Chapter 6: Quite Stiff

“Xiao Li, what do you want to eat?”

Looking at the noisy, shabby little eatery, Li Huan also wondered what he should eat.

Last night, Sun Wei mentioned that Song Chunhui was stingy, valuing money more than life itself. Li Huan thought that no matter how stingy this four-eyed guy was, he still drove a Mercedes. Even if it was a ten-year-old model, for the sake of face, he would at least treat him to a decent meal.

“Let me tell you,” Song Chunhui said to Li Huan, “many delicious foods are hidden in these small eateries. You can’t find them elsewhere, and they taste way better than those fancy big restaurants. They’re really authentic.”

“…” Li Huan hadn’t had breakfast and was already feeling a bit hungry.

At this moment, he was extremely annoyed. Since yesterday, his mood had been clouded, and he had been experiencing environments that were beyond his worst expectations.

Watching Song Chunhui seriously showing off, pointing at the menu on the wall and telling him the best dish was the rice with stir-fried meat, and then ordering a mere 11-yuan dish for him without asking his opinion, Li Huan was both amused and irritated.

A table in the corner just became available, and Song Chunhui quickly instructed Li Huan to grab the seat while he took out his phone to pay. He hesitated slightly before adding a bottle of mineral water for his assistant as a reward for his good performance in the morning.

The leftover food on the table made Li Huan feel nauseous, but fortunately, an auntie came over to clean it up in time. He sat down, holding back his disgust, but quickly got up again when he saw the dirty rag in the auntie’s hand.

“Sit down, Xiao Li.” Song Chunhui sat down, pulled out two napkins to wipe the oil stains off the table, and then handed the water to his assistant.

Li Huan found it easier to go along with things. Apart from being naggy, this four-eyed guy was somewhat nicer to him.

But right now, he really didn’t want to go along with Song Chunhui. If he didn’t vent, he might explode. So he sat back down, pushed the bottle of off-brand mineral water back, and said directly, “Manager, I want a Coke.”

“No Coke for you.” Song Chunhui refused directly, adding a couple of lectures, “Drinking too much of that stuff isn’t good for men; it affects the next generation.”

“…” Li Huan was speechless, “Then I want Sprite.”

Song Chunhui kindly invited his assistant for a meal, never expecting Li Huan to be so bold as to demand a drink from him, treating him like an ATM.

Money wasn’t the issue; it was the attitude that was problematic.

He didn’t agree: “You young people are so picky, refusing to drink healthy mineral water and insisting on sugary drinks. If you want it, buy it yourself.”

Is that even healthy mineral water? Li Huan wanted to retort, but Song Chunhui was already looking at his phone, leaving Li Huan to swallow his words and hold back his anger.

It didn’t take long for the two plates of rice with stir-fried meat to be served.

The work group chat had become a dead group. Even when Song Chunhui asked the salespeople to report their work, no one responded. He had to bring out General Manager Liu to announce the weekend’s team-building activity, not forgetting to scold Wu Yuliang for talking back to him in the morning.

After putting away his phone, he didn’t bother with his assistant across the table and focused on eating. After a few big bites, he noticed something was wrong; his assistant was just sitting there, not touching his food.

“Xiao Li, why aren’t you eating?” Song Chunhui asked.

The dish on top of the rice was a mushy mess, completely unappetizing. Li Huan had tried a couple of bites and found it too salty and unpalatable. Seeing how much Song Chunhui was enjoying it, he thought there might be something wrong with his taste buds.

He smiled and explained, “I’m not very hungry, and I don’t like eating wood ear mushrooms, cucumbers, or carrots.”

“…” Song Chunhui frowned, “What’s wrong with you? If you’re not hungry, you should have said so earlier.” He glanced at Li Huan’s opened chopsticks, noticing the tips were stained with sauce.

Li Huan kept smiling, staring at Song Chunhui’s greasy mouth, and said, “I’ll know for next time.”

Song Chunhui had never had a full meal growing up and despised wasting food. He also hated picky eaters, so he couldn’t give his assistant a good face.

He took out his car keys and sent Li Huan to wait in the car. As soon as Li Huan left, he immediately asked the owner for a takeout box, scooped out the portion that had been touched by chopsticks, and packed the rest into the box.

After eating his fill, Song Chunhui chatted with his junior, Meng Chunxun, on WeChat for a few minutes. Meng Chunxun again urged Song Chunhui to return to Jiangcheng for an interview.

He didn’t want to go. It had taken him so much effort to reach this age, and switching to a new company would mean starting over. Besides, Meng Chunxun’s company was of average size, with quite a few connections inside.

Chunxun: [Don’t worry about the household registration issue. If the company doesn’t keep it for you, it’s fine. I checked a couple of days ago; you can transfer it to the community collective household. You definitely meet the requirements.]

Song Chunhui: [No transfer, the house will be ready next year.]

Chunxun: [It’s not convenient for you to find a partner in Ancheng, and being a business manager isn’t easy. What’s the point? Come to my company, and we can look out for each other.]

Song Chunhui had long seen through society. Relying solely on education couldn’t achieve class mobility. If a person didn’t have a background or connections, it was the same everywhere; you’d have to look at people’s faces, sometimes living worse than a dog.

After the fallout with Ma Jianguo, he figured it out. The branch office had few people, and the interpersonal relationships were simple. His only superior was Liu Wenjin. While he was still young, he wanted to work hard, save more money, and start his own business in the future.

If he couldn’t even handle a small business department, he’d have wasted his thirty years of life.

After declining his junior’s kind offer, Song Chunhui walked out of the small eatery and saw his assistant standing by the car, looking like he had just finished a call and was putting his phone in his pocket.

Li Huan noticed the plastic bag in Song Chunhui’s hand, which seemed to contain the rice with stir-fried meat. It was unlikely that the four-eyed guy had packed a new one for him.

“What are you looking at? Hungry now?” Song Chunhui’s face turned stern as he scolded his assistant, “I’m taking it back for the landlord’s dog to eat, not for you. Remember this next time.”

Li Huan: “…”

“Get in the car,” Song Chunhui urged.

The enclosed space inside the car, mixed with the smell of hair wax and car air freshener, almost made Li Huan nauseous again. He quickly rolled down the window, using car sickness as an excuse, and pressed his chin against the window to breathe in the fresh air after the rain.

“You know how to drive, so why do you always get car sick? Your physical condition isn’t great,” Song Chunhui wondered.

“…” Li Huan’s face darkened. Seeing the community hospital appear in his view, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with the annoying four-eyed guy. Tomorrow, he’d buy that electric scooter.

After the incident at the eatery, Song Chunhui’s satisfaction with his assistant gradually decreased. He thought to himself that it was a waste of such a sturdy physique, just a pretty face with no substance.

Li Huan had thought there couldn’t be a worse environment than the staff dormitory.

But when he followed Song Chunhui into the procurement department of the community hospital, holding the gifts that Song Chunhui had prepared, he was caught off guard when Song Chunhui secretly pinched his waist hard, forcing him to nod and bow like a grandson to the person in charge. Then he was sent outside to wait like a doorman, almost fainting from anger.

Wherever this idiot four-eyed guy was, that was the worst environment.

After some back-and-forth pleasantries, Song Chunhui first placed the gifts separately on the coffee table, casually adjusting their position under the watchful eyes of the person in charge, and then handed over the brochures of the main drugs.

He smiled broadly, “Director Wang, you can rest assured about the price. Since this is our first cooperation, we value it greatly and have shown the utmost sincerity.”

Director Wang smiled knowingly, casually flipping through the brochures, and said thoughtfully, “So it’s ‘Jinhui.’ We did have an intention to cooperate before.”

Before Song Chunhui could be happy, he saw the other party put down the brochures and leisurely sip his tea. He quickly added, “If you have any needs, just let me know. I’ll definitely cooperate fully to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

“Manager Song, you seem like an honest person. From my initial understanding, the quality of your company’s drugs is indeed good,” Director Wang said, blowing on the tea leaves and speaking in a drawn-out manner, “However… our hospital has quite a few suppliers, so I have to carefully assess and compare them. If everything checks out, we can proceed steadily with the cooperation, okay?”

Song Chunhui cursed the old fox inwardly. Not satisfied with just taking kickbacks, he wanted to see what benefits he could get before deciding on cooperation. Such greed, wasn’t he afraid of bursting?

For the sake of performance, he put on a flattering smile, “If Director Wang says so, then it must be okay.”

*

Leaning against the wall, Li Huan was replying to WeChat messages. Cheng Yao, upon learning of his situation, not only showed no sympathy but also sent several emojis to mock him. Blocking him didn’t even relieve his anger.

Cheng Yao: [Slap him hard, just to vent my anger.]

After replying with the word “idiot,” the door of the procurement department office opened. Without saying a word, Song Chunhui glanced at him and walked straight towards the stairs, clearly giving him the cold shoulder. Li Huan put away his phone and followed in time.

As soon as they stepped out of the hospital, the four-eyed guy indeed went crazy.

“How old are you this year?” Song Chunhui scolded Li Huan as they walked, “In school, you know to greet teachers, but at work, you’re like a fool with no sense of propriety? When you see a leader, you must greet them immediately, regardless of their position. You’ll have to visit various hospitals often in the future. I’m taking the trouble to bring you out to get familiar, and I even plan to take you to social events, but look at you.”

Li Huan fell silent. Although Song Chunhui lowered his voice considering the surroundings, after a series of frustrating events over the past two days, he had reached his limit.

“The probation period is half a month.” Song Chunhui stopped, looking at his assistant, “Xiao Li, connections aren’t everything. You need to be strong yourself, understand? If you’re not quick-witted, you’ll suffer a lot in the future.”

“Manager, I’m quite strong right now. How about we try it somewhere else?” Li Huan asked nonchalantly, his fingers gradually curling into a fist, hard as a rock, his thumb subconsciously rubbing his index finger joint.

Song Chunhui raised an eyebrow in surprise, then put on a stern face, “Talking back to me now? If you’re so capable, go and secure a deal with the largest People’s Hospital in the county for me. I’ll give you my manager position right away, and you can boss me around as you please. Can you do it?”

Li Huan had planned to endure until Song Chunhui left on his own, then spend two or three months before going to Beicheng to find his wealthy cousin to help him escape this misery. But hearing Song Chunhui’s words, he released his fist and asked, “If I can, will you really give it to me?”

“…” Song Chunhui was taken aback, not expecting this backdoor connection to be aiming for the manager position, threatening his own status.

He quickly backtracked, “The cooperation I just discussed with Director Wang might not succeed. On Friday night, come with me to a social event and sign the contract on the spot for me to see.”

Having navigated various venues, Li Huan didn’t mind social events, but he especially disliked old men. Adding in the heavyweight “living dad” that was Song Chunhui, the scene was unimaginable.

Seeing his assistant remain silent, Song Chunhui snorted coldly, “Already backing down? You’re young, but you talk big. You haven’t even learned the ways of the world and want to be a manager. Don’t bring the company down.”

Li Huan: “…”

“Alright, you don’t need to follow me to the next hospital. Go back to the company and familiarize yourself with the products, learn more about the business.” With that, Song Chunhui left his assistant behind and walked away.

Li Huan watched his retreating figure, took out his phone to contact his cousin, and suddenly felt a coolness on his face as the rain started again.

The community hospital was in a slightly remote location. He looked around but didn’t see many taxis. As the rain intensified, he had no choice but to return to the hospital to take shelter. Just then, a silver Mercedes drove by, coincidentally the same model as Song Chunhui’s old car, with the same license plate.

Damn, this idiot four-eyed guy.

Li Huan was sure that Song Chunhui did it on purpose, taking revenge on him out of spite.

Why didn’t he stop to give his assistant a ride? On one hand, Song Chunhui didn’t like his car getting wet, and on the other hand, he wanted to teach Li Huan a lesson.

A young punk with no hair on his chest, pretending to be sincere, dared to talk back and boast after just two days, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.

At the second community hospital, Song Chunhui didn’t meet the head of the procurement department. The other party said on the phone that they would be back at the hospital by five and that he could wait if he wanted.

The excess fuel cost would be on him, and he didn’t want to make a wasted trip, so he waited in the hospital. As a result, he waited until the rain stopped and it got dark, but Director Zhao never returned.

Song Chunhui was used to it. Luckily, he didn’t bring his assistant along; otherwise, he’d have to pay for another dinner. If he didn’t, it wouldn’t look good on him.

Back in the car, he opened the box of rice with stir-fried meat he had packed at noon, broke open the disposable chopsticks, and started eating heartily.

The cold food didn’t taste good. The oil had solidified, the cucumbers were wilted and only had a raw taste, the meat slices were hard and greasy, and the rice was dry.

But Song Chunhui chewed with relish. In his mouth, there was nothing that tasted bad. As long as it was edible and didn’t have an off-flavor, it was delicious.

After eating, he rested in the car for a while, contemplating life. Once he saved enough money and the house was ready next year, he wondered what kind of business to start. Working for others wasn’t as good as working for himself. If he made it big, he wouldn’t have to worry about finding a wife.

Regarding Li Huan, the ambitious assistant, Song Chunhui thought it over and decided to keep using him for now. But proper training was out of the question. At most, he’d take him to social events to block drinks for him or run errands, and that was about it.

The sky was dark and gloomy, the streetlights dim and faint.

Returning to the rental room meant facing a cold bed. Afraid he couldn’t resist thinking about women, which would lead to uncontrollable urges, he could only fill the void with busy work.

He never imagined that on the way back, as he turned onto an inconspicuous, secluded road near the company, he would witness a shocking scene.

By the roadside, two shadows, clearly of men, were tightly pressed together, kissing as if no one was watching. Among them, the overly tall figure was all too familiar. Wasn’t it his assistant who had talked back to him in the afternoon?