Early September, Shanghai. By the banks of the Huangpu River, the city lights shimmered brilliantly. The International Digital Marketing and Innovation Leadership Summit opened in grand fashion within this metropolis, a city that blends the charms of both East and West. Inside and outside the venue, fair-haired, blue-eyed overseas guests mingled with domestic elites in sharp suits, while the air hummed with a mix of English, French, Japanese, and various accents of Mandarin, as sparks of thought collided with business opportunities.
Li Banjia, dressed in a bespoke dark suit and wearing his summit guest badge, walked into the hall side-by-side with Lin Wei, who was clad in a crisp, professional ensemble. Compared to the "industry newcomer" persona he had adopted at the Yanjing summit, Li Banjia now carried himself—in his capacity as a Junior Sixth-Rank Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Works and deputy leader of the group’s strategic leadership team—with a composure and confidence born of rigorous experience.
"Minister Lin, with this 'all nations gathering' here in Shanghai, whether my 'Li's Methodology 2.0' can hold its own against these 'Western scholars' and 'Eastern masters' will depend on my tongue and whether the white paper you oversaw is robust enough," Li Banjia remarked, still prone to using his "imperial" brand of self-deprecation to ease the tension before a major battle.
Chapter 82