Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“Wang Ming, come in for a second.”

Jiang Yao called Wang Ming into her office.

She asked in a concerned tone, “What’s going on? Are you two fighting?”

Wang Ming nodded.

“Why the fight? Is he too slow? You need to have a little more patience. You were a total rookie once too, and I was very patient when I taught you everything personally.”

Wang Ming replied helplessly, “We know each other from before. It’s just some personal history.”

Jiang Yao nodded thoughtfully before saying decisively, “Then I’ll just fire him. Why should we keep someone around who makes you unhappy?”

Wang Ming quickly waved his hand. “No, that would make me look petty. Just let someone else supervise him.”

“Alright, I’ll have him move to a different workstation right away.”

Wang Ming walked out of the boss’s office, but instead of returning to his desk, he headed out to the corridor.

He had spent a significant portion of the money the System had given him last time to increase Zou Shuqing’s favorability. Now that his System rewards had been credited, he figured it was time to send some money to his uncle.

He dialed his uncle’s number.

“Uncle, I transferred some money to your bank card.”

His uncle’s voice sounded honest and thick over the phone. “No need, kid. Do you have enough for yourself?”

“It’s not a question of whether I have enough anymore; it’s a question of how to spend it.”

His uncle advised him earnestly, “Even if your job pays well now, you need to save up. You’ll need money for everything later-getting a wife, buying a car and a house, the dowry… it all costs money. You have to be frugal.”

Wang Ming didn’t take it to heart. “Uncle, you should have received the text notification by now, right?”

“I got it. It says five hundred thousand arrived, but it must be a scam text.”

Wang Ming quickly explained, “No, it really is five hundred thousand. I sent it to you.”

On the other end of the line, his uncle was incredulous, his brow furrowing. “You sent it?”

“Try withdrawing it to your WeChat wallet.”

His uncle was shocked. “It really was you? You didn’t do anything illegal, did you?”

“I’m an executive at the company now. Even though it’s a small firm, the bonuses are great, and the company is going to grow in the future. You don’t have to work so hard anymore. Go buy a house in the county seat.”

“You should keep it for yourself, don’t worry about me. Your cousin starts university next year; once I grit my teeth through a few more years, I’ll be free. She’s planning to apply to a university in West Guan. Once she graduates, you’ll be there to look after her.”

Wang Ming smiled. “Of course. By the way, how’s my older cousin doing? I haven’t been in touch with her for a while.”

“Your cousin seems to be quitting her job, but she didn’t tell me much.”

“Let’s leave it at that for now. Don’t worry about spending the money. If you’re short, just tell me. I’ll come visit you during the New Year.”

His uncle gave a helpless final instruction: “Take care of yourself, kid. Whatever you do, make sure you remain a law-abiding citizen of Daxia Country.”

“Don’t worry!”

Wang Ming hung up and dialed his older cousin’s number. A moment later, the call connected.

“Cousin, how are things in Nanzhou?”

His cousin teased him, “You little brat, so you do know how to care about me? You haven’t called me in nearly a month.”

Wang Ming explained, “Too much has been going on lately. I heard from Uncle that you’re quitting?”

His cousin sighed over the phone. “Sigh, Nanzhou is just too competitive. The boss treats us like cattle. I’ve already resigned. I’m going to take a month off to clear my head before I figure things out. How are things with you in West Guan?”

“I’m doing alright. Why don’t you come here? I can look after you. It must be lonely being all by yourself in Nanzhou.”

His cousin laughed and joked, “You can’t even take care of yourself, and you want to look after me? Though, I really would like to visit West Guan. Its development has been much better than Nanzhou’s over the last couple of years.”
“Come on, you’ll have some company with me by your side.”

His cousin spoke in a serious tone, “I’ll think about it.”

“Cousin, I have to go. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Alright, bye.”

After they hung up, Wang Ming tapped on Zhou Shiman’s profile picture and transferred 100,000 yuan to her.

Wang Ming’s cousin, Zhou Shiman, was twenty-five years old.

She had been working for several years and lived paycheck to paycheck, but she was self-reliant. She never asked Wang Ming’s uncle for money, and during the New Year, she would even use her meager savings to buy gifts for the family.

Wang Ming had grown up in his uncle’s home and had a great relationship with his cousins.

When Zhou Shiman opened the message and saw the 100,000 yuan transfer from her younger cousin, she was beyond shocked. Below the transfer was a message:

[Since you’re clearing your head, go travel a bit. Take this money and use it; don’t be too stingy with yourself. I’ve already sent a good amount to Uncle, so don’t worry about him.]

Zhou Shiman stared at the transfer and replied: [Did you win the lottery?]

Wang Ming replied: [I got promoted. I’m the second-in-command at the company now.]

It took Zhou Shiman a long while to calm down. She thought to herself that her younger brother had truly made something of himself.

Wang Ming urged her to accept the transfer. When Zhou Shiman clicked to receive it, 100,000 yuan truly landed in her account.

[You kid, not bad!]

Seeing his cousin’s praise gave Wang Ming a distinct sense of accomplishment.

Returning to his workstation, he looked at the company’s client orders that Jiang Yao had sent over via the office chat.

He groaned inwardly; the workload was ridiculously heavy.

Without even consulting him, she had made him the second-in-command and put him in charge of reviewing every single business transaction.

Wang Ming didn’t even have time for a bite of lunch. Time slipped away unnoticed, and before he knew it, it was almost time to clock in for the afternoon.

Exhausted and dizzy, he rubbed his dry eyes and stretched his stiff neck.

Jiang Yao appeared by his desk carrying a bag of food, a gentle smile on her face. “Eat something. You’ve worked hard today.

“Since you’re my second-in-command now, I’m planning to raise your salary to 8,000 next month. And like we agreed, you’ll get a ten percent dividend at the end of the year. Keep up the good work.”

Wang Ming was slightly taken aback, then showed a look of gratitude. “Thank you, Boss, but I still need to think about it.”

Jiang Yao nodded slightly. “No rush. You’re here at the company anyway, so take your time.”

She was a bit puzzled inwardly. In the past, if Wang Ming applied for a raise and got even 500 yuan, he would be over the moon. Now, even with such generous terms, he seemed completely unfazed.

Wang Ming was also thinking to himself. If this were the old him, he definitely would have been moved to tears, maybe even hugged this single mother right then and there.

But things were different now. A single sale of one of his offices would bring in millions.

*Sigh, maybe I should just buy shares in Jiang Yao’s company?*

Jiang Yao had always wanted to expand, and since he had no experience being a boss, starting with a small company would be perfect for practice.

In the future, as he completed more System tasks and accumulated enough money, he could slowly grow his business empire.

*Heh, if I have the strength and the opportunity, I’m definitely going to acquire Liu Guohua’s family supermarkets.*

Wang Ming looked at Jiang Yao. “Boss, I’ve already gone through everyone’s client orders and progress. Is it okay if I head out for a bit this afternoon?”

Jiang Yao said nonchalantly, “Whatever you like. You’re the second-in-command now. As long as there are no issues with the work, you can do as you please. You don’t need to ask me for permission anymore.”

“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Wang Ming bid Jiang Yao goodbye and drove the little Beetle that Zou Shuqing had given him toward the real estate administration center.