Chapter 7: Kill That Gold-Digging Scammer 7
Before the third game was even finished, Zhou Geng came into the room to call Shen Wu for dinner.
“Zhou-ge, I still need a few more minutes to finish this match, hang on a second!”
Zhou Geng walked over and glanced at the game screen. “Is this Honor of Kings?”
“Yeah. Do you know how to play, Zhou-ge?” Shen Wu replied, though his eyes never left the screen, his fingers sliding rapidly across the glass.
“I played it before. Back when the game first came out, I played it with my classmates. But I haven’t played in two years; I’ve probably forgotten how.”
“This game is super fun! When you’re free, let’s team up. I just started a new account, I’ll carry you.”
Zhou Geng looked at Shen Wu’s 4-3 KDA…
He remained silent for a second before smiling. “Sure!”
After wiping out the enemy team in a team fight, Shen Wu easily secured the victory.
After all, it was just a Bronze tier match; Shen Wu could still handle that.
———
The two sat across from each other at the dining table.
Zhou Geng placed a piece of ribs into Shen Wu’s bowl. “Taste it, see how it is.”
“Thank you, Zhou-ge.”
Shen Wu took a bite, and his eyes lit up.
Zhou Geng’s cooking was seriously good; it could easily rival a restaurant.
“It’s delicious! Zhou-ge, your cooking skills are amazing.”
Zhou Geng smiled a bit shyly at the praise and put another piece of ribs into Shen Wu’s bowl. “Eat more if you like it.”
He paused abruptly after saying that,
“Wuwu, there are eggs in the fridge, and frozen dumplings and tangyuan in the freezer. Sometimes I work late and come back after hours; you can just make yourself something simple to eat.”
“Mm, okay.”
Shen Wu didn’t look up, focusing entirely on gnawing on his ribs.
Zhou Geng stared at the crown of Shen Wu’s head for a moment, a tender smile spreading across his face.
———
The next day,
The company started work at 8:30 AM.
Shen Wu arrived at 8:20.
Old Zhou, the man Boss Wang had mentioned, was a short, dark-skinned man in his forties.
He arrived exactly on the dot with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
After making a few calls at his desk, he waved Shen Wu over.
“Follow me to the construction site in the south of the city. Hurry up.”
Shen Wu trailed closely behind him like a puppy, and they left the company.
The two squeezed onto a bus and bumped along for over forty minutes before reaching their destination.
The rusted tin gates of the construction site were covered in dust, and a few workers could be seen carrying rebar back and forth inside.
Old Zhou expertly navigated his way to the contractor. While he handed out cigarettes and exchanged pleasantries, Shen Wu stood to the side holding Old Zhou’s briefcase, listening to them haggle.
Within a few sentences, the contractor’s face turned sour. He threw the cigarette on the ground, spitting in Old Zhou’s face.
“Your price is an absolute rip-off! The cement next door is twenty yuan cheaper per ton! Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Old Zhou didn’t get angry. He picked up the cheap cigarette, held it in his hand, and replied with a cheeky grin. “Li-ge, our cement comes from a major factory. The quality is guaranteed. If you get greedy and buy cheap, substandard cement, who’s going to take the blame if something goes wrong later?”
The contractor stiffened his neck and remained silent, his expression turning dark.
Old Zhou leaned in, muttered a few more words, and slipped him a red envelope. Only then did the contractor’s expression soften, and he reluctantly signed the order.
On the way back, Old Zhou shot Shen Wu a glance and snorted. “Did you catch all that? Being in sales isn’t just about having a sweet mouth. You need to know how to read the room. Hand out money when you need to, and play the fool when you have to.”
Shen Wu didn’t reply, but he knew perfectly well that the original owner of his body had quit after half a month specifically because he felt this kind of subservient work was too humiliating and exhausting.
In the afternoon, Old Zhou took Shen Wu to meet another client.
It was a female boss who owned a renovation company. She was impeccably dressed but incredibly stingy. She spent two hours haggling over the price of a single floor tile, insisting on a ten percent discount and threatening to order from somewhere else if they didn’t comply.
Old Zhou had his patience ground down to nothing. He discreetly pulled Shen Wu outside. “If we close this deal, we split the commission fifty-fifty.”
“You go talk to her; she responds better to soft approaches.” The main reason, of course, was that Shen Wu had a very handsome face. Women, naturally, tend to be far more lenient toward good-looking men.
If it didn’t work out, they’d just drop it. They couldn’t do the job at a loss, right? He still wanted his commission.
Shen Wu walked back in. He didn’t act subservient like Old Zhou. Instead, he simply pushed the price list toward the boss lady and pointed at a specific line.
“Jie, the cost price of this floor tile is only five yuan less than what we quoted you. If you order twenty boxes or more, my mentor said he’d cover the cost of one tile out of his own pocket. Any more than that, and we really can’t do it.”
Wang Yan froze for a moment, staring at Shen Wu’s beautiful face for a long time before suddenly laughing. “Is your mentor the guy from earlier?”
“Mm, yes.”
Wang Yan leaned back into the sofa, took a sip from the teacup in front of her, and asked a seemingly random question out of nowhere.
“How old are you?”
Shen Wu was taken aback for a second but answered honestly, “I’m 21.”
“What a great age,” she sighed, her gaze returning to Shen Wu’s face. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Shen Wu shook his head.
Wang Yan set the teacup down on the table and smiled at Shen Wu with a hint of flirtation. “For your sake, I can order fifty boxes at the price you suggested. But…”
She paused. “How about we have dinner together tonight?”
A sudden flash of inspiration hit Shen Wu.
Is this female boss… trying to hit on me?
Could I actually end up being a sugar baby?
Even though he couldn’t actually commit to the “sugar baby” lifestyle right now, Shen Wu still agreed.
After all, having dinner with her meant a 750 yuan commission. Only an idiot would refuse.
Moreover, Wang Yan was quite attractive, definitely a woman with elegance and presence.
Just having dinner with her was a win, even if he couldn’t do anything else.
If he actually did something, he’d have to take responsibility, and Shen Wu was just here to complete his mission. He couldn’t take on that kind of responsibility.
…
After the contract was signed, Old Zhou clapped Shen Wu on the shoulder, full of praise. “You’re pretty good, kid! I thought she’d max out at thirty boxes, but she ordered fifty straight away! Not bad at all. You’ve got a real talent for sales!”
Shen Wu forced a smile but didn’t say anything. He wouldn’t be staying here for long anyway.
…
That evening, when Shen Wu stepped out of the company building, Wang Yan was already waiting for him.
The car window rolled down.
She gestured toward Shen Wu with her chin. “Get in.”
Shen Wu took a look. Wang Yan was driving a white Porsche and had even changed her outfit…
“Boss, where are we heading?” Shen Wu asked after getting into the passenger seat.
Wang Yan glanced at him and drawled, “Why call me ‘Boss’? It sounds like you’re my employee. My name is Wang Yan; you can call me Yan-jie. What’s your name?”
“Shen Wu.”
“Shen Wu…” Wang Yan repeated. “Nice name. I’m taking you to have authentic Jing City cuisine.”
Wang Yan was a Jing City local and an only child. After returning from studying abroad, her father gave her startup capital to play around with, which was how she started her renovation company. She was a non-marriage advocate and, at thirty-three, was still single.
Seeing Shen Wu had stirred some thoughts in her mind, but certainly not thoughts of marriage…
“Thank you, Yan-jie.”
Wang Yan looked at Shen Wu sitting obediently in the passenger seat and felt that this kid was simply too well-behaved. He was exactly her type.
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