'Which genius invented the rule that the fare should only be charged from the starting station and the destination, and no matter how many interchanges there are in between, all of them are free? This…really saves a lot of money!'
Su Yang almost sat through all 14 subway lines of Shanghai. He ate a grape whenever he reached a station and thought of Jiang Yan's name and face so that the pen could locate her.
He started at 3 in the afternoon and it was already 8 at night. He sat in the subway for a full five hours and only spent 6 yuan in total.
Su Yang believed that he already earned his value just by enjoying the air-con inside the subway. He never thought that he would one day become someone who took advantage of the country's benefit.
Using the pen in the subway was probably the best idea.
In the end, Su Yang located Jiang Yan in the Xipu District.
'La Moda Lounge, No. 128, North Beijing Road, Xipu District, Shanghai, Huaxia. She's in a bar?'
Su Yang thought of many possibilities, but he did not expect to find his target at a bar. Could all-powerful women face a lot of pressure and had to rely on drinking to relieve their stress?
However, the bar was probably the most ideal location since it was a public area and was much more convenient than some private club or whatnot, so he could simply walk up to her and chat.
After he wrote down the address, Su Yang tapped the map on his phone and searched for the place.
The bar was not far away from the subway exit and was within walking distance.
After he got out of the station, Su Yang followed the navigation and reached the bar.
The entrance was not big or grand though it looked a little European. An English signboard was hung at the entrance: La Moda Lounge.
If the navigation had not translated it for Su Yang, he would have no idea what it meant.
He ate another grape to make sure Jiang Yan was still at the bar; she was. He prepared himself mentally and went in.
When he walked in, Su Yang highly suspected that he was in the wrong place.
'Is this a bar or a flower shop?'
The floral fragrance wafted in the air, and vibrant flowers were all over the place. Warm cartoonish decorations and meaningful foreign paintings decorated the place while a glamorous chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. It did not look like the typical bar in movies.
'Aren't all bars messy and noisy? This place looks more like a girl's room…'
If he had not known that the pen could never go wrong, Su Yang would never have related a powerful woman who gazed upon the city from New Era Plaza's observation deck to this girlish bar.
Su Yang looked around and found Jiang Yan at the counter.
Her long black hair was draped over her shoulder while her leather jacket and pants made her look sharp and valiant. She leaned on the counter, drinking her beverage in silence.
Su Yang walked to her side and sat down. Then, he called the bartender and asked, "Hi, can I have...uh…something with the lowest alcohol percentage?"
The bartender might not have heard such a weird request, so he was surprised for a moment before he answered with a smile, "No problem, sir."
When he saw the bartender uncork the bottle, Su Yang quickly added, "Oh, and…how much would it be?"
The bartender put his hand up and signed an '8'.
Su Yang was slightly relieved. Be it 18 or 88 yuan, it was within his acceptable price range.
"888."
Su Yang was petrified. "I think I'll just have a gla.s.s of sky juice. Thank you."
The bartender shrugged but did not show any disdain. He corked the bottle of alcohol and poured a gla.s.s of water for Su Yang. "That will be 10 yuan. Thank you."
A gla.s.s of water that cost 10 yuan? Su Yang painfully and reluctantly took his wallet out.
Jiang Yan was beside Su Yang. She watched the interesting scene and shook her head as she chuckled. She tilted her head up and drank from her gla.s.s, the action made her look like a swan with a long fair neck. After she put down her gla.s.s, she asked, "Is there something I can do for you?"
Su Yang did not expect Jiang Yan to start the conversation. The woman was as powerful and smart as the rumors. Su Yang answered, "There is, actually."
Jiang Yan toyed with her gla.s.s and said, "Who sent you here?"
"No one. I'm here for myself."
"Speak."
Su Yang briefly explained the situation to her, "I first heard of Junqing Intermediary the day before yesterday. w.a.n.g Dong called me for a meeting and his pa.s.sion for his job gives me a good impression of your company.
"Yesterday, when I went to your company for a follow up on the job, the receptionist and w.a.n.g Dong treated me politely and welcomed me warmly. They didn't look down on me because of my age or how tiny the job scope is.
"After we agreed on the deal, your company's SOPs and high efficiency gave me a good impression as well. At night, w.a.n.g Dong and I had dinner and maybe we had a little too much beer on the table, so he was late for work today. He ran into you, and…he was fired.
"I'm not here to plead for him, but I ask you to give him a chance. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a chance to do over. He is really a good employee."
Jiang Yan was quiet for a while before she looked at Su Yang. "Who's this w.a.n.g Dong?"
Su Yang did not know how to reply to her question, but before he could say anything, she continued, "I might not remember this man, but I think I fired someone this morning. If you are telling the truth, although he seems to love his job, he made a mistake and I fired him. Am I correct? So…I fired him because of a mistake he made. What is the problem here?"
Su Yang tried to explain in a more sincere tone, "Being late to work isn't that big a mistake and he was late because he went socializing with a client. He shouldn't deserve such a heavy punishment."
Jiang Yan had a serious expression. "No mistake is too small. A second of delay can cause a plane to crash and people will die; a millimeter closer and the bullet can kill you."
While Su Yang found the woman unreasonable to talk to, he added, "Being late has nothing to do with that kind of situation."
"You are not the one to judge whether the mistake is big or small," Jiang Yan said without any courtesy.
Su Yang's jaw dropped and could not utter a single word for a while. In the end, he asked, "Then, can you guarantee that you won't make a mistake?"
Jiang Yan smiled. She was beautiful when she smiled, but she did not look soft or tender. Instead, she looked valiant. "I can't, but I won't give others the right to control my fate."
She then put her gla.s.s down and told the bartender, "Put it on the tab."
With that, she lifted her slender and long legs and left.
Su Yang saw her go off with a heavy frown. 'This woman…'
He finished the gla.s.s of water and stormed out of the bar.
It seemed like w.a.n.g Dong and the receptionist were right. Jiang Yan was really domineering. Almost no one could reverse the decisions she made.
It was just a quick meeting and Su Yang already knew no matter how many times he would talk to her, the outcome would be the same.
Would this mean that his first Advanced Main Mission would fail?
He still planned to add points to his phone and complete the Silver Mission.
Su Yang looked at the bustling crowd and the moving cars as his head replayed that phrase from Jiang Yan. 'I won't give others the right to control my fate.'
He then thought of his Silver Mission: to earn a million yuan in six months.
'Does it mean I have to act in accordance with other peoples' moods or wait for a job from others just to earn a million? Leaving everything in fate's hands sounds rather useless! Maybe it's time to take control of my own fate!'
With that in mind, Su Yang clenched his teeth and thought of something bold.
Since he could not help w.a.n.g Dong get his job back and he himself had channels and resources for part-time jobs, he planned to do something big. He wanted to recruit w.a.n.g Dong and form his own company! He wanted to take the job for himself!
