Perhaps the employer’s demands were simply too bizarre, leaving the supervisors and the soon-to-be-deployed “laborers” struggling to adapt for a moment.
However, Pei Ran quickly found a way to help them adjust.
Pei Ran: “Those who perform well will receive bonuses.”
Old Butler and the four aunties: “Yes, sir.”
Pei Yucai and Yu Mei, on the other hand, were on the verge of losing their minds.
What work? They had to work?
What on earth was going on?
Pei Ran took the rare opportunity to explain things seriously to the two of them.
“If you two want money from me, you’ll have to earn it through labor. The more you work, the more you’ll get. If you’re unwilling, of course, you can also find work outside. Besides the wages your employer pays you, I’ll give you additional bonuses.”
Before the couple could fully digest this series of revelations,
he added another line: “Of course, you can also choose to do nothing.”
Pei Yucai and Yu Mei felt a surge of joy.
Pei Ran: “Just don’t come crying to me when you starve to death.”
The couple: “!!!” What kind of heartless talk was this?
Having made everything clear, Pei Ran paid no further attention to the couple.
They were adults. What choices they made and what kind of life they led were entirely up to them.
He had no interest in playing the game of guiding people onto the right path.
Back at the company,
after the investigation and dismissal of the employees involved in sexual harassment, his popularity had skyrocketed.
From the moment he entered the company, nearly every employee who saw him greeted him with a smile.
All the way to his office, Pei Ran remained in a cheerful mood.
Except for one thing—the countdown above his head continued to decrease day by day, showing no signs of increasing.
This truly frustrated Pei Ran.
The unfavorable factors within the company had been largely eliminated.
Pei Yucai had been directly dismissed and could no longer access the company’s operations.
In the original storyline, the female lead’s resentment toward the company stemmed from the men who had harassed her.
Now, those men had been fired, and the female lead had even received a promotion and a raise.
Why hadn’t any of this made a difference?
Where exactly was the problem?
Pei Ran racked his brains, wishing that since he already had a countdown above his head, why not add a bankruptcy explanation as well?
The last resort now was the male lead, but after careful consideration, Pei Ran decided it was best not to provoke the other protagonist unless absolutely necessary.
This was a romance novel world, where everything served the purpose of sweet love.
Presumably, the male lead had no interest in recruiting subordinates.
A romance novel male lead, especially one with the “cold and ruthless tycoon” label—if Pei Ran approached him, he’d likely end up as cannon fodder.
This guy’s temper was notoriously domineering and arrogant.
Pei Ran sat in his office, lost in thought, as Secretary Jin brought in some documents, glancing at him several times.
Just then, Jiang Han’s voice preceded his arrival as he walked in, calling Pei Ran’s name with a smile.
Pei Ran snapped back to attention.
Jiang Han placed a cup of coffee on his desk and turned to Secretary Jin, saying, “I left yours on your desk.”
Secretary Jin thanked him and left.
Jiang Han turned back: “Are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner together. It’s been a while since I visited your place. I’m sure your godparents must miss me.”
Over the many years Pei Ran and Jiang Han had grown close, Jiang Han had decisively recognized Pei Yucai and Yu Mei as his godparents.
He had essentially become thoroughly entangled with the Pei family.
While Jiang Han was sizing him up, Pei Ran was also observing the other man.
"Alright."
He agreed verbally, but his mind was already elsewhere.
Perhaps there were other intricate interpersonal relationships within the company, like the dismissed Zhou Guoren and Pi Qiu, who were brother-in-law and brother-in-law-in-law.
Who knew if there were hidden connections among the others, with all the blame for the dismissals being pinned on the female lead.
If the male lead were to fly into a rage for his beloved, the consequences would eventually land on him.
Having considered this possibility, Pei Ran finally had a next step in mind.
Even as Jiang Han reminisced about the past with him, he felt less impatient.
Jiang Han—if it weren't for the fact that the original owner had gifted him one-third of the company's ownership, making him a partial owner, Pei Ran would have wanted to fire him right then and there.
This so-called friend was merely a one-sided assumption on the original owner's part.
Jiang Han had never truly regarded him as a friend either.
However, for now, it was unclear what role he played in the Pei family's bankruptcy, as the original plot hadn't mentioned it.
Jiang Han talked until his mouth went dry, picking up the coffee he had just handed to Pei Ran and taking a sip.
"What's wrong with you? Something on your mind? You seem so distracted lately, and you've even changed your appearance. Could it be you're in love? Who have you fallen for? That Shen Mianmian?"
The moment the name left Jiang Han's lips, Pei Ran immediately became fully alert.
"Shen Mianmian? Who's that?"
He seemed genuinely unable to recall who the owner of that name was, his expression completely blank.
Jiang Han's expression faltered for a moment. He didn't think Pei Ran was pretending—Pei Ran had never been one to lie.
Especially not to him.
But upon second thought, something felt off.
The feeling he had during that meal with Pei Ran resurfaced. Although he later dismissed his thoughts as absurd, he had consciously avoided contact with Pei Ran over the past two days.
He had finally managed to adjust his mindset, but as soon as he saw Pei Ran and exchanged a few words, that feeling crept back.
This person really didn't seem like the Pei Ran he knew.
But talk of ghosts and spirits was nothing but nonsense, and concepts like transmigration or rebirth were even more impossible.
Those were just fabrications from novels.
As a rational person, believing in such things would land him in a hospital for a mental check-up.
Pei Ran observed every change in Jiang Han's expression, naturally not missing the doubt in the other's eyes.
Had Jiang Han noticed the differences between him and the original owner?
Pei Ran couldn't be sure yet, so he tucked the question away in his mind.
Jiang Han, once again unsettled by his own speculations, no longer dwelled on his earlier probing about Shen Mianmian. After a few more words, he hurriedly left.
By evening, the person who had promised to come over for dinner still hadn't shown up.
Pei Ran simply called him.
Only then did Jiang Han feign realization.
"I've been so busy all day, I almost forgot about this. Wait for me, I'll be right over."
When the two returned to the Pei residence together, Pei Yucai and Yu Mei seemed to have been waiting for a while. At the sound of movement, they immediately came to open the door.
"Little Han is here, come in quickly and let your godmother take a look at you. It's been so long since we last saw you, why haven't you come to visit us… Have you gotten a girlfriend and forgotten about us?"
Today, Yu Mei was exceptionally enthusiastic. Her face, injected with too much hyaluronic acid and filled with too many apple cheeks, vividly illustrated the phrase "the flesh smiles but the skin does not" whenever she grinned.
Even though Jiang Han was relatively accustomed to her ever-changing appearance, he still found it a bit overwhelming at the moment.
When Yu Mei warmly linked arms with him, even though he tried hard to endure it, his body instinctively flinched away.
He quickly shifted his gaze to Pei Yucai beside him.
"Godmother, Godfather."
The three of them affectionately made their way to the living room and sat down.
In contrast, Pei Ran, one of the legitimate owners of the house, seemed like an outsider.
He walked at the back, with no intention of joining their conversation.
When he sat down in the living room, the Old Butler immediately brought over a glass of lemon water and two small pieces of pastry.
"Sir, what would you like for dinner? I'll have the chef prepare it now."
Pei Ran had previously instructed that he might not come home for dinner, so there was no need to prepare meals specifically for him.
"Hmm, just make a simple seafood fried rice."
Upon hearing this, the butler immediately noted it down and went to inform the chef.
Yu Mei, who had been sitting nearby with her ears perked up, immediately chimed in.
"Wait, Little Han rarely visits. Even though we're family, we can't just casually have fried rice. Make a few more dishes—we can finish them."
These past few days, she had been closely monitored by several aunties, who meticulously explained the job list and fee standards for hourly workers.
She had to work herself to the bone, doing all the household chores, just to earn a mere 200 yuan.
She couldn't even afford a bag with a month's worth of that kind of work.
Naturally, Yu Mei was unwilling to do it, and the aunties in the house didn't force her. They simply kept an eye on her, following her whenever she tried to go out.
This infuriated Yu Mei to the point of nearly spitting blood.
Since she didn't work, she naturally didn't get to eat either.
The aunties had their meals and accommodation covered as part of their job, and the chef's duties included preparing their food.
When the others sat down to eat at the table, Yu Mei even tried to snatch food.
In fact, she really did try, but she didn't succeed.
After all, Pei Ran had already given clear instructions: those who worked here listened to the one who paid them.
Yu Mei was out of money, but even though her credit cards had been suspended these past few days, her spending habits hadn't slowed down at all.
When there was no food at home, she ordered takeout, and what little cash she had was quickly spent.
The various snacks in the house were also running low.
If she continued starving like this, she might really end up dying of hunger.
In the end, she could only pin her hopes on the plan she and Pei Yucai had devised with all their wisdom.
Jiang Han.
Their son's best friend was Jiang Han. They didn't know what was wrong with their son and hoped Jiang Han could help persuade him.
Over the phone, they didn't say much about what was happening at home, only that they hadn't seen him in a long time, missed him, and wanted him to come over for a meal.
Since Jiang Han usually visited for meals from time to time anyway, he didn't suspect a thing.
It wasn't until he entered the Pei household that Jiang Han finally noticed something was off.
However, since Pei Yucai and Yu Mei didn't bring it up, he pretended to know nothing.
They had called him over, so surely they would eventually tell him what was going on.
This sense of unease lingered until the Old Butler came over and told Pei Ran that dinner was ready.
Finally, it was made crystal clear and placed right in front of Jiang Han.
On the dining table, there was only a plate of seafood fried rice—nothing else.
Hosting a meal?
Usually, when hosting at home, shouldn’t the hosts cook to entertain their guests?
If the Pei couple wanted to invite Jiang Han for a meal, they should go to the kitchen and cook themselves.
Pei Ran sat down, and the Old Butler handed him a beautiful stainless steel spoon.
"Thank you, it smells wonderful. Just the aroma suggests it must be delicious."
Pei Ran said to the Old Butler.
Old Butler: "I think so too. Please try it, sir."
He didn’t even glance at the other people at the same table, as if the awkwardness had nothing to do with their side.
Jiang Han cleared his throat lightly. He was genuinely embarrassed, but his feeling that something was off about Pei Ran grew even stronger.
"Godfather, godmother, it’s about time. Why don’t we go out to eat instead? The private room I reserved at the hotel should be ready by now."
He spoke as if it were really the case.
Pei Yucai and Yu Mei had completely miscalculated. Pei Ran wasn’t planning to give them any face at all.
Hearing this, they quickly took the offered way out.
"Great, great, let’s hurry. It’s so late already, we must be hungry."
Soon, the three of them left together, taking Pei Jie along as well.
The entire Pei household was left with only Pei Ran as the sole master.
After finishing the seafood fried rice, Pei Ran contentedly went to sit on the sofa.
Just as he was about to turn on the TV to watch the news for a while, he suddenly saw a countdown above his own head reflected in the still-black TV screen.
Poshan Daojishi: 66 days.
Pei Ran: ???!!
[Author’s Note]
Pei Ran: I just want to die with clarity~