Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 288, Section 286: The Golden Body is Initially Formed (3.3k)

After bidding farewell to the group of leaders, Zhou Mingyuan and He Min got back into the business vehicle for their return journey.

In the private space, the assistant almost instantly shed her composed and calm facade.

She couldn't help but turn around to face Zhou Mingyuan, her bright eyes wide open, her chest heaving slightly, and her face flushed with disbelief.

"President Zhou! President Zhou!"

"Are we about to take off?"

"The titles of 'Pilot Project for Innovative Community Governance' and 'Advanced Unit in Safe Community Construction' are very prestigious honors, aren't they?"

"They will also be commended at the district-wide political and legal work conference."

He Min clenched her fists, extremely excited.

Although she didn't pass the civil service exam, she has a great deal of knowledge about the system after serving as the student union president for so long.

He Min was also well aware of many things hidden beneath the surface of the water.

"It's not bad."

Zhou Mingyuan didn't react much.

"The data and case studies are there, and they have seen the value of the model; it's a natural progression."

"Will it happen naturally?"

He Min pouted, her eyes shining like the surface of a lake.

"It's obviously awesome, okay?"

"We now have an officially certified prestigious title! This is a golden robe bestowed upon us by the district committee and government, especially the Political and Legal Affairs Commission!"

The girl couldn't hide her joy as she started the car.

"When we go out to discuss business in the future, this brand will be the best endorsement. Besides, when our competitors see this, they'll probably have to think twice about what they're doing behind the scenes."

"OK OK."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and interrupted his assistant's reverie.

"I need to attend the awards ceremony, so remember to pick out a nice outfit for me."

"no problem!"

The following day, the scene of the 2014 Political and Legal Work Conference of East Lake High-tech Development Zone.

The annual awards ceremony for outstanding achievements in political and legal affairs was held in a large activity center in the High-tech Zone.

The venue was brightly lit, red flags fluttered on the stage, and the slogan "Safe New Area, Rule of Law First" on the backdrop was solemn and eye-catching.

Below the stage sat a densely packed group of law enforcement officers and representatives from various relevant units, all sitting upright.

The host held up an award speech card, and his voice, delivered powerfully, resonated throughout the venue via the sound system.

"Comrades, next, we will solemnly commend the advanced units and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the construction of a safe community and the comprehensive governance of communities in our district in 2014."

"In the past year, East Lake High-tech Development Zone has actively explored new models of social governance, and a number of exemplary models have emerged that dare to innovate, are courageous in practice, and have achieved remarkable results."

"Among them, there is an emerging legal service organization that has deeply integrated professional legal expertise with grassroots policing work from a unique perspective, building a new mechanism for police-enterprise cooperation. This has achieved groundbreaking results in resolving grassroots conflicts, reducing the number of petitions, and improving public safety and satisfaction!"

The host's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"After rigorous review and approval by the District Party Committee and District Government, it has been decided to award Mingli Legal Consulting Company the title of 'Pilot Unit for Community Comprehensive Governance Innovation in Donghu High-tech Zone'! At the same time, it is also recognized as an 'Advanced Unit in Safe Community Construction' in Donghu High-tech Zone for 2014!"

"Now, let's give a warm round of applause to Mr. Zhou Mingyuan, founder of Mingli Legal Consulting Company, to come to the stage to accept the award!"

A wave of applause swept through the entire auditorium.

The spotlight seemed to have a soul, precisely locking onto the center of a figure in the front row who responded to the sound.

Zhou Mingyuan calmly stood up.

Today he changed into a tailor-made navy blue suit, the cut of which was perfect, clearly outlining his broad shoulders and narrow waist, neither too tight nor too loose.

The shirt collar was pure white, and the tie was impeccably tailored.

The man first nodded slightly to the audience, then strode steadily toward the podium.

The spotlight followed him closely, and at a glance, he exuded a powerful aura and radiated brilliance, possessing a maturity beyond his years.

Who could tell that he was just an eighteen-year-old boy?

At the center of the stage, Li Jianguo, a political and legal official from the High-tech Zone, and another deputy secretary, each held a bronze plaque and a certificate covered with red velvet cloth, smiling as they waited for him.

Zhou Mingyuan walked up to the two leaders, leaned forward slightly, and solemnly accepted the bronze plaque and certificate with both hands.

During the handshake, Secretary Li seemed to whisper something to him.

This scene was captured in real time by multiple cameras and projected onto the huge LED screens on both sides of the venue.

At this moment when the spotlight was focused, several delegates in the back of the venue were frozen in their seats as if under a spell.

"Zhou Mingyuan?"

"Am I seeing things?"

The court system is quite different from many other units within the system.

Court personnel are not very mobile; they are generally only transferred within the same or higher-level jurisdiction.

Just like now.

Wang Lei, a judge's assistant in the First Civil Division of the East Lake High-tech Development Zone Court, gaped wide enough to fit an egg, his eyes fixed on the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the center of the large screen.

He didn't even notice when his phone, which was lying next to him, fell to the ground with a thud.

He stared intently the whole time, then tugged at his equally dumbfounded colleague next to him.

"Old Zhang! Old Zhang, look! Am I seeing things?!"

"Isn't that Zhou Mingyuan on stage, the one who interned at the Hongshan District Case Filing Division this summer, the one with such strong social skills?!"

The one called Lao Zhang is the same as him.

They were all police officers transferred from Hongshan District to East Lake High-tech Development Zone.

He's always been a slacker, and he's never been interested in meetings, awards, or honors.

But with the face on the screen right in front of him, Old Zhang rubbed his eyes hard, adjusted his glasses, and leaned closer to the screen to look at it again and again, his voice even changing tone.

"Holy crap! It really is Zhou Mingyuan!" "Isn't Zhou Mingyuan still in school? We were having our farewell dinner together just a few months ago!"

"When did he become the CEO of Mingli Company? And how did he receive such a high honor from the district?"

"Fuck you, am I dreaming?"

"How is this possible?!"

Shock.

Countless shocks.

Although it's often true that once someone leaves the system, they quickly fade into obscurity, some people always manage to leave a lasting impression.

For example, Zhou Mingyuan.

In their memory, Zhou Mingyuan was still that law school freshman who wore a simple T-shirt and jeans, had good work ability, and was someone they could trust to do anything. He would secretly be happy if he managed to snag a piece of braised pork while eating in the cafeteria.

They are young people who need guidance from their older brothers and sisters, and belong to the category of juniors and students.

They were interns with whom I had a brief interaction.

But what about right now?

Who is this young entrepreneur who shines brightly on stage, chatting and laughing with law enforcement officials, and receiving the attention and applause of the entire audience?

Where has the Xiao Zhou I remember gone?

The stark contrast is hard to accept.

It was so huge it was almost absurd.

It's like seeing a baby who was just learning to walk yesterday suddenly become an Olympic champion today.

It's like seeing the neighbor's kids playing in the mud suddenly standing on the podium to receive a national science and technology award.

"Holy shit!"

Wang Lei was already incoherent. He couldn't help but take out his phone, his fingers trembling, and started snapping photos of Zhou Mingyuan, who was displaying medals and certificates on the big screen.

"I have to post this on WeChat Moments, it's fucking outrageous!"

"Don't let me be the only one surprised."

As soon as the meeting ended, and before Zhou Mingyuan had even completely stepped off the stage, Wang Lei had already carefully selected nine photos.

There are photos of Zhou Mingyuan walking towards the podium under the spotlight, close-ups of him receiving the medals and certificates and shaking hands with the leaders, several panoramic views of the venue, and a huge screenshot of the LED screen.

The accompanying text was filled with extreme shock and a sense of pride and amazement.

[Having lived for thirty years, I've finally witnessed a real-life version of "thirty years east of the river"—the founder of Mingli Company, who received two honors at the district-wide political and legal work conference, turned out to be a law school freshman who was interning in the case filing division of the Hongshan District Court just a few months ago.]

[Back then, I even showed him around the case filing system, and we even fought over braised pork together in the cafeteria! Can anyone tell me what happened in the timeline?]

This post on his WeChat Moments was like a supernova thrown into a calm lake, quickly igniting his entire social circle within half an hour.

Comments kept pouring in, one after another, too many to keep up with.

[Li Xu, Case Filing Division, Hongshan District Court]: Holy crap! Really?!

Wang Lei, did you Photoshop that picture?
Xiao Zhou is indeed very capable, but this is too surreal, isn't it?

[Intern Xiao Ma]: While we're still struggling to prepare for the bar exam, others have already reached the pinnacle of their lives?
[Old Zhao from the Enforcement Bureau of Hongshan District Court]: Amazing, truly amazing! The younger generation is indeed formidable!

[A friend from a local procuratorate]: Awesome! This young man is awesome! This is what it means to apply what you've learned; this is another way for legal professionals to be!

[Wang Yingdan, Deputy Chief Judge of the Case Filing Division]:
[Clerk Qu Huihui]: Huh? ??? ???

The number of likes grew exponentially, and the exclamation marks in the comments section almost overflowed the screen.

Especially some of Zhou Mingyuan's mutual friends, they simply couldn't express their feelings at that moment using a keyboard.

How did the intern I personally mentored become the big boss of a legal consulting firm?

Is this right?
Meanwhile, in Unit 1 of Building A2 in Shanshui Huating, the living room of the 5th-floor resident was also brightly lit.

A cup of Americano sits in front of Li Zhi, her laptop open, as she frowns at the vast amount of data.

Where can I find research on "pig butchering scams"?

"I can't find it anywhere."

With little progress on her thesis proposal, and faced with Han Qiulan's frequent questions, Li Zhi could only work hard silently at night.

It wasn't until after 10 o'clock that the short-haired girl finally found some time to rest. She stretched and finished the rest of her coffee in one gulp before settling into the sofa.

Beneath her nightgown, her fair legs crossed, and she reached out to grab her phone, her gaze naturally falling on the screen.

[Little Lychee! Do you know what's going on with Zhou Mingyuan lately?]

[Lychee, lychee, lychee! Are you there?! Come out now~]

Can I gossip with you a bit? I remember you and Xiao Zhou are quite close, right? How exactly did he manage to do that?

What is Li Zhi doing?

Did you see Wang Lei's post on WeChat Moments? Wow, that's explosive! Are you still in contact with Zhou Mingyuan?

Do you know what Zhou Mingyuan's family does? Is he a second-generation rich kid?

The moment she swiped the screen, Li Zhi discovered a ton of new messages on WeChat.

Almost all the new information came from old friends.

Old friends of the Hongshan District Court.

Eh?
what happened?

Why are so many people asking about Zhou Mingyuan? What's going on?

So, following the clues, she quickly found a post on WeChat Moments that had received a lot of likes and comments from a mutual friend.

The first image in the nine-square grid immediately caught my eye: Zhou Mingyuan's sharply defined face, and the moment he received the medal from the district leader on the podium.

The man had curved eyebrows and eyes, and his eight small white teeth shone brightly under the spotlight.

It looks like he won an award?
The short-haired girl's eyes widened immediately.

(End of this chapter)