Lin Zhou’s voice came from the other end: “Yes, President Gu.” Then he asked, “Do you need it now?”
Gu Xingmo was not an exploitative boss like Zhou Bapi. Thinking that it was already after work hours, there was no need for him to organize it immediately.
Teacher Su would only need it tomorrow at noon, so Gu Xingmo gave him more leeway: “Give it to me before ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”
Lin Zhou, who was on a date with his girlfriend and was about to go watch a movie with her, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay, I’ll definitely have it organized before ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”
After hanging up the phone, the beautiful young woman sitting opposite Lin Zhou complained coquettishly, “What kind of boss is this, assigning tasks even after work hours.”
Lin Zhou said, “It’s not about company matters.”
“Then what is it?” The beauty had a melon-seed-shaped face, dark eyes, red lips, and fair skin. She was wearing a slip dress, revealing her delicate collarbone and fair arms. In the Western restaurant, the lighting was dim, and the beauty under the light seemed even more ethereal.
This was his girlfriend whom Lin Zhou had recently pursued. He was particularly generous with emotional value towards this young girlfriend.
He never mentioned anything about the company in his life. But now, if his girlfriend was curious and asked, as long as it wasn’t a trade secret, he would tell her a little.
“The boss asked me to investigate the situation of several gyms near Xinghe Bay. He probably wants to use his free time to work out near home.”
“Xinghe Bay?” The girlfriend’s eyes widened, showing envy and longing, “You mean that city garden where all the billionaires live, Xinghe Bay? Does your boss live there?”
Lin Zhou nodded: “Our company was involved in the development of this property.”
The girlfriend’s admiration grew even more: “Your company developed it?” Then she asked, “Then you’re an internal employee, so you should get a discount on the property, right?”
At this, Lin Zhou showed a hint of embarrassment: “Everyone living there is a billionaire. I’m just an employee, how could I afford to live there?”
The girlfriend: “But aren’t you an assistant to the CEO of a listed company? I heard that such an assistant position is almost equivalent to a vice president. The annual salary of a vice president of a listed company is at least a million.”
Lin Zhou felt ashamed: “Even with an annual salary of a million, I still can’t afford such a luxury home.” Moreover, he didn’t have the treatment of a vice president, nor did he earn a million annually.
“I’m just one of the assistants in our boss’s office. I have a chief assistant above me. And even the chief assistant wouldn’t dare to say they are a vice president of the company.” They all belonged to the CEO’s office, and the employees in the CEO’s office were divided into levels. Strictly speaking, he was more of a personal assistant to the CEO.
The little beauty didn’t press further, but looked at the food on the table and said, “Let’s eat first.”
The next day, around 10:30, Gu Xingmo proactively called Su Jiaobai.
Su Jiaobai wasn’t as busy at school today as she was yesterday. Most students had reported yesterday, so there were fewer people at school today.
Therefore, when Gu Xingmo called, she happened to not be busy.
When Gu Xingmo called, she was messaging Lu Yuanyuan.
She was typing well when a call interface suddenly popped up, making her half-typed message disappear. She was slightly stunned. Seeing that the caller ID was Gu Xingmo, she thought he was probably calling about her visiting the preschool at noon today, so she quickly answered.
While answering the call, she went back to the WeChat chat interface and typed to Lu Yuanyuan: [Wait a moment, President Gu is calling.]
Lu Yuanyuan on the other end responded cooperatively: [Oh oh, you go ahead and be busy.]
For the first few seconds after the call was connected, Su Jiaobai was busy replying to Lu Yuanyuan, while Gu Xingmo was busy forwarding the information Lin Zhou had just sent him to Su Jiaobai via WeChat. There was silence during these few seconds.
After both of them finished their tasks, they spoke.
They spoke almost simultaneously.
“What’s wrong?”
“Check your WeChat.”
“Hmm?” As Gu Xingmo asked her to check WeChat, she heard a “ding,” and became curious, “What did you send me?”
While asking, she had already put the phone on speaker and was looking for the WeChat message.
At this moment, she heard the man’s deep voice from the phone: “I asked Lin Zhou to compile information on several gyms near Xinghe Bay. You can take a look.”
“Eh?” As expected, she saw the document he had sent her on WeChat and immediately clicked on it.
Then, she saw that the document clearly listed the advantages and disadvantages of each gym in a categorized manner.
This way, she could first look at this table and cross out the ones that didn’t meet her expectations.
When she went for the on-site inspection, she could then compare the cost-effectiveness of the remaining ones and choose. This undoubtedly saved her a lot of time and effort.
“Did you ask Assistant Lin to compile this…?” She was quite touched.
Although he didn’t do it himself, but asked a company employee to do it, it was a trivial matter for him. But at least, he had remembered what she had casually said and was willing to use company resources to make things convenient for her.
This kind of thing was a trivial matter for Gu Xingmo. He wouldn’t take credit, nor did he need to.
“I hope it’s helpful to you.” After a simple sentence, he asked about Junzai’s matter, “I have time at noon. Do you need me to go with you?”
Su Jiaobai had already made plans with Lu Yuanyuan, asking her to accompany her. “I’ve made plans with Yuanyuan. She’s free at noon, and we’ve agreed to go together.”
Actually, if she didn’t need to accompany Junzai and provide him with a better growth environment, Su Jiaobai would still prefer to go alone or with her best friend.
Although the ice between her and Gu Xingmo had broken, and they were now getting along harmoniously, their relationship was still at the level of business partners, not a true marital relationship. Short periods of time alone were fine, but longer periods would make both of them awkward.
She thought Gu Xingmo probably felt the same way.
As expected, the man on the other end of the phone didn’t insist and only said, “Alright, thank you for your trouble. If you need anything, call me.”
Su Jiaobai readily agreed, “Definitely, definitely.”
Gu Xingmo then said, “Let me know which gym you choose after you’ve decided, and I’ll have Lin Zhou get you a membership.” He then added, “Your friend… if she needs it, you can get one for her too.”
She had also discussed the matter of gyms with Yuanyuan earlier, and Yuanyuan had expressed her envy. She had been thinking that if the personal training sessions weren’t too expensive and she could afford them, she would buy an extra one for Yuanyuan. Coincidentally, her birthday was approaching, so she could consider it a birthday gift.
But who would have thought that before she could even decide, the living Bodhisattva Gu Xingmo would offer to pay for it.
Not only was he paying for hers, but he was also considering her friend and intending to get one for her friend as well.
Su Jiaobai was very happy. She felt even more that Gu Xingmo was truly magnanimous in his actions. Although it was a small amount of money for him, it truly made her happy, and it would also make her friend feel grateful towards him.
Spending a little money to buy the happiness of two girls, he had made a profit.
“Yuanyuan will be very happy.” When it came to money, Su Jiaobai wouldn’t be polite with him. “Thank you.”
Gu Xingmo said it was nothing, and then they both happily hung up the phone.
Su Jiaobai was very happy at the moment, but she restrained herself in front of Gu Xingmo. After hanging up the phone, she immediately released all her happiness and then immediately shared the good news with Lu Yuanyuan.
Lu Yuanyuan often said in jest that she would rely on rich women and follow them, but when it came to actually receiving significant benefits from her rich husband, she hesitated.
“This… isn’t it too good…” Lu Yuanyuan had never had personal training sessions at a gym, but she knew they were probably quite expensive.
Especially for personal training at a gym near Xinghe Bay, a single session would probably cost several hundred yuan.
Jiaobai was now the daughter of the Lu family, and her husband was a billionaire and not stingy. This money was probably a drop in the bucket for the couple. Although Jiaobai’s intentions were genuine, Lu Yuanyuan would still consider whether she was suitable to accept such a genuine favor.
She would happily accept a beauty treatment costing a thousand yuan, and at most, she would treat her to a meal later.
Although a meal wouldn’t be very expensive, it would be a return of favor.
But a personal training course would cost at least ten thousand yuan. How could she possibly repay such an expensive favor?
Lu Yuanyuan had not found a suitable and formal job after graduation and had not officially started working.
However, the first two years after she graduated from university coincided with the boom in self-media entrepreneurship. She managed a cooking account on various online platforms, with hundreds of thousands of followers across the internet. Although the trend had somewhat passed in the last two years, and her traffic had decreased, her profitability was also less than before.
But she was someone who had benefited from the demographic dividend.
Now, relying on the fans she had accumulated over the years, she continued to manage her video account, earning anywhere from ten thousand to nearly twenty thousand yuan per month.
Coupled with the wealth she had accumulated in previous years, as long as she didn’t spend recklessly, she had enough to live on.
However, although Lu Yuanyuan seemed carefree and oblivious, she was actually a rather forward-thinking and risk-aware person.
She knew that if she didn’t find an opportunity to transform or find another way out, she wouldn’t be able to earn much money in a few years.
This was why she often envied Su Jiaobai these past two years, envying her for passing the teacher’s exam, entering the system, and securing a stable job.
Although the monthly salary of a teacher wasn’t high, there were many hidden benefits. Food subsidies, transportation subsidies, allowances, and bonuses – she could receive up to 200,000 yuan a year.
And their provident fund was also high.
However, if she were to envy Jiaobai, she couldn’t.
She was the daughter of the Lu Group, and her husband was a billionaire. She wasn’t relying on her monthly fixed salary, but on the pocket money her husband gave her.
Lu Yuanyuan genuinely considered her best friend’s well-being, which was why she had earnestly advised her to turn back when she was about to make a mistake.
Fortunately, she hadn’t been so foolish, hadn’t gotten too deeply involved, but had suddenly woken up and decisively turned back.
Su Jiaobai: [There’s nothing good or bad about it! Are you stupid not to accept money from a living Bodhisattva?]
Fearing she wouldn’t accept this kindness, Su Jiaobai continued typing vigorously: [You can consider not accepting my hard-earned money, but please! absolutely! must! accept the living Bodhisattva’s money!!!] She might be the first woman to ask her best friend to spend her husband’s money.
But it was truly from the heart.
[I’ll kneel down for you.] Su Jiaobai typed a barrage of messages, and then sent a [kneeling] emoji.
Lu Yuanyuan on the other end was stunned and amused by her best friend’s actions.
A smile unconsciously appeared on her face, and in her usual tone: [I’ll consider it~] Then she sent a proud cat emoji.
After some playful banter, Su Jiaobai had a free lunch at the school cafeteria and then took a taxi to a place called “Xingyao Preschool.”
At the same time, Lu Yuanyuan was also rushing over by taxi.
Xingyao Preschool was the best one that Lin Zhou had found after searching through various online resources and making phone inquiries. Today, Su Jiaobai was coming for an on-site inspection to see the teaching environment.
The children attending classes here were all preschool children, the oldest being around four years old, and the youngest possibly even younger than Junzai.
Each classroom had a wall made of transparent glass, allowing people from outside to clearly see the interactions between the teachers and students inside.
Outside each classroom, many parents were sitting in a row, waiting.
After visiting the classroom, Su Jiaobai was invited to the lobby by the receptionist, who was still chattering about their preschool’s parenting philosophy.
Su Jiaobai was half-listening. She casually took photos and videos and sent them to Gu Xingmo at this moment.
[On-site inspection completed. It’s not bad.] She even asked about the paint used on the walls during the renovation.
.
When Su Jiaobai sent the message, Gu Xingmo had a distinguished guest in his office.
The situation was as follows—
Gu Xingmo’s office had a specially converted bedroom. If he had time to rest during the day, he would take a short twenty-minute nap to refresh himself.
Today, since his wife didn’t need him to accompany her for the preschool inspection, he had originally planned to take a nap. However, at this moment, a few people from the alumni group suddenly got a whim and insisted on playing basketball with him at noon. Wang Hao even tagged him specifically in the group chat, so he couldn’t pretend not to see it.
Gu Xingmo had a difficult childhood. Although he was admitted to the best county high school in the city during the high school entrance examination, a junior college in the city was willing to waive all tuition fees for five years and offered a high scholarship… After a few days of hesitation, he finally chose this junior college.
He chose not to continue high school because he didn’t want his grandmother, who had raised him single-handedly, to continue working so hard. However, because of this wrong choice, his grandmother was filled with resentment and sorrow. Her already tired body couldn’t hold on for two years before completely collapsing.
When his grandmother fell seriously ill, he was studying in the city. His grandmother, fearing she would disturb his studies, didn’t call him home even when she was critically ill and on her deathbed.
It was a neighbor who couldn’t bear to see it and called him. He rushed back and managed to see the old lady for the last time.
His grandmother passed away when he was only sixteen or seventeen years old. He was new to the world and lacked experience, unable to handle things independently. Moreover, with the loss of his closest relative, he was greatly affected and remained immersed in grief. He was neither willing nor able to handle his grandmother’s funeral.
At that time, Wang Hao and He Wenqing, who were on the basketball team with him at school, lent him money, put in effort, and tirelessly helped him arrange everything, finally managing to handle his grandmother’s funeral properly.
His grandmother held a very important place in his life. And Wang Hao and He Wenqing had helped him so much that he had always remembered this kindness.
Therefore, after he struggled to start his business and finally achieved success, after his company went public, he insisted on giving Wang Hao and He Wenqing each 2% of the shares.
He also invested money to establish a basketball team. During the district and city basketball competitions held in spring and autumn each year, the basketball team they organized would also participate.
To him, at this level of success, the results of the competition were no longer important. But he still took every competition seriously.
Occasionally, if he had time, he would even play himself. Mixing with young people in their early twenties made him feel as if he had aged ten years.
At the age of thirty, the stability that comes after experiencing life is valuable. But the youthful spirit and vigorous vitality of his youth were truly nostalgic.
As autumn was approaching, the autumn competition was about to begin. Wang Hao, who could live comfortably for life with his 2% shares of Gu’s, had long since stopped working. He was now primarily managing the team and was the coach.
In order to invite Gu Xingmo to play with those young people at noon and boost their morale before the competition, he even personally went to the company and Gu Xingmo’s office.
“President Gu, Director Wang…”
Before the secretary could finish speaking, Wang Hao’s voice sounded from outside the door.
“Old Gu, can I come in?”
Gu Xingmo let the secretary out, then stood up and walked towards the door with a smile to greet him.
“You’re a rare visitor. If it weren’t for the basketball team, you wouldn’t come to the company in half a year.” As he spoke, he invited him into the office.