Chapter 260: Public Welfare Project Initiated!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After a wild night, Zhou Chao finally got up from bed at 10 o’clock, while Jiang Li had already gone to work early in the morning!

“Today is a good day, and everything I wish for will come true!” Zhou Chao had already moved from the bedroom to the kitchen, wearing shorts and a waist apron, making breakfast while swaying to the rhythm of a song.

A few minutes later, Zhou Chao walked out of the kitchen with a plate of fried eggs and milk in hand!

“Wow, it’s been a while since I cooked, and my cooking skills are still so amazing!” Looking at the two soft-boiled eggs on the plate, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but praise himself.

Just as he was about to take a few bites, his phone placed in the living room started ringing!

“Really, it always happens at the wrong time!” Zhou Chao reluctantly put down his utensils and walked towards the living room!

Looking at the name displayed on the phone, Zhou Chao was a little surprised and immediately answered the call!

“Hello, Uncle Ye!” The caller was Ye Zhengfeng, who was far away in Peng City.

“What are you busy with, why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Don’t tell me you’re still in bed at this hour!”

Hearing Ye Zhengfeng’s gentle complaint, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but smile.

“Uncle Ye, I was just cooking in the kitchen, and 1 didn’t have my phone with me!”

“Yeah, let’s get straight to the point. Do you remember what you talked to me about when you came to my office before?”

Zhou Chao thought for a moment at Ye Zhengfeng’s words, and the scene from before flashed through his mind, finally coming into focus.

“Uncle Ye, are you referring to the bicycle matter? Have you had discussions about it on your end?”

“Yeah, after some discussion, we all agreed to entrust this batch of bicycles to you. You won’t be charged any fees for this. Additionally, these bicycles can only be used for public welfare and not for profit. You must be clear about this!”

“Uncle Ye, you know me. 1 don’t care about this small amount of money!” Hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Ye Zhengfeng remembered that Zhou Chao had already become a billionaire, so he wouldn’t care about such a small profit.

“You rascal, you don’t have to remind me! By the way, if you use them for public welfare, you must ensure their quality. If there are any quality issues, I’ll see how I deal with you!”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Ye!”

“Yeah, that’s it for now. I won’t disturb your meal. I’ll hang up!” Zhou Chao, looking at the hung-up call, took out a cigarette from his pocket and started smoking!

“I wonder how those car-chasing youths are doing now!” Zhou Chao’s thoughts unconsciously returned to the time when he and Lin Wu drove on Route 318.

“I also wonder how those students in Batang are doing! Sigh, damn it!” While Zhou Chao was lost in thought, the cigarette in his hand had unknowingly burned down to the filter, and he accidentally burned his hand.

Hastily extinguishing the cigarette butt in his hand, Zhou Chao remembered the soft-boiled eggs he had cooked earlier.

“Oh damn, my eggs!” He stared at the now cold eggs, his whole being in a state of disbelief.

“Well, I’ll just have to make do!” Using chopsticks, he quickly devoured the two fried eggs and finished the cold milk as well.

After tidying up the kitchen and washing his hands, Zhou Chao took out his phone from his pocket and called Ling Chen.

The phone rang several times before Ling Chen finally answered the call.

“Boss! Is there something you need?”

“Of course, there’s something. Why else would I call you?” Hearing Zhou Chao’s complaint, Ling Chen, who was in his office, couldn’t help but pat his own forehead.

“Boss, please go ahead!”

ii

First, there are two things 1 need you to do. The first one, you need to arrange it immediately. It’s about what I told you yesterday, poaching talent!”

“Poaching talent? Boss, didn’t you find the right people yesterday?” Ling Chen was a bit surprised. If the boss himself couldn’t poach talent, who could?

“I’m not just poaching one person. I want to recruit all the high-level talents from universities, including graduate students, masters, and PhDs!”

Hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Ling Chen was a bit stunned. The boss wanted to recruit all of them? Those talents who had been carefully nurtured by the universities? How could they agree to that?

“Boss, even if you want to, you still need the approval of the university authorities. Otherwise, it won’t be possible!”

“I’ve already thought about that. 1 only told the university president that 1 needed to hire people, but 1 didn’t specify what kind of people. And he has already agreed. So now, I want you to arrange for an investigation, and screen out the talents we need for our group and other tech companies as soon as possible. Try to complete this task quickly so that we can start recruiting at the university. Oh, and about the donations I mentioned earlier, have the company’s finance department transfer the funds when we go to the university for recruitment!”

Ling Chen immediately understood that the boss had outsmarted the university president. He couldn’t help but smile wryly, silently praying that the president wouldn’t get angry when he found out the truth later.

“I understand, I’ll arrange it right away! Boss, what about the second matter?”

“The second matter is that you inform Xiao Wei and the relevant executives. We’ll have a video conference this afternoon to primarily discuss an important issue!”

“Sure, Boss. What time should I schedule it for this afternoon? I’ll inform Xiao

Wei.”

“Let’s schedule it for 2:30 in the afternoon.”

“Alright, Boss. Is there anything else for now? If not, I’ll hang up!”

“Yeah, you can hang up.” Zhou Chao tossed the phone onto the couch and then opened the window of the balcony, gazing at the distant sun.

Zhou Chao was standing by the window and decided to check his system inventory. He looked at the inventory, which only contained a lithography machine, and couldn’t help but express his frustration.

“System check-in!”

“Congratulations, host, for checking in and receiving a real estate gift package in Modu!” Zhou Chao looked at the gift box in the inventory with a somewhat helpless expression.

“What’s the use of checking in for a house? Am I going to sleep in a different house every day?”

Zhou Chao complained, but he was still curious about what kind of houses might be in the package—perhaps villas, large flats, or duplexes?

“Open the real estate gift package!”

“Congratulations, host, for obtaining Building 13, Hua Zhou Junting Building K in Dongjiao N0.1!”

Zhou Chao took out the property certificates for the two villas from the system and found that the villa’s area was very large, and their locations were close to each other.

“I wonder if they’ve been decorated. After the meeting this afternoon, I’ll go check the situation!” Zhou Chao murmured to himself and then put away the property certificates.

Time quickly passed, and it was already 2:30 in the afternoon. Zhou Chao had already opened his computer in the study. Before long, Ling Chen pulled him into a chat room, and to his surprise, he saw Jiang Li staring at the camera with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

Without any delay, Zhou Chao activated his camera, and he appeared on everyone’s computer screens. His sudden appearance briefly surprised Jiang Li.

“Boss, everyone is here!” Ling Chen informed Zhou Chao as he entered the room.

“Alright, let’s get down to business. When I was in Peng City, I learned that there is a batch of abandoned shared bikes, and there are quite a few of them, approximately 20,000 in number. The City Committee has already discussed and is planning to entrust us with these bicycles. My plan is to use them for a public welfare project. The City Committee strongly supports us, so I want you to come up with a concrete plan for this!”

Zhou Chao quickly summarized the situation and then grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the side, taking two big sips to ease his throat.

He continued, “1 plan to refurbish and inspect this batch of bicycles and then donate them to children in remote areas. What do you all think?”

“Boss, your idea is fantastic, but putting it into action could be quite tough. Just getting started with the research will be time-consuming, and in some remote mountainous regions, the road infrastructure is still underdeveloped. Moreover, even if roads are present, many of these areas aren’t safe for children to ride bicycles due to the high accident risk.”

Xiao Wei’s words immediately dampened Zhou Chao’s intentions. The entire chat room fell into silence, with even Jiang Li looking at Zhou Chao with concern, afraid that he might be discouraged.

“1 am aware of this issue, which is why I called for this video conference today. 1 want everyone to discuss and come up with any good suggestions. As the saying goes, ‘Two heads are better than one,’ and we are all elite professionals here.”

Zhou Chao’s words brought some liveliness back to the chat room, with everyone contributing their thoughts and ideas. However, no one came up with a useful solution.

“Leaders and colleagues, perhaps we should conduct on-site surveys first and then, based on the local conditions, create a specific plan that aligns with the circumstances. Although this may be time-consuming, it is the fastest and most practical approach,” Jiang Li cautiously voiced her opinion, and suddenly, the previously heated chat room fell silent again.

Zhou Chao, upon hearing Jiang Li’s words, finally found a glimmer of hope. He realized that most of the people in the chat room had never been to remote areas, and their suggestions were largely based on speculation. Hence, the majority of their proposals were negative.

“That’s a good point!” Zhou Chao had to acknowledge his wife’s wisdom.

“We should indeed conduct on-site investigations, taking local conditions into account. Who among you will be responsible for this?”

As Zhou Chao finished speaking, Jiang Li’s voice rang out.

“I’ll go!” She said it with determination, which even made Zhou Chao raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“Why are you so insistent? You should stay at home and not run around. What if you get injured or something?” Zhou Chao was taken aback by Jiang Li’s sudden reluctance.

“Don’t worry; I’m used to this kind of thing. Nothing will happen!” Their intimate exchange left several of the philanthropic executives puzzled.

Zhou Chao understood that once Jiang Li had made up her mind about something, it was challenging to change it. He didn’t want to disappoint her, so if she wanted to go, he’d allow it.

“Alright, you can go. Pick someone from the company’s executives to accompany you. 1’11 arrange for Lin Wu to lead a team to ensure your safety.”

“Well, I love you, hubby!” Jiang Li happily cooed at Zhou Chao after hearing his approval to conduct the survey. Only after saying this did she realize that everyone else in the chat room, including Ling Chen and Xiao Wei, was dumbfounded.

Zhou Chao cleared his throat, trying to bring the distracted individuals back to reality.

“You all know Jiang Li’s identity, so that should be enough information. 1 don’t want to hear about it elsewhere. Also, Xiao Wei, arrange for an executive to accompany Jiang Li. 1’11 handle the exact departure time.”

“Yes, Boss!”

“Alright, let’s adjourn the meeting!”

The meeting ended, leaving the philanthropic executives still a bit surprised by the sudden turn of events..