88: Chapter 88 Confucian Merchants Conference

At nine o'clock sharp, the host walked onto the podium.

"Distinguished leaders, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning!"

The host was none other than Zhou Xiang, Deputy Secretary of the Lu Province Party Committee and Governor. His voice was resonant, and his bearing was extraordinary.

"Today, we gather here to witness the opening of the 6th Confucian Entrepreneur Conference. The leaders attending today's opening ceremony include: Comrade Secretary Li Changhe of the Lu Province Party Committee, Comrade An Jia, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce..."

When he read Secretary Li Changhe's name, his gaze swept intentionally or unintentionally toward the seating area of Junlin Capital in the front row. Lin Yu sat beside President Wang Ya, his expression calm, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

First, An Jia, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, delivered a speech. He elaborated from a macro perspective on the importance of the Confucian Entrepreneur Spirit in the new era and the key role of the private economy in national development.

Subsequently, Secretary Li Changhe of the Lu Province Party Committee walked to the podium to deliver the keynote speech.

"Friends," Secretary Li Changhe's voice was steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable majesty, "Lu Province is the birthplace of Confucian culture and the cradle of the Confucian Entrepreneur Spirit. Integrity, innovation, and responsibility are the genes engraved in our bones. Today, we hold the Confucian Entrepreneur Conference not only for inheritance but also for pioneering."

His gaze turned again toward Lin Yu's direction, and his tone grew heavier, "Recently, our Lu Province has welcomed a heavyweight livelihood project—Junlin Food City. This project, with its massive investment and benefits to the public, is the best embodiment of the Confucian Entrepreneur Spirit in the new era. I hope that all the entrepreneurs present here can, like the helmsman of Junlin Capital, tightly integrate commercial value with social responsibility and contribute to the high-quality development of Lu Province!"

Thunderous applause erupted offstage. President Wang Ya sat in the audience, her spine straight. She knew that Secretary Li Changhe's words were meant for everyone, but also for Lin Yu. As for Lin Yu, he merely nodded slightly, his face calm and unruffled.

Next was a major highlight of the opening ceremony—a "Dialogue Across Time and Space."

Renowned cultural scholar Professor Li Bo took the stage to conduct a unique dialogue with three digital humans recreated through AI technology: Confucius's disciple Zigong, the late Qing Dynasty top scholar and industrialist Zhang Jian, and the patriotic overseas Chinese leader Chen Jiageng.

"Mr. Zigong, what do you think is the core of the Confucian Entrepreneur Spirit?" Professor Li Bo asked.

The digital human Zigong's image was lifelike. He bowed slightly, his voice archaic, "Balance righteousness and profit, with righteousness taking precedence. The way of business lies in benefiting the people and helping the world."

Subsequently, the digital humans Zhang Jian and Chen Jiageng also elaborated on their respective understandings of saving the nation through industry and giving back to their hometowns.

Finally, the three digital humans interacted with the contemporary young entrepreneurs in the audience. A young entrepreneur asked, "In this rapidly changing era, how should we uphold the Confucian Entrepreneur Spirit?"

The digital human Chen Jiageng replied, "The times change, but the human heart does not. Integrity is the foundation, and innovation is the soul. As long as you have the country in your heart and the people in your eyes, you can handle any change with constancy."

This dialogue spanning a century deeply moved everyone present. Looking at the digital humans on the screen, Lin Yu felt a myriad of emotions. He knew that true business was never just about making money; it was about creating value and benefiting society.

Subsequently, eight representatives from central enterprises, Fortune Global 500 companies, renowned universities, and overseas business associations took the stage one by one to deliver keynote speeches. They shared their insights and experiences around hot topics such as the "digital economy," "green transformation," and "global supply chains."

Among them, a head of a Fortune Global 500 company mentioned the "ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)" concept, which coincided with the green environmental protection and social responsibility emphasized by Junlin Capital in the Junlin Food City project. President Wang Ya listened with particular attention, occasionally noting something down in her notebook.

The climax of the opening ceremony was the release of the "Lu Province Industrial Chain Investment Promotion Atlas" and the Lu Province investment promotion logo.

On the big screen, a huge atlas slowly unfolded, clearly marking the industrial chains and investment promotion directions that Lu Province would focus on developing in the future. The beautifully designed investment promotion logo symbolized the open, inclusive, and innovative stance of Lu Province.

"This atlas is our future investment promotion roadmap," the host introduced, "We hope that through this atlas, we can attract more high-quality enterprises like Junlin Capital to come to Lu Province to invest and start businesses."

Finally, it was the grand finale of this opening ceremony—the centralized signing of key projects.

The big screen scrolled through the list of signed projects. When "Junlin Capital · Quan City Livelihood Food City Project" appeared on the screen, the entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause once again.

President Wang Ya, as the representative of Junlin Capital, walked onto the podium and signed the contract with the heads of relevant departments in Lu Province.

Under the flashlights, President Wang Ya was calm and composed, her pen strokes firm. She knew that behind this contract lay Lin Yu's trust and heavy responsibility, and it was also the best opportunity for her to prove her capabilities.

Lin Yu sat in the audience, watching the confident figure on stage, and a gratified smile curved the corners of his mouth.

At eleven twenty-five, the signing ceremony concluded.

The host walked onto the stage to give closing remarks: "Friends, the opening ceremony of the 6th Confucian Entrepreneur Conference concludes here. Thank you all for coming, and thank you to all the staff for their hard work. I hope everyone will gain something from the upcoming agenda. See you this afternoon!"

Thunderous applause, the opening ceremony was successfully completed.

...

Lin Yu stood up and followed the crowd out of the venue. The morning sun was a bit blinding. Lin Yu had one hand in his pocket, his gaze fixed on President Wang Ya not far ahead.

Just as they were about to walk down the steps, a disgusting figure blocked President Wang Ya's path.

It was none other than Zhao Tai.

He seemed to have been waiting there for a long time, wearing that disgusting, frivolous smile. Under the cover of the crowd, one of his hands brazenly reached toward President Wang Ya's cheek, as if he wanted to "caress" her, emboldened by alcohol or his power.

"President Wang Ya, we didn't chat to our heart's content last night. Why are you in such a hurry to leave today?"

President Wang Ya's face turned cold. Just as she was about to step back and reprimand him, a slender, powerful hand was faster than her, clamping onto Zhao Tai's wrist in mid-air like an iron pincer.

"Sir," Lin Yu's voice was gentle, and there was even a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were ice-cold, "In broad daylight and under the public gaze, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to do this?"

Zhao Tai felt the pain and turned his head sharply. Seeing that it was the "follower" from last night, he flew into a rage from shame. He tried to pull his hand back with force but found that the other person didn't budge an inch.

"Do you have any idea who the hell I am? Mind your own business!"

Relying on the fact that his grandfather was Vice Governor Zhao, Zhao Tai was used to acting recklessly. Now, being stopped in public, he felt he had lost all face. He shoved his other hand violently toward Lin Yu's chest with considerable force.

Lin Yu went with the flow, feigning being pushed back two steps, his feet stumbling as if he had almost fallen.

"Oh!"

This exclamation attracted the attention of many people around.

Lin Yu steadied himself, the smile on his face instantly vanishing, replaced by an awe-inspiring, inviolable majesty. He pointed at Zhao Tai, his voice suddenly raised, clear and resonant, loud enough for everyone within several dozen meters to hear clearly:

"Not only are you harassing a female entrepreneur attending the conference on the street, but you are also resorting to violence?"

With this heavy accusation pinned on him, Zhao Tai was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected this mild-mannered young man to dare to reprimand him so loudly in public.

Before he could react, Lin Yu had already stepped forward, raised his palm, and with the sound of breaking wind, slapped Zhao Tai hard across the face.

"Slap!"

A crisp, loud slap echoed at the entrance of the conference hall.

Zhao Tai was spun half a circle by the blow and stumbled to the ground. He covered his face, feeling half of it go numb instantly, followed by a burning, searing pain.

The surrounding crowd instantly quieted down, everyone watching this scene in shock.

Zhao Tai roared in disbelief, blood even seeping from the corner of his mouth, "I am Zhao Tai of the Zhao family! Who the hell are you? How dare you hit me!"

Lin Yu looked down at him, patted his chest where Zhao Tai had pushed him, and spoke in a tone as flat as if he were talking about a trivial matter:

"My name is Lin Yu."

As soon as these three words were spoken, Zhao Tai's originally ferocious expression instantly froze.

Lin Yu.

These two words sounded like a thunderclap, exploding in his mind. He recalled his grandfather in the study two days ago, after finishing a phone call, warning him with a serious expression: "Behave yourself during the Confucian Entrepreneur Conference. Especially regarding Junlin Capital; there is a young man named Lin Yu who is a figure the province needs to treat with care. Do not provoke him under any circumstances."

At the time, he hadn't taken it to heart, but he hadn't expected that he would actually walk right into the line of fire!

Zhao Tai's face instantly turned pale, fear overriding his anger. Ignoring the burning pain on his face and the strange looks from the surroundings, he scrambled to his feet, pointed at Lin Yu, and roared with a show of false bravado:

"Fine... fine! Lin Yu, you just wait! This isn't over!"

After throwing out these harsh words, he pushed through the onlookers like a stray dog and fled in a panic.

In the crowd, several wealthy businessmen who knew Zhao Tai looked at each other, their eyes full of shock.

"My God, is that Vice Governor Zhao's grandson, Zhao Tai? He was actually beaten in public?"

"Who is the person who hit him? Lin Yu? Never heard of him..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Didn't you hear Zhao Tai's tone? He was scared! Someone who can make Zhao Tai that scared is definitely not someone we can afford to provoke."

As for those who didn't know Zhao Tai, they were bewildered, only feeling that the slap the young man had just delivered was truly satisfying.

President Wang Ya stood behind Lin Yu, watching the back that had shielded her, a flash of fervent light flickering in her eyes.

The midday sun shone through the car window. The four of them had lunch at a nearby restaurant, chatted for a while, and then drove toward the afternoon venue.

Lin Yu leaned back against the soft leather seat, eyes closed to rest, but his mind was still reviewing everything.

"Old Lin, we've arrived at Shun Geng Villa." The chubby man driving in the front row reminded him.

Lin Yu, Tang Man, and President Wang Ya opened their eyes. Outside the car window, a group of simple and elegant antique-style buildings came into view. Compared with the Lusheng Building in the morning, this place had more of a garden's tranquility and delicacy.

"Let's go and see the 'New Consumption' of our Lu Province." Lin Yu straightened his lapels and pushed the door open to get out of the car. President Wang Ya and Tang Man followed closely behind, walking straight toward the hall where the meeting was being held.

Inside the venue, the atmosphere was completely different from the solemnity of the morning. It was more like a vibrant industry salon. The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and the enthusiastic discussions typical of young people. On the huge electronic screen, various brightly colored and trendy brand logos scrolled by, echoing with keywords like "Short Drama," "Live Streaming," and "Guochao (National Trend)."

"The three of you, please come this way." A staff member from the Provincial Department of Commerce had been waiting for a long time and led them to the reserved seats in the front row.

Not long after they were seated, the meeting started on time.

After a brief opening speech by the leader of the Provincial Department of Commerce, the stage was handed over to five guest speakers from different fields.

The first was the founder of an MCN agency, who passionately shared the miracle of the "Short Drama Factory"—337 million views and 50 million in direct monetization, leaving many traditional entrepreneurs in the audience dumbfounded.

Immediately after, a top live-streaming e-commerce host broke down the logic behind traffic using data and case studies; a designer of a Guochao brand talked about how to integrate traditional cultural symbols into modern consumer goods to capture the hearts of the younger generation; and the CEO of a pre-made meal enterprise depicted a trillion-level market blueprint under the "Kitchen Revolution."

Lin Yu listened very carefully, his fingers occasionally tapping lightly on the armrest. These models and strategies were not unfamiliar to him; in fact, in the capital market, he had already witnessed individual similar frenzies and bubbles.

However, when the last guest—an operator of a cultural tourism new consumption project—showed how to transform an abandoned old factory area into a viral check-in spot integrating dining, entertainment, and social interaction, Lin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's not just a simple physical space renovation, but a proposal for a lifestyle." The guest's words reached Lin Yu's ears clearly, "We are not selling coffee or cultural creative products; we are selling a 'Yearned-for Life'."

This sentence was like a key, gently plucking a certain string in Lin Yu's heart.

Junlin Food City... Is it merely a functional wholesale market?

No.

It should be a carrier, a super platform connecting the dining tables of thousands of households with a better life. It carries not only the circulation of food but also a culture of "eating," the warmth of "home," and the quality of "life."

"Boss, these projects... are kind of interesting." Tang Man, beside him, leaned over and said in a low voice, "Especially that pre-made meal and the viral park; they seem to be able to connect with our Food City."

President Wang Ya also looked thoughtfully at the roadshow PPT on the stage. As a professional investor, she keenly sensed the changes in consumption habits and the huge capital potential represented behind these new business formats.