The next day.
The sun shone brightly.
When Gu Changsheng got up, he smelled a fragrant aroma. As he stepped out, he found breakfast ready on the table, along with a note from Zhou Jiayi, "Changsheng, I have an important meeting this morning. I made your favorite breakfast. Eat before you go to work."
Her warm gesture made Gu Changsheng feel delighted from the moment he woke up.
The day before, after finalizing the time with Tian Dong, Gu Changsheng had gone home for dinner.
The investigation into Zhou Jianmin wasn't urgent; since Tian Dong mentioned new goods arriving in three days, maybe there was a chance to make a little profit and try his luck—even those who aren't short on cash wouldn't object to having more.
After the meal, he arrived at the delivery company.
The break room had fewer people in it.
At a glance, Gu Changsheng knew that A Biao's little gang was all absent, leaving only a few peripheral members who looked at him with fear and conspiratorial eyes.
It was amusing.
With such attitudes, wasn't it obvious they were harboring ill intentions?
Antagonists like these wouldn't last three episodes in a TV drama.
Gu Changsheng paid them no mind. A Biao's absence might have been partly due to being peeved, but probably he also didn't dare face him. Gu Changsheng didn't believe a bunch of small fries could cause any trouble for him.
He entered the back office and clocked in.
Before he could leave, Chen Xue ignored the looks from several clerks and hurried over, "Gu, Gu Changsheng, come with me for a moment."
Without understanding why, Gu Changsheng still followed her into a private office.
Chen Xue closed the door and whispered, "You guessed right, A Biao and his crew all took leave."
Her expression was flustered, unsure of what to do.
Gu Changsheng laughed, "Of course it's because of me. What, are you thinking of firing me to invite them back?"
Unexpectedly, Chen Xue wasn't foolish. She gave a wry smile, "Do you think I'm brain-dead? They're the company's biggest wildcard. If I get rid of you, then I'm even more at their mercy."
Gu Changsheng continued, "So to put it simply, you want me to oppose them? Sorry, I do deliveries purely as a hobby, to pass time—I never thought about joining or forming cliques. How much could a company like this possibly earn to the point of breaking the bank? Boring!"
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Gu Changsheng really couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. A Biao was A Biao's problem, and Chen Xue's issues had nothing to do with him.
The two of them were neither relatives nor friends—only a madman would go out of his way to help.
These words left Chen Xue speechless.
As he was about to leave, she quickly grabbed his hand, "You, don't go."
Gu Changsheng paused and looked down at her delicate hand. It was actually rather pretty, but he said, "Let go of me. I'm telling you, I'm a married man. Have you not heard that men and women shouldn't touch each other? This could seriously damage my reputation if it got out."
Chen Xue was momentarily at a loss for words, taken aback by his response, "Can't you be serious? I know you have a wife, okay? I was just in the middle of saying that. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Gu Changsheng snickered internally. Honestly, teasing her was pretty fun.
Chen Xue continued, "I'm not asking you for much, just, can you keep up the same high performance as yesterday? If the performance doesn't meet the standard, the head office will give me trouble. Plus, the more you deliver, the more you earn, right?"
"Even if you say you're not short on money, shouldn't you still try your best for your hobby?"
Gu Changsheng felt enlightened.
This woman's logic was truly bizarre.
As for achieving high performance, Chen Xue needn't have mentioned it; Gu Changsheng would have done it anyway.
After what he tried the previous day, such intense effort was beneficial to his recovery. Why wouldn't he do it?
"A word of advice for you, make cuts when necessary. Getting rid of certain people might hurt in the short term, but if you don't, just wait for the rot to reach the bone and gnaw at your core."
Without giving a definite answer, Gu Changsheng turned and walked out the door.
Chen Xue was left bewildered. She understood these principles, but couldn't bring herself to act; some things are simple to say but hard to do.
When Chen Xue took over this company, it was her last-ditch gamble—otherwise, she would only be used as a bargaining chip for marriage by her family!!
Then she paused, thinking, "Wait? Did he agree or not?"
…
Nine o'clock.
Time to get to work.
Gu Changsheng could be said to be going all out, leaving his fleeting shadow in the service stairwells of each high-rise building.
With his speed, he could easily earn forty or fifty thousand a month, outpacing any corporate middle manager. So why bother with a business? He found it a hassle to start his own company.
```
He left too many footprints in this world and now only wanted to return to simplicity and authenticity, embracing a simpler life as the best option.
By the end of the day.
He had completed a total of 230 orders, and that was with the electric bike running out of power and the substantial delay caused by recharging it.
At five in the afternoon, when the business closed, he didn't even bother returning to the company. On the company system, Chen Xue would certainly see the connected data and would undoubtedly not trouble him—he was a gold medal employee, after all, and such status came with its privileges, didn't it?
In the next two days, he matched 235 orders on the first day and then Gu Changsheng simply bought another electric bike, pushing his performance past 300 orders on the second day.
One man equivalent to ten.
Chen Xue was overjoyed when she saw the backend data.
Even if A Biao and the others took leave and never returned, she wouldn't have to worry.
That day, at six in the evening.
Gu Changsheng called Zhou Jiayi, saying he had taken on an urgent task from the company and would be home late that night.
Zhou Jiayi didn't think much of it, merely scolding him for not knowing when to rest.
But in reality, Gu Changsheng was going to participate in a gambling on stones event that Tian Dong had invited him to.
Right after hanging up with Zhou Jiayi, he took out Tian Dong's business card and dialed the number—
"Mr. Tian, it's me, Gu Changsheng."
"Ah, Gu, my dear nephew? Good, you're punctual. I'm a bit busy here, so I can't come to pick you up. It's at the concrete processing company in the northern suburbs of Yun City. I await your esteemed arrival."
Tian Dong was a savvy socializer, his words always carried a smooth operator's touch.
Such a person, Gu Changsheng was a hundred percent sure, had completely bamboozled his father-in-law.
Today, he was going to collect his principal with interest.
As soon as he had the location set, he was on the move.
...
In the northern suburbs of Yun City.
The concrete processing company, with its rows of massive mixers, was quite a sight to see.
And below them, tents had been erected to shelter a huge gambling on stones event.
Outside the grimy factory, there were numerous sedans parked about, among them several luxury cars making an appearance.
Tian Dong was greeting guests at the entrance, accompanied by another person, a bit shorter, it was his business partner and owner of the concrete company, Lu Guangyi.
"Quite a few walk-ins today, but the same few fat sheep. Yet no new ones have been penned."
Tian Dong laughed, "Our spot is modest, so attracting this crowd isn't bad. But here in the turf of Yun City, it's still no match."
"However, I did dig up a newcomer today, and if we handle him right, he's sure to scatter a pretty penny."
"Oh? Who is it?"
"Zhou Jianmin's son-in-law."
"Zhou Jianmin? Damn, the Zhou family's plate is big, but Zhou Jianmin is no good. He still owes me over a million now. His son-in-law? I remember he's a live-in son-in-law, right? How much money could he have?"
Tian Dong was unconcerned, "You're wrong there. The guy has a Global Gold Card, with a ten million limit."
Right at that moment.
A person riding an electric bike appeared on the distant dirt road, drawing near.
The characteristic yellow vest was strikingly visible.
Lu Guangyi became infuriated at a glance, "Fuck, who the hell ordered delivery? Don't they know the principle of confidentiality?"
The staff behind him looked at each other, none admitting to it.
"Not talking, huh? Wait, I'll ask myself."
Tian Dong was also astonished; such a basic mistake wouldn't be made by his people. As he waited for the figure to approach, Tian Dong was dumbfounded and exclaimed—
"Gu, Gu, my dear nephew?!"
Gu Changsheng, riding his electric bike, pressed the rear brake, gracefully skidding to a stop in front of Tian Dong, "Ah, Mr. Tian, so courteous to wait for me at the entrance? I also brought you a gift, yellow braised chicken rice with extra pork and veggies..."
"See how thoughtful I am? You'd better make sure I strike it rich today!"
Tian Dong was stunned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry as he faced the meal boxes.
Lu Guangyi was gaping, "And this is…?"
Tian Dong said, "This is Mr. Zhou's son-in-law, Gu Changsheng."
```