Chapter 14
Chen Ju had spent more than three years saving 150,000 yuan. Now, expecting him to earn that much in six months was impossible.
Standing at the bus stop, Chen Ju shivered as a gust of cold wind swept past. He buried his face in his collar and shoved his hands into his pockets. His hands had long since gone numb from the cold, and it took a while before he could feel them again.
As soon as the feeling returned, his fingertips brushed against an object. Chen Ju froze, then took it out of his pocket. It was a business card, with Jiang Zhou’s name prominently printed in the center.
It was Jiang Zhou’s business card, the one he’d struggled with all his might to snatch from Chen Yifa the previous morning.
“You can make a request if you want. Think it over and write down your terms. I’ll wait for your answer.” Jiang Zhou’s cool voice echoed in his ears. Chen Ju clenched the business card in his hand. Against its black surface, his fingertips looked even redder, as if they were dripping blood.
The cold winter wind sliced through the night like a knife. The moon hanging high in the sky had hidden behind dark, heavy clouds, its light a ghostly blue.
With a click, the open window shut. A layer of mist immediately clouded the clear glass, like thick fog suddenly rising over the mountains, blocking Jiang Zhou’s view outside. He lowered his eyes and turned a page of the book resting on his knees.
A silver-gray plush rug lay beneath his feet, its color complementing Jiang Zhou’s gray silk pajamas. The air conditioner kept the room at a comfortable temperature, and there wasn’t the slightest chill. But Jiang Zhou didn’t like it being so warm, so he’d opened a window.
“Eldest Young Master, it’s supposed to snow tonight. You should keep the window closed, or you might catch a chill,” the butler said.
“Mm,” Jiang Zhou murmured, his gaze fixed on the page.
The butler stood to the side, making no move to leave, while Jiang Zhou showed no sign of asking him anything. He continued reading. After about half an hour, Jiang Zhou finally looked up from the page and asked, “Is there something else?”
“Eldest Young Master, the Master called earlier today and asked you to call him back tonight when you have a chance.” As he spoke, the butler kept a close eye on Jiang Zhou’s expression, afraid of upsetting him.
“Oh, I know.” Jiang Zhou closed his book, stood up, and headed upstairs.
Watching Jiang Zhou’s retreating figure, the butler knew he wouldn’t make the call. Still, he had to report back to the Master, so he braced himself and said, “Eldest Young Master, the Master called to ask if you’d found Young Master Chen.”
The butler didn’t expect Jiang Zhou to answer. He was only trying to complete his task so he’d have something to tell the Master. But to his surprise, Jiang Zhou stopped.
“I found him.” Jiang Zhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, a cold light in them. “Tell the old man he can rest easy.”
With that, Jiang Zhou went upstairs and disappeared around the corridor’s corner.
Outside the bustling shopping mall, Chen Ju couldn’t help yawning again. He rubbed his watery eyes. He’d gotten off work at six that morning, and by the time he’d finished cleaning, it was already past seven.
After spending the whole night agonizing over it, he asked a coworker to lend him a phone and called the number on the business card.
Jiang Zhou’s voice on the phone was just as cool and distant as ever. He arranged to meet Chen Ju at a café in a nearby mall at nine thirty.
Afraid of being late, Chen Ju had arrived at the mall entrance early. There weren’t many people around that morning, but he was afraid of unfamiliar places and didn’t dare go inside alone, so he waited outside by himself.
After waiting a long while without seeing Jiang Zhou, Chen Ju was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. He went to sit on the edge of a nearby flower bed, facing the mall entrance so he’d spot Jiang Zhou as soon as he appeared.
Just as he was nodding off, a voice suddenly sounded above him. Chen Ju jolted in fright and nearly slid off the flower bed.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Chen Ju?” A man in a suit smiled at him.
Chen Ju searched his mind as he looked at the unfamiliar man. Once he was sure he didn’t know him, he cautiously asked, “Hello. May I ask who you are?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Chen. I’m Young Master Jiang’s secretary. He sent me to handle the contract with you.” The man smiled as he held out his right hand.
Chen Ju froze. The flush in his cold-reddened face faded, and his lips turned pale.
Jiang Zhou hadn’t come in person. He’d sent a secretary to take care of it instead. Something that meant so much to Chen Ju was just one of many transactions to Jiang Zhou.
“Mr. Chen, it’s cold outside. Let’s go in and talk,” Secretary Liu said with a smile.
Chen Ju’s frozen-red hands curled slightly. He buried his face in his collar and murmured, “Mm.”
The café’s heating warmed Chen Ju’s frozen body a little. A thick layer of fog clouded his black-rimmed glasses, so he took them off, wiped them with his sleeve, and put them back on.
Once his vision cleared, he met Secretary Liu’s warm gaze. Chen Ju instinctively lowered his head and stared at his reddened fingertips.
“What would you like to drink, Mr. Chen?” Secretary Liu asked, handing the menu to him.
Chen Ju quickly scanned the menu. All the coffees were expensive; even the cheapest cost more than fifty yuan, enough to cover two days of meals for him.
“I... don’t like coffee. You can—you can order,” Chen Ju said, pushing the menu back.
Secretary Liu didn’t comment. He took the menu back, called a server over, and ordered a cup of coffee, a glass of hot milk, and a sandwich.
Seeing Chen Ju’s puzzled gaze, Secretary Liu smiled. “You probably haven’t had breakfast yet, Mr. Chen. It’s all right. We can talk while we eat.”
When the food arrived, Secretary Liu still didn’t bring up the contract. He waited until Chen Ju had nearly finished eating before speaking.
“The Eldest Young Master said you have some other conditions.” Secretary Liu took a tablet from his briefcase, opened it, and typed on the keyboard. “Do you have them written down, Mr. Chen, or would you prefer to tell me directly?”
With a gulp, Chen Ju swallowed the hot milk. Warmth spread through his stomach. He held the glass in both hands, his nerves taut enough that the veins on the backs of his hands stood out in clear blue lines.
After Secretary Liu finished speaking, he watched Chen Ju quietly, as if in no hurry for an answer. But Chen Ju’s heart pounded rapidly in his chest.
He tightened his grip on the glass and stared at his reflection in it. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced out a difficult question.
“Could you pay me 10,000 yuan a month?”
Six months would be 60,000 yuan. He already earned a little over 6,000 a month from his current job, and he could look for another day job over the next few days... Chen Ju knew it still wouldn’t be enough, but asking Jiang Zhou for 10,000 a month was already asking for a lot.
He had no other choice. It didn’t matter if Jiang Zhou looked down on him, as long as he could save enough for his mother’s medical bills.
Secretary Liu furrowed his brows and paused for a few seconds before asking, “Is that all? You don’t have any other conditions?”
Chen Ju shook his head. This was already more than enough.
“All right, then. If you have no changes to make to the contract, read it over, and if everything looks fine, you can sign.” Secretary Liu took a sheet of paper and a pen from his bag and pushed them toward Chen Ju.