Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 449 The Low-Key Power of Zhao Ruilong! The Top Comprador Ge Anlin!

Zhao Ruilong frowned.

Was Mr. Ge's son treating everyone to dinner?

Isn't this a trap?

However, since the call had already come, I spoke very directly.

Zhao Ruilong didn't want to beat around the bush with Ge Anlin, so he asked directly:

"Of course I can have dinner with you, but we're complete strangers, we've never even met. You suddenly call and want to invite me to dinner, you have to give me a decent reason, right?"

"reason?"

Ge Anlin smiled and said, "President Zhao, please don't misunderstand. I have no ill intentions towards you. I don't blame anyone for my father's illness and hospitalization."

"The reason I wanted to invite you to dinner is because I've heard a lot about you abroad. I've heard so much about you and would like to meet you."

Zhao Ruilong smiled coldly.

"What legend do I have? I'm more like a rumor!"

"I'm not some big star, you don't need to treat me to dinner."

"No no no!"

Ge Anlin quickly replied, "In my opinion, you are more worthy of meeting than any celebrity."

“I know you’re not just anyone you can meet whenever you want. I had to beg Xuanmei for a long time before she finally agreed to give me your phone number…”

"Wait a moment!"

Zhao Ruilong stopped in his tracks.

"Who is this Xuanmei you're talking about? Ye Guangxuan, or Sister Xuan?"

"Yes, who else could it be but her?"

Ge Anlin chuckled and asked in return.

Zhao Ruilong narrowed his eyes slightly.

They were all from the same Beijing circle, and from the same compound.

Zhao Ruilong was not surprised that Ye Guangxuan and Ge Anlin knew each other.

However, Ye Guangxuan gave Ge Anlin his private number without giving any prior notice.

What does it mean?

Just as Zhao Ruilong was pondering.

Ge Anlin continued:

"Actually, this matter is very simple, not as complicated as you think."

"Ye Guangxuan and I are old classmates and good friends of many years."

“She came to the hospital to visit my dad, and we talked about the many changes that have happened in China recently. She said that you have made great contributions.”

"I happened to be in Europe and heard a lot of your legendary stories, so I suddenly thought of inviting you to lunch."

"If you still don't trust me, how about this: I'll hand my phone to Guangxuan now, and she'll say a few words to you, okay?"

Zhao Ruilong frowned and hummed in agreement.

Soon, Ye Guangxuan's voice came from the phone.

"Ruilong, I took it upon myself to give your phone number to Ge Anlin. You're not angry, are you?"

Zhao Ruilong laughed and said, "How could I possibly be angry? It's no big deal. Even if you don't give it to him, he has plenty of ways to contact me if he really wants to."

Ye Guangxuan smiled and said, "I think that as Huilong Group continues to grow and expand, it will eventually enter the European market. An Lin works and lives there year-round, so I think if you two meet, you might be able to reach a cooperation agreement."

Zhao Ruilong raised an eyebrow.

Ye Guangxuan's words were loaded with meaning!

It's like indirectly telling yourself that Ge Anlin is Ge Anlin and Ge Junshan is Ge Junshan.

They are not father and son of the same mind or heart.

If Ge Junshan hadn't suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and undergone surgery, Ge Anlin, who had been living in Europe for many years, might not have returned.

But why does Ge Anlin, with his powerful father Ge Junshan, not focus on developing his career in China?

Given his background and qualifications, if he had stayed in China and worked within the system, his position would likely have been at least as high as, if not higher than, that of Fu Wenbing.

"Okay, then tell me a place, and I'll be there in a bit!"

"Then let's go to the Yanjing Grand Hotel. I'll book a private room right away. Just tell me your name when you arrive."

"Okay, see you in a bit!"

Zhao Ruilong hung up the phone and glanced at the time on his wrist.

It's only a little past eleven o'clock; it's too early to take a taxi there.

"It's a pity that Zhong Xiaoai went to the United States on a business trip, otherwise I could have asked her about Ge Anlin."

Putting away his phone, Zhao Ruilong walked onto the pedestrian overpass.

On the bustling overpass, there were vendors selling fruit and snacks, as well as people crying and begging.

Since smartphones didn't even exist yet, there was no way to sell phone cases or screen protectors.

A group of people were gathered together, chattering away about a chess endgame.

"I never expected that a scam using chess endgame puzzles to cheat people would be found here!"

A familiar scene, a familiar chess game.

This reminded Zhao Ruilong of his former colleague who had been deceived.

A fraud gang set up a chess puzzle to lure passersby into betting on the game.

They said that if you beat the stall owner, you'll get double the amount you bet.

The others in the gang acted as shills.

They perform chess games to win money, attracting passersby who think they are chess masters to join in.

My old colleague loves playing chess; he's the type who has to go over and take a look whenever he sees someone playing.

Overly enamored with his own chess skills, he ended up being scammed out of several hundred yuan and was filled with regret...

In 2002, this kind of swindle was quite novel in China.

No one thinks it's a scam yet; they think losing money is just because of poor chess skills.

Seeing that the old man had already lost fifty, he actually pulled out a hundred and wanted to continue betting...

Zhao Ruilong smiled faintly, turned and left.

"Put aside your desire to help others and respect their fate!"

"If I were to try to calm the old man down and warn him not to be scammed, he would probably get angry with me instead."

"I've lived for decades and I never knew that there's no such thing as a free lunch. It's no wonder I got scammed."

After reflecting on his experience, Zhao Ruilong continued his leisurely stroll.

It was almost midnight before I finally managed to flag down a pedicab.

Upon hearing that they were going to the Yanjing Grand Hotel, the old man pedaling the bicycle smiled broadly.

With a crisp ringing of the bell and a powerful push of the pedals, the tricycle glides lightly onto the road.

Watching the elderly man, well past fifty, pedal his bike with extraordinary effort...

Sitting in the back carriage, Zhao Ruilong couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

"In the old days, Xiangzi, the rickshaw puller, spent his whole life pulling a rickshaw, but he never earned enough to own a rickshaw of his own."

"Nowadays, as long as business isn't too bad, the old man who pedals a tricycle should be able to earn a few dozen yuan a day to support his family."

"However, once electric bikes and shared bicycles become more widespread, these tricycles that are purely powered by human pedaling will inevitably be phased out!"

Thinking of this, Zhao Ruilong couldn't help but recall a sentence that Xiao Jinhua had once said.

'The rich man's greatest asset is the poor man!'

Because poor people work hard, provide enthusiastic service, and flatter others in order to survive and live a better life...

Otherwise, without the labor and effort of the poor, how could the rich enjoy themselves?

Isn't the happiness of the rich built upon the efforts of the poor?

The chefs cooking, the vendors selling goods, the pretty girls giving foot massages, the drivers soliciting passengers...

Everyone works hard from dawn till dusk, all for a few coins.

Just like the old man pedaling his tricycle with all his might right in front of me.

If he retires within the system, he will have a stable retirement pension.

Does he still need to work so hard pedaling a tricycle?

On such a beautiful autumn day, wouldn't it be wonderful to stroll in the park, play chess or cards, go fishing, or take the kids out for a walk?

Unfortunately……

The old man, whose towel was draped over his shoulder and was worn thin and tattered, clearly did not have a retirement pension.

In this era of rapid economic growth, he can earn some money by pedaling and running as much as he can while he is still relatively healthy.

If business is good, the monthly income might be more than what someone with a regular job earns.

Compared to the vast rural areas, and the farmers who toil in the fields from dawn till dusk, he was far superior.

It is precisely because money can solve most problems in life and make it easier to find happiness that society inevitably becomes materialistic.

Those who are already wealthy will want to earn more money driven by desire, and will definitely consider their own people first when there are benefits. So why would they take the initiative to get rich first and help those who are still rich?

"Dad Zhao Lichun is right!"

"To be a good leader, you must have a strong heart!"

"Otherwise, if you only have a heart that pities the world but no ability to change the lives of ordinary people, then you're in trouble!"

"We must walk the road one step at a time! We must eat our food one bite at a time! A moderately prosperous society cannot be built in a day!"

"Making a great nation of over a billion people prosperous and strong is not something that can be accomplished overnight!"

"It will take a lot of time and money to improve the quality of the people, enhance infrastructure, improve laws and regulations, and optimize the system to develop productivity."

"Otherwise, even if money is given directly to everyone, ordinary people will spend it all in no time. Without control of the means of production and without any skills, it will be difficult for them to continuously acquire wealth, and they will ultimately be harvested by the rich!"

"Therefore, for a long time to come, we must still focus on revitalizing the country through science and education and upgrading industries, and seize high-end industries as much as possible. Only by improving the overall development and governance of the country can ordinary people have the conditions to live better and better lives!"

Zhao Ruilong looked ahead, a cool autumn breeze blowing in his face.

The pedicab, which had been traveling through the streets and alleys of the ancient capital for thousands of years, soon arrived at the Yanjing Hotel.

Zhao Ruilong got off the bus and gave them ten yuan.

Before the old man could bend down to find change, she walked straight towards the front door.

"Hey young man, I haven't given you your change yet!"

"No need, it's hot. Here, have a bottle of soda!"

This scene.

Ye Guangxuan, who was waiting at the restaurant entrance, could hardly believe his eyes.

He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.

After a close inspection and repeated confirmation, the young man who got off the pedicab was indeed Zhao Ruilong...

"Ruilong!!"

Ye Guangxuan exclaimed in surprise and quickly came out to greet him.

Standing next to her, Ge Anlin immediately frowned.

what's the situation?

The Zhao Ruilong that Ye Guangxuan and he were supposed to greet actually arrived by pedicab.

Zhao Ruilong, whose net worth is already in the trillions, should be riding in the Land Rover M9 that he designed and developed himself, right?

"Sister Xuan!"

Zhao Ruilong smiled and shook hands with Ye Guangxuan.

"You...how did you get here in a tricycle? Where are your guards?"

Ye Guangxuan held Zhao Ruilong's hand, his face full of disbelief.

She knew, of course, that Zhao Ruilong, who was highly valued by the higher-ups, had long been a key figure to be protected.

A technology giant that can increase the country's foreign exchange reserves by hundreds of billions of US dollars and create jobs for tens of millions of people.

How could I let him wander around the streets alone, especially riding in a pedicab...?

“I came to Yanjing yesterday morning on short notice, and I only had one plane ticket, so they didn’t come with me.”

"Huh? Jingzhou didn't come along, the Secret Service should have arranged for guards here to protect you! How could they leave you alone..."

Ye Guangxuan suddenly noticed that a plainclothes officer wearing headphones was watching him from a distance, so he immediately stopped talking.

If they could think of the problem themselves, how could the Secret Service not have thought of it?

In fact, ever since Zhao Ruilong left the Handong Liaison Office in Beijing in the morning, they had been taking turns protecting him in secret.