Chapter 2709: Lecture

"Thank you for your kindness, Chairman Zhou." Lian Xiangzhi smiled, though the smile looked forced: "Everyone says Chairman Zhou is very talented; I'll have to study hard later."

"Then study well." Zhou Andong showed no humility, but those around him who heard it felt it was normal, with no hint of surprise.

Zhou Andong smiled at Lian Xiangzhi, lowered his head, and began reading Liu Xiangchun's speech draft. It was about agriculture, titled "Early Warning and Countermeasure Analysis for the Future Development of Chinese Agriculture."

A few minutes later, Zhou Andong raised his head and had to admit, this speech draft was of high quality. I just don't know whether it was written by Liu Xiangchun himself or by the secretary's office. But regardless of who wrote it, it only shows that Hope Group is full of talent.

Zhou Andong returned the draft to Liu Xiangchun: "Liu Zong, this speech draft is excellent—there's nothing that needs improvement."

Liu Xiangchun said sincerely: "Being recognized by Chairman Zhou puts my mind at ease."

Zhou Andong curiously asked: "Did you write this itchy speech yourself, Liu Zong?"

Liu Xiangchun shook his head: "I don't even have time to write speeches myself."

Zhou Andong understood, but still sighed: "I have to say, Hope Group really is full of talent."

Liu Xiangchun grinned, showing his big teeth: "Two years ago, our group began stockpiling talent. Now, many young people have taken leadership positions."

Zhou Andong nodded: "Talent is the most critical and indispensable driving force for development—whether for the nation as a whole or for a single enterprise. Whether sustainable and vigorous development can be achieved ultimately depends on the full reliance on and rational use of high-quality human resources."

And the most important aspect of human resources is knowledge-based talent—without exaggeration, they are the backbone driving continuous progress. Moreover, innovation is the source of development momentum, and talent-driven development is regarded as a core element within the framework of innovation-driven systems.

These brief yet profound sentences made Liu Xiangchun nod repeatedly, speaking from the depths of his heart with deep emotion: "Chairman Zhou, your words struck right to my heart."

I've always placed great importance on talent—attracting and nurturing it. But unfortunately, I lack knowledge and learning, and have never been able to precisely summarize and refine its essence as you do.

Zhou Andong finally took a puff of his cigarette, then pressed the butt into the ashtray: "I'm just talking nonsense—just listen and don't take it seriously."

"Hey, Old Zhou!" Liu Xiangchun looked at Zhou Andong with disdain: "Excessive humility is just hypocrisy."

Zhou Andong chuckled lightly, about to speak, when the hall suddenly erupted in applause. He turned around and saw that leaders and expert scholars had arrived, joining the crowd in raising their hands to clap.

Liu Xiangchun leaned in, tilting his body to whisper in Zhou Andong's ear: "Get ready—you're going first. I feel much less pressure inside. If it were me going first, I'd definitely be nervous."

"Nervous? Pfft." Zhou Andong watched the leaders and expert scholars walk onto the stage, found his nameplate, sat down, and told Liu Xiangchun: "Today, all four big shots are here again."

Liu Xiangchun smiled: "I guess it's because you're giving a speech today that all these big shots showed up together."

"Hey hey hey..."

The meeting host was still Cao Zhenyu, who moved the microphone slightly forward, tested it, then said: "Respected leaders, professors, scholars, and business executives, thank you for attending today's meeting. I am the host, Cao Zhenyu..."

Cao Zhenyu's remarks were not long—under three minutes—then his gaze fell on Zhou Andong, and he smiled.

"Next, please welcome Zhou Andong, Chairman of Yu Gong Group and Factory Manager of Jingcheng Woolen Mill, to the stage for his speech."

As Zhou Andong stood up, thunderous applause erupted. Everyone's eyes turned to him, watching as he walked onto the stage.

"Chairman Zhou!" a staff member handed him the microphone.

Zhou Andong took the microphone, tapped it with his finger—sound came from the speakers—then bowed to the leaders, then to the expert scholars, and finally to the audience below.

"Standing on this stage, I feel immense pressure." Zhou Andong smiled and began: "Especially with all the leaders and expert scholars sitting right beside me—so close, my heart is practically racing."

"Even worse, I didn't bring any fast-acting heart pills. I really wonder—if I suddenly collapsed on this stage, lost my precious life, would I be honored as a martyr?"

Zhou Andong clutched his chest, looking expectantly at the four senior figures, which drew a light chuckle from the audience. The big shot who had previously spoken with Zhou Andong smiled and raised his hand, making a vague pointing gesture toward him.

"I guess I'm just being forced to perform like a duck on a perch. But I still want to thank the organizing leaders for giving me this opportunity to speak on such an important stage. Honestly, I'm really nervous—does anyone have a solution?"

Down below, Liu Xiangchun gave Zhou Andong a sideways glance, clearly not believing he was nervous. "How did your nickname 'Zhou Da Pao' come about? Do you really think I don't know?"

"Back when I didn't have time to attend the Yangcheng Entrepreneurs Forum, it doesn't mean I know nothing. Its scale may not match the symposium, but even the deputy heads of Guangdong Province were present. And you, Zhou Andong—you weren't just recklessly killing people, were you? Zhu Qihua was scolded into depression, the company eventually went bankrupt, and people vanished without a trace—no one knows where they went."

Zhou Andong stood on stage without a spotlight, yet he was the undeniable center of attention. No one whispered, no one drifted off in thought—every gaze was locked on him, including executives from multinational corporations.

Zhou Andong's rise has been so rapid that many haven't even had time to react. Every marketing case he's handled could be called a classic—already an unavoidable topic in the industry, analyzed and studied countless times.

Even the president of Coca-Cola Asia-Pacific, our biggest competitor, now wears an expression of unusual seriousness and focus. He's used to looking down from above, able to arrogantly survey all Chinese business leaders in the room.

But toward Zhou Andong, even if deep down he wants to belittle, scorn, despise, or dismiss him, he absolutely dare not underestimate him. He may not want to admit Zhou Andong's ability and talent, but in product marketing, Zhou Andong's mastery is nothing short of sublime—and he has no choice but to acknowledge it.

"My speech today has no theme—I'm just going to say whatever comes to mind." Zhou Andong hadn't prepared a script, so his pace isn't very fast: "It's been sixteen years since the reform and opening-up policy was proposed seven or eight years ago."

"In these sixteen years, the planned economy has slowly shifted toward a market economy, but the challenges and difficulties we face have persisted. Therefore, our primary task must be to break free from the constraints of the old system."

"Because the old system's constraints are like heavy, rust-covered chains—severely hindering the release of market vitality and the growth and development of enterprises. Thus, we must dare to try, dare to take risks, and have the courage and determination to continually surpass ourselves."

"We must skillfully use capital, property rights, and futures markets, and deeply study management. We can no longer use 'the outline' as an excuse to grasp only a little while neglecting the rest, excluding others. What we need is coordinated reform, using systems engineering thinking to understand and recognize the internal laws and essential characteristics embedded in the reform and opening-up process."

"Similarly, our enterprise development and reform also require systemic thinking and holistic advancement. Don't argue over whether property rights system construction or internal enterprise management is more important—these are just partial issues."

"Furthermore, we must highly value the unique advantages of China's excellent traditional culture, rather than blindly following Western trends of fragmented, precision-seeking thinking."