The first time was at the hospital, where Qin Xue had expressed his gratitude to Wang Zhuo regarding Qin Jingzhong’s surgery. The second meeting, at Haijiao Villa, hadn't been pleasant, yet the incident Wang Zhuo caused that day turned into the nationally renowned Huihai Case, leading to the resignation and reassignment of Jiangzhou’s former Municipal Party Secretary. Consequently, Qin Xue was promoted to Acting Secretary of Jiangzhou City, taking a significant leap forward.

After that, Wang Zhuo had visited the Qin residence once, exchanging gifts with Qin Jingzhong. The Jade Pendant depicting a Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate that Wang Zhuo presented materialized its promise that very day; when Qin Xue saw the pendant that evening, the matter of his Acting Secretary post was still confidential—the appointment hadn't even been officially issued yet.

With these few events stacked together, Wang Zhuo had, without anyone realizing it, become a small harbinger of good fortune for Qin Xue. Though his actions were unintentional, each had brought Qin Xue tangible benefits.

Qin Xue wasn't superstitious, but when someone had brought him at least two strokes of luck, what harm was there in cultivating a closer relationship?

As soon as they met, Qin Xue smiled heartily, clapped Wang Zhuo on the shoulder, and invited him to make himself at home and sit wherever he pleased.

Wang Zhuo immediately understood that the tone for this meeting was temporarily set at the level of "a junior visiting," meaning Qin Xue was treating him like family, completely without pretense.

Because Wang Zhuo was invited, Xiao Wanju was also fortunate enough to stay for dinner that evening. Of course, as one of the involved parties, his presence was quite necessary.

It was a Qin family tradition not to discuss official matters during family meals. Wang Zhuo and Gan Lin noticed that the ingredients used in the dishes were exquisite and the flavors mild. They both understood intuitively that these dishes likely hadn't come from a supermarket or a farmers' market; they appeared to be the legendary 'special supply' vegetables.

A few years prior, food safety issues across the nation had undergone a massive rectification campaign. Things like gutter oil, banned growth agents, and additives had been somewhat suppressed, but the government was fundamentally incapable of solving the root problems. After a brief flurry of activity and a few downpours, everything reverted to the familiar pattern: business as usual.

Thus, various special-supply vegetables and ingredients began to flourish—pesticide-free rice, unfertilized greens, non-GMO cooking oil, preservative-free seasonings, and so on. Some cities even established dedicated special-supply vegetable bases, secured like military installations, both safe and confidential. The cost of growing safe food in these bases was several times, even ten times, that of ordinary goods, and ordinary citizens couldn't buy them even if they had the money.

And Qin Xue was a privileged figure among the privileged. Could his dining table possibly lack such provisions?

"Brother Wang Zhuo, it seems you haven't played basketball in a while?" Qin Siqing's voice interrupted Wang Zhuo’s thoughts.

Mentioning basketball immediately brought to mind the incident from last time. Wang Zhuo chuckled, "I've been busy recently. I'll be going often in a few days."

"Oh." Qin Siqing seemed slightly pleased, then asked, "I remember your vertical leap is quite good. Can you dunk?"

"I haven't actually tried that yet," Wang Zhuo scratched his head.

Xiao Wanju interjected from the side, "You should try. You seem to have grown taller recently."

"Really?" Wang Zhuo paused, then his expression cleared. "No wonder my pants feel a bit short. It wasn't the shrinkage quality after all."

Everyone laughed. Qin Siqing giggled, "Brother Wang Zhuo, you probably don't know this, but the manufacturer of those pants is a subsidiary of a State-Owned Enterprise where my father served as factory director for three years. If you claim those pants have quality issues, my dad will take it very seriously."

Hearing this, Qin Xue couldn't help but ask, "Wang Zhuo, what brand are those pants?"

When Wang Zhuo named the brand, it indeed turned out to have some connection to Qin Xue, just as Qin Siqing had described. After chatting a bit more on that topic, they let it pass with a laugh.

"Brother Wang Zhuo, Han Yuanzheng in my class has been desperately practicing spiking lately. You remember him, right?" Seeing Wang Zhuo nod, Qin Siqing continued with a smile, "He's already boasted on the court that the next time he plays you, he's going to get revenge by dunking over you—dunking you into oblivion."

Poof. Gan Lin had just taken half a spoonful of black moss soup. Hearing Qin Siqing’s unrestrained childish words, she nearly spat the mouthful onto the table. Luckily, she managed to shut her mouth just in time to avoid an embarrassing scene, but the small amount of soup in her mouth did reverse-flow slightly into her nasal cavity, making her profoundly uncomfortable.

Wang Zhuo was also stunned speechless, cooked thoroughly inside and out. What nonsense was this? The incident last time was forgivable; Qin Siqing had asked him privately in the car, so it wasn't too awkward. But this time, the talk of "dunking into oblivion" was happening at the dinner table in front of four people, including her father. It was ridiculous.

"Sister Gan Lin, what’s wrong? Did you bite your tongue?" Qin Siqing looked over in surprise, trying to comfort Gan Lin.

Wang Zhuo stole a glance. Qin Xue acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to sip his congee slowly. Xiao Wanju's expression was slightly unnatural; he had clearly caught the ambiguous meaning in Qin Siqing’s words.

Wang Zhuo analyzed inwardly: Xiao Wanju’s reaction was more reasonable, indicating he had picked up on the ambiguity. Qin Xue’s calm demeanor also proved, in a way, that he fully grasped what had just occurred at the table, yet chose to feign ignorance.

"It's almost seven o'clock, I'll go turn on the TV," Qin Siqing chirped happily and ran off to get the remote control.

It was rumored that the Xinwen Lianbo (the main evening news) was a required daily viewing for high-ranking officials, and now it seemed that was true. As the music started, Qin Xue and Xiao Wanju finished eating and set down their bowls, moving to the adjacent sofa to watch the news.

Wang Zhuo, Gan Lin, and Qin Siqing had also finished. The housekeeper came in to clear the table. The two women resumed the game of Chinese chess they hadn't finished earlier. Wang Zhuo sat beside them, watching both the chess game and the television.

Unexpectedly, tonight’s routine news broadcast dedicated fifteen seconds to the Emerald Watermelon. This was a delightful surprise. Even Qin Xue turned to look at Wang Zhuo a couple of times, wearing a smile filled with ineffable meaning.

Once the news ended, the subsequent hot-topic interview—disproportionate in length to its actual importance—was handled by Qin Siqing. They would call her in if there was something crucial; otherwise, she would just relay the essential points concisely later. Qin Xue led Xiao Wanju and Wang Zhuo into the study.

After a few pleasantries, Qin Xue moved to the main topic, asking, "Regarding the next phase for 'Prosperous Dynasty,' can you tell me about your plans?"

The question was somewhat bold, but it was also expected. Wang Zhuo’s relationship with the Qin family was hardly a secret. For 'Prosperous Dynasty' to expand so quickly, few would believe it happened without the backing of the Qin family. In reality, Wang Zhuo hadn't leaned on the Qin family much for this growth; at most, he had merely brandished their 'tiger skin' to intimidate potential interlopers looking to take advantage.

If the moral climate of society were better, 'Prosperous Dynasty' wouldn't need the Qin family at all. But reality was different. Without that subtle, unseen connection, 'Prosperous Dynasty' would have likely been exploited and shaken down countless times by petty departments holding administrative power.

The previous conflict with the Urban Management Detachment was a prime example. In this era, connections allowed one to traverse the world; those without them couldn't even protect their shop sign from being smashed at will.

So, regardless of the truth, since outsiders perceived 'Prosperous Dynasty' as having Qin family connections, Qin Xue had both the right and the obligation to inquire about its affairs. Although this involved trade secrets, given Qin Xue's status, such minor secrets were negligible.

"The next phase, you ask?" Wang Zhuo spoke slowly. "The next phase will certainly involve spinning off the non-performing assets first. After completing the reverse merger process, the next steps are financing and further share issuance."

"I have no interest in these capital operations, Wang Zhuo. You know what I'm asking about," Qin Xue waved a hand, smiling wryly. "Do you find it fun to play games with me?"

"Then I'll be direct," Wang Zhuo also grinned, glancing at Xiao Wanju. "Uncle Xiao isn't an outsider either; he’s surely capable of keeping my secrets, right?"

Xiao Wanju nodded with a faint smile, thinking to himself, Does this even need pointing out? If a secretary couldn't keep a secret, his superior wouldn't have reached the rank of a regional leader.

"I require two things," Wang Zhuo cleared his throat and said seriously. "First, the shell of Tzhongzheng (T-Zhongzheng); this is necessary for financing. Second, the ChinaZhongzheng Group possesses the qualifications for mineral exploration and mining. I must have these two assets."

Qin Xue exchanged a look with Xiao Wanju, realizing, Just as expected. Xiao Wanju asked, "You are determined to have these qualifications; it seems you came prepared?"

"Indeed." Wang Zhuo reached into his pocket and took out a small case for contact lenses, placing it on the desk and pushing it toward them.

Wang Zhuo had prepared this case before coming, but hadn't decided whether to show it to Qin Xue. He took it out now because he had used his clairvoyance to see Qin Xue circling 'Mining' and 'Pharmaceuticals' heavily in red pen on a document detailing Tzhongzheng’s scope of business.

Since Qin Xue had already noticed this aspect, Wang Zhuo felt it best to be completely open to avoid future friction between his copper mining operations and this future political star. Given the current balance of power between them, Wang Zhuo arguably had no choice but to disclose this.

"This is... malachite and azurite?" The well-informed Qin Xue recognized them in a moment. He picked up one of the pieces, about the size of a broad bean, and examined it with a frown.

Wang Zhuo smiled faintly. "Uncle Qin, sharp eyes. The piece you are holding is indeed copper ore, quality forty-two."

"Forty-two?" Qin Xue’s eyes instantly lit up. Copper ore of quality forty-two—this was practically a lump of copper! This was a rich mine among rich mines!

"This, this..." Xiao Wanju was also a man of broad learning, otherwise he wouldn't be Qin Xue’s top secretary. He pointed at the items on the desk, asking with a mix of amusement and distress, "Where did you get these things? Are they reliable?"

Blinking, Wang Zhuo smiled. "I smashed them off a mountain myself with a hammer. Uncle Xiao, do you think that’s reliable?"

Actually, he had picked up these ores with his bare hands. After bringing them back to Jiangzhou, he had used a hammer to break them open. Some had already been sent for confidential appraisal. The broad-bean-sized, quality-forty-two copper ore specimen was broken off a already-appraised piece just before he left for the visit today.

At this moment, Qin Xue and Xiao Wanju fell silent. They understood far better than Wang Zhuo what the existence of a copper mine implied. If there was an un-explored copper mine of such high quality, it could even influence the nation's strategic layout and bear upon the formulation of foreign policy—it was a very big game, a grand strategy A.