Team Leader Zhao came to his senses. Recently, many people in suits and ties had come to visit him, but they revealed their purpose after just a few words and were then sent out by him. Today was really an accident and also a surprise.
The word "Mr. Xiang" exposed his identity. Xiang Mingzhang understood what Chu Shichen meant and took the opportunity to extend his right hand: "Mr. Zhao, I am Xiang Mingzhang."
Team leader Zhao shook hands back and said jokingly, "Mr. Xiang, you have taken the time to bring glory to our humble shop."
Xiang Mingzhang didn't like false politeness and said, "I'm an outsider, just don't laugh at me for being pretentious."
Team leader Zhao smiled politely, still immersed in the pipa music he had just played. He turned around and asked Chu Shichen enthusiastically if he was a professional, how many years he had learned, and what piece of music he was playing.
Chu Shichen stood up and replied, "It's a long story. Would you like to spare some time to chat?"
Team leader Zhao knew it well: "I'm afraid it's not just about the pipa."
Chu Shichen said frankly: "If you are having fun, can I give you a few minutes to talk about the project?"
Team leader Zhao was in a good mood and readily agreed, leading them to the cafe on the second floor.
Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen walked up the stairs side by side, their arms touching each other from time to time. Xiang Mingzhang slowed down and asked, "What is this? Help?"
Chu Shichen stopped when he heard this: "I forgot that I was fired. This is considered meddling in other people's business."
After he finished speaking, he was about to go downstairs, but Xiang Mingzhang raised his hand to stop him. His tone was very low, but his expression was not angry: "Are you deliberately taking revenge on me?"
Chu Shichen replied: "If you ask me to stay, I can consider it."
The boss waved and urged him upstairs. Xiang Mingzhang smiled and took a half step closer and said, "Your bag of corn killed four of my canaries, and I haven't settled the bill with you yet."
Chu Shichen looked surprised, but before he could ask whether it was true or not, Xiang Mingzhang pulled him, put his arm around his shoulders and went upstairs.
A pot of brewed coffee was fragrant and mellow. Team leader Zhao was in high spirits and asked curious questions across the table.
Chu Shichen started learning pipa at the age of five. On his birthday that year, his father gave him a jade abacus and taught him how to do accounting. For the next month, he ran around with the abacus in his arms all day, making a lot of noise, which was really annoying.
His mother scolded him, saying that it was too early for him to be involved in money matters and that he would become utilitarian when he grew up. But since he liked to play instruments with his hands, she taught him to play the pipa so that he could cultivate his artistic sentiment.
Chu Shichen learned to play the pipa, to entertain himself when no one was around, and rarely performed in front of others. The piece of music was an old folk score that had been lost. It was passionate and sad, and could be considered a martial music piece.
The topic always revolved around the pipa. Xiang Mingzhang listened in silence. He had never heard that Mrs. Chu could play the pipa, and he could not imagine that Chu Zhe would give an abacus to his son.
But Chu Shichen's way of speaking was lively and sincere, and it seemed that his lying skills had been perfected.
After chatting for a while, Chu Shichen looked around and changed the subject: "This building used to be a bank, a place with the heaviest smell of money. It has a unique flavor now that it has been converted into a cafe."
Team leader Zhao said: "That must have been during the Republic of China period."
Chu Shichen nodded: "Yes, it was established earlier than Lixin Bank."
Chinese piano music is inseparable from its ancient origins. Team leader Zhao loves this aspect and must be interested in history as well. Chu Shichen started from the old banks and told some interesting stories about the industry.
Team leader Zhao was indeed listening attentively. When the topic turned to the business in the new and old eras, he started a conversation with Chu Shichen.
Xiang Mingzhang took a sip of coffee, and along with it, he swallowed a hint of curiosity. Chu Shichen was definitely not just doing his homework, he had a clear grasp of what he had learned, as if he had plenty of industry experience.
Team leader Zhao also had questions: "How do you know so much about this? Have you ever worked in a bank?"
"Just a humble opinion." Chu Shichen paused, "The company attaches great importance to this project, and we should do our best. Otherwise, Mr. Xiang would not have shown up today."
They had this tacit understanding from nowhere, but there was no need for Chu Shichen to hint with his eyes. Just one sentence was enough. Xiang Mingzhang put down his cup with understanding and started talking about the technical implementation of the business requirements.
He cited several examples that were highly targeted, easy to understand, and concisely demonstrated Xiang Yue's advantages.
Although the time was limited, it had far exceeded expectations. Xiang Mingzhang left some space and arranged a formal interview opportunity with Team Leader Zhao.
Before leaving, Team Leader Zhao escorted them downstairs and asked, "By the way, why didn't I see Mr. Chu during the last exchange?"
Chu Shichen said freely: "I was busy with other projects at the time."
Team leader Zhao did not suspect anything and agreed to chat more next time they met.
There was an empty spot on the pipa wall, and the one that was tested was not hung back. Chu Shichen admitted that his intentions were not pure, and took the initiative to confess: "I like the pipa very much, but two hundred thousand is a bit expensive, otherwise I would definitely take it away, forgive me."
Team leader Zhao admired his demeanor: "Meet friends through the piano, and trade comes second."
After leaving the piano store, it was raining heavily. Xiang Mingzhang didn't bring an umbrella and he was taller, so he took the umbrella handle from Chu Shichen and held it up, and they walked to the street together.
Chu Shichen looked back at the building, the door slowly closed, and he went from being the owner to a passerby.
Xiang Mingzhang had already noticed that something was wrong with Chu Shichen, who seemed to be very upset. He lowered the edge of his umbrella to block Chu Shichen's sight and asked, "Where are you going?"
The cold rain fell on his thin shirt, and Chu Shichen shuddered: "I want to go have a drink."
Are you drinking to drown your sorrows? Xiang Mingzhang didn't ask, but said, "I'll take you somewhere."
The ancient neighborhood hides many places to get drunk. Xiang Mingzhang took Chu Shichen to a bar called "Yunjiao". He was a regular customer and did not need to make a reservation.
The fixed booth had an extremely soft long sofa. When Chu Shichen sat on it, his body sank slightly and he couldn't help but relax his back.
Soon, the waiter brought seven or eight bottles of wine and some cocktail condiments. Xiang Mingzhang sat opposite with clean hands, opened a bottle of tequila, added liqueur and lemon juice, shook it evenly, poured it into a glass and handed it to Chu Shichen.
"It's good for your appetite," he said.
Chu Shichen picked it up and drank it all, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue: "It's a bit sour."
Xiang Mingzhang opened another bottle of whiskey, mixed it with honey liqueur, and said, "This one has a high alcohol content, drink it slowly."
Chu Shichen finished the drink in two gulps and asked under Xiang Mingzhang's speechless gaze, "Anything else?"
After the third cup, Chu Shichen finally slowed down. Xiang Mingzhang freed his hands and mixed himself a cup. The two of them drank together, exchanging glances from time to time.
After what happened today, the initiative is now in Chu Shichen's hands.
Xiang Mingzhang admitted that he had underestimated Chu Shichen. He would not allow himself to be manipulated. He wanted to return to the company. Today's pipa music and business exchanges all had a price tag.
The situation has reversed, and Chu Shichen not only has to return with dignity, but also wants the "mastermind" to go back willingly.
Xiang Mingzhang never dragged his feet and said, "Let's talk. What do you want?"
Chu Shichen did not shy away: "I want to make a gentleman's agreement with you."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I said, I am not a gentleman."
"So we need an agreement to constrain us." Chu Shichen shook the empty wine glass, "Are you willing?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "That depends on the content of the agreement. I know you want to return to Yisi, so what position do you want?"
Chu Shichen put down the cup, and the bottom of the glass cup hit the marble table with a crisp sound, but his tone was firm and almost solemn: "No, I want Xiang Yue back."
Chu Shichen considered it carefully. Xiang Yue is the leader in the industry. He is top-notch in both business and management, and he can learn a lot from him.
The defeat in the previous game also made him realize one thing: those who are involved are often confused, and he needs to step out of his thoughts to see things more clearly.
Besides, it would be easier for him to get closer with the help of Xiang Mingzhang.
Chu Shichen nodded affirmatively: "Do you agree?"
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "Why?"
The strong alcohol in that glass took effect. Chu Shichen's brain felt dizzy for a second, and then his tongue got tied and he made a "hmm" sound. So he omitted all the unnecessary words and simplified the answer - "I want to be closer to you."
Xiang Mingzhang suspected that either his hearing had deteriorated or his Chinese had deteriorated, and he just stood there in a daze, not knowing how to react.
While he was distracted, Chu Shichen filled a glass of whiskey and drank half of it in two or three gulps.
The smell of alcohol spread to his face, and his cheeks were light red. He closed his lips and teeth tightly, not knowing what he was thinking. Suddenly, he opened his mouth as if giving up, and sighed heavily with the smell of alcohol, revealing his hidden thoughts.
Xiang Mingzhang recalled the moment Chu Shichen raised his head and looked up at the end of the pipa music. There was clear sadness in Chu Shichen's eyes at that moment.
Leaning over and taking the wine glass, Xiang Mingzhang said, "Stop drinking. Do you want to eat something?"
Chu Shichen shook his head: "Not hungry."
Xiang Mingzhang glanced at today's menu: "The red wine roast duck here is good, feel free to try it."
"Roast duck..." Chu Shichen said drunkenly, "I've eaten it at a time-honored restaurant in Peking. The skin was crispy, tender, and very fragrant."
Xiang Mingzhang was puzzled: "Beiping?"
Chu Shichen ignored him, tore a piece of paper from the suggestion book, held a pen in his other hand, and began to write the agreement with Xiang Mingzhang's tacit consent.
As he wrote, he declared: "Don't frame me, don't fire me at will."
Xiang Mingzhang looked at the two lines of traditional Chinese characters, and was afraid that there was another one saying "Don't use me", so he asked in a warning tone: "Are there any more?"
Chu Shichen thought carefully for a while and wrote down the third rule: "Don't let me peel apples."
Xiang Mingzhang: “…”
He thought to himself, after I peel it, I'll give it to you to eat.
Chu Shichen was getting more and more drunk, and his writing became unsteady. The tip of the pen drew a line on the index finger of his left hand that was pressing on the paper. The ink mark quickly dried up and was about to solidify on his fair skin.
Xiang Mingzhang took a tissue and reached out to wipe Chu Shichen, but Chu Shichen slapped him away and warned him, "It's against the rules. You can't touch it before stamping."
Xiang Mingzhang laughed angrily: "Do we need to stamp this crappy agreement?"
"Of course." Chu Shichen muttered incoherently, "But my official seal is lost. It took the royal craftsmen of France three months to make this top-quality crystal."
Peking is not enough, now France is coming
Xiang Mingzhang waved to the waiter to take away the drinks. If he continued drinking, he might dream about returning to the Qing Dynasty.
After writing the agreement, Chu Shichen signed his name with three dots of water as usual. He paused, smiled helplessly, and changed it to bold "Chu Shichen".
He put down his pen and paper and leaned back against the large soft cushion. The alcohol had made his head hot, but his body was still a little cold.
Xiang Mingzhang picked up the agreement and finished reading it. Chu Shichen fell asleep with his head tilted, his shoulders slightly curled inward, and a deep shadow cast under the exposed collarbone.
It was raining heavily outside and they couldn't leave for a while, so Xiang Mingzhang took off his windbreaker, walked over and covered Chu Shichen with it.
The rain stopped near dusk, and Xiang Mingzhang called a car to take Chu Shichen home.
He thought that the player's drinking capacity could at least fight three people at once, but who knew that he would be confused after drinking half a bottle of whiskey. However, Chu Shichen's drinking capacity was good. He didn't go crazy, make noise, or vomit. He also knew to pull his seat belt.
Chu Shichen went home and slept for the night.
The next morning, Chu Shichen woke up, feeling a little dazed after a deep sleep. He remembered drinking with Xiang Mingzhang and talking about returning to the company, but he didn't remember what they talked about specifically.
He also didn't remember... why Xiang Mingzhang's windbreaker was hanging in his room.
After washing up, Chu Shichen went downstairs.
A logistics company's car drove in outside the gate, and the courier put down a box and asked him to sign for it.
The sender was marked with the word "Xiang".
Chu Shichen signed and accepted it. The box was rectangular, large and heavy, with layers of wrapping, and it seemed that the things in the box were very valuable.
The last layer of cloth he uncovered was a layer of dark velvet. Chu Shichen carefully opened it and found the pipa he had played yesterday.
There was a "Gentleman's Agreement" pinned to the strings of the guitar. He pulled it out and Xiang Mingzhang signed his name on it.
The phone rang, and Chu Shichen answered it without even looking at it. Xiang Mingzhang's voice came to his ears: "Did you receive it?"
Chu Shichen asked: "Do you mean the agreement or the pipa?"
Xiang Mingzhang replied: "I thought you liked both."
Chu Shichen asked: "So you agree?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Yes, I agree."
Chu Shichen raised his hand and stroked the Phoenix Terrace, plucking the strings of the pipa lightly: "Then what will be my specific position when I return to Xiang Yue?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I asked the Human Resources Department to check overnight. Xiang Yue currently has only two vacancies. You can choose one yourself."
Chu Shichen asked: "Which two?"
"One is the security guard at the park." Xiang Mingzhang paused, "The other is my secretary."
Chu Shichen felt that he had been cheated, and was cheated badly.
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "Which one do you choose?"
Chu Shichen said helplessly: "... Secretary."
"Okay then." Xiang Mingzhang said formally, "See you next week, Secretary Chu."
(End of this chapter)