Gao Jiade’s company was a subsidiary under the Shen Group, currently focusing on cloud computing and artificial intelligence research and development.
Gao Jiade was a university graduate who had only majored in basic computer science. He had never deeply studied or understood the field of artificial intelligence, so he could only look on with envy at the AI project team members who drew high salaries and enjoyed generous benefits.
The meeting this afternoon was to be attended by the president of the Shen Group. General Manager Liu attached great importance to this matter, rushing the project progress all month long to strive for President Shen’s satisfaction and zero errors. This was directly tied to their year-end performance evaluations and performance bonuses, which in a chain reaction dragged their cloud computing team into attending the meeting together.
People in the pantry began to gossip about the Group’s President Shen.
President Shen became the president of the Shen Group at such a young age. Truly, each generation produces talents, and each leads the fashion for hundreds of years.
One of the male colleagues did not think President Shen was all that impressive and said with a sour tone, Isn’t it just because he knows how to be reborn? Having a father who is the richest man, if I were him, I could do it too.
Forget it, you aren’t as handsome as President Shen anyway, remarked a female colleague wearing glasses.
Sigh, Gao Jiade looks pretty good too, making Lin Miao so infatuated that she follows him around. It’s a pity he doesn’t seem to have much money.
If those two stay together, it won’t last long. She still has a younger brother; there will be no shortage of places to spend money in the future.
Gao Jiade has a younger brother? How come I didn’t know?
He does. I found out by accident too. His younger brother often comes over at noon to deliver meals, but it’s only outside, so it’s normal that you guys don’t see him.
His younger brother looks like he doesn’t have much money. His clothes are washed until they’ve faded, and he still wears them without replacing them. I’m afraid it’s a case of a family sacrificing one child, and Gao Jiade’s burden on his shoulders will be heavy in the future.
Why would Lin Miao, a wealthy young lady, stay with him for the long haul? She’s probably just doing it for a temporary novelty.
Gao Jiade listened to the entire conversation. The veins on the hand gripping his thermos cup bulged. Some people knew about Meng Xinghui’s existence; well, of course, sooner or later someone would find out. He bit down hard on the flesh inside his cheek, maintaining a gentle smile at the corners of his lips as if the people in the pantry were just chatting about normal things. He walked in as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Seeing the main subject of their gossip arrive, the colleagues hurriedly shut their mouths and left in a group. In no time at all, they were all gone.
Hot water poured over his hand, and the spreading pain traveled up to his brain, serving as a constant reminder of the humiliation he had endured. Very soon, all of this would change, and from then on, they could only look up to him.
His skin instantly turned red and swollen. A fair hand wrapped around his hand, turned off the hot water, and said with distress, Gao Jiade, what are you doing? Do you not want your hand anymore? Lin Miao had entered the pantry to get coffee and saw Gao Jiade letting the water scald his hand without any reaction.
Gao Jiade looked at Lin Miao’s well-maintained, pretty face. The dazzling five-star diamond necklace around her neck was a newly released model; getting her hands on it would cost no less than 200,000 to 300,000 yuan. The redness at the corners of his eyes deepened, and his voice was warm and soft. It’s nothing, just thinking about the meeting later.
Hmph, don’t worry too much. Shen Qiu is just attending the meeting. Let’s go, it’s almost time. Lin Miao didn’t mind. Her peach-blossom eyes curved upwards as she naturally hooked her arm into Gao Jiade’s.
Gao Jiade’s gaze fell on the arm Lin Miao had linked with his, but he quickly withdrew it. This time, he accepted Lin Miao’s gesture of intimacy.
Lin Miao bluntly called the president by his full name, Shen Qiu. It seemed she didn’t care about Shen Qiu at all.
Lin Miao, just which wealthy family’s young lady are you?
However, that wasn’t important. What mattered was that you were already mine.
The smile on his lips carved itself into his face.
The doors of the conference room pushed open. Shen Qiu’s eyes were like towering peaks, cold and devoid of depth, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. A fine-diamond feather brooch was pinned to his collar, and his slender legs took unhurried paces.
General Manager Liu, usually so stern, was now all smiles, chatting happily with Shen Qiu and bringing up the business performance of the company under his charge last year.
Shen Qiu’s mind drifted. He would interject with a remark now and then, casting vague glances toward the cloud computing team before finally landing on the prominent figure standing in the corner.
He had to admit that as the protagonist Gong of a novel, his appearance could be considered outstanding. Lin Miao still managed to pick a tall radish out of a patch of short ones, except he was a black-hearted radish, and his behavior of eating what was in his bowl while gazing at what was in the pot was truly disgusting.
Breathing the air under the same sky as such a person was infinitely nauseating every single second.
Withdrawing his gaze, he focused on the PPT presentation displayed before him, listening to the head of the artificial intelligence team describe the project’s progress.
The tip of a pen glided across the frosted surface of the paper. Every single number in the data had been meticulously calculated and confirmed, laid out sheet by sheet with a perfection that left no room for criticism.
The curved surface of the fountain pen cap reflected Shen Qiu’s cold, sharp face. Regarding this presentation, he let out an ironic laugh. If this is the fruit of General Manager Liu’s painstaking efforts and the tens of billions the Group has invested, it would make a louder sound if we just threw the money into the water.
General Manager Liu’s face stiffened, the corners of his mouth forcing upwards in an attempt to look amiable. President Shen, we have already tried our best. Moreover, the company’s inherent advantages are right here. As long as we launch a massive promotional campaign and offer sufficient discounts to beat down those small companies, our project will be a success.
Clear, crisp applause rang out, lingering endlessly.
Not a single person in attendance echoed the applause, and the meeting room plunged into a dead silence.
What a wonderful thing to say. Failure is failure; your mistakes require the Group to pay the bill with money. Anyone watching would think General Manager Liu is the chairman of the Group. As soon as Shen Qiu finished speaking, his voice was laced with derisive sarcasm.
General Manager Liu’s old face paled, and he hastily denied it. No, I was just momentarily emotional and misspoke.
Misspoke? His cold gaze swept over Liu Fugui, an executive of the same age as his father. I hope this mistake is not repeated next time. Shen Qiu handled the matter lightly.
Everyone in the conference room remained silent, even after Shen Qiu left with the people from the Group.
Liu Fugui sat down in the main seat. Everyone heard what President Shen said. Do not perfunctorily muddle through things like this anymore, or else none of you will have a good time. If I have a hard time, none of you need expect to get off easy. The chair he pulled scraped harshly against the floor, sharp and piercing.
The door was slammed shut with a heavy thud.
Lin Miao crossed her legs, admiring her picturesque manicure with total indifference, dropped a single remark, How utterly boring, and swept away.
In the evening, the chilly wind whipped against the house, making it rattle and creak. The stainless steel sheets on the roof clattered back and forth, driving Meng Xinghui so crazy that he couldn’t calm down. Clutching six hundred yuan in cash in his pants pocket, he grieved by himself. The meal set out on the table had already gone completely cold. After sending a WeChat message and waiting for a long time, he finally received a reply.
His gaze fell on the content of the message, and the corners of his eyes involuntarily grew damp: Not coming back tonight. Colleagues’ gathering, don’t wait up for me.
Gao Jiade wasn’t coming back tonight.
He didn’t actually want to cry; he just wanted to vent to Gao Jiade about how someone had smashed his e-bike today, and the wicked capitalist had only compensated him six hundred yuan. Tears fell into his food, and he unknowingly tasted the saltiness in his mouth.
The cut on his fingertip was now itching and aching, the whitened skin having soaked in the hot water of the sink for too long.
Seeing his son suddenly pause, his chopsticks hovering over the food without moving, Shen Father asked, What is it?
It’s nothing.
System 003 made a noisy fuss: Ah, ah, ah, the little white flower’s mood is bad again, shedding tears like clattering rain! Host, hurry up and complete the mission.
Shen Qiu reeled in his thoughts. He knew what his father was asking about, not caring about his situation, but rather caring about the brother who had accompanied him for many years. Yet that brother had now become a tumor, ruining the whole pot of porridge. The project led by Liu Fugui is progressing slowly with no profit margin.
Shen Father put down his chopsticks, his pampered face bearing an expression of detachment from worldly affairs, as if looking at a hotheaded young man. You are still young; you should be more accommodating to the veterans. After all, the business world is a battlefield, and competition is inevitable. Spending money to accomplish big things is not wrong.
The blind date is this Sunday. I hope you won’t be late again, Shen Qiu. Do not let Aunt Liao’s painstaking efforts go to waste. Settling down and starting a family early is the most important major event you need to care about right now.
Someone had already told his father about what happened this afternoon. Shen Qiu smiled. The so-called major event was merely an excuse for his father. He silently watched Shen Father finish speaking.
Leaning on his cane, Shen Father stood up and stepped away, supported by the housekeeper.
The living room was spacious, the chandeliers resplendent with gold, and a dizzying array of various dishes was spread across the round table. Each dish had only been tasted once or twice by the master of the house. Shen Qiu had no appetite and asked the domestic helper to pack it up.
The sun was bright, and under the tree shadows, dappled sunlight scattered across the ground. A group of cats had turned out in full force, surrounding their big brothers and sisters to rub against them and seek affection.
A cream-colored cat that looked strikingly like Detective Black Cat cried out pitifully, rubbing its furry face against Meng Xinghui’s cheek.
The corners of Meng Xinghui’s lips curved into a smile, and his petting gestures grew increasingly tender as he combed the fur of the cats gathered at his feet, leaving not a single one out.
The comb slowly glided through the fur. Gao Jiade had stayed out all night, and when he returned the next day, he brought a bunch of roses, hugged him, and offered endless apologies. Meng Xinghui’s heart softened, and he quickly forgot what had happened before. Of course, he didn’t forget to complain about his e-bike being smashed by someone, and Gao Jiade joined him in cursing the scoundrel.
He even took out his salary and handed it to him, telling him to buy a new e-bike. That e-bike of yours should have been replaced long ago. Out with the old, in with the new. Go buy a new one.
Gao Jiade’s words of distress kept echoing in his mind, and his heart felt as sweet as if he had eaten honey. However, he didn’t touch this money; he saved it to buy a house. As for commuting to work, in the worst-case scenario, he could just wake up an hour earlier every day to catch the bus to work and return home a bit later at night.
It wasn’t any trouble!
Stroking the little fellow in his arms, Meng Xinghui began to tally his accounts, every bit of income and expense ultimately translated into the balance in his bank account. Remembering Aunt Li talking about a new real estate development in the capital priced at one hundred thousand yuan per square meter, it would take him over a hundred years of neither eating nor drinking to buy it in full cash. Gao Jiade’s angry words from that day actually made sense.
Still!
As long as a person is alive, problems will always be solved.
He pinched Detective Black Cat’s cheeks. Detective Black Cat, don’t you think so?
Meow,
Beep, beep, beep. The horn sounded a few times, seeming to remind the people in the courtyard.
Meng Xinghui turned his head sideways, looking at the commotion outside the yard.
The caretaker of the stray cat rescue center beamed with smiles, calling everyone over to help carry the food.
Parked at the courtyard entrance was an extended luxury car, and the license plate number was J26789. Meng Xinghui could never forget this car.
Driver Uncle Zhang hadn’t forgotten the young man who had suffered this disaster either. He awkwardly greeted him, You’re helping out here? A young man with a good heart.
Meng Xinghui dryly replied with an uh. Seeing that man’s face, it felt as though a number popped into his head: six hundred yuan. He immediately turned his head, picked up a bag of food, and walked into the courtyard.
Uncle Zhang helped carry things too, walking right behind him.
The caretaker nearby said happily, Thank you, Mr. Shen. All these little fellows get to have a full-course meal today.
It’s nothing; this is only right.
Shen Qiu was dressed in loose casual wear today, his hands tucked into his pants pockets, remaining completely indifferent to Meng Xinghui’s cold shoulder.
System 003 was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: Host, look, it’s Meng Xinghui!
I know.
Then hurry up and make your move.
It’s the weekend, time to rest.
Then on a workday.
Work is busy, no time.
Do you not want to live? The system asked its soul-searching question.