Chapter 163

Cheng Feng grunted: "I'm asking you seriously."

"What I said is serious."

"What about Yang Zixi? Still thinking about her?"

Wu Di thought for a moment, shook his head, and sighed: "I'm not thinking about her anymore."

"What's going on? Did you suddenly see the light?"

"Do you know what car she drove when she came to find you?"

Cheng Feng casually picked up some food: "I'm not looking down on Yang Zixi, but she only knows how to name a Mercedes-Benz—what kind of car could she even drive?"

Wu Di drank a cup of wine with a forlorn expression: "A 911."

"She could drive a 911? Don't joke around."

Wu Di shook his head and sighed: "She couldn't afford it—but doesn't she have Wang Yan?"

"Wang Yan?" Why the hell does that Wang keep popping up everywhere? If it weren't for that Wang, maybe I'd have saved Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng with one contract and gotten closer to Shen Bing too—damn annoying idiot: "That car's probably under company ownership—just let Yang Zixi use it for fun, not actually registered in her name."

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"Zixi said she wanted to buy a car, and Wang Yan just got her one right away—I even saw the invoice, it was bought recently…" Wu Di said: "Honestly, whether it's in her name or not doesn't matter—it's the sheer boldness of buying on a whim that I can't match… Zixi with him might really be a good fate…"

"Don't worry, Yang Zixi will cry one day," Cheng Feng sneered: "I know guys like that Wang too well—once they're done playing with a woman, they toss her aside. Someone like Yang Zixi won't last long—he'll dump her eventually. Wang Laowu, you're better off without her. Why cling to just one tree?"

Wu Di said nothing, raised his cup, and drank.

"Hey, by the way, how's that boss you mentioned earlier?"

"Fine. We were supposed to go see a movie together, but you dragged me out."

Cheng Feng took a sip with him: "So it's my fault you ruined your date? Sorry, Wang Laowu—you stood her up. Why don't you go find her now?"

Wu Di shook his head: "Nah, let's leave it for later." He'd already flaked—showing up now would feel like treating her like a call-and-response toy, disrespectful.

Of course, he never imagined that Wang Yan, who stole his little Xixi, was now with the sultry woman who made him feel like he'd been thrown back into adolescence, heart pounding, skin itching—

The two fell silent. One's mind filled with Shen Bing; the other's with the image of Yang Zixi in the car, tangled with the sultry woman.

After a while, Cheng Feng raised his cup and clinked it against Wu Di's: "Wang Laowu, help me figure out how to mend things."

Wu Di picked up some food: "Impossible. Give up. Besides, if I help you, what does that make me?"

"Ah…" Cheng Feng opened his mouth but couldn't think of what to say, finally just sighed and drank his gloomy wine.

After drinking a bit more and exchanging a few aimless words, the two parted ways…

On the other side, in Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's rented apartment, Shen Bing—who had kept Cheng Feng tossing and turning—was snuggled against Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng: "What's wrong with you today?"

"What do you mean, wrong?"

People might all be kind of twisted, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng reflected.

Shen Bing agreed: "I'm telling you, your health matters. If it weren't for Wang Ge looking out for you, I'd be afraid you'd drop dead at the office."

"Yeah, yeah, Wang Ge looks out for me…" Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng sighed: "Don't worry, girl—I won't work like that again. Today I realized what I already have is my greatest wealth. Honey, I've been neglecting you lately trying to get back to work fast—I'm sorry you've suffered."

"I'm not suffering," Shen Bing leaned closer to him: "Our life's getting better every day, and I'm with those kids every day—I'm happy. Promise me you won't work like that again—your health matters more."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng softly agreed: "Mm, I won't."

This was love worth a thousand gold—he didn't regret it, because the choice was already made. Wang Ge was right: don't dwell on the past. Focus on the present, look to the future—that's the true Dao.

During the day, a million had clouded his mind; now that the passion had passed and the pressure lifted, recalling his conversation with Cheng Cheng Shengen'en, that old bastard, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng had to admit: Cheng Feng and Cheng Cheng Shengen'en were a perfect pair of rotten apples—both pure trash, both dog baskets.

He was grateful—and proud—that he'd held onto his bottom line in the end.

The two nestled in their small rented room; Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng listened as Shen Bing told him about the kids in her class, their funny, adorable moments, and drifted off to sleep without noticing.

In deep sleep, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's lips curled upward—clearly a good dream…

Shen Bing seemed to sense it too, her face breaking into the sweet smile Cheng Feng longed for day and night—as if they shared the same dream…

The next day, instead of going to Wu Mei's place, Wang Yan went to a hotel. He woke early, stretched, washed up, and didn't disturb Wu Mei, still fast asleep—he put on his clothes and headed to the company.

His main task now was to get WeChat and PinYiDao ready—when they launched, advertising, promotions, and all the expenses would pile up, all concentrated in the next two or three months.

That's why he hadn't dealt with Cheng Feng and Cheng Cheng Shengen'en yet—if he had, those two bastards would already be begging on the streets.

Whether it was morning or not, whether he'd rested or not, Wang Mou's work efficiency was always on a beast-level scale. At the company, without a word, he plunged straight into work. For a while, the office was silent except for the rapid clatter of keyboard taps.

After a while, Wang Yan was startled by a knock on the door. He glanced at the computer clock—it was five minutes to eight.

Without thinking, Wang Yan knew it was Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng—mainly because they interacted often and were familiar; he knew Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng truly didn't care about formalities. Every day, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng came by to borrow some tea, mostly… to chat with Wang, the successful man, Wang Laowu, listen to his teachings, learn more, broaden his horizons, and so on.

"Come in."

No sooner had Wang Yan spoken than, as expected, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng pushed the door open: "Morning, Wang Ge." He then sat down without being asked, right at the window-side tea table.

Wang Yan nodded, stood up, stretched out a huge yawn, then walked over and sat down at the tea table: "You're in good form today."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng grinned: "I've figured it all out."

"Good," Wang Yan expertly arranged the tea set: "Can you understand the reports now?"

"Uh… sort of?"

"Either you can or you can't—what does 'sort of' mean?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng felt uneasy. He'd burned the midnight oil for a week, yes—he could grasp the general idea—but at this level, he wouldn't dare guarantee anything.

"Uh… fine… I guess."

Wang Yan shook his head and looked at him calmly: "Just tell me: can you, or can't you?"

Seeing Wang Yan was serious, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng stopped joking. After a long pause, he looked uncertainly at Wang Yan: "Can't?"

"You're asking me? You damn fool—do you have zero confidence?" Wang Yan glared at Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng: "Go get the files on my desk."

"Yes, sir!" Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng shot up like a spring, strode over to Wang Yan's desk, grabbed the files, and stood there stiffly, not daring to sit.

He was puzzled—normally, his Wang Ge looked so mild, ordinary, unremarkable, nothing special. But now, with his face set and eyes glaring, for some reason, he radiated such authority that Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's heart pounded.

Wang Yan saw him standing there with the files: "Why are you standing? Sit down."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng waved his hands: "No, no, I'll stand—it's fine."

"Sit."

Wang Yan's tone left no room for argument.

"Got it!" Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng quickly sat upright across from him and handed over the files: "Bro, here are the documents."

Wang Yan poured tea himself, not looking up: "Look through it carefully and tell me what's going on."

"Huh? Oh… alright, bro."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng opened the file, glanced cautiously at Wang Yan, saw no reaction, then began reading seriously.

After a while, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng looked up at Wang Yan: "Bro, can I speak?"

"Speak."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng cleared his throat twice: "This is the financial situation for last month and the first half of this month. Last month…"

The report had been delivered yesterday by the CFO. Due to Wang Yan's massive hiring spree, expenses this month had skyrocketed, creating heavy financial pressure. The purpose of submitting the report was simple: they were out of money. Boss Wang had to inject funds, or the company would collapse.

Moreover, as head of finance, the CFO's duties weren't just about crunching numbers—he had to participate in tax matters, company operations, development strategies, and more. Of course, everything ultimately depended on Boss Wang's decisions, but whether the CFO fulfilled his responsibilities was his own concern. So he had to speak up; silence was negligence.

Overall, it was simple enough, nothing unusual.

After rambling on, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng concluded: "Bro, the company's account is empty. Also, the CFO suggests you slow down expansion and properly reorganize."

While Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng talked, Wang Yan finished brewing tea, poured two cups, and placed one before Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng: "Have you learned anything about the two projects the company is developing?"

"A little."

"Tell me."

After Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng finished speaking, Wang Yan nodded: "Which project do you think is better?"

"Pindao." Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng didn't wait for further questions—he analyzed both projects against competitors' products and market shares to justify his choice.

After speaking, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng sipped tea and continued: "But if the two products could be combined, they could complement each other. Still, we're a small company with no previously recognized products and no user base—it's hard to move forward. And to expand our user base, we don't have a mature ground promotion team, which would cost a lot we might not afford."

Wang Yan nodded: "Alright, go find the lead of Pindao later and get some materials to review."

"Bro, so I'm assigned to Pindao from now on?"

Wang Yan waved his hand: "They're all ours. Do whatever you want. Go wherever you like."

He was his adopted son—deserved a few privileges. Wang Yan didn't care about this kind of thing. As long as it stayed under his control, problems were minimal. Let him mess around.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng felt warmth in his chest, grinned silently, and sipped his tea without speaking.

The two chatted casually until the pot of tea was finished.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng stood up: "Bro, I'm off to work."

Wang Yan reminded him: "Don't work too late."

He only met Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng briefly each morning, mainly to check his state and make sure he didn't go off track. The rest of the day, he was too busy to spare much time.

"Got it, bro." Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng opened the door and walked out.

Wang Yan tidied the tea set, tossed the file folder casually onto the desk, and resumed typing furiously.

That was a small test for Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng—to gauge his level, see if he'd improved after a week of hard work, so Wang Yan could continue cultivating him.

Honestly, he'd lived through many worlds, met countless types of people, and among all those who received his personalized service, only Qiu Yingying and Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng stood out.

The key difference was this: Qiu Yingying was simple—just pile on work and throw resources at her. Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng required extra attention to his emotional life and other nonsense—it was annoying.

…………

Yang Zixi moved quickly—after all, she was starting her own little business.

Today, she woke early, dressed beautifully, then got into her little sports car and cruised along the Second Ring Road.

She'd previously liked several shops, but prices were high. She hesitated to spend from her personal savings, so she'd delayed until now. Now, with Wang Mou backing her, her confidence had changed entirely.

Halfway through her shopping, she dragged Lin Xia along, insisting she come along. The real purpose? To let Lin Xia witness firsthand how her man spent money lavishly, without a second thought. After all, every time Yang Zixi proudly showed off, Lin Xia had always shot her down—she wanted to make her envious, even furious.

They wandered back and forth until they finally found a two-story shop for rent or sale.

Yang Zixi inspected it repeatedly and found it satisfactory; with Lin Xia's approval, she decided on it.

She didn't foolishly haggle herself—she knew her own worth. She pulled Lin Xia into a nearby coffee shop, sipped coffee and ate pastries, then pulled out her phone and called Wang Mou.

Under Lin Xia's judgmental gaze, Yang Zixi spoke in a saccharine, fluttering voice, each syllable dripping with affectation: "Baby, I found the perfect shop. When are you coming?"

"Huh? What? Where? Right at that…"

"Mm-hmm, okay, I'll wait for you. Muah~~~"