Chapter 123: You Are Our Hero
After hanging up, Chen Jinhe sat in his chair, pondering for a moment before calling his secretary into the office. "Bring Li Zaiqiang to me."
Li Zaiqiang had been enjoying days of leisure at Zise Mining—eating and sleeping for free, with a dedicated driver and guide taking him sightseeing. Life was relaxed, and he could genuinely feel the company's hospitality.
But deep inside, he was getting anxious. After all, he had come here for work, and before any deal was finalized, all the sightseeing felt like a distraction.
When he was finally summoned to meet with Chen Jinhe, he straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes and entered the chairman's office.
"Brother Li, you're here," Chen Jinhe greeted him warmly at the door, closed it after letting him in, and they spoke in private for over an hour.
When Li Zaiqiang emerged, his hands and legs were slightly trembling.
He walked to the end of the hallway and stood on the balcony, looking out at the vast sky in the distance.
His hands still shaking, he pulled out a seldom-used phone—the one that rarely made calls or received them—and dialed Zhou Zhenxing's number.
In his mind flashed Zhou Zhenxing's slightly hunched figure.
If Captain Zhou received this news, would he faint from shock?
"Hello?" On the other end, Zhou Zhenxing answered from a landline, unaware of who was calling.
"It's me, Li Zaiqiang," he said, his voice quivering.
"Are you taking a cold shower?" Zhou Zhenxing joked, hearing the shakiness in his voice.
"I'm at Zise Mining headquarters."
"Of course—I knew you went to talk business with Zise," Zhou chuckled.
"Captain Zhou, I need to tell you something." Li Zaiqiang's tone turned solemn.
"Go ahead."
"Just now, Chen Jinhe told me that Zise Mining is going to sign a 50-million-yuan exploration contract with us."
"Fifty million?!"
Clang!
Crash…
Zhou Zhenxing jumped from his chair, banged his knee on the underside of the desk, staggered backward in pain, and then tripped over his chair, falling to the ground.
He lay on the cold cement floor, grimacing.
"Captain Zhou, are you okay?" Li Zaiqiang heard the commotion through the phone, including a loud thud—likely the sound of the receiver hitting the desk.
The coiled phone cord dangled off the desk, swinging back and forth.
Zhou Zhenxing didn't answer immediately. He grabbed the receiver again and pulled it to his ear. "Say that again?"
"Zise Mining is going to sign a detailed exploration contract with us. The total contract amount is 50 million. The first phase, this year's work, is 10 million."
By now, Li Zaiqiang had calmed down from the initial shock.
He understood perfectly how Zhou Zhenxing must feel. No one understood better than them what such a massive contract meant—not only for Geological Team 101 but for the entire Qianzhou Provincial Geological Bureau.
This would take the whole bureau straight to a moderately prosperous life in one step!
It felt like a gift from heaven—divine intervention!
"As winter approaches, we'll get as much work done as possible this year. Once the snow melts in the spring, we'll resume the project, and the contract will continue," he added.
"Fifty million…"
Zhou Zhenxing muttered, sitting on the floor and grinning foolishly. "Li Zaiqiang, you're not pulling my leg?"
"I just came out of Chen Jinhe's office. He personally discussed the main terms of the contract with me."
"What do I need to do now?"
Zhou Zhenxing's brain was so overwhelmed by excitement that he blanked out for a moment.
"Captain Zhou, you need to bring our team's official stamp and the bureau's stamp here. It'd be best to bring Director Han with you so you can sign the formal entrusted exploration contract with Zise Mining."
Li Zaiqiang's mind remained clear. "Once we sign and receive the preliminary exploration funds, we'll immediately head to the Ali region of Tibet to begin fieldwork. There's not much time left before winter hits, so we have to move fast!"
"Good, good, good…"
Zhou Zhenxing snapped out of it. "I'll go report to Director Han right away. This is too important! If we land this contract, we won't need to worry about projects for years! Li Zaiqiang, you're a living bodhisattva for our team—we'll have to build a shrine to honor you! You secured such a massive project!"
"Heh." Li Zaiqiang chuckled. "I don't feel like I did much."
"This was probably all Li Tang's doing behind the scenes, wasn't it?" Zhou Zhenxing immediately suspected.
"I don't know." Li Zaiqiang had the same thought but no proof. "He went to Huazhou Province. He's not in Jian'an anymore."
"Li Zaiqiang, you raised a good son!"
"I think so too," Li Zaiqiang said, pride welling up inside.
"When you get back, I'll have the whole team come pick you up. You're our hero!"
"No need."
Back in his office, Zhou Zhenxing gently placed the receiver on the desk. Overwhelmed with excitement, he slammed his fists on the ground and let out a triumphant roar: "Heaaaah!"
The shout startled everyone in the neighboring office.
"Captain Zhou, are you okay?"
"Captain Zhou, did you drink?"
"Hurry, someone help him up!"
They saw Zhou still sitting on the floor, his chair overturned, papers scattered everywhere. A group of people rushed over to help.
"I'm fine."
Zhou Zhenxing didn't feel embarrassed at all. He waved off the helping hands, stood up by himself, and despite the stabbing pain in his knee and backside, he couldn't stop smiling.
"Driver, Old Wang, quick—we're going to the bureau headquarters!"
Qianzhou Provincial Geological Bureau.
Director Han Dexun sat frozen in his chair after hearing Zhou Zhenxing's report, looking like a wooden statue.
"Fifty million?"
"Yes!"
"A direct contract?"
"Yes!"
"I'm thrilled… but I feel like I can't breathe."
"Director Han, do you have a heart condition?"
"No, just shortness of breath. Pinch my arm for a second—make sure I'm not dreaming."
Zhou Zhenxing really pinched him, hard enough to leave a bruise.
"Ow!" Han Dexun yelped. "You really pinched me?"
"It's real!"
Zhou Zhenxing couldn't sit still. He got up and started pacing in circles. "Director Han, I'm so excited I feel like eating this chair."
"Calm down," Han Dexun was also trying to cool himself down.
"Everything's going our way lately!" Zhou Zhenxing continued pacing, ecstatic. "Director Han, I have a suggestion—from now on, every team in the geological bureau should build longevity shrines for Li Zaiqiang and Li Tang, and burn incense daily!"
In such a serious institution, this kind of superstition sounded absurd.
Han Dexun laughed, the tension breaking. "Our priority now is to organize a team and get the stamps to Jian'an immediately. I'm calling a meeting—let's mobilize everyone!"
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