Chapter 258: 254. The Well-Connected Zhang Shu (Please vote for monthly tickets during the double-point period!)

Ling Hua is truly very sincere this time; in fact, it wasn't just his personal invitation for Zhang Ran to attend, as several others also had the same intention.

It was only because Ling Hua had been in contact with Zhang Ran previously, and on top of that, Ling Hua had followed Zhang Ran in speculating on Yaotian Pharmaceutical stocks, that Ling Hua was the one sent to bring it up.

"Is this being hosted by a corporation or by the government?" Zhang Ran asked.

"It can be considered semi-official in nature, though the specifics are still arranged by us corporations. This time, it's mainly the officials providing a venue for us to interact and jointly discuss the future development of the Huaxia internet," Ling Hua said.

Zhang Ran thought for a moment and said with a smile: "If you all don't mind that I'm outdated, then I'll shamelessly go."

Ling Hua said politely: "Your words are a slap to our faces; we are all very much looking forward to your arrival."

Afterwards, Zhang Ran and Ling Hua chatted for a few more moments, then hung up the phone.

This invitation for Zhang Ran was not without reason; it was based on very realistic factors.

If Zhang Ran had truly become destitute and had also disappeared for twenty-eight years, then although everyone might have had some respect or other sentiments for the Zhang Ran of the past, they would not have invited him to attend this conference, nor would they have been so polite.

The Yaotian Pharmaceutical matter made everyone understand that even though Zhang Ran had disappeared for twenty-eight years, he still possessed very substantial capital.

Added to what Ling Hua said, Zhang Ran was considered a guide for many of them, especially since some things Zhang Ran had mentioned to them in passing back then now seemed to have become reality.

Not only that, in fact, some enterprises, having developed to this day, have never shed the shadow of their conversations with Zhang Ran from back then.

As soon as Ling Hua finished confirming with Zhang Ran, he posted a message in the group chat. Don't let the fact that these internet bigwigs seem at odds with each other or are often rivals fool you; many of them actually have quite good relationships in private.

"Mr. Zhang has already agreed, so everyone should prepare in advance if you have anything you want to ask," Ling Hua posted in the group.

"Really? Haha, I have long wanted to pay a visit to Mr. Zhang. If it weren't for him strongly urging me to return to Huaxia for development back then, perhaps I would still just be a programmer now," someone replied immediately.

"That's right, Mr. Zhang gave me great inspiration back then. To tell you the truth without fear of being laughed at, I thought this person was purely trying to fool me and draw a big pie for me back then. I actually regretted it after I agreed to Mr. Zhang, thinking I was truly stupid at the time.

But after all these years, everything Mr. Zhang said has been realized, and I actually haven't stepped out of the circle Mr. Zhang drew for me back then. Thinking about it now, my thoughts at the time were truly laughable," an internet bigwig said with emotion.

Others also spoke up one after another; some internet bigwigs who didn't know Zhang Ran or who had only risen in recent years asked one after another who this Mr. Zhang was.

In fact, some had long heard the name Mr. Zhang in their hearts; after all, whenever this group of internet people, who they considered old seniors, gathered together, they had mentioned this Mr. Zhang many times.

They hadn't asked before, but no one had been willing to explain it to them in detail, and no one had told them where this Mr. Zhang was.

But now, listening to the tone of these people, it seems this Mr. Zhang is coming to this Internet Conference?

They became increasingly curious and at the same time wanted to see what this Mr. Zhang actually looked like.

"Old Feng, why are you so quiet? Didn't you used to be the most enthusiastic every time Mr. Zhang was mentioned? Why are you not saying anything now that you've heard Mr. Zhang is coming?" Someone tagged the boss of Fengli, Zhao Lifeng.

However, Zhao Lifeng acted as if he hadn't seen it and didn't say a word.

Just as Ling Hua and the others were discussing and anticipating, someone also came to visit Zhang Ran.

"Zhang Shu, I've come to see you," Meng Mingxuan walked in from outside with a smile, actually carrying some gifts in his hands.

Huang Xunceng followed behind Meng Mingxuan as they came over together.

Zhang Ran glanced at the gifts in Meng Mingxuan's hands and said sarcastically: "I'm truly very surprised that you, this guy, actually brought gifts when coming to my house. Did the sun rise from the west today?"

Meng Mingxuan hurriedly ran behind Zhang Ran to pat his back, "Zhang Shu, look at what you're saying. I just forgot before, and you know, my memory isn't that great."

"Is that so? Then why is your memory so good today?" Zhang Ran said indifferently.

Meng Mingxuan said sheepishly: "How could my memory be bad every time?"

Huang Xunceng also said with a smile from the side: "Zhang Shu, these gifts were carefully selected by Ming Xuan and me. Take a look and see if you like them."

Zhang Ran glanced casually at the gifts they brought and said crossly: "Alright, stop acting cute. Tell me, what are you here for?"

He could tell at a glance that these two fellows wouldn't visit without a reason.

"Zhang Shu, I just wanted to ask if you know about the Internet Conference that will be held in Shanghai in a while," Meng Mingxuan immediately stated his purpose.

Zhang Ran was stunned, "I know, what about it?"

"It's like this, you know Chairman Ling of Weiteng, right? We also want an admission ticket. Our company is currently in the startup stage and needs some partners," Meng Mingxuan said.

"Is that all? Can't you just go to your dad? Even though your dad isn't in the internet circle, a ticket shouldn't be difficult for him, right?" Zhang Ran said, speechless.

"It's different. Even if he got one, we probably wouldn't be taken seriously once we got in. We want a different kind of ticket, preferably one that can establish some connection with internet bigwigs like Ling Hua. This would allow us to better fool... *cough cough*, better cooperate with others," Meng Mingxuan said immediately.

Last time, because of the 'Yong Ge' incident, he learned that his Zhang Shu's relationship with Chairman Ling seemed quite good and that they were old friends, so he thought he would ask Zhang Ran for help this time.

Zhang Ran glanced at him and said: "Fine, wait a couple of days and I'll have him send the invitation over. By the way, how are your results during this period?"

"The framework is initially complete, and the product is also about to be successfully developed. These don't require too much capital in the early stages."

"And for short videos, the most important thing is content. Without attractive content, it's useless no matter how good the product is."

"As long as there is content, then there will be traffic..."

Meng Mingxuan began to explain the current status of their company to Zhang Ran. Zhang Ran didn't say anything to this, just quietly listening to Meng Mingxuan's account.

"Not bad. Whenever you are short on money, you can tell me. I am very optimistic about this venture of yours," Zhang Ran encouraged.

"Thank you, Zhang Shu," Meng Mingxuan said immediately with joy.

Huang Xunceng also noticed that Meng Mingxuan held this Zhang Shu of his in very high regard; it seemed that if Zhang Ran said it was okay, then Meng Mingxuan would trust it completely.

And Huang Xunceng also discovered that this Uncle Meng Mingxuan had quite extensive connections, as if he knew everyone.