Just as Zhang Jinliang had promised, over the next few days he no longer made Xiao Jian do any heavy work, keeping him close by just to run errands.
Whenever clients or friends came by, Xiao Jian's only responsibility was to hand them cigarettes and pour water. When nothing was going on, he would sit in his chair by the door and read the newspaper, living a life of utter ease. Compared to his days in the cotton-ginning workshop, it was worlds apart.
Gradually, Xiao Jian came to believe Zhang Jinliang's words, convinced the man was simply looking out for him with no malicious intentions whatsoever. Even the other colleagues in the office assumed that Xiao Jian had won Zhang Jinliang's heavy favor and was destined for a meteoric rise.
Chapter 98