Shen Muyun stared at the empty folder on his computer and the contract in his hand, which was crumpled like scrap paper. He slumped into his office chair. He had been blindsided; how could he have lost his wits on his very first day?
He suddenly recalled that when he printed the documents earlier, there should have been a backup on the computer in the print room. Finding that would be the best-case scenario, but it was a long shot.
Shen Muyun rose and walked to the neighboring print room, only to see several people tinkering with the printer. An ominous feeling surfaced instantly. His temples throbbed, and his right eyelid twitched uncontrollably. It was muscle tension; yes, that was it, just tension.
“Um, what is going on here?”
The man in charge looked up at Shen Muyun and pointed to the printer. “The program has an issue, and we are adjusting it. If you need to print something, go to the twentieth floor. No, wait, that seems to have malfunctioned too. I do not know what is happening; all the printers in the company have suddenly gone on strike.”
“How long will that take?”
“Hard to say. We are investigating. It looks more like an external attack on the computer system; now the computers throughout the company are malfunctioning, not just the printers.”
“I see. Thank you for your hard work; please hurry.”
Damn it. What was this? This was clearly targeted. It did not break early or late, but precisely when he needed it. People are just unlucky sometimes; even drinking cold water makes your teeth ache, not to mention trying to print a contract.
Shen Muyun returned to his office, feeling anxious. He tapped his fingers on his desk, unable to find a good solution.
“System, come out. Come out.”
“Present! Respected Host, is there anything you need?” The System spun around and appeared before him.
Shen Muyun rubbed his temples and looked sideways at the System. “Open the market system. Company, Shen Family contract.”
The System flew in a circle. A list of Shen Family contracts appeared on the screen, clearly marked with times, locations, signatories, final profit figures, and various miscellaneous reports. That was it! If he had known, he would not have wasted so much breath.
“System, you had this contract, so why did you not say so earlier?”
“Well, Host, just now was just now, and now is now. This is a new item that just hit the Space-Time Administration shelves, maybe ten minutes ago. How would I know? There are too many things in the market, and I am not watching it twenty-four hours a day. I have to digest these fresh things to prevent bugs!”
Shen Muyun lightly touched the display. Above was the contract, and below was the price. He realized that a contract from a few years ago only cost ten tokens, last year’s cost one thousand, but today’s cost five thousand. What was this?
“System, is your market system developed by some unscrupulous merchant? Price gouging? For these few sheets of paper, you want five thousand tokens? Is it too easy for you to make money? Workers like us do not accept the exploitative pricing of black-hearted merchants.”
“Respected Host, the market system is fair and impartial. As for the contract you see, it is measured by its value; the higher the value, the higher the price. Is that not reasonable? Additionally, time is a factor. The closer it is to the present, the higher the price. This was set by the Price Bureau of the Space-Time Administration. If you have any questions, the complaint hotline is 315315315. Did you memorize it?”
“Memorized, memorized.”
It seemed this contract had a high value; it was the most valuable among all the contracts. Signing it today was imperative. There was no other way.
Shen Muyun sighed helplessly. There was no choice; he had to spend the tokens. Five thousand tokens; that hurt. These were the tokens he earned from that gem. It was so expensive, and he did not know how many tasks he would have to perform to earn them back.
He squinted, refusing to look directly at the price, and reached out to click. He watched his account balance empty out, and a new contract appeared out of thin air, landing firmly in his hands.
“Forget it. Tokens can be earned back. The contract is urgent, so this will have to do.”
Shen Muyun flipped through the contract casually and was surprised to find that the errors in the previous draft had been corrected.
“System, do you have an automatic correction function?”
“Well, this was corrected by the relevant personnel at the Space-Time Administration, not me. I am just a system responsible for relaying messages, assigning tasks, and accepting all your requests. Respected Host, you should be smiling secretly; this is unique treatment. The personnel at the Space-Time Administration have never done this before.”
Shen Muyun waved his hand. He was starting to get curious about this Space-Time Administration. Who was the person in charge? Was the person in charge the mastermind who sent him here?
“Who is the person in charge of the Space-Time Administration?”
The System stammered, “This, I do not know. I only heard that a newcomer arrived recently. The system does not directly interface with them. The Space-Time Administration has a separate standard for selecting administrators. There is a reason I became a system, but it is not something I can explain right now. As for the Space-Time Administrator, it is better if you remain curious.”
“Fine. Time is tight; I will assume you really do not know.”
Shen Muyun waved his hand, and the System tactfully vanished.
He took the contract and checked the time. The meeting should be starting soon. He rose to head to the conference room but heard rustling sounds as he passed the pantry.
“Shen Muyun, that loser… what capability could he have? He just finished playing outside and relied on being a Shen family member to become Shen Liuyun’s assistant. He only prides himself on that.”
Shen Muyun snorted. Sure enough, this had everything to do with Zhou Shiqing.
“I am the one who broke the printer. So what? Does he have evidence? If he cannot submit the contract, there will be a good show to watch.”
Shen Muyun wanted to hear what else these two were plotting.
“Exactly, President Zhou. If this succeeds, you must not go back on the dividends you promised me.”
Secretary Chen. How impressive. No wonder Shen Liuyun had said the recent contracts felt wrong; the rot was here.
Zhou Shiqing took a sip of coffee and frowned at the bitterness.
“What is this? It tastes terrible. Shen Liuyun’s taste is just so-so. Your Shen Corporation really needs fresh blood. The old rules you follow are no longer popular. As for signing contracts, do you really think it is about mutual benefit?”
“You are right. The Shen family relies on their old foundation, plus the real estate from a decade ago and the AI of today, which is how they became the upper class of Jiangcheng. Our Chen family has given our all; my father was once a subordinate of Elder Shen. He was a hero who helped create the Shen Corporation, yet he was still driven out of the Shen Corporation for a small mistake.”
“Do not say that. Shen Liuyun does not tolerate sand in his eyes. If that old guy steps down, there is this young one, who is also a tough nut to crack. Little Chen, why do you not come to the Zhou Corporation? I am lacking an assistant, and you will get company dividends. What do you think?”
Secretary Chen was clearly hesitant and did not answer for a long time.
“Forget it, I was just saying that. Do not take it to heart. You did well. If the contract succeeds, there will be benefits for you.”
“That is a deal. I only tampered with the contract a little. Shen Muyun has never managed a company and does not know how the workplace functions, which is why he fell for it. If there is a next time, he probably will not be so easily fooled.”
Zhou Shiqing smiled. “I thought he had some skill. He is just an inexperienced brat.”
Shen Muyun’s anger flared. So they had colluded to set a trap.
He lunged out from the side. “Oh, President Zhou and Secretary Chen are chatting in the pantry. What are you saying? Let me listen in too.”
When Secretary Chen saw Shen Muyun, his complexion turned grim, and he turned to leave the pantry. Shen Muyun grabbed his arm. “Secretary Chen, do not leave. Weren’t you chatting happily just now? Is the Shen Corporation not treating you well enough, so you are colluding with outsiders, trying to earn what you should not have?”
“Second Young Master Shen, that is not right. What have I done? Do you have evidence? The surveillance here is broken. Do not think that you have evidence every day.”
“It seems my earlier slap was too light, which is why you still have the energy to talk back to me.”
Secretary Chen took a few steps back, hesitating because he was afraid of the person before him. No matter what, Shen Muyun was indeed not acting normally.
Zhou Shiqing put down his teacup and smiled at Shen Muyun. “Shen Muyun, a good bird chooses its tree to perch; that is an ironclad rule since ancient times. You cannot control Secretary Chen if he wants to jump ship. However, look at the time. The contract signing between the Shen Corporation and the Lu Corporation is almost here. Where is the contract?”
Shen Muyun walked to Zhou Shiqing’s side and gently patted his shoulder. “Zhou Shiqing, this is a matter for the Shen Corporation; it seems to have nothing to do with you. Besides, this is the Shen Corporation’s employee pantry and is not open to the public. I do not think it is appropriate for you to be here. Is the Zhou Corporation’s business so slow that you came to the Shen Corporation for a stroll?”
Zhou Shiqing smoothed his clothes. “Shen Muyun, do you only know how to solve problems with violence? Or do you only know how to talk big?”
Shen Muyun picked up a nearby coffee cup, the scalding liquid swirling inside. He tilted the cup, and the coffee was about to splash onto Zhou Shiqing.
Zhou Shiqing dodged immediately. Shen Muyun held the cup and looked at the swirling coffee. “I offered you coffee, and you refused. You are truly brainless.”
“You! Shen Muyun, do not be cocky. I will see how you produce the contract!”
They were truly birds of a feather.
Shen Muyun raised his hand and shook it. “Are you talking about this?”