"This contract could only be signed thanks to everyone's efforts. Rest assured, no one will be shortchanged on the bonuses this time."
The supervisor looked quite pleased as he raised his glass and spoke to the gathered colleagues.
Si Yu and the others were instantly overjoyed at those words. Eating and drinking was certainly enjoyable, but compared to that, they liked money more.
If the company was generous this time and everyone got four or five thousand, they would be thrilled.
Four or five thousand was enough for them to do plenty of things—replace their phones, buy some equipment, or save a little.
The delighted crowd hurriedly raised their glasses in a toast.
By then, the dishes they had ordered were brought out as well, and the supervisor cheerfully urged everyone to eat and drink.
"By the way, you still haven't found a job, right? What kind of work are you looking for? Tell us, and maybe everyone can help."
A male colleague beside him looked at Li Mu Chuan and suddenly spoke up.
He looked as though he wanted to introduce Li Mu Chuan to a job, but Li Mu Chuan did not see it that way.
If there really was a good job, the guy would have taken it himself. Why would it ever fall to Li Mu Chuan?
Li Mu Chuan glanced at him and gave it some thought before understanding.
This guy was after Si Yu.
Earlier, he had pursued Si Yu many times, only to be rejected every time.
Now that he saw Si Yu being so close to him, he was probably feeling jealous.
Thinking that, Li Mu Chuan looked at Si Yu sitting beside him and felt rather speechless.
He had already left the company, yet he was still getting dragged into this jealous rivalry.
"Speaking of jobs, I have a friend who works at a Fortune 500 company. The benefits are incredible, and his annual salary is five hundred thousand."
"One of my classmates is starting a business. He invited me to join him back then, but I thought entrepreneurship was too difficult these days and that businesses could easily fail, so I turned him down. I've heard his company is starting to show some promise now."
As soon as this was brought up, the people around them began discussing it animatedly.
Each of them wore a hint of wistfulness on their faces. Compared to their friends, they were far behind.
"Then why didn't you go with them?"
Pan Jingjing could not help asking.
Uh...
The male colleagues' faces stiffened at her words, and they were left somewhat speechless.
The supervisor was right there. Was she not afraid he would remember that remark?
After thinking quickly, they immediately replied.
"We're different. We don't have that kind of ability, so all we can do is work honestly and play it safe."
"That's right."
Several people echoed in agreement, terrified that the supervisor might hear even the slightest implication that their hearts were no longer with the company.
After all, staying at this company was not bad. They did not want to be singled out.
Pan Jingjing seemed not to catch the meaning behind their words and merely smiled.
"There's nothing wrong with playing it safe. If you aim too high, you'll probably stay mediocre for the rest of your life."
Pan Jingjing's words carried a hidden barb. Some people seemed to understand what she meant, and when they recalled what she had posted in the group chat, they immediately got it.
Then they looked at Li Mu Chuan beside them, wondering how he had offended this woman.
Li Mu Chuan, however, looked perfectly normal, as if he had not caught the implication at all.
"What kind of job do you want? Tell everyone so we can give you some advice. Really, it's best to stay with one company for a long time. If you change jobs too often, not only will you fail to learn anything, but you'll also seem too restless and impatient."
The supervisor, Miao Yingbo, looked at Li Mu Chuan and said something.
Li Mu Chuan found those words familiar. After thinking carefully, he remembered hearing similar things many times before.
They were often said about people who did not stay at a job for long, making them seem restless and unable to settle down.
"I don't plan on looking for work for the time being, but thank you all for your kindness."
Li Mu Chuan smiled and directly stated that he was not looking for a job.
Not looking for work?
Everyone found that strange and looked at Li Mu Chuan.
Was he no longer worried about food and rent? That did not seem right.
When they had worked together before, they had complained together about rent being too expensive, about all their monthly earnings going toward rent, and about housing prices being high as well.
Salary increases were nowhere near keeping up with the rise in housing prices.
Since they all knew one another's circumstances under those conditions, why was Li Mu Chuan now saying he did not plan to look for work for the time being?
"You should still find a job. My salary isn't particularly high either, but if I work for another year, I'll have enough for a down payment on a home back in my hometown."
The kind-hearted male colleague beside him offered some advice.
"I want to buy a car first. Once I get my year-end bonus, I'll have enough for the down payment on a three-hundred-thousand-yuan car. I should be able to drive it home."
Another male colleague added.
Li Mu Chuan was somewhat surprised to hear that. Back then, they had all cried poverty together, saying they had no money and the like.
Yet in the blink of an eye, one was saying he had a down payment for a house, while another said he could buy a car.
They had promised to stay poor together, but these guys had secretly gotten rich.
Those words also caught the other colleagues' attention. Every one of them was surprised that colleagues who usually kept such a low profile had actually saved up quite a bit.
"We agreed to stay poor together. I never expected you all to have saved so much."
Li Mu Chuan said with some feeling.
"It's just a little money. It's nothing much."
The male colleague chuckled. He did not look overly smug, but the delight in his eyes was still difficult to hide.
Hearing that, Pan Jingjing looked at Li Mu Chuan beside her and felt even more strongly that the gap between him and these people was far too great.
These male colleagues had managed to save so much money at the company, so why could Li Mu Chuan not do the same? And why was he still so unreliable?
Thinking that, she gave Si Yu a meaningful look, telling her to compare Li Mu Chuan properly with the others.
Just as Li Mu Chuan was about to offer another flattering remark, the phone in his pocket vibrated.
Li Mu Chuan took out his phone and saw that the male salesperson had sent him a WeChat message asking which floor he was on and where exactly he was seated.
Li Mu Chuan typed out the location and sent it to him.
There was also a friend request on WeChat. When Li Mu Chuan opened it, he saw it was from the female sales clerk at the clothing store earlier.
After accepting it, Li Mu Chuan casually put his phone back into his pocket.
He then lifted his head, intending to say something to everyone before going out to get the car keys.
But before Li Mu Chuan could speak, he saw the male salesperson walk in carrying an expensive-looking bag.
The male salesperson knew the top floor was where people ate, so he had only asked Li Mu Chuan for his location after coming upstairs.
Once he got the answer, he came straight in, leaving Li Mu Chuan with no time to go out.
"Hello, Mr. Li. Your car has been parked in the B2 parking garage. When you go down later, take Elevator No. 3. Your car will be parked directly in front of you."
The male salesperson had been extremely considerate and deliberately parked the car in an easy-to-find spot. Otherwise, it would not have been easy to locate it in such a large parking garage.
As he spoke, he handed over the car keys and the gift box in his hand.
A car? What car?
Li Mu Chuan bought a car?
Everyone nearby turned their heads in unison to look at Li Mu Chuan.