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Chapter 106: It’s not that he’s fickle, he is paranoid.
Xiao Gao felt like the days of rushing ducks onto the shelves have returned.
But it was actually not too bad. Chen Wengang had already clarified the situation of the foundation, and after looking over it for a day, he was not particularly busy.
It was just that he had the advantage of being focused on his work, and before he knew it, it was tea time in the afternoon.
His colleagues even ordered a layer cake to celebrate his recovery.
Chen Wengang didn’t put on airs either, he thanked them and sat down to enjoy it together. Someone brewed a few cups of black coffee and brought them over to go with the cake.
As everyone chatted leisurely, Xiao Gao looked at the Patek Philippe on his wrist and said, “Chen-ge, this watch must be expensive.”
Chen Wengang smiled knowingly and touched the dial with his fingertip, “I’m not too sure, it was a gift from someone else.”
Xiao Gao guessed it was from that rich young master of his: “Hey, I’m from the countryside, and it wasn’t until I went to college that I first came to a big city. I remember I had a roommate who wore a Rolex, saying it was a coming-of-age gift from his parents, and it wasn’t worth much. I thought it looked pretty good and asked where he bought it, thinking if it was a few hundred yuan, I’d buy one too. But when I asked the price, I couldn’t say anything. He kept saying it really wasn’t expensive… Then when I graduated from college, after saving three months’ worth of salary, the first thing I did was to go buy a Rolex.”
Someone nearby laughed when they heard this, teasing that it was an inspirational story.
Chen Wengang smiled and said, “I still have some unfinished business, you guys continue eating.”
He sorted through the backlog of documents, signed the ones that needed signatures, and left the ones that didn’t need signing for later. The so-called loose ends were quickly tied up as well. Chen Wengang slowly got up, took a stroll on the 19th floor. It was around four or five in the afternoon, and half of the office area was already deserted.
The real estate agent called to inform him that there was a buyer interested in his villa and might come to discuss the price later. As autumn turned into winter, the sun became shorter, casting slanted rays of light on the carpet.
Chen Wengang leaned against the wall, staring at the golden line for a while lost in thought. He didn’t leave until it was time to clock out. Outside, rain had started to fall, and Chen Wengang hadn’t brought an umbrella. He waited for Kang Ming at the entrance of the building.
Men and women seeking shelter from the rain crowded together. At this moment, Xiao Gao also came down, looking outside with a bitter expression, complaining that he hadn’t expected to leave earlier.
He glanced around and then said, “Chen-ge, you must have someone to pick you up to and from work, right?”
Chen Wengang said, “Actually, you don’t have to call me Chen-ge, just my name is fine.”
Xiao Gao felt embarrassed, then realized the situation, “Oh… Actually, I think you’re quite mature, as stable as a senior employee. I forgot that you’re even younger than me. I couldn’t help but wonder what I was doing when I was in my early twenties? Just landed an internship at a big company, doing odd jobs, serving tea, running errands, barely making any money, and on top of that, spending two hours commuting every day. It’s nothing like you…”
Chen Wengang asked him, “Do you envy me?”
It was beyond work hours, and Xiao Gao was blunt, “Isn’t it worth envying? Look, you’re already financially free. Actually, you guys just go to work to have fun, unlike us, we have to struggle. The money I earn every month wouldn’t even be enough to buy a toilet in the city center.”
Chen Wengang just smiled without replying.
Xiao Gao turned to look at him. Men and women alike wore tired faces from work, except for him, standing quietly and outstandingly.
For some reason, Kang Ming hadn’t arrived yet, but a Rolls-Royce had stopped by the roadside.
Then a dashing figure stepped out of the car, pulled out an umbrella, shook it open, and walked toward Chen Wengang with a smile. Chen Wengang saw him and smiled back, reaching out to him as they hugged amidst the misty drizzle.
He turned to bid farewell to Xiao Gao. The two of them shared an umbrella and returned to the car, while Xiao Gao watched enviously as the taillights faded into the distance.
Thinking about having to take the subway for another hour and a half to get home, the broken faucet in his rented house, and the kid upstairs practicing the piano every day, he felt endless emotions. No matter how good you say it, being born is a skill.
Either you’re born into a wealthy family directly, or you have to curry favor with others.
But serving others, who knows when it’ll be good? He didn’t know how long this “favor” would last.
But then again, even if they fell out of favor, they wouldn’t be short of benefits, still better than himself, right? Damn!
And so, he went back to work for two more days.
Huo Lingchong charged into Chen Wengang’s office with an imposing manner, questioning, “Did last month’s reimbursement approval form reach you? It was already delayed, and the finance department still hasn’t made the payment. They said it’s because you haven’t signed it. What’s going on?”
Chen Wengang looked up and calmly smiled at this overly proud vice-chairman and secretary-general.
“You’ve come at the right time. I actually have a question to ask you,” he said, pulling out the documents hidden under the others. “Why is the supplier of the food items in the materials we donated to the Taoyuan Island animal rescue organization an entertainment company?”
He discovered that the Huo Foundation had some scattered charity projects outside of the arts, but they seemed to lack coherence.
But Huo Ling disdainfully said, “Just for this? Do you think there’s a problem with the accounts? Tell me, where’s the problem?”
Chen Wengang looked at him seriously and said, “I’m not saying there’s a problem, I just don’t understand. I don’t dare to sign without understanding.”
Huo Lingchong smirked, “What I can tell you is that it’s always been like this in previous years. Do you really think you’re the chairman? This is something for you to decide? You’re only responsible for signing when asked to. As for why, it’s none of your concern.”
Sitting in his office chair, Chen Wengang propped his chin and looked at him, “The legal representative of this entertainment company is just a figurehead, but the company itself is affiliated with Fenghua International Holdings. Is Huang or Wang, the bosses behind Fenghua International, someone you know? Or someone your uncle knows?”
Huo Lingchong felt a chill down his spine, thinking Chen was too audacious, “Don’t try to be clever in everything.”
Chen Wengang pushed the reimbursement form toward him and smiled, “I dare not. So, please go find someone who dares to sign.”
Huo Lingchong grabbed the documents from the desk and stormed out, presumably to complain to someone else.
Chen Wengang chuckled lightly.
In the afternoon, Second Uncle Huo’s son, Huo Yingfei, arrived at the chairman’s office and casually sat on the sofa, “Can we chat?”
Chen Wengang wasn’t surprised and asked Xiao Gao to pour a cup of tea.
Huo Lingchong was inserted into the foundation by Second Uncle Huo, creating a balance with Fang Qin. It was normal for a junior to seek protection from a powerful figure, but Huo Yingfei didn’t seem to care about the approval matter at all. “Signing a reimbursement form is just a formality. It doesn’t matter who signs it. Are you still comfortable here?”
Chen Wengang politely looked at him, “It’s okay.”
After chatting for a while, Huo Yingfei asked, “Actually, I’ve never asked before, how did you meet Huo Niansheng?”
Chen Wengang sat on the sofa opposite him and smiled, “Why are you suddenly interested in our love story?”
Huo Yingfei rested his hands on the armrests, “You don’t know about this. It’s not that I’m interested. Since you and Huo Niansheng got together, there have been countless people outside who want to know about your husband-taming skills. I’d rather be the one who asks first. Can you tell me?”
Chen Wengang received a message on his phone, glanced at it, it was from his uncle Chen Zeng, not very important, so he didn’t reply immediately.
He shifted his gaze back to Huo Yingfei, “We met, got to know each other, fell in love, and got married. What’s different from ordinary people?”
Huo Yingfei suddenly straightened up, leaned forward, and fixed his eyes on him, “Do you know what Huo Niansheng’s biggest flaw is?”
“What?” Chen Wengang was taken aback.
“It’s not that he’s fickle, it’s his paranoia,” Huo Yingfei said. “When he wants to do something, he won’t do it himself. He’ll find a way to manipulate you into doing it. When he wants to say something, he won’t say it himself; instead, he’ll find a way to make you speak. You know that I and he don’t get along, and Huo Jingsheng also has issues with him. But do you think we dislike him for no reason? Why does even his own brother dislike him? From the time Huo Niansheng came into the family, I’ve noticed this. He rarely directly expresses what he wants, but he’s always scheming to get it, making others fall into his trap and deliver it to him. He’s calculated Huo Jingsheng so many times; it’s no wonder Huo Jingsheng despises him.”
Chen Wengang remained silent, his expression also quite plain, revealing no thoughts.
Huo Yingfei continued, “If he wore these traits on his face, it might not be as scary, but Huo Niansheng is very good at acting, he can appear to be a normal person. As long as it serves his purpose, he can show you any side of himself that you want to see.”
Chen Wengang said, “I’ve lived with him; what difference does it make if you say these things?”
Huo Yingfei replied, “Even if you’re married, divorce is not out of the question. I’m happy to expose him, you can observe him again.”
Chen Wengang watched him leave, then remembered his uncle’s message and took out his phone to check it.
It turned out that Chen Zeng wanted to discuss buying a house with him.
Previously, Zheng Yucheng had helped Chen Zeng out of a predicament and even arranged his current job as the dock manager. Since then, things had been smooth sailing for him, and he had quickly saved up some money again. This time he had learned his lesson and didn’t dare to mess around anymore. He was thinking of buying a house outside, moving out of the old city area. Their two sons would be entering junior high school in two years, and the couple planned to move to a better school district for them.
Families with the means to do so would move to better places, leaving the old city area gradually abandoned over time.
This naturally had nothing to do with Chen Wengang initially. Chen Zeng and his wife had felt he was heartless and hadn’t contacted him much for two months. But at this critical moment, they remembered his wide network and wanted to ask if Chen Wengang had any friends in real estate who could offer discounts on property purchases.
Chen Wengang accompanied them to look at the house.
The property was still under construction, but there were models available for reference. Chen Zeng had been eyeing a four-bedroom apartment for a while. The saleswoman led them on a tour, “This large room is the master bedroom, perfect for a couple, this one is the living room with a full-length balcony, these two smaller rooms have the same layout, perfect for the two children…”
The uncle grew more satisfied as he looked around, “What do you think?”
Chen Wengang asked, “Will it be enough for Xiangling if we include her? Or will she have one room, and Guangzong and Yaozu share a bunk bed and share one room?”
The two younger ones were not happy and started to protest. Their aunt quickly promised, “No, no, don’t argue. We’ve already said each of you will have your own room. There won’t be any shortage.”
She straightened up, “Guangzong and Yaozu are getting bigger and bigger. Boys still need their own space. How can they live squeezed together?”
Chen Wengang stood by the window, the bare walls of the rough apartment hugging the coarse cement, the floor covered in messy footprints.
He pulled his uncle aside, “Why don’t you sell me the old house?”
In his nephew’s eyes, Chen Zeng’s lips moved, but he didn’t say the phrase “marrying off one’s daughter is like pouring water out of a jug” out loud. The property wasn’t due for delivery for another two or three years. By then, Chen Xiangling would probably be considering marriage. If everything went smoothly, there would be no need to arrange a room for her in the new house; that was the original plan of the parents.
Buying a new house required a down payment and a loan. Chen Zeng had originally planned to put the old house on Chuntao Street on the market to ease the financial pressure.
Chen Wengang agreed to buy it from him for 150,000.
There wasn’t much negotiation over this price. Old houses in the old city area didn’t have much appreciation potential. 150,000 barely kept up with the market price. Chen Zeng was worried that prices would decline further in two years, and besides, dealing with a close nephew was more convenient than with an outsider. Now that Chen Wengang could come up with the money to help him, it would greatly alleviate the embarrassment of having nothing left after paying the down payment. The couple almost immediately agreed.
Chen Wengang signed the purchase contract with his uncle, and then they would go to the property bureau to complete the transfer procedures later.
His own villa was quickly sold as well, to a couple of entrepreneurs who had started from scratch and were planning to raise their children there. He had enough money to buy another house for Chen Xiangling, but she was still a student and it wasn’t time to consider these things yet. Instead of selling the house on Chuntao Street to outsiders, it was better to leave it to her as a place that still felt like home.
They chose a Friday to go to the property bureau and completed the procedures. Chen Wengang felt settled in his heart.
He had been thoughtful and had the property deed written in both his and Chen Xiangling’s names, making it easier to transfer the property to her in the future. The uncle’s family could continue living on Chuntao Street until the new house was renovated, but now the house belonged to his daughter.
The uncle and aunt took the bus, and Huo Niansheng got out of the parked car from a distance.
Chen Wengang knew he had been waiting for a long time, “Didn’t expect the queue to be so long.”
Huo Niansheng took off his sunglasses, “Who says I can’t stand being seen?”
Chen Wengang chuckled, shaking his hand, “No, you’re just too conspicuous. With friends like you, my uncle and aunt are worried that something will happen when they see me. So they had to make you hide.”
He walked up the steps, and Huo Niansheng stood below. They held hands as they walked, and as they approached the end of the stairs, he suddenly shouted, “Huo Niansheng.”
Huo Niansheng turned around.
Chen Wengang jumped down from the height, and with a bit of childishness, he pounced onto his shoulder.
Huo Niansheng caught him with a smile, “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a date. This weekend, I’ll take you somewhere fun.”
Chen Wengang didn’t doubt him and took his sunglasses, putting them on himself, “Where are we going?”
Huo Niansheng didn’t say, driving him in the car. They first drove along the river, unconsciously leaving the city and heading towards the mountains.
But as they reached the foot of the mountain, Chen Wengang suddenly realized. He had been chatting with Huo Niansheng, but now he fell silent.
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