Chapter Sixty-Six: Divergence

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Recently, with a steady stream of orders coming in from abroad, Zhongtian had finally settled into its rhythm. If Wang Zheng hadn’t had the foresight to hire fifteen employees, they would surely have been overwhelmed. As work became increasingly hectic, those who had once doubted Zhongtian found their skepticism fading, and now applied themselves diligently, knowing that in such a promising company, only those who demonstrated real ability during the probation period would be kept on. After all, companies in Yong’an Tower were not open to just anyone, and though the probation wages were paltry, the women still vied for the positions, convinced that once they passed probation and became full employees, the rewards would be far greater.

“Brother Wang, what kind of benefits will we have when we’re full employees?” In just a few days, Wang Zheng had become quite familiar with the female staff—those more reserved called him Assistant Wang, while the lively ones simply called him Brother Wang. Naturally, this was exactly how Wang Zheng liked it. To be greeted every morning by a chorus of ‘Brother Wang’ from a crowd of beauties—it was like the song of orioles in the forest, delightful to the ear.

“What kind of benefits do you want?” Wang Zheng asked as he looked over the reports.

“Will three hundred and sixty-four days of paid leave a year do?” one of the women asked, smiling at him.

Wang Zheng turned and pointed at her, responding seriously, “Your wish for something for nothing, for laziness and indulgence, is second only to mine!” He then walked over to her, sat on the desk, tilted his head thoughtfully, and continued, “Three hundred and sixty-four days of paid leave is impossible, but I can talk to President Lin about settling your lifelong affairs—if you don’t have a boyfriend, the company will introduce one; if you do, the company will help you find a new one. How’s that for generous benefits?”

A chorus of dismissive sighs echoed through the office, each woman displaying a look of disdain.

“Heh, don’t put on airs in front of your Brother Wang. Only you know what’s truly in your heart!” Wang Zheng laughed.

“Brother Wang, why are you the only man in our company? And do you have a girlfriend? If not, we can draw lots—whoever draws your name can be your girlfriend. How about it?”

“Yes, yes! What’s Brother Wang’s girlfriend like? Introduce her to us!” One woman spoke up, and a group of others joined in, clearly eager for gossip—especially about matters between men and women. They had the makings of matchmakers!

“So many questions. Which should I answer first?” Wang Zheng asked.

“Start with why you’re the only man here.”

“That’s simple. Because I don’t like men. Next question!” Wang Zheng was always straightforward.

The women frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced by this half-joking answer. But since he’d moved on to the next question, they did as well.

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“Does Brother Wang have a girlfriend?”

“How could someone as pure as me have a girlfriend? I don’t! And let’s skip the lottery—after all, even rabbits don’t eat grass near their burrow, right? I’m very pure!” Wang Zheng feigned shyness, completely immersed in his own act. ‘I’m so pure.’ But when he opened his eyes, he saw that all the women had their heads down, ‘seriously’ busy with work—their silent response said everything about their opinion of him.

‘Alright, you win!’ Wang Zheng thought, then turned and headed for his office.

Bang! The door slammed shut, and the female employees outside looked up and exchanged knowing smiles.

Just as the women were about to celebrate, the office door swung open again. Wang Zheng stood there, arms crossed, eyeing them mischievously, catching their expressions perfectly. Seeing his wicked smile, they all ducked behind their screens, thoroughly embarrassed.

Wang Zheng returned to his office, sat down, crossed his legs on the desk, and played with a ten-carat diamond. Sunlight streamed through the window, refracting dazzling rays from the stone.

“Should I… give it to her or not?” Wang Zheng murmured to himself, eyes fixed on the diamond, sitting motionless as if under a spell.

There is a curious yet common phenomenon: when you are down and out, everyone bullies you, eager to kick you while you’re down. But when you rise to success, those same people suddenly greet you with sunny smiles, acting as if they’d never wronged you.

Take Lin Xiaolei, for example. When Zhongtian was struggling, creditors came knocking every day, especially the banks—she nearly wore out her doorstep. But now? Smiling faces everywhere, as if the past troubles never existed.

“Don’t worry, the time isn’t up yet. Holding back companies is part of our bank policy…” Slogans and flattery—such is human nature.

After sending the bankers away, Lin Xiaolei returned to her office, where Wang Zheng was already waiting, playing with his ‘glass ball.’ In private, the two were nothing like boss and employee.

“What are your plans?” Wang Zheng asked, watching her. Many wealthy people fiddled with walnuts, but Wang Zheng had no walnuts, so he used a diamond of similar size.

“Since the bank is no longer pressuring us, I’m not in a hurry either. If we pay off the loan right away, the company will have no working capital. So I plan to use this time to invest the returned funds elsewhere. There’s still some time before the autumn tea goes on the market, and we’re running low on tea ourselves. What do you think?” Lin Xiaolei looked at Wang Zheng.

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Perhaps it was the company’s revival that brought new life to Lin Xiaolei. Once pale and thin, she now radiated vitality, her cheeks rosy, her figure fuller, and always smiling as she spoke. Her long-lost confidence had returned.

“I’d say…” Wang Zheng drew out the words, considering for a moment, then said, “If it were up to me, I’d continue investing in tea. Send someone to buy up the remaining tea from local farmers, and look for domestic clients. We can’t rely on foreigners alone; we need to develop domestic sales as well. Before the autumn tea comes out, focus on consolidating the company, don’t rush into other ventures. When the autumn tea is on the market, assess the situation—then decide if it’s time to branch out. It won’t be too late by then.”

“But the tea market is so unstable right now. In the off-season, if we keep relying on it, we might end up losing money. Purchasers have mostly finished buying spring tea, and autumn tea isn’t on the market yet,” Lin Xiaolei replied.

“I understand your thinking—you want to use this chance to seek other opportunities, to diversify your investments. But as far as I know, you’ve always been in the tea business. Are you familiar with other industries? To reach your goals, there are two paths: one is shorter but a swamp, the other is a longer road. Of course, people have adventurous spirits, but for you…”

“Boss Huang said he could provide us with…”

“Naive! In business, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Last night at dinner he called us brothers, but did you know? On the way to the restroom, he invited me to join his Huang Wei Group, claiming his company was stronger and more promising. Don’t forget how he once poached people from Zhongtian!” Wang Zheng said coolly.

It was the first time Lin Xiaolei had heard Wang Zheng mention Huang Wei’s poaching. She was at a loss for words, clearly still wavering, unsure whether to follow Wang Zheng’s advice. Now that the company had turned around and was poised for further growth, why not seize the opportunity?

Wang Zheng shook his head, having seen through her thoughts. People always want help in hard times, but rarely listen to good advice in good times—especially someone like Lin Xiaolei, the owner of this company. These feelings are even stronger for her; adversity had suppressed them, but now they were resurfacing.

Of course, a company can only have one decision-maker. Whether that person listens to others is up to them.

Wang Zheng sighed deeply, then stood and walked toward the door. When he reached it, he paused, his back to her, and said, “The result of impatience is often repeated failure. It’s like a patient after surgery—there needs to be a recovery period. If you have surgery today and play football tomorrow, you’ll only end up back in the hospital!”

Bang! He closed the door and left.

Lin Xiaolei bit her lip, her face darkening. She stared at the closed door, Wang Zheng’s words still echoing in her mind. The company had finally turned around and was stepping toward prosperity. To settle for the status quo? Lin Xiaolei clearly couldn’t accept that. After all, she still owed the bank a huge loan. If she didn’t seize the opportunity now, when the company had ample working capital, it would be hard to have such a chance again once the loan was paid off.

If she chose a stable industry for investment, and exercised caution, perhaps she could turn a profit. Lin Xiaolei pondered this in her heart.