Maxing Out Charisma, Inheriting Game Assets Chapter 646: Meeting at the Summit — Tangjin Family Office

Mayor Li Jiping’s handshake with Tang Song lasted a full ten seconds.

In the ceremonious, etiquette-driven world of officials, that duration was practically the highest-level signal one could give to express closeness and esteem.

Following closely were other city government leaders, county official Zhang Chengming, Principal Liu Zengyin, and the like.

“Tang, Chairman! Welcome, welcome!”

“We’ve long heard of Rongliu Capital’s renown. I never expected the chairman to be someone from our Quancheng — truly the pride of our hometown!”

“Tang Chairman, you’re so young and capable. Please come back often and give our hometown guidance on development!”

One by one, local leaders who were considered big names here stepped forward, adopting extremely respectful postures to exchange brief greetings with Tang Song.

Tang Song, standing among them, kept a confident, composed smile on his face and handled everything with ease.

A buzzing murmur slowly rose through the crowd on the square — a sound that could no longer be suppressed.

He felt terrified inwardly and was grateful that the night before he had decisively pulled his nephew Zhou Hao away from Liu Qingning’s home.

If he had misspoken even half a sentence and offended this so-called “true deity,” he dared not imagine the consequences!

Beside him, Zhou Hao was breathing rapidly, his face pale, seeming unable to comprehend what was happening.

Not only them — others nearby who didn’t know the background were equally stunned by the scene.

As participants in the school anniversary who were considered “notables,” they all understood that if Mayor Li brought his core team to personally receive someone at a county high school’s anniversary in such solemn fashion, that person must be extraordinary.

“Yazi...this...that high school classmate of yours...I — I didn’t see wrong, did I?!” On the outskirts of the crowd, Sun Xiaonan was so excited she couldn’t speak coherently, clutching Deng Yazhi’s arm.

Only last night she’d been fantasizing with a lovestruck heart about meeting this “rich programmer,” thinking maybe something could develop.

But this scene...what programmer?!

Deng Yazhi pressed her dry lips together, her mind still blank; she could only murmur automatically, “It’s him...”

“Him...my god...what’s going on?” Sun Xiaonan kept babbling in a daze. “When the mayor introduced him just now, I heard...something like Chairman?”

“I don’t know either...” Deng Yazhi shook her head, staring blankly at Tang Song, who was being fawned over like a star at the center.

At twenty-six or twenty-seven, he wore a bespoke suit, his posture straight and handsome, his aura exceptional.

Among the slightly portly middle-aged officials he stood out like a crane among chickens.

In the winter sun he gave off a warm sheen; the whole person exuded the dignified composure and noble bearing unique to top-tier elites.

She could not connect the man before her to last night’s relaxed classmate who had chatted gently with her in a casual jacket; nor could she reconcile him with the boy Tang Song, sweaty in his school uniform on the basketball court, from her memories.

Yet his facial features, sharp energy, and expression seemed as if a special stamp had been pressed directly from those youth years onto this present-day man.

An unreal, dreamlike feeling washed over her.

At that moment, a low reprimand exploded beside her ear: “Deng Yazhi, what are you doing?!”

Deng Yazhi jolted back to reality and saw the program’s chief producer Liu Jianjun staring at her with a sullen face.

“What are you spacing out for? Were you given a camera to play with? Move it, follow along!”

Host Xie Xuan frowned and turned to her. “Yazi, pay attention! You’re an alum of Jing County Yizhong — that’s an advantage. Later, find a chance to come with me and see if we can get in touch with Minister Lin from the Propaganda Department. Try to secure a short exclusive interview.”

Deng Yazhi quickly lowered her head. “Sorry, Director Liu, Xuan— I...”

She had indeed lost her composure just now — Tang Song’s shock to her was too great and her head still buzzed.

Liu Jianjun shot her a dissatisfied glance, said nothing more, and refocused on Xie Xuan and the chief cameraman, his expression turning grave.

It was clear that the school anniversary had been used as the pretext to facilitate a major investment landing. If Mayor Li personally came to receive them, the visitor’s background had to be unimaginable. This was the core of their reporting mission — if their program could get first-hand exclusive in-depth coverage, their year-end awards would be almost guaranteed!

Besides their program Quancheng Observer, other official media were present: the City Daily, Quancheng Evening News, and others — they were competitors.

Deng Yazhi stood aside listening to the leaders’ arrangements, her daze gradually dissipating.

She took a deep breath, picked up her camera again, squeezed into the crowd, adjusted her angle, and pressed the shutter toward Tang Song in the crowd.

Click—

The shutter sounded crisp.

At the very instant the photo froze, as if sensing something, Tang Song in the crowd actually turned his gaze through the layers of people toward her inconspicuous corner.

He showed the exact same warm smile she’d seen last night and gave her a small nod, as if greeting her.

That tiny gesture made Deng Yazhi feel unexpectedly flattered.

Usually carefree in social settings, she suddenly felt awkward and at a loss.

Her cheeks flushed hot, and she didn’t know whether to respond or to lower her head.

At that moment the crowd stirred again.

Zhao Rui and Li Yunfan, who had been standing to one side, finally approached Tang Song by the introduction of school leaders.

“Tang Chairman, hello, hello!” Zhao Rui, whose face always carried a bit of elite arrogance, now wore a humble, enthusiastic smile. He bowed slightly and offered both hands. “I’m Zhao Rui, Class of 2014, now in the investment banking division at CICC. I’ve long heard of Rongliu Capital’s fame. I never thought the chairman would be an alumnus of our Yizhong — what an honor!”

“Tang Chairman, I’m Li Yunfan from Maixiangyuan! I’ve admired you for a long time; I hope you’ll look after us!”

Faced with these self-introductions from two outstanding alumni, Tang Song merely shook their hands casually and nodded politely without much small talk.

Yet Zhao Rui and Li Yunfan were unfazed; instead they grew more excited and honored.

Deng Yazhi stood nearby, dazed, watching this incredible scene.

Those two seniors who had seemed unreachable to her now appeared almost unequal in status before Tang Song.

The shock in her heart was beyond words.

The crowd began to move slowly.

Principal Liu Zengyin respectfully made a “please” gesture, leading the city leaders, Tang Song, and others toward the prepared VIP meeting room.

The packed crowd automatically parted to form a corridor.

The program crew hoisted their gear and prepared to follow for footage.

Director Liu barked softly: “Deng Yazhi, don’t space out again!”

Deng Yazhi, without time to think, shouldered her camera and notebook and squeezed behind host Xie Xuan.

Xie Xuan lowered her voice, “The man in the gray suit with glasses is Minister Lin. Make sure he sees us so that if there’s an interview opportunity it falls to our program.”

Deng Yazhi nodded and couldn’t help glancing at Tang Song as he approached.

As the distance closed, her heartbeat sped up.

Just as they passed Quancheng Observer’s group, his figure stopped.

Director Liu, Xie Xuan and the others held their breath.

But Tang Song’s attention landed on Deng Yazhi. He smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Yazi. I have a few matters to handle on my side — I’ll find you later and we’ll chat properly.”

Brush! Brush! Brush!

Almost instantly, every eye in the room — the mayor’s, the county official’s, the principal’s, Liu Qingning’s, and all her colleagues’ — focused on her.

Deng Yazhi felt her brain buzz and blood rush to her head.

“I-it’s okay, you go handle it first.”

Tang Song nodded once and continued forward.

Liu Qingning beside him nodded and smiled encouragingly as they left.

Deng Yazhi stood in a daze, overwhelmed by the complicated gazes around her.

Xie Xuan was the first to come close, her voice for the first time sweet and intimate. “Yazi, do you know this Tang Chairman?”

“He’s my high school classmate.”

“High school classmate...” Director Liu’s usually stern face now showed shock and enthusiasm. “High school classmate, that’s great! That kind of emotional foundation is solid!”

The program team snapped back to attention, but their looks at Deng Yazhi had completely changed.

From Tang Song’s behavior, at least toward Deng Yazhi he treated her very differently.

As Tang Song, Mayor Li, and the others’ figures fully disappeared, the alumni crowd finally erupted in heated discussion.

“That was one of our alumni too? Does anyone know him?”

“The mayor called him Tang Chairman and said he’s from Rongliu Capital? How is he so young?”

“Rongliu Capital? Is that a company from Yan Province?”

“No, it’s not. I just checked — it’s a top private equity fund headquartered in Hong Kong. Last month they set up a specialized mother fund with a total scale of ten billion dollars.”

“Ten billion... dollars?!”

“My god! Our Jing County Yizhong actually produced someone like this?!”

A chorus of incredulous exclamations rose from the crowd.

That figure exceeded what most people there could fathom.

Sun Xiaonan pulled out her phone and searched “Rongliu Capital,” then covered her mouth, tapped Deng Yazhi, and kept whispering “Holy crap.”

She then turned the phone screen toward Deng Yazhi.

Mechanically, Deng Yazhi looked down at the screen.

Headlines from top global financial media populated it.

“Kate Trust and Tangjin Office Co-invest, $10B Mother Fund Reshapes Asia PE Landscape.”

“Confluent Capital: A New Powerhouse Emerges in Hong Kong’s Financial Hub” — in parentheses, Rongliu Capital: an emerging giant in Hong Kong’s financial core.

Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and so on.

As a seasoned reporter with more than three years in the industry, she understood better than anyone what it meant to be pushed as breaking front-page news by those outlets at the top of the global information chain.

She stared as if watching a surreal commercial film starring her own high school classmate.

The crowd’s exclamations gradually subsided.

Guided by the school staff, everyone began filing into the main auditorium for the anniversary ceremony.

Deng Yazhi followed the program crew in a daze.

As media personnel they were seated in a designated media area at the front left, equipped with long lenses and an unobstructed view of every detail on the podium.

As time passed, more people filled the hall.

There were gray-haired retired teachers, warmly dressed successful alumni, and rows of neatly uniformed students organized to watch...

The atmosphere brimmed with solemnity and fervor.

Director Liu paced anxiously in the media area, glancing occasionally toward the VIP lounge.

Eventually he came over to Deng Yazhi.

The authoritative look had disappeared from his face, replaced by almost pleading earnestness.

“Little Deng, you and Chairman Tang are old classmates. With such a deep connection, could you try to find a way later to help our program get an exclusive interview?”

He paused and dangled a huge bait. “If you get this exclusive, I’ll guarantee you ‘City Outstanding Journalist’ in the year-end awards!”

Hearing an offer that had once seemed unreachable, Deng Yazhi could only smile wryly and shake her head. “Director Liu, I... I haven’t seen him in years. Our relationship isn’t as close as you think.”

Sun Xiaonan’s expression shifted as if to speak.

At that moment a slight commotion came from the media-area entrance.

Deputy Minister Lin Haisheng of the City Propaganda Department entered accompanied by a county propaganda officer.

Director Liu straightened like a spring and greeted him with a beaming face. “Minister Lin! You came in person!”

Xie Xuan and the others tidied themselves and greeted him excitedly.

Lin Haisheng nodded calmly, his expression consistently polished and erudite.

His gaze, however, passed over everyone and landed directly on the anxious young woman still clutching her notebook — Deng Yazhi.

“Little Deng, is that you? Deng Yazhi?”

“Ah...yes, it’s me. Hello, Minister Lin!”

Deng Yazhi bowed almost instinctively, her voice trembling with nervousness.

As Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department, Lin Haisheng was practically the ceiling of Quancheng’s media system.

The Propaganda Department controlled ideology and public messaging — television, city daily, evening paper, and all major local media in essence fell under its purview.

Even someone like Deputy Director Liu would be deferential in his presence.

Lin Haisheng addressed her kindly, “Little Deng, don’t be nervous.”

He paused, speaking deliberately slowly as if wanting her to catch every word.

“Just now Mayor Li and Chairman Tang concluded preliminary talks. The atmosphere was very harmonious and both sides reached a series of important cooperation consensuses. The mayor has instructed that a trusted media reporter should participate in the upcoming internal negotiations to handle visual records and subsequent reporting.”

Lin Haisheng looked at her meaningfully, his eyes conveying an instructive certainty. “Chairman Tang personally recommended you — he hopes you seize this opportunity.”

Those few words detonated through the whole media area.

Director Liu and Xie Xuan were stunned, their faces showing disbelief and ecstatic joy.

None of them expected that in talks of this caliber, they would invite this “invisible” reporter to participate in the core segment.

Deng Yazhi trembled slightly, breathing rapidly, her chest drumming like a drum.

She gripped her camera and forced her voice steady: “Minister Lin, I... I will do my best to complete the task!”

Lin Haisheng nodded in satisfaction and courteously gestured. “Come with me.”

Deng Yazhi hurried to follow him.

Passing through the envious gazes and down the red-carpeted corridor, she entered the negotiation room.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, the scene stopped her breath.

In the wide negotiation room, Mayor Li Jiping sat side by side with Tang Song, core city leaders flanking them.

Teapots and thick folders were arranged on the table.

The air felt solemn and weighty.

Tang Song sat quietly, composed, his brow free of restraint.

Next to him, Liu Qingning had shed her girlhood and displayed poised, commanding presence.

Seeing Deng Yazhi enter, Tang Song smiled at her — the same look she’d seen on the basketball court in high school, as if secretly passing her answers.

Liu Qingning offered an encouraging, friendly smile.

Deng Yazhi bowed quickly in silence.

Guided by Minister Lin, she took an inconspicuous spot along the wall in the negotiation area.

Nervously she adjusted her camera, hands trembling, and placed the recorder above her knees.

Soon the meeting resumed.

As the city leaders exchanged opinions, Tang Song spoke: “Per my plan, the first phase of the fund is 5 billion. The government guidance fund doesn’t need to invest much — symbolically allocate 500 million as an LP. Rongliu Capital will invest 2.5 billion as the cornerstone. The remaining 2 billion I will invite several domestic industrial capitals through my channels to jointly participate.”

The Development and Reform Commission director nodded eagerly. “Yes! Chairman Tang is right! Only then will top external funds follow through!”

Mayor Li pondered briefly and decisively stated, “The city will fully support this! Five hundred million — we will research budget arrangements immediately!”

Voices rose around the table.

While Deng Yazhi clicked shutter after shutter, her attention was increasingly riveted on Tang Song.

She watched him sit there, calm and articulate.

From the capital injection paths, to industrial implementation models, to plans for future talent training...

A vast, magnificent blueprint that could utterly change the city’s future unfolded before her.

In his measured narration she heard of an unprecedented grand concept called an “industrial-ecosystem mother fund.”

Rongliu Capital would use this as a lever to gradually pry in social capital from the nation’s top institutions at more than a tenfold multiple, channeling it into this inland city that capital had long neglected.

She also heard that the fund would upgrade Quancheng’s existing industries.

Help them break technical barriers and enter Tang Yi Precision’s global top-tier supply chain;

inject AI and new energy technologies into struggling traditional industrial companies and help them complete intelligent transformation;

and around a future project called Xuanji Optical World, build a full, hundred-billion-level intelligent hardware industrial chain on Quancheng’s soil.

Deng Yazhi felt her scalp tingle.

A hundred-billion-level industrial chain meant what?

Billions, even tens of billions in annual tax revenue that could fundamentally relieve Quancheng’s strained finances.

It meant tens of thousands of high-tech, high-paying jobs, giving countless young people who had left home reasons to return.

It meant that this stagnant old industrial city might get a true opportunity to leap forward.

The negotiation room buzzed with extreme excitement.

City government leaders had lost their earlier com