At one fifty in the afternoon, Circle and I were the first to arrive at the teahouse, almost at the same time, Chen Jingming also drove up.
A moment later, Chen Jingming took off his sunglasses and got out of the car. Circle and I went to greet him.
I believed that Chen Jingming already knew the truth about the incident back then. I greeted him with some regret, saying, “Manager Chen… about the incident with Zhuomei last time…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Chen Jingming laughed and interrupted, “You don’t need to explain to me, Circle has already told me everything… Misfortune may be an actual blessing, and vice versa. At my age, I’ve come to understand a lot of things!”
Even though Chen Jingming didn’t seem to care too much, I still apologized to him.
Chen Jingming patted my shoulder and didn’t say anything else. Then, the three of us looked in the direction where Mi Cai would appear.
At exactly two o’clock, Mi Cai appeared in her red Audi Q7. Circle and Chen Jingming’s expressions unconsciously became formal. After all, Mi Cai was someone they looked up to in the industry.
Finally, Mi Cai opened the car door, carrying a white Chanel handbag, and dressed in a business suit, she got out of the car. Chen Jingming and Circle, with their rich workplace experience, almost simultaneously greeted Mi Cai with humble smiles.
As for me, I was used to bickering with Mi Cai and had never subconsciously put the halo of a CEO on her. As a result, I was half a beat slow and followed Circle and Chen Jingming towards her.
“Ms. Mi, it’s an honor to meet you.”
Mi Cai responded with a professional smile and extended her hand to Chen Jingming, saying, “You are a senior in the Baiye industry. It’s my honor to have the opportunity to meet you!”
Chen Jingming was probably not expecting Mi Cai to be so humble and easy-going. He was stunned for a moment before shaking her hand. Then Circle also shook hands with Mi Cai, completing the etiquette after a workplace meeting.
As the intermediary, I said to the three of them, “It’s quite windy outside. Let’s go inside and discuss the details over tea.”
Chen Jingming and Circle nodded, but unexpectedly, Mi Cai asked me, “Are you going in too?”
“Huh?… Don’t I need to go in?”
“This is an internal matter of Zhuomei, it’s not appropriate for you to participate.”
Looking at Mi Cai’s serious face, I thought she was right. The negotiation process might involve business secrets from both sides. So I smiled and said to the three of them, “Then you guys go ahead, I’ll sit in the coffee shop across the street for a while.”
…
I ordered a cup of coffee and sat in the coffee shop. Although I was concerned about the outcome of the meeting, I had to wait patiently.
While waiting, I got a bit bored and finally thought of Jian Wei. I wanted to ask her about her current situation. If the funds for starting an advertising company were really tight, I had to find a way to pay back the 500,000 she lent me.
I found Jian Wei’s number and dialed it. After a long time, she answered, “I can hardly imagine you would call me.”
I was silent for a while before asking, “You’re in Shanghai now, right?”
“Yes, what’s up?”
“I heard from Yan Yan that you’re raising funds to start an advertising company. Uh… if you’re in a hurry, I’ll try to pay back the 500,000 as soon as possible?”
“How are you going to pay it back? Are you going to borrow from that Mi Cai?”
Jian Wei’s sharp tone took me by surprise. After a moment, I replied, “There will always be a way. I don’t necessarily have to borrow from her!”
“I don’t need you to worry about my business. The funds to start an advertising company are not a big problem for me.”
“Really? Then at least you have to tell me how you’re going to get this money?” I was afraid that Jian Wei would follow Le Yao’s old path, so I asked again.
But Jian Wei didn’t seem to want to talk about these things with me. After a moment of silence, she said impatiently, “I have friends from my study abroad in the U.S. who are investors. I can get their investment. Are you satisfied with this answer?”
I didn’t doubt the truth of her words. Because of the class Jian Wei was in, she was destined to get startup funds more easily than ordinary people. Not to mention investment, with her father’s status in the industry, even if someone lent her several million, they wouldn’t worry about her ability to repay.
But her usual dominance made me feel oppressed, so I remained silent.
Then she softened her tone and said to me, “Zhao Yang, the 500,000 I lent you was not to solve your urgent needs. I just hope you can live a more relaxed and free life, to be the most genuine you. So you don’t need to rush to repay it, and I’m sure I have the ability to solve this startup fund.”
Jian Wei’s words made me feel a bit lost, and I realized how insecure I was living. After all, I was just a man who was doing business on the brink of crisis with the help of my ex-girlfriend.
But what can I do? Society is so realistic. Only a few can get rich overnight. All I can do is to take small steps in compromise, walking towards the distant future.
Finally, I said to Jian Wei, “I should still say thank you. But the money you lent me didn’t make me feel relaxed or free. On the contrary, it’s a burden. After all, I’m a man who yearns for success and rise, but definitely not based on your help… I will try my best to repay this money.”
This time it was Jian Wei’s turn to be silent. After a long time, she asked in a low voice, “Zhao Yang, I really want to know, who gave you the motivation and desire to rise?”
This question was like a torture to me. In fact, I had this motivation and desire a long time ago, of course, it was for her… But now that I’ve found it again, it’s for life, not for someone.
After letting out the pent-up frustration in my heart, I laughed and said to Jian Wei, “… It’s life that gave me this motivation and desire!”
…After ending the call with Jian Wei, I unexpectedly noticed a beam of afternoon sunlight had somehow cast itself onto the glass table in front of me. The table surface looked so crystal clear, and in a moment of daze, I saw the reflection of the sky city. Its appearance blurred the reality in front of me, and I briefly enjoyed a sense of relaxation and freedom.
Accompanied by the aroma of overflowing coffee, I thought: This is quite a nice afternoon. If Circle and Chen Jingming’s job-hopping could be settled on such an afternoon, it would be even better!
I took another sip of coffee and gazed at the teahouse across the street. I don’t know how long I had been looking, but finally, I saw Mi Cai, Chen Jingming, and Circle coming out of the teahouse one after another.
I felt a bit nervous and expectant, and immediately ran downstairs from the coffee shop, crossed the bustling road, and approached them.
I asked Circle first, “How did your talk go?”
Circle replied excitedly, “I’m very grateful for the opportunity Ms. Mi has given us this time.”
I looked at Mi Cai, but she seemed very calm, showing no particular emotion. After nodding to Circle and Chen Jingming, she walked towards her car.
Circle lowered his voice and said to me, “Ms. Mi has promised that Manager Chen can serve as the executive vice president of Suzhou Zhuomei Shopping Center!”
I was genuinely happy for Chen Jingming because this position was what he had been dreaming of at Baoli Department Store.
I asked Circle again, “What about you?”
“I will be the manager of the planning department.”
I was happy for Circle again, but I was puzzled about how Mi Cai could easily give away these two extremely important positions. Was there no resistance to this at all? And what was her intention in asking me to wait a week before meeting Circle and Chen Jingming?
Thinking of this, I hurriedly said goodbye to Chen Jingming and Circle, and then shouted to Mi Cai who had already opened the car door, “Wait for me, I’ll ride back with you.”
As I shouted, I quickly ran towards Mi Cai, the desire to clear up these doubts in my heart growing stronger!
——————–
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