Chapter 331: Air‑dropped Director‑General, the Conference Room Blows Up on the Spot!

Lu Qingshan was completely stunned.

Director-General?

He, a businessman, a capitalist about to go onto another's turf to "rob," has in an instant become a senior director‑level official of a state ministry?

This transformation is far too fast, too fantastical.

"Minister Zhang, I appreciate your kindness," Lu Qingshan came to his senses, smiling wryly, "If I can help, I will, but there's no need to take on the Director‑General post, right? I'm used to idleness and probably unsuited for agency work."

"What do you mean 'unnecessary'? It's absolutely necessary!" Zhang Jianshen glared, a commanding general's aura surfacing, "From the moment you nodded to Bureau Chief Wang, you ceased being a mere businessman! You are now a servant of the state! This position must be held! It is personally overseen by Old Chen, a top‑level special‑approval emergency appointment, the directive has already been issued—do you still intend to run?"

As he spoke, he gave Lu Qingshan no chance to react, shouting at the driver, "Old Wang, make a U‑turn! Head to the department!"

Then he turned to the bewildered Lu Qingshan, chuckling, flashing a set of white teeth, like a mischievous child who'd just gotten a treasure, "Come! I'll take you to your new post right now! Your future subordinates all regard you as a living legend, listening to your stories at every meal! Today's perfect—I, as Minister, will personally deliver the real 'God of Wealth' to them and see their reaction!"

"Go right now?" Lu Qingshan felt as if he were strapped onto a war chariot, with no room for a buffer.

"Of course! Choosing an auspicious day is no match for striking now! The nation's foreign exchange reserves and the international financial war can't wait for you to adapt slowly!"

The car performed a sleek drift, carving a powerful arc through the night as it sped toward a direction entirely opposite to before.

A dozen minutes later, Lu Qingshan was half‑confusedly yanked out of the car by Zhang Jianshen and stood before a brightly lit, solemn office building. The guard at the entrance, upon seeing Zhang Jianshen, instantly straightened his chest and saluted, his eyes flickering with a hint of curiosity as they glanced at the unusually young yet dignified man beside him.

Zhang Jianshen, familiar with the route, led him through the long corridor and pushed open a massive wooden door bearing the sign "First Conference Room."

Inside, around a gigantic oval conference table sat a crowd of over thirty people, a sea of black. The air was thick with the mingled scent of strong tobacco, brewed tea, and ink from documents, exuding the era's distinctive tension and bustle. A man in his forties wearing black‑rimmed glasses stood before a blackboard, sketching a complex flowchart with chalk while narrating incessantly.

Zhang Jianshen's sudden intrusion was like a pebble tossed into a calm lake; the entire conference room fell silent in an instant, the only sound—the chalk's screech on the board—abruptly halted.

Everyone's gazes, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, swept toward him in unison.

"Zhang… Minister Zhang?" the meeting's host, Deputy Director‑General Zhang Rongfeng, clearly hadn't expected the leader's sudden appearance; he forgot to set down the half‑piece of chalk in his hand, hurriedly stepped forward, his face showing a hint of nervousness.

Zhang Jianshen waved his hand, indicating no need for alarm, then strode to the front of the room and, under the mixed looks of surprise and doubt from the officials, seized the still‑dazed Lu Qingshan and pulled him beside himself.

He cleared his throat; his resonant voice echoed through the hush‑filled conference room, bearing unmistakable authority.

"Comrades, I must temporarily interrupt your regular meeting to announce a matter of great importance concerning our department and, indeed, the nation's future economic strategy."

Everyone held their breath, their spines involuntarily straightening, eyes curiously fixed on the Minister and the unusually young yet dignified man beside him.

Zhang Jianshen scanned the room, taking in every expression, a faint smug smile on his face, and, in a voice loud enough for all to hear, declared with authority:

"Now, let me introduce you: this is your new Director‑General of the Foreign Economic and Trade Development Department, Comrade Lu Qingshan!"

"From today onward, he is your direct superior! Everyone, applaud and welcome!"

"Boom—!"

The whole conference room seemed struck by a silent bomb; the shockwave froze everyone's thoughts for an instant. Lu Qingshan only heard a buzzing thud in his ears, felt his heart clenched by an invisible giant hand, and the startled faces before him blurred for a fleeting moment.

Everyone was stunned.

Zhang Rongfeng's smile froze instantly, his mouth slightly agape, lingering in shock for three seconds. His mind raced—Lu Qingshan? The legendary figure who stirred the clouds over Hong Kong Island and earned the nation massive foreign exchange? He was to become our Director‑General? In the next heartbeat, a surge of astonishment and shrewd timing made him react as if electrocuted.

He didn't crawl; instead, with a near‑sprinting speed he circled the table's corner, covering three steps in two, lunged to Lu Qingshan, clasped his hand tightly, his voice trembling with excitement, even a hint of quiver:

"Director Lu! It's really you! You are the famed Comrade Lu Qingshan? My! I've heard your name for ages, like thunder in my ears! I read internal briefings daily; we could recite your deeds! Never expected you to be so young! Welcome, a warm welcome! We've been longing for you!"

And Lu Qingshan, now the focus of everyone's gaze, felt his mind, after a blank void, begin a frantic reboot.

He looked at Zhang Jianshen's "scheme‑succeeded" grin, then at the overly enthusiastic Deputy Director‑General before him, and swept across the more than thirty pairs of eyes in the room, filled with shock, curiosity, scrutiny, and even a faint, deeply hidden defiance and doubt.

He saw an elderly official with speckled hair laboriously pushing his bifocals, as if to see him more clearly; he saw several thirty‑something youths whose eyes glittered with near‑worship, faces flushed with excitement, fists subtly clenched under the table; and in the corner, a stern‑looking middle‑aged man crossed his arms, his gaze as sharp as a blade, the scrutinizing intent unmistakable, as if saying: How can a businessman lead us state officials?

He felt as though an invisible giant hand had plucked him from a dizzying height and slammed him onto the captain's throne of a massive ship about to set sail into raging seas—without even a chance to glance at the navigation chart.

This… is way too fast!?

Lu Qingshan inhaled deeply, forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts. Facing the more than thirty varied gazes, his initially bewildered stare settled within seconds, becoming deep and calm, as if the stunned man moments ago were not him at all. Since he's here, he'll settle in.