The Yi Anguo of today was no longer the Yi Anguo of the past. He had built his own network and cultivated his own power; he was not someone who could be bullied at will.

He now held many identities and titles, such as vice president and vice-chairman of various associations, chambers of commerce, and fellow townsmen's associations.

The number of companies under his name, and by extension the workers and families they supported, was also growing. The An Country Internet Technology Services Company alone provided a livelihood for 50,000 to 60,000 logistics and delivery personnel. This number was still growing rapidly each year, and in a few years, it could reach 150,000 or even 200,000.

In addition, Anjing Online Supermarket's physical locations were spread across major cities, employing over 20,000 staff members. This figure continued to rise swiftly each year as both the online and offline supermarkets expanded. Moreover, Anjing Online Supermarket had recently launched a franchise of physical convenience stores. Combined with the newly established Anjing food delivery service, once fully developed, the number of riders would not be in the hundreds of thousands, but at least several million.

According to Yi Anguo's memory, before his rebirth, Mi Tuan had up to 7 million delivery riders. Together with the second-largest food delivery platform, the total number of riders in the country exceeded 10 million.

Furthermore, his other businesses were also expanding. An Country Property Management Company was growing rapidly, with a current staff of over 3,700 employees. Employee numbers had also swelled at his other ventures: Hua Xing Technology Company now had over 10,000 employees, Hua Xing Microelectronics Equipment Company had over 6,000, and Hua Xing Communications Company had over 5,000.

In terms of his social circle, Yi Anguo had also made many powerful friends, including local heavyweights like Mahua Teng, senior executives from major banks, and the Shenzhen local government.

Although Yi Anguo currently had plenty of cash flow, his numerous investments and expenditures meant he still relied on short-term bank loans. For the major banks, Yi Anguo was a prime customer, and they were more than willing to cooperate with him on both loans and deposits.

From the perspective of the Shenzhen local government, Yi Anguo was an asset they had to both court and protect. His companies contributed a massive amount to the city's annual GDP and tax revenue. Additionally, they provided a large number of jobs each year. If Yi Anguo were to withdraw his investments and relocate his companies, it would be a tremendous loss for Shenzhen.

Yi Anguo's strength in all aspects had grown to the point where he had long since eclipsed Zhuo Weidong. It could be said that for the current Yi Anguo to even call him "Brother Zhuo" was a show of respect; Zhuo Weidong was certainly no longer someone he could afford to offend.

Xu Pidai likely already knew a fair amount about Yi Anguo and was aware of just how formidable he was. He understood that Yi Anguo was not someone he could currently afford to offend. Therefore, despite Yi Anguo's somewhat cold attitude, Xu didn't dare show any dissatisfaction and instead had to enthusiastically curry favor.

With strength comes everything; whoever has strength has the right to speak. Xu Pidai had long understood this from experience.

His desire to meet Yi Anguo and get close to him was purely motivated by a desire to tap into his wealth. He hoped Yi Anguo would invest in his company, Hengda, and help it go public sooner. Only by going public could he more easily raise capital from the financial markets, making Hengda's pie bigger and attracting more investors.

To achieve this goal, Xu Pidai could swallow his pride, act humbly, and even endure some humiliation. It was no big deal.

He remembered a time when he had suffered through hardships and humiliation. Back when his family was poor, he wouldn't even throw away a moldy steamed bun; he'd just eat it. He knew that if he didn't, he'd go hungry. He didn't want to starve, so he forced himself to eat it, mold and all. Compared to the hardships of the past, what is a little humiliation now? So what if I have to endure some mistreatment? One must learn to bow their head when necessary.

However, Xu Pidai had still underestimated Yi Anguo's aversion to him. Making an excuse that he had other matters to attend to, Yi Anguo directly said his goodbyes to Zhuo Weidong.

Zhuo Weidong chased after him, asking, "Mr. Yi! Why are you leaving so soon after arriving?"

At some point, though he couldn't say when, their dynamic had shifted. While Yi Anguo still called him "Brother Zhuo," Zhuo Weidong no longer referred to Yi Anguo as "Brother Yi."

"I just remembered something I have to take care of, so I must be going," Yi Anguo explained with a smile.

"Have you met Xu Pidai before, or only heard of him? You seem quite averse to the man. Do you two have some history?" Zhuo Weidong, unable to hide his curiosity, couldn't help but ask.

"No, today was the first time we've met, so of course we have no history. I just don't have a good feeling about him," Yi Anguo said frankly. "Remember Ren Xingsheng? It's like that. I was never meant to be friends with him, so… you understand. In the future, please try not to put us together."

"Ren Xingsheng?" Zhuo Weidong countered, still trying to put in a good word for Xu Pidai. "Ren Xingsheng is arrogant and looks down on anyone he deems beneath him. But Xu Pidai is different. He's quite generous, knows how to handle people, and is always enthusiastic about making friends and helping them out."

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