I will be stronger after the remake

Ma Yiming was also criticized for defending Tang Ping.

……

"Mr. Zhou, this is the situation. I wonder if you would be willing to take us in?"

Tang Ping found Ma Yiming using the business card Zhou Canglan had left for him, and to his surprise, the information on the business card was all true.

Not only was the contact information provided Zhou Canglan's own mobile phone number, but the address listed was also indeed his company's address; there was no forgery.

Therefore, it is clear that Fu Zhengyi's claim that "Zhou Canglan may think he is hiding well" is utter nonsense. Zhou Canglan was well aware that his actions were being monitored, but he was fearless about it.

"This is a wonderful surprise, welcome, welcome."

Zhou Canglan stood up to greet him, showing great enthusiasm.

"It wasn't my classmate who came, but me. Will President Zhou be disappointed?"

"Not at all. Your classmate has the unique aptitude for awakening. If he came to me, I would probably have to wonder if he has ulterior motives."

Tang Ping feigned dissatisfaction and said, "I don't have the aptitude for psychic abilities that my classmate has, so it's only natural that I'm voting for you?"

Zhou Canglan laughed heartily, "Haha, to be honest, that's exactly right. The government values ​​psychic talents very much. As long as your classmate hasn't committed any heinous crimes, they won't let him leave no matter what. I just happened to be passing by and thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, so I came to visit him."

Tang Ping snorted and didn't continue the topic. He went straight to the point: "Since President Zhou is so frank, I won't beat around the bush either. I've heard of the New Realm Alliance at the Psionic Training Base and know that it's one of the four major international cults, but that has nothing to do with me. I just want to become a Psionicist. As long as you can provide the Dao Seed, I'll join you."

Chapter 156 Two Identities

Zhou Canglan clapped his hands and said, "You're quick to speak your mind. You've received divination at the psionic training base, right? What's the most suitable type of spiritual attribute for you?"

Tang Ping said, "The most suitable is the Immortal type, and the most useful is the Monk type. I know that Immortal type Dao seeds are very rare, so I won't insist. The Monk type will do."

Zhou Canglan nodded and said, "The spiritual essence of monks is indeed very common and not difficult to obtain. I will give you the Dao Seed in five days at the latest."

Tang Ping asked curiously, "Do I need to sign any kind of contract? You mean the kind that requires loyalty to the organization, and if you betray them, your soul will be taken away?"

Zhou Canglan laughed heartily upon hearing this: "There's no such thing as a convenient thing! Even if someone really awakens a spiritual power with similar effects, others will kill him immediately to prevent him from building a 100% loyal team in the future. Even those who have signed contracts will try every means to betray him and regain their freedom."

Tang Ping said, "Without the coercive guarantee of some mysterious method, aren't you afraid that I'll run away after advancing using the Dao Seed?"

Zhou Canglan said, "If we were abroad, I would indeed have to worry about this, but not in China."

"why?"

"Because the domestic psychic community is basically under the control of the government, since you have betrayed the government, who else can you turn to if not us? Being a lone wolf is a dead end. Without the experience and insights summarized by predecessors to refer to, it is easy to make mistakes. You might suffer a backlash from your spiritual power one day and not even understand what you did wrong."

Zhou Canglan paused for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face: "Of course, there is another possibility: you did not betray the government, but were ordered to come to my side as an undercover agent. In that case, you would be even less likely to leave."

He leaned closer to Tang Ping and lowered his voice, saying, "I'll give you a chance. Confess honestly whether you're an undercover agent or not. If you admit you're an undercover agent, I won't hurt you. I'll just politely send you away. Don't worry about me lying to you, because you're not worth me turning against the Psychic Management Bureau. I don't want to give them any leverage. But if you don't admit it now, and I find out you're an undercover agent in the future, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Tang Ping, having seen her share of ups and downs and even been brought to the brink of death at gunpoint, was naturally not intimidated by this threat. She immediately smiled and said, "President Zhou has put forward a very imaginative but meaningless hypothesis."

"Oh, what do you say?"

"Does it matter whether I'm an undercover agent or not? If you're generous to your subordinates, reward them for their merits, and offer better treatment than the government, then following you is more promising than staying in the Psionic Administration. Why would I betray you? Talking about loyalty is ridiculous. What era are we living in? Do you expect me to work myself to the bone to contribute to Mr. Zhao's happy retirement?"

"As long as you have leadership charisma, even if I am really an undercover agent, I will follow you wholeheartedly. Just like you said, there is no such thing as a loyalty contract in the world. The Psionic Administration can't control me. So what if I switch jobs directly and turn the charade into reality?"

"On the other hand, if you are stingy and unclear about rewards and punishments, there is no future in following you. Even if I am not an undercover agent, I will find a way to sell information to the government in exchange for rewards. There is no rule in this world that says you can't betray your leader if you are not an undercover agent."

Whether I am an undercover agent or not depends not on what I think, but on what you do.

Zhou Canglan was stunned for a while after hearing this, then burst into laughter: "Interesting, really interesting! You could never say something like this without having been through the ups and downs of society. You're just a college student, what does your family do?"

Tang Ping didn't hide anything and simply replied, "I come from a single-parent family; my father is a journalist."

"No wonder, no wonder."

Zhou Canglan seemed to be imagining something, then suddenly realized something.

Just as Tang Ping was about to ask if she could see the other members, a female secretary who seemed to have just entered the workforce and looked somewhat inexperienced pushed open the office door in a panic. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, her lips trembled slightly, and her voice trembled with obvious urgency as she said, "President Zhou, something terrible has happened! There's been an accident at the construction site! A worker has been injured by falling steel bars!"

Zhou Canglan's brows furrowed tightly into a "川" shape, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly. He scolded, "What's the panic? Has someone died?"

"No... no, but a worker's shoulder was broken, and the injury is said to be very serious."

"It's a minor matter since no one was killed. Did you call an ambulance?"

"It called."

"That's good, everything will be done according to the rules and regulations..."

Zhou Canglan originally intended to let the matter drop, but after glancing at Tang Ping beside him, he changed his mind and said, "Forget it, I'll go there myself. Why don't you come along too, young brother, and see how I treat my subordinates?"

"Okay."

……

The construction site was not far from the company. When Tang Ping and his group arrived, the injured worker had just been lifted into an ambulance.

Zhou Canglan stepped forward and said to the injured worker, "Don't worry, there is workers' compensation insurance, and the company will cover any additional costs. Just rest well, and your salary will continue to be paid during your recovery period."

"Thank you, boss," the worker said gratefully.

After the ambulance sped away, Zhou Canglan turned around and coldly surveyed the scene.

A portly middle-aged man walked up to him timidly, his eyes darting around, and asked, "Boss, what brings you here?"

"Tell me what happened?"

"Sigh, the steel cable wasn't secured properly, and it fell and hit his shoulder. Old Wang was just unlucky."

Zhou Canglan rebuked, "What do you mean by bad luck? It's because your safety work wasn't done properly! You're talking nonsense. Where's the safety supervisor? Come and explain the cause of the accident right now."

A man around thirty-five years old, dressed more like a financial elite than a construction worker, walked over and said, "Mr. Zhou, the accident report is still being compiled."

"Tell me what you know first, and I'll review it later."

"Okay, based on the situation at the scene, the cause of the accident was that the steel cables securing the steel bar bundles had not been replaced due to long-term wear and tear. Combined with the strong winds today, this caused the top layer of steel bar bundles to tilt and slip. At the same time, the area was not equipped with standard fall protection barriers, and the distance between the ground work passage and the material storage area was too close, failing to maintain the required safe distance. Ultimately, the steel bar struck Wang Guoqing, a worker who was carrying materials below, during the fall. Fortunately, Wang Guoqing was wearing a safety helmet and did not suffer fatal injuries. The injuries appear to be a comminuted fracture of the shoulder and a mild concussion."

"Very good! Professional and efficient. It was worth the high price I paid to hire you. But whatever the reason, the accident is your responsibility. All employees in the safety department will have their bonuses deducted for this month. Any objections?"

“No!” the man said seriously. “We will immediately carry out rectification work, summarize the lessons learned, and ensure that the same accident does not happen again.”

"Go."

Zhou Canglan waved his hand, then looked at the portly middle-aged man and said, "Starting today, all members of your group will undergo a month-long safety training. Only those who pass the training can return to work. During this period, the work of Group Two will be handed over to other groups. Is there enough time to complete the project?"

The last question was directed at the female secretary.

The female secretary quickly replied, "There's still time. We've already reserved plenty of space, and groups three and four have overtime quotas."

"Then let the third and fourth groups distribute the workload."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man quickly said, "Boss, there's no need for that. This was just an accident, and it won't happen again."

"It wasn't an accident. The safety supervisor just said that if you had prepared fall protection barriers, this accident wouldn't have happened! I've said it many times: there's no such thing as a minor safety issue. Everyone trusts me to work under me, and I have to live up to their trust. Every brother who sweats on this construction site is a valuable asset to our company. Your group must undergo comprehensive and systematic safety training to improve safety awareness. Starting today, everyone is suspended from work."

Zhou Canglan's words were too correct, and the middle-aged man had no choice but to nod in agreement and turn around to tell his team to stop working.

The workers were full of complaints. Some complained that the safety officer was not careful enough and had caused them trouble, while others complained that Wang Guoqing did not check the almanac before going out. But no one complained that Boss Zhou was making a fuss.

Zhou Canglan led Tang Ping to the temporary office at the construction site and asked, "Did you understand?"

"I understand most of it, but there are still some things I don't understand." Tang Ping stroked his chin, full of curiosity, and asked, "Isn't President Zhou afraid the workers will run away if he doesn't give them any work?"

“Don’t worry, they are all permanent employees. Even if they don’t work, they can still receive a basic salary every month. They don’t want to leave even if you try to force them to leave.”

"Why wouldn't they be happy to get paid for doing nothing?"

"Because the base salary is only three thousand, after working and including bonuses, you can earn at least twelve thousand a month."

"His salary is almost double that of his peers! How did Mr. Zhou manage to do that?"

"It's very simple, just take 90% of the company's profits and distribute them to the employees."

Tang Ping asked in surprise, "Does President Zhou want to become the 'Fat Donglai' of the construction industry?"

"Haha, Mr. Yu, the founder of Pang Donglai, has a transcendent mindset. I'm not as noble as him. The reason I'm willing to give back to my employees is simple—money is not important to psionicists at all!"

Zhou Canglan stood by the window, looking at the bustling construction site, and said, "Once you become a psionicist, you will understand this. As long as you are strong enough, wealth, power, and beauty are all within your grasp. So don't care too much about these things, and don't use psionic power to obtain these mundane things. That's something only short-sighted mediocrities would do."

"If I wanted money, there are plenty of wealthy people abroad who would offer me a $100 million annual salary, but I have never been tempted. My time is so precious, how can I waste it on vulgar people and things?"

“I know the government has been watching me for a long time, but so what? What reason do they have to arrest me? Is it because I’m too generous to my employees and strictly abide by labor laws, which is detrimental to the fierce competition in the talent market?”

Tang Ping said, "But the New Territories Alliance is a recognized cult organization, and arresting cult members is the best reason."

Zhou Canglan scoffed, "Where does this 'publicly acknowledged' come from? It's just what's recognized domestically. The Guiling Sect's headquarters are in South Asia, the New Territories Alliance is a guest of honor in various European countries, and the Spiritual Studies Progress Research Association has received strong support from the United States. Only the Creation Society is rather mysterious, with an unclear background."

"Just like marijuana, which is a prohibited substance in China but a legal drug in many foreign countries, or betel nut, which is widely consumed and even openly advertised in China but is a prohibited substance in Turkey and Australia. Which country's legislation is more correct?"

Tang Ping said, "The law is only supposed to govern matters within one's own country's territory, except for the United States."

Zhou Canglan chuckled and said, "Since the emergence of psionic energy, the Americans have toned down their behavior a lot... To put it another way, they can arrest anyone who is a member of the four major cult organizations, but how can they prove that I am a member of the New Territories Alliance?"

Tang Ping recalled the way China deals with terrorist organizations and asked doubtfully, "As long as you have done something that harms humanity and society, you must be a cult member."

"That's the key point. I've never done anything illegal or disorderly, not even evaded a single penny of taxes. Fu Zhengyi has always wanted to arrest me, but unfortunately, there's no evidence to prove that I'm a 'bad person.' If he takes action against me, he will suffer the backlash from Ling Ge. This is one of the reasons why I chose to stay in Lin'an City."

"If the New Territories Alliance is truly an innocent and pure cult, why is it designated as a cult by the state?"

"The New Realm Alliance is certainly not innocent. They believe that psionicists are superior humans and should rule over mortals. Therefore, they want to break down the barriers between the Real World and the mortal world so that psionicists can also use psionic abilities in the mortal world."

"This target sounds very villainous, but from the perspective of the modern world, if the New Territories Alliance does not carry out terrorist attacks and only focuses on breaking down the barrier between the two worlds, how can we prove its harm?"

"This is a dilemma faced by the official Chinese psychic community. They want to build a new order, so they can't just act on their whims. They must have 'laws to follow.' If they can arrest anyone they think is dangerous, their position will be completely untenable, and the people's hearts will collapse."

Tang Ping tentatively asked, "It sounds like President Zhou doesn't quite agree with the New Territories Alliance's philosophy?"

Zhou Canglan sneered, "I'm too lazy to hide it from you. Let me be frank. In my opinion, their ideology is pointless. It's only natural that the strong have the right to rule. I agree with the logic that 'psychics are stronger than ordinary people, so psychics have privileges,' but I don't agree with the logic that 'you are a psychic, so you have privileges.' Useless psychics are still the weak who are ruled."

"But you still joined the New Territories Alliance?"

"Our philosophies may differ, but our strategic goals for achieving them are the same. Only by breaking down the barriers between the two worlds can psionicists become undisputed powerhouses in the mortal realm. If you were in that situation, wouldn't you want to use psionic abilities in the mortal world?"

Seeing Tang Ping deep in thought, Zhou Canglan said, "Go back and think it over carefully. If you can't accept this, you should honestly apologize to the Psychic Energy Management Bureau. You can't force a melon to ripen. I'm not forcing you to join, but once you join, you must abide by my rules."

Chapter 157 Father and Son Madmen

Just as Tang Ping was saying goodbye to Zhou Canglan and preparing to return to his university dormitory, his phone received a text message. Opening it, he saw it was from his father; the message contained only four words, but it startled him—

"Son, save me!"

Then another message came, but it was an address location map.

"Hohhot, what are you doing in Inner Mongolia?"

Tang Ping scratched his head, but didn't panic, because this wasn't the first time he'd encountered a similar situation.

Back then, his father took him to visit famous teachers all over the country, and then they went all over the country to challenge other teachers. Because he was always traveling around, it was inconvenient for his father to take leave all the time, so he simply applied to his workplace to transfer to an investigative reporter position, so that he could find news material while traveling around.

The most dangerous incident was the Liangshan illegal mine case. The father discovered that some mines were illegally employing child laborers, using "high wages" to lure minors to illegal mines in Shanxi and Shaanxi, where they worked more than 16 hours a day. After infiltrating to collect evidence, he contacted the local police to report the case, but his personal information was leaked. On the night before he was to leave Liangshan, he was surrounded and blocked by dozens of people.

It was just as bad luck for this group of people. Tang Ping had only recently mastered the hidden force and was not yet proficient in controlling his strength. In addition, the hidden force was extremely dangerous, so he usually dared not use it on others. Since a group of guinea pigs had come along, he did not hold back and gave almost everyone a slap.

After the melee ended, all the attackers had one kidney damaged and were sent to the hospital for treatment. They were all urinating blood. The police officer in charge of taking their statements looked at Tang Ping with trembling eyes.

Afterwards, no one held Tang Ping accountable. Firstly, he was too young, and secondly, he acted cleanly and decisively, knocking each person down with a single blow and never using a second blow. He also did not actively pursue those who fled. Even without the "Kunshan Dragon Brother" case as a typical example, it was still a standard example of legitimate self-defense.

On the contrary, the police station that filed the report was thoroughly investigated and punished from top to bottom. After all, Tang Zheng was not a person without connections, nor was he the type to be magnanimous and tolerant when he suffered a loss. He was determined to take revenge to the end once he picked up his pen.

Having learned from this experience, Tang Zheng would no longer report any illegal activities he uncovered locally. Instead, he would send the news material back to the television station so that his employer could file a report on his behalf.

Therefore, Tang Ping was somewhat puzzled as to why he had failed again.

Worried that his father might not be able to speak at the moment, he didn't call him but instead sent a message to inquire about the situation. After learning that it wasn't urgent, he used the China Railway app to book a ticket to Hohhot and then took a taxi to the train station.

The extended leave that the Psionic Administration had arranged for him wasn't over yet, which saved him the trouble of contacting his counselor to ask for leave.

……

Late that night, Tang Ping arrived at the location, which turned out to be an ordinary employee dormitory building.

He already knew the room number on the way, and immediately went to the door, knocking three times, pausing for a while, then knocking three more times, and so on.

When he knocked for the fourth time, the door was opened, and it was his father, Tang Zheng, who opened it.

Tang Ping glanced at the other person and saw no signs of injury. Relieved, she complained, "Since you're already inside, isn't agreeing on a code word pointless? I could just send you a message and you could open the door for me."

“Oh dear, you have to have a sense of ritual when you do things. You have to learn to create an atmosphere. The more dangerous the situation, the more you have to know how to find joy in hardship. Asking this kind of question proves that you are still a straight man. Dad is really worried about you. Will you still be a single dog after four years of college?”

As a media professional in the new era, Tang Zheng keeps up with current online events, uses various popular terms at his fingertips, and has no generation gap with young people.

Tang Ping rolled her eyes and said, "You've got all those high-sounding principles, but why haven't you found me a stepmother yet?"