The Treacherous Minister and the Chastity Arch (continued)
"I'm good at it, but Foreign Girl isn't. I tried switching partners a few times, but she always managed to steer the conversation back to business," Chu Xiaoxin said to Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao spoke to Angie Perlis in English, "Hey, from now on, don't ask me about my boss's business. As long as he pays you your commission on time, that's fine, isn't it?"
Angie Perlis smiled, and instead of speaking in English like Song Tianyao, she said in Cantonese with a slightly strange accent, "I need to know something about the company."
After Song Tianyao sat down, Chu Xiaoxin called the waiter over to order. Song Tianyao looked at his boss curiously. "Young Master Shun, is there something you want to tell me? Otherwise, why would you be so dramatic? Even the Foreign Girl talking about business couldn't bother you, making you stay and wait for me to show up? Let me make this clear: if you want money from me, don't even ask."
"Of course not." Chu Xiaoxin rubbed his hands together. "Don't worry, it's definitely not about taking money from you. Judy has a younger brother who sells fruit on the street and is struggling financially, so he wants to work at Likang. I figured since you're recruiting anyway, why don't you..."
"After you agree, is it that Miss Judy will thank you in some special way tonight?" Song Tianyao asked, rolling his eyes at Chu Xiaoxin.
Chu Xiaoxin then gave Song Tianyao a look that said, "We're all men, you know what I mean."
Across from me, Angie Perry perfectly embodied the role of Britain lady, wearing an expression that said, "I don't understand what you're talking about," as she held her coffee and waited for her dinner.
"Do you want me to be a treacherous minister or a loyal minister?" Song Tianyao took out the Dunhill cigarettes that Chu Xiaoxin had thrown to him last night from his pocket, handed one to Chu Xiaoxin, lit one for himself, and asked Chu Xiaoxin with a grin.
Chu Xiaoxin lit a cigarette, laughed, and asked, "What does a treacherous minister do? What does a loyal minister do?"
"A treacherous minister, just like in the plays, flattering and fawning, speaking ill of his superiors. Of course, he's flattering you, showing that placing someone in the position is no big deal, just one more person, and he can even take better care of him, and cultivate a good relationship with Miss Chen Judy, your female friend, so that the two of you can cooperate to Young Master Shun your wealth." Song Tianyao said, stirring his coffee a couple of times after the waiter brought it to him.
Chu Xiaoxin surprisingly paused for two seconds to think, "What does a loyal minister do?"
"A loyal subject would naturally refuse outright. The company isn't short of hard labor; why would they want some useless fruit vendor? Tell him to get lost!"
Hearing the teasing tone in Song Tianyao's words, Chu Xiaoxin knew that the guy had already made up his mind, so he simply took the initiative to ask, "So, do you want to be a loyal minister or a treacherous minister?"
"Me? Of course I agree to let him in. In fact, I think the company is severely understaffed. Why do Young Master Shun you ask Miss Chen Judy if she has any relatives or friends who want to work at Likang? Hire them all at high salaries. Do you think Miss Chen Judy will be happy? Then, of course, we'll arrange for them to go out to sea. Oh, and if they accidentally encounter pirates, throw them all overboard to feed the sharks. If their whole family dies, you won't have to beg anyone anymore, right? Just be my boss's canary, get paid, and don't have to worry about your family's livelihood anymore. How perfect is that, right?" Song Tianyao turned his face, looked innocently at Chu Xiaoxin, and said slowly.
Chu Xiaoxin was startled by Song Tianyao's words and stared at Song Tianyao, speechless for a moment.
Song Tianyao laughed nonchalantly, "Do you think I'm a loyal minister or a treacherous minister for doing this? I was just joking, don't look at me like that. I'm a secretary, not a murderer. You've already promised Miss Judy, so I'll just assign him an easy job, like driving. The company will need cars in the future, so let her brother get a driver's license."
"Damn, I was almost scared by your tone just now." Chu Xiaoxin patted Song Tianyao on the shoulder. "Then remember to save a position for Judy's brother at the company. I thought you had almost finished recruiting, and I was worried that it would be difficult for you, so I specially came to the restaurant to wait for you. If I had known you would agree so quickly, I should have just casually asked this morning, 'You stay and have your meal with the Foreign Girl, I'll go to the Lichi to see Judy.'"
With Song Tianyao's consent, Chu Xiaoxin decided not to stay for dinner with the two and simply went out and took a car to the Lichi Nightclub.
After Chu Xiaoxin left, Angie Perlis looked at Song Tianyao, who was putting sugar into his coffee, and said, "The tone of your voice just now didn't sound like you were joking."
Song Tianyao picked up his coffee, took a sip, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth. "Let my boss tell that to Miss Chen Judy as a joke. That way, it won't be too embarrassing for me and that clueless woman on the surface. It'll also make her realize her status as a kept woman and stop having too many ideas. Otherwise, if one day my boss gets bored and gets involved in too many businesses without any ability or backing, then it won't just be embarrassing for her."
"Haven't you thought about maintaining a good relationship with that woman? I just chatted with this Mr. Chu and found that he's quite... business-minded..." Angie Perlis stopped mid-sentence.
Clearly, during her conversation with Chu Xiaoxin, Song Tianyao discovered that the real boss of Likang had little interest in business, or rather, he didn't even know the slightest bit about business matters. Judging from Song Tianyao's behavior over the past two days since Song Tianyao met, it wouldn't be difficult for him to secretly take away most of the profits from Likang Company in the future. In fact, maintaining a good relationship with Chen Judy would allow him to completely deceive Chu Xiaoxin.
"I've never believed that men should rely on women to do shady things... No, I think Miss Pellis Angie Perlis is an exception. If you'd like, I'd like to offer you a glass of red wine, and then we can chat about what happened today with that Deputy Director Shek's wife. Also, for the sake of the wine, don't play these kinds of rhetoric games with me anymore. You seem to have a particular interest in seeing me make a fool of myself in front of you." Song Tianyao originally wanted to say bluntly that he didn't believe men should rely on women to do shady things, but seeing that the Foreign Girl lawyer opposite him had widened her eyes and straightened up slightly, he immediately realized his slip of the tongue. He abruptly changed the subject and then shrugged at Angie Perlis, somewhat speechless.
Given this woman's intelligence and reaction speed, she shouldn't have asked, "Didn't you ever think about maintaining a good relationship with that woman?" But by the time Song Tianyao realized it, it was too late.