"My father is a hopeless gambler who sold everything in the house of any value. My mother has a severe illness and needs daily medication, and I still have a younger sister in college whose living expenses I have to pay every month. But just two days ago, I was fired by my company..."
A gambling-addicted dad, a sick mom, a studying younger sister, and a helpless him.
The words Xu Lang spoke, combined with acting skills that could rival an Oscar-winning best actor, immediately filled the sitting opposite Li Sisi with sorrow, and she eventually broke down in heavy sobs.
"Sob, sob, sob..."
A few minutes passed, and Li Sisi showed no signs of stopping. Unable to help himself, Xu Lang advised, "Miss, I haven't even cried yet, so please stop crying, okay? If you can introduce me to a job, I will thank your ancestors for the past eight generations."
"Sob... sob... How, how do you know about my family situation?"
Li Sisi's words instantly left Xu Lang utterly dumbfounded.
"Did you investigate my family background?"
Li Sisi wiped away her tears, her sharp gaze piercing straight into Xu Lang as if she were certain of her guess.
Xu Lang had originally planned to continue making things up, but meeting Li Sisi's pitiful and touching gaze, he swallowed the lie back down and gave a wry smile. "Alright, you guessed right, but I really harbor no ill intentions toward you."
"Hmph, how boring!"
Li Sisi glared at him, stood up, and walked straight away.
Xu Lang's mouth twitched a few times. He never expected that a casual lie he made up would turn out to be such a coincidence!
......
In the old district, inside one of the dilapidated single-story houses.
Li Sisi fetched a basin of warm water to wash the feet of her mother, whose mobility was impaired, keeping her head down in silence.
"Sisi, it's all Mom's fault for being useless and dragging you and An'an down."
The woman, Liu Guiyun, was only in her early fifties, but her temples were already gray. Due to being bedridden for years, she looked much older than her peers.
"Mom, don't ever say that." Li Sisi raised her head and revealed a faint smile. "You raised me and my sister, and both of us have seen with our own eyes how much suffering you endured."
Sigh!
Liu Guiyun let out a sigh and complained, "If it weren't for your good-for-nothing father, our family wouldn't have ended up like this."
"I'm sure Dad will change."
Li Sisi comforted her mother with her words, yet even she herself didn't believe that scoundrel of a father would ever change.
...
Early the next morning.
Li Sisi woke up on time as usual. After cooking breakfast for her mother, she hurried out to catch the bus to work.
Eight-thirty!
The moment Li Sisi punched in and sat down at her desk, a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean hairline walked over with a stern face and hurled a file directly onto her desk.
"More than half a month has passed, and you still haven't settled the account with Heyue Group?"
"Manager, give me a little more time, and I will definitely get it done!"
Li Sisi promised with anxiety.
The Mediterranean man's expression turned ugly as he issued a cold warning: "If you still haven't sorted this out by the end of work today, you won't need to come in tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll definitely get it done," Li Sisi promised with unshakeable resolve. But as soon as the man walked away, she deflated like a punctured ball, her face heavy with worry.
"Sisi, Manager Feng is clearly making things difficult for you."
The young woman sitting next to her lowered her voice to warn her: "Who in our department doesn't know that Heyue Group's account is the hardest to crack? In the past, taking two months to negotiate a partnership was considered a stroke of luck, yet Manager Feng expects you to finish it in half a month!"
Li Sisi knew it all too well, but given her lowly position, there was nothing she could do even though she knew her boss was deliberately giving her a hard time.
As the saying goes, a penny can beat a hero; she simply could not afford to lose her job right now!
"Sisi, you'd better watch out," the young woman added. "That old man probably has his eyes on you."
Li Sisi furrowed her brow and shot her colleague a sideways glance. "Hu Yan, don't talk nonsense."
Hu Yan sighed. "I'm not talking nonsense. That old man is salivating over you—who in our department can't see it?"
Just as her voice trailed off, Feng Bochun, who had left a moment earlier, strode right out of his office.
Hu Yan instantly shut her mouth and dared not say another word.
Feng Bochun waved his hand to signal them. "Everyone, put down what you're doing. I have an announcement to make."
The fifty or sixty employees in the sales department all perked up their ears to listen, including Li Sisi.
"I just received word that the company's new shareholder is coming for an inspection. Everyone smarten up and put on a good face in a moment. Whoever leaves a bad impression in front of the new shareholder, don't blame me for not showing mercy."
Feng Bochun was arrogant and full of bureaucratic airs.
Trading companies were getting harder and harder to run these days, and Hengtong Trading, where Li Sisi worked, was practically on the verge of bankruptcy. Who on earth would dare to buy shares in it at a time like this?
A few minutes later.
A young man walked into the sales department, accompanied by the company's chairman, Zhao Minghe, and Feng Bochun.
Feng Bochun immediately raised his voice and shouted:
"Everyone stand up and welcome Mr. Xu to the inspection..."