Chapter 77 Can You Give Me Special Treatment Today?
Ping Mei's first day at Xingtan, also Shi Zhenglin's last working day, fell on a Thursday. Long Weihe arrived at the Xingtan campus at 8:30 a.m., pulled a large bouquet of yellow lilies from her car, and waited for Ping Mei outside the Xingtan office building. She had agreed with Ping Mei to accompany her upstairs to meet Jiang Lingli. With that, she felt she had fulfilled her duty. There was no way Jiang Lingli would be waiting upstairs for Ping Mei. Yang Chengkai had urged her to meet her well, and she herself took Ping Mei's arrival very seriously, even with a certain awe. Dressed elegantly, she met Long Weihe downstairs and waited for someone together. Ping Mei had dined with Shi Zhenglin the previous night. He had just called her in his office to ask when she would arrive so he could come down to meet her. They had discussed the handover and everything they needed to know in advance. After today, he would serve as an advisor, providing transition assistance based on her needs and attending important company strategic meetings as needed. Long Weihe arrived without telling him. She had planned to send Pingmei upstairs and leave, but he hadn't expected her to come down to meet her. The last time they met was Saturday. He was busy with his resignation, and had invited Pingmei to attend the social events of the last few nights, helping her connect with important client relationships. Pingmei's car arrived, and so did he. He glanced at Long Weihe calmly and responded to Jiang Lingli's greeting. "Mr. Shi, how could I trouble you to come down to meet me?" Pingmei got out of the car to exchange pleasantries with him. Two other people stood by the car, pretending they had no personal acquaintance. Long Weihe introduced her to Jiang Lingli, and she asked if he knew him, presumably because if not, she wanted an introduction. She said she knew Mr. Shi, and he smiled at her, then led Pingmei into the lobby. Jiang Lingli was a little ahead of them, swiping her access card and pressing the elevator button, performing her usual etiquette. Long Weihe's role as a headhunter was different after all, so she followed at a distance, clutching the flowers. Jiang Lingli entered the elevator first, pressing the button. Shi Zhenglin invited Ping Mei to go first. Long Weihe, following standard etiquette, waited for him to go first. He wanted to wait for her, saying, "You go first." As they exited the elevator, he lingered, taking the opportunity to touch her hand, but she dodged. Yang Chengkai and several executives were already at the front desk to greet them. On his first day, the new CEO was introduced to the office with a high-profile ceremony. Recently, a highly publicized listed pharmaceutical company had undergone a major reshuffle to make room for his star, and he was proud of it; the high profile was perfectly natural. The newcomer was being celebrated, while the old one was being neglected. Long Weihe, watching from the sidelines, couldn't bear it. Without even greeting Yang Chengkai, she gave Ping Mei the flowers and hurriedly left. He saw her leave, ignored the crowd, and returned to the office to call her...
Ping Mei's first day at Ren Xingtan was also Shi Zhenglin's last working day, which was a Thursday.
Long Weihe arrived at the Xingtan Park at 8:30 in the morning, took out a large bunch of yellow lilies from the car, and waited for Ping Mei outside the gate of the Xingtan office building.
She made an appointment with Pingmei to accompany her up the bridge to pick up Jiang Lingli. After doing this, she felt that she had fulfilled her duty.
How could Jiang Lingli possibly be waiting for Ping Mei upstairs? Yang Chengkai had told her to pick her up, and she herself took Ping Mei's arrival very seriously, even with a touch of awe. She dressed elegantly and met Long Wei downstairs, waiting for someone together.
Ping Mei had dinner with Shi Zhenglin last night. He had just called her in the office to ask when she would arrive so he could come down to pick her up.
The two had already discussed everything they needed to discuss before the handover. After today, he would act as a consultant, providing transition assistance based on her needs, and would also attend some of the company's major strategic meetings as needed.
Long Weihe came over without telling him that she planned to send Pingmei upstairs and leave, but she didn't expect him to come down to pick her up.
The last time the two met was on Saturday.
He was busy during this period as he was finishing up his job. He had invited Ping Mei to participate in social events in recent nights and helped her to link important customer relationships.
Pingmei's car arrived, and he also arrived.
He looked at Long Weihe calmly and responded to Jiang Lingli's greeting.
"Boss Shi, how could I trouble you to come down and answer it?"
Ping Mei got out of the car and exchanged pleasantries with him. There were two other people standing by the car, and she wanted to pretend that she had no personal relationship with him before.
Long Weihe introduced Jiang Lingli to her, and she asked Long Weihe if she knew him, probably because if she didn't, she wanted to introduce him.
She said she knew Mr. Shi, and he smiled at her and led Pingmei into the lobby.
Jiang Lingli was a little ahead of them, swiping her access card and pressing the elevator button, fulfilling her etiquette.
After all, Long Weihe’s role as a headhunter was different, so he followed with the flowers in his arms, keeping a distance.
Jiang Lingli entered the elevator first and pressed the button. Shi Zhenglin asked Ping Mei to go first. Long Weihe followed the usual etiquette and waited for him to go in. He wanted to wait for her and said to her, "You go in first."
When they were getting out of the elevator, he stayed behind and took the opportunity to touch her hand, but she dodged.
Yang Chengkai and several senior executives were already at the front desk to greet him. On his first day as a new CEO, he was introduced to the office with a high profile. Recently, a highly publicized executive reshuffle at a listed pharmaceutical company was made to make room for his star. He was proud, and his high profile was perfectly normal.
Newcomers are welcomed, while old ones are neglected.
Long Weihe couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so she didn't even say hello to Yang Chengkai. She gave the flowers to Ping Mei and left in a hurry.
When he saw her leave, he ignored the crowd and went back to the office to call her.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Are you in such a hurry to leave without accompanying me?"
"I'm busy. What are your plans for today?"
"I'll hand over to Pingmei in the morning. Yang Chengkai will treat me to lunch at noon, and I'll report to your place after that. I'll try to get there early, before Duoduo finishes school. Can you please not go to the company? Wait for me at home."
"No, I'm busy."
"Today... today can you please give me special treatment? There are still two days left in the weekend, and I can't bear it. I miss you so much, and today I just want to be with you."
"I really have something to do."
There was a knock on the door, and he nodded, "Okay, go ahead and do your thing."
Jiang Lingli came in. She brought some documents to help him with his resignation procedures.
"Mr. Shi, the consulting agreement is for one year. Why not make it the same time as your non-compete agreement? Please see if there is any problem with the consulting fee." She sat down and handed him the document.
A consulting agreement and a non-compete agreement, two ropes that bound him.
He flipped through the documents and said, "The consulting fee is for compliance reasons. It's just for meeting the listing inquiry, so let's reduce it by 70%. A six-month term is more appropriate, mainly to accommodate the listing inquiry period."
Restrictions on getting money.
The non-compete agreement was industry standard, so there was no way around it. However, he was only acting as a consultant out of friendship, so he couldn't let Yang Chengkai tie him down. He and Yang Chengkai had already agreed on a six-month consulting agreement.
He knew that Yang Chengkai gave him a generous amount because he wanted him to contribute more to the IM matter. He would try his best as agreed before, but this was completely out of his control. He promised without results and did not want to bear any pressure.
"This is what the boss meant, and you should agree. He still needs your advice on many important strategies." Jiang Lingli said as her boss told her.
"I'll do my best to help. The fee will be as I say, and the deadline will be as agreed upon by my boss and I. There's no need to communicate further, Mr. Jiang." He ended the topic.
He Pingmei discussed some matters with him that morning, and several people, including Fang Siyu, wanted to come to his office for a visit, but he declined. He reminded them that the new person had arrived and that they should actively meet him. With him, there was no need to be emotionally entangled.
Driver Xiao He had already run back and forth between the company and his home twice this morning, moving all his personal belongings from his office back home.
Now he stood in front of him and said goodbye. In the afternoon he was going to Shenzhen to join his new employer.
He smiled at the young man who had been running around with him day and night and was now standing in front of him a little nervously, "Please sit down."
"Mr. Shi, I..." Xiao He didn't know where to put his hands.
"Mr. Gu is not like me. He shouldn't have to rush and will be much more relaxed. I've already arranged accommodations with him, so just go. I've given him a salary, and he'll consider it for you. Remember, you're driving, and everything for the people in the car is up to you. It's a heavy responsibility, so drive carefully and be safe."
Ping Mei brought along the driver who had been with him for several years, and assigned Xiao He to Gu Liang, who was worried about the current driver and needed one urgently.
Xiao He followed his pace, starting on the same day and now having his last working day on the same day. He'd been trained by Shi Zhenglin to be polite, flexible, and tight-lipped. While working under him was stressful, he was respected and received financial support. He clearly had feelings for Shi Zhenglin.
"Mr. Shi, I will transfer the remaining money to you." Xiao He scratched his head and operated his mobile phone.
He still had a lot of money left to pay the fine. After the divorce, he didn't drive him to death anymore, and he didn't violate the rules again, so he didn't have to pay the fine.
"No need to turn around. You can go here now. Don't be late when you go to Mr. Gu's place this afternoon."
"You're going home today..."
Xiao He couldn't express his complete emotions. What he actually wanted to say was that he really wanted to send him home again. For him, that was a mission accomplished.
"I'll go back by myself."
Xiao He left and the secretary came in again. "Boss Shi, they've arranged a thank-you banquet at the hotel next door to the company. We can just walk over. They're almost there."
The secretary was also newly hired after he came here, and was retained by Pingmei. Pingmei trusted the people he had employed.
The "thank you banquet" she mentioned was when Yang Chengkai asked Jiang Lingli to notify all the company's management at the director level and above to have lunch with him at noon to express their gratitude to him.
After finishing this meal, he had no intention of returning to the company.
After looking around the office where there was no trace of him, he walked out of the door with his secretary.
There were people around the "Thank You Banquet", including Ping Mei.
Yang Chengkai had arranged the meeting at noon because he had a welcome banquet for Ping Mei that evening. He was quite considerate in not combining the two goals. And he did it first, then her.
At the opening, Yang Chengkai raised his glass and called on everyone to stand up. "Everyone has witnessed what Mr. Shi has done for Xingtan. Mr. Shi's contribution to Xingtan's successful listing is a result of his contribution. Let's all toast to Mr. Shi and thank him!"
He was sincere in this honorific. He knew very well how much it had helped him solve problems that he himself could not solve.
Everyone took turns toasting him, offering him a slew of thank-yous, few of them fake and many sincere. He toasted the boss and Ping Mei back, then walked around the table.
Others drank less, but he drank more when added together.
Even though there were people all around him in the room, he felt empty inside. He sent several text messages to Long Weihe, repeatedly saying that he missed her.
I looked at my phone several times, but she didn't reply.
After that, he came out of the hotel and went his separate ways with them.
Fang Siyu and a few others followed him to see him off. To protect them, he used his eyes to signal them to go back, saying he had someone to pick him up. He knew they were stirring up trouble under the boss's nose, and the boss could tell at a glance which of them were willing to follow him.
Alcohol and loneliness made him stand on the roadside in a trance when her call came on his cell phone.
"Is it over?" she asked.
"Where are you?"
"I see you, please move forward."
She parked the car about a hundred meters away from the hotel to avoid being seen by Xingtan's acquaintances.
His mind was probably confused for a moment. He could still hear her voice on the phone, but he didn't care what she said. He couldn't hear her and didn't say anything. He hurried forward to look for her.
There was more than one person seen.
"dad!"
"uncle!"
Shi Shi and Qian Duoduo ran over one after another.
"You didn't go to school?"
"We're here to pick you up! Here you are!" Shi Shi came over and hugged one of his legs, handing him a red rose. He squatted down, hugged her and kissed her. She smelled the strong smell of alcohol and turned her head away.
Qian Duoduo excitedly crossed his arms and jumped from side to side. "Uncle, my mom asked for leave from kindergarten and wants to take us out to play! We can take you with us! Are you happy?"
"Happy!" He touched his head, held him in his arms, and looked at her who was standing by the station about forty or fifty meters away.
She was wearing a white sportswear, her hair was braided into a lazy big bun on the side, she took off her sunglasses, and smiled at him while leaning against the car door.
Aunt Xu came up and pulled the two children apart, smiling, "Weihe told me yesterday that she would pick them up from kindergarten and pick you up today."
She pulled the two children forward, deliberately guiding them to find some interesting places ahead and not letting them follow her.
He came up and hugged her, buried his head in her hair, and didn't speak for a long time.
She saw three people walking away, and she relaxed her lower body. "I'll show you something."
He didn't let go, didn't show her his face, "I thought you really had something wrong."
"Coming to pick you up is a very important matter."
She broke away from him and went to open the trunk of the car. He followed her. Apart from two suitcases and two skateboards, the rest of the space was filled with red roses, filling every gap.
"Congratulations, Mr. Shi, for getting out of this. Time to celebrate. I've booked that place you mentioned last time. Have you asked Aunt Xu to pack up and go relax for a few days?"
She looked back at him.
He supported his forehead with his palm, glanced at the main road with red eyes, and hugged her again. After a few seconds, he suddenly let go, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the back seat of the car.
An irrepressible kiss.
Knowing that there was alcohol, he released the torrent of energy and then restrained himself to break away, resting his head on her chest, "I'm sorry, I've been drinking."
She cupped his face and kissed his forehead. "It's not far, just a two-hour drive. Let's go."
"I can't drive, I'll call a driver." He went to find his cell phone.
"I came here specially to be Mr. Shi's driver. I'm here to serve you once, and you look down on me?" She smiled, fixed her hair that was messed up by him, and reached for the car door.
She pushed him into the passenger seat, and he remained silent until the car moved forward to pick up the other three people. He only looked out the window and didn't look at her.
She didn't say anything and just focused on driving her car.
Having just shed the mask of the elite world, she brought him back to the true essence of life. Those past few years had been gradually tortured and hollowed out, but now, with someone like her, he could relax, and happiness gradually filled his emptiness. He was extremely satisfied, so satisfied that he often feared losing it.
The ups and downs of his career weren't a big regret at this point. His biggest regret was meeting her too late, and how little he'd given her. From the day he fell in love with her, he'd wanted to give her everything he had. But with her, it seemed he couldn't give as he wished. His love for her had been suppressed to the extreme, and now the space to release it was limited. It burned with heartache.
It felt like he was looking at her at this moment, she was concentrating on driving, but he couldn't touch her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
