The atmosphere in the ward was incredibly somber because of what Zhou San had said. I lay on the bed without speaking, while Zhou San stood by the luggage, looking at me somewhat timidly... It seemed that he also knew how much harm his choice had caused me.
I can't go to Shanghai, so this choice is meaningless to me.
I finally spoke to Zhou San, saying, "San San, whatever choice you make, I won't use personal relationships to bind you, because that's not my style... But I've always considered you my little brother, so I have a responsibility, as your older brother, to tell you how to navigate this society. If you don't learn, you'll definitely pay the price later... Especially dealing with these big shots, it's a very complex skill, and right now you simply don't have the ability to handle it... Before, I did advise you to find a job at Yang Sisi's father's company, because it's indeed a very good platform for you, and I sincerely wished you well... But now the nature of things has changed. Without giving up on One-Click Games, you're taking this project to their company, which is, frankly, a betrayal, and only heaven, earth, and you know the truth about it." "I know, and Yang Sisi's dad knows too... If you were a company CEO, would you sincerely treat an employee or partner with a history of betrayal? ...No, definitely not, because if you can betray me today, you could betray Yang Sisi's dad tomorrow. In your eyes, there are only bargaining chips, no loyalty... Think about it yourself, who is Yang Sisi's dad... He's truly someone who has 'licked blood' on the edge of the business world and still managed to make a comeback. Does he not understand this principle? ... You yourself said that the one-click game we're trying to make now can be made by others, which means your technology isn't irreplaceable. So you don't have any bargaining chips that can completely protect yourself... If you're truly an ambitious person, then you must first make yourself irreplaceable... Otherwise, you're just a pawn in someone else's hands, cannon fodder... Understand?"
“Brother, I didn’t betray you. I just wanted you to come back to Shanghai… The real betrayal was that I left without telling you anything and took this project with me.”
"You're in your mid-twenties, can you stop being so naive?... For example, what you're doing right now is like pointing a knife at your older brother and saying, 'Brother, let's go defect to the enemy. There's wealth and glory there. If you don't go, I'll stab you to death...' Although it's a bit much to say that Yang Sisi's father is an enemy, that's the nature of what you're doing!"
"The marketplace is not a battlefield."
"The business world is a battlefield... San San, remember this: even if I don't do one-click games, I can still become a successful person by doing other things. Because all these years, I've been committed to becoming irreplaceable, which is why Brother Ping sought me out for cooperation. Yang Sisi's father also wanted to bring me to his side for this reason, and even earlier, there was Cao Jinbo."
"I can help them create more value, what about you? ...Even if you can't be irreplaceable, at least you should make yourself more reliable first, right? ...If I go to Shanghai now, what will Brother Ping think of me? A verbal promise is still a contract!"
This is probably the most hurtful thing I've ever said to Zhou San since I met him, but I don't regret it... Since I was the one who brought him out of Shangri-La, I have a responsibility to mold him into a piece of rough jade. At least, I never thought he was a person who was beyond saving.
Unexpectedly, after a moment of contemplation, Zhou San raised his head and said to me, "Brother, as long as I can get you to Shanghai, I don't care about anything else. I'm willing to bear all the consequences!"
I restrained myself, trying to appear calm, before speaking to Zhou Sansan, "Can you tell me why you have such a stubborn idea?"
Zhou San remained silent, but his gaze towards me grew increasingly serious.
I finally lost my patience and yelled at him, "You're going to Shanghai, aren't you? You don't need to send me to Phuket anymore; from now on, I, Michael, will never again consider you, Zhou San, someone I can count on... Get out of here... If I keep you here, I won't even consider myself human. You don't care about your dignity anymore, but I still do!"
On Wednesday, San San let out a few heavy breaths to show her dissatisfaction, then picked up her already packed suitcase and walked out of the ward... while my even bigger suitcase was left in the corner.
I didn't look at his back, but the next moment, I was overwhelmed by a huge sense of powerlessness. I lay motionless on the hospital bed, and then everything went dark.
...
Twenty minutes after San San left on Wednesday, I received a call from Ping Ge. In order to make the most of his time, he had returned to Phuket two days earlier than us. After we connected, he said to me, "Michael, what time did you and San San book your tickets for? I'll arrange a car to pick you up from the airport... It's quite a long way from here to the airport."
I didn't know how to start the conversation, so I remained silent for a while before finally saying, "You have to come to Bangkok."
"What's wrong?"
"San San had something come up and went back to China."
"Are you kidding me...? This kid can't be this unreliable, can he?"
I had a lot of complaints to say, but after some restraint, I replied casually, "Going back at this time must mean something urgent has happened... If it's convenient for you, you can come over."
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