Chapter 38 Fines

*

It was a little after 2 p.m.

The restaurant that Mr. Zhou booked is in Fu Niu District.

A Cantonese-style Chaoshan hot pot restaurant, known for its light flavor and high-quality ingredients.

The private kitchen business model allows for flexible dining hours; members can book a table anytime.

Cheng Jia parked the car in the parking lot of De'an Hot Pot. Zhou Minghe had already arrived and was upstairs. As the key was removed, the car fell into complete silence.

Only two breaths remained.

"Not going down?" Cheng Jia asked the person beside him.

The person in the passenger seat had their lips pressed tightly together as if they wanted to say something in response to the comment, "How annoying that you're sleeping next to me," but that was a topic from ten minutes ago.

The response now seems too deliberate.

Shi Qingci felt as if a lump of cotton was stuck in her chest, damp and stuffy, with no way to release it except torment Cheng Jia.

In the end, he said nothing, got out of the car, and ignored Cheng Jia.

The figure in the white sweater disappeared into the parking lot.

She doesn't even walk upstairs with Cheng Jia.

His back was almost frozen.

"......"

It's obvious.

Mr. Shi got angry.

Cheng Jia, holding her phone, quickly caught up with him, keeping a distance of more than three meters from President Shi. The private room was called the Plum Blossom Hall, and the shell-shaped door was pushed open by a waiter.

"Hey, Mr. Shi," Mr. Zhou was sitting at the table by the window waiting for someone. Hearing the door open, he immediately got up, went forward, shook Mr. Shi's hand, and looked him up and down. "How did the rear-end collision go last night? Are you alright? We have people in the Municipal Bureau. If you need to use connections, just say the word."

"It was a minor accident, no injuries." Shi Qingci shook hands briefly and was then led to a seat.

Cheng Jia, who was following behind, greeted him in a low voice: "Boss."

Although they are never blamed for the car accident.

But what was more serious than the car accident was that Cheng Jia left the person in the private room all night without checking on them, and in the end, the person had to take a taxi home by themselves.

This mistake is hard to justify.

It was Cheng Jia's fault.

"Go out and order some food. Pick two good fish, and stew a pot of medicinal pork ribs for Mr. Shi to calm his nerves. You can arrange the other dishes as you see fit," Zhou Minghe said to Cheng Jia with a stern face.

This was a deliberate attempt to get him away.

Cheng Jia agreed, "Okay, I'll go now."

After saying that, he turned and left the private room.

"......"

Two cups of steaming hot Ophiopogon japonicus tea were poured out.

Zhou Minghe took out two fragrant cigars, handing one to the person opposite him: "Try it, it's a new product from an old brand. If you like it, I'll get you a few more boxes."

"You're welcome." Shi Qingci said calmly as she accepted the cigar.

Zhou Minghe tried to light the fire with a lighter, but was stopped.

Shi Qingci was very polite: "Do I need you to serve me? Let's each mind our own business."

There's no need to put on airs when you're interacting in private.

Zhou Minghe was twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. He didn't have the excessive fawning air of others; instead, he was relaxed and friendly.

Counting the days, Shi Qingci has been in Jingang for more than half a month.

I've met with Zhou Minghe at least eight or nine times.

They drank tea, played ball, strolled through the industrial park, and visited the land projects surrounding the municipality. He helped Shi Qingci get acquainted with the city of Jingang, and the two got along quite well.

The main reason is that Zhou Minghe is sensible and very perceptive.

Being able to guess his preferences from the details, and thus avoid making mistakes while entertaining him well.

Considering multiple factors...

This is a friend I can make.

They were about the same age, so Zhou Minghe didn't need to light his cigarette for him.

“Come on, we’ve already got this going,” Zhou Minghe’s smile brightened, and he could tell that this person was treating him as a friend and wasn’t being polite. His tone became even more apologetic. “You have to give me a chance to apologize.”

Shi Qingci didn't refuse anymore. She turned her head to light a cigar, then moved it aside, squinted, and exhaled a puff of smoke. She slowly asked, "What do you mean by apology?"

“I heard you went to Jinhe last night, and Cheng Jia was too busy to entertain you,” Zhou Minghe observed the expression on the other person’s face and said, “You’re not upset, are you? He would never dare to neglect you, he just didn’t make proper arrangements.”

To be honest, it's not really Cheng Jia's fault.

Cheng Jia didn't know that Shi would come.

It's normal to be too busy with other customers who have made reservations, since Mr. Shi didn't have any.

But Zhou Minghe was the boss, and he believed that it was Cheng Jia's fault if the VIPs were not treated well.

Bosses only care about results.

They won't care about the process.

Only the two parties involved know the truth behind this.

If Shi Qingci hadn't cornered Cheng Jia, said those things, and kept getting closer and touching her, scaring Cheng Jia into running away and never coming back, she wouldn't have been able to have done so.

Cheng Jia wouldn't go so far as to not even give him a bottle of wine.

The fundamental problem lies with the porcelain of the Qing Dynasty.

He should explain for Cheng Jia so that Boss Zhou wouldn't bring it up again.

But Shi Qingci wasn't so kind-hearted.

Cheng Jia would deliberately find fault even if he didn't make a mistake, let alone now that he could catch him making one.

Shi Qingci forced a smile: "It's not that I'm too uncomfortable, just a bit sentimental. It's been years since we last met, and Cheng Jia has long forgotten our classmate friendship. It's understandable that he left me hanging. I interrupted his reception of other clients. My arrival was too sudden."

"Hey! How can you say that?" Zhou Minghe immediately became agitated. "You can come anytime you want. It's our own place... It's still Cheng Jia's fault!"

Shi Qingci shook her head: "It's not his fault. It's my fault for suddenly deciding to catch up with him. I won't go anymore. If you want to invite me for drinks, find somewhere else."

"That Cheng Jia is really something!" Zhou Minghe frowned, hardened his heart and said, "If you don't want to see him, I'll transfer him or fire him, or even fine him. It's all up to you how you deal with him."

In short, I always feel uncomfortable when I can't call out to someone.

Let Cheng Jia accept his bad luck.

"......"

fine?

Shi Qingci quickly replied, "I still consider him a friend. I don't want to see him. There's no need for a transfer or dismissal, just a fine..."

“Punish him! He won’t learn his lesson if we don’t punish him,” Zhou Minghe pondered how much to punish him, depending on what the other person wanted. “How about we deduct all his commission from last night?”

The two people whose combined net worth could buy Jin Gang.

They gathered together to discuss deducting several thousand yuan from the employees' pay.

The scene was utterly absurd.

Shi Qingci felt it was about right: "Okay, but that's not a good idea. Cheng Jia is going to hold a grudge against me."

"Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him later," Zhou Minghe said with a smile.

Since the fine would allow President Shi to vent his anger, the matter suddenly became very simple.

Besides, Cheng Jia has earned quite a bit in the past two years.

"A small fine won't hurt," Mr. Zhou thought.

The main purpose is to please the distinguished guests.

Shi Qingci lowered her eyes and pondered for a few seconds before finally asking the question.

"Do you know how much money Cheng Jia has...?"

He hadn't finished speaking!

There was a light knock on the door of the private room.

Cheng Jia opened the door and walked in: "Boss, Mr. Shi, the dishes have all been ordered."

"Cheng Jia, come and sit down," Zhou Minghe beckoned, announcing the verdict as Cheng Jia sat down, "Your commission from last night is zero, to be used by President Shi for car repairs. You have no objections, right?"

"......"

Cheng Jia: "?"

For car repair?

Doesn't the car have insurance?

Last night, Cheng Jia made three thousand yuan in Boss Wang's private room.

But even though he was so drunk, he spent the whole night smiling and saying nice things to the old sleazy man.

Before leaving, he bought two packs of cigarettes for Boss Wang, treated his four sisters to milk tea, and also gave them two packs of betel nuts out of Cheng Jia's own pocket.

Now not only have I worked for nothing, but I've also lost 700 yuan!

It was even more painful than killing Cheng Jia.

Damn it, the sky has fallen.

Cheng Jia was certain that there was a wicked person behind Boss Zhou.

He looked at Shi Qingci with a tense expression.

The latter was smiling at him.

It means to report back.

how?

"......"