Reborn in 2000: I'm the Boss's Driver

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, a light snow fell in the steel city.

Lin Fan drove Zhou Wenyuan to a meeting at the municipal government in the morning. On the way, Zhou Wenyuan asked, "When are you going to start renovating your parents' apartment?"

"In the next few days," Lin Fan said. "I've already found a renovation company, and we'll sign the contract tomorrow."

"Do you have enough money?"

"That's enough, the budget is around 60,000."

Zhou Wenyuan nodded: "Sixty thousand for a 125-square-meter apartment is about right. Don't make it too fancy, just make sure the elderly are comfortable."

"That's what I'm thinking too," Lin Fan said. "Let's keep it simple: a false ceiling, wallpaper, and a TV background wall. We'll buy solid wood furniture—it's environmentally friendly."

"What about your sister's outfit? Has she started installing it too?"

"She hasn't decided yet," Lin Fan laughed. "You know how picky my sister is. She's looked at five or six renovation companies and still hasn't decided which one to use."

"Let her take her time choosing; renovation is a big deal," Zhou Wenyuan said. "By the way, Li Jing told me yesterday that the budget department is busy at the end of the year and would like to borrow you to help out for a few days."

Lin Fan glanced at Zhou Wenyuan in the rearview mirror: "Brother Zhou, is it appropriate for me to go? I'm not from the budget department."

"What's inappropriate about it?" Zhou Wenyuan said. "You're just going to help out and organize the data. You know Li Jing, she's capable, but she's demanding of her subordinates. The fact that she specifically asked for you means she thinks highly of you."

"Alright, I'll follow Brother Zhou's arrangements."

"But you still have to keep your job as a driver," Zhou Wenyuan laughed. "I can't live without you."

"Of course, I'll be there whenever you call."

When the car arrived at the municipal government building, Zhou Wenyuan said before getting out, "I'm going to the development zone for research this afternoon. You don't need to pick me up; I'll go back by myself. You go and do your thing; renovating the house is the priority."

"Thank you, Brother Zhou."

Watching Zhou Wenyuan enter the building, Lin Fan drove back. On the way, he called Lin Ping.

"Sis, where are you?"

"I'm at the renovation company." It was a bit noisy on Lin Ping's end. "Can you come over? The designer just came up with a renovation plan, and I can't make up my mind."

Which company?

"It's the one I told you about, 'Meijia Decoration,' on Jianshe Road."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

He turned the car around and drove towards Jianshe Road. On the way, Lin Fan pondered Lin Ping's personality: she was serious about everything she did, but sometimes she was too serious. Renovating the house was a big deal, but he couldn't dwell on it too much.

Upon arriving at "Meijia Decoration," the storefront was quite large, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and various decoration samples displayed inside. Lin Ping was talking to a designer, while a middle-aged man, presumably the owner, sat next to her.

"sister."

"Xiao Fan is here." Lin Ping waved. "Come here, take a look at this design."

The designer took out several drawings. Lin Fan took them and looked at them; they were the design for Lin Ping's 125-square-meter apartment. The overall style was modern, with a white base and light gray accents. The living room had a suspended ceiling with LED strip lighting; the TV wall was a full-wall custom cabinet with a space in the middle for the TV; the bedroom had warm-toned wallpaper.

"How is it?" Lin Ping asked.

"That's great," Lin Fan said. "But sis, what's your budget?"

The designer said, "We'll quote 85,000 yuan for Ms. Lin's apartment. That includes all the hard furnishings, and the main materials will be from mid-range brands."

"Eighty-five thousand?" Lin Fan frowned. "That's a bit expensive."

The shop owner quickly said, "Mr. Lin, our price is already very reasonable. Look at this ceiling and this feature wall; they're all the most popular designs right now. All the materials we use are environmentally friendly, absolutely no problem."

"I know," Lin Fan said, "but for my parents' apartment, which is the same size, my budget is only 60,000."

"Sixty thousand?" The designer was taken aback. "Then... then it might be impossible to make something that complicated."

"I don't want anything complicated," Lin Fan said. "I just want something simple, elegant, and practical. A false ceiling is fine, but it doesn't need to be too fancy. The feature wall doesn't need to be a full wall of cabinets; just a simple design and some wallpaper will do."

The shop owner thought for a moment and said, "That would be cheaper. But Mr. Lin, with a budget of 60,000, we'll probably have to use ordinary materials."

"The materials can't be cheap," Lin Fan said. "Environmental protection standards must be met. What I mean is, the design should be simple, but the materials must be good. Especially the paint and boards, they must be environmentally friendly."

"Well...we'll have to calculate that in detail."

Lin Fan turned to Lin Ping: "Sister, let's go with this plan. It's 85,000, the price is about right. Let's finalize the deal."

Lin Ping hesitated for a moment: "I think the design is quite nice, and I'd like to..."

"I think it's a good idea," Lin Fan said. "How about this, we can both use the same renovation company and do the renovation together, then we can negotiate a better price."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up: "Buy two sets together? We can offer a discount. Mr. Lin, how about this: you buy both sets from us, and I'll give you a package price. Your set is 60,000, and Ms. Lin's is 75,000, for a total of 135,000. We'll use high-quality materials, and they'll meet environmental standards."

Lin Fan calculated that Lin Ping's set saved him 10,000 yuan.

"Sis, what do you think? I think it's a good fit."

Lin Ping: "That's good, installing them all at once saves money and hassle."

"Then it's settled," Lin Fan said to the boss. "We'll come over tomorrow to sign the contract. I'll present my proposal in a simple and elegant style; we'll look at it together tomorrow."

"no problem!"

As they left the renovation company, Lin Ping said, "Xiao Fan, you're so quick-witted. Renovating two sets together can really save you a lot of money."

"It's mainly to save trouble," Lin Fan said. "It's more convenient for us to have one company do the work. By the way, sister, we're signing the contract tomorrow, so please invite your husband along too."

"Why bother calling him? What does he know about renovations?" Lin Ping pouted. "All he knows is to say, 'Okay, you decide.'"

Lin Fan laughed: "Brother-in-law trusts you."

"Trust? What? I'm just lazy," Lin Ping said, laughing at herself. "By the way, do Mom and Dad know about the renovations?"

"I haven't gone into details yet," Lin Fan said. "Once we finalize the plan tomorrow, I'll bring them over to take a look."

"My parents are definitely happy," Lin Ping said. "Dad called me yesterday to ask about the house, and said the new house is too big."

"The elderly are used to living in smaller houses," Lin Fan said. "They'll definitely like the new house once it's furnished."

The siblings chatted for a while longer. Lin Fan returned to the Finance Bureau, parked his car, and ran into Li Jing as soon as he entered the office building.

"Section Chief Li."

"Lin Fan, I was just looking for you." Li Jing, in her early thirties, with short hair, dressed in a professional suit, looked capable and energetic. "Director Zhou told you, right? The budget department is busy at the end of the year, and they wanted to borrow you to help out for a few days."

"I told you, Brother Zhou told me to follow your instructions."

"Okay, starting tomorrow, you'll come to the Budget Section in the morning and work with Director Zhou in the afternoon," Li Jing said. "The main task is to organize the year-end budget execution data, which is quite a lot of work, and our section is short-staffed."

"Okay, no problem."

"By the way, I heard you got a new apartment?" Li Jing smiled. "125 square meters? That's nice."

"Thanks to Brother Zhou," Lin Fan said. "What about you, Section Chief Li? You've got yours too, right?"

"We split the apartment. I got an 80-square-meter one," Li Jing said. "It's enough for me to live alone."

Just then, Zhou Wenyuan came downstairs.

"Director Zhou," Li Jing greeted him.

"Section Chief Li," Zhou Wenyuan nodded, "Have you spoken with Lin Fan?"

"It's settled, I'll start helping out tomorrow."

"Alright, then you take care of him more." Zhou Wenyuan said to Lin Fan, "Come on, come with me to the Treasury Department."

"Okay, Brother Zhou."

Zhou Wenyuan said, "Go to the Treasury Department and talk to Section Chief Zhao about something."

"Section Chief Zhao? The new guy?"

"Yes, I promoted him," Zhou Wenyuan said. "He's a good person, reliable."

On the way, Zhou Wenyuan said, "Li Jing is capable, but she has a straightforward temper. When you go to the budget department, listen more and talk less, and do whatever you are told."

"I see."

"But this is also an opportunity," Zhou Wenyuan said. "The budget department is a core department. The fact that you can get in and help out shows that Li Jing approves of you. Do a good job and leave a good impression."

"Thank you for the pointers, Brother Zhou."

Upon arriving at the Treasury Department, Zhou Wenyuan went to the department head's office to discuss business, while Lin Fan waited in his office chatting with his colleagues. After more than half an hour, Zhou Wenyuan finally emerged, looking quite pleased.

"Have you reached an agreement?" Lin Fan asked.

"Yes, the year-end fund allocation requires the cooperation of the Treasury Department." Zhou Wenyuan said, "Section Chief Zhao is a reliable person."

"That's good."

"Brother Zhou, I've found a renovation company. We'll sign the contract tomorrow."

"Okay, I need your help to put in a good word."

"No need, I can handle it."

After telling Zhou Wenyuan, Lin Fan drove to the Donghe Wholesale Market. Wang Juan's shop was busy, with several customers trying on clothes.

"Juan'er".

Wang Juan turned around, saw him, and smiled, "What brings you here?"

"Just passing by and popping in to say hi," Lin Fan said. "Business looks good."

"It's alright. Winter clothes are selling well because it's getting cold," Wang Juan said to the shop assistant. "Xiao Fang, keep an eye on things. I'm going out for a bit."

The two walked outside the store, and Wang Juan asked, "Have you found a renovation company?"

"I've found the right one. We'll sign the contract tomorrow," Lin Fan said. "If we buy both sets together, it'll be cheaper."

"How much?"

"My apartment cost 60,000, and my sister's apartment cost 75,000."

"Is 60,000 enough?" Wang Juan asked worriedly. "It's 125 square meters, don't make it look too shabby."

"That's enough, keep it simple," Lin Fan said. "We have a suspended ceiling, wallpaper, and feature wall, just a simple design. Use good quality, environmentally friendly materials."

"That's good," Wang Juan said. "By the way, my parents called yesterday to ask when we're coming back. They said it's almost Chinese New Year and they miss us."

"Maybe it'll be New Year's Day. I'll go back and visit then," Lin Fan said. "The new house is starting renovations, so I should let my parents know too."

"Hmm." Wang Juan glanced at her watch. "Have you eaten?"

"not yet."

"Me neither, let's eat together. There's a new ramen place that just opened across the street, I heard it's good."

"OK."

The two crossed the street and went into the ramen shop. The shop was quite crowded, and the air was steaming. They ordered two bowls of beef ramen and a plate of cold dishes.

While waiting for the noodles, Wang Juan said, "Lin Fan, I have an idea."

"What are your thoughts?"

"I want to register a company," Wang Juan said. "I already have two stores and an agency in the provincial capital. It's not convenient to open a third one under a sole proprietorship. Registering a company makes issuing invoices and filing taxes all legitimate."

Lin Fan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you're right."

Wang Juan thought for a moment: "Then what should the company be called?"

"You decide, it's your decision."

"I'd like to name it 'Juanfan Apparel Co., Ltd.'" Wang Juan said a little shyly, "using one character from each of our names."

"Juanfan..." Lin Fan read it aloud, "It sounds nice. Okay, this one."

The noodles arrived, and the two ate and chatted. Wang Juan's eyes lit up when she talked about business. She spoke knowledgeably about which styles sold well, which suppliers were reliable, and which shopping malls wanted her to join their business.

Lin Fan listened, feeling a pang of emotion. In her past life, Wang Juan was just an ordinary restaurant waitress, struggling to make ends meet every day. In this life, Wang Juan is already a capable businesswoman.

This is the meaning of his rebirth—not only changing his own destiny, but also the destiny of his lover.

After dinner, Lin Fan drove Wang Juan back to her shop and then drove home himself.

The next morning, Lin Fan went to the budget department first. Li Jing arranged a temporary workstation for him and assigned him the task of organizing the data on the year's budget execution, classifying it by project, and binding it into a booklet.

The work wasn't complicated, just tedious. Lin Fan calmed himself down and organized the documents one by one. His senior colleagues in the budget department were all very polite. A young man even came over to help him with the binding.

After working until past ten o'clock, Lin Fan asked Li Jing for leave, saying he needed to sign a renovation contract. Li Jing readily agreed.

When they arrived at the renovation company, Lin Ping and Sun Lin were already there. The designer showed them the design plans, which looked simple and elegant.

"Will this work?" the designer asked.

Lin Fan carefully inspected the room. The living room had a simple recessed ceiling with spotlights; the TV wall featured a design made of plasterboard with dark wallpaper in the center and symmetrical sides; the bedroom had beige wallpaper, creating a warm color scheme. Overall, the room was simple and elegant, without any unnecessary decorations.

"Okay, that's good," Lin Fan said. "What about my sister's outfit?"

Lin Ping's set is similar, except that the ceilings in all the rooms are a bit more complicated, and the background wall is decorated with glass.

"Sis, what do you think?"

Lin Ping looked it over again and said, "Okay, that's settled then."

Sun Lin, standing nearby, said, "You can decide, I have no objection."

"Then you should take a look." Lin Ping glared at him.

"I've looked at it, it's pretty good," Sun Lin said with a smile.

The boss produced the contract and explained each clause in detail. The total price was 135,000 yuan, payable in three installments: 30% upon commencement of work, 40% upon completion of plumbing and electrical work, and 30% upon overall completion. The construction period was two months, with a guarantee of completion before the Spring Festival.

Lin Fan carefully reviewed the contract, found no problems, and signed it. Lin Ping also signed it.

After I paid the first installment, the boss said, "We'll start work tomorrow, beginning with your parents' set. Sister Lin's set will be done a couple of days later, so the workers can work at different times."

"Okay, I'll follow your arrangements."

As they left the renovation company, Lin Ping said, "Xiao Fan, why don't you bring Mom and Dad over this afternoon?"

"Okay, I'll go pick them up."

Lin Fan returned to his office at noon and told Zhou Wenyuan. Zhou Wenyuan said, "I'm free this afternoon, you can go. By the way, I have to go on a business trip to the provincial capital for a meeting over New Year's Day, you'll come with me."

"Okay, for how many days?"

"Two or three days," Zhou Wenyuan said. "While we're at it, we'll check out the market in the provincial capital for Wang Juan to see."

"Thank you, Brother Zhou."

"Don't mention it." Zhou Wenyuan waved his hand. "Go on, go pick up your parents."

In the afternoon, Lin Fan drove to Anjuyuan to pick up his parents. The elderly couple were quite happy to hear that they were going to see the design of their new house.

When we arrived at the renovation company, the designer went over the renderings again. My mother looked at them intently, asking all sorts of questions.

"Is this wallpaper dirt-resistant?"

"It's dirt-resistant, Auntie. It's waterproof and stain-resistant, and easy to clean."

"Is this floor slippery?"

"It's not slippery; we specifically chose non-slip flooring."

Is the kitchen big enough?

"It's big enough. Look at the design, an L-shaped kitchen with plenty of countertop space."

The father was concerned with practicality: "Are there enough outlets?"

"That's enough; there are enough electrical outlets in every room."

"Where are the water pipes? Don't let them leak."

"The water pipes are all the best quality, with a 50-year warranty."

The elderly couple asked around and were satisfied with everything.

Lin Fan's mother held his hand: "Xiao Fan, how much will this cost?"

"Sixty thousand, Mom, that's not expensive."

"Sixty thousand isn't expensive..." the mother muttered, but a smile was on her face.

As Lin Fan left the renovation company, he said, "Mom and Dad, construction starts tomorrow. You two will have to stay at Anjuyuan for the next two months. Once it's finished and aired out, we can move in during the Spring Festival."

"No rush, no rush," the father said. "Fill it slowly, and fill it carefully."

"Don't worry, all the materials used are high-quality and environmentally friendly," Lin Fan said. "Go and take a look after it's installed, and we can make changes if you're not satisfied."

"Satisfied, very satisfied." The mother smiled. "My son is capable, I'm happy."

After dropping his parents off at home, Lin Fan went to the new house. The workers had already started work.

The foreman was a middle-aged man surnamed Zhang, and he was very honest.

"Mr. Lin, rest assured, we will definitely do a good job. The materials are all of high quality, and the workers are all experienced."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zhang." Lin Fan offered him a cigarette. "My parents are staying here, and they only have one requirement—environmentally friendly and safe."

"Understood, don't worry."

Watching the workers get to work, Lin Fan felt at ease. Once the house was finished, his parents would be more comfortable. Living across the hall from Lin Ping, they could look after each other, and he felt reassured.

It was already dark when Lin Fan left the residential area. He drove back to Riverside Garden and called Wang Juan on the way.

"Juan'er, I'm going back now."

"Dinner's ready, waiting for you."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Fan looked at the streetlights outside the window. Winter in the steel city was cold, but his heart was warm.

I have a family, a lover, parents, and a career.

This is the stable and wealthy life he wanted.

They walked steadily, step by step.

Brother Zhou is gradually promoting him, and his work is improving; his business is developing steadily, and he has enough money to live on; his house is being renovated, and his parents can enjoy their retirement.

Everything is fine.

But Lin Fan knew this was just the beginning. 2005 was coming, a better era with more opportunities.

He needs to keep working hard and take steady steps.

For this family, for this good life.

The car pulled into the Riverside Garden and parked. I went upstairs and opened the door.

The house was filled with the aroma of food, and Wang Juan was serving rice in the kitchen.

"You're back? Wash your hands and eat."

"it is good."

Wash your hands and sit down. Simple home-cooked dishes, steaming hot.

"Was today smooth?" Wang Juan asked.

"Smooth sailing, the contract is signed, and construction will begin tomorrow," Lin Fan said. "My parents saw the design and were quite pleased."

"That's good." Wang Juan put some food on his plate. "Eat more."

"Um."

Eating, chatting, washing dishes, watching TV.

An ordinary day, an ordinary night.

But that is happiness.

Real happiness.

Lin Fan thought about it and smiled.

very nice.