Chapter 3 – I’ll go back right now.
“The big boss is coming over today, you all need to look alive.”
The art director shouted in the office area, holding a stack of documents. The huge office area became as quiet as a chicken, until someone burst out with an exclamation. Everyone then exploded into action, putting on makeup and touching up, as well as tidying up. Some people even took out the dumbbells hidden under their tables and started to train.
The artist director was a white woman in her thirties, but she spoke very fluent Chinese. She covered the corners of her eyes and couldn’t bear to look at them directly.
A hand behind her was put on her shoulders, “Emma? What’s wrong?”
Emma turned around as Xue Qing looked at her with a smile, “We haven’t seen each other for a long time. You’ve become more beautiful again.”
She patted her hand away, “We just saw each other last week. How is that a long time? Why did you come here today?”
Xue Qing smiled and pointed to the door, “I heard that someone heard the news that the predator is about to return. Aren’t you also in a hurry to get him to sign that? Otherwise, it’ll be difficult to catch him again. Look at your staff, they’re still dreaming of flying up and achieving the impossible.”
Emma took Xue Qing out of the office area, along with the documents in her hand, “It’s understandable since they rarely see the big boss. This time, there are a few newcomers who are not that bad. I just wanted to let the boss take a look. They have some key points that require training. The domestic branch was only recently established, so we must make it an instant hit.”
Xue Qing said with an exaggerated face and her beautiful phoenix eyes, “Oh, your chinese is getting better and better. Do you still remember your english mother tongue?”
Emma looked at her angrily, “Be serious. The momentum of development in China is good now and the establishing branch offices are also becoming successful. This must be done since the domestic market is huge. Repatriation is an inevitable trend. Xue, I am more than an artist director. I plan to take advantage of the boss’s return this time to apply for a transfer. I am willing to go back to China to set up a branch there.”
Xue Qing gave her a thumbs up, “I just like your personality, it’s very suitable!”
A person approached the front desk of the artist center. He was very tall, with bangs on his forehead covering his eyebrows. He also had a pair of large sunglasses hanging on his small face and was wearing an ordinary white shirt with black jeans underneath… along with a pair of flip flops!? Who the hell was this person?
The front desk put on a professional attitude and smiled, “Hello sir, do you have an appointment?”
Xing Zhongwan pulled down the sunglasses on his face, “You’ve already forgotten about me so soon? I haven’t seen you for more than a year and let me see, you’ve already become fat. You’ve gained three pounds, right? Read the staff rules, you should lose weight.”
The front desk had a ghostly expression. The face under those sunglasses made the trained front desk blush immediately as her speech became inarticulate, “Big… Big…big…”
Before she could complete her words, Xing Zhongwan had already entered the elevator with his hands in his pockets.
The front desk hurriedly dialed the phone, “Big…big…big…big…”
“You’re getting a little repetitive. Big what exactly?”
Xing Zhongwan leisurely entered the artist department and met Xue Qing and Emma who were chatting at the door. He then made a silent gesture to Emma.
Entering the work area alone, Xing Zhongwan looked at the first workshop where an enchanting beauty was doing her makeup. She stopped applying her lipstick when she saw Xing Zhongwan.
“Your eyeshadow is too thick. There’s a pimple on your chin, plus your waistline is thick. I can see that the buttons on your work clothes are about to burst.”
The beauty’s hand accidentally drew a bloody mouth on herself using the lipstick.
Xing Zhongwan walked forward, “It seems that you haven’t exercised well recently to keep your body in shape. Your muscles are all loose.”
The man who was lifting the dumbbells went still as the dumbbells fell to the ground with a loud noise. Everyone turned back with a horrified expression, looking at Xing Zhongwan.
Everyone immediately stood up and greeted the big boss.
Xing Zhongwan stepped forward and knocked on the staff code written on the wall, “I haven’t been here for more than a year, and you all became so lazy? Didn’t I mention that you bring artists, and artists are commodities. Since people like you represent the company, how could I strictly ask you to bring out outstanding artists? It’s no wonder that this year’s performance has declined so much, if each one of you relaxed this much. I’m giving you all a month. If you fail to meet the standards of the employee code, you will automatically be required to submit a resignation report to Emma. You can report this to the labor arbitration department if you disagree.”
A girl who was nervous dropped a bag of snacks which spilled out. Xing Zhongwan turned his head to the side, picked it up and glanced at it. The girl was about to cry.
Xing Zhongwan picked up the pen on her desk and pointed to her legs under the miniskirt, “They’re too thick! Reduce them!”
The girl nodded, “Boss, I will definitely meet your requirements within a month.”
The music which played after work sounded at the same time and Xing Zhongwan clapped his hands, “Leave. For those who are not present today, spread the word to them.”
“Emma, Xue Qing. Come into the office with me.” As soon as Xing Zhongwan left, the workspace employees looked at each other and gave a long sigh.
The big boss was still as strict as ever, but he was handsome and good-looking. So what if the employee code was weird? If they could look at the big boss more, they could live two more years. Those who can work here are those who’ve been through tougher tribulations than soldiers, so how could they be willing to leave this easily? Even if the boss’ requirements are a little weird, so what? To jog or go to the gym. What is a single meal compared to this? They’d rather not eat!
All of a sudden, the entire work area was empty. The boss’s orders must be followed strictly, so they were not sloppy at all.
Xing Zhongwan looked at the information on the table. When he saw the last page, his slender fingers couldn’t help but tap twice on the smooth table, “This is what you’re bringing me?”
Emma knew as soon as she heard him that the big boss was dissatisfied, “Actually, these few are not bad. Could you take a look again?”
Xing Zhongwan got up. His long eyes narrowed, “I didn’t believe it at first. After all, you were someone I personally picked. Your department’s failure to provide an adequate answer is an old problem, but I thought you had found a solution. I didn’t expect you to show me this? Emma, I am a little disappointed…”
Xing Zhongwan put on sunglasses and walked out of the office. The sweat on Emma’s forehead started to pour out. Xue Qing walked beside Xing Zhongwan and said in a low voice, “You just returned, don’t be so angry. In fact, I think a few of them are okay. It’s okay to train them…”
“I never waste time on useless people, do I? Sometimes whether they’re able to become popular doesn’t just depend on their appearance.”
Xing Zhongwan walked through the work area to the practice room. There was no one in the empty practice room during lunch time. Just as Xing Zhongwan was about to leave, the soft sound of music came. The corners of Xing Zhongwan’s mouth twitched as he walked around the corner to follow the sound.
Sure enough, there was someone. It was a little boy who looked pretty good from the back.
Xing Zhongwan asked Emma behind him, “Who is he?”
Emma looked carefully, “A child who just signed this year, 19 years old and is of Chinese descent.”
Xing Zhongwan knocked on the glass. The boy with his back towards him turned around and looked at Xing Zhongwan. He was stunned at first, before he then lowered his head with a flushed face.
Xing Zhongwan was also stunned after looking at each other for a short time. Those eyes…
“Why didn’t you include him?” Xing Zhongwan asked very directly.
Emma felt that the boy did not meet the requirements. “There are many aspects of him that did not meet the standards.”
Xing Zhongwan glanced at Xue Qing, Xue Qing understood and lifted the Pointing at his watch, “I don’t think it’s an accident that he’s made it this far.”
Xing Zhongwan smiled, “I like ambitious people.”
Pushing open the door of the practice room, the boy in front of him was nervous, not knowing where to look. Xing Zhongwan raised his chin and asked, “Do you want to be a star?”
Emma escorted Xing Zhongwan to the parking lot. Xing Zhongwan turned around in front of his car. It wasn’t like Xing Zhongwan couldn’t see her frustration, “Emma, you are very capable, but sometimes you will miss a lot by sticking to the rules. When you get there, follow Zhong Gang to learn more.”
Emma raised her head sharply, “Boss, do you mean…”
“I have approved your transfer application. It’s no better here than in China. Without any connections, there are many things that can’t be done. Zhong Gang is the best for this. There is a big cultural difference between the two sides, so there’s still a lot for you to learn. If you want to climb up, I’ll give you a chance.”
Xue Qing drove the car and glanced at Xing Zhongwan, “I say, you didn’t actually like that kid did you? He’s quite ordinary.”
Xing Zhongwan signed before throwing the document in his hand to the back seat of the car, “I’ve signed it. After you send me back, you can kneel down.”
Xue Qing gave him a sad expression as if he was a heartless man with no conscience, “I haven’t seen you for more than a year, so what’s with your attitude? If I hadn’t come here today, where would you be flying off to play?”
Xing Zhongwan tilted his head and glanced at her as the evening light shone on his fair face. He raised his forehead and tied his hair with the leather hairband on his wrist.
“There’s really no need to bring this kind of document for me to sign. You can decide what to do. Why did you make the big boss come all this way?”
“Because I miss you.” Xue Qing winked at him and Xing Zhongwan felt a chill behind him.
“Laoxing, that kid looked a bit like Qi Yun.” Xue Qing said hesitantly, observing Xing Zhongwan’s expression from the corner of her eye. It was good and very calm.
“It’s been almost two years since you came back. Do you want to go back and see your mother?”
Xing Zhongwan didn’t speak as he looked out the window. No one could tell what he was thinking.
“He has risen very fast in the past two years. Qi Zongcheng was willing to give him his life to pave the way. It was like that from the beginning and Qi Yun could still go back to Qi’s house. I heard that he went to Jiangnan to find you.”
Xing Zhongwan did not react so Xue Qing tugged at his white shirt in dissatisfaction, “Did you hear me!”
Xing Zhongwan stretched, “That’s good, it suits him.”
His words didn’t mean anything and Xue Qing became annoyed that she was too lazy to repeat it again.
Xing Zhongwan tilted his body, touching the window with his hand, as a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. This was fine.
In China, after Qi Yun had healed, he settled in the same villa in the suburbs. Qi Yun almost died here, but he still lived here because this was the only place where Wanwan’s presence was still here.
In the middle of the night, Qi Yun often came out of the study and habitually walked into Xing Zhongwan’s room on the second floor. The furnishings inside were all still the same. When one opened the cabinet, there were a few clothes hanging inside. They belonged to Wanwan who didn’t have enough time to bring them back with him. Qi Yun stretched out his hand, thinking about touching them, but not daring to before he quickly closed the cabinet door. Wanwan’s smell still remained on the clothes, but the smell became less and less as time passed.
His insomnia has become more serious in recent years. At night, when he can’t sleep alone, he gets up and walks around the villa, to the kitchen, living room, and dining room… He was looking for the places where Wanwan used to be.
All the servants in the villa were replaced with new ones, so they didn’t know anything about what happened in this villa before.
For their master to be walking around the villa late at night, their initial shock now turned into numbness. In such a person’s home, all they have to do is to keep their mouths shut.
Shen Congxin came out to pour some water for himself when he saw a shadow sitting at the dining table. He almost dropped the cup in his hand, “Big cousin, you have to go to a doctor. Insomnia can be cured.”
Qi Yun was facing Shen Congxin when he raised his eyes and said, “Your small company has collapsed again.”
It collapsed again… collapsed…
Shen Congxin said with a dark face, “Don’t stress that word. I will definitely succeed. Next month, there will be an international high-tech broker forum. The company wants to send someone to attend, are you personally…”
“I’m not going.” Qi Yun rubbed his eyebrows, obviously not wanting to say more. The Shen family had no choice but to move onto the next startup. If it wasn’t because Shen Congxin was really not business material, Qi Yun would have thrown the Shen family to him long ago.
Seeing him like that, Shen Congxin got up and poured another glass of water. Although it wasn’t obvious on the surface, Qi Yun still kept looking for Xing Zhongwan in private.
“I heard that the representative of Qingyuan Capital will also attend this forum. I think I can try it. I have a plan, I…”
Shen Congxin didn’t finish speaking when he saw that Qi Yun had already fallen asleep on the back of the chair.
Qi Yun’s complexion was very bad. He was working hard during the day and couldn’t sleep at night. Even Superman wouldn’t be able to bear it. He was suffering from a heart disease, and only one person could cure him.
It was early in the morning when Xing Zhongwan was woken up by the piercing ringtone of his mobile phone. A slender and strong arm stretched out from the quilt and felt around the bedside for a while. There was a deep sleepiness in his voice, “Speak.”
“Laoxing, old uncle Zhong is seriously ill. I have booked an afternoon ticket for you, you can pack up and fly back to take a look.”
Xing Zhongwan got up abruptly. As the white quilt slipped off, his sturdy upper body could be seen in the morning light.
His eyes were clear, even if there was still a little bit of confusion, “I’ll go back now.”
T/N: Many years will pass very quickly. Time to look forward to what you want to be and start working towards that direction. Holding onto the past will only hold you back… But I hope whatever you’re doing, you are able to find happiness, even if its just a little ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ♡
Consider liking the writer’s work or buying a kofi for me <3 who knows, might update a lil faster hehe
https://ko-fi.com/hoenibean
Love the t/n. Thank you so much for your wonderful work