Chapter 950: Unimaginable Level of Importance

Beijing Airport!

“What’s going on?” On a plane, “Scheduled for takeoff at 8:50, it’s almost 9:30 and we still haven’t taken off?”

“Exactly!” Another passenger shouted in annoyance: “What’s this?”

“Are we leaving or not?”

A middle-aged man in a suit with a tie, a large belly, and an air of authority kept glancing at his wristwatch.

“I have an important meeting—if we don’t leave now, I’ll miss it.”

In this era, anyone who could afford to fly was either rich or powerful; the beautiful flight attendant quickly explained.

“I’m sorry!” The attendant bowed slightly, “Please don’t panic—we’re holding due to an emergency and must wait.”

“What kind of emergency?” Someone else shouted in frustration.

The attendant didn’t know the details—she’d only been told to standby and await takeoff clearance.

“What’s going on?” A woman with heavy makeup but decent looks said: “Everyone’s time is valuable. Even if there’s an emergency, you should explain it to us.”

As passenger tension grew, a uniformed middle-aged man walked from the cockpit, whispered something to the attendant, then turned and walked back.

The attendant exhaled deeply, raised her hands, and said: “Please remain calm. We’ve just received instructions from the tower—the plane will take off immediately. Please fasten your seatbelts.”

Hearing they would take off soon, the plane’s unrest settled. Those who had already fastened their belts calmed down; others hurried to do so.

At that moment, the well-dressed man glanced out the window and suddenly saw a small sedan speeding toward them, stopping near a small aircraft.

Though he couldn’t read the license plate, he recognized the model—it was a Hongqi, and a long-wheelbase one. More importantly, only someone with high status could drive directly onto the tarmac; his mind already had an idea.

“No wonder we’ve been grounded so long—no other planes have taken off or landed.”

The man muttered softly, his eyes locked on the Hongqi, eager to see who was inside.

But he was disappointed—though the distance was short, he could only make out a few figures, male or female, but nothing of their faces.

“Who could it be?”

The man was puzzled—a dedicated car and a dedicated plane? It must be some top official on a visit.

But something felt off—he saw no security detail, and only four people total. That wasn’t the standard for a high-ranking official’s departure.

Yet if not a top official, who else could warrant a dedicated car and plane? And for the entire airport to be grounded like this? Even the most powerful second- or third-generation heirs couldn’t command such treatment.

………………

Zhou Andong, Jian Qiu, Wu Hongkang, and Zhang Shenghui boarded the plane; the latter two remained stunned.

After the shock came excitement—they were flying on an official aircraft to Xiangjiang! Such treatment would never happen again.

This proved the top officials’ level of importance placed on this mission to Xiangjiang had exceeded their imagination.

Wu Hongkang and Zhang Shenghui looked up at Zhou Andong, and suddenly a hint of admiration appeared in their eyes.

Being this highly regarded by top officials wasn’t a good thing—because if they failed, losing face was minor; losing favor in the officials’ eyes was fatal.

If it were them, the pressure would have kept them awake and appetiteless.

But look at this guy Zhou Andong—how calm he was, as if nothing was wrong. You couldn’t help but admire him.

Zhou Andong was also curiously examining the interior of the official aircraft—it had a lounge, sofas, a bedroom, and even a conference room.

“Mr. Zhou, Miss Jian!” A beautiful flight attendant approached with a dazzling smile: “The plane will take off shortly. Please be seated and fasten your seatbelts.”

“Alright!” Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu sat down.

The attendant politely gestured to Wu Hongkang and Zhang Shenghui: “Gentlemen, please sit over here.”

She’d been notified only about Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu—she hadn’t expected four passengers, so she didn’t know Wu Hongkang and Zhang Shenghui’s names.

Wu Hongkang and Zhang Shenghui politely thanked her. This was an official aircraft—anyone serving as cabin crew on it must have an extraordinary background. How could they be anything but courteous?

The attendant checked Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu’s seatbelts, then went to the cockpit. She returned about two or three minutes later and sat in her designated seat, fastening her belt.

Soon, the plane began taxiing, accelerating faster and faster until it lifted into the sky.

………………

At this moment, Song Ziyi lay on a lounge chair beside the pool in the courtyard. After a night’s rest, his face had swollen considerably less.

Beside him lay Zhao Hongxing, holding a glass of red wine, tilting his head with a smug smile as he watched Song Ziyi.

“Brother Ziyi, who’d have thought a playboy like you would get humiliated—beaten by a country bumpkin girl?”

Yesterday, if Zhao Hongxing hadn’t intervened, Song Ziyi wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.

A flash of bitterness appeared in Song Ziyi’s eyes—he never imagined that, with his status, he’d lose to that street punk and be outmaneuvered by Zhou Anqin.

“Hmph!” Song Ziyi sneered: “We’ve only properly interacted twice. Give me time—I’ll make her crawl into my bed willingly.”

Zhao Hongxing deliberately provoked him: “That country girl may be from the countryside, but she doesn’t seem that innocent. I say, let it go—quit now and save some face. Don’t wait until you’re humiliated again—you’ll lose all dignity.”

If it were any other matter, Song Ziyi might not have been angry. But when it came to women, he’d never lost.

From eighty-year-old grandmothers to kindergarten girls—if he wanted them, none could escape his grasp.

Especially now, facing Zhou Anqin, this unworldly country bumpkin.

He believed he’d been too impatient, and that Chinese girls were still conservative and traditional, which caused his failure.

Zhao Hongxing’s words truly angered him. You could question him on anything else—but never on women.

Zhao Hongxing’s lips curled into a barely noticeable smile: “So Brother Ziyi is confident? Then I wish you success in winning over that little girl soon.”

A week ago, Pepsi joined the “Get Another Free” promotion, and sales rose noticeably.

Zhao Hongxing immediately applied to headquarters, and the headquarters, sensing pressure from China’s market on Coca-Cola, readily approved the “Get Another Free” campaign.

For this period, Zhao Hongxing’s mood had never been better—he eagerly awaited the official launch of the promotion on September 15.

Although Pepsi had dropped its price to two yuan, matching Fei Chang, and Coca-Cola had lowered its price by fifty fen to 2.5 yuan per bottle,

Coca-Cola was still the elder brother—he still had confidence that after the promotion launched, he’d crush Pepsi and Fei Chang.

And imagining himself using Zhou Andong’s marketing methods to defeat Zhou Andong, he couldn’t help feeling so excited he nearly peed himself.