Upon realizing that the young man munching on chips was the cashier at the convenience store, Duan Qin paused for a moment and politely replied, “Sorry, I didn’t know the competition at convenience stores was this fierce.”
It seems they have already started adopting formal attire, which shows just how tough life is.
Song Shenxue wholeheartedly agreed, “It really is fierce.”
The Fortune Cat was still barely hanging on at the cash register. After Song Shenxue had given it a “repair” that morning, one of its paws had fallen off with a loud clatter, rolling to the ground and breaking completely.
Song Shenxue and Duan Qin exchanged glances, and Song Shenxue thought, “……”
It’s all the fault of that damned business war!
He probably already knew who was responsible.
Because based on the direction the paw had fallen, along with some parabolic calculations and probability theory, all evidence pointed to the small shop across from the convenience store.
Of course, the most obvious clue was that the small shop had been playing “Wealth from All Directions” all day since morning; everyone could see through that scheme.
Song Shenxue felt he had uncovered the truth, crunching down on the chips in his mouth.
Dammit, he would find a chance for revenge!
Duan Qin, standing at the entrance of the store, felt a bit confused. What was going on? Suddenly, it felt like the temperature inside the convenience store had dropped sharply?
Not thinking too much about it, Duan Qin walked over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of mineral water.
As he walked to the cash register to pay, his phone rang from his pocket.
He glanced down at the caller ID.
It was someone from the board of directors. If they were calling his personal phone at this hour, something must have come up.
Duan Qin looked at Song Shenxue, who was still standing by the shelves angrily chewing on chips, and nodded apologetically.
Leaving the mineral water on the cash register, he gestured to Song Shenxue that he would take a call first and would be back to pay later.
Song Shenxue watched him push open the glass door and leave without looking back.
What does this mean??
He blinked, and only after a moment did he understand the meaning behind the other’s actions.
—— The young college student opened the payment interface and frowned, probably because he was short on cash. He had no choice but to put down the mineral water and leave dejectedly.
At that moment, a ringing sound echoed in Song Shenxue’s mind.
Such a familiar plot, could it be this coincidental?
He stood up and walked toward the cash register, intending to pick up the paw that had fallen on the ground and repair it again.
As he bent down, he noticed a letter lying on the floor nearby, clearly dropped when the man had taken out his phone.
Song Shenxue didn’t mean to pry into someone’s privacy, but unfortunately, the envelope wasn’t sealed properly, and the letter was half-visible inside.
He casually glanced over and took in the contents at a glance.
This was a self-recommendation letter for financial aid.
【Dear Chairman, hello. I am Duan Qin from Da Niu Village. I am eighteen years old and have excelled academically since childhood, serving as class monitor for many years. My family has one cow, two pigs, three people, and four chickens……】
Wait a minute, Song Shenxue widened his eyes. Can a person be compared to livestock?
What a strict hierarchy.
【When I was three years old, my parents passed away, and I lived with my grandfather and second uncle. But life took a turn for the worse when my grandfather fell and broke his left leg at night, and my second uncle broke his right leg while sneaking into a widow’s house. Since then, only I and the cow have been able to work in the fields.】
【To cover the medical expenses for my grandfather and second uncle, I spent all my family’s savings and took on a considerable debt. Now, facing the university tuition, we are at our wit’s end. Our family of three is on the verge of becoming involved in illegal activities, but the store won’t hire us……】
【In desperation, my second uncle suggested he could sell a kidney to send me to university, but he had already lost one kidney when he sold blood years ago. If he sells another, our family will have as many members as pigs……】
The letter was long, and Song Shenxue didn’t read it all.
But his mind had automatically extracted key phrases—poverty, tuition, illegal activities.
What a poor little white flower.
Song Shenxue’s mind flashed to the handsome face of that young man, along with his simple attire.
Young yet not inexperienced, his tall figure bore a maturity shaped by the storms of life. His deep-set brows and eyes, like carved stone, held a hint of weariness, as if troubled by the mundane affairs of life, with a sense of world-weariness shadowing him.
Even hesitating over buying a bottle of water showed just how difficult his life had become, reaching the point of needing to write a self-recommendation letter for financial aid.
But with a letter written like this, it was hard to say if anyone would actually help him.
If no one came to his aid, he might really have to drop out and go down the wrong path.
At that moment, Song Shenxue felt the call of blood.
*
“If he can’t even handle this, I have reason to doubt whether his abilities match his current position. If that’s the case, it’s better to replace him; the company isn’t a place for anyone to gild their resume.”
“I just personally visited the other party. The key documents are in hand; I’ll handle the specifics when I get back.”
Duan Qin quickly wrapped up the work matters and couldn’t help but pinch his furrowed brow.
Not long ago, a senior executive in the group had shoved his grandson into a key project. This spoiled rich kid, who looked good on the outside but was useless inside, had managed to ruin a project that was set in stone.
As a result, Duan Qin had to personally step in to visit an important client in hopes of recovering the losses.
Hearing that the elderly gentleman often frequented a nearby university park, Duan Qin had spent three hours playing Go with him, finally earning his trust, during which he hadn’t even had a sip of water.
Speaking of water…… Duan Qin suddenly remembered the bottle of water he hadn’t paid for yet and turned back to the convenience store.
Just before pushing open the glass door, his attention was caught by a small sign hanging on the door.
A small rectangular sign that was supposed to indicate “Open for Business” had been altered with a pen to say “Closed for Business.”
And beyond that lettering, someone had added another note.
“No NOOPEN.”
Duan Qin thought, “……”
Double negatives imply affirmation, and knowledge forcefully entered his mind in a curious way.
He paused for a moment and then pushed the door open.
He hadn’t noticed this sign the first time he entered, probably because it was so absurd that his eyes had automatically filtered it out.
He walked into the convenience store, and the clear-eyed cashier was back at his post.
For some reason, Duan Qin felt that the other’s gaze was filled with profound meaning as it rested on him.
Looking down, he realized that to cater to the elderly gentleman’s taste, he had specifically worn an old high school uniform today, which was a bit short at the cuffs.
The bottle of water was still on the cash register. Duan Qin took out his phone, ready to pay.
Suddenly, a slender, fair hand reached out and covered the payment scanner.
Duan Qin looked up, “?”
“Are you Duan Qin?”
The young man behind the cash register suddenly spoke, his voice firm.
Duan Qin paused, a bit surprised, “How do you know my name?”
This was a personal trip, and he had kept a low profile, not even driving. How did this person recognize him?
Was he an undercover agent sent by a business rival, or had his family finally lost patience?
Upon receiving a definite answer, the young man’s face broke into a smile, his features instantly coming alive, and those beautiful eyes, like snow on a cold mountain, sparkled brightly, almost blinding.
“It’s good that it’s you.”
Song Shenxue said with a beaming smile.
Duan Qin looked at his face, and though many thoughts flashed through his mind in that moment, when he met the clarity in the other’s eyes, his inner speculations quieted inexplicably.
As quiet as a chicken.jpg
Unbeknownst to him, Song Shenxue had somehow produced a credit card, which he waved between his fingers.
“Is the tuition enough?”
Duan Qin’s gaze was drawn to his beautiful, slender fingers, and upon seeing the credit card nestled between his index and middle fingers, he seemed to understand something.
Duan Qin replied, “If it’s enough, can I borrow a little?”
“No, man.” Song Shenxue grinned mischievously, “You’re clean enough to qualify to have my children.”
Duan Qin, “……?”
Perhaps because Song Shenxue’s words were too shocking, Duan Qin was silent for a full minute.
His expression remained calm, his deep eyes fixed on Song Shenxue, as if pondering something.
Song Shenxue was still waiting for his response.
He wasn’t in a hurry, for he had been waiting for this day for far too long.
To fall in love at first sight with the poor little white flower in the convenience store, how romantic a first encounter, everything seemed to flow naturally as if it were destined.
Song Shenxue had no doubt that this person was the little white flower he had been waiting for.
Is there any coincidence like this? He worked at this convenience store, and Duan Qin just happened to walk in, letting him know about his current predicament.
Thinking further, perhaps even his entering this business war novel was a sign from above.
After all, he was born to be someone’s master!
Duan Qin slowly blinked, starting to recall which of his actions had led to the misunderstanding.
Could it be because he had entered with his left foot first?
Song Shenxue continued to assert, “If you follow me, you won’t have to go down that path.”
Duan Qin paused, nearly losing control of his expression. Did he really have to go down that path?
Song Shenxue didn’t rush him, a confident smile playing on his lips, the thin card between his fingers seemed like a contract, about to seal their relationship.
Duan Qin gazed at him for a long time, having completely shattered and reassembled his previous assumptions about him being an undercover agent.
Undercover agents usually possess considerable professional skills, and this person before him clearly had his own strengths; he was impressive in an inexplicable way.
“Can you tell me again why you chose me?” Duan Qin spoke calmly, “I need to consider it.”
Song Shenxue smiled slightly and took out the self-recommendation letter.
Duan Qin focused on it, finding it a bit familiar.
It seemed to be the self-recommendation letter submitted by a student with an exceptionally poor family background, which had been given to him by a subordinate of the foundation today. It was said that the writing style was so reminiscent of Yu Hua that it was mistaken for a first-person novel submission, which was why it had never been selected for funding.
Coincidentally, this impoverished student’s name was somewhat similar to Duan Qin’s.
Duan Qin hadn’t had the chance to review this letter; he had planned to look at it when he got back, but unexpectedly, it had fallen here.
Connecting the dots, Duan Qin finally vaguely understood the current situation; it seemed he had been mistaken for the student in need of financial aid.
Duan Qin relaxed his brow. Good news wasn’t a scam, but bad news seemed to be a more sophisticated version of a scam; the other party could initiate a conversation at any time and place.
He had never encountered someone who played by their own rules like this.
It was very… novel.
And he was curious to see what else he could do.
After Song Shenxue took out the self-recommendation letter, he noticed that the young man first froze, then his expression grew much more serious.
Was this the moment he realized his embarrassing situation had been ruthlessly exposed and was ready to fight back?
Song Shenxue was well aware of this plot; it was the crystallization of the wisdom of his predecessors.
He spoke in a low tone, “Five hundred dollars, is that enough to buy your youth?”
It should have been five hundred thousand, but considering that Song Shenxue currently had none and was even five hundred thousand in debt to the bank, he had to lower the price.
Though he had lowered the price, his momentum remained undiminished. Song Shenxue, the Overbearing CEO, intended to buy the little white flower’s soul with money; according to the script, this should provoke a strong aversion from the other party.
This was the essence of coercive acquisition!
The man stood still for a moment, his calm eyes lingering on Song Shenxue, as if he were examining him from head to toe, especially tracing the delicate features of his fair face multiple times.
Finally, he raised an eyebrow and gently took the credit card from between Song Shenxue’s fingers.
“Alright.”