[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-restarted-life-1992":3,"chapter-my-restarted-life-1992-my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-954":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Restarted Life: 1992",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2280504,4460,"Chapter 954: The Sugar King of Asia","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-954",954,"\u003Cp>Jin Hui glanced at his watch: “The plane lands at 4:25, still about two hours left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong asked: “Have you arranged for someone to pick him up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Jin Hui said. “His identity is too sensitive, our mission too critical—any leak would ruin everything. He’ll come by taxi himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong sat in silence for a while, then Sun Zhinong asked: “Mr. Zhou, would you like to rest at the hotel first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong waved his hand: “Two hours is nothing—we’ll wait here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a flight departing from Singapore, an elderly man in ordinary clothes, his hair already streaked with gray, sat in his seat, reading a book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To anyone unfamiliar, he would seem just another ordinary old man—no one would guess this was Guo Qizheng, the famed Sugar King of Asia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days ago, he received a call from home; aware of the importance, he dared not delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In those two days, he wrapped up his affairs, took only two companions, and quietly boarded a flight to Xiangjiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held the book in his hands, but his mind kept revolving around this mission. China had become a major import-export power since the 1970s, holding considerable weight in global trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under the planned economy, procurement of needed goods was typically planned at year-end and executed the following year—making it easy for foreign nations to discern China’s patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foreign merchants exploited China’s centralized procurement of strategic reserves, hoarding goods and driving up prices of fertilizer, grain, oil, and white sugar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the planned economy was abolished last year, it had been less than a year. If China now bought raw sugar on the international market, prices would surge dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This won’t be easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng slowly closed his book, leaned back, and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seventy thousand tons of raw sugar—even as the Sugar King of Asia, controlling ten percent of global supply—he couldn’t muster that much at low prices for the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unaware, the plane landed at Xiangjiang Airport. He refused any reception, took only his secretary and a bodyguard, stepped out, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for Baohua Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed. Jin Hui and Sun Zhinong didn’t disturb him; instead, they chatted with Jian Qiu, Wu Hongkang, and Zhang Shenghui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed slowly; Jin Hui kept glancing at his watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhou!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Hui whispered: “Time’s nearly up—he should be arriving soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong opened his eyes, stood up, and said: “Let’s go welcome him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group left the office, took the elevator to the building’s exterior, waited less than ten minutes, then saw a taxi slowly pull up and stop at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All eyes turned to the taxi, then watched an ordinary-looking man, around sixty, step out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Guo!” Jin Hui immediately stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had collaborated years ago, so they weren’t strangers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng smiled warmly and shook Jin Hui’s hand: “General Jin, long time no see. You still look as sharp as ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You flatter me,” Jin Hui said. “But you, sir, still radiate vigor—no change at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My health’s still decent,” Guo Qizheng joked, doing a quick stretch. “I could easily live another twenty years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some light chatter, the group entered the tower, took the elevator to the eighth floor, reached the company, and entered a small conference room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Jin Hui say: “Mr. Guo, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zhou Andong, Chairman of the Yugong Group.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng froze—he had never heard of Zhou Andong. He’d assumed Zhou Andong was merely one of Jin Hui’s subordinates, alongside Jian Qiu and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, with Jin Hui introducing him so formally, it was clear his assumptions were wrong—and Zhou Andong’s status was far more significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He guessed Yugong Group’s nature was probably similar to Huarun Wufenghang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Andong was so young to hold such a position. Either he came from deep connections, or he was exceptionally capable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given his understanding of China’s system, the former was far more likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This cast a shadow over the mission—but out of trust in Old Jian, he kept it hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhou, truly young and accomplished.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng smiled warmly and extended his hand to Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Guo Qizheng paused in surprise, Zhou Andong had already guessed what the old man was thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mainly because Yugong Group had risen too fast—only a year—and its influence remained domestic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could Guo Qizheng, the Sugar King of Asia, possibly know of him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Guo, it’s a great honor to meet you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong shook his hand with neither arrogance nor subservience, yet with deep respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng was surprised—he’d met many young elites in China with powerful backgrounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were polite and humble before him, but he sensed an underlying arrogance, a sense of superiority buried in their bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Andong showed none of that. Instead, he carried himself with quiet dignity—a sign of true confidence. And Guo Qizheng clearly felt the young man’s respect was genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his tone and bearing told him this young man spoke as an equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Guo Qizheng realize he’d been trapped by his own assumptions—and finally saw Zhou Andong for who he truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood now: Zhou Andong respected him not for the title “Sugar King of Asia,” but for his age and his contributions to the nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Hui had no idea that in those few seconds, Guo Qizheng had thought all this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Guo, this is Ms. Jian Qiu, Vice Chairman of Yugong Group.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng shook Jian Qiu’s hand, studied her, then smiled: “Miss Jian, how is Old Jian?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu smiled: “My grandfather is in good health.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng gave Zhou Andong another long, thoughtful look. If Old Jian’s granddaughter was here—and vice chairman of Yugong Group—then Zhou Andong’s origins were even more extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t recall any Zhou family in China capable of producing a young man like Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Jin Hui introduced Wu Hongkang and Zhang Shenghui to Guo Qizheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Qizheng didn’t know Qin Chi, but he was well aware of Hongxing Distillery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exchanged polite words with both men, yet a faint doubt stirred in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did this sugar procurement have to do with a distillery?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still didn’t know Yugong Group also sold liquor.\u003C\u002Fp>",1069,"2026-06-20T01:18:52.456Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f08e7e86b901722898bcaddf7a0445766147bd9e9922c594cad8e926eda96abc","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-955","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-953",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-restarted-life-1992-cover.jpg"]