Time slipped by, two weeks passing quickly. Following a concentrated media campaign featuring positive coverage of Liu Hui, his fame skyrocketed across the nation, turning him into an idol for many. The shadowy figures behind the scenes, seeing the current momentum, temporarily retreated. Consequently, Liu Hui's hospital enjoyed a period of stable and high-speed development; its beds were nearly always fully occupied, and no other unexpected issues arose.

After two weeks of renovation and restructuring, the villa and the derelict factory outside Bashan City were finally completed. The villa’s security had been significantly upgraded; in Wu Yuanjia's professional estimation, the protective measures had reached an extremely high standard, making Liu Hui eager to move in immediately. However, he had never been overly concerned with accommodation and didn't perceive much difference between this new place and his previous residence. The old factory had been converted into a training center, outfitted with a large amount of new equipment. Huang Huali was currently leading a group inside, training them while simultaneously ensuring the security of Liu Hui's villa.

The hospital had recently hired twenty new security personnel, five of whom were women. Huang Huali planned to train these twenty into a dedicated bodyguard unit and had specially commissioned a set of equipment for this purpose. Liu Hui employed his usual method: after some smooth persuasion, and with the consent of these prospective guards, he injected them with diluted Body Evolution Fluid and a slow-release agent, disguised as nutritional supplements, of course.

Since Huang Huali took over the personnel training, he was ecstatic when he learned about the current strength levels of these new recruits. Though initially skeptical of training sessions being three times more intense, he had to accept this novel training regimen in the face of undeniable results. The rapid improvement in the team’s abilities made him feel that his career prospects were brilliantly bright, and the reputation concerns Wu Yuanjia had harbored had no effect on Huang Huali’s training enthusiasm.

During this period, Liu Hui administered another dose of diluted Body Evolution Fluid to the previous batch of security guards. However, because Huang Huali conducted their training in complete isolation, Liu Hui had no idea what level their strength had reached.

Christmas had passed, and time had rolled into the end of the year; the New Year of 2011 was imminent. Han Tang Hospital had achieved great success in 2010, and the entire staff was filled with joy and preparing for a grand celebration.

One day, as Liu Hui was handling paperwork, Mei Peng arrived at his office holding an invitation card, which he placed before Liu Hui.

“What is this thing?” Liu Hui asked.

“It’s the 2010 Year-End Appreciation Banquet hosted by the Bashan Municipal Government. They’ve invited individuals and enterprises that have made outstanding contributions to Bashan. It’s tomorrow evening,” Mei Peng explained.

“Then you can just represent our hospital!” Liu Hui’s parents were scheduled to arrive in Bashan soon, and he wanted to spend time with them. Coupled with the year-end rush of affairs, he genuinely had no desire to attend such a boring reception.

“Boss, look closer at this part; it explicitly states you must attend. Furthermore, Secretary Qin from the Municipal Party Committee called me and also required your presence,” Mei Peng said, picking up the invitation and pointing out a line of text to Liu Hui.

Liu Hui took the invitation and saw the clear notation: Mr. Liu Hui is cordially requested to attend. He sighed, saying, “Since it’s put this way, let’s attend together tomorrow night!”

“Boss, aren’t you bringing Jingyue along? I’ve noticed that people attending high-end receptions always bring beautiful women; doesn't having a gorgeous woman by your side give you a lot of prestige?” Mei Peng said, full of romantic fantasies.

“Second Brother, don’t you read novels? If you bring a beautiful girlfriend to a high-end reception, you are 100% guaranteed to encounter trouble with second-generation officials or wealthy heirs harassing her, which will inevitably lead to a host of problems and self-inflicted misery,” Liu Hui critically lectured Mei Peng, feigning deep concern.

“Is what you’re saying really that exaggerated? But if you don't take Jingyue, won't she be angry?” Mei Peng was somewhat confused, unsure of his boss's logic.

“Jingyue and I reached an agreement long ago: after we marry, I will try to avoid attending banquets, and she will focus her energy on managing the home, dedicating herself to being my full-time wife. So, she agreed to me not bringing her to functions like this tomorrow night,” Liu Hui thought Liang Jingyue was extremely understanding.

“Boss, I still feel something isn't quite right. Look, if you don’t bring a beauty, maybe no one will bother you, but without a female companion, won’t you end up harassing someone else’s beauty?” Mei Peng bantered back at Liu Hui.

“Don’t laugh, that’s actually a possibility. I’m worth billions, and I’m extremely well-known in China now. By conventional standards, I suppose I qualify as an abhorrent nouveau riche, so perhaps I should engage in a bit of villainy?” Liu Hui stroked his chin, contemplating this prospect.

“Boss, you’re not serious, are you? If anything happens, just make sure not to say you know me; my reputation in Bashan is still quite good right now,” Mei Peng lamented.

“Heh heh, what do you think?” Liu Hui grinned wickedly.

The next evening at seven o’clock, Liu Hui and Mei Peng, unusually dressed in suits and ties, were driven by Wu Yuanjia himself to the Qiankun Grand Hotel, where the reception was being held.

As soon as Liu Hui and Mei Peng arrived at the reception hall on the thirty-third floor, Secretary Qin, who was waiting at the sign-in desk, came over, ushered them into the venue, told them to mingle freely for a while, and then left again to receive other important guests.

The reception area was vast, with a large banner stretched across it reading: Bashan Municipal Government 2010 Year-End Appreciation Banquet. Mei Peng nearly burst out laughing when he saw the banner. He turned to Liu Hui and said, “Boss, don’t you think putting up a banner in such a high-class venue is kind of weird?”

“What’s so strange about it? The government cares about publicity; they’d put up a banner in a restroom. What’s so odd about one here?” Liu Hui teased Mei Peng for being unworldly.

Many people had already arrived in the hall. They were dispersed into small clusters based on their social circles. Since the reception hadn't officially started, these people chatted casually, each appearing elegant and distinguished. Liu Hui rarely attended such gatherings and had limited contact with Bashan’s upper crust; surprisingly, he didn't recognize a single familiar face among them.

Mei Peng, however, frequently mingled with Bashan’s elite and recognized quite a few people, greeting his acquaintances warmly.

Feeling bored, Liu Hui separated from Mei Peng and found a secluded spot to sit. As soon as he settled down, he noticed a pale young man sitting next to him. The young man seemed extremely nervous, a stark contrast to the atmosphere of the venue.

“Hey, friend, no need to be so tense, is there? This isn’t a battlefield,” Liu Hui bantered out of curiosity.

“I’m not nervous; I’m just unaccustomed to this atmosphere,” the young man retorted.

“Truthfully, I’m not used to it either. If I had a choice, I wouldn't be here,” Liu Hui smiled.

“Since you can attend this reception, you must either be an entrepreneur or someone who has made an outstanding contribution in some field, right?” The young man also grew interested in Liu Hui.

“You don’t recognize me?” Liu Hui asked curiously. Given the overwhelming media coverage about him, was it possible someone didn't know him now?

The young man examined Liu Hui closely, then shook his head, indicating he didn’t recognize him.

“Heh heh, actually, I haven’t made much of a contribution; I was just invited in a confusing way, so I came to make a brief appearance. Judging by your tone, you must be here for technical reasons. What field do you specialize in?”

When the topic turned to his area of expertise, the young man instantly brightened up, saying, “I’m a doctoral candidate at Bashan Engineering University. I’m researching the newest high-performance battery technology.”

“Oh, is that research very important?” Liu Hui was a complete layman when it came to technology and knew nothing about it.

“I really want to look down on you. Clean energy is what the 21st century needs most, you… what is that expression on your face?” The young man was about to launch into an explanation when he suddenly noticed Liu Hui’s look.

“Oh, nothing, please continue,” Liu Hui felt ashamed; he was entirely ignorant about batteries and such matters.

“You don’t know anything at all, do you? If that’s the case, I won’t waste my breath on you,” the young man finally perceived the situation and spoke dismissively.

“What you’re researching sounds very significant. What is your name? You must be quite famous internationally, right?” Liu Hui asked humbly.

“Well, that’s… ahem. Not very famous yet,” the young man blushed slightly, but his face was marked more by indignation.

Just as Liu Hui was about to continue speaking with the young man, a large-bellied middle-aged man approached, grabbed the young man by the arm, and scolded him, “What are you doing sitting here? Hurry up and come with me.” The young man immediately lowered his gaze, nodded deferentially, and followed him away.

Liu Hui stared, dumbfounded. The young man who had seemed so arrogant just moments ago was dragged away so meekly—the contrast between before and after was too great!

Liu Hui sat there stunned for a moment before Mei Peng reappeared, telling him the reception was about to begin and he needed to hurry over. Liu Hui glanced around and noticed many more people had arrived. Most of the newcomers were accompanied by beautiful dates. The entrepreneurs were constantly comparing themselves, moving from discussing their companies to showing off the women they had brought; they all looked confident and high-spirited. However, the female companions they brought were indeed stunning, each possessing captivating figures and vying for attention, becoming the brightest spectacle at the reception. Even Liu Hui occasionally snuck a glance, while Mei Peng, the lecher, had eyes shining, declaring the trip worthwhile.

Just then, Secretary Qin led a young man and woman in from the main entrance. The man was handsome and dashing, and the woman was youthful and radiant; the pair looked like a golden couple, instantly becoming the focus of everyone’s attention. Secretary Qin scanned the hall, noticed Liu Hui’s location, whispered a few words into the young couple’s ears, and they walked toward Liu Hui’s area.

“Mr. Liu, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am actually an ardent fan of yours! You’ve brought honor to our Huaxia,” the young man extended his hand naturally and shook Liu Hui’s.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. May I ask who you are?” Liu Hui shook his hand but couldn't recall ever seeing this person before.

“Heh heh, my name is Guo Jia,” the young man replied.

Qian Yu was delayed due to work matters today, so this release is a bit late; please accept my apologies!

Thank you to the book friend: dē for the two evaluation tickets. To be honest, this is the first time Qian Yu has ever received evaluation tickets!

Finally, the usual request: to those who find this readable, please cast more recommendation votes and add it to your collection!