Chapter Seventy-Six: Still Playing Such Childish Games

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Qi Huanchang had already returned to his family home in Beijing at the very start of winter break. That day, his family called the computer lab, and Jiang Xiwen happened to be right beside him. Qi, the chubby one, chatted with his relatives for a while; suddenly his voice grew much louder, but he quickly lowered it again, as if arguing over something. After hanging up, Qi sheepishly patted his forehead and told Jiang Xiwen that he wouldn’t be able to accompany him to the negotiation. If Fan Qiang dared bully Jiang Xiwen, he was to call Qi’s Beijing number immediately—he promised to make Fan Qiang’s life worse than death.

Jiang Xiwen took this as mere bravado and didn’t give it much thought.

He savored the quiet days, feeling the simplicity of ordinary life. Soon, it was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Southern Little New Year.

The Little New Year of 1994 had a particularly festive air. Firecrackers popped incessantly in every street and alley, children laughed and played with abandon. Compared to the youth of the twenty-first century, who spend their New Year glued to the internet, those days were much warmer and more joyful.

Around four in the afternoon, Jiang Xiwen called out to his mother and took the family’s prepared Little New Year dinner to Wang Wu’s place. That big fellow lived alone, surely feeling lonely. Jiang Xiwen, having experienced the taste of a solitary New Year in his previous life, wanted Wang Wu to enjoy a lively holiday.

When he arrived at Wang Wu’s home, he knocked for quite a while but no one answered. He had no idea where Wang Wu had gone—just two days ago, they’d agreed he would bring some treats that afternoon.

Knowing Wang Wu’s character, he rarely broke his word. Jiang Xiwen waited a bit, then noticed a note on the door, written in Wang Wu’s usual style, each word spaced far apart: “Jiang Xiwen, the old company commander asked me to spend Little New Year with him. Sorry, I’ll probably be back around the fifth day of the New Year. We’ll practice boxing then.”

So much for the delicacies his mother had prepared; Jiang Xiwen had no choice but to return home. At this hour, Jiang Hong was still at work, while Wang Yanan, being a teacher, was enjoying her winter break. In her words, the holiday was even better than her father’s privileges as a county official.

After putting away the dishes at home, Jiang Xiwen went out again. He’d told his parents days earlier that he would be out that evening, but promised to return before midnight.

Alone, he wandered to the Yangjiang River Seafood Restaurant. In those days, it was rare for families to dine out for the New Year, so the grand restaurant was nearly empty. As soon as Jiang Xiwen entered, the waiter greeted him warmly—clearly Secretary Fan had made arrangements in advance. No repeat of the previous mishap at the Zhenxing Teahouse.

Jiang Xiwen was satisfied with this; though he might soon become Secretary Fan’s mortal enemy, he couldn’t fault his meticulous service.

Led by the waiter, Jiang Xiwen entered the finest private room in the restaurant. He opened the door and saw Fan Qiang sitting alone on one side of a four-person table.

Once again, Jiang Xiwen silently praised Secretary Fan. A round table was awkward for three people; so Secretary Fan had moved a four-person table into the private room.

Quiet and comfortable, perfect for dining and negotiation.

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Someday I’ll have a secretary this attentive, Jiang Xiwen mused, and if she’s a beauty, all the better. He greeted, “Principal Fan, it’s been a while.”

Fan Qiang’s expression was at odds with all his preparations. He replied irritably, “Enough, drop the act. I’ll be honest—I’ve already trashed your software to Chairman Tian, and when he arrives, I’ll say even more. If you want to accuse me of taking kickbacks, go right ahead. I don’t care anymore. I have friends running a company in Nanshen City. Worst case, I’ll go work there.”

No matter how exaggerated Fan Qiang acted, Jiang Xiwen wasn’t going to waste his energy guessing. Only at the critical moment would the truth of his intentions come out.

Jiang Xiwen thought of this not as laziness, but as the wisdom of playing dumb. Experience had proven that his “wise foolishness” beat all the scheming of people like Liu Dashan, though for now, he had no way to compare.

At exactly seven o’clock, a car horn sounded downstairs. Fan Qiang ignored Jiang Xiwen and went downstairs; Jiang Xiwen summoned the waiter and ordered his favorite river delicacies without hesitation—after all, someone else was footing the bill. It would be a shame not to enjoy Secretary Fan’s money.

Chairman Tian, the counterfeit, strolled upstairs. Jiang Xiwen played his role fully, shaking hands cordially; Chairman Tian was, as ever, full of swagger.

After the pleasantries, the dishes were served. Fan Qiang had ordered several expensive plates, his brow twitching; Jiang Xiwen couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Secretary Fan’s misfortune: not only did he fail to get a penny, he had to shell out extra.

Should I be a bit kinder? Jiang Xiwen wondered privately, seeing Fan Qiang’s pitiful look.

Damn it, just wait till I con you out of your software—then you’ll have nothing to eat! Fan Qiang thought to himself, glaring at Jiang Xiwen with hatred, his performance far inferior to the counterfeit chairman he had brought in.

“Chairman Tian, I believe this software has serious flaws. Jiang Xiwen and his teacher Qi Huanchang are guilty of fraud. Last month when you came to Yangjiang, we were still in the dark, but now I finally have evidence.” After several rounds of drinks, Fan Qiang spoke first.

“Oh?” Tian Xibei looked at him, puzzled. “What’s the problem?”

“He tampered with the trial period. Once we pay, we’ll only be able to use it for two months,” Fan Qiang said solemnly. “I think we should immediately stop working with him.”

Tian Xibei feigned professional astonishment: “Oh? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why wait until today?”

Fan Qiang didn’t answer Tian Xibei. Instead, he suddenly stood, pointed at Jiang Xiwen, and shouted angrily, “You little bastard, you fraud, you…”

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Jiang Xiwen was enjoying the show when Fan Qiang suddenly erupted. He was momentarily baffled, then realized Fan Qiang’s aim was to provoke him into exposing Fan Qiang’s kickback scheme to Tian Xibei, thus advancing Secretary Fan’s plan. No wonder the script ended just there—they were waiting for his “cooperation.”

“Chairman Tian, whether there’s fraud, you can judge for yourself. Fan Qiang is the real cheat—he wants to quote you a higher price and then report a lower one to me. He used this trick when I set up the cash register system for the department store!” Jiang Xiwen played his part perfectly, closely matching the opponent’s moves. With half an hour left until eight o’clock, there was plenty of time to wait for Fan Qiang’s true intentions to reveal themselves.

“Oh, I know the general manager of the department store. I’ll call him right now and ask.” Tian Xibei stood up, his gaze sweeping over the two of them. “Xiwen, Fan, wait here. When I return, we’ll have the answer.”

After Tian Xibei left, Jiang Xiwen said nothing, just sat there watching Fan Qiang with a faint smile. Fan Qiang snapped, “What are you staring at? I’ve already prepared my resignation letter. Old Tian can do whatever he wants. Today I lost to you, but I’ll make you pay tenfold in the future.” He pulled out the resignation letter from his coat and tossed it onto the table.

Having done this, Fan Qiang strode out of the private room, just as Tian Xibei was returning. He cursed, “Old man, I worked for you, got paid so little. Our Yangjiang branch has more students than the others, but because this is a small city, you pay me a small city’s wage. I quit today.”

That wasn’t just acting—it was Fan Qiang’s genuine bitterness. Yet he failed to realize that life rarely goes as one wishes; Tian Weidong was already a wise leader, and if Fan Qiang had persevered a few more years, everything might have turned out differently.

Sometimes, the difference between success and failure is as thin as a sheet of paper. If you persist, your life will change. Watching the furious Fan Qiang, Jiang Xiwen reflected on this, though the thought wasn’t his own—he’d likely read it years ago in popular youth magazines like “Reading” or “Youth Digest.”

Tian Xibei gave a bitter laugh, shaking his head: “Fan Qiang, you’ve really let me down. Go on, leave.”

Jiang Xiwen poked his head out from the private room and called, “Wait, Principal Fan, you haven’t paid yet.”

Tian Xibei replied, “Xiwen, don’t worry, I’ll pay for this meal. Once we finish, let’s sign the contract. Tomorrow, burn the official version of the software onto a disk, with a password-protected backup for me. I’ll take it personally to Shanghai.”

So that was the roundabout scheme—Secretary Fan wanted Tian Xibei to trick him into handing over the genuine software. Jiang Xiwen suddenly understood. If he hadn’t known Tian Weidong, he might have been fooled. Secretary Fan was thorough, even telling Tian Xibei about the industry’s default rule of keeping a backup disk.

Jiang Xiwen grinned and said, “One copy isn’t enough. How about ten?”

“Good, the more the better. If anything goes wrong in the future, I won’t need to trouble you for maintenance.”

“Mm…” Fan Qiang made a sound, reminding Tian Xibei to be cautious with his words.