The sound of camera shutters and mobile phone clicks echoed incessantly, one after another, as people eagerly posted to their social media.
"Mysterious Hot Dog Killer Appears in Rongcheng!"
"Masked Man Wins Rongcheng's Big Eater Championship with 54 Hot Dogs in 10 Minutes!"
"Mysterious Contestant 'Taotie' Live Streams Big Eater Competition."
...
The news spread rapidly through various channels online, gaining momentum even before the competition ended. This was exactly what the organizers wanted to see; this was the result they aimed for. The same competition was being held simultaneously in other cities across China, with the goal of maximizing influence.
The host had been calling for several minutes, but no one stepped up to the stage.
"As the saying goes, 'One cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor measure the sea with a bushel.' I never expected Mr. Taotie to have such a good appetite. Since no one else is willing to challenge him, I hereby announce that Mr. Taotie is the winner of this competition..."
"Hey, buddy, take off the mask and let us see you!"
"Come on, at least let us know what you look like?"
"Unless you're too ugly to show your face, afraid of scaring people?"
...
The crowd was in an uproar, more curious about the face behind the mask than the host's rambling.
...
"Phew!"
In the hotel lobby, Su Hang let out a long breath, still feeling a bit shaken from the frenzy of the media. It was a good thing he wore a mask; otherwise, he would have become an instant celebrity, probably as famous as the stars on TV.
This was just a regional competition. If he won the final, who knows what would happen?
"Good job, Brother Hang, you didn't let me down."
Shuai Yu patted Su Hang's shoulder hard, grinning from ear to ear. According to their agreement, Shuai Yu would get 20,000 yuan as a labor fee once Su Hang won the prize, enough to live comfortably for a while.
The guy was carefree, and Su Hang didn't bother to respond.
"Are you okay, Su Hang?" Qin Shiyu asked, showing genuine concern.
Su Hang patted his stomach lightly and smiled, "I'm fine. This amount is nothing to me."
Qin Shiyu covered her mouth and laughed.
"Ha, Brother Su, I really didn't misjudge you. Congratulations!"
At that moment, a mountain of meat walked out from the hotel, laughing heartily. Su Hang turned around and saw it was Cai Jiuxia.
"Brother Xia."
Su Hang called out with a smile and extended his hand, not for a handshake, but to make a counting money gesture.
"Don't worry, the prize money will be given to you soon. How could I forget?" Cai Jiuxia laughed and pushed Su Hang's hand away. "But first, you need to meet someone with me."
"Meet someone?" Su Hang was taken aback. "Who?"
"Don't ask yet, follow me, and I'll tell you later." Cai Jiuxia patted Su Hang's shoulder and turned to Qin Shiyu and Shuai Yu. "You two, wait a moment, we'll be right back."
With that, he led Su Hang toward the elevator.
"Tch, so mysterious, I wonder what he's up to?" Shuai Yu pouted and entered the nearby coffee shop with Qin Shiyu.
...
"Brother Xia, who wants to see me? Why so mysterious?" The elevator went straight to the top floor, and Su Hang asked Cai Jiuxia, puzzled. The fat man's mysterious demeanor suggested that the person he was about to meet was no ordinary individual.
Cai Jiuxia said, "A big shot from Beijing."
"From the headquarters of Jiuding Group?" Su Hang asked in surprise. The headquarters of Jiuding Group was in Beijing, and anyone Cai Jiuxia called a big shot was likely from the headquarters.
However, Cai Jiuxia shook his head. "Not exactly."
"Not exactly? What do you mean?" Su Hang was confused. It was either yes or no; what did "not exactly" mean?
Cai Jiuxia asked, "How much do you know about Jiuding Group?"
"Awesome!"
Su Hang simply replied. If he had to describe his knowledge of Jiuding Group, it would be "awesome," "very awesome," or "extremely awesome."
Cai Jiuxia couldn't help but laugh, but he nodded. "You're right, it is very awesome. In terms of financial and material resources, Jiuding is among the top in the world's 500 largest companies. However, what outsiders might not know is that Jiuding is actually the property of the Xue family in Beijing."
"The Xue family? Which Xue family? Isn't the CEO of Jiuding surnamed Tan?" Su Hang was surprised. The CEO of Jiuding, Tan Yun, was the richest person in China, a fact known to the entire world. How did the Xue family come into the picture?
"Which other Xue family?" Cai Jiuxia pointed upward.
Su Hang understood.
Cai Jiuxia continued, "Mr. Tan is the son-in-law of the Xue family. Without the Xue family's support, how could Jiuding have achieved its current success?"
So there was more to it than that. Su Hang felt he had learned something new.
"Then who do you want me to meet?" Su Hang had a hunch. Cai Jiuxia mentioning the Xue family at this point suggested that the person he was about to meet was from the Xue family.
Cai Jiuxia nodded but didn't say more. "Recently, there have been personnel changes at the headquarters. The Xue family's eldest daughter has graduated and is being transferred to the Rongcheng branch to take charge. If everything goes as planned, the company will undergo a major restructuring from top to bottom. Brother, whether I get promoted or demoted this time might depend on you."
"Is it that serious?" Su Hang asked.
Cai Jiuxia smiled bitterly. "The company is too big, and there are too many old-timers. Layoffs are inevitable. I've heard that the Xue family's eldest daughter is a decisive and efficient leader. Those who are just there for the paycheck will definitely be let go. If you can win the grand prize in this Big Eater competition, my position will be secure, and I might even get a promotion."
"I'll do my best." Su Hang smiled. "Is the Xue family's eldest daughter pretty?"
"Smiling so lecherously, are you interested?" Cai Jiuxia lowered his voice and grinned, his smile even more lecherous than Su Hang's.
"Don't joke around. I was just asking. What kind of person is she, and what kind of person am I?" Su Hang shook his head.
"I don't like hearing that!" Cai Jiuxia waved his hand. "No matter how noble her status, she is still a woman, and women need men. Are you a man?"
"Have you ever seen a woman eat over fifty hot dogs?" Su Hang rolled his eyes.
"Isn't that settled then?" Cai Jiuxia patted his chest, his fat jiggling. "As the old saying goes, 'A person who respects themselves will be respected by others. If you don't respect yourself, who will?'"