But Song Tianyao paid him Hong Kong dollars 1,200 a month as a salary, even though he was just an unknown nobody in the newspaper industry. This made Hong Lai-sau think that either Song Tianyao was so rich he was crazy, or he wanted Hong Lai-sau to work himself to the bone.
It was highly unlikely that Song Tianyao was foolish because he had too much money, so Hong Lai-sau worked even harder. Half a month ago, at Song Tianyao's request, "China Hong Kong Business Weekly" was temporarily expanded from a weekly to a bi-weekly publication, doubling the workload. This left Hong Lai-sau and his staff almost exhausted. After finally finishing a day's work, he announced that he was off work for the day. Hong Lai-sau went to the street and bought two simple braised dishes and a small jar of Wujiapi powder. He took them back to the office, and after making sure no one was around, he took off his suit, loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to treat himself to these cheap snacks and drinks.
With a "slurp," he emptied half a glass of wine. Hong Lai-sau let out a satisfied breath, picked up a piece of duck gizzard with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth. His love of wine was purely something he developed little by little when his grandfather and father fed him wine with chopsticks when he was a child.
Although his current life is a bit tiring, Hong Lai-sau is quite satisfied. He has a rich, somewhat foolish boss who gave him money to open a newspaper, a girlfriend who is quite pretty, and right now he has wine and meat in front of him, and he still has time to drink and eat. Hong Lai-sau feels that he is living a life of near bliss.
"I knew you weren't going home for dinner because you were secretly drinking here? You're only in your twenties and you already have such a strong drinking problem?" Xu Minjun walked in from outside carrying a lunchbox, saw Hong Lai-sau sitting there drinking by himself, and rolled her eyes at him.
Hong Lai-sau scratched his head. "A little wine will help you sleep better tonight."
Although Xu Minjun expressed her dissatisfaction, she had already placed the lunchbox on the table and slowly opened it. Inside was the dinner she had prepared for Hong Lai-sau: a serving of rice and a beautifully presented dish of broccoli, sesame, and fish fillets.
"There's fish here, perfect for pairing with drinks." Hong Lai-sau picked up a slice of fish, but instead of bringing it to his own mouth, he first offered it to Xu Minjun's lips, who had a stern face. "Okay, okay, no more drinking this week, don't be angry."
Xu Minjun opened her mouth and took a bite of the fish slice, after which Hong Lai-sau put the remaining half of the fish slice into his mouth.
He was drinking at his desk while Xu Minjun helped him clean up his office.
"Is President Kang here?" A male voice rang out from outside the newspaper office.
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Hong Lai-sau looked up and replied, "Come in."
As Hong Lai-sau finished speaking, Luo Zhuankun, whom Song Tianyao had introduced to him, walked in from outside carrying a briefcase and smiling. Seeing the food in front of Hong Lai-sau, Luo Zhuankun smiled at Hong Lai-sau, bowed, and said, "I'm sorry to have disturbed President Kang's dinner."
After speaking, he also bowed slightly to Xu Minjun beside him, saying, "Excuse me."
"Mr. Luo, why are you always so polite, bowing slightly at the drop of a hat? We're so familiar with each other, such politeness only makes us seem distant." Hong Lai-sau wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, stood up, and said, "Is there something you need at the newspaper office so late? If you don't mind the simple food and drinks, why don't we sit down and eat together, and chat as we go?"
Luo Zhuankun stood opposite Hong Lai-sau's desk. "I lived in the Shanghai Japan Concession for a long time before, so I may still have some old habits. The thing is, I'm here today because Mr. Song instructed that the 'China Hong Kong Business Weekly' be changed from a bi-weekly to a daily publication."
With a "thud," the cigarette case that Hong Lai-sau had just picked up to hand to Luo Zhuankun fell onto the table.
"It's been less than a month since it went from weekly to bi-weekly, and now it's going back to daily? What's A-Yao up to? Does he have money to burn? Where in Hong Kong do you find so much supply and demand information to publish in newspapers?" Hong Lai-sau said, looking at Luo Zhuankun. "Besides, last time it was Mr. Luo. Luo, who came to inform us, and this time it's Mr. Luo again? Did A-Yao sell the newspaper to you?"
Luo Zhuankun's thin, wolf-like face seemed more excited than when he last met Hong Lai-sau. Looking at Hong Lai-sau, he placed his briefcase on the desk and said, "It doesn't matter if the newspaper doesn't publish all the supply and demand information. The stock index will appear daily. Also, President Kang, starting tomorrow, at least two thousand copies of the newspaper must be delivered daily to the Shanghai people neighborhoods Central Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, and Central Hong Kong Island. Also, deliver to the stock exchange, securities companies, finance companies, and all the companies in Central. Stop distributing to shops along the street. Starting tomorrow, prioritize the Shanghai people neighborhoods, then at least one hundred copies to the stock exchange, then finance companies, other companies in Central, and finally the shops along the street. The daily circulation should be no less than fifteen thousand copies. Inside this bag is a list of addresses for various finance companies; your workers can deliver directly to their doors."
"Does A-Yao want to start a newspaper or a stock market? Before, it was a stock commentary in one issue, but now it's a whole page in one issue. If this continues, will the entire newspaper be about stocks?" Hong Lai-sau said to Hong Lai-sau with some dissatisfaction.
Although the newspaper he managed didn't have any serious news content, it could at least claim to be for the convenience of the public, providing free supply and demand information. However, ever since Song Tianyao introduced him to Luo Zhuankun, this guy has been sending all sorts of stock commentary and stock indices without fail, and the quantity seems to be increasing.
Seeing that Hong Lai-sau seemed a little resentful, Luo Zhuankun grinned, put his briefcase on the desk, picked up a piece of fish and threw it into his mouth, savoring the freshness of the fish. Hong Lai-sau was a little stunned by Luo Zhuankun's sudden action, staring blankly as Luo Zhuankun swiftly devoured several pieces of fish.
"President Kang, the last time I ate fish was about a month ago. In the past month, I've been leading six people, spending our days at the stock exchange and our nights in the office, working on the stock index that nobody wants to look at, in your eyes. I'm not ordering you; it really was Mr. Song's order. You're a smart man; you should know that Mr. Song can't possibly be so rich that he'd come here to run a free newspaper for the neighborhood. He has to make back the money he spent on the newspaper." Luo Zhuankun licked his dry lips, and with that gesture, his face really resembled a hungry wolf.