Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

The wedding ceremony was over, and the guests were free to move around. Qin Hao sat listlessly in his seat, his fingers lightly tapping the rim of his wine glass. He was only there to give Zhao Mei face. As for Liang Danning—his gaze unconsciously drifted towards the bridesmaids before returning to its original direction.

Just then, a man in a sharp dark gray suit, holding a wine glass, strode towards him: "Mr. Qin, it's a pleasure to meet you here. I'm Xiao Yang from Ruijing Consulting. We met briefly at an internet summit before."

Qin Hao slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at the man in front of him: "Ruijing Consulting, are you Li Dongming's colleague?"

"Yes, yes!" Xiao Yang nodded quickly, his smile becoming even brighter. He then sat down in the empty seat next to Qin Hao. "Dongming and I have been colleagues and friends for many years. I came here to support him on his wedding day, and I never expected to have the honor of meeting you."

Qin Hao's heart stirred: "Speaking of which, we are in the same industry. Before I started my own business, I also worked in a consulting firm for a few years."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang's face was full of flattery: "I have heard about your achievements. Although Xingchen Consulting is not as large as Ruijing, it has a good reputation in the industry. Many people in the industry say that Xingchen's current status is all thanks to the foundation you laid back then."

Qin Hao chuckled inwardly—it seemed Xiao Yang had done his homework, specifically researching his past. However, the flattery was rather clumsy, but he didn't call it out. He simply smiled faintly, remaining silent, his expression unchanged.

Xiao Yang, observing the situation, realized that his previous words had been a bit too deliberate, so he quickly changed the subject, his tone cautiously probing: "President Qin, I've always been very interested in the internet industry, especially the development of Xingyao Yanxuan in recent years, which I greatly admire. Would it be convenient for you to add me on WeChat? I'd like to ask you for advice in the future."

Qin Hao glanced at him, understanding Xiao Yang's thoughts, and didn't refuse: "Okay, let's keep in touch."

Xiao Yang's face instantly lit up with joy. He quickly took out his phone, opened the WeChat QR code, and presented it to Qin Hao with both hands, saying respectfully, "Thank you, Mr. Qin. You can just scan it."

Qin Hao took out his phone, scanned his QR code, and sent a friend request. Xiao Yang saw the friend request, immediately clicked to accept, and even made a note about it.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Qin!" Xiao Yang's smile grew even brighter, and he quickly said, "Then I won't bother you any longer. Please enjoy your meal, and I'll ask you for advice again when I have the chance."

"Mm." Qin Hao nodded slightly.

Xiao Yang stood up tactfully, secretly delighted. Being able to add Qin Hao on WeChat was like having a stepping stone to Xingyao Yanxuan. If he could make the most of it, he might be able to sign a big deal.

Just as the two were talking, the wedding ceremony on the stage officially ended. Zhao Mei, wearing a pure white wedding dress and holding a bouquet, had a happy smile on her face. Amid the cheers of the crowd, she slowly turned around, her gaze precisely locking onto Liang Danning, who was sitting in the corner. With a gentle toss, the bouquet drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed steadily in Liang Danning's arms.

Liang Danning subconsciously took the bouquet. Looking at the bright roses in her hand, a faint smile appeared on her face, but there was not much joy in that smile; instead, it carried a hint of loneliness.

Zhao Mei waved to her, then turned and walked into the backstage dressing room, changed into a simple and elegant red casual outfit, took Li Dongming's arm, and began to toast each table.

At first, it was the relatives of both sides who were toasting. Zhao Mei behaved very reservedly, with a proper smile on her face, taking only a small sip, being polite and considerate.

When they arrived at the tables where Li Dongming's colleagues and clients were, Zhao Mei seemed like a different person. She took the initiative to shoulder most of the toasting pressure for Li Dongming. No matter who offered her a toast, she accepted it without hesitation, drinking one glass after another. Her hearty manner stunned many people.

Soon, the two arrived at Xiao Yang's table. Upon seeing them, Xiao Yang immediately stood up, a warm smile spreading across his face. He picked up his wine glass, leaned closer to Li Dongming, and whispered, "Dongming, you've been keeping this a secret for a while now. You actually managed to invite President Qin to your wedding. You told me before that you didn't know President Qin. Were you trying to hog the wedding for yourself?"

Li Dongming shook his head helplessly and said in a low voice, "The matter here is rather complicated, and I can't explain it to you in a short time. Anyway, I have no intention of developing President Qin into a client. If you want to sign this deal, I can help you make the connection. As for whether it will work out, that depends on your own abilities."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang's eyes lit up, and a look of delight appeared on his face: "Okay, that's enough! After it's done, I'll give you half of the bonus. I definitely won't treat you unfairly."

After saying that, he lowered his voice and asked curiously, "Seriously, what is your relationship with President Qin? He was able to attend your wedding, so you must be quite close, right?"

Li Dongming glanced subconsciously at Zhao Mei, who was still drinking with her colleague, General Manager Fan. Seeing that she hadn't noticed him, he slowly said, "My wife, Zhao Mei, and General Manager Qin's girlfriend, Liang Danning, are best friends. I met General Manager Qin through them."

"President Qin's girlfriend?" Xiao Yang raised an eyebrow, followed Li Dongming's gaze, and saw Liang Danning sitting in the corner. He quickly gave her a wink and asked in a low voice, "Is it that one? The one sitting over there, holding a bouquet of flowers?"

Li Dongming nodded, his tone still calm: "Yes, it's her."

Xiao Yang frowned, scrutinizing Liang Danning carefully, and asked in confusion, "Why isn't she sitting with President Qin? And President Qin was sitting alone the whole time, and he didn't seem very happy."

Li Dongming sighed softly and shook his head: "Don't mention it. They've been arguing lately, and it's gotten quite tense. Liang Danning has even moved out. President Qin is only here today because of Zhao Mei."

"Arguing?" Xiao Yang clicked his tongue, his tone tinged with a mixture of confusion and teasing. "Girls these days are really capricious. With President Qin's qualities—young, promising, and handsome—wouldn't the line of suitors stretch from Guangzhou to Beijing? Isn't she afraid someone will take advantage of her?"

Li Dongming shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Who knows? Perhaps those things that are easily obtained are often not cherished."

Xiao Yang scrutinized Liang Danning for a while before slowly saying, "She is indeed good-looking, with delicate features and a decent temperament, but not stunningly so. She stands out in a crowd, but she's definitely not a top-tier beauty. Could it be that she thinks President Qin can't live without her, which is why she's so confident?"

"To be honest, President Qin is really good to her." Li Dongming nodded in agreement: "According to Zhao Mei, in the years that President Qin has been dating Liang Danning, he has never been ambiguous with other women. He is very considerate to her and has given her a villa worth tens of millions of yuan."

Just as the two were gossiping in hushed tones, Zhao Mei, having finished her drinking contest with President Fan, walked over with a smile, a faint blush on her face, and a hint of doubt in her voice: "What are you two talking about? You seem so engrossed in your conversation."

Li Dongming was startled and quickly gave Xiao Yang a wink, signaling him not to say anything out of line. Xiao Yang understood, immediately putting away his expression of emotion and adopting a teasing smile, he said to Zhao Mei, "We didn't talk about anything, I just wanted to learn from Dongming, to ask him how he managed to marry such a beautiful and capable wife like you."

These words struck a chord with Zhao Mei, and her smile grew even brighter.

Afterwards, Zhao Mei toasted everyone at the table one by one, without hesitation. Li Dongming accompanied her, occasionally helping her to deflect drinks, making the scene very lively.

Five minutes later, Li Dongming and Zhao Mei finally finished toasting the table and walked towards Qin Hao. Zhao Mei had a faint blush on her face and her eyes were full of anxiety. She was about to speak, wanting to help Qin Hao and Liang Danning mediate, but Qin Hao raised his hand to interrupt her.

"Zhao Mei," Qin Hao said calmly, "Today is your big day, just be happy and don't bring up any unpleasant things. We're all adults, we should solve our own problems without anyone else interfering."

After saying that, he picked up the wine glass on the table, lightly touched it with the glass in Li Dongming's hand, drank it all in one gulp, then stood up, without looking at Liang Danning again, and turned to walk towards the entrance of the auditorium.

Seeing this, Zhao Mei hurriedly tried to chase after him, but Li Dongming stopped her.

"Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes; only the one who tied the knot can untie it. It's no use for outsiders to interfere in their affairs; let them resolve it themselves."

Zhao Mei stopped and turned to look in Liang Danning's direction. She found Liang Danning still sitting there, like a wooden statue, clutching her bouquet tightly in her hand, her eyes vacant, still looking forlorn.

She felt a wave of discouragement and sighed helplessly, "Sigh, this girl really doesn't know how dangerous the outside world is."

……

The next morning, Xiao Yang couldn't wait to send Qin Hao a WeChat message, his tone respectful and humble: "Mr. Qin, hello, I'm Xiao Yang from Ruijing Consulting. I met you at the wedding yesterday. I've always admired your vision and achievements in the internet industry, and I'd like to take the liberty of visiting you and to tour Xingyao Yanxuan. Would that be convenient for you?"

After sending the message, Xiao Yang felt very uneasy. He hadn't expected Qin Hao to agree so easily. As the CEO of Xingyao Yanxuan, Qin Hao must be very busy, and they had only met twice, so they weren't really friends.

To his surprise, just half an hour later, he received a reply from Qin Hao: "No problem."

Upon seeing the reply, Xiao Yang jumped up from his chair in excitement, his face beaming with joy. He immediately dialed Li Dongming's number.

At this moment, Li Dongming and Zhao Mei were on their honeymoon in Europe, lying on a beach chair by the sea, enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze. When they received Xiao Yang's international call, Li Dongming was initially a little annoyed that he had disturbed his honeymoon, but when he heard that Qin Hao had readily agreed to the visit request, he instantly perked up.

Li Dongming's tone was full of disbelief, "You're amazing, Xiao Yang! This is a great opportunity, you must seize it."

Xiao Yang nodded excitedly, his tone thrilled: "I didn't expect President Qin to be so agreeable! I think that since President Qin knows what I do and still agreed to let me visit Xingyao Yanxuan, it means that his company must have a need for consulting services."

Li Dongming reminded him, "Then you need to prepare well. President Qin used to work in a consulting firm, so he's an expert with a very sharp eye. If you can't come up with something convincing, you definitely won't be able to impress him."

"I know, I will definitely prepare well." Xiao Yang said quickly, with a hint of regret in his tone: "It's a pity that you are on your honeymoon now, otherwise, with you here, the chances of closing this deal would be even greater."

Li Dongming subconsciously glanced at Zhao Mei and Liang Danning, who were sunbathing on the beach. Zhao Mei had dragged Liang Danning along on their honeymoon, saying she wanted her to relax and ease her tension with Qin Hao. He sighed softly, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Even if I weren't on my honeymoon, I couldn't really get involved in this case."

Xiao Yang was taken aback, not quite understanding for a moment, "Why?"

Li Dongming smiled helplessly and said perfunctorily, "Women's thoughts can't be understood with men's thinking. Okay, I won't say anymore. My international long-distance call fees are quite expensive. You'd better work hard yourself."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Yang still couldn't hide his excitement. He immediately stood up, walked out of his office, and shouted loudly to the office area outside: "Everyone, put down your work immediately and go to the conference room for a meeting!"

The busy employees were stunned when they heard Xiao Yang's shout. They stopped what they were doing and started talking among themselves.

"What's going on? Why is President Xiao suddenly calling an emergency meeting?" a young employee asked, frowning in confusion.

"I don't know. Could it be that someone's report had a problem? Last time, when Xiao Zhang's report was wrong, General Manager Xiao got really angry," another employee whispered, his tone tinged with worry.

"I don't think so." A senior employee next to him shook his head: "If there's a problem with the report, there shouldn't be such a big fuss. I guess President Xiao has found another big project."

Amidst the murmurs, Xiao Yang's team members all rushed towards the conference room, afraid of being late and being scolded by Xiao Yang.

This scene was witnessed by the members of Li Dongming's group next door, and they all showed expressions of envy.

Tao Ling leaned back in her chair and sighed softly, her tone full of envy and helplessness: "Sigh, it seems the next group has another big project. Our boss is going on a honeymoon for a whole month. Our bonuses for this quarter are probably going to be gone."

Qiao Hailun, standing to the side, lowered her voice and said, "I'd rather the boss could have a longer honeymoon so I wouldn't have to work overtime until the early hours every day. Although working for the boss brings bonuses, there's also a ton of overtime. I've only been with the company for six months, and last week when I went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor said I have tenosynovitis, all from working so much overtime."

“That’s true.” Tao Ling shook her shoulders, a pained look on her face. “I’m in the same boat. I work overtime in front of the computer every day. My neck and shoulders are almost stiff. Sometimes the pain is so bad that I can’t sleep at night.”

The two complained to each other, their eyes full of helplessness. The competition at Ruijing Consulting was fierce. If you didn't work hard and work overtime, you could be eliminated at any time. They could only grit their teeth and persevere.

Meanwhile, in the conference room, Xiao Yang stood at the podium, his face serious, his gaze sweeping over all the team members present: "Everyone, I'm now announcing an urgent task. Before work tomorrow, I need two reports. One is a detailed data analysis report on Xingyao Yanxuan, including Xingyao Yanxuan's live streaming sales, user profiles, competitor analysis, existing problems, and improvement suggestions; the other is an industry analysis report on the entire live streaming e-commerce industry, including industry trends, market size, core competitiveness, and future development direction."

As soon as he finished speaking, a groan erupted in the conference room. Many team members frowned, their faces showing distress.

"Mr. Xiao, isn't this too rushed? It's already 11 a.m., and we only have a dozen or so hours to prepare the reports. Two reports, so much content, we simply can't finish them all." A team member couldn't help but speak up, his tone tinged with pleading.

Xiao Yang's face darkened. He slammed his hand on the podium and reprimanded sternly, "What's all the noise about! I'm telling you this: this project is extremely important. It's related to our group's performance this year, and it's also related to everyone's bonus. Anyone who lets me down and drags everyone down will be fired!"

The meeting room fell silent instantly. No one dared to speak, and all the team members lowered their heads, their faces showing helplessness.

Seeing the low morale of the crowd, Xiao Yang softened his tone: "I know time is tight and the task is arduous, but this project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. As long as we win this project, everyone will receive a generous bonus, and promotions and raises are not impossible. Everyone, please work overtime tonight and make sure the report is completed on time. Thank you all."

"Understood, Mr. Xiao," everyone replied in unison.

After the meeting, all team members immediately threw themselves into their work, and the office instantly became busy. Everyone was in front of their computers, diligently collecting data, organizing information, and analyzing data. A tense atmosphere filled the air, with only the sound of keyboards echoing in the office.

Xiao Yang was also busy. He personally took the lead in collecting relevant information about Xingyao Yanxuan, guiding the team members in making reports, and checking everyone's progress from time to time to ensure that everyone was giving their all.

That night, the lights in Ruijing Consulting's office were on all night. Xiao Yang and his team members worked through the night. It wasn't until 3 a.m. that the two reports were finally completed. Xiao Yang carefully checked them and, after confirming there were no problems, breathed a sigh of relief and told his team members to rest a bit before preparing to visit Qin Hao at Xingyao Yanxuan in the morning.

At 9:30 a.m. the next day, Xiao Yang, dressed in a sharp suit, arrived at Xingyao Yanxuan’s office building on time with two capable subordinates.

Xiao Yang stepped forward and said to the receptionist, "Hello, I'm Xiao Yang from Ruijing Consulting. I made an appointment with your General Manager Qin yesterday."

The receptionist smiled and nodded, saying, "Hello, Mr. Xiao, please wait a moment while I confirm."

After saying that, she picked up the phone, dialed Qin Hao's office number, briefly explained the situation, and only after receiving Qin Hao's permission did she hang up the phone. She then said to Xiao Yang and the other two, "Mr. Xiao, Mr. Qin would like to invite you in. His office is the second to last one inside. You can just go straight there."

"Okay, thank you." Xiao Yang nodded, gave his two subordinates a wink, and the three of them straightened their clothes and headed towards Qin Hao's office. Upon arriving at the office door, Xiao Yang gently knocked, and Qin Hao's calm voice came from inside: "Come in."

After receiving permission, Xiao Yang, along with two subordinates, gently pushed open the office door and went inside.

Qin Hao sat behind his desk, dressed in a casual suit, engrossed in reading documents. Hearing the noise, he looked up, nodded slightly to Xiao Yang, and said calmly, "You're here. Have a seat."

Xiao Yang and his two subordinates carefully sat down on the sofa opposite the desk. The two subordinates placed their reports on the desk, their faces showing nervousness.

Xiao Yang had originally planned to exchange a few polite words. But before he could speak, Qin Hao cut to the chase: "I'm a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush. What makes you think I'd spend millions a year to buy your services?"

None of Xiao Yang and the other two expected Qin Hao to be so direct, getting straight to the point. The two subordinates looked flustered and subconsciously glanced at Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang was also taken aback for a moment, but quickly calmed down, stood up, picked up two reports from his desk, and handed them to Qin Hao: "President Qin, these two are our analysis reports on Xingyao Yanxuan and the entire live-streaming e-commerce industry. They provide a detailed analysis of Xingyao Yanxuan's current operating status, existing problems, and the development trends and opportunities of the entire live-streaming e-commerce industry. You might want to take a look. I believe that after reading them, you will know that our services are worth your investment."

Qin Hao took the reports, said nothing, and quickly flipped through them. He flipped through them very fast, like a revolving lantern, and finished both reports in just a few minutes. Xiao Yang's two subordinates were somewhat displeased to see Qin Hao flipping through them so quickly. These two reports were the result of their entire team working hard until 3 a.m., containing a large amount of data analysis and professional advice. Qin Hao's quick flipping through them clearly showed that he hadn't read them carefully, which made them feel very uncomfortable.

Just then, Qin Hao stopped flipping through the pages, pointed to a line of data in the report, and asked in a calm tone, "Where did you get this data?"

One of the subordinates quickly stood up and casually explained, "President Qin, this was collected from our company's database..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Hao repeated, "I'm asking you, how was this data obtained?"

The subordinate was stunned for a moment, his face showing a blank expression, completely clueless. The other subordinate also looked puzzled, not knowing what Qin Hao was trying to say.

Xiao Yang's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed slightly—he instantly understood Qin Hao's meaning. Qin Hao was questioning the authenticity and rigor of the data their company collected. He knew that this was the lifeblood of the consulting firm. The reason so many companies were willing to spend millions of dollars a year to purchase consulting services was largely because consulting firms possessed industry data that most companies couldn't access, and all the reports and transformation plans produced by consulting firms were based on this data.

If it is confirmed that the data is unreliable and inaccurate, it will not be as simple as losing a single business deal. The reputation of Ruijing Consulting as a whole will be severely affected, and it may even trigger a crisis of trust, leading to the loss of other clients with unimaginable consequences.

Xiao Yang's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat, and his palms became damp. He took a deep breath, braced himself, and said respectfully, "President Qin, I know you are an expert and have very high standards for data. It is true that there will be some errors and omissions in the data collection by lower-level investigation agencies. After all, the coverage is too wide, and oversights are inevitable."

He paused, then continued, "But rest assured, our company has professional actuaries who have built a rigorous probability model for this purpose. When we use this data, we make certain adjustments and corrections to ensure its accuracy. Although it cannot be 100% accurate, it will absolutely not affect the authenticity and reference value of the report, and it will absolutely not mislead your decision."

After saying these words, Xiao Yang felt very uneasy. He knew that his explanation might not satisfy President Qin, and he was even prepared to be rejected.

However, to his surprise, Qin Hao did not show any dissatisfaction on his face. Instead, he showed an appreciative expression: "Not bad. At least you're not like some people who don't tell the truth in order to achieve their goals."

Xiao Yang was overjoyed, his face showing disbelief, and he quickly asked, "President Qin, what do you mean...?"

Qin Hao put down the report in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and said in a calm but firm tone: "Tomorrow, you guys make the arrangements, I'll go to your company to discuss the details of the contract. If there are no problems with the contract, we can officially cooperate."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang almost couldn't contain his excitement. He quickly lowered his head, coughed lightly twice to cover his excitement, and said, "Okay! Then I'll be at the company tomorrow, eagerly awaiting President Qin's arrival." (End of Chapter)