Chapter 418: Only I Am Unique Chapter 418: Farewell to the Old Era (3)

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

In the evening, Chen Yi's mobile phone started ringing too.

First to call asking for favors were relatives from home, which was within Chen Yi's expectations. But the one asking for favors was his second uncle's child, that is, his cousin Fang Xizhe, which was somewhat unexpected.

Since his second uncle worked at a state-owned enterprise, Fang Xizhe had studied at a foundation program in Britain, then attended university in London. Since returning a year ago, Fang Xizhe rarely participated in family activities, had a bit of a natural bourgeois affectation, detested politics, and Chen Yi had even rarely heard his name. Calculating it, this was the first time he had called Chen Yi outside of holidays and festivals.

The content was asking for favors for Hua Jiansheng.

Someone asking for favors was only natural; if the Hua family wanted to extricate themselves from this storm, the first to ask for favors should be Chen Zhongguo, and secondly Chen Yi—the former was the helm of the Chen family, the latter was the instigator of this incident. If they used major connections to ask Chen Zhongguo for favors, they definitely wouldn't leave a time bomb like Chen Yi behind. If this incident were described as a dangerous videotape, Chen Zhongguo was the one holding the videotape, while Chen Yi was the master tape.

Both needed to be obtained, but as long as Chen Zhongguo was persuaded, calls asking Chen Yi for favors wouldn't need such high standards; as long as etiquette met the standard, plus some small favors, the problem could be solved. And from Chen Yi's perspective, as long as the Hua family could reach an agreement with the old man, him sticking his nose in was unnecessary. However, it was inevitable that the first call wouldn't agree; at least cousin Fang Xizhe's face wasn't enough.

Slightly troublesome was that Fang Xizhe didn't understand his own value was cannon fodder, an appetizer at a favor-seeking banquet. Seeing Chen Yi not agree immediately, he was somewhat displeased and said: "Cousin, I'm not saying this, but the national conditions of the mainland and Hong Kong are different. Don't you people in the system always say one country, two systems? If you definitely deal with Young Master Hua's subordinates, for him it's just a loss of tens of millions of yuan, but you won't get any benefits either. In one sentence, let it go."

Chen Yi laughed and cried, and after listening to him finish, he said: "Cousin, your second uncle doesn't know about you calling me, right?"

Fang Xizhe laughed heartily: "We brothers make a phone call, do we need to explain to an adult first?"

From his words, he probably didn't understand the seriousness of the matter at all, still thinking it was children playing around. Chen Yi decided to speak more heavily, pointing out to him: "If you interfere in family politics, you must let your second uncle know, and also remember to attend the democratic life meeting at the old residence."

"Eh? How could..." Fang Xizhe said unhappily: "How did this become family politics? A record company, a few little stars, you say destroy it and it's destroyed... sigh, don't be so angry, tell me nicely, what's bothering you, spit it out and let me hear."

Chen Yi thought, the British bureaucratic system indeed wasn't bureaucratic enough, or perhaps international students in Britain really couldn't learn the essence of bureaucracy of this old empire.

"Actually, looking at it this way." Chen Yi thought for a moment and said: "Whatever benefits Hua Jiansheng promised you, increase it a hundredfold, that's what he should give me; increase it ten thousandfold, that's what the Hua family should compensate the Chen family."

Fang Xizhe laughed and said: "Little cousin, you don't have to drag the Chen family into everything, I heard about the matter of those few little stars. How about I send you two cases of French red wine as an apology? And I'll have him find a few little stars for you..."

"Cousin." Chen Yi maintained humble and modest courtesy, but still interrupted Fang Xizhe's words, saying: "You may not fully understand; if this matter is investigated thoroughly, Hua Jiansheng will have to go to prison."

"I know, but how could it be investigated thoroughly?"

"It can be not investigated thoroughly, but then Hua Jiansheng would have to produce someone to take the fall. Is he only worth a few little stars?"

"I kind of understand, so what do you want?" Fang Xizhe still thought Chen Yi was asking for an exorbitant price.

Of course, he indeed was asking for an exorbitant price, but it was aimed at the Hua family, something an intermediary like Fang Xizhe couldn't shoulder. Even the apology and compensation Chen Yi needed were things Fang Xizhe couldn't shoulder.

Chen Yi hadn't thought of striking his own cousin either; finally he threw him a sentence: "Hua Jiansheng is the only son of this generation of the Hua family; he himself is worthless, but the Hua family's only son is still very valuable. So, the Hua family compensating the Chen family is the main thing, Hua Jiansheng compensating me is secondary. Also, whether this matter is let go or not is decided by the old man, not by me."

Fang Xizhe then realized he had made a big fool of himself, replied with a "good," and stupidly hung up the phone.

After returning to his room and thinking for a while, he had to find his old man.

Having caused such a big mix-up, he definitely had to speak up to remedy it; otherwise the whole family would suffer.

Afterwards, several more relatives called; they all knew their place, strictly following the principle of saying as many good words as the benefits they received to harass Chen Yi. Finally, when Bureau Chief Yan's call came, Chen Yi finally loosened up and said: "Let him close all those record companies in the mainland; the artists under his banner should be disbanded if they should be disbanded, agents who should face lawsuits should face lawsuits; if I find out anything then, it might implicate him too."

This was settling accounts.

Bureau Chief Yan didn't care, laughing: "A friend's request, Mr. Chen giving me this face, I'm flattered; so I'll pass your words back as they are?"

"Go ahead."

Yan Hang hung up the phone, drank a cup of tea to calm himself, then called back his friend at the Hong Kong police station. Jiangning was also an economically developed area; in economic crimes, they inevitably had dealings with Hong Kong. With more such interactions, both sides would consciously make some friends for emergencies. Now Chen Yi had sold him this great favor; the other side would need to use many connections to repay it.

In silence, the Hua family matter came to an end. The Chen family acted as tenants, the Hua family as crops. The landlord took away the main harvest; although the tenants didn't get much, it was exactly the grain they needed most. Afterwards, someone would burn the crops for the next planting; what everyone fought for was the right to use the land.

Chen Congyu then began transferring his work at the Federation of Industry and Commerce and *****; his successor was a certain Deputy Chairman of the Federation from Southeast Province, a powerless fellow who couldn't even wait for the formal appointment letter before running to Jiangning, nominally to help, but actually wanting to inherit some of Chen Congyu's "legacy." After all, although his time in office was short, he could be said to be the most powerful chairman in Jiangning's history; during this period, the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government allocated funds without sparing a penny.

Having someone cooperate greatly reduced Chen Congyu's workload, allowing him to devote time to memorization and study. Because the exam preparation time was very short—from decision to announcement only two days—and then a week for setting questions, followed immediately by the exam. Even with the answers, he had to memorize and understand carefully to avoid slipping up.

The exam questions were drafted by professors from the Southeast Party School and Renmin University, sealed in Sun Maoxin's office safe, off-limits to outsiders.

According to Chen Yi's estimate, probably only Chen Congyu could see the exam questions. Because apart from the United Front Work Department minister position being reserved for Chen Congyu, the other two positions really had no oil and water—the deputy position at Jiangning University of Technology could only be applied for by officials within the school system; they were still somewhat distant from officialdom, much farther than Jiangning high officials, basically unable to reach Sun Maoxin; wanting the questions was too difficult. The director of the People's Air Defense Office was an even more insignificant position among insignificant ones; apart from military professional cadres having some interest, who would eagerly seek such an idle post? Even a regular bureau-director-level inspector from a ministry/commission was more comfortable than this position. So, deducting the position Chen Congyu would take, this recruitment activity was truly open and fair, letting Jiangning save some face.

Of course, compared to the benefits Chen Congyu obtained, the resources the Chen family as a whole obtained—or rather, the resources obtained by grandfather Chen Zhongguo—should be more, but these were no longer Chen Yi's focus.

Zhou Houyuan's strain research had a fundamental turning point, just like the difference in yield between early penicillin and modern penicillin. After countless generations of selection and cultivation, the reproductive capacity of the strain named "Iron Bacteria Zhou" had been greatly improved—basically increased by over 150 times.

Thus, although the bacteria's decomposition speed of ore only increased by about three times, the actual yield increased by 450 times.

The Iron Workshop people originally used the "Divine Box" to produce a platinum ingot or tin ingot of about five kilograms in thirty minutes. If increased by 450 times, the same box of strain could produce over two tons of platinum ingots or tin ingots within thirty minutes...

This figure couldn't satisfy Chen Yi, who used modern machinery, especially for open-pit mines like Shenqi Mountain. But the biggest difference between the strains produced on the West Continent and the metal metallurgy strains on Earth was that it was a super bacterium; its principle wasn't to swallow a certain metal and then pull it out, but to swallow any kind of metal and pull it out—perhaps "any" was a bit absolute, but so far, apart from radioactive metals, it could devour all known metals, just at different speeds.

Thus, in mines with many mineral impurities, the function of "Iron Bacteria Zhou" would be greatly enhanced.

Apart from the first, it had two other benefits: first, it completed part of the smelting process; the difference between metal ingots and metal ores was huge. Yu Weichao and others even speculated that the West Continent itself didn't lack metal deposits, but lacked knowledge of most metal ores, and didn't understand smelting. Second, the strain could be used to treat tailings; for modern society with high metal prices, it was a very valuable technological improvement. The same went for the West Continent.

Their metal prices were much higher than modern metals.

Taking the magic subway that evening, Chen Yi carried ten tons of "Iron Bacteria Zhou" solvent to the West Continent.

... (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian. com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)