Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 64 (Part 3)
Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Chapter 64.3 Qi Kai wanted to knock his head against the wall
‘TOBR’ only had one branch opened domestically and it was in the Special Administrative Region. For several months, Mao Dongqing personally took him and his team back and forth between the two places. Usually he was in Yan City in the morning, and slept in the Special Administrative Region at night. He had almost regarded the plane as a taxi. After countless bottles of glucose and a lot of effort, he made an impression on the brand.
Mao Dongqing rushed into Lin Jingzhe's office, brimming with joy. "Mr. Lin! I did it!"
He was always a dedicated hard worker; even Deng Mai, who should be regarded as his rival at work, often praised his ability to Lin Jingzhe in private. Lin Jingzhe reviewed the exterior wall design draft submitted for ‘TOBR’ on the mixed-use building’s first floor. Afterwards, he looked at Mao Dongqing’s sallow face due to long-term travel and couldn't help sighing, "You have worked hard. Since this matter is finalized, you can also take advantage of this time to take a break and rest.”
When he attended the Real Estate Alliance’s meeting at night, Lin Jingzhe couldn't help but recall this matter. Mao Dongqing's outstanding ability had gradually revealed itself now that he had adapted to his new environment. Compared with Deng Mai, who can handle social interactions with ease, Mao Dongqing undoubtedly had greater advantages in the professional field. No matter what, Lin Jingzhe did not want to let such a talent go. It had been a while since the establishment of New Beginnings Real Estate, and the first phase of the mixed-use building was about to be completed. His employees now all just about had a proper foundation and experience. It was about time he readied the division of equity.
Lin Jingzhe planned to divide 10% of the shares in his hand and give Mao Dongqing and Deng Mai 3% each. The remaining 4% will be regarded as a bonus for the rest of the long-established employees. In the future development process, he could reward outstanding employees with a portion of the shares, according to their performance and situation.
There was no use of just having faith, it was an absurd and fragile thing. This also included the friendship between him and Deng Mai, which may break down due to various contradictions in the future. Only the physical benefits and the dividends that can be obtained every year in the future can truly bind this group of indispensable employees to the big ship that was New Beginnings Real Estate.
Lin Jingzhe took a small sip of wine, and his thoughts gradually dissipated after noticing the two figures in the distance.
Regardless of his height or appearance, Xiao Chi stood out from the group of entrepreneurs around him. He stood there with a ponytail on the back of his head. He was clearly not dressed up as he casually held a dark brown leather jacket over his arm. Nethertheless, he seemed to have a magnetizing ability, everyone couldn’t help but pay more attention to him. Shi Nanxing's looks were definitely not bad. He would be regarded as outstanding, tall, rich and handsome by the standards of later generations, but when he stood in front of Xiao Chi, he couldn’t be considered as a piece of litter on the floor.
Xiao Chi quickly met his gaze. Across the crowd, the two of them tacitly expressed the warmth that only each other could capture.
Lin Jingzhe smiled at him. His gaze slowly moved towards Xiao Chi's arm, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried. Since the beginning of autumn, Xiao Chi would almost always choose to wear that jacket. Lin Jingzhe didn't recognize it at first, and only regarded it as his little-known preference. However after that casual conversation the other day, he realized a grave mistake.
Xiao Chi seemed to have misunderstood something...
But Lin Jingzhe couldn't bear to explain this misunderstanding.
Lin Jingzhe really wanted to help Xiao Chi buy a few more pieces of overcoats but he suffered from lack of time.
It was then when Shi Nanxing also spotted him. He hurriedly ended his conversation with Xiao Chi, turned, and walked towards him with a wine glass and a smile on his face.
Lin Jingzhe quickly sorted out an appropriate expression, and cooperated with his performance with a smile.
"Mr. Lin." Shi Nanxing stepped forward to greet Lin Jingzhe with a sincere smile. He asked Lin Jingzhe about his health and everyday life, acting even more close than if they were biological brothers.
Qi Kai watched from afar, rolling his eyes. Qi Qing and his wife were beside him, unaware of the internal situation. Jiang Qiaqia asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, Mr. Qi?"
Due to the transfer of the development rights of the plot of land by the foot of Wubao Mountain, the originally interrupted cooperation between the two companies was resumed. It’s hard to say if Qi Qing held any grudges, but he didn't dare to show it on his face. Qi Kai and Shi Nanxing have many social connections and projects. If the couple wanted to experience a reversal of fortune, they had to enshrine the two as if they were their ancestors.
Qi Kai didn't bother to talk to them, but Shi Nanxing was different. After talking with Lin Jingzhe kindly for a while, he raised his hand and called the couple over.
Lin Jingzhe felt uncomfortable when he saw Jiang Qiaqia, but Shi Nanxing persisted to be the peacemaker, "I heard that everyone had some misunderstandings before. Mr. Qi and Mrs. Jiang had mentioned countless times that they really want to apologize to Mr. Lin in person. Alas, I’ll say, it’s better to squash enmity rather than keep it alive, so why bother to take all these troubles to heart?"
Jiang Qiaqia nodded with her head lower. She then took the initiative to clink Lin Jingzhe's wine glass, apologizing softly, "Mr. Lin, in the past we didn't know how to flatter and did a lot of stupid things. I hope you can be magnanimous and forgive us."
Lin Jingzhe was momentarily stunned when he heard the sound of the glass colliding; a particular feeling surged in his heart. He had spent most of his previous life disturbing this woman. So much so that Lin Jingzhe couldn't even figure out what he wanted in the end, he had no clue what motive he was doing all of it for. Maybe he just wanted her to show weakness and apologize like now, but it had never happened.
He had fantasized countless times: If Jiang Qiaqia really apologized to him face to face, would he collapse because of it?
The answer was no. At this moment, Lin Jingzhe unexpectedly found that apart from being more relaxed, his emotions remained calm and passive.
It seemed that some obsession that had burdened his heart was suddenly let go. As if he had just taken off the training weights on his legs after running ten kilometers, he couldn't wait to get rid of these burdens. Lin Jingzhe didn't even bother to look at Jiang Qiaqia's expression. Instead, it was more focused on Qi Qing.
There was no other reason, it was just that Qi Qing’s overall appearance was too abnormal.
This was not referring to his facial expression. Although Qi Qing was now as submissive as his wife, Lin Jingzhe was referring to his complexion. They hadn’t seen each other in just a few months, but Qi Qing had already become so haggard that he almost seemed to become another person.
Qi Qing looked much older now. The wrinkles around his eyes were almost the same as from his previous life when Lin Jingzhe came to ask them about his crimes. However, his complexion was far less vigorous than that time, and his whole body looked quite terrifying. A normal person's face could be ruddy or pale and sallow, but Qi Qing’s skin almost looked transparent with a blueish-black undertone. If he wasn’t still breathing and talking, Lin Jingzhe would have thought he was facing a corpse.
Qi Qing's back was slightly arched forward. His posture was very humble as he held his class with both hands, "Mr. Lin, I hope you can forgive our offense."
Lin Jingzhe really didn't want to talk to them. In fact, the troubles they caused him in this life were nothing more than trivial things like personnel recruitment. He had already retaliated when he dumped the land by Wubao Mountain on them, so he had no ‘trouble to take to heart’.
Therefore, in order to send the other party away, he took a sip of wine. Qi Qing’s and Jiang Qiaqia's faces both lit up when they thought he had forgiven them. For the sake of old acquaintances, Lin Jingzhe hesitated before asking, "Mr. Qi… how has your health been recently?"
Qi Qing laughed, very flattered, "Very good, very good! Thank you Mr. Lin for your concern."
"He is just busy." Shi Nanxing patted Qi Qing affectionately on the back, as if shaking a zombie, "Mr. Qi’s professional ambition is just too strong. While he is busy with the development of Wubao Mountain villas, he also invested in a shopping mall in the north of the city. Even Iron Man can't stand this kind of workload. If you were to ask me, I think he really should take a good rest...”
"Next time! Next time! I will take a long vacation for myself after I finish these projects." Qi Qing was jittering like a winded-up machine with a weird smile plastered on his face. Lin Jingzhe felt goosebumps just looking at his appearance, so he quickly made an excuse to bid farewell.
Shi Nanxing reluctantly said goodbye to him, as if he would suffer from love sickness if they were separated for a single second. He tugged at Lin Jingzhe's sleeve to set an appointment with him for their next meal together.
The two hugged and shook hands. After throwing him off, Lin Jingzhe walked to Xiao Chi's side and opened his mouth to ask, "What did he say about me just now?"
Xiao Chi sold Shi Nanxing out without hesitation: "He called you stupid and unreasonable. He claims to have found a suitable opportunity, and asked me to screw you over together."
"Tsk, what a fake" Lin Jingzhe was not surprised at all. He wondered when Shi Nanxing would finish his act. At the same time, he patted Xiao Chi's jacket on his arm, "Can you wear something else next time?"
"No." Xiao Chi replied and secretly moved his hand down, grabbing Lin Jingzhe's wrist.
Lin Jingzhe was still lost in his thoughts as he looked back at the weird Qi Qing. He staggered a bit from Xiao Chi’s sudden move and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Chi glanced back at him but his hand didn’t stop moving, "‘Screwing’ you."
After coming out at Xiao Family's house, the two of them became more and more carefree. They used to know to find a hidden place to be intimate while outside, such as the stairwell or the bathroom. Now they were getting bolder and bolder, daring to stick together just behind a pillar.
Qi Kai was walking around up ahead when he suddenly turned around like a compass. His eyes twitched as he blocked the people behind him with his body.
Shi Nanxing frowned and stared at him, "What are you doing?"
"It’s a deadend." Qi Kai pointed in another direction, "Let's go over there."
Qi Qing was very surprised, "No way, I came in from there just now."
Qi Kai wanted to knock his forehead against the wall. He felt that there was something wrong with him, but despite everyone's questioning eyes, he still stubbornly and firmly said, "You remember wrong."