After I explained the reason to Coach Ma, he didn't say anything more. However, Bai Lu seemed to sense something and asked me, "What were you talking about just now? I was completely confused."
I briefly recounted to Bai Lu the whole story of how Sun Jiwei later had someone deliver this "Certificate of Compliance for Wastewater Discharge".
She frowned and said, "Michael, we might have offended someone a bit in this matter."
"What do you mean by that?"
"They offered to help you out, but you refused; then you did the same thing on your own, even though the process was different, the result was the same. So why not do them a favor? He works for the Environmental Protection Bureau, and if we want to expand our guesthouse in Dali in the future, we'll inevitably have to deal with him!"
Coach Ma replied on my behalf, "Even if Michael offended someone, he saved his wife and children. The good outweighs the bad, right?!"
"You can't calculate social interactions like that... You two are just too straightforward."
Bai Lu glanced at Lao Mi, who had been standing to the side, and realizing it wasn't appropriate to say so much in front of him, she whispered to us, "Let's not talk about this for now. I'll treat Sun Jiwei to a meal another day. You two should put in a good word for him. Just say that the work group found out about this online. Don't say it was our idea... otherwise, it will really offend people!"
Coach Ma replied with a cold expression, "I'm not going. You can go by yourself."
After Coach Ma finished speaking, he picked up the electric drill and started working on the work he had just finished. Bai Lu looked a little embarrassed, and there was a hint of pain on her face.
Having lived in Shanghai for so long, I understand the ways of the workplace to some extent, so after a little thought, I understood. I comforted Bai Lu, saying, "Don't worry, I don't think Sun Jiwei is such a petty person. I'll treat him to a meal another day. Let's not bring this up with him; maybe he doesn't even care. However, since he delivered the wastewater discharge certificate the very next day, we should accept his kindness and thank him properly."
Bai Lu nodded and accepted my suggestion. Then she went to Coach Ma's side and helped him with some odd jobs.
...
I led Lao Mi to the guest room and helped him settle in. Then I said to him, "Dad, you should rest for a while. I still have some things to take care of at the inn... I'll take you for a stroll around the ancient city tonight."
"Wait a minute, I have something to ask you."
I stopped in my tracks.
He added, "I just heard that girl (Bai Lu) say that your inn has an investment of nearly one million. Where did you get so much money?"
Because of Wang Lei's profession, I had never let him or my mother know that Wang Lei existed. At this moment, I didn't want to cause any more trouble, so I replied, "It was an investment by a few friends. Actually, it's only about 200,000 yuan per person. I've also saved some money myself over the years."
"I know your income and expenses very well, how could you possibly save so much money!"
I replied smoothly, "I borrowed some more from Xiao Ye... so you believe she supports me staying here to build my career, right?"
Old Mi frowned, and after a long pause, replied, "Last night, Old Huang from your company called me again, saying that the product manager position is still reserved for you... You've endured so many years in Shanghai, isn't this all you've been waiting for?... Now that your inn is open, I can't persuade you to ask for the money back. So, let's compromise. You can continue operating the inn, but you have to go back to Shanghai. Consider this an investment... I see your inn has quite a few people; it can keep going even without you."
I complained, annoyed, "Why does Old Huang keep calling you for no reason!"
"This proves that they value you and are nurturing you as a talented individual!"
Did you tell him that I have a girlfriend here?
Old Mi paused for a moment, then replied, "Why would I talk about this with someone for no reason?"
“The next time he calls you, tell him about this and see if he still tries to persuade me to go back to the company.”
"What kind of talk is that?"
Old Mi had no idea what had happened, and I wasn't in the mood to explain, so I changed the subject, pleading, "Dad... please don't bring up going back to Shanghai anymore, okay?... I was the one who spearheaded this inn, and now I'm just walking away? What will people think?... When we're doing business together, sincerity is the most important thing. I didn't tell them I was just an investor, that I'd only take a small stake and then go back to Shanghai; if I had said that earlier, they wouldn't have invested so much money. They came because they trusted me."
"There's no room for discussion... You can't just give up such a great job in Shanghai like that."
"I can't tell you."
“Michael, if you don’t listen to us, I’ll have your mother come over too. We’ll eat and drink in Dali and see what you can do.”
I was really provoked, and the next moment I stormed out, slamming the door behind me.
...
I sat alone by the infinity pool, lit a cigarette, and felt especially lonely. This loneliness stemmed from the lack of understanding from my closest relatives. I had already presented him with the excellent situation of the inn, but he still stubbornly believed that returning to Shanghai to work as a product manager was the best way out for me.
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