The spacious, brightly lit conference room held rows of neatly staggered seats.
The nameplates of the larger, more powerful companies were all in the front row, with those of smaller companies farther back.
The meeting had yet to begin, and the room was chaotic. Everyone was seeking people out to chat with, their voices mingling in a noisy jumble.
On the surface, this sort of summit was about businesses exchanging ideas and discussing ways to advance the city's economic development. In reality, it was about making connections.
Aside from the heads of the few top companies, almost everyone had arrived. After all, the big shots needed to make an entrance.
Though nobody said it outright, everyone tacitly agreed that the later someone arrived, the more powerful they were.
Shao Yang was the third-to-last to arrive. It should actually have been his father, the man currently in control of the Shao Corporation.
But the second branch of the family had grown arrogant since seizing power. Shao Yang's father considered a meeting like this beneath someone of his stature, so he had sent Shao Yang to put in an appearance.
Several company heads in the front row glanced discreetly at Shao Yang and smiled at the same time, a faint trace of contempt in their smiles.
Shao Yang never noticed. He was still putting his social butterfly skills to work, charming everyone who came to greet him.
Gradually, everyone arrived. The government officials in charge of the economy had all entered as well, and the attendees took their seats.
Only then did the company heads in the front row notice that one seat in the center was still empty.
They exchanged glances, confirming that everyone from Lincheng who could attend was already there. The man sitting closest glanced at the official onstage,