Not everyone with princess syndrome is a woman; sometimes, it can be a man.
Ma Hongtu was one such individual.
Originally, the Ma family held a certain prestige in Modu.
Coupled with the Ma family's decades-long relationship with the Chen family of Modu, ever since Ma Hongtu took over as the general manager of the biochemical research institute, he had been held in high regard wherever he went and whoever he met.
People either treated him with deference or extraordinary courtesy.
This had cultivated in him a "princess syndrome" typically associated with women.
The so-called princess syndrome is:
I am the absolute center; what I want, you must give me; what I want to do, you must help me accomplish; I don't care what you think, only what I think!
Therefore,
Having a severe case of princess syndrome, should Ma Hongtu, representing Director Chen, have come to Si Jiu on New Year's Day to find Li Qianfan, would Li Qianfan have been expected to show him sufficient respect and readily agree to his requests?
However.
Li Qianfan not only publicly told him, "Spit it out quickly and then scram"; his paramour, without even giving Ma Hongtu a chance to explain his purpose, left with Li Qianfan five minutes later.
If anyone were Ma Hongtu, could they tolerate such neglect?
Did Li Qianfan truly believe he was still the feared heir of Long Xu from days past?
Did Su Nan Guanyin truly believe, as the scandal festered, that she still held a unique position within the circle of the wealthy elite!?
What was even harder for Ma Hongtu to accept was—
After he had been utterly humiliated and forced to return to Modu in shame, Director Chen not only did not champion him for his "grievance" and seek retribution, but instead, with unprecedented sternness, severely reprimanded him!
He had foregone his New Year's holiday, traveled to Si Jiu with great effort, failed to complete the task assigned by Director Chen, and was subsequently scolded or lectured by Li Qianfan, Su Nan Yin, and especially Director Chen. Ma Hongtu felt so heartbroken that he couldn't sleep all night.
Subconsciously, he began to view Li Qianfan and Su Nan Yin as enemies.
He particularly loathed Su Nan Yin!
After all.
Ma Hongtu's visit to Li Qianfan had absolutely nothing to do with that woman, so why should she have jumped in to humiliate Ma Hongtu?
Last night, while tossing and turning, Ma Hongtu cursed the couple until dawn, and even included the introducer, Meng Yue, on his blacklist.
Yet—
This morning, Ma Hongtu received another call from Director Chen, instructing him to contact Li Qianfan again.
Director Chen had made it clear on the phone: "Please ask Li Qianfan if he can come to Modu on the ninth day of the lunar new year. I want to have a face-to-face discussion with him about donating bone marrow genetic samples to assist international biochemical research institutions in developing a global vampire antidote."
Ma Hongtu, of course, readily agreed.
After ending the call with Director Chen, he immediately used the contact information provided by Director Zhao to dial Li Qianfan's mobile phone.
However, when relaying Director Chen's request—
He very "authoritatively" informed Li Qianfan that he *must* go to Modu on the ninth day of the lunar new year, or face the consequences!
Both Director Chen and Ma Hongtu wanted Li Qianfan to go to Modu on the ninth day of the lunar new year.
But their methods of expression were diametrically opposed.
Without a doubt.
Ma Hongtu was taking the opportunity to sow discord with Li Qianfan!
He hoped Li Qianfan would disregard his "command," thereby once again disrespecting Director Chen.
Li Qianfan had already disrespected Director Chen once, and the magnanimous Director Chen, while slightly displeased, wouldn't have gotten angry over it.
But what if he were to disrespect Director Chen again?
If Director Chen were to get angry, it would signify that the entire elite circle of the coastal economic zone had become displeased with Li Qianfan!
Li Qianfan had already lost the support of the northern elite circle. If he were to become a common "enemy" of the coastal economic zone elite circle, what good fortune could he possibly expect?
"Heh, dare to disrespect me."
After delivering his ultimatum to Li Qianfan, Ma Hongtu, at home, let out a slight cold chuckle, his eyes filled with malice.
Based on Ma Hongtu's prediction, Li Qianfan, who would undoubtedly refuse to come to Modu on the ninth day of the lunar new year, would surely incur Director Chen's strong dissatisfaction, and thus be "finished."
Ma Hongtu merely needed to sit back and watch how Director Chen would deal with Li Qianfan, and perhaps add fuel to the fire at the appropriate time.
The next person he needed to deal with was Li Qianfan's paramour!
Dealing with a woman of considerable beauty—
"She has completely degenerated and won't care about her reputation or innocence anymore."
Ma Hongtu walked to the balcony, gazing at the city that remained unmoving even during the Spring Festival, with only the exhaust fumes from cars, inexplicably exuding a dead atmosphere. He pondered for a long time, stroking his chin.
He picked up his phone.
Soon, a respectful male voice came from the other end: "Director Ma, Happy New Year! What are your instructions?"
"Editor-in-Chief Yuan, Happy New Year."
After exchanging pleasantries with Editor-in-Chief Yuan, Ma Hongtu, in a particularly "subtle" manner, conveyed his intentions.
This Editor-in-Chief Yuan was the head of a well-known domestic forum.
A well-known forum—
What would be the effect if an anonymous netizen posted gossip news about "a woman known as the 'Beauty Empress,' who, relying on her unparalleled beauty, dragged a certain young heartthrob down with her, only to become pregnant again," and this news was then reposted by hundreds or thousands of self-media outlets?
Regarding this.
Ma Hongtu was eager to see it unfold!
Editor-in-Chief Yuan, however, hesitated.
Editor-in-Chief Yuan merely wished to please Ma Hongtu; he himself did not have princess syndrome and understood that the "Empress" and the "young heartthrob" were not people to be trifled with by just anyone.
If he followed Ma Hongtu's wishes and made a public spectacle of the matter, what would be the reaction of the "Empress" and the "young heartthrob"?
Never mind the gossip information provided by anonymous netizens!
The problem was, how did this gossip information pass the review and appear on the platform?
Once the incident occurred, Editor-in-Chief Yuan would undoubtedly be held accountable.
"Editor-in-Chief Yuan, after dinner tonight, I'll invite President Chen of the Charity Foundation to join us."
Ma Hongtu said lightly, "I recall when we dined together last time. You mentioned that your wife's younger brother was very interested in Di Shui Chou and hoped to invest with capital if the opportunity arose."
Upon hearing this, Editor-in-Chief Yuan immediately agreed: "Alright! Director Ma, we've agreed, my wife's younger brother Xiao Cetian must treat tonight!"
Director Ma smiled.
At 6:30 PM.
In a private club on the Bund, with a small footprint but exceptional in its decor, service, and clientele,
Ma Hongtu, Editor-in-Chief Yuan.
Editor-in-Chief Yuan's wife's younger brother, Xiao Cetian, and President Chen Zhouming of the Modu Charity Foundation.
The four of them sat in the best private room, clinking glasses and engaging in lively conversation.
Software (or rather, platforms) that conducts crowdfunding for disadvantaged groups to the public are generally non-profit in nature.
There is an old saying: "Some people's approach to life is, poisonous food can be eaten, but things that bring no benefit are absolutely not done!"
So.
Since crowdfunding software is non-profit, why would anyone engage in it?
Not to mention anything else.
Just the technical personnel required for software development, servers, and platform maintenance would necessitate a certain amount of capital.
The crucial point is—
Editor-in-Chief Yuan's wife's younger brother, Xiao Cetian, wants to invest capital in Di Shui Chou!
To say there were no benefits involved would be unbelievable.
From a purely economic perspective, early crowdfunding platforms would eventually transition into insurance companies when the time was ripe.
The profitability of insurance companies needs no further elaboration here.
In essence, Di Shui Chou, "developed and controlled" by the Ma family of Modu, aims to reasonably transform into an insurance company when conditions are met.
All current "acts of benevolence" are merely to enhance the platform's reputation and attract potential customer groups.
Many kind-hearted people, after seeing a patient on the crowdfunding platform who genuinely needs societal donations and donating generously, believe that their act of kindness will be delivered to the patient by the platform.
This is not the case.
The patient, upon seeing the money on the crowdfunding software, must submit an application to use it.
Only by submitting an application to a certain charity foundation linked to the crowdfunding platform would they have a chance to receive this life-saving money!
As long as an application is submitted—
The charity foundation, after a meticulous investigation (or perhaps without investigation, relying solely on subjective conjecture), might transfer the money donated by society to the patient's designated account; or they might reject it!
If a patient's application is rejected for not meeting the foundation's assistance criteria, will this charitable donation, intended to help the patient, be returned to the donors?
What a joke!!
So, where will this money, which was supposed to help the patient, ultimately go?
Who knows—
Ghosts would say: "I don't know either."
The principle that where there is light, there is darkness is particularly evident in the realm of无偿捐赠 (uncompensated donations).
"Alas, Old Ma."
After several rounds of drinks, President Chen, clearly a bit tipsy, thought of something.
In front of Editor-in-Chief Yuan and his brother-in-law, he took out his phone, a wide grin on his face, and slurred, "Before I came, I found one on Di Shui Chou. Uh! A child with leukemia who, in just 12 hours of crowdfunding, received over a million yuan in donations. One user named 'Yao Fan' (咬帆) even generously donated a million!"
Before Ma Hongtu could speak.
Xiao Cetian, who had drunk the most tonight, blurted out, "Ah? No way! What kind of society is this, still having such fools! And what's even more ridiculous, President Chen, you said the donor who gave a million was named 'Yao Fan' (咬帆). Ha, haha. Yao Fan (咬帆) literally means 'begging for food' (要饭), doesn't it? A beggar! Hahahaha."
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongtu's brow furrowed slightly.
He detested Xiao Cetian's remark that the donor was a fool!
If it weren't for these fools—
What would Di Shui Chou and the charity foundation (primarily the charity foundation) eat, and what would they drink!?
"Cetian, have you had too much to drink?"
Editor-in-Chief Yuan was quite perceptive. Sensing Ma Hongtu's displeasure, he quickly reprimanded his brother-in-law in a low voice.
Xiao Cetian also realized he had said something wrong. He quickly raised his glass, stood up, and delivered a sincere self-criticism.
Given that Editor-in-Chief Yuan would help him publish a certain news story, and especially since Xiao Cetian was about to invest capital in Di Shui Chou, Ma Hongtu, in his magnanimity, forgave his indiscreet remark.
The gathering ended on a high note.
To express his sincerity in cooperation, Xiao Cetian, who left early with his brother-in-law, had also prepared small gifts for Director Ma and President Chen respectively.
The so-called small gifts were room cards for the club's deluxe guest rooms.
In each of the two rooms were two vivacious, delicate, and fresh-faced young ladies.
Such "small gifts"—
Both Ma Hongtu and President Chen were accustomed to them and accepted them with composure, without any hesitation.
After Editor-in-Chief Yuan and his brother-in-law departed.
Ma Hongtu cleared his throat and asked President Chen, "Old Chen, does that sick child meet all the criteria for funding assistance from the charity foundation?"
President Chen chuckled, "I think it's unlikely, hehe. After all, there are many country bumpkins who are most adept at feigning pity to garner societal sympathy."
Ma Hongtu also smiled.
They stopped discussing the topic.
After handing President Chen a cigarette, he changed the subject.
They chatted casually about entertainment gossip and various other topics.
After all, it was still early.
If they were to return to their rooms now, their bodies wouldn't be able to handle it!
Ma Hongtu blew a smoke ring and asked, "Old Chen, you said earlier that you just returned from visiting and paying New Year's greetings in Si Jiu this afternoon. Did you hear any interesting news there?"
"Hehe, the scandal has been laid to rest; the male lead of the scandal will be inviting guests to the female lead's home on the sixth day of the lunar new year; oh, on the first day of the lunar new year, the Miao family collapsed due to familial strife.
President Chen said with emotion, "And the domestically produced vampire antidote still isn't well-received by the market."
They chatted for another hour before tacitly parting ways.
The fourth day of the lunar new year!
At four in the morning.
A piercing siren tore through the pre-dawn darkness.
A blue and white vehicle stopped in front of a private club.
Several special agents quickly stormed into the club and proceeded to a certain guest room door.
"Everyone move aside!"
Upon seeing the special agents, the club owner hastily yelled at the gathered guests and employees to make way.
Before the lead special agent could enter the room, he heard a man's agonizing cry: "Old Chen, report to Director Chen for me! Tell him I was injured by someone Li Qianfan sent!"
The lead special agent strode into the room.
Seeing the man whose limb joints had been brutally shattered with a blunt instrument, his face immediately changed.
During the New Year, such a heinous crime had occurred.
Especially since the severely injured person was none other than Ma Hongtu of the Dongtu Biochemical Research Institute!
This case—
The lead special agent scratched the back of his head, indicating his immense headache.
He could only report to his superiors after the ambulance had arrived in a timely manner.
The sky finally began to brighten.
Bang—
At eight o'clock in the morning, Director Chen, who was preparing for his morning exercise, angrily slammed his hand on his desk after receiving a phone call, and whispered, "Arrogant, presumptuous, utterly insolent!"
Director Chen took a deep breath, suppressed his rage, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, a frown on his face.
After considerable thought.
He finally decided to wait until Ma Hongtu's surgery was completed before personally visiting him in the hospital to discuss the matter before making any further plans.
Ma Hongtu's limb joints had all been shattered by a blunt instrument.
If Hua Tuo himself were present, this surgery would likely take a considerable amount of time!
In any case, by the time Ma Hongtu was finally wheeled out of the operating room, it was already dusk on the fourth day of the lunar new year.
Ma Hongtu, having just undergone surgery, was still under the influence of anesthesia and in a comatose state.
Upon learning this, Director Chen could only wait until he woke up tomorrow morning before visiting the hospital.
The fifth day of the lunar new year!
At seven-thirty in the morning.
Director Zhao, who was at his home in Si Jiu, was about to go to the restroom after his morning exercise when Grandma Zhao informed him that Director Chen of Modu had called about ten minutes prior.
Grandma Zhao only relayed the message and certainly wouldn't pry into why Director Chen was looking for the old man.
However—
When Director Zhao casually returned Director Chen's call from the living room telephone and exchanged pleasantries with a smile, his smile immediately vanished. Grandma Zhao pricked up her ears.
Because she heard Director Chen mention a person's name.
Li Qianfan!
As it concerned one of Grandma Zhao's favorite juniors, she broke her rules and leaned in to listen.
"Nonsense. How could Qianfan崽崽 possibly send someone to Modu to severely injure that surname Ma?"
Grandma Zhao muttered to herself. After Director Zhao frowned and quickly entered his study, she immediately picked up the phone and rapidly called Li Qianfan.
Qingyun.
In a top-floor suite at the Victoria Hotel.
Li Qianfan, who was sound asleep, was awakened by a frantic buzzing sound.
He groggily answered the phone and lazily asked, "Hello, who is this? What? You're Grandma Zhao."
After Grandma Zhao clearly announced herself, Li Qianfan sprang up, sitting bolt upright.
"Qianfan崽崽."
Grandma Zhao's voice was very low.
But she got straight to the point: "Tell Grandma the truth, did you send someone to a private club in Modu around 3:30 AM yesterday and shatter all the limb joints of Ma Hongtu from the Biochemical Research Institute?"