Chapter 266: Why Choose You, Ninth Master Passes By
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“Sister Chenxing?!”
Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow, “What? Surprised to see me?”
“What a coincidence…” Wu Qian got off his bicycle, hands steadying himself, both surprised and flustered.
“Not really,” she said, “I specifically came to find you.”
Wu Qian was dumbfounded, “?”
“Let’s talk somewhere else, standing here is tiring.”
“Oh! There’s a convenience store nearby…”
Outside the convenience store were a few tables and chairs.
Wu Qian locked his bicycle, went in, bought two bottles of mineral water, placed one beside Jiang Fuyue, kept one for himself, and then sat down.
“Sorry about this, there aren’t many coffee shops or tea houses around here, so we’ll have to make do.”
Jiang Fuyue waved it off, her gaze returning from his locked bicycle, “I remember you had a scooter.”
The man paused, “Sold it last week.”
Jiang Fuyue didn’t ask for the reason, just said, “Found a job?”
“Yeah. Working in an administrative role at a small company.”
“Still in the streaming industry?”
Wu Qian shook his head, self-mockery in his smile, “I might not be cut out for this line of work after all. Every time I changed jobs, I thought I’d progress, but in reality, things only got worse. This time, I got fired directly…”
He paused, “Sorry for burdening you with these negative things.”
Jiang Fuyue smirked, “Your self-evaluation seems quite different from Jiang Chenxing’s.”
“Chenxing…” he hesitated, “I noticed his stream stopped. Is everything okay? Did Yimi’s closure affect him? I knew it!” Wu Qian clenched his teeth, angrily pounding his fist on his thigh, “Zhang Kehua, that scoundrel, must have tricked you into resigning the contract…”
“You’re still following this industry,” Jiang Fuyue stated.
Wu Qian’s eyes flickered, “Uh, I occasionally come across it while browsing online, in the era of big data, with all the push notifications, maybe it’s related to the industry I used to work in, so… it’s normal!”
He looked earnest, trying to convince either Jiang Fuyue or himself.
“Really?” the girl countered, “Did big data notifications tell you Jiang Chenxing stopped streaming?”
Wu Qian: “…”
“Since you’ve visited his stream, you must have noticed the fans’ comments.”
The man frowned, “What are you trying to say?”
Jiang Fuyue stated, “Nearly a third of the comments ask for ‘Brother Wu’ to return. How do you feel about that?”
Embarrassment flashed in Wu Qian’s eyes. He lowered his gaze, shaking his head slowly, “I’m a failure. When I was young, I lacked courage and stayed within my comfort zone; only when middle age did I start changing jobs. Well, it’s not really changing jobs, strictly speaking, I was forced to. If I didn’t jump, my current employer would have let me go sooner or later…”
Sitting on a cheap plastic chair, his back against the thick, unyielding darkness of the night, his face bore an air of desolation and defeat, like a tree bent under a heavy snow, unable to straighten up again.
Wu Qian was just an inconspicuous member of the vast middle-aged population, obscure, content with the status quo, with a heart eager to succeed but lacking the drive to go against the current.
He was even more pitiful.
The downfall of his career directly led to the collapse of his marriage.
Overnight, he lost his wife, child, car, house, and savings.
His twenty years of hard work turned into a joke, and his lifelong efforts turned into bubbles.
“…I’m not worthy,” he said, “Not at all.”
“Is that all you’re going to settle for?” the girl’s tone remained unchanged, devoid of sympathy or pity.
As if merely asking a question.
Accept it?
Wu Qian buried his head in his hands.
But now, besides accepting, what else could he do?
“I’m forty, not fourteen, not twenty, I…”
“Does age matter?” Jiang Fuyue interrupted.
“At least it makes success easier.”
“Were you successful at fourteen or twenty?”
“…No.”
“Does age still matter now?”
“…I don’t know,” the man looked lost.
Seeing his despondent look, Jiang Fuyue furrowed her brows, “Let’s pretend I wasn’t here today.”
With that, she stood up and left.
At that moment, she was disappointed.
Whether in this life or the last, no matter what difficulties and hardships she faced, the word “give up” was never in her dictionary.
Wu Qian’s pathetic demeanor truly disgusted her.
As a grown man, even if he fell, even if he lacked limbs, as long as he still had a breath in him, he shouldn’t be so feeble!
Jiang Fuyue wasn’t a counselor; it wasn’t her job to offer guidance.
If Wu Qian could figure it out, she wouldn’t mind lending a hand; if he couldn’t, it would only prove he was beyond help and not worth her effort.
“Wait—”
Just then, the man, who had been wallowing in self-pity, suddenly stood up and shouted at the girl’s retreating figure.
Jiang Fuyue paused but didn’t turn back.
Wu Qian knew this was his last chance. After living for forty years, there was no moment clearer than now.
“Can you help me?” he spoke slowly, his gaze burning.
Jiang Fuyue turned back, “Okay.”
Half a minute later, they both returned to their original seats.
“What should I do?” Wu Qian asked.
“Go back, continue being Jiang Chenxing’s manager. I’ll prepare a new contract separately. It’s the same as before; you can only manage him alone.”
“Also, here’s five hundred thousand…” Her ivory fingers pressed a check towards him, pushing it in front of him, “Yimi may have collapsed, but the livestreaming industry in Linhuai won’t be blank. With this money, how many fish you catch in this muddy water, whether they’re big or small, depends on your ability.”
Wu Qian stared at the bold and capitalized “Five Hundred Thousand Yuan” in disbelief, inevitably falling into a daze.
“You…” he swallowed hard, no sudden joy of sudden wealth, only a heart full of fear and trepidation, “Where did this money come from?”
Wasn’t the Jiang family running a pancake shop?
How could a child casually produce half a million?
Indeed, in Wu Qian’s eyes, Jiang Fuyue was just a child.
Although she was mature in mind, sharp-witted, and even had foresight and courage that adults didn’t possess.
But she was only eighteen! So young! Still in school, relying on her parents…
“I can’t accept this money!”
Jiang Fuyue’s face was expressionless. “Do you know where you went wrong?”
Wu Qian: “?”
The young girl didn’t leave any face for this middle-aged man—
She said, “Your caution made you miss opportunities; your hesitation prevented you from spreading your wings; and your meddling and probing were completely unnecessary!”
Wu Qian’s expression fell, unable to refute her.
Because she was right!
He was exactly that kind of person.
Decisiveness, courage, ruthlessness, resolve—he had none of these.
“Then why did you choose me?” He suddenly looked up, his eyes intense.
Jiang Fuyue had money, she could choose anyone, so why him? On what basis was it him?
The girl smiled. “Even though you have many flaws, your strengths are equally prominent.”
“Strengths?” Wu Qian was slightly taken aback.
Did he have any?
Jiang Fuyue said, “You are kind and principled.”
Wu Qian: “Isn’t that just being weak, soft-hearted, and lacking in determination?”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “A bit, yes.”
“……”
“But those don’t matter.”
Wu Qian: “?”
Jiang Fuyue said, “Your care and seriousness towards Jiang Chenxing are the fundamental reasons you were chosen.”
……
“Ninth Master, the road ahead is blocked.” In the quiet car, the driver spoke cautiously.
Xie Dingyuan opened his eyes and looked outside the window.
Driver: “I know a shortcut. If we cut through that residential area across the street, we can bypass the congested section. What do you think?”
“Take the detour then.”
“Understood!”
The driver immediately turned the car around and entered the residential area.
The black Bentley drove through the dilapidated streets, with old residential buildings receding outside the window.
Everything seemed so out of place.
“Ninth Master… can I pull over for a moment? There’s a convenience store ahead, and I promised to buy some candy for my daughter…”
“Go ahead.”
The driver sighed in relief and slowly stepped on the brake, bringing the Bentley to a stop.
He then opened the door, crossed the street, and entered the still-open convenience store on the other side.
His quick stride caused his coat to flare up and brush against the arm of a middle-aged man sitting by the store entrance.
“Sorry, brother, did I hurt you?” The driver immediately apologized.
Wu Qian waved his hand. “It’s fine.”
Then, he bent down to pick up the check that had fallen to the ground.
The driver apologized again before entering the store.
Wu Qian continued his conversation with Jiang Fuyue.
Just then, across the street, in the Bentley, Xie Dingyuan rolled down the window, intending to get some fresh air…
Xie 99: Another day of having an existence~
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