Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

An Xiaohai thought for a while and finally simulated a Hong Kong IP address, entered the Hong Kong Galaxy Technology Forum, registered a new account, and logged into the forum.

It went very smoothly, without any barriers or restrictions.

An Xiaohai first browsed around casually, roughly analyzing the forum's hierarchical logic and the programming modules it might use.

The forum's structure is very simple. As long as the tools and modules are sufficient, An Xiaohai can even build a forum with the same structure in two or three days.

Because of its nature as a science and technology forum, the forum is divided into more than 30 sections based on different disciplines.

An Xiaohai quickly browsed through several professional main forums. The posts were mostly about technical issues and the level of discussion was quite high. However, some of the replies contained sarcastic and insinuating remarks.

An Xiaohai knew that if this forum had some kind of filtering function, then such a filtering function would definitely not be superficial, but would most likely be calculated by an algorithm based on the user's browsing history.

In other words, they won't look at what you say on the forum, but rather what you do. This can't be rushed; a certain amount of data needs to be generated to support the algorithm.

An Xiaohai started browsing the forum aimlessly, and he would linger longer on posts with distorted viewpoints and obvious biases.

An Xiaohai would also pick out posts that interested him to read, but he was far less likely to click on those than on the other type of posts.

He doesn't post, reply, or leave comments. When he sees some particularly distorted arguments, An Xiaohai will first give it a like, and then cancel it after ten or twenty seconds.

When he sees some particularly extreme comments, An Xiaohai will reply with a "yes" comment, but he will delete it very quickly.

An Xiaohai knew very well that these actions would be recorded clearly by the website, and this IP was playing the role of a promising talent that they desperately needed.

If my guess is correct, as long as he persists like this for a while, someone will naturally try to contact him.

Two hours later, there was a knock on the door.

"President Chen, report from No. 1: Zhao Gang is on his way and should arrive within half an hour," Zhou Xun said with concern in her eyes. An Xiaohai looked extremely haggard, with fine bloodshot eyes.

"Okay, let's get ready and set off!"

An Xiaohai called Mai Xiaoyu over and asked her to dress him and Zhou Xun up. Then the three of them headed straight to a nearby Fuwang Grain and Oil store.

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Zhao Gang's face was dark. He walked ahead with his hands behind his back, his expression heavy and his eyes full of worry. The head of Fuwang Grain and Oil Haixi Provincial Headquarters followed behind him, his head down and silent.

Starting early in the morning, Zhao Gang made unannounced visits to more than ten stores, and the situation in most of them was very bad.

The waiters in the store were very lazy and arrogant, and even argued with customers in front of him.

Although it was called an undercover investigation, Zhao Gang knew very well that the people below couldn't possibly be unaware of what had been said at the meeting. The fact that they still had this attitude under these circumstances showed that no one was even bothering to pretend anymore.

Zhao Gang was helpless in the face of this.

The group's finances are already very tight, with profits declining every month. Less money is coming in, but the expenses are just as high. Of course, the hard-won funds must be used to ensure that they are reinvested in production.

Therefore, Zhao Gang had no choice but to cut employee benefits, which naturally caused dissatisfaction among the staff.

Although the restructuring has been going on for several years, people's mindsets haven't changed. They still think that with a secure job and the government's safety net, such a large company like Fuwang Grain and Oil can't possibly go bankrupt.

But Zhao Gang knew in his heart that things were different now! If things continued like this, Fuwang Grain and Oil's ultimate fate would be bankruptcy, restructuring, and dismantling.

In reality, officials like Zhao Gang are not significantly affected; they can simply move to another place to continue their official careers. It is the ordinary workers who are truly left without a place to live.

Zhao Gang had said this many times in front of many people, but he couldn't change anyone's mind. Zhao Gang was very angry and couldn't understand why everyone was like this!

Only two grain and oil stores remain. These are also Fuwang Grain and Oil's two largest and most profitable stores in Nancheng City. Perhaps things will be better here…

Zhao Gang thought to himself silently.

After turning a corner, the grain and oil shop appeared in front of him, but Zhao Gang suddenly stopped.

"Mr. Zhao, what's wrong?" asked the head of the South City headquarters behind Zhao Gang, surprised.

"Wait! Old Sun, step back a bit, let's wait a little while!" Zhao Gang pulled Old Sun back around the corner, while he himself stuck his head out to look towards the grain and oil shop.

Zhao Gang wasn't looking at the grain and oil shop, but at the food stall opposite it. He saw two familiar figures sitting at the stall, namely An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu.

"Isn't that President Chen and Secretary Xiaoyu? What are they doing here?..." Zhao Gang frowned deeply.

In Zhao Gang's opinion, it was very strange that An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu were here, especially since they were sitting at a roadside stall. How could these two people be the kind of people who would eat at a roadside stall?

Zhao Gang noticed that An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu seemed to be completely focused on the grain and oil shop across the street; it was easy to see if one paid a little attention.

"The target has sensed the breeze. I repeat, the target has sensed the breeze. He is observing from the street corner. Report complete!"

The report from Number 1 came through the earpiece, and An Xiaohai nodded almost imperceptibly.

Just then, two middle-aged women carrying two buckets of oil and some seasonings walked out of the grain and oil store. An Xiaohai immediately gave Mai Xiaoyu a wink, and Mai Xiaoyu began to carefully write it down in a small notebook.

"Mr. Zhao, what's wrong?" Old Sun looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on, so he asked tentatively.

"Old Sun, have you seen those two people?" Zhao Gang asked, pointing to An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu at the roadside stall.

"I see them, are they the man and woman? What's wrong with them?"

"Let me tell you, that man's surname is Chen. He's a big boss, I heard he's in the energy industry. I met him at a party a while ago. Those Hong Kong businessmen treated him with utmost respect. He seemed to be somewhat interested in our group, but there were too many people that day, so I didn't have a chance to have a deep conversation with him."

"Oh, that's great! If he's willing to invest in us, then everyone's bonuses for next month are secured!" Old Sun immediately perked up, rubbing his hands together as he spoke.

Zhao Gang gritted his teeth and remained silent, sighing inwardly. Everyone was only concerned with immediate gains, and it seemed that no one was truly thinking about the future. This was undeniably a tragedy.

Call ~

Zhao Gang let out a long sigh of relief, gritted his teeth, and continued reading without saying a word. Slowly, he finally began to understand something.

An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu were probably tallying the store's revenue, which ignited a strong sense of hope in Zhao Gang's heart.

First, at the club, when Zhao Gang raised his need for funds, An Xiaohai remained remarkably calm, almost impassive! An Xiaohai's reaction can be interpreted in two ways:

One reason is that he has absolutely no interest, so no matter how big Zhao Gang's appetite is, An Xiaohai doesn't care; the other reason is that the amount he proposes is not a large sum of money for An Xiaohai, and is completely within his means.

Zhao Gang originally thought it was the former situation, but now it seems that it is more likely the latter!

Secondly, An Xiaohai personally visited the store with his secretary, a move that was highly appreciated by Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang was, after all, the CEO of a large state-owned enterprise. He had seen all sorts of situations and all kinds of people.

There are many talented and capable people, but they are often arrogant and boastful. They are more good at talking big, but few can actually settle down and do things practically.

An Xiaohai displayed remarkable composure, employing the most basic method to assess Fuwang Grain & Oil's profitability. While this method may seem rudimentary, it is the most effective.

Finally, Zhao Gang greatly admired An Xiaohai's introverted, pragmatic, and highly proactive nature. He decided not to waste time talking to him, but to assess his abilities first before discussing anything else. If he didn't think much of him, he wouldn't even mention it.

Such people are the ones who truly accomplish great things and are capable of doing great things!

In that instant, Zhao Gang's evaluation of An Xiaohai rose several levels.

An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu kept recording the transaction history. When they got thirsty or hungry, they would just grab something to eat at a roadside stall. They continued like this until 7:30 p.m. when the grain and oil shop closed. An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu did not leave, but instead began to tally up the data they had recorded.

Zhao Gang stood at the corner and watched them silently. The more he watched, the more he admired them. He had been worried that An Xiaohai would not observe for a long time, which would lead to inaccurate data.

It's important to know that the number of customers at a grain and oil store varies greatly at different times of the day, but An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu practically sat there for the entire day.

However, the more An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu acted this way, the more uncertain Zhao Gang felt. What if they came to a conclusion and completely lost interest in Fuhai Grain and Oil?

Once someone like that has reached a conclusion and made up their mind, it is very difficult for others to sway them.

"Hey Mr. Chen, why isn't Zhao Gang here yet? I'm exhausted!" Mai Xiaoyu asked softly, biting her lip.

"He's conflicted, he's worried about losing him," An Xiaohai smiled slightly, "but it should be about time, if he doesn't come soon we'll be leaving."

Besides, he must be hungry; maybe he'll treat us to a nice meal later.

"Ah!..." Mai Xiaoyu stared in disbelief, then couldn't help but punch An Xiaohai twice: "Why didn't you say so sooner? I just ate two bowls of wonton noodles!"

"Hey, Secretary Xiaoyu, can you please stop being so ambiguous with me? Old Zhao might think I'm a frivolous person who's wasting his life..."

"What did you say?" Mai Xiaoyu's gaze turned dangerous.

"I'm sorry! I was wrong!" An Xiaohai immediately backed down.

Zhao Gang stretched his numb legs and realized that his stomach was growling loudly. Old Sun had already left because he couldn't stand it anymore.

Seeing that An Xiaohai and Mai Xiaoyu seemed to be about to leave, Zhao Gang gritted his teeth and finally walked out from around the corner.