Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 55 (Part 2)
Translated by Pure
Edited by tingting
Chapter 55.2 "My room has a seaside view..."
There had been a lot of things going on recently, and Lin Jingzhe’s plate was quite full. Since the last counterattack saw results, he almost never paid much attention to the current situation of Qiqing Real Estate. Hearing this, he can't help wondering, "What's wrong with Qiqing Real Estate? Wasn’t their offering salary very competitive?"
"Humph." Mao Dongqing shook his head. Although he wasn’t gloating, he also had no sympathy for the bitter consequences affecting his good brethren who parted ways with him before. "That was old news. At the end of the month, Qiqing suddenly started downsizing, and approximately a dozen employees were laid off. The remaining ones all had their salaries readjusted. Shi Yuan was promoted to the head of the department, but his salary dropped from 1200 to 800 a month. The others whose wages were around 700-800 also dropped to a normal level. I told them a long time ago; I had told him that such a high salary was not normal, but they just didn’t listen. Now that they’ve suffered a loss, they want to apologize to me, trying to tell me that it was all a misunderstanding... Sigh."
He only said part of it, the inside details were even uglier. Shi Yuan didn't come to him just to apologize. After being promoted to director, Mao Dongqing’s salary directly rose to 3,000 a month. After the Triangular Plot Project was completed, he would receive a six-figure bonus. Mao Dongqing was unsure where he had caught wind of this news, but he seemed to have lost his mind from envy. Every time Shi Yuan found him in recent days, he tried his best to make friends with Mao Dongqing. He wanted Mao Dongqing to utilize his relationship to get positions in New Beginnings Real Estate for them. After all, they were brothers who had worked together for so many years. They should still have affections even after their falling out. Mao Dongqing really didn't want to see Shi Yuan groveling without a bottom line, so he could only try his best to avoid him.
Once Shi Yuan realized this, Mao Dongqing heard that he often scolded him behind his back. He had called him cold hearted and unfeeling; saying that they have been brothers for so many years, and they were all loyal brothers who even followed Mao Dongqingto directly to resign from the Special Administrative Region out of morality. However, Mao Dongqing's heart was as hard as iron and didn’t bother with old relations at all.
Mao Dongqing sighed. He suddenly caught Lin Jingzhe peering at him with some probing eyes and couldn't help being startled.
He was afraid that Lin Jingzhe would misunderstand, so he hurriedly explained, "Mr. Lin, don't worry! Whether I forgive them or not, it will not be confused with the company's interests. To be honest, Shi Yuan and the others definitely had the abilities, after all, they all come from famous universities. Shi Yuan even graduated with an honor roll. But he is too profit-oriented and would have no problem in ruthlessly jumping ships. The risk of using him is too great, he is not suitable for our company."
Lin Jingzhe laughed unpredictably, and patted him on the shoulder. "No need to explain, I believe in you, you won't let me down."
Shi Yuan stood outside for an hour and a half. He was sweating from the early autumn sun, but he was still not allowed in to see Mao Dongqing.
Looking at the very simple hut in front of him, Shi Yuan wished he could rush up and break in. But Mao Dongqing was no longer a good brother who they could be chummy with, nor was he an ordinary employee who outsiders could meet casually. Shi Yuan looked at the security guards who appeared to be walking casually around his group but in actuality, were already on guard against him. He hesitated for a long time but still didn't dare to act impulsively.
"What should we do?" A buddy behind him asked him anxiously, "Are we just going back like this?"
Someone else added angrily, "Why is he being so difficult? We’ve shared all the good and hard times, but he refuses to share his riches and honor?"
But this was said, the speaker added with a sigh, "Oh, when we quarreled, Brother Shi, you really went overboard. Although Brother Mao is...how can you just say that he was a disabled? To be honest, my heart chilled when I heard it, and I can't blame him for being so angry now."
Someone else asked, "Brother Shi, what should we do now? Can't you think of a way?"
"What can I think of!?" Shi Yuan’s face was very gloomy, he felt as if every sentence seemed to be incessantly accusing him. "Let’s go back first."
His buddies, who united with him to confront Mao Dongqing at the beginning, were unwilling to leave. "Just leave like this? Could it be that we really stay in Qiqing? You’re fine, you can get 800 yuan a month, but what should we do? Xiao Liu and I have the lowest wages! Mrs. Jiang had directly adjusted it to 300 yuan, that’s what factory workers make!"
"That's right! I heard Brother Mao gets thousands of dollars a month at New Beginnings Real Estate! And that's not including his bonuses! Sun Yiqing, that girl, is also getting fifteen thousand dollars a month. Look at them, and then look at us, why are we getting paid like unskilled workers?"
"If it hadn't been for..." The speaker coughed and complained sullenly, "We would have also gone to New Beginnings with Brother Mao, I’m sure it would have been much more stable than it is now..."
"Then go!!"
Originally, Shi Yuan just walked out, ignoring the chatter. However, when he heard this sentence, as if a nerve had been struck, his anger poured down like a tsunami. "Then go! Go to New Beginnings! If you want to go, then go! Find your Brother Mao! See if Mao Dongqing will see you!"
Everyone was frightened by his sudden anger and fell silent for a few seconds, and then pushed back unconvinced——
"What's the use of you getting angry with us? If it weren't for you..."
If it weren't for you...
If it wasn't for you...
Blah blah blah. Almost every sentence started with ‘If it wasn't for you’.
Shi Yuan's heart trembled violently amidst their complaints, and his strong remorse tortured him until his throat became bitter. The friends around him, who had been cheerful and respectful to him when they were brought to Qiqing Real Estate together, had become debt collectors. He turned his head and looked in from the open gate of the construction site. A large number of excavators were working intensively, the construction site was full of dust.
Outside the walls, the four words ‘New Beginnings Real Estate’ were clearly written on a giant advertisement board above.
Below the name was a single slogan——
‘Where dreams begin.’
******
Within ten days, Qiqing Real Estate laid off a dozen or so basic employees. These were the people who were recruited only for the sake of poaching New Beginnings’ recruits, but were actually not outstanding. Qiqing Real Estate only kept some of the capable ones, which was a surprising turn of events.
The adjusted salaries that were announced later caused an uproar among the employees who hadn't recovered– this was an all-round reduction, without any exceptions. The modification percentage was also a considerable amount, the smallest one was at least 20% .
This treatment was only applicable to the management who have been promoted. Ordinary employees, such as replaceable office positions, had their salaries dropped by 50% or more. For a while, everyone complained.
Jiang Qiaqia obviously felt that the company's office atmosphere was getting worse and worse as she complained angrily to Qi Qing, "These people are completely insatiable! Never content like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Is three hundred a month very low? Obviously the previous wages were abnormal, but now that it has returned to normal levels, they have so much to talk about!"
Qi Qing didn’t speak as he continued to smoke his cigarette. The head of the human resources opened the door and came in. After glancing at the couple's expressions, she stepped forward and put the stack of papers on the coffee table in front of them.
"Mr. Qi, Mrs. Jiang. This is the list of people who have submitted their resignations from the Administration Department and the Management Department in the afternoon."
Jiang Qiaqia picked it up and saw that there were four people, and they were all exceptionally performing employees. Qiqing Real Estate needed to lay off personnel, but this did not mean that these capable talents would be driven away. Without saying a word, she threw the papers back on the table, and Qi Qing slammed the table: "Don't bother! Just let them go!"
The head of the human resources was not afraid of him getting angry, so she nodded indifferently, "I understand."
After she went out, Qi Qing sneered: "What an attitude!"
"She’s dissatisfied." Jiang Qiaqia sighed and smiled wryly. "Her salary dropped directly from 1200 to 600. It would be stranger if she wasn’t feeling anything. I guess the next batch of people who leave will..."
Jiang Qiaqia didn't continue and just shut her mouth. But the next second she was so startled that she jumped up and rushed towards Qi Qing who was lying on the sofa with a pale face. "Are you okay?!"
Large beads of sweat rolled down Qi Qing's forehead. He was gasping for air with a terrifying expression, his right hand tightly grasped the clothes on his chest, and his left hand tremblingly pointed at the drawer on the coffee table. "My...medicine..."
Jiang Qiaqia frantically dug out the bottle of painkillers from the drawer, opened it and fed it to him.
The medicine seemed to be effective as the sudden pain gradually dissipated within a minute or so.
Jiang Qiaqia worriedly helped Qi Qing to sit up. "It's happened several times already. We can’t always just rely on painkillers. When will we go to the hospital to take a closer look?"
"Where do we have the time now?" Qi Qing sighed weakly, "Next time."
"Next time? What next time! We’re going this afternoon!" Jiang Qiaqia helped Qi Qing up.
But at this moment, the brick phone on the table rang suddenly, so she had to stop to answer it.
After a while, a pleasant surprise burst out of her face. "Really? Mr. Qi! Really!?"
Qi Kai on the other end of the phone answered her lazily, "Then after a few months, you’ve already bothered me enough. Since Dominion Properties doesn't have any specific plans for Wubao Mountain, the development rights will be handed over to you. Do you want it?"
"Of–of course!" Although Jiang Qiaqiawas very surprised that Dominion Properties wasn’t participating in the development, the two of them had been waiting for this right for several months. How could she disagree? She then immediately asked him the most important question, "The thing about the loan..."
"It will also be under your name, but Dominion Properties will cooperate."
Not to mention being penniless right now, the couple were almost dragged down by the huge expenses that the company had to spend every day. Jiang Qiaqia was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.
When she hung up the phone, Jiang Qiaqia still could not believe what just had happened. She turned her head to stare blankly at Qi Qing who was lying on the sofa with a surprised face after hearing everything spoken over the phone just now.
As for the trivial matter of going to the hospital, of course, it was immediately washed away by this surprise.