Tang Xiu comfortably sat on the couch while a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth, "You look a bit interested in that youth?"
"Yeah, the course of his life is very interesting indeed," replied Xue Yue with a smile.
"It is indeed," consented Tang Xiu. "He has an innate rebellious nature; one who goes against the mainstream and has a rough path ahead, though he could become someone powerful in the future if he doesn"t die midway his journey."
"No, he only has seven days to live." Xue Yu shook his head.
"You"re practicing divination now?" Tang Xiu was surprised.
"Yeah, I always practice it whenever I have nothing to do," replied Xue Yu smilingly. "What"s ridiculous is that he got into a recent disaster exactly because of his mouth."
"Silence is golden for many people and one will probably be in trouble if they can"t control their mouth indeed," sighed Tang Xiu. "Alright, let"s forget it and don"t talk about him. Tell me how the progress of your research on the Six Starlight Array is going? Are you confident in cracking it by yourself?"
"I"m not sure." Xue Yu shook her head, "I don"t think I can comprehend more than 20% of the Six Starlight Array yet, though I"m confident that we can get that Immortal Trove if we come straight to Longquan Bay in Kanas."
"Why so?" asked Tang Xiu in astonishment.
"I have confidence because of you." Xue Yue chuckled, "I know you. You"ll never waste your time in going to Kanas if you don"t have enough confidence, no? So, what about you? Have you completely comprehended the Six Starlight Array?"
"I"m not 100% sure either." Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "I must go there to observe it on the spot again and get more insight. If I get some good luck, then we can open that Immortal Trove to seize what"s stored inside."
"Well, I did some divination to calculate my chance after you called me yesterday," said Xue Yu with a smile. "It"s just the outcome is the same for me, while I can"t calculate yours."
"Then it doesn"t matter if you can"t figure it out!" Tang Xiu laughed and said, "It"s great if we can get something from the Immortal Trove, but it"s also okay if we get nothing as well. By the way, come with me to a certain place after the trip to Kanas. All of us may have to live for a long time to cultivate there later."
"Where to?" asked Xue Yu curiously.
"Nine Dragons Island," answered Tang Xiu.
Xue Yu"s eyes lit up and she quickly asked, "Is that the place the Ancestress has always been wanting to live in seclusion? That island you bought overseas?"
"Yeah, it"s there," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "The construction project of Nine Dragons Island was originally scheduled to finish in early June, but it"s been delayed due to some circ.u.mstances. At present, though, it will soon be finished and we can settle there within two months."
"I"m going with you then." Xue Yue nodded.
****
On the fifth floor of the Chang City Hotel, inside the corridor with red carpet, Li Qiang was leaning on the corridor wall with eyes staring at the door of the room in the front. This was the ninth time he came here, waiting for the owner of the machinery factory to sell the mechanical parts produced by his company. It could be said he had racked his brain about the issue.
"I"m still lacking 90,000 yuan. I can collect enough money as long as I close this deal. I"m gonna kick out that squid b.a.s.t.a.r.dly manager of the company then."
Li Qiang recalled the shameless face of his company"s Sales Department Manager with disgust. He had made eight Sales Manager get fired in the last few years; each time before he got them kicked out, he was able to earn a lump sum of money before they left. Unfortunately, his family was a bottomless pit and spent hundreds of thousands of yuan for medical expenses every year, causing him to live in dire straits.
Suddenly, he remembered the guy he just met in the elevator. He was aware of what the concept of a billion yuan meant. Those who could throw that amount of money easily—which one of them was not some big personage in the business world? Yet, that brat…
"It"s really a pity for that belle, though. How come she found such an unreliable guy. Alas, this handsome dude already has his owner, otherwise, I could have given that belle a good future."
Li Qiang smiled and laughed at himself. The thoughts then flashed by when he saw that the door of the room in front was opened. Two alluring women with long legs and slender, guitar-like waists came out of it, while the machinery factory owner, who he had been pestering in the last nine days, also came out with a flushed face.
"h.e.l.lo, Boss Huang." Li Qiang hurriedly greeted him.
The red-faced Boss Huang had his smile froze all of a sudden after seeing Li Qiang. It only took him two seconds to slam the door and close it from the inside.
Bam…
Li Qiang stared at the shut door, choking with vexation inwardly.
The two females, however, grinningly halted their pace and looked at Li Qiang whose face unceasingly changed expressions. One of them then suddenly spoke with a grin, "Hey, handsome! You want this Sister to accompany you? You"ll get me at an absolutely fair price. You"ll also get absolutely better services than we gave Boss Huang."
"Scram!" shouted Li Qiang after he gasped for breath quickly and stepped back to lean on the wall.
The woman angrily glared at him and turned around while cursing, "Nothing but a dest.i.tute ghost, huh? What the h.e.l.l are you pretending about with that f.u.c.king fancy suit? Rich men roll up the bedsheets with women on the bed, while poor men can"t help but be anxious and be unable to do s.h.i.+t outside. Come on, let"s get the h.e.l.l out of here. He"s just bad luck. I thought I could do more business."
A poor ghost, she said?
Li Qiang was deeply irritated and agitated by her remarks and watched the two women"s swaying waists and bottoms leave as he punched the empty air. He liked beautiful women, yet he also had his bottom line. It was enough for him to have a love life and find himself a woman, get married once, and be firm and secure together with her for a lifetime.
"Looking for women and waste my money with prost.i.tutes like you, hmph? If had the money, I might as well buy some boxes of my wife"s medication and buy her some delicious food!"
Creak…
The door of the room across him opened again. Boss Huang reappeared in front of Li Qiang again with a gloomy face. He now had a cigarette that had just been lit in his fingertips and said, "Come in."
Li Qiang looked happy and hurriedly entered and shut the door from the inside. After closing it, he looked at the toilet paper scattered on the floor and felt like vomiting.
"Help me clean up the room."
Boss Huan turned around walked into the bathroom. Soon after, the sound of the shower running came from the inside.
Li Qiang raised his fists to the bathroom"s door, but he still swiftly moved to pick up the toilet paper on the floor and threw them into the trash can. After he was done cleaning the room, he even made the bed. Then, he walked to the corner and took a seat, waiting for Boss Huang to come out.
Half an hour pa.s.sed by, and finally, Boss Huang came out of the bathroom with his waist wrapped in a bath towel. He then looked around the room and said with satisfaction, "Not bad. It"s already been cleaned up well."
Li Qiang got up and obsequiously smiled, "Being able to serve you is my pleasure, Boss Huang. I"ve been wis.h.i.+ng to help you clean up every day!"
"All you salesmen really have quite the silver tongue, very eloquent." Boss Huang smiled, "I asked you to come in, not to have a business chat with you, though. It"s mainly for some other reasons."
Li Qiang"s expression slightly changed, yet he still replied politely, "Please say what you want to say, Boss Huang."
Boss Huang went to the couch and took a seat. He then shot a deep look at Li Qiang and said, "You also know that I"m in the mechanical part business, right? Are you interested in working for my company?"
"Pardon?" Li Qiang was caught off guard by his question. He hesitated for a moment before he said with a smile, "Having myself to be noticed by you is kind of an honor for me, Boss Huang, but I have some difficulties and have no way to leave my current employer."
"Is it because of your contract with your company?" asked Boss Huang with raised brows.
"That"s not it." Li Qiang shook his head and said, "It"s because I"m short on money and in urgent need to pay something. It"s only half a month before next month"s pay and commission. If I can"t get the money, I can"t take my wife to have her surgery."
"Your wife is going to have surgery? What happened to her?" asked Boss Huang, surprised.
"Heart disease," answered Li Qiang bitterly.
Boss Huang fell into silence for a while. He lit up a cigarette and took a few puffs before he asked, "How much do you still need?"
"90,000," answered Li Qiang.
Boss Huang"s eyes turned wide and he asked incredulously, "Can you get 90,000 yuan in a month?"
"If I can close a deal with you, and with my other sales commissions as well, earning 90,000 yuan is not a problem," said Li Qiang with a helpless expression. "But if I can"t strike a deal with you, I"m afraid things will turn for the worse."
Boss Huang raised his thumb up and praised, "The saying that different generations have their own talented people and excellent individuals appear in each century is honestly true! For a young and small salesman to earn such a high income in a month is really amazing in and of itself. I really feel that you"re a talented man more and more. Of course, I also began to pay attention to your company, though. To think that even its salesman can earn so much is evident that your company"s business has been very good."
However, Li Qiang sternly interjected, "I"m sorry if have to contradict your opinion, Boss Huang. A third of my company"s sales have been contributed by my own sales."
A third?
"How many salesmen does your company have, exactly?" asked Boss Huan. Curiosity was evident on his face.
"More than 20 people," answered Li Qiang.
Boss Huang was shaken inwardly and he looked at Li Qiang incredulously before he said, "More than 20 salesmen, yet a third of the sales of your company are from you? That"s so d.a.m.n amazing! Alright! Come work for my company then. I"ll give you the base salary of 10,000 yuan a month, plus sales commission and a year-end bonus. Also, I can pay you that 90,000 yuan you need in advance. How about it?"
"Boss Huang, I only need to have an order from you and I can earn 90,000 yuan from it," said Li Qiang with a frown.
"What if I don"t make this sales deal?" Boss Huang shook his head.
"Then I"m afraid I can only wait for you until next month," answered Li Qiang.
Boss Huang casually threw a cigarette to Li Qiang and lightly said, "Let"s change the proposition, then. I"m gonna give you a million in annual salary and you can have 500,000 in advance. Of course, I can terminate the contract at any time if your sale records are appalling and you won"t get the rest of 500,000 yuan, though. How about it?"
Li Qiang was shocked inwardly. He looked at him and asked, "May I ask you something? I want to know why you value me so highly. You don"t know much about me and you have yet to verify what I told you either."
"It"s because of your persistence," answered Boss Huang. "Only because you have stopped and pestered me for the sale nine days in a row. I like that tenacity of yours."