Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Avoidance Is a Form of Remembrance
Zhang Chun’s expression suddenly turned unnatural. "I failed to look after you properly. I’ve made you suffer."
Yang Hui was speechless, then laughed in spite of himself. ’How can he blame himself for not taking care of me? Where is this even coming from?’
But he saw that Zhang Chun’s expression was dead serious. He hadn’t been joking at all.
He inwardly dismissed it. ’Brother Chun is overstating things!’
"Brother Chun, about the favor I asked you for yesterday—I’ll have to trouble you with it!"
"It’s a small thing. The reason I asked you here today is related to that. Wenren Du’Er’s school transfer is all taken care of. She’s in an honors class at the No. 7 Middle School Main Campus!"
’That was incredibly efficient.’
He knew Zhang Chun was influential, but to get something done the very next day after it was mentioned—and to arrange a transfer into an honors class at the best school in Qingzhou, no less—was no simple feat.
And on a Saturday, too, when schools weren’t even open.
"Also, about you wanting to become a distributor for a brand, I’ve already arranged that for you too. Just go with the streetwear brand ’NLB.’ It’s performing well in the market right now. You can open your first store in Xinyue Square!
As for the partnership terms with the brand, you’ll get the merchandise at 30% of the retail price. They’ve also given you special support on the return and exchange policy. To start, you’ll open the store with their current inventory. Once you’ve scaled up, you can start thinking about seasonal pre-orders."
Yang Hui knew that "seasonal pre-orders" meant attending a buying conference two or three quarters in advance to select the merchandise he wanted to order.
"Current inventory," on the other hand, meant picking from the company’s existing stock. This would tie up the main company’s inventory, but it was a practical stopgap measure for a new store.
"As for your partnership with Xinyue Square, find some time in the next couple of days to go see President Tian. I’ve already asked him to make the arrangements. You can take your pick of any available retail space. And they’ll definitely give you the most favorable business terms possible!"
He had no doubt about that. After all, they had given Ruijing Commerce so much favorable treatment just because of him. Of course they would do even more now that it was his own business.
"Thank you, Brother Chun. You’ve helped me so much!"
"Don’t mention it. These are all small matters."
Yang Hui noticed that when he mentioned how much Zhang Chun had helped him, Zhang Chun suddenly seemed to relax, a happy twitch playing at the corners of his mouth.
"A Hui, are you planning to start your business while keeping your job?"
’He knows about that, too?’
’Wouldn’t a normal person just assume I’d be throwing myself completely into the new business? Trying to do both at once is not a wise move.’
"Brother Chun, how did you know I was planning to keep working?"
Zhang Chun’s smile froze for an instant before he recovered, letting out a dry laugh. "Just a guess. Knowing you, I figured you’d want to learn a little more in the professional world."
The explanation was a stretch, but it was just plausible enough.
Yang Hui just smiled.
’It wasn’t about getting more professional experience at all. It was just about getting a higher unemployment payout.’
"I am planning to keep working, actually. I start the new job on Monday!"
"That fast? Which company?"
"Futong Trading Co., Ltd. I’ll be the Operations Manager for the Airex brand."
"Futong Commerce? That name sounds familiar!"
Zhang Chun thought for a moment, then a look of realization crossed his face. "Isn’t that the company run by that guy... Li-something... that we had dinner with the other day?"
Yang Hui realized then that Zhang Chun wasn’t actually familiar with Li Yang. It seemed President Tian was the one who had invited Li Yang to that dinner.
Zhang Chun’s brow furrowed. "With your abilities, how can they just have you managing a single brand? You should be the general manager, or at the very least, head of the entire operations department!
This Li Yang doesn’t know how to appreciate talent!"
’Brother Chun was being so overbearing. I go looking for a job, and if they don’t immediately make me the general manager or head of operations, it means they ’don’t appreciate talent’? He didn’t even ask if those positions were open.’
Yang Hui was used to it. In the two years he’d known Zhang Chun, he’d always been like this, acting as if the entire world owed Yang Hui and had a natural obligation to treat him well.
’But what kind of logic was that in the real world?’
"This is my fault. I was negligent. I thought you’d take a break after leaving Ruijing Commerce, especially since you’re also planning to start your own business. I never expected you to go find another job so quickly.
Forget Futong Commerce. I’ll recommend you to another company. You can be the general manager!"
Yang Hui quickly waved his hands. "No, that’s not necessary. It’s all settled. I’m supposed to report for duty on Monday, and I’ve already accepted the offer. Backing out now would hurt my reputation. Let’s see how it goes for a few months, and if I need your help then, I’ll be sure to ask."
’If he reported for duty on Monday, his system mission would be complete. It would be foolish not to go now.’
’Besides, the job title didn’t matter. What mattered was the base salary and getting laid off quickly. That would be much easier to manage at a company where he didn’t know anyone.’
’If he took a job through an acquaintance, quitting after just three months would be letting the person who recommended him down!’
’A company like Futong Commerce was perfect. The less the boss operated on personal connections, the less of a psychological burden he’d feel. This was the ideal job.’
’Seeing Zhang Chun’s "guilty" expression, Yang Hui started to wonder if he was the long-lost illegitimate son of some tycoon. How else could finding a less-than-perfect job, in Zhang Chun’s eyes, make the man so "panic-stricken"?’
After they finished with business, Zhang Chun started making small talk. Strangely, he kept bringing up topics from Yang Hui’s youth—his old home in Xiahe Village, his childhood.
’What common ground could a man in his late forties and a 24-year-old possibly have when talking about childhood?’
"A Hui, you don’t seem very willing to talk about fun stories from your childhood."
He gave a faint smile. "Brother Chun, not all childhood memories are fun."
Zhang Chun’s expression tightened. He seemed at a loss for what to say next.
’Yang Hui found it amusing. Brother Chun didn’t chat naturally; it was more like he was reciting lines from a script. The conversation felt completely hollow.’
"A Hui, would you be willing to share some with Brother Chun?"
Yang Hui shook his head. "Brother Chun, some memories are things you neither want to forget nor want to talk about."
Zhang Chun watched him intently, noticing the slight unnaturalness of his expression. The body is more honest than words; avoidance is, in itself, a form of remembrance.
Yang Hui’s mood suddenly soured. "Brother Chun, you should get some rest. I have to be heading back."
’Wenren Du’Er was home alone. He wondered if she was scared in that big house.’
Besides, Zhang Chun’s words had dredged up some old childhood memories, and he suddenly lost all desire to continue the conversation.
Zhang Chun walked him all the way to the elevators. The strangest thing to Yang Hui was that once they were out of the suite, Zhang Chun seemed different, much more relaxed. Inside the room, he had been completely tense.
"Alright, Brother Chun, you can head back."
He waved off Zhang Chun’s offer to see him all the way down to the first floor and told him to get some rest.
He waved goodbye to Zhang Chun as the elevator doors slid shut.
He pressed the ignition, turned the steering wheel, and gently stepped on the gas. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan glided smoothly away from the hotel.
The reflections of streetlights flashed intermittently between the metal spokes of the AMG wheels, like stray sparks in the dead of night.
When Zhang Chun returned to the suite, a man in his forties with a commanding presence was sitting in the living room.
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