Chapter 3: The Joy of Hard Work

She stood up solemnly and said to Chen Xiao, “Thank you, Chen Xiao! Let’s work hard together. I, Feng Feifei, will prove with my actions that I will never let you down!”

“You’re all talk and no action. Every word you say costs me 4,000 yuan a day.” Chen Xiao felt like crying but had no tears. He looked at the beautiful, sincere face before him—her delicate charm flashing like a flower, juxtaposed with stacks of cash cycling through his mind in a fierce internal battle.

Back at his desk, Chen Xiao’s mood turned sour. Losing 4,000 yuan a day meant over 1.3 million yuan a year. Feng Feifei, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for compensation in kind, he thought, his mind wandering...

The company was gearing up for a major overhaul; handovers of existing positions began today. As a member of the business department, with no ongoing projects, Chen Xiao found himself relatively unburdened, with little to hand over.

Yuan Kai and Wang Jing returned from the finance office. They knew Chen Xiao had decided to stay behind, and both looked at him as if he were crazy.

Wang Jing teased, “Chen Xiao, don’t tell me you think that with Manager Yuan and I gone, you can stay and seize the opportunity to get promoted?”

“What a joke. Only a fool would want to climb the ladder here,” Chen Xiao replied, shaking his head.

Yuan Kai sneered disdainfully, “Good you don’t think that way, or you’d be disappointed. The company has already started recruiting for a business supervisor on the job site. But at least you have some self-awareness. Even if I don’t want the position, it’s not for a newcomer like you!”

Chen Xiao replied seriously, “I’m no fool. Why would I want that position?”

“Damn, what do you mean, Chen Xiao? You think just because I’m leaving, I won’t bother you anymore?” Yuan Kai exploded in anger. Wang Jing grabbed him back, “Brother, your 165 cm frame against his 178 cm build? Calling you a fool isn’t unfair.”

Chen Xiao’s dislike for him stemmed entirely from Yuan Kai’s character. When Chen Xiao first joined the company, he had politely asked Yuan Kai for guidance, hoping to learn from him. Yuan Kai had been dismissive and blunt, saying, “Teach you? Teaching the apprentice only starves the master!”

From that day, Chen Xiao labeled him a fool. Such a person was never cut out for leadership; his mindset was simply narrow.

“If you keep mouthing off, I’ll slap you! Your name’s Yuan Kai, not Yuan Shikai. You’re just a little official who thinks he once held great power!” Chen Xiao pointed at him, silencing Yuan Kai.

“Fine, Chen Xiao, you’re ruthless. We’ll see about that!”

“See what? We don’t even like you!” Chen Xiao scoffed.

Yuan Kai snorted and shoved Wang Jing aside before heading toward the general manager’s office.

In the afternoon, Chen Xiao heard that Yuan Kai had abandoned his plan to leave, choosing instead to weather the storm with the company. He had accepted a pay cut as part of a market department adjustment—his base salary halved from 12,000 yuan to 6,000 yuan per month.

No wonder he had been scowling all day. Observing his expression, Chen Xiao even sensed a resigned “mutual destruction” vibe. Chen Xiao felt disdainful—such a loss was trivial compared to his own. Little Karamy, do you know how much I lose every day? You want to play a war of attrition? Are we even on the same level?

Wang Jing, however, resolutely left. Before departing, he warned Chen Xiao to be cautious, saying Yuan Kai stayed only to reclaim his dignity after suffering such losses and would definitely take it out on Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao responded with a grunt, “Good, I lost a lot too and have nowhere to vent. If he stays, even better. He looks like a punching bag anyway!”

The next morning at eight sharp, Chen Xiao received a notification: “A deposit of 8,000 yuan has been made to your Huaxia Bank card ending in... Current balance: ...”

Huh? Didn’t they cut his salary? How come he’s still getting 8,000 yuan? Then it dawned on him—the salary adjustment took effect next month, meaning he still received nearly 20 days of the 8,000 yuan base pay this month. His mood instantly lifted.

Seeing his account balance climb into five digits, he laughed out loud for five minutes straight until someone banging on the wall next door made him stop.

He had gotten carried away—after all, it was the first time his balance hit five figures. Who could understand the joy of a spendthrift at such a moment?

Whistling and singing, he felt like a happy laborer.

“Hey, Chen Xiao, you’re in such a good mood today. Did you win the double-color lottery?” the breakfast stall owner teased.

“Uncle, four big meat buns and a bowl of spicy soup, please!”

They say when you have money, you order two bowls of the spicy soup—one to drink, one to pour over. Chen Xiao pondered whether to experience a bit of that extravagance.

Hearing the uncle’s joke, he said, “What’s the point of winning the lottery? Little Karamy!”

“Alright, Chen Xiao, you’re putting on a good front! If you really won the lottery, it’d be a bigger deal than Fan Jin winning the imperial exam!”

“Who are you underestimating? I’ve already got the Chaos Treasure, who’d care about magical tools?” Chen Xiao scoffed.

The uncle brought over the spicy soup and meat buns, saying, “You’re glowing with health today; you look good!”

Chen Xiao laughed, “Hard work brings joy!”

The uncle took it as a joke—joy from hard labor? Ha! He was exhausted from carrying bricks every day, his kidneys practically sagging. Even the happiest things brought him no joy.

Chen Xiao didn’t go to the office that morning. He had a client meeting. After a month of training, today was his real test in the field, and he was looking forward to it. After all, bonuses would eventually be his main source of income.

On the way to Jiangzhou Traffic Design Institute, another message popped up. It was a 200 yuan phone subsidy from last month—small change not worth noticing.

“Ding~! Dedication reward settlement: 200 x 2 = 400 yuan reward deposited into host’s Huaxia Bank account!”

Huh? There’s a reward for that too? Could it be that all subsidies outside the base salary count as bonuses, not just the narrow definition of commission bonuses he’d thought before?

A pleasant surprise—he hadn’t expected that at all.

Today’s client visit was to an assistant general manager at Jiangzhou Traffic Design Institute. The institute had a testing division, and this assistant Bai was responsible for equipment procurement.

Chen Xiao pondered that the company’s drone R&D had hit a snag, mainly due to insufficient understanding of client needs and industry pain points. Consequently, the product they had painstakingly developed couldn’t boost existing technological productivity, resulting in no market.

But “no market” was a generalization; it meant the product couldn’t replace current technology or revolutionize the industry with new, widely adopted equipment. It didn’t mean there was zero demand. If a testing unit needed to purchase equipment, there was still room for negotiation.

Chen Xiao entered the institute’s main gate. After explaining his purpose, the guard let him through. Just as he stepped inside, a Mercedes-Benz C-Class car suddenly charged toward him!

Damn, I just got infused with the system, haven’t even enjoyed life yet!