?"

"We're all from the same village, it's normal for us to know each other. He's the deputy director of the village, and he's of a high seniority, so of course he can keep things in check," Xiang Kun explained casually.

"I thought I'd get to see you take on two opponents at once!" Yang Zhen'er said with considerable regret.

"Huh? You trust my skills that much? What if I get beaten up?"

"No way, if you weren't confident, you would have called the police in the car! Since you got out of the car so confidently, you must think you can handle two people at once without any problem!" Yang Zhen'er said confidently.

Tang Baona also said, "Did you just realize they had ill intentions, so you called the village chief in advance and asked him to come pick us up?"

Hearing their words, Xiang Kun couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that after more than five months of getting along, not only did he have a deep understanding of their personalities, preferences, and behaviors, but they were also quite familiar with his habits and style.

Needless to say, Lao Xia was even more confident. In fact, based on his observation, Zhang Qian didn't seem worried or anxious at all when she saw him get out of the car, as if she thought he could definitely handle it.

Xiang Kun focused his hearing on the Corolla behind him; the four people in that car were also discussing what had just happened.

"I was so scared! I thought those two were going to rob me." The voice belonged to Xiao Min, and she was clearly worried and frightened.

"It was probably a staged accident, but it seems Xiang Kun didn't pay. I guess the person on the electric scooter knows Xiang Kun and chased the other two away." The voice was Zi Cheng's, and it also sounded somewhat relieved.

"Don't worry, whether it's physical or verbal, Brother Xiang will handle him with ease." This confident tone came from Yang Zhuo. This younger brother had an unusually strong "faith" in Xiang Kun's abilities.

"If those two really had bad intentions and were hiding something, you'll see how easy it is for them." This was Yang Jie's voice, clearly believing that her brother's trust in Xiang Kun was somewhat blind.

"Don't worry, sis. With Brother Xiang's keen observation skills, he would have spotted them beforehand if they were hiding anything. I reckon he already noticed those two. Look at how calm he was when he got out of the car, and he even came over to tell us not to get out. He obviously already had a plan then. Maybe that guy on the electric scooter in front was someone he specifically called over for help."

"Hey! I call him 'Master Xiang,' and you actually treat him like a 'master'?" Yang Jie's tone was somewhat dissatisfied.

"Sis, I was just objectively describing what Brother Xiang has accomplished. I never called him a 'Master Xiang'!"

"I think you've been brainwashed by Xiang Kun."

"Brother Xiang is really amazing..." This was Xiao Min muttering softly.

Xiang Kun had a strange feeling when he overheard others talking about him through his heightened senses, and most of the conversations were full of boasting and praise.

However, it must be said that although Yang Zhuo, this little brother, idolizes him a bit too much, the speculations he makes based on that are basically correct.

Not long after, Xiang Kun and his two cars followed Liu Caifu's electric car into the village and parked outside the courtyard of his three-story self-built house.

As soon as it sensed the arrival of outsiders, the big gray dog in Liu Caifu's yard started barking incessantly.

But upon seeing Xiang Kun walk in first, she immediately let out a sob and shrank into a corner.

Seeing this, Liu Caifu was quite intrigued and said, "This thing seems particularly afraid of you. Last time when you and A-Meng came over, it cowered after only barking twice."

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "I'm just friendly, it's just being friendly to me." As he spoke, he went over and stroked the big gray dog's head. This usually fierce dog was now obediently drooping its head, letting him rub it with his big hand.

In Director Liu's courtyard, a round table covered with a tablecloth had already been set up. A middle-aged man with a simple appearance and a burly woman were busy in the kitchen behind, going in and out and bringing some prepared dishes to the table.

Director Liu said his wife had taken the children back to her parents' home, and his nephew had brought over some good ingredients today. He wanted to cook some nice dishes to go with his drinks. The couple who were cooking were his cousin and sister-in-law, who lived nearby. They happened to have some free time, so they came over to help prepare the ingredients. It seemed that Xiang Kun and his family's arrival was perfectly timed, as if he hadn't made any special preparations.

However, Xiang Kun could see clearly that the middle-aged couple were obviously hired by Liu Caifu to cook, and it was a show of hospitality. Apart from their group of nine, they did not see any other guests.

Xiang Kun learned from You Meng that Liu Caifu already knew they were coming before they arrived in Tongshi Town yesterday. So it was obvious that it wasn't just his nephew who happened to bring some wild game and invited them casually, but most likely that he had specially prepared these ingredients to host and entertain Xiang Kun and his family.

In the past, Xiang Kun would have avoided bothering Liu Caifu, avoided too much contact, and tried not to accept favors from him, because these favors could not be repaid.

But now that he has a plan to develop Chongyun Village, there is naturally no need for him to refuse Liu Caifu's overtures. If he wants to stay in Chongyun Village in the future, with Liu Caifu's help, many things will be easier.

After Xiang Kun introduced Tang Baona, Zhang Qian, Zi Cheng, and others to Liu Caifu, everyone sat around the table, ready to start eating.

The middle-aged couple who cooked the meal left after serving all the dishes, citing that they had already eaten lunch and had other things to do at home.

Liu Caifu brought out some local specialty fruit wine. Except for Xiang Kun and Zi Cheng, who were driving and didn't drink, Xia Libing, who also didn't drink, everyone else tried a little. The fruit wine had a low alcohol content and was easy to drink, so the ladies had no problem drinking it.

"Director Liu, thank you for coming all this way, especially with such a large group of us," Xiang Kun said, offering Liu Caifu a toast with water instead of wine.

Liu Caifu laughed and said, "It wasn't much trouble at all. All this game and ingredients are readily available. My wife and kids aren't here, and I definitely couldn't finish all this myself. I just heard from A-Meng that you brought your friends to Tongshi Town, so I thought I'd have you come and keep this 'left-behind middle-aged man' company company. Hey, don't call me Director Liu. I'm not that much older than you. Just call me 'A-Cai' or 'Brother Fu'."

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, Brother Fu."

Upon hearing Xiang Kun's address, Liu Caifu happily greeted him, "If we're brothers, don't be shy. Come on, let's eat while it's hot!"

Actually, Liu Caifu had said something similar when Xiang Kun and You Meng last time. However, back then they still called him "Director Liu," and he naturally still called him "Mr. Xiang," with both sides tacitly maintaining a distance and politeness. Now that the form of address has changed, it means that the two sides are no longer just having a casual social interaction or superficial exchanges, but are now friends.

In terms of taste alone, lunch was naturally not as good as the cooking of Xiang Kun and You Meng, the two "master chefs," from last night, nor did it have the adjustments that Xiang Kun to suit everyone's tastes. However, it had the advantage of having a variety of dishes, generous portions, and local mountain specialties. Moreover, it was already past lunchtime, and everyone was a little hungry, so they all ate with relish.

Xiang Kun naturally relied on the two pebbles with which he had established a "Super-Sensory Link" to suppress the nausea in his stomach. He was now quite experienced in how to pretend to eat a lot by eating small amounts in a dining environment with many people.

However, today's dining environment was somewhat different from the previous group meals, because there was also Lao Xia, who always focused his attention on him.

Lao Xia definitely knows exactly how much he ate.

So not only can you not eat too little, you also have to pay attention to your posture and your body's reaction, and not show any discomfort in your stomach, otherwise you'll be asked "Does your stomach hurt?" again.

Liu Caifu had been preoccupied with the "grand blueprint" that Xiang Kun had instilled in him, and he had spent a lot of time pondering it on his own and had already begun making some preparations. He had invited Xiang Kun over this time to discuss this matter. However, at the dinner table, he didn't mention it at all. Instead, he chatted with Zicheng, Zhang Qian, Tang Baona, and others, mostly about the legends and stories of their village, the interesting anecdotes of his and his father's business ventures in their early years, and some current events.

So Xiang Kun took the initiative to ask about the previous breeding farm, since that land and the farm were now in Liu Caifu's hands. This naturally led to the boast that Xiang Kun had made to him and You Meng back then, also in this courtyard.

Liu Caifu had actually been thinking about that matter for a while, and was also figuring out how to find an appropriate opportunity to bring it up with Xiang Kun. Now that Xiang Kun had taken the initiative to bring up the topic, Liu Caifu, who had just had a little wine, naturally became very talkative. He also took the opportunity to recount to the other people at the table who were unaware of the situation the "grand blueprint" that Xiang Kun had described in the courtyard.

Liu Caifu first recounted what Xiang Kun had said about "Bragging 1.0".

He didn't have the same "Emotional Assimilation" effect Xiang Kun back then, so apart from Xiang Kun, the other eight people were all a bit dumbfounded as they listened Xiang Kun him recount Xiang Kun's idea of turning Chongyun Village into a new type of internet-integrated high-tech agriculture and breeding industry base, and seeing his beaming face.

Zhang Qian's feelings were particularly complicated. If she had heard these words before collaborating with Xiang Kun on the project, she would have thought that Xiang Kun was trying to fool Director Liu of Chongyun Village, either with ulterior motives to cheat her out of money, or simply bragging. He was too unreliable.

However, after several encounters with Xiang Kun, especially after that now successful collaboration, Zhang Qian's opinion of him changed significantly.

Regardless of the unreasonable demands at the beginning of the collaboration, or the unconventional behavior during the process, Zhang Qian's normal understanding told her that the project was doomed to fail. Fortunately, she had actually anticipated that situation at the time.

But in the end, Xiang Kun not only fulfilled all his promises, but also did so quickly, cost-effectively, and with extremely high efficiency.

According to her communication with Director Lin, the initial test results of the beta version show that Xiang Kun's product is highly stable and scalable, completely exceeding their previous expectations.

Basically, with this foundation laid, even if Xiang Kun does nothing else, their project won't fail.

Even setting aside this formal collaboration, from their first meeting at the bar, almost every time she thought Xiang Kun was bragging or lying, he ended up doing it.

This gave Zhang Qian the impression that any promise or plan made by Xiang Kun was not just empty talk or boasting, but something that could actually be achieved.

So, was the "grand blueprint" that Xiang Kun and Director Liu outlined—the idea of building Chongyun Village into a new type of internet-based agriculture and breeding base—really serious?

Before coming to Chongyun Village, because they were in the same car, she knew the whole story of Xiang Kun calling You Meng to change the itinerary and contacting Director Liu. So, in her opinion, Xiang Kun bringing them to Chongyun Village was a last-minute Plan B.

But now that I think about it, perhaps Xiang Kun brought them to Director Liu's house as guests not just for the sake of being guests?

While Zhang Qian was speculating about Xiang Kun's true intentions, Liu Caifu had already begun to explain his specific plans and feasibility analysis based on Xiang Kun's scheme. He also combined local policies with the possible future policy directions of the country to present his own insights and solutions.

Liu Caifu spoke for over forty minutes without Xiang Kun interrupting him. The others listened while eating, feeling as if they were listening to a "farming fantasy novel."

Only Zhang Qian listened while recalling Xiang Kun's previous actions—the online video operation, the rabbit meat restaurant, the gimmick of stand-up comedy performances—and increasingly felt that she had guessed Xiang Kun's intentions. But then she felt that if that were the case, it was a bit too frivolous and unlikely to succeed.

But the word "impossible" always seems to elicit a peculiar reaction from Xiang Kun.

After Liu Caifu finished speaking, Xiang Kun smiled at him and said, "Back then, I oversimplified many things and also overestimated things. Looking back, many details were problematic. Brother Fu's ideas were very inspiring to me, so I have a new plan. Everyone is here, so we can all help discuss it."

While Liu Caifu was recounting those events, Xiang Kun had been silently observing him. It was certain that Liu Caifu was still under the influence of "Emotional Assimilation." However, the influence was different from the immediate impact he had experienced before; it had taken on a different form, giving him an inexplicable trust in Xiang Kun's abilities.

When Liu Caifu embeds this trust into a specific matter, it gives him an obsession that "only Xiang Kun can accomplish this task."

Xiang Kun initially speculated that the sustained effect of this "Emotional Assimilation" is because the direction of the "Emotional Assimilation" happens to be the same as the subjective will and desire of the person being influenced, so the person being influenced will continuously strengthen this influence in their own consciousness.

It's like Liu Caifu is someone who's standing still but wants to run, but he can't tell which direction to run in.

So Xiang Kun gave him a hard push to the north, and he started running involuntarily. He just kept running along the north side, faster and faster, and farther and farther away.

Meanwhile, You Meng, who had been pushed north by Xiang Kun at the same time, hadn't originally planned to run. So after the push passed, he scratched his head, stood still, or walked back to his original position, or even ran in another direction. Thus, the effect of Xiang Kun's push gradually disappeared after that force.

While Xiang Kun and his friends were visiting Chongyun Village, Liu Feibao personally drove his Audi A8L, carrying Qi Haoguo, to Jianzhou City.

According to the original plan, Qi Haoguo was supposed to stay in Tongshi Town for about 3-5 days to determine whether to cooperate with Liu Feibao on this business deal, and what the specific cooperation model would be.

But after the unexpected "rear-end collision" yesterday afternoon, Qi Haoguo suddenly lost interest in business. He set a general direction, finalized the cooperation, gave up a lot of profits, and then asked Liu Feibao to take him to find a master craftsman who was skilled in wood carving so that he could commission a wood carving.

However, after meeting the wood carving master and chatting for more than an hour, the master still couldn't understand the image that Qi Haoguo wanted him to carve. Qi Haoguo's requirements were particularly numerous and detailed, leaving him no room for free expression.

So the woodcarving master introduced them to one of his former students from the art academy, who now runs a studio specializing in custom-made figurines and dolls.

Through this student, the image of what needs to be created can be generated on the computer, allowing them to decide whether to directly use a 3D printer to produce a figurine, or to have a master craftsman create a wood carving based on that image.

Qi Haoguo sat next to the student, watching him gradually create an image of a monster with eight arms on the computer based on his description, and nodded with some satisfaction.

Yesterday afternoon, after being terrified by the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster that appeared out of nowhere, Qi Haoguo had a sudden realization, as if he had been reborn, and his views on himself, life, money, and many other things changed.

He liked the changes in himself, and also missed the feeling he had back then. He even wanted to relive that feeling from time to time, so he wanted to make a wooden sculpture of the monster and keep it by his side.

It wasn't that he suddenly developed worship or faith in the monster, but rather that he wanted to remember the fear he felt about his own transformation when the monster appeared, the feeling of confronting his inner cowardice and reality.

As for why it was a wood carving, he didn't think about it in detail.

I just subconsciously felt that wood carving was the most suitable way to establish its image, more so than paintings, stone carvings, sculptures, or pottery.

When describing the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Monster, Qi Haoguo did not hide anything from Liu Feibao. He didn't care if people heard him, since no one would believe that the monster he was describing was something they had actually seen in reality.

That afternoon, Qi Haoguo booked a flight back to the provincial capital and left directly from Jianzhou City.

After seeing Qi Haoguo off, Liu Feibao naturally drove back to Tongshi Town.

After a long day of driving, Liu Feibao was exhausted. When he got home, he didn't even want to eat dinner. He just wanted to lie down and take a nap. But he was woken up by a phone call as soon as he lay down.

I've been dissatisfied with this chapter since I finished writing it last night, and I've been working on it until now... _(:зゝ∠)_