Chapter 010 Then buy me breakfast.

  *

  For the next two weeks, Zhao Nanfeng ceased his antics. He simply worked, worked, and worked, mobilizing the positive energy of the entire Anliang Construction.

  Li Chengshi was also obedient, causing no trouble, and worked overtime drafting and revising drawings without complaint.

  This situation left Su Xian with nothing to complain about; she was highly satisfied.

  After the preliminary design proposal was completed, Zhao Nanfeng provided the relevant data and information to Dacheng Construction as required by the contract.

  Another two weeks passed. Department Head Sato, accompanied by his two previous subordinates, arrived on schedule, but this time, a new, young Deputy General Manager was also with them. They met with Anliang and Dacheng separately, received both parties' construction proposals and preliminary budgets, raised questions, and listened to their explanations.

  This Deputy General Manager had not appeared on the radar before, which made Zhao Nanfeng a little concerned. Although he had signed the design contract with Yasuda Group, if the construction contract fell into Dacheng’s hands, he would have to worry that his design might not be perfectly executed, or even be modified halfway through, which is not uncommon in construction projects.

  Anliang's construction proposal and preliminary budget had all been reviewed by him and were very reasonable. However, he couldn't predict what Dacheng might do.

  For Anliang, all they could do for the moment was wait.

  *

  Liang Wenya knew that the company atmosphere was often tense at times like this. Everyone was uneasy, neither daring to be openly happy nor pessimistic and defeated. She had been through this many times over the years, and now felt quite calm about it.

  "Li Chengshi, come here for a moment."

  Before Li Chengshi could reply, Su Xian stood up first and asked, "What for?"

  "You come too."

  *

  Liang Wenya had them sit down and asked with a smile, "How are you two getting along?"

  Su Xian didn't know what she was plotting, frowning without answering.

  Li Chengshi, however, said, "Very well."

  Liang Wenya nodded in approval. "You truly are a good employee. Even when your superior makes unreasonable requests, you're willing to actively cooperate. No wonder your Team Leader praises you so highly. Xiao Li, you don't have to pretend anymore. I know your relationship is fake; it was all Zhao Nanfeng's nonsense."

  "Oh."

  "You will officially become a full-time employee next week. Given your excellent performance recently, Su Xian and I have set your salary at Level 3."

  Anliang's salary standard for Level 1 was 5,000 yuan, with a 500 yuan increase per level, so Level 3 was 6,000 yuan. Typically, one starts at Level 1 upon official employment and gets promoted by one level only after at least a full year. Therefore, this was an exceptionally preferential treatment for him.

  "Thank you, General Manager Liang! Thank you, Team Leader!"

  "Your major is civil engineering. When you joined the company, your first choice was structural design, but the Structural Department didn't have openings then. Fortunately, you know how to use SketchUp, so I assigned you to Design Group 2 to help them with drawings."

  "Jobs were hard to find, so I figured learning an extra skill before graduation wouldn't hurt. I didn't expect it to come in handy."

  Liang Wenya nodded approvingly. "Now there's an opening in the Structural Department. I want to transfer you there; after all, that's where you can best utilize your expertise."

  "Where did the opening come from?" Su Xian asked.

  "Dong Minmin is resigning next month."

  "Why?"

  "Why do you care so much? Let's talk about Xiao Li first. Xiao Li, are you willing to go to the Structural Department?"

  Li Chengshi looked at Su Xian and said, "I want to discuss it with the Team Leader first."

  *

  Although Su Xian had completely given up on the idea of getting rid of Li Chengshi, Liang Wenya was right. She proactively spoke to dispel Li Chengshi's concerns: "You don't need to worry about Design Group 2. You must seize this kind of opportunity."

  "Aren't you upset that General Manager Liang is transferring your person away?"

  "She's responsible for your future, and so am I. As for your work, I can just hire a skilled temp worker, so don't worry about it."

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Li Chengshi lowered his head, a hint of disappointment on his face.

  "What's wrong, are you reluctant to leave me?" Su Xian chuckled. "Don't scare me. Take my advice as someone with experience: work always comes first. You must go."

  "I can do design too."

  "Of course you can do design, but you need to think carefully. Not everyone can become Zhao Nanfeng. Look at Han Dawei and me—we both majored in architectural design and caught the wave during the good times, and after over ten years, we've essentially peaked at this level. It would be difficult for you, starting out like this, to even reach our level, especially in the current market. Based on the reality, you should choose a reliable career path."

  "Even in my major, the job prospects aren't necessarily stable in a bad market."

  "Stop arguing. Don't drag your feet; listen to me and go to the Structural Department."

  Li Chengshi lowered his head and remained silent.

  *

  "Have you made up your mind?"

  Li Chengshi knew that going to the Structural Department aligned with his own interests and even her preference, but... for some inexplicable reason, he didn't want to go. He just really enjoyed being in the same group with her, and transferring to the Structural Department meant they wouldn't even have a chance to talk.

  He thought for a long time and came up with a good idea: "Team Leader, is that 100,000 yuan still valid?"

  "Oh, so that's what you were worried about." Su Xian smiled. "Don't worry, my shawl is still with you, isn't it?"

  "Then, you must bring me breakfast every day, and the money will be deducted from that 100,000 yuan until it's used up."

  "No way, I can't be bothered with that."

  "Then I won't go to the Structural Department."

  "You're using your future to threaten me?!" Su Xian was shocked, unable to grasp the young man's thinking.

  "Is that not allowed?"

  "Of course not! We're not related or anything."

  "Aren't we boyfriend and girlfriend?"

  "Don't joke. I appreciate you being willing to play my boyfriend to help me counter the scumbag, but don't take it seriously."

  "What if I wasn't acting?"

  He looked up, his wet eyes meeting hers, his expression a little sad.

  Su Xian panicked, sliding her office chair back a foot and raising her hand to call Liang Wenya. She didn't want to hurt a young man who still had beautiful fantasies about love.

  But Liang Wenya wasn't there, so she had to defend herself. "I'm a non-marriage advocate; you heard Zhao Nanfeng say it."

  "What about just dating without marriage?"

  "I've dated three guys; that's enough. I have other pursuits in life."

  Li Chengshi lowered his head, his nose twitching slightly.

  "You... you aren't crying, are you?" She raised her hand, wanting to pat his shoulder, but felt it was inappropriate. She suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

  "Then buy me breakfast."

  "Fine, fine, no problem!"

  "It's settled then. Thank you, Team Leader." He stood up and walked out of the office with a bright smile.

  What?!

  Su Xian felt his insidious again, but she also breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  **

  A week later, Yasuda Group did not announce the results as scheduled. Zhao Nanfeng felt something was wrong and urgently flew back to Tokyo. He privately met with Department Head Sato to inquire about the situation. Sato revealed bad news: Dacheng Construction's preliminary budget was 40 million yen lower than Anliang's. The new Deputy General Manager was also strongly recommending Dacheng to the other board members, even directly accusing Department Head Sato of having too close a personal relationship with the architect Zhao Nanfeng, leading to biased decisions, and stating that a small company like Anliang was fundamentally unreliable.

  Although Department Head Sato had an excellent impression of Anliang Construction and spoke highly of their completed projects after visiting them, he couldn't control the dramatic shift in the situation amidst the company's internal factional struggle. There was even a possibility that he himself might be transferred from his current post.

  **