Chapter 24

"I'm making trouble for no reason?" Xu Zhuwen threw the bag in her hand directly on the ground, and the fruits and vegetables inside rolled all over the ground. "You're drunk every day and come back in the middle of the night, and I didn't say anything. I just went to the supermarket to buy groceries to help you get some nutrition. I wanted to ask if you had any difficulties so we could talk and see if there was anything I could do to help you. And you treat me like this."

"What did I do to you?" Qian Song glanced at the vegetables and fruits on the ground, his face showing disgust. "You're helping me by not hitting me. What can you do to help me?"

"Aren't you worried about financing lately?" Xu Zhuwen said angrily. "I have some ideas I'd like to discuss with you."

“You can’t help me,” Qian Song said coldly.

“We haven’t even talked, how do you know I can’t help you?” Xu Zhuwen felt hurt by the disdain in Qian Song’s eyes.

"Fine, you're going to help me, huh?" Qian Song sneered. "Transfer two million to my account right now, and I'll believe you can help me. Otherwise, forget it."

"Impossible!" Xu Zhuwen never expected Qian Song to bring up money right away, especially an amount she could never come up with. "Are you crazy? How can you ask for so much money so easily?"

"Is two million a lot? Do you know how much money I can get this time? At least fifty million! And this is just the first round." Qian Song continued to look at Xu Zhuwen with disdain. "I have a friend who runs a tech company in Shenzhen. At the beginning of the year, his company ran into some problems. Do you know what his wife did? Without saying a word, she went around asking relatives and friends to raise ten million for him, helping my friend get through the crisis. Now my friend's company has not only achieved stable development, but has also expanded its overseas business. The turnover in the third quarter of this year was two hundred million. That's what you call help from his wife. What's the use of you saying a few empty words? These are principles that can be found by watching a short video. Don't I know how to read them? Why waste time listening to you!"

"So did you get it?" Xu Zhuwen gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening from Qian Song's words. "If you really got the funding, don't even mention 50 million, even if it's just 5 million, I'll respect you and wash your underwear for three months."

"Xu Zhuwen, can you please stop being so unlucky!" Qian Song looked at Xu Zhuwen, who was dressed in her home clothes, and suddenly found her cotton and linen dress so irritating. The fruits and vegetables scattered all over the floor were dirty and messy. "A wise person knows to avoid omens. You keep saying that I can't do this or that, and you just keep pouring cold water on me. You'll ruin all my good fortune."

"My God, you're hilarious, Qian Song." Xu Zhuwen felt that the person in front of her, who used to be logical and articulate when discussing issues, had recently seemed to have lost his mind. "Anyone who has seriously received nine years of compulsory education wouldn't say something like that. Have you completely run out of ideas and started to believe in superstition?"

"I'm out of options—" Qian Song seemed to laugh in anger, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, you just wait and see, I'll show you how capable I am."

After saying that, he kicked away the fruit at his feet, picked up his laptop, slammed the door, and strode out.

Xu Zhuwen watched Qian Song walk out of the house without looking back, and tears finally welled up in her already wet eyes. The tomatoes he had trampled were also there, their red juice splattering on the floor, just like his already rotten insides, emitting a sticky and disgusting feel.

Normally, Xu Zhuwen would clean up the messy living room and dirty floor immediately.

But today, Xu Zhuwen simply stood there staring intently at the messy floor for a while before turning back to her study, taking out her computer, and opening a file.

Once the file is opened, it displays a meticulously designed business plan with the title "pure-bule Smart Cowboy Transformation Solution" on the screen.

If Qian Song were here now and had carefully reviewed Xu Zhuwen's business plan, he would have discovered that she had even conducted market analysis and competitor research, and designed several concept sketches that incorporated technological elements into denim clothing. While not necessarily exceptionally well done, the effort she put into it was comparable to his own business plan.

The morning sunlight, like a generous pourer, spills golden, mellow wine into the study, overflowing and flowing into every corner. A window is opened, and sunlight slides in along the windowsill, covering the desk and transforming into a clear, bright ocean, rippling between the wood grain.

Tiny dust particles floated and swam in the stream of light, like a group of silent, tiny creatures performing an endless cycle of life in the stillness.

Outside the window, the green trees swayed their branches, their leaves fluttering and rustling like countless emeralds in the wind.

On a sunny weekend morning with a gentle breeze, Xu Zhuwen should have been enjoying a personal recharging moment, brewing a pot of coffee, playing soft music, and sitting in her study, engrossed in reading.

At that moment, she was crying her eyes out while looking at the business plan on the computer screen. She read it over and over again, and finally, without hesitation, threw it into the trash can, where it was reduced to tiny powder and disappeared.

...

The moment Qian Song pushed open the glass door of the company, what hit him was not the usual aroma of coffee, but a tense, explosive smell. The recently renovated company was now like a pressure cooker on the verge of exploding.

The supplier, Old Zhou, who was demanding payment, stood like an angry Vajra blocking the narrow doorway of the finance office, his spittle almost landing on his assistant, Xiao Wang's, pale face: "...Delay! Delay some more! Where is Qian Song? Can he hide forever? If I don't get the cash today, I'm sleeping right here!"

His thick fingers almost poked Xiao Wang's nose, and several other men with equally unfriendly expressions joined in the commotion, their voices buzzing and echoing in the oppressive space.

His assistant, Xiao Wang, stood at the front desk, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, bowing and scraping before him.

"President Zhou, please grant me a few more days. President Qian will be here soon. He will definitely have a solution..." Xiao Wang's voice was almost choked with tears.

Before he could finish speaking, he was drowned out by an even more intense barrage of insults.

"Grace period?" The man addressed as General Manager Zhou slammed his hand on the front desk. "I've given you three months' grace! Not a single penny of the 200,000 yuan payment has arrived. If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll have my workers come and move the equipment to pay off the debt!"

That damn Zhou Guohao!

It actually escalated to the point that it came to the company.

Qian Song paused, his leather shoes screeching on the marble floor.

He took a deep breath, straightened his expensive but wrinkled custom-made suit, and forced an exaggerated smile.

"Oh, Mr. Zhang! What brings you here?" He strode over, his voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire office area.

In the office area, a dozen employees all looked up, their eyes filled with a mixture of expectation, doubt, and anger. In a corner, two young girls who had been hired less than two weeks ago were talking in hushed tones. When they saw Qian Song enter, they immediately fell silent, but the doubt in their eyes was almost palpable.

General Manager Zhou turned around, his face contorted with rage: "Qian Song! You've finally shown up! If you don't settle the payment today, we'll see you in court!"

Qian Song's smile remained unchanged. He reached out and patted President Zhang's shoulder, but the other party dodged away in disgust.

He wasn't annoyed; instead, he leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Mr. Zhou, may we speak privately for a moment?"

Before the other party could respond, he put his arm around President Zhou's shoulder and walked towards his office. As he passed Xiao Wang, he gave him a wink: "Xiao Wang, take that box of Fuding white tea from my cabinet and give it to Lao Zhou to run some errands."

Xiao Wang felt like he'd been granted a pardon, nodding repeatedly. He was thinking of quickly making the tea and then making a hasty exit, leaving this mess for Boss Qian to handle. He breathed a sigh of relief, but as he turned to leave, he was stopped by a young man wearing glasses, faded jeans, and a plaid shirt: "Assistant Wang, I'm here for an interview for the design director position. I've been waiting for two hours..."

He stood there awkwardly, holding a resume in his hand, his eyes timidly scanning the chaotic office.

He didn't know how long he'd been standing there. The surrounding area had been chaotic, and Xiao Wang hadn't seen him. The other employees hadn't paid him any attention either. Then, Xiao Wang spotted him with sharp eyes, slapped his forehead, and felt a million curses running through his mind.

Damn it, what kind of mess is this?!

He'll have to wait three more days for this shift (B class). If he doesn't get paid in these three days, he'll quit!

I am resigning without hesitation!

But at this moment, he had to pull himself together and called out towards the front desk, "Max! Those who are going to interview, please go to the meeting room and wait! Mr. Qian will be here soon."

Please, God, let that debt collector Mr. Zhou leave quickly.

Turning his head, he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and gave the reserved boy in front of him a warm smile. "Why don't you and your colleagues go to the meeting room and sit down for a bit? Mr. Qian has something urgent to attend to right now, he'll come over when he's done."

After finishing his sentence hastily, Xiao Wang strode towards the tea room.

Qian Song invited General Manager Zhang into his office. The moment he closed the door, the smile on his face immediately faded. He stopped being polite to General Manager Zhou and instead walked to his desk, took out a bulging envelope from the drawer, and pushed it in front of General Manager Zhang.

“Here’s fifty thousand, take it first.” His voice was frighteningly calm. “I promise I’ll transfer the remaining amount to your account very soon.”

They paid the money so readily.

Mr. Zhou opened the envelope with suspicion, quickly counted the contents, his expression softened slightly, but he was still full of doubt: "Qian Song, you said the same thing last time."

“This time is different.” Qian Song straightened his suit, then took out his phone from his pocket and showed several group photos. “See? President Zhao from Lan Hai and President Zhang from Hong Shan. They’ve both been very optimistic about my project lately. Soon, my company will have a large sum of money coming in.”

Mr. Zhang examined the photo carefully, his brows gradually relaxing, but the doubt in his eyes didn't lessen much. "Really?"

“Absolutely true.” Qian Song grinned, the wrinkles around his eyes becoming more pronounced. “When have I, Qian Song, ever lied to you?”

The moment those words were spoken, a commotion arose outside the office.

Qian Song saw through the blinds that several employees were gathered around Xiao Wang, talking excitedly.

One of the product department employees, Lao Li, spoke particularly loudly, "If we don't get paid today, we're all going to the labor bureau!"

President Zhou had obviously heard it too. He gave Qian Song a meaningful look and said, "It seems you have more than just me in trouble."

Qian Song's facial muscles twitched. He felt that Old Li was really clueless. If it weren't for the current difficulty in recruiting, he would definitely, immediately, fire all these employees who were adding fuel to the fire!

But he quickly regained his confident expression. "Employees, they're always so impatient. Mr. Zhou, you've already accepted the money, so..."

"You were treating me like a beggar back then," General Manager Zhou snorted, slamming the envelope onto Qian Song's desk. "I've been lenient with you for a long time, Qian Song. You know how tough it is for those of us in the materials business this year. If you have the money, pay me all at once, and we'll talk about the rest later!"

Qian Song's smile vanished completely. "Old Zhou, with all our friendship, why did you have to make things so ugly for me today?"

"Did I really have to make things so ugly?" Old Zhou was a big, stout man whose voice boomed like a bell when he got excited, spitting all over Qian Song's face. "Qian Song, if it weren't for our friendship, given your situation this year, no one would give you priority in getting supplies."

Qian Song took a few steps back, looking at Lao Zhou's yellow teeth from smoking, and couldn't stand it any longer. He took out his phone and quickly started making transactions on a bank's app. "Okay, I'll give you another 50,000 yuan, transferred directly to your account, is that alright?"

bite--

With a crisp sound, Mr. Zhou's phone beeped with a message notification.

He took out his wallet and saw that it contained the 50,000 yuan that Qian Song had just transferred. His face lit up with joy. "Okay, I'll trust you one more time. If I don't see the remaining 100,000 yuan by next week, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After seeing General Manager Zhou off, Qian Song breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could even catch his breath, Xiao Wang rushed in, flustered: "General Manager Qian, Lao Li and the others say they want to see you, and that interviewee too..."

"Let them wait!" Qian Song suddenly roared, slamming his fist on the desk. "They're all trying to pressure me, do they think I'm a pushover?"

Xiao Wang took a step back in fright. Seeing this, Qian Song immediately composed himself and forced a reassuring smile: "Xiao Wang, you've worked hard these past few days. Go tell Lao Li and the others that there will be a meeting at 3 PM this afternoon. I have good news to announce."

Xiao Wang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about the person who conducted the interview...?"

“Tell him to wait another ten minutes.” Qian Song waved his hand. “Oh, and bring me last month’s pay stub.”

After Xiao Wang left, Qian Song slumped into his leather swivel chair, pulled out a pack of cigarettes that was already mostly smoked from the depths of a drawer, lit one, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he turned on his computer and checked the company account—the balance was less than 10,000 yuan.

He opened his mobile banking app and saw the text message that the loan had been deposited into his account at a high interest rate of 300,000 yuan, with a monthly interest rate of 15%.

"Damn it," he cursed, shoving the cigarette butt hard into the ashtray, which was already covered in burn marks.

At this moment, while he was extremely frustrated, he was also extremely grateful that he had worked hard all night to get 500,000 yuan from Li Hui. Otherwise, he would not have been able to calm down the situation he was in.