Chapter 994: One Cut After Another

Zhou Andong returned to his seat. Qin Zhi gave him a thumbs-up: “Damn, I’m officially your brother now. If you ever need anything, just say the word. Even if I can’t handle it, I’ll get Qiuqiu to do it for you.”

Zhou Andong rolled his eyes: “You’re just like Zhuo Qihua!”

“What does that mean?” Qin Zhi didn’t get it, but he knew it wasn’t a compliment.

Zhou Andong snorted: “A man can be ignorant, but he mustn’t be shameless. Zhuo Qihua is exactly that kind of person.”

Jian Qiu smiled: “Don’t worry—I’ll go see him, and then I’ll go see his father.”

The three of them spoke softly, but everyone around heard every word.

All turned simultaneously toward Zhuo Qihua’s direction—his reputation on the mainland was now utterly ruined.

And “you’re just like Zhuo Qihua” slowly spread from these few mouths.

Zhuo Qihua was furious. He had been confident, certain that Guangdong wouldn’t dare touch him no matter what he said.

But he never imagined that Zhou Andong, this shit-stirrer, would come at him like a storm, drenching him in filth and humiliating him utterly.

“Zhou Andong!”

The man clenched his teeth, whispering Zhou Andong’s name over and over in his mind—I’ll make you regret today’s actions.

At that moment, Miss He stepped onto the stage, holding a speech manuscript. As soon as she appeared, every eye turned to her.

Whether as a member of her family or as a woman herself, wherever she appeared in the world, she became the center of attention.

Miss He took the microphone from the female host, smiled faintly at the crowd below, and shook the manuscript in her hand.

“This is my first time on the mainland. When I received the invitation to speak, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep all night. I prepared this speech for three days—but after hearing Mr. Zhou’s talk, I realize this manuscript no longer fits this stage.”

With that, Miss He slipped the manuscript into her pocket.

“Alright, the speech is gone. Now I don’t know what to say.”

A wave of warm laughter and applause rose from the audience.

Miss He smiled: “To be honest, Mr. Zhou’s speech left me fired up—I couldn’t get enough of it.”

Huh?

So, is this young lady also planning to target Zhuo Qihua?

Heh, this is getting interesting.

At this point, many people looked at Zhuo Qihua with pity.

Zhuo Qihua suddenly felt tense—he finally realized it.

In any setting where Miss He is present, why did my mouth have no gate?

The tycoon’s patriotism was well known; raised in such an environment, Miss He was naturally patriotic.

She was deeply angered by Zhuo Qihua’s remarks.

Others feared offending Zhuo Qihua, but Miss He didn’t care.

Of course, she wouldn’t insult him by name like Zhou Andong did.

Besides, she genuinely hadn’t heard enough of Zhou Andong’s speech.

“Actually, I’d also love to have dinner with Mr. Zhou—of course, Mrs. Zhou should join too. Mr. Zhou is so learned and talented; anyone beside him must be equally brilliant.”

Zhou Andong waved his hand in acknowledgment. Jian Qiu smiled, stood, and bowed slightly in thanks.

“Then it’s settled.” Miss He smiled at Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu and nodded: “Since I don’t have a speech anymore, let me talk about my family, my father…”

Applause erupted instantly—most in the audience were curious about the lives of the wealthy.

Even if Miss He wouldn’t reveal any secrets, a little insight would still make for good bragging rights later.

When the applause faded, Miss He spoke: “Since the older generation of our family, we’ve never forgotten we are Chinese, never forgotten our homeland. Patriotism is our family’s duty.

From a young age, Father taught us how to treat others, to work hard, to love our country, and to contribute to society. We do only what benefits the nation and society—in every era, the He family must serve our motherland…”

Zhuo Qihua could no longer sit still. Though Miss He hadn’t named him, every word felt like a slap across his face.

The officials below, especially the head and deputy head, felt immense satisfaction.

Let me put it this way: everything Zhou Andong said couldn’t match the power of Miss He’s few sentences.

Because their status and influence differed vastly—Zhou Andong and Miss He were worlds apart in impact.

No matter how well Zhou Andong spoke, how inspiring his words, his influence remained confined to the mainland.

But Miss He’s influence was global; her patriotic words would directly sway Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

“When I received the invitation from Guangdong to attend this entrepreneurs’ forum, I arrived on the mainland a week early. First, I went to Beijing and saw the majestic Great Wall, the grandeur of the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City.

It gave me a profound sense of the strength of the Chinese nation and the depth and richness of Chinese culture. So I’m willing to contribute to the future dissemination and inheritance of our national culture.

No matter when, no matter where, no matter the era, I will follow my father’s teachings: love my country, love Macau, love Hong Kong. When the motherland is poor, I donate money; when it prospers, I lend my strength…”

Applause erupted instantly. Zhou Andong felt deeply moved—families like the Hes were rare; only the Ho family could rival them.

“Finally, on behalf of the He family and my father, I am donating twenty million U.S. dollars to China’s scientific research institutions.”

A roar broke out—the crowd erupted again in applause.

And when Miss He announced the twenty-million-dollar donation to scientific institutions, it was as if a giant hammer had smashed directly onto Zhuo Qihua’s skull.

It left him dazed, stars flashing before his eyes, unable to recover for a long while.

The applause lasted a long time. The last person to take the stage was Old Master Zhou.

“With Zhou Andong and Miss He setting such a high bar, I, an old man, don’t know what to say. So I’ll just say this: on behalf of the Jinwan Group, I’m donating twenty million U.S. dollars to China’s scientific research institutions. That’s all.”

Everyone froze, then burst into thunderous applause.

Damn, today’s conference was truly spectacular—nonstop highs, more thrilling than any Hong Kong movie.

First, Zhou Andong gave Zhuo Qihua one cut, then Miss He delivered another.

Everyone thought it was over—then Old Master Zhou suddenly delivered a third cut, utterly destroying Zhuo Qihua.

Zhuo Qihua no longer cared about decorum—he stood up and walked out. He couldn’t bear to sit there another second.

All eyes followed the humiliated Zhuo Qihua as he left.

Suddenly, the man tripped and fell flat on the floor. When he got up, his face burned red, and inside he wanted to peel Zhou Andong alive.

He believed that if Zhou Andong hadn’t humiliated him, Miss He wouldn’t have targeted him so fiercely.

Zhuo Qihua left the venue in shame and fury. No one paid him any attention, no one pitied him—only mockery followed him.

You don’t donate to China? Fine. We have Zhou Andong, Miss He, Old Master Zhou—and more will come. We don’t need you.

………………

When I wrote about donating twenty million U.S. dollars to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, some readers said it was unreasonable. But I was setting up this very scene.

Besides, it’s a novel—it’s for entertainment. Just enjoy it. No need to overanalyze.