Chapter 15
Early in the morning, Luo Huaizheng rubbed his temples and got up from the hard folding bed. He had been working late on a project yesterday and had simply slept in the office - just like he had done many days before.
No one from the company had arrived yet, so Luo Huaizheng hurriedly washed up, folded the quilt, put away the folding bed and put it in the storage room, then changed into clean clothes. There was leftover fried rice from last night in the refrigerator. He heated it up in the microwave and finished it in just a few bites, which he considered his breakfast.
He walked to the window and lit a cigarette to wake himself up. But my temples still ache slightly, partly because of staying up late, and partly because of the frequent insomnia this week.
In fact, Luo Huaizheng hasn't suffered from insomnia for a long time, unlike the first year he was in prison, when he had to sit up until dawn every night. Later, the situation gradually improved. He worked out and studied hard in prison every day and fell asleep immediately at night. Occasionally I would be awakened by a nightmare, but I could still close my eyes and continue sleeping calmly.
He was released from prison two years ago and started taking small jobs with the help of the warden and several inmates. Because he made things quickly, well and cheaply, he gradually got more work and was finally able to save some money. But he took each step cautiously, as if treading on thin ice. Because he knew that he was able to reintegrate into society so quickly thanks to the many people who selflessly helped him behind the scenes. So he had no chance to make mistakes.
Every time he was too busy with business, he would hire one person after another. For a long time, Luo Huaizheng only kept a small amount of money for living expenses every month and gave the rest to the team. To date, there are only about twenty people in the company including himself, and they rent half a floor in the most dilapidated office building in the corner of this industrial park. But finally, I had stable customers and income every month, and I had established a firm foothold in Xiangcheng.
Two months ago, he bought a new house of 120 square meters for his parents. Seeing that his parents were finally able to move away from those old neighbors and finally showed their long-lost smiles, a long-lost happiness also rose in his heart.
It was under such circumstances that Ma Junhong insisted on taking him to a class reunion. Now that he has started his own business and has become a mercenary businessman, he no longer has the noble qualifications to reject these possible connections.
Besides, he also wanted to see them again.
But now, Luo Huaizheng regretted attending this party. He took a deep puff of Baisha cigarette, smiled bitterly, and thought that this might be post-traumatic stress disorder.
He slept less than 4 hours last night, but he still had dreams. During the week following the party, I had four or five days of chaotic dreams.
He dreamed again that his parents were crying outside the detention center, crying so hard that his heart was broken;
He dreamed of the last few months of his senior year in high school. Outside the classroom window, the shadows of the trees were swaying. He was copying a collection of wrong answers, but he couldn't help but draw a small love next to a certain question. Then he secretly looked up and looked at the girl next to him who was concentrating on doing her homework.
Her back is clear, but her face is blurry. For several years, Luo Huaizheng could no longer see her face clearly in his dreams. When he was awake, he even felt that he was almost forgetting what Li Qingyao looked like, because she was too far away from him, just like Mercury is as far away from Pluto.
But last night he dreamed of the first semester of his senior year in high school, which started in September. He had been planning for a long time downstairs in the teachers' building, and finally went to find the head teacher with a serious face, saying that Li Qingyao's father and his father were actually distant relatives, and both parents hoped that he would help her improve her academic performance, so he begged the head teacher to arrange for them to sit at the same table. The head teacher never doubted this sanctimonious top student and agreed immediately...
He also dreamed that one day after evening self-study, he was reluctant to go home, so he climbed over the wall into her clinic and kissed her under a tree. This time, he kissed her mouth instead of her face. But her father suddenly pushed the door open and walked out with a feather duster in his hand... He hurriedly climbed over the wall and ran away, but is this real? There was clearly no such thing in his memory when he was conscious, and he couldn't remember it clearly.
He also dreamed that when he first entered prison, he was in a daze all day, crying non-stop, and even tried to commit suicide by banging his head against the wall, but was stopped by his cellmates. The prison bullying shown in TV dramas did not happen at all. Several of his fellow inmates looked at him with a confused expression and did not dare to speak loudly. Finally, it was the warden who took him to the office, took out a book of junior high school math problems, and said, "Xiao Luo, please write me your solutions to these problems. My daughter can't solve them no matter what she does." In return, you can read all the books in this office.
…
And that night, that chaotic, disgusting, bloody night, the night that split his life into two, he hasn't dreamed of it for a long time. Even after seven years, he couldn't remember certain details.
He thought it was probably some kind of automatic defense mechanism of the brain.
So after the long separation, he would still dream of those details buried in the first half of his life, those final, sweet and warm details.
Luo Huaizheng raised the hand holding the cigarette, pressed the moist corners of his eyes, and said to himself, it's all over, Luo Huaizheng.
Just like what he said to himself countless times in these two thousand days and nights: It's all over.
Looking back now, the brilliant first half of his young life seemed to belong to someone else, and that person was not him. ◢
Now, the 24-year-old Luo Huaizheng has his feet firmly on the dusty ground. His heart is no longer in heaven, but in the ordinary world where countless people are busy.
After Luo Huaizheng finished half a pack of cigarettes, people from the company arrived one after another. He made another cup of instant coffee to refresh himself, sat down at the computer desk and continued working.
At around 10 o'clock, an employee answered a phone call and stood up excitedly and shouted, "We got the order from Huayu Group! Mr. Luo, we got it! We got it!"
The office was in an uproar. Everyone stood up and gathered around Luo Huaizheng together with the employee. Luo Huaizheng also stood up and laughed heartily.
Although Huayu Group is a small group, it has an annual turnover of four to five hundred million yuan and seven or eight subsidiaries. It may not mean much to a large computer application company, but to Luo Huaizheng's company, it is a valuable big customer.
In fact, in terms of solution quality and professionalism, Luo Huaizheng is not afraid of other competitors at all. But their scale is too small after all, so no one knew whether they could win. I didn't expect to get good news so soon.
Luo Huaizheng waved his hand and said that he would treat everyone to lunch at noon, and everyone would receive a generous bonus once the project was successfully completed. He always treats his subordinates very well, and all his employees are happy and full of energy.
Huayu Group quickly handed over the contract, a standard contract. Luo Huaizheng and the project manager went through the contract carefully, and asked an external legal person to look at it again. After making a few minor revision suggestions, the other party readily agreed, and Luo Huaizheng signed and sent it out.
Because the Huayu project will be launched tomorrow, we are not busy yet. By the evening, most of the employees have left. Luo Huaizheng was tired after a week and planned to spend the weekend at his parents' new home. Just as he was about to leave the office, his cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.
He picked up the phone: "Hello, hello."
The other party paused for a moment, and a soft and gentle voice came: "Luo Huaizheng, hello, I am Xiang Siling."
Luo Huaizheng remained silent.
Xiang Siling pleaded, "Don't hang up yet. I, I have something to tell you. I hope you don't feel offended."
"explain."
"I just saw the contract that the technical department brought, and I learned that they chose your company as the service provider. Huayu is my stepfather's company, and technology is the area I'm in charge of, but I didn't know about the cooperation in advance. Now that I see it, I want to tell you so that you don't think too much. Later, the two companies still had normal business dealings. Let's handle things impartially. Do you think it's okay?"
Luo Huaizheng held the phone, a mixture of self-mockery and anger welling up in his heart. In an instant, he made up his mind and said, "Sorry, our company will not cooperate anymore. Please send the contract back."
Xiang Siling was silent for a few seconds and said, "The company has already stamped it. I only noticed that you are the legal representative after I signed. And I have delegated this kind of cooperation to the department manager. Their decision cannot be overturned without reason."
Luo Huaizheng felt his chest tighten, and his cheeks gradually turned red when he thought of the penalty figure in the contract.
Xiang Siling added: "You hate me, but we are all adults. Personal emotions should not be brought into work. This is not fair to your employees. Don't you think so? I know myself well and will try not to appear in front of you in the future. I'm sorry, Luo Huaizheng. No matter how many years have passed, I only have this sentence to you - I'm sorry."
She hung up the phone. Luo Huaizheng looked around. Dusk was shrouding the place, but he just felt that life was ridiculous. He closed his eyes for a while and calmed down. The contract could not be terminated and the project had to be carried out. He just needed to do his own job well and make every bit of the project perfect. He would have a clear conscience if he was worthy of the project money paid by Huayu.
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