Chapter 8 Family Crisis
Three days later, James received a call from London.
The person on the other end of the phone said politely but without question: "Mr. James, we are the HR of XXX Investment Bank. We noticed some problems with your recently submitted resume..."
James' face turned pale. This was his most desired job opportunity and he had been preparing for it for half a year.
"We have received some information saying that you had inappropriate behavior while studying in Country D." The other party continued, "If it is true, I am afraid it is inconsistent with the values of our company..."
James hurriedly explained: "No, this must be a misunderstanding..."
Just as he was about to continue explaining, he received a message from his father on his phone: "Son, several projects of the company in Country D have suddenly encountered problems, and all partners are withdrawing their investment. Have you offended anyone recently?"
James' heart sank, he knew all too well what this meant - someone was secretly acting in a way that not only cut off his job opportunities, but also affected the family business.
That night, Pei Song received a message from James: "I'm sorry, I won't bother you again, I wish you all the best."
Looking at this message, Pei Song felt relieved but also a little confused.
Why did James suddenly change his attitude?
James never showed up again, and Pei Song could finally go to the supermarket to buy groceries with peace of mind without having to worry about being followed.
That night, he cooked another table of Sichuan cuisine.
Watching Shi Yanchen slowly savoring each dish, Pei Song felt that life had become warm again.
"This taste," Shi Yanchen pointed at a dish and commented, "is more authentic than last time."
Pei Song laughed: "Because I found a shop that sells authentic Pixian bean paste."
Shi Yanchen nodded and continued to enjoy his dinner attentively.
His expression was still cold, but his eyes were much softer.
Since then, their relationship has improved significantly.
Although Shi Yanchen still spoke very little, Pei Song had already learned to read a lot from his subtle changes in expression.
Shi Yanchen also gradually got used to the smell of food wafting through the house, got used to seeing busy figures in the kitchen when he came home every day, and got used to enjoying dinner quietly with Pei Song.
This tacit way of getting along allows two people with very different personalities to find the most comfortable balance.
It was late at night, Shi Yanchen finally finished his paper and walked out of the study.
In the kitchen, Pei Song is planning tomorrow's menu.
Looking at his focused profile, Shi Yanchen thought of what his classmates were saying.
Indeed, Pei Song's facial features were so delicate that he looked like he came out of a comic book. But compared to his stunning appearance, what Shi Yanchen cared about more was his inherent tenacity.
"What do you want to eat tomorrow?" Pei Song looked up and asked.
"It's all right." Shi Yanchen still had that cold tone, "You can do whatever you want."
Pei Song heard trust in these words, which made him feel warm inside.
The next day, Pei Song was preparing dinner in the kitchen when his cell phone suddenly vibrated wildly.
He wiped his hands, opened WeChat, and found that messages from the university alumni group were flooding in.
"Have you heard? Something happened to Pei Group!"
"Oh my god, such a big scandal?"
"I just saw the news, saying that they misappropriated customer funds?"
He quickly opened the news website and saw shocking headlines:
"Pei Group is suspected of embezzling customer funds, the amount may exceed 1 billion"
"A well-known investment company maliciously shorted Pei Group, causing its stock price to plummet"
"Pei Group's assets were urgently frozen, and multiple projects were stalled"
The braised pork in the kitchen was still bubbling and smelling delicious, but Pei Song no longer had the heart to continue cooking.
He mechanically turned off the fire and slumped down at the dining table, his mind blank.
"What's wrong?" Shi Yanchen appeared at the kitchen door at some point, his eyes falling on Pei Song's pale face.
Pei Song forced a smile: "Nothing..."
Before I could finish my sentence, my phone started vibrating wildly again. This time it was a video call from my father.
Pei Song took a deep breath and connected the video.
My father's face appeared on the screen. The middle-aged man who was full of vigor and vitality in the past now looked ten years older.
His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was messy, and his tie was askew.
"Son..." the father's voice was a little hoarse, "The company may be finished."
Pei Song held the phone tightly: "What's going on? Is everything in the news true?"
My father smiled bitterly: "It's worse than what was reported in the news. Someone deliberately targeted us. Not only did they short the stock, they also spread rumors that we embezzled customer funds. Now all assets have been frozen, and we can't even pay salaries..."
"Those are just rumors, right?" Pei Song asked anxiously, "We can clarify them, right?"
My father was silent for a long time before he spoke with difficulty: "Some things...were indeed not done properly. But it is definitely not as serious as they say! It's just that market confidence has collapsed and the creditors can't sit still..."
There was a sudden noise from the other end of the video, as if someone was banging on the door.
"I'm hanging up first. I have to deal with something..." The father hung up the video in a hurry.
Pei Song stared blankly at the black screen. His phone vibrated again. This time it was a voice message from his mother.
"Songsong..." The mother's voice sounded weak, "Don't worry about us, take good care of yourself, mom is fine, it's just..."
At the end of the message, the mother's voice choked.
Pei Song knew that his mother had always been gentle and decent, but for her to show such a vulnerable side in front of her son, the situation must be worse than he imagined.
Shi Yanchen leaned against the door frame and watched everything silently.
He noticed that Pei Song's hands were shaking slightly, but he still pretended to be calm.
"Do you need help?" he asked calmly.
Pei Song shook his head and tried to force a smile: "Thank you, but this is our family's business..."
Before he finished speaking, his phone started vibrating again.
This time it was a distant cousin who was usually very close to my family. I didn’t expect that she would send me a mocking message:
"I've said before that you can't be too eager for quick success in business. Now, you've lost everything. How is your father going to survive in the industry in the future?"
Soon after, more information came flooding in.
Those relatives who usually try to curry favor with him are now taking advantage of his misfortune.
Some gloated over the misfortune, some took the opportunity to collect debts, and even worse, some had already begun spreading more rumors that were unfavorable to the Pei family.
Pei Song read the news one by one, feeling heartbroken.
He hoped that this was just a nightmare and everything would return to normal when he woke up.
But the reality was that he could only watch his family fall into trouble in a foreign country and could do nothing.
"I'll go out for a while." Pei Song stood up, his voice trembling, "I won't cook dinner."