One Yuan First Recharge: I'm Actually the Boss Behind a Fortune 500 Company

And so, another four days passed.

It was exactly 3 p.m.

There are 17 hours and 30 minutes left until the event starts.

On the playground of Huamei International Primary School, a tense atmosphere, almost as if frozen, permeated the air.

Seven days, a full seven days of non-stop work.

All the preparations, arguments, overturning, starting over, and confirmations, all the sleepless nights, phone calls, and checklists... were finally all crammed into these last seventeen and a half hours.

Zhou Jianjun stood beside the stage in the center of the playground, holding not a thermos, but a stopwatch and a walkie-talkie.

He glanced at his watch, and his voice carried through the loudspeaker to every corner of the playground:

"Attention everyone! It's 3 PM now! There are 17 hours and 30 minutes left until the event officially starts at 8:30 AM tomorrow!"

"Each location must give a final report on their current status and remaining issues! I need to hear the most accurate information!"

His voice was steady, but he spoke twice as fast as usual.

A barrage of responses immediately came from the walkie-talkie, each voice tense and strained:

"Report from Supply Station One! 90% of supplies have arrived! The remaining 20 cases of sports drinks are expected to arrive at 4 PM!"

"Stage crew report! Main structure completed! Sound equipment is being tested, but two microphones have been found to have poor contact; the supplier has been contacted for immediate replacement!"

"Medical point report! Tents are set up, basic medicines are complete, but there are only two emergency oxygen cylinders, while the plan requires four!"

"Parking guidance team reporting! All signs have been installed, but the temporary roadblocks at the east entrance are not yet in place!"

"Volunteer Coordination Report! Currently, there are 18 volunteers present, and two more have not yet confirmed their participation. Backup recruitment has been initiated!"

Every report was like a needle, pricking everyone's nerves.

Zhang Wei was pacing anxiously by the stage; he had just hung up a phone call and his voice was already hoarse.

"Old Zhao! What time exactly will those adapters arrive?"

A voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Zhang, we're stuck in traffic! It won't be until 4:30 at the earliest!"

"4:30?" Zhang Wei glanced at his watch. "The rehearsal starts at 5:00! What am I supposed to bring for the rehearsal? Empty-handed?!"

"Mr. Zhang, there's really no way around it. There are events in three different locations across the city today, and the logistics system is completely overwhelmed..."

"I don't care!" Zhang Wei practically shouted.

"You figure something out! Add money! Send someone on a motorcycle to deliver it! I need to see it in the auditorium before 4:20!"

He hung up the phone, wiped the sweat from his face, and the walkie-talkie rang again:

"Mr. Zhang! A welding defect has been found at the stage truss joint! It needs to be fixed immediately!"

"What?!" Zhang Wei's expression changed drastically. "Which location?!"

"There are tiny cracks in the welds at the connection between the main truss and side supports at the top of the stage! They're not noticeable unless you look closely, but there might be a problem with the load-bearing capacity!"

Zhang Wei immediately ran back to the stage.

The stage has been set up, with a main structure measuring eight meters by six meters and a decorative canopy on top.

He climbed the ladder and went to the spot the worker pointed out—sure enough, there was a tiny crack about five centimeters long hidden under the paint.

"This is deadly!" Zhang Wei's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"There will be 600 people in the audience tomorrow, what if..."

He didn't dare continue, immediately pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling:

"Hey! Engineer Li! You fucking explain yourself! The stage truss has cracks! How did you inspect it in the first place?!"

The person on the other end of the phone was clearly panicked: "Mr. Zhang, that's impossible! We did flaw detection before the products left the factory..."

"Enough talk! I'm here! The crack is right in front of me!" Zhang Wei said in a low voice, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"I'm giving you one hour. Bring your people and your equipment, and come here to handle this for me!"

"Absolute safety is paramount! If anything goes wrong tomorrow, I'm telling you, we're both going in!"

"Coming right away! Mr. Zhang, I'll be there shortly!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Wei immediately shouted into the walkie-talkie:

"The stage area is temporarily sealed off! All personnel evacuate! Wait for the workers to arrive!"

"..."

Chen Ming's situation was more complicated. Five volunteer group leaders stood before him, quickly checking lists:

"Third group, how far is your supply depot (number three) from the medical station?"

"About three hundred meters, Brother Chen."

"Too far! If a child gets injured, it will take three or four minutes to run 300 meters!" Chen Ming quickly marked on the list:

"Adjustment! Transfer Xiao Wang from your group to Group 4, and transfer one person from Group 4 to your group. The positions of the two groups are swapped! Go and notify them now!"

"But Brother Chen, the list is already printed..."

"Reprint it!" Chen Ming interrupted him. "Check and reprint the entire list! Yu Xinxin! Come help!"

"OK!"

"..."

Lin Wei was squatting in the equipment area on the side of the stage. She wasn't there to check the design; Lei Zhen had dragged her there.

Lei Zhen pointed to the two spare speakers on the ground, his face grim:

"Lin Wei, look at this."

Lin Wei looked in the direction he was pointing—the speaker wiring was obviously worn, the rubber was cracked, and the copper wires were exposed.

"This is a safety hazard," Lei Zhen said solemnly.

"Tomorrow there will be power cords all over the place. If this damaged area comes into contact with water or metal, it could cause a short circuit or even a fire."

Lin Wei stood up and looked around.

There were at least a dozen temporary power lines laid on site, some running directly across the grass, and some even passing under the tents.

"All power cords must be checked." Lin Wei's voice was cold.

"Damaged items must be replaced immediately, and the passageway must be protected with insulating mats. Crossing points must be elevated."

She took out her phone and called the electricity supplier directly:

"Manager Sun, this is Lin Wei from Xingyue Media."

"We urgently need to allocate 20 meters of professional insulating mats, 30 power cord protective sleeves, and 5 rolls of waterproof insulating tape."

"It must be delivered to the site before 4 PM."

"Designer Lin, at this time..."

"Double the express fee," Lin Wei interrupted him, "but you must be there before four o'clock. If you're even a minute late, ten percent of the final payment will be deducted."

"I...I'll arrange it right away!"

Lei Zhen breathed a sigh of relief: "You're ruthless."

"There's no room for negotiation when it comes to safety." Lin Wei adjusted her glasses and looked at the cables being laid.

"Let's go, let's check them one by one."

"..."

Sister Wang was squatting in the tent of the temporary warehouse, with seven or eight lists spread out in front of her.

He pressed the calculator keys rapidly, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

Yu Xinxin trotted in: "Sister Wang, Brother Chen urgently needs a printer..."

"Wait a minute!" Sister Wang said without looking up. "Yu Xinxin, what was the last number of bib numbers you counted yesterday?"

"Six hundred sets! I counted them three times..."

"Then why are there only 570 sets in the warehouse now?" Sister Wang looked up, her eyes sharp behind her glasses. "Thirty sets are missing. Who handled this batch of goods?"

Yu Xinxin's face turned deathly pale: "I...I don't know...I sealed the boxes after taking inventory yesterday, and they were only opened this morning when they arrived at the site..."

"Check the surveillance footage." Sister Wang stood up. "There are surveillance cameras on the school playground. Go to the security office and retrieve the footage from this morning when the goods were being unloaded. Thirty sets of bib numbers is no small amount; they couldn't have just disappeared into thin air."

After she finished speaking, she picked up another form:

"Also, the number of emergency oxygen cylinders reported by the medical team is incorrect."

"The plan calls for four cans, but we only have two. What did the supplier say?"

"The supplier said...that oxygen cylinders are currently under control and they can't get any on the spot..." Yu Xinxin's voice trailed off.

Sister Wang took a deep breath, took out her phone, and said, "Give me the number, I'll call."

As soon as the call connected, Sister Wang spoke in a professional negotiating tone:

"Manager Li, this is Wang Li from Xingyue Media's finance department."

"I would like to confirm the order for emergency oxygen cylinders, contract number ST-0382."

"Sister Wang, we really can't get rid of that oxygen cylinder, you know how things are lately..."

"Manager Li," Sister Wang interrupted calmly.

"Article 9, Paragraph 3 of the contract clearly stipulates that if the supplier is unable to deliver goods on time and in the required quantity due to its own reasons, it shall pay a penalty of 30% of the contract amount and bear all losses caused thereby."

She paused, her voice growing colder:

"Our event had 600 participants, including 300 minors."

"If any accident occurs due to the lack of emergency equipment, how much do you think we'll have to pay in compensation?"

"And how much joint liability will your company, as the equipment supplier, bear?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Five seconds later, a hurried voice came:

"Sister Wang! Don't worry! I'll figure something out right away! Two hours! No, an hour and a half! I'll personally drive to get the goods! It will definitely be delivered before four o'clock!"

"Before 4:15," Sister Wang glanced at her watch. "I need to see four intact, expired emergency oxygen cylinders in the medical point tent. If you're even a minute late, I'll immediately initiate the breach of contract procedure."

"Understood! Understood!"

After hanging up the phone, Sister Wang looked at Yu Xinxin: "Go check the surveillance footage now. Thirty sets of bib numbers missing is no small matter; we must find out the truth. I'll give you twenty minutes."

"Okay, okay!"

"..."

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

There are 16 hours and 30 minutes left until the event starts.

The stopwatch in Zhou Jianjun's hand ticked away.

He stood on the high platform in the center of the playground, scanning every point with binoculars.

Good news kept coming through the walkie-talkie:

"Report! Remaining supplies for Supply Station One have been delivered!"

"Report! Safety hazards along the power lines have been identified and eliminated, and protective measures are in place!"

"Report! Parking lot roadblocks are in place and being installed!"

"Report! The last two volunteers have been confirmed; everyone is present!"

But bad news followed in quick succession:

"Manager Zhou! The rehearsal time needs to be postponed! The conversion interface for the auditorium hasn't arrived yet!"

"Manager Zhou! The weather forecast has been updated; there's a 30% chance of rain tomorrow morning!"

"Manager Zhou! The crack in the stage truss is being urgently repaired, but it will take at least two hours!"

Zhou Jianjun listened and quickly took notes, then picked up the walkie-talkie and spoke at a steady but unwavering pace:

"First, the rehearsal is postponed to 5:20. Zhang Wei, I'm giving you one last forty minutes to resolve the interface issue. If you can't, use the backup plan—temporarily bring the outdoor speakers into the auditorium. Although the effect will be compromised, the rehearsal must proceed."

"Second, the weather contingency plan is activated immediately. All outdoor equipment is fitted with rainproof tarpaulins, supply station tents are inspected and reinforced, and disposable raincoats are provided to all volunteers and staff. Sister Wang, urgently purchase 500 disposable raincoats, to be delivered before 6 o'clock."

"Third, Zhang Wei oversaw stage safety throughout the entire process. After the engineers completed their work, they were required to issue a written safety inspection report. During the process, no one was allowed to enter within ten meters of the stage."

Commands were issued one after another, like precise gears meshing together.

"..."

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

There are 15 hours and 30 minutes left until the event starts.

Zhang Wei finally saw the deliveryman on the motorcycle.

He practically snatched the box containing the adapter and ran towards the auditorium shouting:

"Stage crew! Someone come here! Install and test immediately!"

Meanwhile, behind the stage, two engineers were urgently reinforcing the crack.

The sparks from the welding were particularly dazzling in the twilight. Zhang Wei, while keeping an eye on the test in the auditorium, asked into the walkie-talkie, "Engineer Li, how's it going?"

"We are currently repairing the welding and adding a reinforcing plate. Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, the strength will be even higher than before after the treatment."

"I need a written report!"

"Understood! I'll leave immediately after I'm done!"