Chapter Thirty-two Presidential Suite, on the big bed, for the first time.

  Yeh Hao Dong: "It's not good to be too familiar with someone you don't know well, let's just be passing acquaintances. I can tell you're interested in me and want to ask about my business, but unfortunately there's nothing worth talking about."

  Hu Jianping: "Is Hao Dong brothers from Gangcheng?"

  Ye Haodong nodded silently, his eyes drifting towards Hu Jianping's son: "The little baby is so cute, how old is he?"

  Hu Jianping looked slightly embarrassed: "It's been fifteen months."

  Hu Jianping was born into a prestigious family, with refined speech and an extraordinary temperament. In his former circle, he has always been a unique figure. He refused the career path arranged by his family and semi-arranged marriage, instead becoming a special commentator for Xinhua News Agency and a freelance writer, marrying a beloved girl from a humble background in Pingyang and having children with her. Although the halo of his teenage genius has faded somewhat until today, every step he took was a blockbuster bombshell in the circle, attracting attention and being a focus of news. It can be said that from birth to now, for thirty years, he has never been so overlooked.

  Ye Haodong also felt a bit too sensitive, and smiled apologetically at Hu Jianping: "Actually, I really don't have anything good to say, please don't take offense."

  "You're right, I was too blunt in my question earlier. It's especially taboo for someone in your line of work to speak so frankly."

  Hu Jianping's wife pinched him secretly, and Hu Jianping pretended not to notice.

  Ye Haodong furrowed his brow, then immediately relaxed: "People in our line of work are all over the country, there's nothing new about it. If you really want to hear, let's just chat with each other. You talk about your stuff, I'll talk about mine, but first let's agree that once we leave this place, neither of us will recognize the other."

  Hu Jianping was delighted: "Great, then you can tell me how you became the Hawthorn Brother in their mouths."

  Ye Haodong said in a flat tone, "Because I once killed someone in self-defense. In our circle, this is called 'stabbing and hanging', which is the most heinous behavior. So they are somewhat afraid of me."

  "So that's how it is."

  Ye Haodong: "Is Hu brother just playing with his pen?"

  Hu Jianping was slightly surprised: "How did you know?"

  Ye Haodong: "You are left-handed and often write with a brush."

  This time, Hu Jianping didn't feel surprised. He was very appreciative: "You're not old, but your observation skills are really impressive." As a member of his own family, he naturally knew his own characteristics. His left hand had calluses on the index finger, thumb, and middle finger from years of practicing brush calligraphy.

  Ye Haodong's vision made Hu Jianping ignore his age, and the two of them chatted happily along the way.

  When he heard that Ye Haodong was going out to investigate the southern paper market and incidentally sell the special paper and copperplate paper accumulated in the factory, Hu Jianping suddenly thought of something and said: "I happen to have some friends in the publishing and printing circles in Shencheng and Nanyue, maybe they can help you."

  Met a noble person on the way out, Ye Haodong was overjoyed. This Hu Dage, who had a falling out with his family for love and freedom, didn't expect to have such energy.

  Six days later, after a transfer, the train arrived in Shencheng.

  Ye Haodong first accompanied Jiang Lan to school for registration, and under the arrangement of the school, he completed the admission procedures step by step and moved into the dormitory. Ye Haodong himself found a nearby inn to stay in.

  In the first few days in Shanghai, Jiang Lan didn't have much to do, she actually came to school ahead of time on purpose. Some things were bound to happen between the two of them. As university students and adults, on the eve of the new semester, Jiang Lan did not return to her dormitory, wanting to stay behind and spend the night with Ye Haodong. Ye Haodong was extremely excited about this and insisted on completing their first time together in a small hotel. In the presidential suite of Shanghai's famous Jinjiang Hotel, the enchanting night scene, luxurious room, loving couple, all the conditions were ripe for igniting youthful passion.

  In the room, on the big bed.

  Jiang Lan's naked body nestled in Ye Haodong's arms, whispering softly: "You have to always love me like this, no matter what happens in the future, we'll be together like this."

  Ye Haodong breathed heavily, bent down, and spread Jiang Lan's legs apart...

  Jiang Lan: Ow... ah... don't pull it out, just go slower...

  The next morning, Ye Haodong woke up to find Jiang Lan snuggled up in his arms, sleeping soundly. He remained still, using one hand to gently caress Jiang Lan's smooth and delicate skin. Jiang Lan was already close to 1.7 meters tall, and apart from her figure, her skin was the most beautiful thing about her. Ye Haodong thoroughly enjoyed this moment of warmth and intimacy.

  Jiang Lan felt Ye Haodong's caress and woke up, opening her eyes to see her lover's gentle gaze staring at her. She recalled the pain and joy her lover had brought her the night before, and being in an age prone to emotional turmoil, despite having just experienced intimacy for the first time, Jiang Lan couldn't help but feel a surge of spring-like emotions. Ye Haodong was more than happy to oblige, and they indulged in another round of passion.

  As he sent Jiang Lan back to school, just as her figure disappeared from view, Ye Haodong suddenly felt a pang of melancholy in his heart. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders had increased, and at the same time, there was a sense of loss and disorder that lingered.

  Next, Ye Haodong made a few phone calls home. Since he last visited Shencheng, this was the second time his mother had received a call from her son from afar. A mother worries when her child is thousands of miles away, so it was only natural that Wang Lin was overjoyed to hear that her son was safe and sound. Excitedly, she mentioned to Ye Haodong that Ye Hao had already been assigned work and had earned over 900 yuan in his first month on the job. Ye Haoyun had been admitted to graduate school and would be continuing her studies there. Wang Lin's own unit was about to undergo reforms and was encouraging employees to either buy out their seniority or apply for medical retirement. Wang Lin herself was inclined to buy out her seniority, but Ye Haodong disagreed with her decision and advised her to apply for medical retirement instead. In the end, Wang Lin went along with her son's suggestion.

  The phone call to Zhu San'er brought a not-so-good news for Ye Haodong, that Ye Haodong had heard of his reputation countless times but never met him, Er Xinzi was back in Gangcheng. Although nothing has been stirred up for the time being, however, everyone who mixed on the road of Gangcheng knew that this guy would not give up easily, and Ye Haodong's little brat was in trouble this time.

  Ye Haodong is now deeply in debt and has too many things to worry about. His most important task at the moment is to lead the newly established Xingye Paper Mill through its crisis. The Xin Guang District government has given him only three months, and if he cannot turn a profit by then, he will likely face bankruptcy. The bank loan and the 6 million yuan paid by Song Haodong are all part of this restructuring deal, and without it, these two sums alone would be enough to send him back to prison for further study.

  Shen Junfeng was no stranger to Ye Haodong after Hu Jianping's introduction. As the deputy factory director in charge of procurement at Shencheng Printing Factory, he held a unique position in the industry. He was particularly familiar with the paper market. When he met Ye Haodong in person today, despite being mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be shocked by Ye Haodong's youth.

  In the elegant and quiet environment of Starbucks, Ye Haodong sat on the second floor by the window, his body relaxed against the chair, with a fragrant coffee brewing on the table, his eyes gazing outside, a faint smile on his face, his expression revealing a thoughtful intent. Shen Junfeng carefully sized up the young man in front of him. Calm, introverted, neatly dressed, and approachable. It was really hard to imagine that such a likable young man would be an underworld boss.

  Shen Junfeng sat down opposite Ye Haodong: "You're Ye Haodong, right? He stretched out his hand and introduced himself politely: Shen Junfeng. Master Hu should have mentioned me to you."

  Ye Haodong hastily stood up, maintaining the smile he had cultivated for a long time: "Ye Haodong, you must be Director Shen. Brother Hu introduced me to come and pay my respects."

  He used honorific language when referring to Shen Junfeng, but when mentioning Hu Gongzi in front of Shen Junfeng, he called him "Hu Dage", using the right tone to address the other party and giving them enough respect. At the same time, he naturally clarified his relationship with Hu Jianping. Ye Haodong's performance can be said to be both reasonable and beyond Shen Junfeng's expectations.

  Shen Junfeng said straightforwardly: "The price of copperplate paper is around 7,000 to 7,500 yuan per ton. A single sheet of 200g, 889mm x 1194mm large-format copperplate paper costs about 2 yuan. Although the current market situation is not very clear, I still have a good outlook for it. In developed Western countries, mainstream flat media such as newspapers, magazines, and advertising prints are mostly made with this type of paper. Our country's demand in these areas is mainly concentrated on mid-to-low-end paper products, so it's indeed difficult to sell the paper produced by your factory domestically."

  Ye Haodong was surprised and delighted, never expecting that pile of "waste paper" in the warehouse would be so valuable, and even more surprising was that the big shots in this industry seemed to have little confidence in his ability to sell the paper.

  "What channels are there for our country to use copperplate paper now?" Ye Haodong asked, somewhat unwillingly.

  "Currently, the domestic use of copperplate paper is mainly for book and magazine covers, a few high-end fashion magazines and some special promotional materials, but the usage is very small. Generally, they already have fixed suppliers, and you haven't entered this market before, so your credibility and strength are not recognized. It's difficult to open up the domestic market."

  Ye Haodong: "Isn't there any other way?"