Zhang Kui, upon hearing his superior’s command, naturally dared not delay. He knew very well that his director’s superiors were indeed representatives of the highest authority in the ****.

Zhang Kui quickly dialed Wu Hao’s number. Wu Hao, who was chatting casually with Liu Ben and Hong Lei in the office, saw Zhang Kui’s call. He gestured to Liu Ben and Hong Lei before stepping aside to answer the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Kui said directly to Wu Hao, “Mr. Wu, our director would like to discuss something with you and hopes to meet again.”

“Oh! I see. No problem. When?” Wu Hao wasn’t too surprised, though he hadn’t expected the call to come so soon, as it had only been less than an hour since they parted.

“Our director hopes to meet you right away, at the same place we met earlier. Would that work for you?” Zhang Kui asked.

“That’s fine! I’m still in the city. Let’s meet at the same place in half an hour,” Wu Hao agreed immediately.

“Great, Mr. Wu. See you then!” Zhang Kui responded before hanging up.

After finishing the call, Wu Hao turned to Hong Lei and Liu Ben, saying, “You two go ahead and chat. I have something to take care of. We’ll have dinner later and continue our conversation.”

“Got it, got it! We all know you’re a busy man now, Hao-ge. If you’ve got things to do, go ahead. We’ll make sure to treat you well tonight,” Liu Ben joked.

Hong Lei smiled quietly from the side, not saying much.

“Alright, you guys pick the place for dinner,” Wu Hao responded, clearly unbothered by Liu Ben’s playful remark about treating him. Suddenly reminded of something, he added, “Oh, Liu Ben, since the new year is coming up, why don’t you invite everyone from last year’s reunion, and let the ones who missed it know as well. If they can make it, they should join. Let’s just treat tonight as this year’s reunion.”

Wu Hao’s meaning was clear: with the new year approaching, and since he hadn’t attended last year’s gathering, it was about time for their old classmates to meet up again. He figured they might already be waiting for him, their wealthy classmate from last year, to make the call.

Since Wu Hao had thought of this, and he happened to be in the city today with enough time before evening, he decided to spread the word. Anyone who could make it to the city in time would join, and with the new year so close, most people would have already returned from working elsewhere. If someone couldn’t make it because they hadn’t returned from their hometown or were elsewhere, it couldn’t be blamed on Wu Hao.

“No problem, Hao-ge! Honestly, if you hadn’t said anything, I was going to bring it up! Everyone’s been hoping for this in the group chat, especially since you’re our big-shot now!” Liu Ben said, amused.

Since the beginning of the year, Wu Hao had rarely used his old social media accounts. Not only had he stopped engaging with group chats, but even direct messages from anyone outside his immediate family or close friends were mostly handled by his smart assistant, which either set him to offline mode or responded with brief, automated replies.

As a result, most people had trouble reaching him through those platforms, and group notifications had been entirely disabled.

“This is no big deal. Since you mentioned it, why don’t you organize tonight’s reunion? Also, prepare a New Year’s gift for each person. I’ll leave the choice of gifts up to you,” Wu Hao said, smiling as he handed the responsibility over to Liu Ben.

Liu Ben, who loved organizing events and never stayed idle for long, would no doubt be happy to take charge.

“Alright, Hao-ge, don’t worry. Since you’re leaving it to me, I’ll make sure tonight’s reunion is flawless, and I’ll make sure your status as the wealthy one shines through,” Liu Ben replied dramatically.

Wu Hao chuckled and left the office. Once Wu Hao was gone, Liu Ben turned to Hong Lei, asking, “So, Lei-ge, any thoughts on tonight’s reunion?”

Hong Lei, caught off guard by the question, replied, “What thoughts could I have? Wu Hao put you in charge, so just handle it. We both know money’s not an issue for him.”

“Fine! I knew asking you was pointless. You’ve been so focused on studying lately,” Liu Ben shrugged. “Honestly, I never expected this from you. Back in school, I never saw you this serious. Now you’re even taking management classes and reading complex books on economics and business!”

“You don’t get it. I need to keep learning and stay up to date, or how else can I manage such a big factory in the future?” Hong Lei replied casually, though deep down he felt a strong sense of urgency. His education level wasn’t high, and he had no formal management training, yet he now found himself running a business.

A few months back, Hong Lei realized how unprepared he was. When the factory first started, he struggled with the management. As the factory stabilized, his responsibilities only grew.

To improve his skills, Hong Lei had started taking classes in his free time, determined to enhance his management abilities.

Even if Hong Lei did nothing but hold a token position at the company, with the shares Wu Hao had given him, he would eventually become a millionaire, or even a billionaire.

But Hong Lei wasn’t content with that. He chose to constantly improve himself. His English was weak, so he studied English. His management skills were lacking, so he took management courses. Over time, he filled every spare moment with learning.

His dedication amazed Liu Ben, who often teased him about it.