Chapter 51 Everything will be fine

"My dad's amazing. Every time he takes me go-karting, he does this: 'Woo-woo-whoosh! Take me flying!'" Qian Duoduo stood up and dramatically simulated starting a go-kart. He briefly considered going to Long Weihe, but Shi Zhenglin told him his mother was at work and not to bother her. He then led him on a series of conversations. When asked what he'd tried, he couldn't contain his excitement, proudly recounting his go-karting experience with Qian Pingtao. Shi Shi giggled at his delight. "Uncle, can you drive a go-kart?" Qian Duoduo retorted. He frowned slightly, cut the sandwich on the plate into triangles, and pushed it in front of him, saying in a serious tone, "Of course I can't drive! No one drives better than me." Qian Duoduo questioned, "I don't believe it! My dad is the best!" "No way! You're bragging! My dad is the best!" Shi Shi, siding with her father, leaned over and said, "Dad, take me go-karting too." Qian Duoduo blushed, "My dad can also..." "Duoduo!" Long Weihe called over, and from a few meters away, she heard him mention his father and gave him a cold look. Shi Zhenglin stood up and explained, "Let's find a place to eat and come in to see Duoduo." He had just watched them enter the coffee shop from the car. Qian Duoduo, whose desire to express himself had reached its peak, was silenced by her, pouting and slumping into a chair. "Let's go home. Goodbye, Uncle and Shi Shi," she waved. "They're all hungry. Let's go somewhere nice to eat before we go back?" Shi Zhenglin looked at her. "No." She looked at the table: bread, cake, sandwiches, small desserts, yogurt, and the like—a mess, many half-eaten. How could they possibly be hungry? "Mom, I need to finish my sandwich before we go home," Qian Duoduo bit into the one Shi Zhenglin had just cut for him. The two adults were still scrambling, so he pulled out a chair for her. This small round table, with three people, would have been a squeeze with one more. She pulled the chair out and sat down. He followed suit. "Did she just have an interview?" "Yeah." "I have some impression of the person you met. What position was she applying for?" "We always protect candidate information and can't disclose it." He raised a finger and scratched the side of his forehead, a self-deprecating expression on his face. "How's business? Is it busy?" "Not bad." "How's Chen Yuantuo doing?" He remembered the last time she went to the stadium to promote Chen Yuantuo's business. "Pretty good." "Do you have any candidates in your pipeline for the CEO position at a listed pharmaceutical company?" This question seemed abrupt. Unsure of his motives, she glanced at him. "…

"My dad is very good. Every time he takes me to play go-kart, he does this: Woo-woo-whoosh! He takes me flying out!" Qian Duoduo stood up and exaggeratedly simulated the start of a go-kart.

During the trip, he wanted to go find Long Weihe, but Shi Zhenglin told him that his mother was at work and he would not disturb her. He led him into many topics and just asked him what games he had played. He couldn't control his excitement and proudly expressed his experience of Qian Pingtao taking him to play karting.

Shi Shi giggled when she saw his beaming joy.

"Uncle, can you drive a go-kart?" Qian Duoduo asked him.

He frowned slightly, cut the sandwich on the plate into triangles, and pushed it in front of him. He said seriously, "Of course I can't do it. No one can do it better than me."

Qian Duoduo questioned, "I don't believe it, my dad's is the best!"

"No! You're bragging, my dad is the best!" Shi Shi supported her father and came over, "Dad, take me to play go-kart too."

Qian Duoduo blushed, "My dad can also..."

“Duoduo!”

Long Weihe called and gave him a cold look when she heard him mention his father from a few meters away.

Shi Zhenglin stood up and explained to her, "Let's find a place to eat something and come in to see Duoduo."

He had just watched them enter the coffee shop from the car.

Qian Duoduo, whose desire to express himself had reached its strongest point, was suppressed by her and silenced. She pouted and slumped down on the chair.

"We're going home. Say goodbye to Uncle and Shi Shi." She waved to him.

"They are all hungry. Why don't they go to a better place to eat before going back?" Shi Zhenglin looked at her.

"No." She looked at the table. Bread, cakes, sandwiches, small desserts, yogurt and the like were all in a mess. Many of them were half-eaten. How could they be hungry?

"Mom, I want to finish my sandwich before going home." Qian Duoduo took a bite of the sandwich that Shi Zhenglin had just cut for him.

The two adults were still standing there, so he pulled out a chair for her.

This small round table can seat three people, and if you add one more seat, it will be crowded.

She pulled her chair out further and sat down.

He followed and sat down, "Just had an interview?"

"Um."

"I have some impression of the person you met. What position is she applying for?"

"We have always protected candidate information and cannot disclose it."

He raised his finger and scratched the side of his forehead, with a self-deprecating expression, and asked, "How's business? Are you busy?"

"fine."

"How's Chen Yuantuo doing?"

He always remembered the last time she went to the stadium to pick up Chen Yuantuo's order.

"Good."

"Do you have any candidates for the top position at a listed pharmaceutical company?"

This question seemed abrupt. Unsure of his motive, she glanced at him and said, "No, I'm not worthy of you."

He smiled, took a sip of coffee, and finally stopped asking questions, shifting his gaze from her to the baby.

Shi Shi said that the small cake she was eating was not tasty, so he replaced it with a small dessert and asked her to try it.

The filling in Qian Duoduo's sandwich spilled out, making a mess on the table.

They both went to get the tissues on the table to wipe him, but they bumped into each other. She shrank back and he cleaned it up.

At this moment, her eyes stayed on him for a few seconds, and she realized that this man was a little different from the one she met not long ago. He was less gloomy. If she hadn't seen him smiling at the child now, she would have forgotten that he could smile and had dimples. He also had a new hairstyle, with slightly scratched hair, a bit like the first time she met him.

Qian Duoduo took the last bite of her food and said, "Mom, I'm full," which made her look away, and also ended the four of them being together like this.

When Shi Shi got home, Aunt Xu greeted her at the door and asked, "Did you have a good time today, Shi Shi?"

"happy."

"That's great!" Aunt Xu was happy.

Shi Shi went to pull Shi Zhenglin from behind, "Dad, you said you could accompany me every day, when will that be?"

"Soon."

Aunt Xu has heard this conversation initiated by Shi Shi many times recently.

Her daughter-in-law back home was pregnant with her second child, and she'd have to take a month off to go home and take care of her when the baby was born. Shi Shi was worried about how she'd be able to leave. She'd been caring for Shi Shi since she was still pregnant, and she felt even more attached to her than her own grandchildren. Shi Zhenglin had treated her well over the years, providing her with respect and financial support, so she couldn't just walk away. If Shi Zhenglin didn't work, things would be much easier. More importantly, his company was good for Shi Shi, and it made her happy.

But then she thought, he had to do this for Shi Shi's sake. It was such a shame for a man who worked so hard all day to suddenly quit and ruin his future. She felt worried for him again, sighing alone, her mind torn between a hundred times.

"Sir, I'll quit my job as Sister Wang. I'll take care of the cleaning and cooking then." She moved dinner to the dining table.

There was a woman named Wang who was responsible for cleaning and cooking. She came during the day and left at night. She had just finished her shift and left. Aunt Xu began to make plans for when he stopped working.

"Keep it, it's okay."

"I'll let Xiao He go back to his hometown when the time comes."

She was worried that Xiao He had no job, so he was temporarily living in another empty house of Shi Zhenglin. If he lost his job, he would have no place to live.

"I arranged for him to go to another company. The company has dormitories."

"That's great, it's you..."

He interrupted, "Everything will be fine, don't worry."

After eating a few bites and having no appetite, he went to talk to Shi Shi and told her that he wanted to go out tonight.

Today, I asked Long Weihe if she had any candidates for the top position at a listed pharmaceutical company. She said no, and he believed her. There are only so many listed pharmaceutical companies, and there aren't many such people. It's impossible for a headhunter to move them all.

After asking, he didn't discuss the follow-up with her, as that was something he was going to do tonight. After some time, it was time to discuss his resignation with Yang Chengkai.

Yang Chengkai had been out of town a few days ago and had only returned yesterday. They'd been socializing together late last night, both drunk. As they parted ways, he told Yang Chengkai he'd find a time to report on his recent work and to chat about personal matters. That was the beginning of the matter.

Yang Chengkai said he had a social event tonight and asked him to join. He worried about colliding with other planned dinners, so he declined, making a rare excuse for other things to do. Yang Chengkai said he'd try to finish the social as early as possible and meet at his club at ten o'clock to chat.

Job interviews can be successful or unsuccessful, and the process can be difficult or even unpleasant. Resignation, on the other hand, can be extremely difficult and painful.

He looked at the time, it was eight o'clock, so he took a shower, changed into a formal black shirt and black pants, went into the study, and sat quietly in a chair for half an hour.

When he arrived at the club, he looked at his watch and found that it was still about twenty minutes before the ten o'clock Yang Chengkai had said.

The guests hadn't left yet, and a group of people were still toasting each other in the reception hall. In the past, he would have rushed over to toast everyone, but now he had no intention of joining in and went straight to the tea room next door.

The tea artist in the teahouse made tea for him, but he said he would do it himself.

The room reeked strongly of cigarette smoke, probably from the guests next door smoking before dinner. Smoking is rare in Guangdong, but during his two years away, he'd seen people smoking at meetings, at dinners, and even at his teachers. He'd been surrounded by other people's smoke all day and night, breathing in secondhand smoke, and gradually developed a dislike for the smell. Now, this smell was particularly pungent.

He stood up and turned the air conditioner to maximum speed.

After fiddling with the tea set for a while, the aroma of brewed Tieguanyin tea could finally be discerned through the smoke. He picked up the teacup and sniffed it.

About ten minutes later, some farewell words came from the next room.

"Oh, those guys from Hefei can really drink."

Yang Chengkai pushed the door open and came in.

The secretary probably blocked his drink, having drunk quite a bit, and was a bit shaky behind him. Usually, in situations like this, if the boss hasn't gone home, she'll follow him around, ready to do some work.

The young girl in her twenties was also fighting for her life. She sat down and helped make tea.

"The boss doesn't want tea after drinking alcohol, and it's too late. Ask the waiter outside to bring a cup of warm water or tomato juice to sober up. You go back first. I'll take care of anything the boss needs later." He said to her.

She likes this CEO the most in the company. She can’t remember how many times they have attended social gatherings together and he would take care of her when she couldn’t handle the alcohol.

She turned to her boss with gratitude in her eyes.

Yang Chengkai waved his hand and said, "Go back first."

He really has a strong body. He is in his fifties and often says that he sleeps 5 hours a day and one minute more is a waste. It is common for him to call executives before midnight, so it is not too late to chat at this time.

If the difficulty of being a professional manager is walking on a tightrope under the watchful eyes of the public, the suffering of being a boss is the pain of sailing alone.

People like Shi Zhenglin shoulder the heavy responsibility and expectations of their bosses, must coordinate team spirit, resolve various challenges, and navigate complex external relationships. Every decision they make is impacted by performance, and market and business reactions are readily apparent. The pressure they bear is visible to everyone in the company. However, bosses like Yang Chengkai face a different level of pressure, one not necessarily visible to everyone. The lifeblood of the company depends on the livelihoods of countless people. He must endure the bitter consequences of strategic misjudgments and the risk of a collapsed capital chain. Anyone can jump ship, but not him.

In Shi Zhenglin's eyes, any entrepreneur who can create social benefits, regardless of their personality or methods, as long as they don't commit crimes, deserves respect. As a professional manager, he clearly sees the challenges of entrepreneurship. This is one of the reasons why, once he accepts an entrepreneur's invitation, he gives it his all.

Since joining Xingtan, he and Yang Chengkai have each been working hard and brimming with interests, but they also have a mutual appreciation for each other as men working together.

Tonight, he was the one who was to be carried off the boat. He could foresee what kind of storm would arise, and he was also prepared to calm the storm, and even to give the boat a push after getting off the boat.