The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 288 Two People, Two Stages
Zhao Xiaochui landed on both feet and, under the cover of night, quickly blended into the shadows of the street corner.

A moment later, he appeared at the junction, which was full of South American flair.

He was no longer the young man who enjoyed himself during the day. Now, his hair was gray, his eyes were sunken, and every step he took was a faltering gait of old age.

He was wearing a faded windbreaker, and in the foreign night, he looked all alone, making it difficult to tell what country he was from.

The night in Bogotá is filled with the unique chill of the Andes Mountains and the hustle and bustle of the city. The rhythm of Latin music drifts from afar, the cries of street vendors rise and fall, and occasionally a motorcycle roars by, breaking the silence.

Zhao Xiaochui, however, seemed detached from the situation. His gaze pierced through the neon lights and traffic, fixed on the brightly lit area in the distance—where Richard Keaton's office building stood.

He didn't take a taxi; he just moved forward slowly, step by step. When he reached the last street leading to the office building, a surge of heat coursed through his body.

On the last stretch of road, Zhao Xiaochui was greeted by the sights of a German Heckler & Koch MSG-90 sniper rifle equipped with a silencer.

It is 21:48.

…………

Meanwhile, in Beijing, at the top-floor banquet hall of the Park Hyatt Hotel.

The dazzling crystal chandelier illuminated the entire space as if it were daytime, and the air was filled with the luxurious aromas of haute couture perfumes, full-bodied cigars, and top-quality champagne. Elegant attire and glimpses of people enjoying themselves.

"ladies and gentlemen!"

The host's magnetic voice echoed through the banquet hall, and after a lengthy opening speech, the evening's main event finally began.

"Please welcome Ms. Wei Lan, CEO of Yuanfang Capital!"

Applause erupted like a tidal wave, and spotlights instantly converged on the entrance to the banquet hall.

Led by two hostesses in cheongsams, Wei Lan, dressed in a well-tailored dark blue evening gown, gracefully entered the venue.

Her long hair was pulled back, revealing her slender neck, and the diamond necklace she wore around her neck sparkled with dazzling light.

She smiled, her eyes confident and composed. Countless cameras were pointed at her, flashes going off one after another, making her seem like the center of attention.

She nodded slightly to those around her, gracefully responding to every gaze, whether admiring or envious. She basked in the spotlight, enjoying the glory that came with her success.

At that moment, at the beginning of that scarlet carpet, she was the center of the entire banquet hall, the focus of all eyes, and the epitome of success and glory. Wherever she went, there was applause and praise, as if the whole world was cheering for her.

…………

Zhao Xiaochui, male, 19 years old, professional massage therapist.

The owner of a small business owns a massage parlor and employs over a hundred people.

With his superb skills, he has saved the lives of many people, including sanitation workers, technical investigation experts, and educators; he has saved the careers of many people, including a successful businesswoman, a national-level HR professional, an Olympic weightlifting champion, and a phenomenal film star; he has cured the chronic diseases of countless neighbors and enabled countless wealthy women to achieve a qualitative leap in their quality of life.

Since its establishment, Zhao Xiaochui's company has contributed nearly 10 million yuan in taxes and profits to the country. The generous benefits he provides have not only directly benefited more than 100 employees' families, but also indirectly improved the plight of hundreds of grassroots textile workers' families for a short period of time.

For society, Zhao Xiaochui embodies "altruism" and "win-win" principles. Through his own efforts and skills, he created employment, and his wealth accumulation is based on his direct contribution to society. Wei Lan, female, 32 years old, Executive Director and CEO of Yuanfang Capital.

A powerful woman in the investment world, she spearheaded the investment in "Ugly Donkey" and assisted Leng Xiao in the strategic layout of the Hundred Regiments War, ultimately making it a monopolist in the industry.

With her keen business acumen, she defeated dozens of competitors in the fierce battle of capital; through precise bankruptcy acquisitions and asset restructuring, she saved local logistics companies on the verge of collapse, recovered order losses for tens of thousands of suppliers, and enabled millions of small and medium-sized businesses to access the era of digital operations.

Ugly Donkey's expansion directly created over a million rider jobs, stabilizing the last-mile delivery system for the catering, retail, and other industries nationwide;
By acquiring dying companies, she prevented the complete evaporation of tens of billions of dollars in assets and revitalized the business ecosystem in some regions.
Under her leadership, Yuanfang Capital has paid over several billion yuan in taxes and indirectly created a job market of millions through investment and incubation.

Her achievements are too numerous to describe even with ten times the length of Zhao Xiaochui's introduction. Of course, there is another side to the coin—the victory of "Ugly Donkey," promoted by Wei Lan, means the bankruptcy and closure of countless small and medium-sized group-buying websites.

Tens of thousands of employees lost their jobs, and countless small businesses went bankrupt due to broken cash flow and squeezed market share, destroying their dreams, savings, and even family life.

The essence of "financial reception" and "corporate bankruptcy resale" is to use capital advantages to carry out predatory acquisitions, malicious competition, and even use financial means to accelerate the bankruptcy of competitors, and then acquire their high-quality assets at low prices for resale.

Essentially, it is "harvesting" rather than "creating," shifting risks and costs to society and the lower classes while concentrating profits in the hands of a few capitalists.

This leads to the sensitive issue of CF centralization...

All of this, for Zhao Xiaochui, if he didn't provoke him, he only felt admiration for Yuanfang and Weilan.

Because, like Wei Lan, he strived with the initial intention of 'selfishness,' all in order to live a better life.

Zhao Xiaochui's path to success is from the bottom up; while Wei Lan's path is from the top down, based on vested interests.

These two diametrically opposed paths were destined from the very beginning to unfold in a life-or-death struggle in this resource-scarce arena.

So on this night...

Zhao Xiaochui, who toils in the soil from the bottom up, nurturing life, is facing the aim of two sniper rifles.

Wei Lan, who can manipulate events from top to bottom in the cloud but may leave behind a mess, is under the spotlight of the media's cameras and microphones.

…………

21:59 minutes.

The aged Zhao Xiaochui was taking a break at the corner of the office building. The suspicious aiming of the sniper rifle had disappeared, but Zhao Xiaochui still felt that someone was staring intently at him from behind a window on the second floor.

“I ‘saw’ him.”

Zhao Xiaochui pulled out the small national flag he had snatched, covered it with his hunched body, and deftly folded it into a strip.

"Hey buddy, do me a favor."

"What can I do for you, please tell me." The voice from the backstage trembled slightly, and there was even a sound of swallowing. The field agent monitoring the office building had already sent back the news, and he already knew how terrifying the security arrangements inside were.

(End of this chapter)