Geng Bin, who had been teased for half the day, pointed at Wang Zhuo, who was snickering in the corner, and declared, "The real Prince of Red Songs is right here!"

A male student immediately reached out toward Wang Zhuo, striking a pose as if holding a microphone for an interview. "Director Wang, do tell, which revolutionary song do you sing most often?"

"Learning from Lei Feng is a Good Example," Wang Zhuo replied with a smile.

The student looked crestfallen. "But I insist on singing that one every day too, so why can't I even find a girlfriend?"

"There's another one—we must strive to be good youth in the style of Lei Feng," Wang Zhuo continued to spin tales off the cuff.

"Hmph."

Immediately, several people started heckling him in unison. Zhou Huai'an grinned slyly, "Who learns from Lei Feng these days? We're all waiting to become the next Peng Yu or Feng Liang!"

"Once when I was little, I picked up a hundred yuan and turned it over to the police uncle. Guess what happened?" Geng Bin asked.

The whole group burst into laughter. Wang Zhuo quipped, "The police uncle treated you to a bottle of soda, and then bought a roast chicken for his son when he got home, right?"

"You guessed more than half of it correctly!" Geng Bin revealed the punchline: "The police uncle was actually my own uncle. When he got off work that day, he took that hundred yuan and bought a whole spread of good wine and dishes for my family, and he even slipped the few remaining yuan into my hand. He told me, 'Little Bin, the songs say you turn in a single cent to the police uncle, but you found a hundred yuan—you handed it over to the wrong person!'"

After the room erupted in laughter, Zhou Huai'an mused, "If we can't even trust the police these days, who can we trust?"

"My young friend," Geng Bin said with mock solemnity, slapping Zhou Huai'an's shoulder. "The police and all that are just fleeting clouds. Let us sing some revolutionary songs instead!"

The great moral debate over whether or not to emulate Lei Feng was raging fiercely. Feng Liang, who nearly drowned trying to emulate Lei Feng, possessed a tragedy even deeper than Peng Yu's case in Nanjing, thus perpetually remaining at the volatile center of the discussion.

Thanks to Wang Zhuo's anonymous donation, the Feng family's fortunes finally changed. Public opinion regarding Feng Liang shifted from vitriol to support.

Once the incident became public, media outlets from all over the country swarmed, knocking down the Feng family's door.

By this time, Feng Liang had already managed to transfer into an undergraduate program at a top-tier university in Jiangzhou. The school administration repeatedly declared to the media that Feng Liang's exceptional admission was based on his third-place finish in a district-level physics competition back in the eighth grade, asserting that his enrollment had no connection to the sensationalized Feng Liang case.

Such a flimsy excuse, one that even a ghost wouldn't believe, made the school's true leanings crystal clear. The Feng Liang case had already concluded its final review; the verdict was final. It seemed the university chose not to engage in a pointless battle over the matter, instead using this darkly humorous gesture to mount a silent protest on Feng Liang's behalf.

Although Wang Zhuo spearheaded this initiative, justice often prevails in the hearts of the people, and many were willing to offer assistance within their own means.

In this society, where the wealthy are ruthless, officials corrupt, doctors immoral, and children unfilial, morality had degenerated to an irredeemable level. A century had overturned a millennium of tradition. As the economy surged forward in high-speed development, people looked back only to find that the scenery had changed, and so had the people.

The day after the Red Song gathering, bathed in the brilliant hues of the setting sun, Wang Zhuo arrived with his female companion at the five-star Fujin Hotel for a cold buffet banquet hosted by the Jiangzhou City Jade Collectors' Association.

This "cold buffet" was somewhat akin to a European-style self-service banquet. Food and beverages were arranged in the center of the hall, with professional chefs providing live service. Dining tables circled the perimeter, allowing guests to find a seat at leisure after selecting their food. The advantage of such a gathering was the ease of movement and convenient networking, with the cuisine favoring raw, cold, and fresh items, giving it a distinct style.

Wang Zhuo's companion was Siyuan, dressed like a little princess.

The theme of the cold buffet was "Development, Progress, and Mutual Success," which sounded profound, but was, in reality, a Hongmen Banquet targeting the entire Shengshi Wangchao corporation. Business, like warfare, required someone to play the good cop and someone to play the bad cop. Just as Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang had their differences in the Three Kingdoms era, while Lu Su maintained a good relationship with Zhuge Liang, Qi Fei and Guan Yingying's absence was due to this very strategic calculation.

Wang Zhuo was playing the good cop today, intending to flex his muscles before his opponents at the Hongmen Banquet—to challenge them head-on. Qi Fei and Guan Yingying, the bad cops, would maintain a facade of cordiality with their industry peers after the banquet concluded, continuing to conduct peaceful business.

The so-called Jade Collectors' Association was generally composed of three types of people: true collectors who joined purely out of a passion for jade; merchants, like Wang Zhuo, who profited from jade through their jewelry companies; and those who were both collectors and merchants, buying and selling jade to sustain their collection and vice versa.

The third type predominated within the association. The chairman, Jia Weimin, was one such person. He had been collecting jade for forty years, his collection growing like a snowball, resulting in a net worth now exceeding one hundred million... Members like Jia Weimin did not have pronounced conflicts with Shengshi Wangchao. Although Shengshi Wangchao's low-price sales had caused them some impact, they could equally acquire excellent, reasonably priced jade from the company to resell at a markup or hold for appreciation.

The first group, the true jade collectors, were all affluent individuals capable of joining such an association. Their views on Shengshi Wangchao's low-price marketing varied: some felt the company was damaging the market and stifling industry growth, causing them losses; others believed the low prices fostered market prosperity; and still others simply treated Shengshi Wangchao as their primary source for acquiring collection pieces.

The moment Wang Zhuo and Siyuan entered the hall, they attracted countless gazes. Many had already heard that the evening's gathering was intended as a maneuver against Shengshi Wangchao. They had all seen the two great beauties, Qi Fei and Guan Yingying. In this field, beautiful women and precious jade were the best topics of conversation, so they were all anticipating the appearance of the Dynasty's Twin Beauties.

However, when Wang Zhuo appeared, they were surprised to realize that for such a grand banquet, neither of the Dynasty's Twin Beauties was present. Instead, they saw a young girl, dressed like a princess—beautiful, yes, but far too young!

Siyuan was wearing a custom-made deep crimson evening gown specifically for this event. The heart-shaped neckline dipped between her breasts. Due to her youth, she hadn't deliberately pushed up cleavage; instead, the design featured cinching at the waist and vertical ruching across the bust, lending her an air of both youthful charm and nascent allure.

At the center of her neckline hung a vibrant green Peace Buckle, adorned with an extremely intricate carving—upon close inspection, it depicted two entwined dragons. The dragons were edged with gold wire, making them appear even more lifelike and adding to their imposing presence. While this technique, known as jade inlaid with gold, was often a gimmick used by jewelry companies to sell lower-grade jade, its appearance at a Jade Collectors' Association gathering was unprecedented.

"Boss Wang!"

Jia Weimin, who was greeting guests near the entrance while chatting with two elderly gentlemen, immediately offered a quick greeting to the elders before walking toward Wang Zhuo with a beaming smile.

As Wang Zhuo and Siyuan stepped into the hall, after exchanging brief pleasantries with an acquaintance, they spotted Chairman Jia approaching and immediately greeted him with equal warmth, extending a hand to shake Jia Weimin's firmly.

"Chairman Jia, it's been some time since we last met. Still as robust as ever, I trust?"

Jia Weimin had just celebrated his seventieth birthday in the spring, yet his hair was entirely white without a single speck of discoloration. He was of average build, stood tall, and his face glowed with health—this very demeanor would allow him to play an enlightened hermit in a period drama.

According to Qi Fei's analysis, Jia Weimin occupied the fence-sitting faction in this Hongmen Banquet—neither taking sides nor showing favoritism. Wang Zhuo interpreted this as the prudence of an elder. Shengshi Wangchao was arrayed against one-third of the association's members; Jia Weimin remaining neutral was already a subtle form of support. Under these circumstances, Wang Zhuo felt that as long as the chairman didn't actively oppose him, he was a friend.

"I can manage two bowls of rice!" Jia Weimin laughed heartily in reply.

After the handshake, Jia Weimin looked at Siyuan, who stood obediently beside Wang Zhuo, and asked with a smile, "And who is this young lady? Please introduce her."

Wang Zhuo glanced at Siyuan. The girl offered Chairman Jia a brilliant smile and replied clearly, "Grandpa Jia, I am Qi Fei's cousin. You can just call me Siyuan."

Siyuan's assumed identity shifted according to the occasion; this time, she was temporarily Qi Fei's cousin. Perhaps at the next gathering, she might become his niece.

"Siyuan, as in 'Drinking Water Remembers the Source,'" Wang Zhuo added from the side.

"A fine name, a very fine name," Jia Weimin nodded repeatedly, taking a special look at the Coiled Dragon Peace Buckle Siyuan wore on her neck, and then suddenly paused.

His pause drew the attention of two people nearby who overheard their conversation. One of them exclaimed in astonishment, "That buckle... is natural?"

Jade inlaid with gold was not unusual, as gold is malleable; once the jade was carved, it could be inlaid however one wished. Jade inlaid with jade was trickier but manageable. However, a single piece of jade that was naturally composed of two colors—one purely green, the other golden yellow—with perfectly distinct color boundaries, yet also carved into a flawless ornament, was truly extraordinary!

"It is natural," Siyuan replied with a smile. "Brother Wang Zhuo personally gambled this stone out, my sister did the design, and I heard the craftsman took half a month to finish it."

The Peace Buckle was about two centimeters in diameter, perfectly sized for Siyuan's neck, but in the realm of jade products, it was considered exquisite. Hearing that such a small item took half a month to create immediately piqued the curiosity of Jia Weimin and others nearby.

A slight, thin middle-aged man immediately turned to Wang Zhuo and asked, "Friend, are you selling that buckle?"

His female companion quickly cleared her throat and whispered, "Old Li, this is Wang Zhuo, the chairman of Shengshi Wangchao..."

The middle-aged man instantly deflated, stammering an apology to Wang Zhuo for his impoliteness. Fame precedes one; in the jade circles of Jiangzhou, who hadn't heard of the recently booming Shengshi Wangchao? Asking the boss of Shengshi Wangchao if he would sell the jade pendant worn by his companion—wasn't that just asking for trouble?