As a Magnate, I Started Checking in at a Convenience Store

Chapter 536: A Classic Scene

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The dinner party proceeded as usual, and everyone tacitly forgot about the previous topics. As the host, Zhou Chao also joined in with drinks, and after a few rounds, all the big shots had their fill.

Soon, the dinner was coming to an end, and Xiao Ma suggested, “We don’t get together like this even once a year. I think we should take a photo to commemorate the occasion.”

Zhou Chao almost burst out laughing at Xiao Ma’s suggestion, but he understood it. After all, the scene resembled the time when Xiao Ma organized the Dongxing Bureau, just at a slightly higher level this time.

What surprised Zhou Chao was that all the big shots present instantly agreed to Xiao Ma’s proposal. It was unexpected to see these billionaires behaving no differently from ordinary people, enjoying taking photos and making memories.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

At the neighboring table, Si Cong and his companions couldn’t hold back and looked to Zhou Chao for help, silently pleading to join in the photo session. Even if they couldn’t be on the stage, at least let them be in the picture!

Seeing their pleading eyes, Zhou Chao smiled. “Everyone, Si Cong and his group have also contributed to the foundation. Let’s have them join us.”

Without much thought, everyone agreed. Lao Wang and his group would certainly agree, and even Xiao Ma didn’t refuse, especially since Zhou Chao himself had suggested it.

“Since that’s settled, let’s have a waiter come in and take a photo for us!”

Before they could call a waiter, Zhou Chao interrupted, “No need to call a waiter. We have someone here who can take the photo. Let my wife do it!”

Jiang Li stood up with a smile. Just as she was about to take out her phone, she saw Si Cong handing his phone over, already in camera mode. This puzzled Jiang Li.

Seeing Jiang Li’s confusion, Zhou Chao understood his intention. “Let’s just use Si Cong’s phone for the photo.”

Without further thought, Jiang Li took the phone and headed towards the door. Meanwhile, everyone else started moving as well. Luckily, the dining table was large enough to accommodate everyone.

Zhou Chao naturally took the seat at the head, with Wang Jianlin and Lao Ma sitting on either side. Next to Lao Ma was Xiao Ma, and the others didn’t pay much attention to seating arrangements. Of course, Si Cong and his group could only sit at the end, even Brother Hu was fortunate enough to sit at the table, albeit as the last one.

Soon, Jiang Li took a great photo of everyone.

In the photo, all the big shots smiled at the camera, and the only odd thing was the hint of innocence on Zhou Chao’s face, sitting in the center.

After the photo was taken, Si Cong quickly took the phone and examined it carefully. Then he looked up at the big shots and said, “How about I help you guys post this on Weibo?”

Lao Wang and the others looked at Zhou Chao. “I don’t mind. After all, we’ve already made an appearance today.”

With everyone’s agreement, Si Cong directly posted the photo on Weibo, accompanied by the caption: “Just a simple meal!”

In just a few minutes, the photo received over twenty thousand likes, with comments surpassing ten thousand. The numbers were increasing visibly fast, and soon it soared into the trending list.

The comments under the Weibo post were diverse and colorful!

“Oh my, the guy in the center is so handsome! He even made Lao Ma and Lao Wang sit on either side, with Xiao Ma in the third spot. Incredible!” “Hey, isn’t that my husband? How come he went out to dinner with Lao Ma and the others and didn’t answer my calls!”

“Indeed, just a simple meal! We have Lao Wang, Lao Zhang, Lao Qin, oh, and even the chairman of Dragonfly Group! This gathering is definitely on the trillion-level.”

“I don’t understand, what is Dragonfly Group? And who is that handsome guy?”

“Assistant Liu, give me the information of that handsome guy in three minutes.”

“Did you guys see Brother Hu in the bottom corner?”

Seeing these comments under the Weibo post, Si Cong couldn’t stop laughing. He knew that the foundation’s event from the morning hadn’t yet caused a stir, otherwise there would be even more comments.

However, Si Cong quickly realized that the number of likes on his Weibo post was rapidly increasing. Within a minute, it had soared past two hundred thousand likes, and the comments had even surpassed one hundred thousand.

Si Cong quickly returned to the homepage and discovered that the foundation’s ribbon-cutting ceremony from the morning had been officially exposed. Moreover, it was even pinned by Weibo, shooting up to the top of the trending list. The second place was also related to Si Cong’s post, with twelve out of the top twenty trending topics on Weibo being related to Dragonfly Group.

“It’s blowing up, it’s blowing up!” Si Cong exclaimed excitedly.

Wang Jianlin’s expression suddenly darkened as he looked at Si Cong. “What’s blowing up? Pay attention to the occasion and stop shouting.”

“Dad, the ribbon-cutting ceremony from this morning is blowing up. The whole Weibo is discussing it now, and it’s already at the top of the trending list. There are already over a dozen related topics trending. I believe it won’t be long before the entire internet is discussing matters related to the foundation.” As soon as they heard this, the big shots couldn’t sit still either. They all took out their phones to check, and Zhou Chao waved at Ling Chen.

“Ling Chen, inform all the branch offices of the group to pay attention to public opinion guidance. If anyone deliberately tries to steer the conversation in a negative direction, take action. Also, have the group’s network and operations departments prepare to prevent the group’s official website from crashing. And let the charity company issue a statement in the name of the Torch Foundation, stating that we don’t accept any donations from individuals or companies.” “Got it, boss.” Ling Chen took the phone and left the private room.

Although Zhou Chao wasn’t worried about the group’s official website being attacked, he was concerned that there might be others who were envious and would deliberately steer the conversation negatively.

Unfortunately, Zhou Chao’s concerns were unnecessary. With Li Lao stepping up, those envious individuals wouldn’t dare to tarnish the Torch Foundation’s reputation. After all, tarnishing its reputation would be a slap in Li Lao’s face, and no one was foolish enough to do that.

At this moment, Wang Jianlin and the others also withdrew their gaze from their phones. Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s words, they had a sudden realization and quickly gave orders to their subordinates. After all, this was such a great publicity opportunity, and the results were bound to be outstanding. Xiao Ma and Lao Ma, watching the excited expressions of Wang Jianlin and the others, also cast admiring glances.

Lao Ma looked at Zhou Chao, who appeared relaxed, and quietly approached him. “Young Master Zhou, we’ve known each other for a while now. Let’s consider ourselves allies. Feel free to call me anytime if you need to collaborate on anything in the future.”

Watching Lao Ma’s demeanor, Zhou Chao understood what it meant to have no eternal friends, only eternal interests. As long as there were greater benefits to be gained from him, he didn’t mind the minor conflicts from before.

“No problem, I won’t forget about you when there are good projects in the future.”

“Young Master Zhou, you can’t play favorites, don’t forget about me too!” Xiao Ma somehow appeared beside them.

Seeing the two being so attentive, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but smile. If outsiders knew that the so-called Xiao and Lao Ma were like this, they would surely be amazed.

“Don’t worry, when there are good projects, I won’t forget about you both.” After all, with the influence of Xiao Ma and Lao Ma in the country now, any future charity or public welfare projects wouldn’t overlook them. How could such useful people not be utilized?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ma and Lao Ma smiled. Although they didn’t know if there would be such opportunities in the future, at least they had laid a good foundation for future cooperation.

While Zhou Chao and the others were chatting, the internet was becoming more and more lively. More and more media and influential figures were joining the discussion, and the topic of the foundation was getting hotter. But one Weibo post stood out, and that was the one about Zhou Chao. People were discussing who this handsome young man was and what his background was. How could he make Li Lao appear personally and sit in the absolute center, overshadowing even Xiao Ma, Lao Ma and Lao Wang? There were various speculations online.

After the dinner, Xiao Ma, Lao Ma, along with Lao Wang and the others, bid farewell to Zhou Chao and left. They were all busy individuals and didn’t have much time to spare. Before leaving, they once again expressed their desire for deeper cooperation with Zhou Chao, such as investing in Dragonfly or other subsidiaries. Zhou Chao tactfully brushed off their suggestions, but left room for future collaboration opportunities, which still made Xiao Ma, Lao Ma, Lao Wang, and the others very happy.

“Ling Chen, you should pay more attention to the matters of the company. Also, consider expanding the senior management team of the group. Both Qianjin and Li Xiang have performed well recently, and it’s about time to include them in the core management team. You handle the specifics.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Chen finally understood. The scale of the group was getting larger and larger, but there were only a few top-level executives, most of whom were people he had promoted. Besides, Qianjin and Li Xiang were also veterans of the company, with unquestionable abilities. The boss was both reminding him and sharing the pressure with him. After all, many times Ling Chen had to bear the pressure alone and move forward.

“Boss, I understand. I’ll arrange it as soon as possible.”

“Okay, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Occasionally, spend some time with Lingyang. Don’t be a workaholic all the time. Also, it’s time for you to find a wife. Even if you don’t think for yourself, think about Lingyang!” Zhou Chao patted Ling Chen’s arm with sincerity and seriousness.

Ling Chen nodded thoughtfully, while Zhou Chao, accompanied by Jiang Li, got into the car and left the hotel.

Watching Zhou Chao’s car slowly disappear from sight, Ling Chen muttered quietly, “Looks like it’s time to find a wife. Otherwise, it’s quite lonely sleeping alone in the winter!”

Unfortunately, Ling Chen completely ignored the amused expression of his bodyguard behind him.

“Lin Wu, how are the arrangements for the bodyguards?”

“Boss, it’s all set. The top executives of the group have been provided with corresponding bodyguards. Additionally, the two female bodyguards you asked for have been selected. When would you like to meet them?”

“Tomorrow. Just bring them over then.” Zhou Chao rubbed his temples, feeling truly tired from the day’s events.

Soon, three Rolls-Royces drove into Zhou Chao’s grand mansion. As soon as he stepped inside, Zhou Chao’s phone started ringing.

Seeing the caller ID, Zhou Chao shrugged towards Jiang Li, who chuckled softly.

“What are you looking at me for? Answer it yourself. I’m not answering.” With that, she walked into the house.

Zhou Chao shook his head helplessly, gestured for Lin Wu and the others to leave, and then answered the phone.