The county was busy preparing for next month's upcoming Investment Promotion Cultural Festival—selecting venues, booking hotels, arranging lighting and sound equipment, contacting investors, and more. Tasks were assigned individually, and Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang had to confirm anything unclear. Even though Dong Xuebing said he would only handle the cultural performance part, leaving everything else to the county government, as the county leader, he couldn’t just sit back and let others take care of things. Many decisions still needed his direct approval.
Finally, the workday ended.
When the time came, Dong Xuebing wasn’t planning on staying late. He asked Su Yan to stay behind and keep an eye on things, letting him know if anything urgent came up. Dong Xuebing got in his car and left. He didn’t want to avoid work; he had his tasks to take care of. Renting venues and arranging equipment—were minor tasks that could be handled with a little coordination. With Zhang Dongfang there, Dong Xuebing didn’t need to oversee things constantly. What mattered now was the actors and stars. This was the key aspect of the Investment Promotion fair, the highlight and point of attraction. If the performance wasn’t properly organized or if they couldn’t get any stars to show up, the whole Investment Promotion Cultural Festival (Investment Promotion Conference) would be a failure. Other county leaders were waiting to see how Dong Xuebing would pull off getting stars without spending a penny. If it fell through, Dong Xuebing’s credibility would be shattered, and the political achievement he was aiming for would be gone, possibly even affecting his promotion to Deputy Division Chief in a few months. Therefore, success was the only option for Dong Xuebing.
The sunset bathed everything in golden light.
“Xiao Bin!” Zhang Longjuan’s voice came through with a big yawn, sounding hoarse and tired.
“Yo, you’re sleeping?” Dong Xuebing asked.
Zhang Longjuan replied lazily, “We’ve got a time difference. I was sleeping soundly.”
Dong Xuebing apologized, “Sorry to disturb your rest. I just needed to ask you something.”
Zhang Longjuan chuckled. “What, are you being polite with me, Xiao Bin? Haha, I’m not bothered. My little handsome boy is calling me anytime is fine. Wait, let me light a cigarette.” The sound of a lighter clicked, followed by her saying, “Alright, go ahead, what’s up?”
Dong Xuebing said, “We’ve got an investment Promotion fair next month. If free, you could come over and symbolically invest in a project.”
Zhang Longjuan laughed. “So you’re always doing investment promotion wherever you go, huh?”
Dong Xuebing awkwardly laughed, “Well, it's a fast way to get results that benefit the people. And it’s the one thing I’m good at.”
Zhang Longjuan didn’t hesitate: “Alright, next month, I got it. If I can’t make it, I’ll send someone from my company. I definitely have to support my handsome boy’s event, haha. But I really don’t think I’ll be busy then, so I should be able to go. And when I come over, I’ve got something to discuss with you. Let’s talk then; it’s not convenient over the phone.”
“Okay,”Dong Xuebing replied.
Zhang Longjuan yawned again, “Alright, your sister is going to sleep now.”
“Hold on, wait a bit. There’s one more thing.”Dong Xuebing blinked and said, “Do you happen to know any foreign celebrities?”
“Why?” Zhang Longjuan asked.
Dong Xuebing explained, “We’re organizing an Investment Promotion Cultural Festival, and I want to host a performance, so…”
Zhang Longjuan thought momentarily, “Oh, I see, haha, let me ask around for you. I know a few, but I’m unsure about their schedules.”
Dong Xuebing was sure Zhang Longjuan would know some. Having lived and worked in the U.S. for many years and being a billionaire businesswoman with a company she wholly owned, her influence was well-established, even internationally. With that kind of background, she had the connections. Dong Xuebing felt he was right to ask her. However, he added, “By the way, our county’s finances aren’t very rich, as you know… ahem... so, while we can cover the airfare and accommodation, we might not be able to afford the appearance fees.”
Zhang Longjuan chuckled, “You, with all your shares here and a personal fortune of one to two billion, can’t even cover a little money for this?”
Dong Xuebing explained, “Sister Zhang, it’s not that I don’t want to fund this personally. It’s just that this is the county’s Investment Promotion Cultural Festival, and if I pay for the guests, I won’t be able to keep it quiet. It wouldn’t be proper or in line with the rules. I can’t operate outside the county’s budget—it’s a government agency, not the business world, and many considerations exist. I can’t make exceptions.” He paused before adding, “However, if you could sponsor a few foreign celebrities as a friendly gesture, we can make it work. Of course, you can deduct the costs from my shares and dividends.” Since this was for his project, Dong Xuebing didn’t want to let Zhang Longjuan suffer any loss—business was business, and personal matters were separate.
Zhang Longjuan laughed, “Alright, stop joking, kid. You want me to find a few stars for you, and then you will make me pay? You’re something else. As the second-largest shareholder of our company, you don’t even know the company’s investment projects? We’re an investment company; we don’t just focus on one industry—we’re also in real estate and media. Years ago, I invested in an entertainment company in the U.S. It’s not a huge company, but it’s not small either. There are some big names involved. Even though I’m not the largest shareholder, just having an 8% stake means I get to attend shareholder meetings. They won’t dare disrespect me. So don’t worry about the airfare; just handle the accommodation, and I’ll help contact them and check their schedules.”
Dong Xuebing said, “Wow, that sounds great. Thanks, Sister Zhang!”
Zhang Longjuan replied, “You have shares in the company, too, so don’t mention it. Stop being all formal with me. Anyway, I’m going to sleep now, no more talking.”
“Alright, sleep well,” Dong Xuebing said.
“Come on, give your Sister Zhang a kiss.”
“Uh, let’s talk about that when you get here. We’ll talk about it then.”
“Haha, I’m not kidding. Go on, get out of here.”