"Understood. Please rest assured. On behalf of all the teachers at our school, we guarantee that your younger sister will receive the very best treatment!"
The school administrators who had received his business cards gave their assurances with the utmost solemnity.
Afterward, Lin Chao Ci made time to accompany his little sister on a tour of the school. Only a few senior administrators stayed with them; the others had to return to their classes.
By the end of the tour, Lin Chao Ci was quite satisfied. Haikou No. 1 Middle School was a key provincial school, so its teaching staff, facilities, and environment needed no further praise.
Lin Chao Ci entrusted his little sister to the school without worrying about her safety. His family had sent two people to infiltrate the school, one as a security guard and the other as a teacher, to protect Lin Weiyi in secret.
With that business settled, Lin Chao Ci returned to the company. He had barely sat down when Fang Miaoke pushed open the door and entered, carrying a stack of clothes as she reported:
"Boss, take a look. These are the samples from the factory's first production run! They meet your specifications very closely..."
Lin Chao Ci took the clothes and examined them from every angle, then nodded in satisfaction. "Good. They do meet my specifications. You can arrange for the factory to begin mass production!"
"Remember to register the trademarks, copyrights, and designs... We can't let anyone exploit a loophole. Ideally, we should have a batch ready before the Spring Festival!"
Copyright awareness was important.
Lin Chao Ci had no intention of letting anyone take advantage of an oversight.
"Understood!" Fang Miaoke nodded, then continued her report. "There's something else. Quite a few companies have sent formal requests recently, hoping to pay us a visit..."
For people with connections, looking into Lin Chao Ci's background was child's play.
Lin Chao Ci had never intended to hide it anyway. It was only a matter of time before people found out.
The influence of power in this country hardly needed explaining. Even ordinary people understood it, let alone those old hands who had spent decades in business.
Everyone wanted to build a connection with Lin Chao Ci and pledge their allegiance. Plenty were even eager to become his lackeys.
Lin Chao Ci had anticipated this situation. He answered plainly and directly, "Turn them all down. Tell them I've been very busy lately, and we can discuss it when I have time..."
For adults, "when I have time" was a way of saying no.
And in this case, that time would never come.
"Understood!"
Fang Miaoke nodded without saying anything more.
Although many of the companies seeking a visit were leading enterprises in the province, she knew even better that the boss's word was final.
For most of the day afterward, Lin Chao Ci dealt with company documents and planned the company's next strategic moves.
He worked until late afternoon.
Lin Chao Ci checked the time. It was already past five, and the school's New Year's gala began at seven thirty.
He had just enough time to eat before heading to the school.
Lin Chao Ci did not bring his secretary this time. Liu Shuang'er would be at the school, and he did not want her and Fang Miaoke meeting so soon.
Although his relationships with both women were still fairly innocent and had not progressed to that stage.
If he could keep them from meeting, he would do his best to do so and eliminate every possibility.
It was always better to be prepared.
By the time he finished dinner and arrived at the school, it was already past seven.
The campus was festively decorated, with balloons, streamers, and confetti everywhere... Clearly, the school had put considerable effort into preparing for this New Year's gala.
Cars came and went at the entrance, and pedestrians filled the roadsides: students, teachers, and members of the public.
Lin Chao Ci spotted several television news vans, along with a few cars from the municipal Party committee.
This New Year's gala also marked Haikou University's thirtieth anniversary, so the school had invited many outstanding graduates and distinguished alumni from previous years.
Lin Chao Ci remembered it clearly. Quite a few veteran officials from the provincial political consultative conference and provincial people's congress had attended, along with three from the municipal Party committee. Altogether, there were more than a dozen department-level officials.
There were also three deputy provincial-level officials, though unfortunately, all were from the people's congress and held second-line posts.
Division-level officials... At this anniversary celebration, they did not even qualify for recognition as outstanding graduates. Apart from a few full division-level officials with real authority, none had been invited.
It was an impressive turnout. After all, Haikou University had only been founded thirty years earlier. It could not compare with long-established institutions, but it already ranked among the best of the newer universities.
Lin Chao Ci drove onto campus. Not wanting to attract too much attention, he put on a mask and sunglasses, then quietly entered the school's auditorium with his driver, Xiao Wang.
The auditorium was enormous, with room for tens of thousands. Once they passed through security, they were greeted by a vast sea of people.
The back row was packed with media crews and cameras.
Many officials and guests had already taken their seats in the front row.
He checked the time. It was almost seven thirty.
"Beep, beep, beep!"
The clock overhead sounded, indicating that the appointed time had arrived.
A very pretty woman, an eight out of ten, walked up to the microphone in an evening gown, smiling.
"Welcome, students, teachers, school administrators, and honored guests..."
"Let us give a warm welcome to our guests who have traveled so far to join us! Mr. Lu Shang, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Xichuan Provincial People's Congress; Mr. Lu Bailing, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Xichuan Provincial People's Congress; the deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Xichuan Provincial People's Congress..."
After greeting everyone, the beautiful host began introducing the high-profile guests.
They were the same people Lin Chao Ci remembered.
Apart from a few municipal Party committee officials who had been arrested early because of Ding Qiushan's case, the guest list had not changed.
After the guests had been introduced, the university president and representatives each said a few words.
After more than an hour of one thing after another, the actual performances finally began.
Having often experienced this sort of occasion in his previous life, Lin Chao Ci took it in stride and remained unperturbed.
Everyone else suffered terribly. They were so bored they could barely stay awake, yet none dared fall asleep, because cameras were filming behind them and the event was being broadcast live...
If anyone fell asleep and was caught on camera, the school administrators would come looking for them.
"Beep, beep, beep~"
The performances began. They were the same as in his previous life, with little worth watching. It was all the same old routines, after all.
If not for Liu Shuang'er's performance, Lin Chao Ci would not have come tonight at all.
Fortunately, Liu Shuang'er's act had been scheduled early, and her turn soon arrived.
"Next, please welcome Liu Shuang'er, who will perform the dance 'Only for You'..."
As the host made her announcement, all the stage lights suddenly went dark. A moment later, a figure glided gracefully onto the stage, with light following her every move.
Her carefully prepared dance costume glittered beneath the lights, making Liu Shuang'er seem to glow.
"Wow! She's gorgeous. Is she a fairy?"
"I know her! She's Liu Shuang'er, our university's freshman goddess. She's been learning dance since childhood. Rich, fair-skinned, and beautiful—the perfect girl of your dreams!"
"Oh... Her dancing is so beautiful. Like a fairy among flowers, a butterfly in the wind..."
At that moment, Liu Shuang'er was at her most beautiful on the stage. Every man was captivated by her, every man utterly spellbound.
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