Chapter 94

In recent days, Chang Huaqiang’s mood had been excellent; he left the police matters to Zhang Xiaoya and could now devote himself entirely to developing the land on Yinxing Road.

A line from the Hollywood film Wall Street deeply resonated with Chang Huaqiang: “The first bucket of capital is always stained or dirty!”

Haha! It’s bloody! Chang Huaqiang leaned back comfortably in his chair, twirling the crystal wineglass in his hand; the red wine inside resembled fresh blood, exuding an alluring scent that stirred passion and left him unable to stop.

Chang Huaqiang always looked down on violence and fighting; in his mind, he was already a predator at the top of the food chain, and those dirty methods were merely shortcuts to realizing his ideals.

For instance, today’s guests—Director Wu Guoliang of the Municipal Land Bureau and other officials—were paving the way for his dreams.

He intended to build a massive commercial district spanning Zhenzi City and radiating within 200 kilometers, constructing the city’s finest residential community there, elevating the city’s image, and positioning the project as a tribute to the dawn of the new century!

Chang Huaqiang was ambitious and determined to succeed; to him, great men do not fuss over trifles, for he firmly believed “the victor writes history”—once this project was completed, he would become a true entrepreneur and industrialist, erasing forever his shameful past of running small dance halls!

All he had sacrificed now was negligible before his grand ideal—whether insider deals or ruthless tactics, he believed that when his commercial empire rose, people enjoying the lifestyle changes it brought would only praise, envy, yearn for, and even worship him!

He believed wealth was justice!

Of course, we cannot alter Chang Huaqiang’s deeply rooted delusion—and at this moment, events seemed to be unfolding precisely as he had planned.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, the night of the century’s transition had arrived.

Today was Friday; the first day of the new century would be Saturday. Chang Huaqiang personally fetched his younger brother, Chang Huazhong, from the hospital, while a lavish party was underway on the mysterious fifth floor of the New World Building…

Chang Huaqiang drank heavily that evening; the grand gathering was limited to core members of the Chang Group—family elders, outstanding descendants, key executives—and he had not forgotten loyal “bodyguards” like Nine Fingers, Gap-Tooth, and the wheelchair-bound Little Sparrow.

Chang Huaqiang pushed away two young women clinging to him and entered his office; Chang Huazhong, still unable to stand, sat in his wheelchair and waved for Nine Fingers, who followed closely, to bring two glasses of wine.

He looked delighted, raising his glass to Chang Huaqiang: “Big brother! Today is a wonderful day—I toast you!”

Chang Huaqiang took the glass and said: “Nine Fingers, I’ll take care of Huazhong—you go relax. The girls tonight are top-tier; your brother asked me to save two especially for you. Go on, don’t let the beauties wait!”

Nine Fingers swallowed hard, grinning: “Thank you, Boss Chang! Thank you, Brother Zhong! Then, uh, I’m off!”

Chang Huazhong laughed and scolded: “Get out! You’ve got half a day off tomorrow morning!”

Watching Nine Fingers sprint out of the office, Chang Huaqiang wheeled Chang Huazhong to the glass wall overlooking the street.

From here, they could see the entire old district’s night view; Chang Huaqiang pointed to Jiefang Road, where crowds surged under bright lights, packed with people celebrating the old and new centuries—the scene was even livelier than Spring Festival!

After all, every person here—no matter their current status or wealth—would likely never witness another century’s turn in their lifetime.

Chang Huaqiang pointed at the crowd and murmured: “Huazhong, look at all these people—what do you think they’re celebrating? What does this world’s change have to do with ordinary folks? What can they do? What can they change?”

Chang Huazhong sipped his wine: “Dunno. Maybe just happy—happy they lived through two centuries! Haha! Big brother, I can’t answer your questions!” He laughed heartily.

“For them, the transition between centuries is just a symbol. Tomorrow, they’ll go back to doing exactly what they always did—life won’t change a bit. The shift of centuries doesn’t affect ordinary people—but we can.”

Chang Huazhong looked at his brother, half-understanding, and smiled: “Big brother, I don’t fully get what you mean, but I know that with you, our Chang family will only grow stronger. Look at the elders, our generation, and the younger ones—all bow their heads when speaking to you. They know who gave them this life.”

“Huazhong, do you know why I named our development company Zhongsheng?” Chang Huaqiang suddenly asked, gazing at the bustling crowd before him.

Chang Huazhong replied solemnly: “I know.” Then he fell silent.

“Hua Sheng is gone, but I want every Chang family member, every Chang Group employee, every person in Zhenzi City to remember him—to remember that it was Zhongsheng, my brothers Huazhong and Huasheng, who gave them this prosperous life!” Chang Huaqiang said with deep emotion.

Watching the vibrant scene before them, the brothers’ thoughts drifted back to that cold night in 1985…

At twenty-seven, Chang Huaqiang drove a secondhand 130 truck with his two younger brothers—twenty-four-year-old Chang Huasheng and twenty-year-old Chang Huazhong—loaded with tape recorders, electric fans, sewing machines, and a few rare color televisions they’d brought back from Guangdong Province.

Of the three brothers, only the eldest had finished junior high; the other two had dropped out before completing it and returned to farming. Though Chang Huaqiang was merely a junior high graduate, in that era he was already half a scholar.

Since childhood, he loved tinkering with gadgets—he’d taken apart and reassembled his grandfather’s radio countless times.

Though his family were farmers who lived off the land, Chang Huaqiang, who had studied a few years, had always dreamed of escaping this world.

While dismantling that ancient radio, he’d heard many news reports. As the 1980s arrived, street vendors selling clothes and daily goods thrived everywhere; the sharp-minded Chang Huaqiang took his two brothers to Zhenzi City, thirty kilometers away, to see for himself—and after touring, he felt he’d found hope to leave the yellow earth behind.