Chapter 11: Coming Full Circle, Resignation
The car accident site was very close to Chen Shuo’s apartment, but it was the noisy morning rush hour, and the traffic was jammed, blocking Chen Shuo’s way.
Stopped at another red light, he took out his phone, thinking that even the heavens were helping him. CEO He would just have to take a taxi, or ride a shared bike if he couldn’t get one. It wasn’t his fault.
The sun was scorching. Qiao An and Fei Fan were still dealing with the car accident, and there were no cars available.
The incident was sudden. He Yan had hit his head in Fei Fan’s car and was feeling dizzy from the pain. After learning about the situation, he didn’t have the patience to wait for his assistant, but he couldn’t find an available taxi during rush hour. There were a few shared bikes on the sidewalk, though.
Chen Shuo was about to change lanes when his boss called again, urging him to come over.
Hearing the impatience in He Yan’s voice, he didn’t dare to ask more questions, turning off his signal and continuing forward. Fortunately, when he arrived, only He Yan was there.
He Yan had no idea what wolves and tigers his assistant was avoiding. As soon as he got into the car, he instructed Chen Shuo, “Go to Gewu Media later and see if Li Ge is there, ask him to come see me.”
“…” Chen Shuo hesitated for two seconds before agreeing.
Gewu Media and Hengxin Group were in the same district. Even with rush hour traffic, it wouldn’t take too long.
Forty-five minutes later, Chen Shuo sat in the car, adjusting his inner resistance. Almost two months had passed since he last took Li Ge home. This peaceful and stable vacation had successfully made him forget about Li Ge, but now he remembered everything again.
It was really annoying.
But he was paid to do his job, so he had to comply.
Getting out of the car, Chen Shuo suddenly remembered Yu Rui. It seemed he had made a wasted trip. He immediately checked his phone contacts, found a call log from five months ago, and tried calling the other party.
Soon, the call connected.
“Hello?”
Chen Shuo politely greeted, “Hello, Assistant Yu, this is Chen Shuo, CEO He’s personal assistant.”
“Oh, oh, it’s Assistant Chen.” Yu Rui chuckled dryly, “Sorry, I haven’t saved your number, I’ll save it later.”
“It’s okay.” Chen Shuo went straight to the point, “Is Mr. Li at the company? Please tell him that CEO He wants to see him.”
Yu Rui was surprised, “No way, even CEO He can’t reach Mr. Li?”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Yu Rui: “Sigh, I’m also looking for Mr. Li. I haven’t been able to reach him for three days, his phone has been off, he didn’t even go to Fei Fan’s birthday yesterday.”
“…” Chen Shuo couldn’t respond. It was something the unreliable Li Ge would do.
As fellow sufferers, Yu Rui had a lot of complaints in his heart and finally found someone to vent to.
So he poured out his grievances to Chen Shuo, “Mr. Li has gone somewhere to have fun again, he’s always like this, like a tornado, falling in love with everyone he meets.”
Chen Shuo wasn’t a trash can and wasn’t interested in these complaints, especially those related to Li Ge. He interrupted Yu Rui, “Assistant Yu, since Mr. Li isn’t here—”
“Assistant Chen, can you let me finish?” Yu Rui interrupted Chen Shuo in return, “You’re also an assistant, don’t you feel aggrieved? If you have any complaints, you can tell me, we’re fellow sufferers.”
“…” Chen Shuo was indeed feeling a bit aggrieved today. Thinking that Yu Rui knew Li Ge’s schedule better than him, he could socialize with him, which might be useful in the future.
“Go ahead.”
Yu Rui: “Didn’t Mr. Li invest in a web drama? The one he invested in for his current lover. I initially thought Mr. Li liked throwing money around and investing randomly, but later I realized he’s actually quite shrewd, he invests to make money, not for some lover. But his taste in people is terrible. The one he’s keeping now, don’t even mention it, so unlucky, he actually suspected me of trying to seduce Mr. Li, how unlucky is that? I’m a straight man.”
“…” Chen Shuo asked, “Anything else?”
Yu Rui: “Of course, I could talk for three days and three nights and still not finish. One of his former lovers also caused trouble for me. Why don’t we meet up tonight? Let’s go for barbecue, my treat.”
Chen Shuo: “Sorry, I don’t have time tonight.”
Yu Rui: “It’s okay, next time then. Where were we? Oh, because that idiot suspected me, Mr. Li almost fired me. I was so scared that I quickly said I had a girlfriend and we were getting married at the end of the year. It’s not easy for me to earn this meager salary, you know?”
“It’s not easy.” Chen Shuo agreed.
Yu Rui: “It’s really not easy. There’s a proposal I need Mr. Li to review, but I can’t reach him, so I contacted his lover. That idiot scolded me, asking why I hadn’t resigned yet, acting all high and mighty.”
Chen Shuo, who had also been provoked before: “…”
Yu Rui: “Fortunately, Mr. Li is generous. I’m relying on this salary to buy a villa in Beicheng, otherwise, I really couldn’t handle it. You don’t know Mr. Li’s temper.”
Precisely because he knew, Chen Shuo felt some sympathy for Yu Rui at this moment.
“Sigh, you’re so lucky, Assistant Chen. CEO He doesn’t have much drama, does he?” Yu Rui inquired, “By the way, what’s your salary? Is it convenient to say?”
Worried that Yu Rui would feel bad, Chen Shuo declined, “Sorry, it’s not convenient.”
“Uh, forget it then.” Yu Rui was also worried that Chen Shuo would feel bad, so he didn’t mention his generous annual salary. He would also get a share of the profits after the art film was released.
After listening to a bunch of nonsense about Li Ge, Chen Shuo had reached his limit and said, “Assistant Yu, I have to go to work. If you get in touch with Mr. Li, please tell him that CEO He wants to see him.”
“Okay.” Yu Rui felt much better after venting and said with a smile, “Leave it to me, I think that idiot will be dumped soon. When Mr. Li comes back, I’ll tell him immediately.”
Chen Shuo: “Okay, thank you.”
Yu Rui: “You’re welcome, contact me if you need anything.”
Having escaped a disaster, Chen Shuo leaned back and relaxed for a while. He had also experienced the grievances Yu Rui had just vented about. It was thanks to CEO He’s generosity and the considerable annual salary that he was able to buy a house and settle down in Beicheng.
In a restaurant somewhere in Beicheng, Li Ge sneezed twice, his nose feeling uncomfortable. He frowned and said, “Who’s secretly badmouthing me again?”
“Who would dare to badmouth you?” Dong Mo asked with a smile, “Have you caught a cold?”
“I’m perfectly healthy.” Li Ge saw Dong Mo’s ingratiating manner and understood, “We’re old friends, just say what you need.”
Dong Mo was Li Ge’s high school classmate. They used to be very good friends, but after studying abroad for many years, they gradually lost contact and only recently reconnected.
Li Ge knew that his old classmate wouldn’t visit him for no reason, he was here for someone. Seeing that Dong Mo remained silent, he added, “My cousin is single now, if you have any ideas, don’t hesitate.”
“I have an interview program and want to interview him.” Dong Mo said helplessly, “I’m afraid he won’t agree, so I’m asking you to talk to him for me. He doesn’t need to show his face, and professionally, I also want to interview CEO He of Hengxin Group to increase our website’s traffic.”
“Just this small matter, look at you being so hesitant.” Li Ge took out his phone, which he had just started using not long ago, and directly dialed He Yan’s number in front of Dong Mo.
Unexpectedly, he was scolded as soon as the call connected.
“You still remember you’re alive?” He Yan reprimanded his cousin, “Why haven’t you died out there?”
“…Hold on, brother.” Li Ge quickly got to the point, “I’ve been busy with collaborations recently. There’s an interview program that doesn’t require you to show your face, just a few questions, please arrange it.”
“What interview program?” He Yan asked.
“A real estate website, my friend’s company, just help me out.” Li Ge didn’t mention Dong Mo’s name and reminded his cousin, “By the way, the art film I invested in will be released at the end of the year.”
He Yan didn’t expect his cousin to ask him for a favor. Keeping things professional, he asked a few questions about the real estate website and told Li Ge to contact his secretary, Shao Tong.
“It’s settled.” Li Ge put away his phone.
“I wouldn’t have come to you if it wasn’t important…” Dong Mo was very grateful to Li Ge, “I’m really troubling you, I’ll make arrangements after the interview.”
Li Ge waved his hand, “Let me be frank, this is all I can do. Whether you can win him over depends on yourself, I can’t play matchmaker.”
Dong Mo nodded and asked about his old classmate’s personal situation, if he had any plans to settle down.
“Settle down my ass, with whom?” Li Ge lit a cigarette, feeling inexplicably irritable, “Life is getting more and more boring, like a copy and paste.”
“It is quite boring, I want to settle down now.” Dong Mo spoke his mind, “I’ve dated a few people over the years, but after going around in circles, I still feel your cousin is the best. I don’t know why, I just can’t stop thinking about him.”
Li Ge had never missed anyone and didn’t understand the feeling, so naturally, he couldn’t comprehend it. But Dong Mo’s words made him fall into deep thought.
He had been going around in circles for so many years, what he was circling around, he wasn’t sure. Day after day, year after year, nothing changed. There were many people coming and going in his life, although they looked different, they were all the same in bed.
Meaningless.
The next afternoon, Chen Shuo received a call from Yu Rui.
Yu Rui sounded quite excited on the phone, telling him that the little star had indeed been dumped. Mr. Li’s speed of changing partners was faster than a rocket. He had been unreachable because he was smitten with a dancer and took him camping in the mountains for three days. But as soon as he returned, he dumped the dancer too and seemed to be in a bad mood.
“I don’t even dare to approach Mr. Li, I’m afraid he’ll fire me.” Yu Rui added, “But don’t worry, as soon as he came back yesterday afternoon, I told him.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The small crisis was over. Chen Shuo thought his long vacation had returned, but just before he went to bed that night, he received a text message from his boss, He Yan.
“Draft a contract and deliver it to Jinxi Bay 26-1601, the passcode is 326819.”
The appearance of a “keeping” contract meant that He Yan’s single period was over, and Chen Shuo’s work was about to begin.
Not knowing what kind of person it would be this time, Chen Shuo prayed that they wouldn’t be as troublesome as the drama queen Lin Yuzhi, nor as foolish as the previous love-struck person who had caused a scene at the company.
He hoped it would be a normal person who would make his work easier.
Under normal circumstances, Chen Shuo’s job responsibilities included but were not limited to the following:
- The boss is supreme, his orders are above all else.
- Address the lover’s material needs in a timely manner.
- Pay attention to the lover’s emotional and physical well-being, preventing them from bothering the boss.
- Be responsible for picking up and dropping off the lover when necessary.
- Resolve the lover’s career troubles and crises, preventing them from affecting the boss’s work.
The printer on Chen Shuo’s desk was prepared for contracts. Once he received a task, he wouldn’t feel at ease until it was completed. He got out of bed, turned on his laptop, and printed two copies of the contract.
The next morning, Chen Shuo delivered the contract to Jinxi Bay and waited for further instructions. Usually, on the first day of signing the contract, he would meet the boss’s lover and go through a handover process.
But until nightfall, Chen Shuo didn’t receive any calls. The entire day was quite peaceful, perhaps tomorrow would be busier.
Just as he finished showering and was about to go to bed, the phone rang.
“Draft a new contract and deliver it to Jinxi Bay, change the amount to 150,000.”
“…” Chen Shuo glanced at the time. It was so late, He Yan had probably just finished.
He thoughtfully asked, “CEO He, do you need anything else?”
“Buy some anti-inflammatory and painkillers from the pharmacy.”
Chen Shuo was stunned. He had never had to buy medicine before. He agreed, giving himself extra time, “Okay, I’ll be there in about an hour.”
“Disposable gloves.”
“…” Chen Shuo agreed again, “Okay, CEO He.”
Just as he got dressed, the phone rang again.
“Order some light porridge and have it delivered.”
Before Chen Shuo could agree, another voice came from the phone, clamoring “I want to eat.” He Yan changed his mind and told him, “Change it to food, not too heavy.”
“…”
This one seemed difficult to please. Chen Shuo looked around his small apartment, burdened by his mortgage, and resignedly went out.
