The Daily Struggle of a Corporate Slave 16

Chapter 16

It took Jing Ciying half an hour to compose himself.

Back in his sister’s room, the gala continued, the sounds filling the space.

But he still felt a strange emptiness.

He wanted to escape, to turn off the lights and sleep.

But he couldn’t. He had to wait until midnight to make a wish. New Year’s wishes were said to be the most potent.

He picked up his phone to check the time and saw numerous missed calls from Pei Songji.

He stared at the name, his heart pounding.

Why would Pei Songji call him?

He rarely contacted him during holidays, which was why he had dared to put his phone on silent.

What was so urgent?

One or two missed calls he could ignore, but this many… something must be wrong.

Reluctantly, he called back.

The call was answered immediately.

“Why didn’t you answer?” Pei Songji’s voice was sharp, laced with an unusual urgency.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Pei. I didn’t see my phone. Is something wrong?”

Silence. He could hear Pei Songji’s breathing. After a moment, his voice calmed down.

“Nothing. Wrong number.”

Jing Ciying: “…”

Confused, he checked the call log.

Staring at the numerous missed calls, he cautiously asked, “Did you… accidentally dial my number multiple times?”

Silence again.

Then, “The first call was a mistake. But when you didn’t answer, I was worried something had happened.”

What a flimsy excuse.

Since when was Pei Skinflint so considerate?

But as a dedicated employee, even if his boss claimed he could fly, he would simply advise him to be careful.

“I’m sorry. I was washing dishes, and my phone was on silent,” he explained.

“I see,” Pei Songji replied.

Another awkward silence.

Jing Ciying remained wary. He still felt Pei Songji had ulterior motives.

But Pei Songji didn’t reveal his purpose yet, making small talk. “Did you have your New Year’s Eve dinner?”

“Just finished.”

“Me too.”

Jing Ciying: “…”

Had he called just to say that?

But he was the boss, so he listened patiently.

“When are you… coming back?” Pei Songji finally asked the question that seemed to be on his mind.

“Coming back?” Jing Ciying was confused. “Back where?”

“Lincheng,” Pei Songji said.

“Lincheng?” He was even more confused. “Mr. Pei, I’m in Lincheng.”

Pei Songji seemed surprised, his voice brightening. “You didn’t go home?”

“No.” He didn’t understand why Pei Songji was suddenly interested in his family situation, but he answered honestly, instantly regretting it.

He knew Pei Songji wouldn’t contact him without a reason.

If he had been out of town, Pei Songji couldn’t have bothered him.

But now… he was within reach. The real reason for the call was coming.

Surely he wasn’t going to ask him to come to the office?

Not on New Year’s Eve. Even Pei Songji wouldn’t be that heartless.

“Since you’re in Lincheng…” Pei Songji began.

A sense of dread filled Jing Ciying.

“Can you bring me the pen from the top drawer of my desk?”

Jing Ciying: “…”

Pei Songji knew how absurd the request was, but he desperately wanted to see Jing Ciying. He had struggled to come up with a plausible excuse.

He didn’t expect Jing Ciying to agree, so the silence on the other end of the line wasn’t surprising.

“It’ll count as overtime,” he added quickly. “I’ll send my driver to pick you up.”

Jing Ciying remained silent.

Then, a WeChat notification. A transfer of 20,000 yuan.

Jing Ciying felt a surge of resentment. The evil capitalist, using money to exploit his employees.

“Certainly, Mr. Pei. I’ll be right there,” he said.

He left the hospital. It was only 10:00 pm. It wasn’t that late.

The hospital wasn’t far from the office. He retrieved the pen and found the driver waiting downstairs.

The Pei family residence was outside the city, so it took half an hour to get there.

Elder Pei was about to go to bed when Jing Ciying arrived. “Xiaoying? What are you doing here so late? Is something wrong at the company?”

“No, sir,” Jing Ciying replied. “I’m just delivering something to Mr. Pei.”

“What could be so urgent?” Elder Pei said, a hint of reproach in his voice, looking at Pei Songji, who was standing on the staircase.

Jing Ciying followed his gaze.

Pei Songji, unusually dressed in a casual black sweater, looked less intimidating than usual.

But Jing Ciying knew it was just a facade.

No normal boss would make their employee work on New Year’s Eve.

“Have you eaten?” Elder Pei asked kindly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Why aren’t you home? Your family isn’t from here, are they?”

“No, sir. My family is here, so I’m celebrating here,” he said vaguely, not wanting to elaborate.

He handed the pen to Pei Songji and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Pei Songji said.

Jing Ciying stopped, suppressing his annoyance. “Is there anything else, Mr. Pei?”

“Yes,” Pei Songji said, turning towards the stairs. “Come with me.”

Jing Ciying followed, hearing Elder Pei’s concerned voice behind him. “Don’t keep him too long, Songji. It’s New Year’s Eve. Let him go home.”

Jing Ciying felt a surge of warmth towards Elder Pei, deciding to direct his resentment solely at Pei Songji.

He silently cursed Pei Songji all the way to his room.

“What is it, Mr. Pei?” he asked again.

Pei Songji hesitated. “Draw me a bath.”

Jing Ciying: “…”

He wanted to ask, “Don’t you have other staff for that?”

But he didn’t dare. He obediently prepared the bath, laying out a bathrobe, pajamas, and squeezing toothpaste onto the toothbrush, as usual.

Pei Songji, having run out of excuses, finally dismissed him, arranging for his driver to take him home.

Jing Ciying forced a smile, said goodbye, and left with the driver.

He asked the driver to drop him off a short distance from the hospital and walked the rest of the way.

It was midnight when he arrived.

The fireworks, which had subsided earlier, erupted again, filling the night sky.

The new year had arrived.

He closed his eyes and made a wish.

“Please, let my boss be a decent human being this year.”