Chapter 74: Stepping into the Nouveau Riche Class

  Xiao Xiao faced Xie Zhan's scolding, licked his face and smiled, saying: "What do you want? You pretend to be confused, hurry up and give me 50,000, hahaha." As he spoke, he stretched out both hands in front of Xie Zhan, making a gesture of asking for money.

  Xie Zhan took a step back when he heard that he wanted money, and said: "Damn! Why should I give you 50,000? Have you seen the contract? The remuneration in this contract is paid monthly, which means we will pay you 4,500 at the end of each month. Your bank account number has been written on the contract, and we will settle with you every month. You just need to check your account at the end of each month. You haven't done anything yet, but you're already asking for 50,000 with a straight face? Are you kidding me?"

  Sighing, he thought of himself hastily signing the contract without even looking at it twice. He said: "Come on, boss, didn't you say our company is humanized? One month after another, it's as dry as crap, and I'm not getting enough. You're the boss, just make a decision on the spot, give me everything first, I have an emergency."

  He now really wants to get this money and after getting it, he will use it to set up a band for Lu Feng.

  Xie Zhan leaned against the chair, patting the back of the chair with his hand, and sighed: "The company's rules are just rules, can't make exceptions because of personal relationships. As the saying goes, 'righteousness does not gather wealth', if it's so casual, how can such a large group be managed?"

  Xiao Xiao's mouth opened wide in a sorrowful expression, and he wailed: "Boss, please be kind to me. I have an 80-year-old mother at home and an 18-year-old son. I've worked hard for you all these years, so please pay my wages first. Have some sympathy for us struggling people."

  "Shut up! You're making it sound like the landlords of old society are right. Screw you!" Xie Zhan saw Xiao Xiao acting crazy and immediately stopped him.

  Xiao Xiao covered his eyes with his hand, spread his five fingers apart, closed one eye and used the other to peek through the gaps between his fingers at Xie Zhan, to see if he had seen his performance and felt a pang of sympathy.

  "Alright, I'll pay you 20,000 yuan first." Xie Zhan didn't know if Xiao Xiao really had something going on, but he couldn't take his nagging anymore and said helplessly.

  "Ah!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed at his movement, but hearing that Xie Zhan had already prepaid two hundred thousand for himself, he followed up and called out: "Three hundred thousand."

  "Twenty thousand, that's it. Not a single cent more. If you keep nagging me, I'll sue you for breach of contract. You have to compensate me ten million first." Xie Zhan stuck to his principles, just like Xiao Xiao did with Yuan Dao, refusing to back down even if it meant turning against him.

  Nor does anyone know who invented the principle, it's really killing people.

  "Oh my god, I've been cheated! I have to listen to you whether I like it or not." Xiao Xiao was shocked and took a deep breath, but thinking about the 20,000 yuan, he figured that buying second-hand equipment would be about the same. He then said to Xie Zhan: "Twenty thousand is twenty thousand, I want it now!" His tone was very arrogant.

  Xie Zhan saw him calm down and said: "Okay, I'll get Xiaotui to transfer the money to your card."

  "No need." With a flourish of his hand, he laughed and said: "I want cash. It's more convenient to get the money now rather than going through the trouble later." He really wanted to ride his bike back to the dorm right away, throw the 20,000 yuan into the air, and watch as the red bills fluttered everywhere, making everyone in the dorm happy.

  "Woohoo! I'm so awesome! So cool!" Xiao Xiao cheered again.

  Xie looked at the withered appearance of Xiao Xiao and called his assistant, Xiao Rui, to have her go to the finance department to fetch 20,000 yuan.

  Xiao Rui received the order, walked out of the general manager's office with a duck step, and soon took 20,000 yuan from the finance department, and packed it in a gray handbag with fine grid buttons.

  "She even got me a bag, how thoughtful!" Xiao Xiao's face was filled with greed as she took the handbag from Xiaohui's hands, made a silly face at her and said: "Thanks, beauty."

  Xiao Wei pouted and made a face, then walked out with a duck gait.

  With a nervous heart, he slowly unzipped the bag, and at the same time, a red glow emanated from inside the bag, shining on his face, instantly filling his face with a red light.

  There were two stacks of red banknotes in the handbag, exactly 20,000 yuan.

  Gazing at the 20,000 yuan he earned himself, the 200 big red tickets, his eyes reflected a red glow, he was so excited that he felt an extra thick swimming ring had grown around his waist, and even his waistline had expanded.

  "Oh! From now on, I'm really stepping into the ranks of the wealthy!"

  Xiao Xiao excitedly waved the money in his hand and shouted. At this moment, he finally realized that having money really made one's courage swell up.

  "These two thousand yuan are not the company's salary for you, but I lent it to you first. When you start paying your salary, deduct it from your salary to pay me back." Xie Zhan looked at Xiao Xiao and suddenly poured a basin of cold water on him.

  "It's all good, no matter what. The money is already in hand." Xiao Xiao grinned, showing off his teeth. He tossed the handbag into the air and jumped up high to catch it, then spun around twice on the spot after landing.

  He also admired Xie Zhan for lending him money out of his own pocket.

  "Shameless!" Xie Zhan cursed at Xiao Xiao's smug expression.

  "That." Xiao Xiao seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and came to Xie Zhan's side, saying: "I'm like this, cooperating with your school's basketball team, it doesn't count as betraying Nongda, right?" Xiao Xiao suddenly remembered that his own school, Nongda, had a grudge against the University of Sports.

  "Haha." Xie Zhan smiled and said: "Even if you betray, the contract has been signed, you can't go back on your word now. Don't worry, respect is respect, greatness is greatness, one code for one return, revenge for revenge, gratitude for gratitude. Discussing matters not people, each not delaying the other."

  "Haha, that's great. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it to my brothers at Nongda." Xiao thought of his brothers at Nongda and leaned in close to Xie Zhan, laughing: "Boss, I have two more classmates, named Lu Ting and Xiang Bei, we're planning to form a band, take a look, can you sign them all over and make them our company's spokespersons. At that time, let's have a family reunion."

  Xiao Xiao thought Xie Zhan was so righteous, he would definitely agree immediately.

  Unexpectedly, Xie Zhan listened to his words and suddenly changed his expression. He didn't answer immediately, but instead stood up and walked to the window. Standing in front of the window, he beckoned to Xiao Xiao, asking him to come over.

  Xiao Xiao walked over with her purse full of money.

  Xie Zhan and Xiao Xiao came over, he pointed out of the window with his hand.

  Softly following his fingers, outside the window is a blue sky with white clouds. Under this clear and bright day, there is the wide Chang Le Street. On Chang Le Street, people are constantly coming and going, their footsteps hurried, their expressions numb, struggling hard for survival.

  "See those people?" Xie Zhan asked calmly.

  Gazing at those numerous people, he replied: "I see."

  Xie Zhan's face showed a lot of mature and worldly wisdom, and he said indifferently: "Xiao Xiao, do you understand why it's you who signed with me now instead of them? Although many people become stars by chance, not everyone has such good luck.

  You're the one I've set my eyes on, and others aren't, regardless of whether they are your friends or not.

  50,000, although not a lot, is also hard-earned money, every single piece stained with blood and sweat. You know in this city of Tianjing, how many people rise early and return late, struggling to make ends meet, being exploited by their bosses and still can't earn 50,000 in a year.

  Do you know? Our grassroots business staff, with a basic salary of only 1,200 yuan at the end of each month.

  And you, having just arrived in this city for a few days, can have such a high salary. You should cherish this opportunity and not easily ruin things because of loyalty. I know your thoughts and wishes in your heart, you hope everyone is beautiful. So you want to let your friends also enter the decoration industry.

  But let me tell you the truth, this world is cruel, it's impossible."

  Xiao Xiao can also understand that as a businessman, Xie Zhan has to put every penny on the blade. Being able to get this opportunity is already a blessing.

  Not being able to get opportunities for Lu Peng and Xiang Bei is my own failure. But if I were to force them in by threatening to quit, it would only lead to chaos. In that case, I wouldn't gain anything either.

  Then, I can only wait until I have made a name for myself and achieved success, and then I will bring them up.

  Xie Zhan glanced at his watch and let out a sigh, saying: "Let's go, it's noon, I'll treat you to lunch."

  "Good." Xiao Xiao heard that he wanted to treat himself to a meal, according to his identity and such a big demeanor. It must be going to a luxurious restaurant. He had been assessing himself for half a day and was tired, so he couldn't let him off the hook, letting him treat himself to lobster as thick as his thigh. Damn it, eat him to death.

  Xie Zhan let Xiao Xiao follow him.

  Xiao Xiao held her handbag, bouncing around with infinite hope for delicious food, following Xie Zhan out of the general manager's office, down the stairs to the first floor, and into a large hall.

  In the grand hall, many meal boxes were placed inside, containing various food and beverages. At this time, employees of the Zun Xun Group were following order one by one, holding their rice bowls and using chopsticks to pick up their favorite dishes.

  It's obviously a buffet here.

  The staff lunch of Zhuang Xun Group is a self-service meal uniformly managed by the group.

  "Boss, wait?" Xiao Xiao called out to Xie Zhan and asked him: "You just said you'd treat me to dinner, are we eating here?"

  "Really? Where are you going?" Xie Zhanrao looked at Xiao Xiao with interest.

  "Sighing, with a sorrowful expression, he said: 'I thought that at the very least I'd get to eat at a five-star restaurant, where exquisite delicacies are served and mountain and sea treasures are lavishly prepared. While eating, several heavily made-up women would come over, swaying their bodies, performing a striptease dance. Who would have thought you're so stingy?'"

  "Slap! Slap!" Xiao Xiao twisted her body to imitate those women.

  Xie Zhan gave Xiao Xiao a slap on the hand and said, "What's this? You call this being stingy? This is called being frugal. This meal costs dozens of yuan. With your big appetite, you'll definitely eat away hundreds from me. What you're eating isn't something I'm charging you for, it's all coming out of my own pocket. If you don't like it, go to Chang Le Street and spend your own money on street food. The mixed rice, covered rice, and fried dough here are better than those places."

  "Alright. I thought you were like Chu Jia, a noble son, and would host a grand banquet like the Dragon Gate Banquet. But it turns out to be such a low-key affair. How stingy! Sprightly had been building up her nouveau riche momentum earlier, but now she immediately became downbeat, holding onto her handbag as Xie Zhan took the tableware. She picked at some meat dishes and poured herself a large cup of beer."

  Xie Zhan had some vegetables and a cup of juice, as the leader of the company, he ate very simply.

  Xiao Xiao sat across from Xie Zhan, eating with big mouthfuls, and after swallowing two bites, asked him: "Boss, what's your sexual orientation?"

  "This goes without saying, woman." Xie Zhan replied calmly to him.

  "Oh, I thought you guys were the type who liked to play with men, and were into that sort of thing. So, you specifically recruit people like Duomi." Xiao Xiao cautiously glanced around, trying to distinguish which beauties might be fake girls.

  "Damn it. Duomi's abilities are very strong. That's why he can be the coach for you newbies." Xie Zhan laughed and scolded him with a sentence.

  Xiao Xiao took two bites of the dish and drank a mouthful of beer, when suddenly he saw that a group of tall and slender men and women with beautiful faces had come in, probably around twenty years old.

  There were probably over thirty people, mostly young men and women. The men's heights were generally between 1.8 meters to 1.9 meters. The women's heights were generally between 1.7 meters to 1.85 meters.

  They were dressed elegantly, with good temperament, and a smile on their faces as they chatted while entering the buffet. If these people stood in front of ordinary people, those ordinary people would be intimidated by their temperament and dare not look them straight in the eye.

  "Boss, are those people models?" Xiao Xiao asked, with a chicken paw in her mouth, referring to the tall and young men and women.

  Xie Zhan turned his head and took a look, saying: "Is that right? After seeing them, don't you feel like you're not as outstanding among them? Don't you feel a little inferior?"

  "Cut!" Xiao Xiao raised his right arm, full of confidence and determination, saying: "I am who I am, the forever handsome and awesome little demon. Forever different from others, a little demon that wherever he is placed, people will immediately like him. Oh yeah."

  "Haha!" Xie Zhan covered half of his face, laughing twice, and pressed down on his momentum with his hand, saying: "Alright, you have this confidence, that's good. I brought you into the team because I saw this confidence in you."

  "Oh, haha, can I have another 10,000 yuan then." Xiao Xiao heard Xie Zhan's two flattering words and immediately became more aggressive.

  "No way, you want again, I really will sue you for breach of contract." Xie Zhan's face was stern.

  Xiao Xiao is now most afraid of hearing that he has breached the contract, he changed his words and said: "Forget it, forget it, right, boss, what are the annual salary and worth of these models?"

  "Hundreds of thousands to tens of millions." Xie Zhan was calmly eating his egg fried rice.

  "What the hell, why are they more awesome than me?" Xiao Xiao complained, leaning back in his chair, almost tipping it over. He thought he was no worse than those handsome guys and beautiful girls, so why could he only get 50,000 yuan every year? It's a bit unfair.

  "Hey!" Xie Zhan is now a bit impatient with the little monster in front of him, and he smiles while supporting his chin with his hand: "Things need to be done step by step, and meals need to be eaten mouthful by mouthful. Others have been pretending to be arrogant for several years already, working hard and enduring hardships, so they are naturally more valuable than you."

  "What?" Xiao Xiao sneered, "Those beautiful model girls will all take the initiative to send themselves in front of you, and let you indulge in them for free. Boss, since you don't like men, then go after those models, your good fortune is not shallow! Haha."

  Xie Zhan furrowed his brow and looked at Xiao Xiao in front of him, extremely annoyed by what he said.

  Xie Zhan, as the leader of the company, understands that everything is prioritized for the benefit of the company. It would be easy for him to have a relationship with the model, but the people below him would seize on his excuses and weaknesses, making it difficult for him to control them.

  To make people surrender, one must set an example himself, this is the principle of Xie Zhan's management of his company.

  So he is a leader in the company but has never had an affair with any female colleagues.

  "Hehe." Xiao Xiao saw the stern and serious expression on his boss's face, knowing that things were not good. With a cunning and childish smile, he changed the subject and asked Xie Zhan: "Boss, do you know Yang Daxing?"

  Xie Zhan raised his head, blinking his long eyelashes, and said: "You're talking about the Yang Daxing who is currently a teacher at your school?"

  "Yes."

  Xie Zhan picked up his rice bowl and said calmly, "He graduated from Tianjing Sports University, he's my senior. When he was in school, he was very famous in the sports university, many legends were passed down about him, and they've been circulating among students for generations. Of course I know him."

  In some universities, students of certain majors are willing to call their seniors "Shixiong" or "Shijie". This convention has been preserved and everyone feels that it is more intimate.

  "Is there anything interesting about him?" Xiao Xiao asked, now very interested in Yang Daxing's past.

  Xie Zhan slowly chewed and swallowed his food, speaking in a soft voice: "Yang Daxing graduated ten years ago and was very famous in school. He had two male friends and one female friend, Huang Qing, Tang Fei, and Wu Yan. Huang Qing is now teaching at the Sports University, Wu Yan married Chu Wenbin of Beijing Film Company and became his second wife. Tang Fei allegedly fries dough sticks at the foot of Huangcheng Mountain. After graduating, Yang Daxing returned home to work as a farmer for nine years. Last year, he was personally selected by the head of the sports department of Nongda University and came to teach here."

  "Farmer? What's going on?" Xiao Xiao thought Yang Daxing was really strange. As a well-known student at the University of Sports, how could he become a farmer. And after becoming a farmer, how could he turn around and become a teacher at an agricultural university.

  It's not that I don't understand, it's just that the world is changing fast.

  "If you ask me something so profound, I don't know either. Ah, go ask Yang Daxing then. Isn't he your teacher? You should naturally understand him better than I do." Xie Zhan smiled and said.

  "No." Xiao Xiao thought of yesterday's incident at the East Gate, which made him feel very uncomfortable. He asked Xie Zhan again: "Is Chu Wenbin really Chu Jia's father?"

  "Yes." Xie Zhan ate his fried rice without asking Xiao Xiao why she knew Chu Jia. He thought it was possible that Chu Jia's reputation had spread far and wide. Even stray cats and dogs knew, let alone the little demon in front of him.

  Xiao Xiao sipped his beer, thinking to himself: Chu Jia was now almost twenty years old, so his father must be over forty. Wu Yan and Yang Daxing were about the same age, probably around thirty. Which meant that when she married Chu Wenbin, she was only a little over twenty.

  Xie Zhan saw Xiao Xiao there, not speaking, suddenly said seriously: "I'll reveal some internal news to you. The Tianjing Municipal Government, the Tianjing Municipal Sports Bureau, and the Tianjing Municipal Education Bureau have jointly decided with the National Men's Professional Basketball League to hold a university men's basketball league in Tianjing every July. All universities in Tianjing are allowed to participate. A prize of 1 million yuan will be awarded to the champion team. The champion will receive the city's honor, and the school where the champion is located will receive 10 million yuan in education construction funds, as well as other awards."

  "What's it to me?" Xiao Xiao wasn't particularly interested in this so-called internal news.

  Xie Zhan looked at him, his tone serious, and said: "Xiao Xiao, I'll be graduating from university next year. I hope to meet you in the first basketball game of next year and have a match with you."