When Jiang Fan entered the Operations Department, he found no one inside. He quietly pushed open Aunt Ji's office door and saw the woman lying on her desk. He lightly knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Aunt Ji lifted her head, looking at Jiang Fan with confusion. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen, as if she had been crying, and her hair was disheveled. After a full minute, Aunt Ji frowned and asked, "What do you want?"
Jiang Fan smiled and walked into the office, pulling a chair over to sit in front of the desk. Resting his chin on his hands, he said with a smile, "I'm not quite full yet. I was wondering if you've had lunch and if I could join you for a bit."
"Jiang Fan, I'm not in the mood to mess around with you. I'm upset, and I'm afraid I'll take it out on you. Be good! Go play by yourself first." Aunt Ji's mood was low. She had been scolded in front of so many people during the executive meeting, and it had been demoralizing, regardless of gender. She continued to lie on the desk, and after an indeterminate amount of time, she slowly lifted her head to find that the guy was still there, staring at her with wide eyes while lying on the desk beside her.
Their arms were no more than three or five centimeters apart. Aunt Ji froze for a moment before suddenly sitting up, her face pale as she screamed at Jiang Fan, "Why are you so close to me?!"
It wasn't a question but a shout of anger.
Jiang Fan ignored Aunt Ji's outburst and whispered from his prone position, "Actually, operating a mall is very straightforward. Primarily, you need to manage the mall's cleanliness and enforce the rules and regulations I mentioned. We're running a high-end mall, so you can observe how other malls operate in your free time. Also, you don't need to worry about the stores' performance. The brands we represent are big names, and the manufacturers will send trainers to educate the store owners and staff. If they don't perform well, we just need to report back to the headquarters, and they'll handle any issues that might tarnish the brand's reputation. What have you been thinking about all this time? Why couldn't you answer such a simple question?"
Aunt Ji remained silent for two minutes before muttering, "Is it really that simple?"
Jiang Fan blinked. "Yes, it is that simple. Don't worry about whether the stores can sell their products. Focus on maintaining the mall's order and making it appear upscale. The rest is not your concern in the Operations Department. We collect rent, and they're the ones who are anxious to spend money renting spaces."
"Jiang Fan, I feel like you're not here to teach me but to mock me."
"You're right. Did you get your position as the Operations Department Head through nepotism? No wonder you can't compete with Gao Luxing. Yang Jin, Aunt Ji, Song Jing, you three combined might not even equal one person." Jiang Fan mercilessly mocked Aunt Ji, but she didn't take offense. Instead, she tilted her head and asked, "Are you that one person?"
Jiang Fan squinted and smiled. "Right now, you only see one. But I have many more surprises in store. Want to count the moons with me sometime?"
"There's only one moon."
"Exactly, which is why I told you to count moons instead of stars. It's too hard for you and your brain."
Aunt Ji was so annoyed by Jiang Fan that her face regained its color, and her frustration dissipated. Her ample bosom heaved with emotion. At this point, Jiang Fan commented that she looked beautiful, which only angered Aunt Ji further. Still, she lacked the courage to touch Jiang Fan physically, so she tried to throw objects from the desk at him. Unfortunately, Jiang Fan anticipated her every move, and every time she reached for something, he would already have his hand on it, causing her to quickly withdraw.
In the end, Aunt Ji burst into tears, leaving Jiang Fan flustered. He prided himself on his silver tongue but had no idea how to comfort a woman. He tried various endearments, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, frustrated, he slammed his hand on the table and growled, "Keep crying, and I'll strip you naked!"
It worked.
Sure enough, Aunt Ji stopped crying, but! She stood up to pick up a flowerpot, prompting Jiang Fan to turn and run. Just then, Aunt Ji's phone rang, its ringtone being one of Jiang Fan's favorite Japanese anime inserts. Unfortunately, the phone wasn't much better than Jiang Fan's. Aunt Ji picked up the phone, glanced at it, and then silenced it.
Jiang Fan, who couldn't resist being mischievous, piped up again.
"Aunt Ji, is that your boyfriend? I promise I won't talk! I promise."
"Get lost, Auntie doesn't need a boyfriend."
"You're right, the toughest to deal with are old aunts!"
Aunt Ji went back to picking up the flowerpot, genuinely wanting to bash Jiang Fan's head in with it, but her phone rang again at an inappropriate moment. Jiang Fan secretly thanked the caller in his heart, thinking, Thank you so much, you saved my life twice!
This time, Aunt Ji answered the call. No one knows what was said on the other end, but Aunt Ji suddenly erupted, shouting into the phone, "I don't have any money! I've given you all my money! I'm not a bank!"
As Aunt Ji yelled, Jiang Fan crept back. Men can be nosy too! Especially about a woman with a cleanliness obsession towards men. No one knows what was said on the other end, but Aunt Ji's expression grew increasingly unpleasant as she gritted her teeth and said, "It's impossible. The car cost less than 200,000 yuan, and the rest was money my boss gave me! There's no way I'll give it to you! Getting married? Buying a house and a car is your problem. I give you all the money I earn every month, keeping only a little for myself. Why are you still asking me for more? Scold me all you want, but how much money have I given you over the years!"
In the midst of Aunt Ji's hysteria, she hung up the phone and sat weakly in her chair, holding her head in her hands, looking very upset. Jiang Fan leaned on the desk and sighed, whispering, "Aunt Ji, your boyfriend is such a jerk! He relies on you financially every month? Is he handsome? Or what attracts you to him? You're even selling your car to support him. If you don't want to get married, why don't you break up? There are so many good men out there!"
Aunt Ji closed her eyes and covered her head, saying weakly, "Don't speculate. Jiang Fan, thank you. I'll treat you to a meal sometime."
"We're already this broke, what are we going to eat? Aunt Ji, do you want me to teach him a lesson? I don't have many talents, but I'm good at fighting. If it doesn't work, I can ask Guan Dagou from District 8 to bring a few dozen people over. His lackeys are very dedicated. For people like him, give him a couple of slaps, tie him up, and douse him in gasoline. Next time, he'll behave."
As Aunt Ji said this, she chuckled sarcastically, "Douse him in gasoline? Give him a couple of slaps? Huh!"
"What? You're hesitant? That's not right. You have a cleanliness obsession towards men. Are you saving yourself for your boyfriend? Didn't he get you? That's why he's asking you for money."
"Jiang Fan!!"
"Did I guess right? I always knew my brain was sharp."
Aunt Ji took a deep breath and sighed weakly, "It's my mother."
"Oh, an old lady? Even easier to deal with... Oh! Your mom? Sorry, Aunt Minister, you go ahead and get busy. I'll prepare some lunch for you."
This time, Jiang Fan really ran. Damn it, why didn't you say it was your mom's call earlier? I thought it was some jerk boyfriend's! Thinking back on what he just said, Jiang Fan wanted to slap himself. To suggest giving her mom a couple of slaps and dousing her in gasoline in front of her own daughter?
What was he thinking?
If his brain wasn't eaten by dogs, it would be devoured by Aunt Ji next time.
This mother asking her daughter for money...
Jiang Fan took out his phone and called his mother, whining into the phone, "Mommy~ Your son is sending you some money to spend."
"Mom still has money, Fan. Don't be stingy with spending money when you're out. Mom has money."
"Mom, I saw a nice coat for you yesterday, but I didn't buy it."
"Don't buy anything. Buy something for yourself. Get a new phone too. Your third uncle doesn't use your old phone anymore. Give it to me when you get a new one."
"Okay."
Jiang Fan stood by the window, smoking and talking on the phone, unaware that Aunt Ji was standing behind him, listening to the heartwarming conversation between mother and son. Aunt Ji covered her mouth to prevent herself from crying out loud and quietly returned to her office.
Why!