Rebirth after the college entrance examination

Chapter 161 How dare he!

The marketing director of Guolan Technology is a reserved man named Li Qiao, who is thirty-two years old. Xia An met him once after Liu Youwei recruited him. Her first impression was not that he was capable of great things, but rather that he was very proper and disciplined.

This person had five years of experience in field sales, and after a background check, his former company described him as "outstanding." If it weren't for his elderly parents' illness forcing him to move his entire family from Ningbo back to Northeast China, they wouldn't have let go of such a talented individual.

After Liu Youwei was transferred by Xia An to assist Tang Wan, Li Qiao seamlessly took over the ground promotion team in dozens of universities. In just over a month, she not only managed to keep the campus agents under control, but also developed a very complete set of assessment and management methods that could be passed down based on students' graduation and internships.

Xia An glanced at the proposal in the executive group at the time and was quite amazed.

He believes that if someone like Li Qiao were to go to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou now, he would very likely stand out in the multiple rounds of APP wars that would break out 10 years later, either by becoming independent or by obtaining stock options from a listed company.

Instant messaging, group buying, food delivery, mobile games, express delivery... these are all in Xia An's plan. In the years before smartphones become widespread, talent reserves are the top priority.

With half an hour left before the end of the workday, Xia An called Li Qiao into her office for a chat, asking about her family's current situation.

"Next month will be a tough battle; you'll be flying around a lot. How is the old man's health?"

As she asked, Xia An rinsed the tea leaves. Seeing Li Qiao instinctively reach for a cigarette but then stop, she handed him the ashtray. "Go ahead and smoke, it's okay. I used to smoke too."

Li Qiao was more than ten years older than Xia An, but based on the few times they had met... Li Qiao had a strange feeling that this young man in front of her could see through people's hearts.

"Thank you, Mr. Xia."

With a flick of his wrist, Li Qiao lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

Xia An noticed that he was smoking soft-pack Hongtashan cigarettes, which cost 7 yuan a pack. The cigarettes were crumpled in his pocket. He remembered that Li Qiao's salary was 5500 yuan, which was considered a high income in Binhai at the moment. It was clear that the other party's family was in dire financial straits.

"It's late-stage, and with the added chemotherapy and radiation, things aren't looking good..."

The one who is sick is Li Qiao's father. He is middle-aged and has elderly parents and young children to care for. He faces the challenges of life, aging, illness, and death while also dealing with the daily necessities of life.

Li Qiao said calmly.

Xia An poured two cups of tea, took a sip, and asked, "Where are your sister-in-law and the child?"

Sister-in-law… Li Qiao glanced at Xia An and smiled, “She found a job in the community, close to home, so she can take care of my mother and deliver meals to the hospital. I don’t have to worry about the kids.”

When the topic of children came up, Li Qiao's smile deepened.

Everyone in the company has met Li Qiao's son, who was in first grade. A few nights, he would come to the office to do his homework. He was well-behaved and obedient, and he was a promising young man.

Xia An asked, "What did your sister-in-law do before?"

Li Qiao said, "She used to work at the same company as me; she worked in finance."

His tone was a mixture of pride and dejection. In this day and age, being able to marry such a wife was truly a stroke of good luck. However, he couldn't hide his shame at his wife's virtue; he was really on the verge of losing his family.

No matter how high the salary, it can't withstand a trip to the hospital.

After finishing one cigarette, Li Qiao lit another. Looking at Xia An, her gaze shifted for a few moments, as if making a decision, before finally speaking, "Mr. Xia, I think..."

Xia An waved his hand and said, "Starting next month, I plan to raise the salary of the director level to eight thousand. Go back and ask your sister-in-law if she would like to work as a cashier. There will be a lot of complicated cash inflows and outflows recently."

The finance department is currently being handled by a single person, and there is indeed a shortage of manpower.

Li Qiao: "..."

Xia An took a sip of tea and said, "I told the finance manager that the 1st will be rewarded based on merit, but this company was established relatively late. As for the credit, it's just you and the technical team. Each of you will get 30,000 yuan. Don't think it's too little. There will be more at the end of the year."

Xia An took a red envelope from under the coffee table and handed it to the stunned middle-aged man. She added, "If your family is really struggling, just ask. I'll lend you some money in my own name."

Li Qiao looked deeply at the smiling Xia An, and after a long while, said with a wry smile, "Back in Binhai City, my former employer gave me a bonus, the house in Ningbo was sold, and the initial surgery and treatment costs amounted to over two hundred thousand yuan. The doctor said my dad can still..."

Xia An shook his head: "Too long-winded, just name a number." Every family has its own troubles, and if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to use Li Qiao, Xia An wouldn't have listened to any of this.

Li Qiao gritted her teeth: "Fifty thousand, consider it an advance on my salary for the first half of next year, is that alright, President Xia?"

Xia An waved his hand and said, "How could 50,000 be enough? I'll give you 100,000. Don't mention the advance on your salary, and don't tell anyone. Just consider it a favor since we've met. Whether it's three or five years, you can pay me back slowly in the future."

Li Qiao trembled with excitement, feeling an urge to bow down in reverence, thinking to himself: I've only met good people in my life.

Seeing that he was speechless, Xia An smiled and said, "I'll have the finance department transfer the money to you directly tomorrow. Go home early. As a man, you're quite capable. A harmonious family brings prosperity."

This was the first time Xia An had stayed in the office.

One by one, the employees quietly clocked out and left work. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a red sun set below the horizon, and the world was half blue and half red.

Half-reclining on the sofa, Xia An repeatedly muttered two words: finance.

……

There are no hotels on the food street, only about twenty family-run guesthouses.

It's packed every weekend.

Zhou Ting and Le Ning chose a room with acceptable hygiene and went in. They checked in at the same time as a couple, and then went upstairs together. Their rooms were right next to each other.

Less than ten minutes after I entered the house, the neighbors started making noises.

Le Ning blushed, while Zhou Ting's face darkened.

Thinking back to my school days, boys and girls were so shy about holding hands... Is this what college students are like now?!
Ah~ Daddy~
Le Ning quickly drank some water to calm herself down. Zhou Ting's face turned as black as Bao Gong's. He stomped his foot angrily, walked to the wall, and slammed the wall panel hard. "Your parents paid for your education, and this is what you do?" he started cursing.

But the neighbors next door seemed even more excited.

Le Ning chuckled and advised Zhou Ting, "Alright, I'll go ask the boss to change the room."

They moved to the third floor, where there were only four rooms. Le Ning quietly took the key to another room and moved up with Zhou Ting.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, glaring angrily at her daughter, Zhou Ting finally couldn't hold back and asked coldly, "You guys stay out on weekends too?"

Le Ning shook her head first: "I have more rehearsals on weekends."

Zhou Ting breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Le Ning say, "I only stay here occasionally."

Zhou Ting was almost in tears with anger. She walked up to her daughter and shoved her shoulder twice. "Why are you so disobedient?! I've raised you with such care, just so you can make me angry?"

After saying that, he picked up his handbag and left.

He returned in less than fifteen minutes, tossing a plastic bag with a pharmacy logo onto it from his shoulder bag. Inside were two brightly colored boxes.

"Le Ning, I'm utterly disappointed in you. I don't care about anything else. You can go your own way as you please, but don't get pregnant while you're studying. I can't bear the shame of that."

Seeing her daughter curiously lying on the bed examining the 24-pack of packaging boxes, as if she had never seen it before.

He frowned and asked, "You haven't used it before?"

Le Ning smiled faintly and shook her head blankly.

Zhou Ting trembled with anger, gritting her teeth as she said, "How dare he! Let me tell you, he doesn't care about you at all! He doesn't take you seriously at all!"

(End of this chapter)