Chapter 125: Another Powerful Ally Joins the Ranks

The "Sanjiang" phase has begun. I kindly ask for your support for *King of Industry* and for Zhao Guoyang’s journey toward industrial prosperity. Please add it to your favorites, cast your votes, and leave comments—every bit of support counts. Thank you all!

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Perhaps it was the mental exhaustion from being "interrogated" by the bigwigs for half the day, but Zhao Guoyang slept exceptionally soundly that night.

In his dreams, he stood at an international aerospace industry forum, effortlessly fielding questions from the tycoons of powerful industrial conglomerates, speaking with wit and composure.

However, a dream is just a dream. When the alarm clock jingled, Zhao Guoyang snapped awake.

Today was the second day of the Songjiang International Auto Expo. Following the schedule, the day would again focus on the promotional displays of various car brands, much like yesterday.

Because the expo was still in its infancy, it had not yet garnered the attention of the world’s top automotive enterprises. This was evident from the sparse presence of luxury sports car brands on the exhibition floor. Without the participation of world-class supercars, the expo lacked a certain level of prestige and technical weight; it was still a far cry from the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany or the Paris Motor Show in France.

For Zhao Guoyang personally, given his extensive knowledge and technical expertise in vehicles, nothing at the expo—aside from some specialized manufacturing techniques for supercars—could truly capture his attention. Therefore, whether he attended the exhibition center today or not made little difference.

What Zhao Guoyang found far more significant was the International Automotive Summit Forum scheduled for tomorrow.

When the discussions wrapped up yesterday, Mayor Huang had explicitly requested that Zhao Guoyang accompany the two heavyweight experts, Elder Li and Ji Zhongxuan, to this summit. The reason was simple: this forum would heavily influence the nature of the new partnership between the Songqi Group and Germany’s Volkswagen.

Mayor Huang hoped that Zhao Guoyang could deliver a stunning performance at the summit, or at the very least, help the Songqi Group fight to reclaim that 20% stake in technical shares. Of course, while this was the Mayor’s hope, he was well aware of the difficulty. He didn’t pressure Zhao Guoyang, telling him simply to perform freely and do his best.

In Mayor Huang’s mind, when it came to negotiating cooperation with the Germans, the weight of the two academicians, Elder Li and Ji Zhongxuan, remained the deciding factor. Zhao Guoyang was merely an unconventional weapon he had imagined; if it worked, all the better, but if it didn't yield special results, he wouldn't be overly disappointed.

For a young man like him, the opportunity to participate in such an important forum was already rare. What Huang Zhigang valued in Zhao Guoyang, beyond his extraordinary foresight, was his youth. A man in his early twenties with such a profound foundation of knowledge clearly had immense room for future growth.

Zhao Guoyang understood the Mayor’s intentions to some extent. He knew that by naming him to attend the summit, the Mayor was showing him favor and seeking to cultivate his talent.

In his previous life, the partnership between the Songqi Group and Germany’s Volkswagen had always been dominated by the Germans. It wasn’t until the 2010s and 2020s that the Songqi Group gradually mastered some of the core technologies and, relying on that foundation, began independent research and development of domestic sedans. In other words, over a span of thirty long years, the Songqi Group had failed to achieve any substantial technical breakthroughs, wasting decades of time.

In this life, now that he had the chance to participate in the negotiations between the Songqi Group and Volkswagen, Zhao Guoyang had secretly made up his mind: he would never let the tragedy of history repeat itself.

As Zhao Guoyang got out of bed and mentally braced himself, there was a knock at the door.

Hearing the knocking, he hurried out of the bathroom, threw on a coat, and went to open it. He had expected it to be Zhao Siyan, but to his surprise, he was met with the stern face of Director Wang.

"Uh... Director Wang!"

Seeing the expression on Director Wang’s face, Zhao Guoyang couldn’t help but mutter to himself: *Could it be that I spoke too much at the meeting yesterday and caused the Director some dissatisfaction?*

Before Zhao Guoyang could let his imagination run wild, Wang Ziqing had already stepped into the room. Zhao Guoyang closed the door and followed him into the living room.

After sitting on the sofa in silence for a moment, Wang Ziqing spoke: "Guoyang, you don’t need to go to the auto expo this morning..."

Zhao Guoyang’s heart skipped a beat. *It’s over,* he thought, *the Director really is dissatisfied with me.*

Before the thought could fully form, Wang Ziqing added, "It’s like this: I need you to accompany me out this morning to pick someone up."

"Ah?" Zhao Guoyang was even more confused.

If it came to accompanying Director Wang to pick someone up, it shouldn't have fallen to him. Whether it was Division Chief Jiang, Division Chief Liu, or even Director Liu Yaohong, any of them would have been more suitable than him. Why had the Director specifically named him?

Of course, Zhao Guoyang wouldn't dare ask such a question. He scratched his head and asked casually, "Director Wang, who are we picking up? Are we going to the Songjiang Railway Station?"

Wang Ziqing didn't seem to notice Zhao Guoyang’s unease. He shook his head and continued, "Not the railway station. We are going straight to Gusu City. High-ranking Official Zhuo arrives there at ten this morning. After surveying a few companies, he will join us in Songjiang City."

"High-ranking Official Zhuo..." Zhao Guoyang felt as if his throat had been constricted; his voice even changed pitch.

At this moment, Wang Ziqing finally realized his oversight. He let out an "oh" and laughed, "Look at my memory, I forgot to tell you... Last night, I gave High-ranking Official Zhuo a brief report on our trip to Songjiang City. After hearing it, he holds you, a man of such talent, in very high regard."

"He was originally scheduled to spend the entire day surveying Gusu City, but for your sake, he has cut his schedule in half," Wang Ziqing sighed.

"High-ranking Official Zhuo mentioned that our Jiangnan Province’s Jinling Automobile Factory is also in the process of being built, so he is very interested in this Songjiang International Auto Expo. Since we have already paved the way in Songjiang, he wants to go take a look with us."

"He even gave instructions over the phone for us to meet him in Gusu at noon today, then return to Songjiang together this afternoon to continue attending the expo. What do you think?"

Zhao Guoyang couldn't help but roll his eyes. *What do I think?* he thought. *You’ve already arranged everything; can I even say 'no' to you?*

Wang Ziqing continued, speaking to himself: "Guoyang, let me be honest with you. High-ranking Official Zhuo values your talent greatly. He wants us to go to Gusu specifically because he wants to hear your genuine thoughts."

"Opportunities like this are rare. If you have any personal requests, you must seize the chance and state them clearly..."

Listening to Wang Ziqing, Zhao Guoyang’s expression stiffened. *What is going on? After just one night, why has another bigwig set his sights on me?*