A cramped little room of less than 10 square meters, furnished only with a bed and an old wardrobe.
The morning sunlight filtered through the glass window, brightening the entire room.
Bai Xiaosheng, wrapped in a blanket, was snoozing comfortably on the bed, a silly smile on his lips, drool spilling out.
In his dream, Wei Xuelian emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, her long white legs flashing in and out of view beneath its hem.
She smiled at him, a vision of grace and charm.
The bathrobe began to slip...
Suddenly, a harsh, ringing sound cut through the air, and Wei Xuelian, along with the view he was about to enjoy, vanished in an instant.
"No!" Bai Xiaosheng couldn't help but cry out in anguish.
The phone rang, most inconsiderately.
Bai Xiaosheng groggily reached for the phone, nearly ready to smash it in his fury.
The caller was Zhou Tiansheng.
This asshole won't even let me have a good dream! Bai Xiaosheng fumed. His identity card and bank card were in plain sight, a testament to his future status as a billionaire CEO.
Going to work? He didn't care!
For a moment, Bai Xiaosheng felt like hanging up the call.
But he had put so much effort into that project, to give up now would be intolerable!
Bai Xiaosheng pondered for a moment.
He was a man of strong principles; his sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to quit halfway.
In the end, Bai Xiaosheng still answered the call.
"Bai Xiaosheng, why haven't you arrived at the office yet?" Mr. Zhou's voice sounded very angry. "Our department has to start work forty minutes early, it's the rule, have you forgotten!"
Bai Xiaosheng frowned.
It seemed like Mr. Zhou had suddenly forgotten how he had screwed Bai Xiaosheng over with the housing fund issue.
Really thought it was over?
Although that money wasn't so important to the current Bai Xiaosheng, Mr. Zhou really had a short memory.
It looks like I do have to go to work, but before I leave, I should repay you properly!
Bai Xiaosheng let out a cold, silent chuckle.
Mr. Zhou continued, "Hurry over. You're coming with me to present a proposal today. The boss will be there too, as will the CEOs of the large corporation on the other side. Don't dilly-dally, be here in ten minutes!"
Ten minutes, it simply wasn't possible.
"Also, let me tell you, the prospective heir of that company will also attend the meeting. I am especially reminding you! Treat them with respect, be humble; don't think you can slack off because you are of similar age. Who are they, and who are you!"
Mr. Zhou's words left Bai Xiaosheng with a cold gaze.
Who am I? You'll find out soon enough!
Mr. Zhou sensed Bai Xiaosheng's silence and feared pressing him too hard might backfire, so he softened his voice, "If you perform well this time, I'll talk to the boss about giving you a raise, five hundred more! For the housing fund paperwork, I'll have HR make a special trip for you."
Once again, Mr. Zhou brought up past grievances, not without a hint of threat.
"I'll be right there," Bai Xiaosheng replied, his tone level and calm.
The call ended on the other end.
But Bai Xiaosheng murmured thoughtfully, "To pull off this case, I can't let Zhou Tiansheng have an easy time. Seems like it might be a bit difficult."
Half an hour later, Bai Xiaosheng took a taxi to the company and headed straight for Zhou Tiansheng's office.
"You need to pay attention to discipline!" Mr. Zhou patted the well-prepared proposal and began his familiar tirade.
Bai Xiaosheng looked at him coolly.
When he was penniless, he really felt like punching Mr. Zhou, but now with money, he suddenly thought that this man was just a jumping jack, not worth his effort.
"You know what this big deal means for the company."
As Mr. Zhou talked, he was surprised to find that today's Bai Xiaosheng was very different—extremely quiet, silent, but with a gaze that inexplicably conveyed a hint of, indifference.
Indifference. Mr. Zhou could find no better word to describe that feeling, only knowing that the last time he felt this was when facing a big company's CEO.
Listening to his own report, yet completely disregarding his presence.
It was the arrogance of someone in a high position.
How could it be, how could Bai Xiaosheng give himself this feeling?
Zhou Tiansheng couldn't help but raise his voice to bolster his presence, "Do you know who the big boss of the other company is? Their company is about to receive an investment and stock holding from a subsidiary of Zhenbei Group, and afterwards, it will become an affiliated enterprise of Zhenbei Group!"
Zhou Tiansheng's eyes were fiercely bright.
These details were not on the documents.
Then, Zhou Tiansheng noticed that Bai Xiaosheng's expression had become extremely peculiar.
"You're talking about the Zhenbei Group, the Fortune Global 500 one!" Bai Xiaosheng's eyes were filled with surprise and shock, gradually becoming bright.
Zhou Tiansheng was very pleased with Bai Xiaosheng's reaction, and he started to feel a bit disdainful.
This pretentious little bastard scared me! What, interested in Zhenbei now? Dream on, someone like you couldn't possibly enter such a big company. I would have a much better shot.
Zhou Tiansheng cleared his throat, "Alright, go prepare your things; we're leaving for the Century Park Hotel in a little while."
The Century Park Hotel was owned by the other party; going there to present the proposal made sense.
Bai Xiaosheng nodded and left the room, a faint, cryptic smile playing on his lips.
What a surprise, he had thought of dealing with this matter first before heading to Zhenbei Group, but he had not expected to encounter Zhenbei so soon.
Maybe, he could kill two birds with one stone this time, solidify the proposal and give Zhou Tiansheng a lesson!
In a short while, Bai Xiaosheng was fully prepared.
Zhou Tiansheng called him, and the two set off for the hotel.
The Century Park Hotel was located in Tiannan and was an extremely famous five-star hotel. The business café on the first floor was entirely designed like a park, with palm trees and green plants and flowers everywhere under the thirty-story ceiling; even the public areas had small bridges over running water, in addition to the open areas, there were secretive "stone house" private rooms in the corners.
Bai Xiaosheng and Zhou Tiansheng arrived at the designated private room, adjusted the equipment, and waited for the other party to arrive.
Half an hour later, the people from the other company arrived, among them a vice president, a stern-looking middle-aged woman, accompanied by a young female subordinate.
"Mr. Pan." "Mr. Zhou."
After greetings were exchanged, although Zhou Tiansheng held the title of vice president, just like his counterpart, he couldn't compare in terms of influence. He was all smiles, ingratiating himself before he spoke.
The other party's attitude was neither cold nor warm, and they maintained an air of arrogance. Bai Xiaosheng felt embarrassed for Zhou Tiansheng.
However, Zhou Tiansheng didn't mind and managed to display his sense of humor while running through the proposal once according to the plan.
It seemed that he had also done his homework.
The other party was quite satisfied with the overall concept of the proposal, nodding frequently. The suggestions for changes they made were mostly inconsequential, just a few additional requests.
Zhou Tiansheng readily agreed to all of them.
He probably thought all this work was Bai Xiaosheng's responsibility, and he wasn't burdened at all.
If that was the case, I won't be polite, let's see who can outsmart whom!
Bai Xiaosheng's lips curved in a smile; if he wasn't leaving, he would have no doubt been the one doing all these extra tasks.
But now that he had decided to go, it was no longer his concern.
"Mr. Pan, I have some further suggestions," Bai Xiaosheng suddenly interjected, beginning to offer advice.
The proposal, how to perfect it, that's how we'll do it; we're not afraid of trouble, wholeheartedly for the customer.
Mr. Pan was initially surprised, but Bai Xiaosheng's words soon had him nodding in agreement, getting excited. The two of them discussed enthusiastically, even sidelining Zhou Tiansheng.
Zhou Tiansheng's eyes widened, somewhat incredulously watching Bai Xiaosheng, who was making more work for himself.
Of course, as long as the client was happy, he had nothing to say.
As they went back and forth, everyone was pleased.
The deal was completely secured, as to how much work was to follow.
Bai Xiaosheng and Zhou Tiansheng shared a look and a smile, thinking surprisingly alike.
Anyway, it's not me doing it!
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps and laughter came from outside, and several people entered the private room one after another.
There were their bosses, the boss from the other side, and a young man following behind.
Bai Xiaosheng stood up with everyone to greet them and exchanged a glance with the young man.
Both of them were startled.
"It's you!"
In Ai Wen's eyes, there was a deadly aura.