He walked over quickly with a warm smile on his face and eagerly extended both hands to Qi Yun.

"This is Minister Zhou of the group, Zhou Fangchun." The person beside him leaned in to introduce Qi Yun.

Qi Yun nodded slightly and also put on a smile: "Haha, Minister Zhou, you're too kind."

"Eh, it's only right! President Qi, you're one of our own at Skyline. It's your first time at our company, so I definitely have to personally welcome you!" Zhou Fangchun shook Qi Yun's arm vigorously, looking just like he'd found his long-lost brother. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Not far behind him, some people in the welcoming team were whispering in surprise: "Who is this President Qi? Zhou Peel is so humble."

"Who knows? I've heard he's the second in command at Sky Shining Energy, but I guess it's not that simple, otherwise with Zhou Peel's character, he wouldn't be acting so enthusiastically."

"Hmm...makes sense."

Some female employees dressed in office attire cast curious glances, secretly clenching their fists: "Wow, this President Qi is so young."

"..."

After brief pleasantries, Zhou Fangchun introduced Qi Yun to several other high-level executives of the group company, and then invited him upstairs.

"Please, President Qi, I'll take you to the reception room first. The chairman is at the Fruit Committee reporting work this morning. I've already informed him of your visit, and he's on his way now."

"Alright, please." Qi Yun nodded slightly, following Zhou Fangchun towards the elevator.

As Zhou Fangchun led the way, he was chattering away with polite remarks.

The reception room was very spacious, with imported Persian carpets on the floor, and all the furniture was of high-end solid wood. The level of luxury even surpassed Liu Guangxin's office.

"President Qi, are you accustomed to the climate here? The group company has dormitories by the river; I've chosen a room with the best view for you. I'll have someone take you to see it later, and let me know if you're not satisfied."

"Okay, thank you. I'll trouble Minister Zhou then." Qi Yun nodded with a smile.

Even with just a brief interaction, he could tell that this person was very good at handling situations and spoke very pleasantly, likely the type that leaders highly favor.

"Haha, saying 'thank you' is too formal. We're all our people now, no need to beat around the bush."

Zhou Fangchun laughed heartily, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for Qi Yun, "President Qi, try this tea. It's Chairman Yu's private collection, early spring Longjing from this year, hard to find in the market."

"Haha, alright."

"By the way, did President Qi come alone, wife and kids...?"

After finishing the pot of tea, just as Zhou Fangchun's face muscles were starting to stiffen, the door to the reception room finally opened.

The chairman Yu, whom Qi Yun had met at the last meeting, walked in, accompanied by the Director of the Fruit Committee, whose name was Deng something.

"Oh dear, sorry to keep you waiting, President Qi!"

As soon as they entered the room, the two hastily expressed their apologies.

Normally, Qi Yun's transfer from the subsidiary to the group company should not warrant this kind of treatment. Not only did the chairman rush back to welcome him, but even the Director of the Fruit Committee was present in person.

But Qi Yun's transfer was somewhat unusual, orchestrated by Wendong and the Fruit Committee, which then informed these two, and finally passed by a high-level group company internal meeting, reported to the local Fruit Committee, and thus his appointment was formed.

Few people knew about these internal dealings, limited to the few in the reception room.

"Haha, Chairman Yu, Director Deng, I haven't been waiting long either." Qi Yun got up to greet them both.

"Alas, President Qi, young and capable, having you at the helm of our Skyline Group is truly our honor!" Chairman Yu kept patting Qi Yun's hand.

"Oh, not at all, Chairman Yu, you're too kind. I'll be relying on everyone for guidance in the future." Qi Yun's attitude was also very appropriate, showing great humility.

After some back-and-forth with polite exchanges, Director Deng took out Qi Yun's appointment letter from his briefcase.

"President Qi, here is your official appointment document, Shanghai Fruit Committee has approved it—appointing you as DW member and Vice General Manager of Skyline Group, enjoying the group's Deputy T-level treatment."

"A dedicated person will handle your archival procedures later."

Qi Yun heard this, with a joyful heart, solemnly accepted the appointment letter with a gilded cover: "Thank you!"

From today on, he was officially enjoying the benefits of the royal payroll.

Skyline Group belongs to a 正T-level state-owned enterprise under the supervision of the local Fruit Committee, and the position of Vice General Manager is equivalent to the second-in-command of the group company, which corresponds to the Deputy T-level in an administrative unit.

Calling him President Ti upon meeting wouldn't be too much...

Moreover, Fu Wentao had previously hinted to him that even after entering the bureaucratic system, he would remain a special entity, not affecting his continued business endeavors.

This point was of significant importance to Qi Yun.

If it meant that he had to give up his existing businesses due to this identity, he certainly would not be willing.

In the evening, Chairman Yu Wanhe organized a dinner party at a very private club.

Few attendees were there, all high-level executives of the group, and the main focus was naturally on President Ti.

At this informal occasion, everyone was more relaxed than during the day, and the atmosphere was much more lively.

Those present knew a little about Qi Yun's background, so the welcome party turned into a constant round of toasts to him.

The dinner continued until after eleven o'clock, and in the end, Qi Yun didn't even remember how he ended up in bed.

...

The next morning, Qi Yun was awakened by the ringing of the phone.

Blearily opening his eyes, he found that the caller was Wendong's superior, so he hurriedly sat up from the bed, patted his face to clear his head, and then answered the call.

"Hello, Leader."

"Have you handled the procedures over in Shanghai?"

The voice on the phone sounded noticeably more serious than usual.

Qi Yun was puzzled, but could only answer truthfully: "Yes, it's already been taken care of."

On the other end, Wendong's leadership acknowledged with a soft hum and continued: "Just received an emergency situation to inform you, the batch of equipment sent to the Oil Country has encountered an issue. The transport team couldn't be reached since early this morning."

Qi Yun was taken aback upon hearing this; Ji Kai had mentioned this to him a few days ago, saying he would accompany the transport team for a stroll over there, and now they can't be contacted?

"We've already tried to communicate with the Oil Country, and their response is to send someone promptly to inspect the situation on site."

"The purpose of calling you is firstly to inform you of this matter, and secondly to ask you to contact Salaman again. No matter what accident has occurred, the equipment can be lost, but ensuring the safety of our personnel is a must!"

"Yes, I understand, I'll contact him right away!"

After ending the call, Qi Yun first tried to call Ji Kai, and sure enough, it couldn't be connected.

Then he quickly found Salaman's number and dialed it.

The phone rang twice and was quickly answered.

"Qi Yun, I know why you're calling. I've already arranged for the nearest team to check it out." Salaman had guessed Qi Yun's intent for calling, and spoke first without waiting for Qi Yun to ask.

"Alright, thank you!" Qi Yun took a deep breath, and then asked, "Where did the equipment transport convoy lose contact?"

He didn't feel it was appropriate to ask Wendong's leadership earlier, so he could only find out from Salaman now.

"The specific location is on the border between the Oil Country and Yemen, near the desert highway in Hadramaut Province."

"Around three o'clock in the morning, the convoy sent one last location signal before losing contact."

Qi Yun paused; just hearing 'Yemen' made him uneasy.

"Do you estimate... that there might be danger?"

On the other end, Salaman was silent for two seconds, his tone heavier than before: "To be honest, that area hasn't been stable recently, with some armed forces constantly operating nearby."

"If the convoy encountered some danger, it might be related to them..."