Today.
Zhang Jing felt her luck was at its peak.
She had sold the most expensive mobile phone in the store that morning.
The commission was nearly three hundred RMB, it was a good start. Calculating quickly in her head, she had already made enough to cover her monthly rent and utility bills. If she managed to sell some more, her wage this month should be substantial.
During the National College Entrance Examination.
She had performed decently well.
But after the death of her father, she, her younger sister, and her mother were left to manage everything.
After losing the primary breadwinner of the family.
Life became extraordinarily difficult.
Her sister was preparing for the final year of middle school. The money her mother earned from farming was insufficient to cover both sisters' school expenses. In order to allow her sister to continue going to school, Zhang Jing decided not to pursue university.
She didn't even fill out the application.
She left school and started working to support her family and her sister's education.
Previously, she had been working at a shoe factory.
Her salary had been fairly stable there.
However,
Last month, the factory owner's son, freshly graduated from college, arrived to take up work at the factory, to gain experience and take over his father's position. He instantly took a liking to her and thus began his relentless pursuit.
To an outsider,
This would've seemed like a good development. But Zhang Jing detested the factory owner's son since she had previously witnessed him having an illicit affair with a female coworker in the factory storeroom.
Despite having a humble background,
She was not a frivolous woman.
Nor had she ever considered "marrying up".
She believed that she could create a good life with her hard work. At times, late in the night when the world was quiet, she contemplated marrying a rich man to relieve her mother's burdens.
But those were just thoughts.
Her self-esteem wouldn't allow her to act on them.
Eventually,
After repeated harassment, she seized the opportunity when the factory owner's son was on a business trip to resign.
Luckily, the owner wasn't aware of his son's attraction to her, or she might've had a difficult time leaving. Knowing that the diligent and honest factory owner had such a son made her feel that life was unfair.
Early last month,
She resigned and began hunting for jobs on the street.
Perhaps it was her pleasing appearance that helped her quickly land this job. Her boss was fairly decent, strictly controlled by his wife, and hence harbored no inappropriate thoughts towards her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to stay.
Facing the cold and insensitive comments from her colleagues,
Zhang Jing started missing her days at the shoe factory. Although the work was tiresome, often involving overtime, she did enjoy her life there, if not for the harassing son of the owner.
It was exhausting,
But fulfilling.
Her current salary couldn't compare with her previous pay. With her basic wage plus commission, her salary was disbursed at the end of the month. Just a few days back, she had only received six hundred RMB, which was pitifully low. She could only hope to earn more this month.
"Beep beep beep…"
A phone call interrupted her thoughts. She was curious as she didn't know many people who would call her during work hours.
Seeing her boss was not around,
and there were no customers, she walked out the store's entrance.
It was almost time to clock off, and the sun had lost its intensity, leaving behind a mild warmth.
Upon a closer look,
The number seemed familiar.
In just a second, she recognized it as the number of the phone she had sold that morning. Why would they call her? To ask her out? To return the product? To chat with her?
Zhang Jing pressed the answer button.
"Tang Qing?"
Zhang Jing asked uncertainly. Although she recognized it as Tang Qing's number, she wasn't sure who was on the line. She even considered the call might be from his family asking if they could return the mobile.
P>"Yes, it's me. You still remember me."
A familiar voice echoed in her ear.
"I sold a phone to you this morning, of course, I have some impression of the number. What's up?"
"Are you interested in changing your job?"
Tang Qing went straight to the point.
"What? Change jobs? What job?" Zhang Jing asked, surprised.
She never expected Tang Qing would introduce her to a job. It wasn't an indecent job, was it? Not related to him, their first meeting, introducing her to a job in such a short time, was utterly suspicious.
"You can rest assured, I'm not a swindler, or middleman. I recently co-founded a restaurant and need a cashier to help me manage the money. You were the first person that came to my mind."
"The monthly salary is two thousand five hundred, including food and accommodation, and potential bonuses. The only downsides are that the work hours are a bit long, but you get paid overtime."
Detecting Zhang Jing's distrust,
Tang Qing didn't feel offended.
As for the salary, although it's not low for this era, considering there are bonuses and so on, as my own supervisor and representative, a base salary of two and a half thousand is not that high.
"Really? Why do you want me?" Zhang Jing asked dubiously. She wouldn't agree to it without knowing why someone she barely knew had approached her, especially for a finance role.
"Of course it's true. As for why I chose you, it's because today I was impressed by your diligence and hard work, and of course, you can handle the job," Tang Qing said slowly.
Zhang Jing pondered for a bit.
To be honest, she didn't want to do her current job.
Dealing with colleagues who target her all day, no one could enjoy such a work environment.
The job Tang Qing offered had a decent salary, higher than what she earned monthly at her previous shoe factory job. Coupled with the bonuses, the benefits were great. Zhang Jing quickly made her decision.
"I'll do it!"
"Uh, what did you say?" Tang Qing asked in surprise. At first, he thought she was swearing, but he quickly realized that she had agreed. Still, it felt a bit weird.
"I mean, I'll take the job," Zhang Jing explained hastily, her face turning red.
She quickly realized the issue with her previous statement and felt embarrassed, as if she had used a swear word in front of a boy, something she had never done before.
Of course.
Zhang Jing did not quit her job immediately.
She planned to inspect it after work.
After all, she needed to get a feel for the work environment. As long as it wasn't too bad, she was ready to make the move.
Although Zhang Jing's actions could be seen as switching horses mid-race, Tang Qing understood. Caution is one of the qualities of a qualified finance professional, isn't it?
Zhang Jing is also a smart person.
She knows how to seize opportunities. With such great benefits at offer, she needed a stable job. Although the sales industry was a good training ground, it was not her first choice as she liked stability.
After work in the afternoon.
Zhang Jing visited the store. Seeing the large place, she didn't doubt its legitimacy. She was also surprised at how much money Tang Qing had invested, which was definitely not a small sum.
"Is this the store? It's big," Zhang Jing exclaimed.
"I own thirty percent of the shares, I'm a minor shareholder. I don't have time to manage it full-time because of school, so I need someone to help watch it. Your job would be the cashier and the cashier's role," Tang Qing explained.
"You only have the authority to record, not to advise. No matter how Li Jianguo and his team use the funds, if you have any doubts, do not discuss it with them, only with me. Do you understand?" Tang Qing stated.
Zhang Jing.
She was just a link in the trust relationship between himself and Li Jianguo, and could not express her views on her own.
Otherwise.
If she fails to understand her own position.
If one day Li Jianguo spends a little more or something is a bit more expensive, even if Zhang Jing casually asks why there's so much of that today or why it's a bit expensive today.
Then Li Jianguo would be embarrassed.
Even though Li Jianguo wouldn't do anything even if Zhang Jing says so, it's inevitable that he would have objections. Li Jianguo wouldn't complain and replace Zhang Jing over this.
In other words.
Even if Zhang Jing does so.
Tang Qing would never know.
But Tang Qing has to take the blame. Li Jianguo would think that Tang Qing instructed him. Over time, it's very likely that there will be discord in their relationship. Therefore, Tang Qing wanted to prevent avoidable conflicts in advance.
This was a lesson learned from a painful past experience.
It's all too clear that subordinates may not achieve much, but it's easy for them to cause trouble. They can leave you in the dark about where the problem lies, and in the end, you can only swallow the bitter pill in silence.
Zhang Jing also understood her place.
That is, to work without speaking out. Of course, there's no problem with reporting minor issues. But she couldn't help being shocked. She didn't expect Tang Qing to be so mature and experienced at such a young age, aside from being wealthy.
"Pleasure doing business with you. Resign tomorrow, and come here after you're done. I should be there by then. As for the place to live, it should be sorted by tomorrow," Tang Qing said.
The rented house is ready to be moved in as soon as the bed and table are set up.
Li Jianguo had already ordered the bedding this afternoon while buying tables and chairs. The goods will arrive tomorrow. Plus, after cleaning, everything should be ready by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
The employees can then move in.
"Alright, I'll come tomorrow," Zhang Jing said cheerfully.
She is very satisfied with this job.
The work environment is good, it's not tiring, and she's just in charge of the cashier. She already knows the boss. It's perfect. It would be better if she was younger, maybe... Her face turned red at the thought.
"I won't keep you for dinner. I have something to do. You can go home first," Tang Qing said.
"Alright, boss, I'll be leaving then, goodbye!" Zhang Jing hurriedly responded.
As soon as Zhang Jing left.
Li Kai, who had been standing like a utility pole for a while, immediately stood in front of Tang Qing and glared at him.
"Old Tang, you beast. Explain, when did you get to know this beauty? Are you betraying your childhood sweetheart?" Li Kai questioned him accusingly. Why is there such a difference in people's treatment?
"Cut it out. It's called charm and personality. As for you...unmentionable..." Tang Qing looked at Li Kai dismissively, feeling a sudden urge to engage in a battle of words with his good buddies.
"Your charm is questionable. Are you thinking of two-timing?" Li Kai was immediately dissatisfied, standing his ground, not allowing his character to be questioned.
"Yes... You don't even have a boat, you can only swim. Here...have some water," Tang Qing replied.
"You...I...I'll complain..." Li Kai, having opened the water bottle handed to him by Tang Qing, was at a loss for words. This was too harsh. No boat, drowned by the water, wouldn't you end up drinking the water? This was a low blow.
"I'll complain too..." Tang Qing said.
"What are you complaining about?" Li Kai asked.
"You've been secretly in love with your deskmate for a long time..." Tang Qing teased him.
"You...you're ruthless..." Li Kai admitted defeat.