Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Dashan finished five to six bottles of beer and was slightly drunk. At this point, whenever he went to speak, he only knew how to yell.
“That stupid b*tch is making problems for me every day. If I don’t give her dirt, then who am I supposed to give dirt to? You know, my basic salary is just slightly above three thousand, and I rely on performance bonuses for most of my money. Now that she’s deducting my performance pay, I will be f*cking eating air. Last month, she said that I didn’t complete the task index, so I just let her dock my pay.
“She also said the bank lost a customer because of me, so she deducted more all over again. I surrendered to that, too. But, this month, not only have I completed all the allotted tasks, but I even brought the bank an additional five to six million in deposits. But, at the end of the month, that stupid b*tch forgot to report it for me, and now my performance will be docked until the end of the year. I will f*ck up her entire family.”
Zhang Dashan unleashed all the bitterness that was in his heart on Xiao Luo. Just because he pretended to be thoughtless and looked unrestrained and carefree day after day, it did not mean that he was not also facing difficulties at work and very depressed.
“If I had known this was the situation, I would have told you the truth just now. Your superior is really and truly incomparably hideous,” Xiao Luo said as he took a sip of beer.
“D*mnit, are you trying to dupe me again? If I said that she was my girlfriend, would you lie and say that she looked pretty even though deep down you thought she was ugly? Can’t you just not play along? Next time, when I give you a photo of a girl, can you tell me the truth and not just say empty words?” Zhang Dashan said. He was speechless.
Xiao Luo didn’t know what to say and drank quietly.
“By the way, today in front of my colleagues, I ‘greeted’ the family of the stupid b*tch and eighteen generations of her ancestors, as they say. It felt so good,” Zhang Dashan said.
“Pui!”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Luo immediately spat out his beer. He opened his eyes in shock, and said, “What are you thinking? Do you no longer intend to work at the bank?”
“Why would I continue? I’ve already stored all my luggage in the car downstairs,” Zhang Dashan replied. He opened a pack of seeds and relishing in eating them as he went on, “As of now, I’m an unemployed wanderer. If you hadn’t called me today, I would still have come to you. Obviously, during this period, when I’m looking for a job, I plan to stay with you.”
Xiao Luo shook his head helplessly. Seeing that his close brother had lost his job at the bank made him feel uneasy. He knew how hard Zhang Dashan had fought for the role. He had arduously prepared for half a year before finally passing the bank’s recruitment tests and had worked hard continuously for a year before being converted to full-time staff. Zhang Dashan had no connections, and everything he achieved was based on his own efforts. On the other hand, newcomers who arrived after him converted in just two months thanks to their connections.
One could say that everything Zhang Dashan had achieved was a result of his taking one step at a time. But in the end, it had all been for nothing. It was impossible to say that Zhang Dashan was not feeling dejected. Otherwise, he would not have brought so much booze.
Zhang Dashan was drunk as a red-faced General Guan Yu and complaining non-stop. “This f*cking generation! That stupid b*tch’s dad is the local governor. If not for that, with her intelligence, do you think that she would be able to sit where she does now? Dream on!”
At the end of his rant, he spat on the ground. In his heart, he really wanted to cast this woman aside.
Xiao Luo sighed and said, “I have something to tell you. I need your opinion.”
Then, he told Zhang Dashan all about Chu Yunxiong’s plan to hand over control of Luo’s Workshop to him.
Zhang Dashan immediately slammed the table and stood up. His face brimmed with excitement as he said, “Whoa, damn! Good news! This is great news! Just like a pie that’s dropped from the sky. Old Xiao, I knew it! I knew you would build a relationship with Chu Yunxiong. Now there are a few decades of struggling that you won’t need to endure. Look at this! Look at this! In less than a month, you’ve jumped from being a small-time engineer at the Huahai Group to an executive position. You’re a successful man.”
“Do you think I should accept the offer?” Xiao Luo asked, looking up.
Zhang Dashan waved his hands wildly and firmly said, “If you don’t, then you must have a broken brain!”
Xiao Luo’s face darkened. He really wanted to refuse because he didn’t want to owe anything to Chu Yunxiong.
“I know you don’t like to be controlled by others, but didn’t Boss Chu say that he would only act as a retired shareholder? All you have to do is give him 20% of your profits at the end of the year. This means that Luo’s Workshop’s profits will go directly to you and that you will be the real boss. The CEO. Brother, do you still need to think about it? Or should I just accept that the wires in your brain are crossed?”
“Don’t you think there’s something suspicious about a pie that simply drops from the sky? Chu Yunxiong is a businessman, and what a businessman pursues is the maximization of profit. Do you think that he will really only take 20% of the profits while handing over the rest of Luo’s Workshop to an outsider?” Xiao Luo asked, maintaining a rational mindset.
“Brother, a businessman’s career can generally be divided into three stages. The first is the original accumulation. This is an unscrupulous way of earning money where violating their morals is fine as long as they are not breaking any laws. The second stage is guiding the unsuccessful merchants and maintaining a sense of integrity while not violating basic business rules.
“Finally, in the last stage, they repay debts to society, engage in charity and donations, etcetera. This is to make up for the damage they caused at the start of the careers and to assuage their consciences. These three stages must be experienced by any successful businessman and correspond to the three states of being unsuccessful, finding career success, and overall life success,” Zhang Dashan explained. Then, he went on patiently persuading Xiao Luo, “Chu Yunxiong is active in all major media outlets. There is one reason for this: he is paying back his debt to society because he has already achieved success. We are all in the big Hua Nation, but there are probably fewer than ten individuals who are more successful than him. Right now, he no longer has to pursue the maximization of profits. He just wants to see the young people he believes in achieving success. This brings him a sense of achievement.”
“You mean he wants to see me succeed and will get a sense of achievement through me?” Xiao Luo echoed doubtfully.
Zhang Dashan snapped his fingers and said, “That’s exactly what I mean.” He sat down again and with a pleading look, added, “I don’t care why he’s doing it, but I will follow you in the future. If you are the CEO, then let me be the deputy. Let me enjoy the thrill of giving instructions too.”
“Don’t expect too much from me. I haven’t decided whether to agree to Chu Yunxiong’s proposal,” Xiao Luo replied, pouring a pot of cold water.
“F*ck! What are you still considering? Does this even need to be considered? What is going on in your brain?”
“I want to do something by myself and become the type of man who doesn’t have to rely on anyone else.”
“Brother, the law of survival in this society dictates that you take advantage of me, and I will exploit you in return. It is an honor to want to be taken advantage of. It means that you have value enough to be used. Even if you take ten thousand steps back and say you want to do something by yourself, have you actually thought about what it is you’d do instead?” Zhang Dashan pressed. He wanted to knock hard on Xiao Luo’s head to wake his wooden brain up.
Xiao Luo shook his head. He had not really thought about it and had no plans.
“Then, isn’t that your answer? Take care of Luo’s Workshop first and think the rest through slowly. If you still have plans afterward, it won’t be too late to go and make them happen. I will follow you for now, and if you ever leave Luo’s Workshop, I will still help you take care of it. This way, both of us will find fulfillment. It’s the best of both worlds, so why not?” Zhang Dashan said.
He was so excited that he had even sobered up.