The atmosphere of the New Year was becoming stronger, so in recent days the company’s discussions mostly revolved around the arrangement of annual leave. Many people were already planning how to spend this rare holiday. Later, someone suggested a free walking tour along the Cultural Avenue, which quickly gained support from others. For the past half year, they had been working hard for this street, yet never had the time to appreciate its charm. Upon learning of their desire, I discussed with Chen Jingming and decided to offer a free trip for these hardworking employees. We planned that each employee could bring three relatives or friends, with accommodation and meals covered and travel expenses reimbursed, allowing them to freely explore the avenue.
After learning about this company benefit, everyone was already in an excited state and shared the news with others, expressing how fulfilling it was to work for a company that provided benefits other companies could not offer.
As Chen Jingming had said, the Luku Company, which was managing the Cultural Avenue, was now experiencing its best development opportunity. We not only gained reputation from the market and the industry, but also received praise from internal employees. They had even come to view working here as a belief they could not afford to lose, supporting every company decision with full passion and spending their remaining youth growing alongside the Cultural Avenue.
In contrast, the employees at my gaming company with Tongzi were more pragmatic. They hoped for direct monetary rewards as year-end benefits. However, this was an expected phenomenon, as the different corporate cultures of the two companies shaped the employees’ completely different values. Therefore, I gradually abandoned the plan to integrate the two companies into one. I hoped that Luku would become a unique landmark in the industry, untouched by the commercial intentions of the gaming company that solely pursued commercial value.
Personally, I had also entered the public spotlight quickly due to the influence of the Cultural Avenue project. In the past six months, I had transformed, meeting more and more industry elites in business circles. The continuous expansion of my network resources had also led to new financing plans. At this point, I had overcome my initial hesitation and was ready to fully enter the relatively unfamiliar field of e-commerce at the golden period of the company’s development.
On this day, I traveled to Shanghai together with Ye Luo, Mi Cai’s former assistant. Privately, we visited Xu, the director of operations at Wansen Group. This person had a very senior background in the industry and had previously been poached by Wansen Group from another well-known online shopping mall with a significant investment. He had played a huge role shortly after joining, orchestrating the miracle of Wansen’s online shopping mall achieving a single-day sales record of over one billion yuan.
As for how Ye Luo came to know him, it was quite dramatic. They had been classmates during their studies abroad and reunited at Wansen Group years after graduation. However, Ye Luo later switched to our company, but the two maintained frequent contact with the bond of their school days, which led to our meeting today.
On the way, I drove while casually expressing to Ye Luo beside me, “Assistant Ye, sometimes when I look back on this year, I really feel that my career has been too smooth. Every time I encountered some setbacks, a helpful person would soon appear to help me out!”
Ye Luo smiled and asked, “For example, Mr. Zhao?”
“For example, when I took over Sima Advertising, I was facing a serious debt crisis. Later, someone secretly provided me with a large sum of financial assistance. Another example: when I reorganized Luku, I lacked sufficient management experience, but then Mr. Chen Jingming joined the company at just the right time, helping me sort out the mess. Then, when I encountered some minor troubles in developing the scenic area channels, Vice President Zhou joined the company and easily resolved these issues. And now, with your joining, you connected me with Director Xu for this e-commerce expansion plan… Tell me, isn’t my path this year too smooth?”
Ye Luo shrugged and replied, “Mr. Zhao, I think you’re deliberately downplaying your own role. No one has worked harder for this company than you this year. Every development plan you made was exactly what the company needed at that stage. We merely played a role in accelerating the process… Also, you didn’t mention the help from your friends. Without Leyao’s assistance as a top actress, the Cultural Avenue wouldn’t have gained such rapid fame, right? You should think that it’s because you accumulated enough good connections in the past that you now have everyone’s support. Simply attributing your current achievements to luck and smoothness is too one-sided. It also lacks the broad-mindedness of a leader!”
I frowned and said, “Assistant Ye, are you pretending not to understand me or really not getting it?”
Faced with my pressure, Ye Luo remained calm. She replied, “Of course, I understand what you mean. You’re just suspecting that someone is secretly helping you. But I want to tell you that all your suspicions are unfounded… We, who were close to Mi Cai, had no choice but to support you after being purged by the new management. You were Mi Cai’s fiancé, so isn’t this very normal?”
“Is that so? Mi Cai had so many close associates, why are only the three of you here?”
“If those without ability and who couldn’t contribute all came to support you, wouldn’t your place become a shelter and a refugee camp? Mr. Zhao, if you’re willing, I can really make all those still loafing around at Wansen Group jump ship to your company. Would you be willing to accept them?”
“Cough cough… I’m a businessman, not a philanthropist!!”
Ye Luo gave me a sidelong glance and then didn’t speak anymore. I felt a bit awkward looking at her. This woman, having spent a long time with Mi Cai, had developed a similar assertiveness in her speech, often leaving me speechless with her pressure. However, I didn’t dislike it, because both Mi Cai and Ye Luo were capable women. Their sharp criticisms towards me were precisely out of a kind heart that wanted me to improve.
…
That afternoon, Ye Luo and I met with Director Xu, who was in charge of the online mall operations at Wansen Group in Shanghai. I didn’t rush to express my intentions but instead asked him some professional questions about the e-commerce field. We exchanged contact information, which marked our mutual acquaintance. Once I completed the initial preparations for entering the e-commerce industry, I would definitely have an in-depth conversation with him and bring this e-commerce talent into my company.
After returning to Suzhou from Shanghai, I was invited by Yan Yan and Qin Yan to visit Jian Wei’s nursing home. We had agreed to have a hot pot dinner together on this bitterly cold night.
Qin Yan was still the typical home-oriented good man. He had already prepared all the ingredients before I arrived, and I was happy to enjoy the meal without any effort. Rubbing my cold hands together, I fished out a piece of lamb from the hot pot and started eating before everyone was ready. This casual behavior immediately earned me a big glare! I put down my chopsticks with an embarrassed smile and said, “Let’s eat together, let’s eat together…”
Except for the already suspicious Yan Yan, the three of us—Qin Yan, Jian Wei, and I—poured ourselves a cup of medicinal wine to ward off the cold and began to enjoy this relaxed time. We started with casual conversation, and then Yan Yan steered the topic towards work. She said to Jian Wei, “Weiwei, we know you don’t have plans to live abroad for now. If you’re going to stay in the country long-term, I want to give Sima Advertising back to you. It’s your hard work…”
Jian Wei interrupted Yan Yan. She clearly didn’t care much about Sima Advertising and casually said, “Don’t talk to me about work, okay? I’m really fed up with all this right now!”
Yan Yan was at a loss. She first looked at me, then at Jian Wei, and said, “I mean no harm. I’m just thinking about your future and how you might need a company like this to secure your life.”
“I think you need it more than I do…” Jian Wei replied somewhat impatiently. Perhaps noticing the surprised expression on Yan Yan’s face, she held Yan Yan’s hand and softened her tone, saying, “Yan Yan, my current abilities are no longer enough to manage a fast-paced advertising company. Besides, I can’t even remember that I once owned such a company. If it really used to belong to me, I’d be willing to give it to you freely, as a way to repay you for taking care of me these past six months. Even family members might not have the patience to care for someone like me, who’s been lying in bed for months as a vegetative patient!”
Yan Yan’s voice was somewhat choked up, “Weiwei, don’t say silly things. We’re sisters. If I don’t take care of you, who will!”
Jian Wei’s heart remained as strong as ever. She smiled and patted Yan Yan’s hand, indicating that Yan Yan should focus on enjoying the dinner and not bring up those painful topics again. Yan Yan, still obedient to Jian Wei, nodded and said nothing more. Thus, this dinner among the four of us became somewhat silent… which was actually better, as it gave us more time and energy to focus on the delicious meal in front of us.
However, I felt a bit regretful. My regret stemmed from the fact that I had taken over the Cultural Avenue and was managing it with all my heart, yet Jian Wei had never shown any interest in it again. After the accident, her world had become pure and serene, just like the Sky City I once dreamed of.
A moment later, we finished this meal. As expected, Qin Yan, the home-oriented man, was the one cleaning up the mess on the table. Meanwhile, I, the man who had long since stopped caring about kitchen affairs, squatted under the eaves and lit a cigarette to relieve the bloating caused by overeating.
Yan Yan stood beside me, her belly already slightly protruding, and asked me, “Zhaoyang, is it really okay for me to keep Sima Advertising for Weiwei?… It’s a multi-million-dollar advertising company, and you were the one who resolved its crisis. I’m benefiting from it without contributing anything!”
I patted her shoulder and smiled, saying, “Back then when you were taking care of Jian Wei, you didn’t think about how much you were sacrificing for your sister… So, just consider it as Jian Wei’s way of repaying you. There’s really no need for you two to calculate who did what!”
Yan Yan nodded and then said, “No matter what, I still want to give half of the shares to Weiwei. Her life shouldn’t have no security at all!”
“You can decide that yourself.”
“Okay.”
I didn’t speak anymore until I put out the cigarette butt, then looked at her face and said, “Yan Yan, I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
After a moment of hesitation, I replied, “Suppose, suppose Fangyuan brings all of Wansen Group’s advertising business and seeks full cooperation with Sima Advertising, would you accept it?”
Yan Yan’s face suddenly turned pale. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, didn’t answer me, but instead asked, “What… what do you think?”
“Refuse… refuse without any hesitation… Did you hear that?”
Yan Yan seemed to instinctively look at her slightly protruding belly. She bit her lip and finally nodded to me after a long pause, saying, “I understand.”
I felt a pang of sorrow in my heart, yet I couldn’t find the words to express it. So I lit another cigarette and gazed blankly at the dark horizon…
Suddenly, Mo Zishi appeared in my sight dragging his suitcase, walking hurriedly. He soon stood in front of us. However, his arrival was expected by me, as he had told me he would return after finishing his surgery in the United States. But Yan Yan was very surprised. She looked at the tall but somewhat weary Mo Zishi after his long journey and asked, “Dr. Mo, the New Year is coming soon. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come back before the Spring Festival?”
“I came back this time to take Jian Wei to the United States for the Spring Festival.”
“What?”
Mo Zishi nodded again as if to confirm, then dragged his suitcase into Jian Wei’s room under our gaze. Yan Yan followed him inside, while I planned to wait until I finished this cigarette before going in to see what he would say to Jian Wei.
In fact, the nursing home was too quiet, so I could clearly hear the conversation between Mo Zishi and Jian Wei from outside. First, Mo Zishi spoke, his voice low, “Weiwei, I came back this time to take you to the United States for the Spring Festival. Are you willing to come with me?”
“Take me to the United States for the Spring Festival?… Aren’t you afraid your parents will look down on me, a woman with incomplete memories and corrupt parents?”
“Now, what matters to me is only my inner feelings and your mood. Other people’s opinions are no longer that important to me!”
“But I’m not willing to give you the same opportunity for the second time… Go back. I’m not worthy of you.”
Mo Zishi’s voice was filled with anxiety and panic. He seemed to grab Jian Wei’s shoulders, urgently saying, “Don’t say these words so easily, okay?… I’ve really thought a lot during this time, so I came back to find you at all costs!… Weiwei, even if it means eloping, I want you to be with me. Believe me, even if I have to take you wandering to the ends of the earth, I have the ability to let you live a happy life!”
“Elopement?… Elopement?” Jian Wei murmured. Her tone suddenly became full of pain, “Why elope? I don’t want to elope. I refuse to elope!”
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