I am not a literary giant

After Zuo Ziliang finished speaking, the central air conditioning system let out a long sigh, and a mysterious floral and fruity fragrance floated in the air, which was probably the scent of Ye Lan's body lotion.

Both of them take 0.25%, which, combined with their original share, makes them take 2.5%, a 25% increase. Based on a monthly income of 100,000, with just a few words from Zuo Ziliang, he could earn an extra 25,000 per month, exactly ten times the price of his new outfit.

He mentally reviewed the numbers, feeling dizzy. But he knew the negotiations weren't over yet. They were just beginning.

From the darkness behind Prince Xu, a dark figure wearing sunglasses and a mask emerged. The dark figure placed a hand on Prince Xu's shoulder and spoke:

"Can I interpret this condition as a bet?"

Wang Zixu said, "Can I interpret this condition as a bet?"

Strangely, both Zuo Ziliang and Ye Lan seemed oblivious to the black-clad figure. But this wasn't surprising, as the black-clad figure was, in fact, a non-existent being.

He is the Little Prince.

Zuo Ziliang said, "This isn't a gamble. It's a pledge of loyalty, a touchstone, a test of your worth, to see just how valuable you really are."

The little prince asked, "What if the color isn't up to standard?"

Prince Xu asked, "If my quality is substandard, what price will I pay?"

Zuo Ziliang spread his hands and said, "If it doesn't meet the standards, we'll all be in the same boat, and we'll all lose money. We're unwilling, and you certainly aren't."

The little prince turned to look at Prince Xu: "His smile was natural, his voice did not tremble, and he did not seem to be lying."

Prince Xu nodded: "I like to speak frankly, but was that truly all the sincerity you had just expressed?"

Ye Lan said, "We are businessmen, and businessmen shouldn't be so open about everything right away. I originally planned to sign a performance-based agreement with you. We provided the initial startup capital, and we were also the ones who would bear the losses. If you couldn't meet the requirements, you should have shared our losses. But Zuo Ziliang refused."

Ye Lan seemed to harbor some resentment. The little prince turned to him and said, "I saw her toes were clenched tightly in her sandals. She's nervous. She's trying to put pressure on you."

Wang Zixu said, "I am not a businessman, I am a scholar, or rather, I possess technology. I dislike the logic of businessmen, because capital needs technology, and technology also needs capital. My technology cannot incur losses, nor can it generate profits. If you try to reason with me using this logic, I will not talk to you."

Ye Lan raised an eyebrow. The Little Prince said, "Don't add pressure; she's emotionally fragile. It's time to release that pressure."

Wang Zixu crossed his legs and said, "I believe that Wen'ai app is a case of funding providing the stage and technology performing the show. As I just said, technology needs funding. My technology also benefits from your funding. We rise and fall together; we are not competitors now, but partners."

Zuo Ziliang said, "Yes, that's why I'm talking to you this way, precisely because I consider you a partner. Also, I'd like to add that the reason we're willing to offer these is because we choose to believe in your technology."

Prince Xu extended his hand and said, "Then I hope I can live up to my mission."

Zuo Ziliang extended his hand to shake his: "Welcome to the team."

Ye Lan glanced at the two of them, shrugged, and said, "What else can I say?"

She placed her hands on Wang's and Zuo's hands.

The Little Prince smiled slightly, stepped back, and disappeared into the shadows.

The new leadership team of Wen'ai Company has been officially formed.

Ye Lan looked up: "So, what should we do now?"

Wang Zixu carefully put on his mask and pressed it tightly at the edges to make sure there was no air leakage: "No matter what I do first, I need to go back to my workplace and ask for leave."

Ye Lan blinked: "It's so convenient for you people working in public institutions; you can get leave whenever you want."

Wang Zixu put his sunglasses back on: "It's not the company's problem. It's my problem now."

Zuo Ziliang flipped through the documents: "Go ahead. I need to start preparing here. Your... team, do you have a name yet?"

Prince thought for a moment and said, "Wen'ai Club."

Before leaving the conference room, Wang Zixu suddenly turned back and whispered to Ye Lan, "Your stockings are ripped, around the toe of your right foot."

The blush on Ye Lan's face didn't fade for a long time.

……

Wang Zixu stood in front of his workplace, suddenly feeling as if he were in another world. He hesitated for a long time, unable to make up his mind to step through the door.

So much has happened in the past few days that his mindset has undergone a dramatic change. When facing his workplace, he feels a bit apprehensive, like someone returning home for the first time.

This place is filled with traces of his past failures, and those traces, like a mirror, reflect his present state of utter disarray.

An older female colleague from work walked past him, carrying her bag, and said, "Wang Zixu, what are you standing there for? Come on in!"

Wang Zixu was taken aback. For a moment, he was puzzled as to why his colleague seemed so indifferent to his sudden appearance. After a couple of seconds, he realized that for them, the two days Wang Zixu had been absent from work were not particularly eventful; they were just ordinary days.

He had worked here for nine years, and looking back, even that long period of time, stretched out from beginning to end, didn't bring as much of a change in his mindset as it had in the last two days; it was just like the same old routine over the past decade. His colleagues were the same, simply living ordinary lives, completely unaware of the ups and downs outside.

Perhaps they didn't even realize that Wang Zixu hadn't been to work these past two days.

Having let go of his resentment, Wang Zixu walked into his workplace. Just as he reached the second floor, he bumped into Diao Yiwen, who was carrying a pile of documents.

"Brother Wang, you're here for work?"

The girl spoke politely, her eyes blinking beneath her dark bangs, and her tone was somewhat shy. In a normal way, she was actually a very likeable girl.

"Mm." Prince Xu nodded.

He passed by Diao Yiwen, who called him back. He turned around, and the girl stammered an apology to him, but her words were unclear and he couldn't hear her clearly.

Wang Zixu waved his hand very kindly: "It's okay, you go ahead with your work. Good luck."

Diao Yiwen nodded slightly, clutched the manuscript to her chest, and walked away quickly. Just then, Song Yinglian came upstairs and greeted her, but was ignored.

Xu Shichao walked out of the office carrying a teacup and happened to see Wang Zixu. His face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Hey, Xiao Wang, you're done recuperating? I've never seen you take so long off before."

Wang Zixu was taken aback. He had simply skipped work; he hadn't asked for leave at all. But then he thought, Director Xu had given him a good way out. He had prepared many excuses for his absence, but now he didn't have to bother.

"I plan to extend my leave for a few more days after I come back, because I still feel like I haven't fully recovered," Wang Zixu said.

Xu Shichao's expression turned serious. He said, "That's only right. Health is the foundation of everything. It's alright. Guo Ranran has taken over your office work. Don't worry, just focus on getting better."

He reached out and patted Wang Zixu on the shoulder. Wang Zixu returned to his office door and found it closed. On a whim, he went to Zhang Cangnian's office next door.

"Old Zhang." Wang Zixu greeted Zhang Cangnian, who was playing on the computer inside, with a smile. Zhang Cangnian turned around, surprised and delighted, and quickly stood up.

"Look who's here! Prince Xu is back! What brings him back to work?"

Zhang Cangnian patted Wang Zixu's arm with a cheerful smile. Although he patted it a little too hard, making Wang Zixu's joints hurt, Wang Zixu felt inexplicably at ease.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but back in the office, while his colleagues were friendly, there was an underlying sense of distance. Only Zhang Cangnian remained unchanged, just as always.

Zhang Cangnian said loudly, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! The work in your office still needs you to take charge!"

After saying that, he ran to close the door, then came back and lowered his voice, asking, "Where have you been these past two days?"

Wang Zixu pulled out his prepared explanation: "I was under a lot of pressure, so I stayed home for two days to calm down."

Zhang Cangnian gave him a look that suggested he was hopeless: "Can't you be quiet at work if you want to? No matter how right you are, unexcused absences are unacceptable in any workplace. If it weren't for your powerful connections, wouldn't this give the leaders more leverage?"

Prince Xu asked in surprise, "What kind of background do I have?"

Zhang Cangnian said, "Isn't the high-ranking leader your background?"

Wang Zixu honestly said, "I've never even met a high-ranking leader."

Zhang Cangnian seemed a little skeptical, and continued, "Whether you've met them or not, in our unit, the top leaders are your connections. Everyone thinks the top leaders are your connections."

"Who thinks?"

"Everyone thought so."

After a moment's thought, Wang Zixu realized that this involved an extremely convoluted and complex history of news dissemination; the office's information channels were still so bizarre yet efficient. He sighed.

"Whatever, let them think what they want."

Zhang Cangnian said, "It's normal for young people to have heavy psychological burdens. I was also thin-skinned when I was young. Being thin-skinned is not a problem; you'll get used to it and it will thicken. But you must have a strong mentality and be able to withstand pressure. Otherwise, it will be a tragedy."

Wang Zixu said, "I'm not back to work this time; I'm planning to ask my supervisor for a few more days off."

Zhang Cangnian said, "You really can't handle it? Don't do anything rash. The workplace isn't as complicated as you think."

Prince waved his hand dismissively: "It has nothing to do with that. It's just that something happened at home, so I need to take some more time off to sort things out."

Hearing this, Zhang Cangnian didn't press further and waved goodbye. Wang Zixu returned to his office, opened the door, and saw Guo Ranran looking haggard as she looked up from her computer.

"Section Chief Wang, you're back?"

Wang Zixu turned around and closed the door. He saw Guo Ranran and noticed her sudden change in address. He suddenly recalled the original text from "My Hometown": "A sad, thick barrier has already separated us..."

Wang Zixu said, "Get up for a moment, I need to use the computer."

He needs to use the printer to print a leave slip.

Guo Ranran stood up, dragging the chair across the floor with a screeching sound. Wang Zixu sat down at his long-unused workstation, the chair still warm from Guo Ranran's buttocks, making him quite uncomfortable. He moved his buttocks to the edge of the chair, immediately feeling much better.

Guo Ranran pulled out a large document from somewhere and slammed it down next to Wang Zixu. Wang Zixu glanced at her but didn't say anything, continuing to operate the computer.

Guo Ranran said, "Section Chief Wang, your department has received a lot of work these past two days. I've collected and organized it all and put it here."

Prince Xu said, "Oh."

Seeing that he didn't respond, Guo Ranran continued, "Your department is quite skilled, but I'm not very knowledgeable about it. I've divided this stack of work according to urgency, putting the more urgent ones on top."

Wang Zixu nodded and continued filling out his leave application form.

Unable to contain herself, Guo Ranran asked again, "Section Chief Wang, what do you think?"

Prince Xu asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"what?"

Wang Zixu looked at her: "I asked you what you're trying to express?"

Guo Ranran swallowed and said, "That's right. Now that you're back, I'll head back to my office."

Wang Zixu asked, "Who arranged for you to come here?"

Guo Ranran said, "Director Gou."

Wang Zixu said, "Then go and talk to Director Gou."

"Okay. I'll go with you."

Wang Zixu clicked print, and the leave application form was printed out. Guo Ranran eagerly took it, and after seeing the contents, she was shocked and her eyes widened.

Wang Zixu took the leave application form and headed towards Director Gou's office. Guo Ranran called out to him from behind, "Section Chief Wang, why do you need to ask for leave again?"

Wang Zixu turned and glanced at her: "What, do I have to report to you?"

He knocked on the door of Director Gou's office, strode in, placed the leave application form on his desk, and got straight to the point: "I plan to take ten days of annual leave, plus five days of personal leave and five days of sick leave, for a total of 20 days."

Director Gou didn't even look up at him. He frowned, took the leave application forms, and carefully examined them. After reading through all three forms, he finally said, "Why are you requesting such a long leave?"

Wang Zixu said, "I need to recuperate. I'm under a lot of pressure. Also, Director Mei keeps throwing speeches and press releases from high-ranking leaders at me, and I can't refuse them. I'll rest for a couple of days."

Director Gou said in a friendly tone, "Yes, yes, health is the foundation of everything. You are still young, and you need to be prepared for a long-term struggle in the future."

Without a word, he quickly signed the leave application form. After signing, he carefully capped his pen, neatly placed the three sheets of paper on the table, and said in a gentle tone:

"Xiao Wang, we've discussed your performance evaluation and decided to award it to you."

Prince Xu remained calm and said, "Hmm."

"And don't keep asking for leave. When this holiday is over, you still need to come to work. We'll consider promoting you next year, but there can't be any obvious problems with your attendance."

Prince Xu nodded: "Mm."

Director Gou was frustrated. Such a great opportunity, yet Prince Xu's response was so vague, as if it were simply how things were supposed to be. This greatly discouraged him.

Wang Zixu, clutching his leave slip, left Director Gou's office with a sense of satisfaction. He hadn't expected to find this shift so enjoyable, just as he was about to start slacking off. Indeed, "unity is achieved through struggle," the great man had been right.

Back in his office, he saw a slightly distraught Guo Ranran and shouted at him, "Section Chief Wang, you've been on leave for so long, what are you going to do with your department's work?"

Wang Zixu said casually, "Didn't the leader assign you to take over?"

Guo Ranran said, "But I don't know how!"

Wang Zixu said gently, "If you don't know something, just learn it properly, ask questions, and report back. You're so young, learning about the work of different departments is a great way to develop yourself."

He laughed at himself after he finished speaking. He could now recite the same excuses his superiors used to use to brush him off so smoothly.

Prince Xu, you are truly cunning.

Diao Yiwen poked her head out from the doorway and asked, "Brother Wang, are you taking a long leave?"

Prince Xu nodded: "Yes."

Diao Yiwen took out her phone: "Can I add you on WeChat? I've been wanting to talk to you more for a while, but I haven't had a chance."

Wang Zixu readily agreed and took out his phone to scan the QR code with her.

Then, amidst many resentful and devastated gazes, he walked away.