CHAPTER 244: CHAPTER 244: UNITED STATES SANCTIONS INCIDENT

When Liu Tianhao announced that the last guest of the highest caliber was Lin Fan, the whole room was stunned.

Nobody present would have thought of it.

"It’s actually him!"

"How could it be him!"

"No way, could there have been a mistake? Does he even have this qualification?"

"Although he is indeed young and promising, there’s no need for him to be the guest of the highest caliber, is there?"

"It shouldn’t be him, it was supposed to be Jia Zuozhen!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, clearly very surprised by this result.

Jia Zuozhen’s face turned from white to red, and then from red back to white, quite a spectacle.

He was full of confidence before, thinking that the last guest of the highest caliber must be him. He even had his thank-you speech prepared, just waiting to step forward and bask in everyone’s envious eyes.

The worst thing was that people around him also thought so, and they all saw his smug look.

The official announcement turned out to not be him!

This was practically a public humiliation, so embarrassing, he was utterly shamed, feeling like he had become a joke.

Jia Zuozhen was so mortified he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

At the same time, he was in a rage inside!

It wasn’t him, fine, but the highest caliber guest turned out to be Lin Fan!

Lin Fan again!

Something similar happened last time, at the school gate, when the principal came out to greet somebody, Jia Zuozhen thought the principal was there to welcome him, but it was actually Lin Fan.

Back then, Jia Zuozhen also lost face.

But this time, it was even more embarrassing, because this time it was in front of all the bigwigs from various industries, people from Jia Zuozhen’s circle.

How was he going to mix in this circle after such humiliation!

Lin Fan!

It’s all Lin Fan’s fault!

If it weren’t for Lin Fan, this last spot would certainly be his, Jia Zuozhen’s, but Lin Fan took it, shaming him completely!

Jia Zuozhen was filled with hate, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth.

Lin Fan was a bit surprised when he found out that he was listed as the highest caliber guest, having dinner at the same table as Elder Liu, but it was just a bit of surprise. Lin Fan didn’t think much of it, what was it but having dinner at the same table? He had already been invited by Elder Liu for a private dinner before.

What Lin Fan didn’t know was that, while he thought that the position meant nothing, outsiders were green with envy, especially Jia Zuozhen, who was almost driven mad with envy.

Who was Liu Tingshan? The former commander of the Southeast Military Region. Just getting invited to attend his birthday banquet was enough for bragging, and being able to dine at the same table could be bragged about for a lifetime by many people.

"I’ve had dinner with Elder Liu, the commander of the Southeast Military Region!"

Anyone boasting like this would surely attract countless envious glances.

If people knew Lin Fan didn’t think much of this, they might just faint from excitement.

At this moment, Liu Tianhao said, "The above guests will dine with my father tonight, while the other guests will be seated according to arrangement. Please proceed to the banquet hall, the evening feast is about to start."

So, everyone went to the banquet and sat down.

The guests of the highest caliber, personally greeted by Liu Tianhao, came to take their seats at the main table.

Lin Fan and Feng Ruolan also sat at the main table.

Instantly, they were met with countless envious gazes from around, as well as doubtful and confused ones, and even jealous looks.

Seated nearby, Jia Zuozhen kept staring at Lin Fan, green with envy, wishing he could take Lin Fan’s place.

The birthday banquet finally began.

Liu Tingshan, assisted by Liu Bing’er, came to the banquet, and there was thunderous applause as everyone stood up.

Liu Tingshan smiled and said, "Thank you all for coming, please be seated."

Then Liu Tingshan sat down at the main seat at the main table.

Liu Bing’er quickly ran over to sit next to Lin Fan, having just gone back to support her grandfather. She only wanted to sit with Lin Fan.

Feng Ruolan had been curious why Lin Fan was invited to the birthday banquet. After Lin Fan was announced as the highest caliber guest, Feng Ruolan was astonished and even more curious.

At this moment, Feng Ruolan seemed to have found the answer.

To any observer, it was clear that the daughter of the Liu Family, Liu Bing’er, was very good to Lin Fan. Could it be that Lin Fan and Liu Bing’er were... dating?

If Lin Fan were indeed the grandson-in-law of the Liu Family, sitting at the main table would make sense.

Realizing that Liu Bing’er was Lin Fan’s girlfriend, Feng Ruolan felt an inexplicable melancholy, but she was not an ordinary woman and quickly came to terms, even feeling happy for Lin Fan.

She knew that during college, Lin Fan had dated the third Miss of the Su Family, Su Jinjin, but that relationship was forcibly broken up by Madam Su, and Lin Fan had been single since.

He must have been hurt then, and if Liu Bing’er could heal his inner wounds, it would certainly be a good thing.

Lin Fan had no idea that Feng Ruolan would misunderstand him and Liu Bing’er as dating.

The reason he was listed as the highest caliber guest was entirely for other reasons, unrelated to Liu Bing’er.

At this point, Liu Tingshan said, "Today is my 70th birthday, and I am very grateful for your presence. All those who came to my birthday banquet are honored guests. However, I have specially set up this group of highest caliber guests for a reason. I would like to introduce each of them to you."

As soon as Liu Tingshan’s words came out, the entire room fell silent, captivated by his words.

Indeed, Liu Tingshan’s birthday attracted bigwigs from various sectors, and each of these patriarchs could easily cause ripples. But there were only a few seats among the highest caliber guests who could dine with Liu Tingshan.

Before the banquet, everyone speculated on these highest caliber guests. Some of them they could understand, but some they couldn’t.

For example, why was Lin Fan made a highest caliber guest?

At that moment, everyone waited to hear what Liu Tingshan would say next.

Liu Tingshan said, "Let’s start with Mr. Zhang Jing, who can be said to be one of the people I am most concerned about tonight."

Everyone was taken aback. From Huaxin Company, Zhang Jing?

At first, everyone didn’t understand why Zhang Jing became the highest caliber guest.

Liu Tingshan said, "As everyone knows, recently, Zhongwei Company has encountered some trouble."

This was common knowledge among the bigwigs present.

Zhongwei Company is a high-tech enterprise, with some of its technology leading globally.

Recently, they encountered difficulties with chip production.

Previously, high-end chips for Zhongwei Phones were all produced by the world’s leading semiconductor company, TSMC, and only TSMC had the capability to produce them.

However, recently TSMC decided to stop producing chips for Zhongwei Phones.

The news caused a stir online.

For a time, Zhongwei Phones faced a situation of having no chips available.

Zhongwei must resolve this predicament.

Liu Tingshan said, "With TSMC no longer an option, we had no choice but to turn our hope to another company, second only to TSMC, which is Huaxin Company."

As he spoke, Liu Tingshan looked at Huaxin Company’s President Zhang Jing at the same table.

All eyes turned to Zhang Jing.