"You're a legend, Manager Lin."
After recovering from his shock, the personal secretary suddenly grew excited.
"Everyone knows you built this business from nothing and achieved what you have today. That's why I chose to follow you."
Lin Zuo picked up a ballpoint pen and idly played with it.
His gaze drifted toward the personal secretary, unfocused.
"Manager Lin?"
The personal secretary called to him softly.
"Oh, yes. A legend."
Lin Zuo seemed to snap out of a memory. Hesitantly, he asked, "Do you know Wang Jinwu?"
"Of course."
The personal secretary nodded at once. "He was your best friend. You started a business together, weathered failures together, and eventually succeeded. It's just a shame..."
Lin Zuo's heart suddenly tightened.
"What happened to him?"
"I heard things didn't go well for him, and then he had a stroke a couple of years ago. Maybe he regrets what happened back then, too." The personal secretary frowned.
Lin Zuo nodded slightly, but his gaze remained distant.
"Do you know why he left?" Lin Zuo asked.
"Of course. He didn't believe in the dried-fruit retail market. He thought..."
"Do you know how many ventures we started at the same time?" Lin Zuo suddenly interrupted.
"Three?"
"Five."
Lin Zuo shook his head slightly. "We used our respective houses as collateral and launched five ventures at once. None of them were large stores, but they still kept us busy."
"Zuo Yuan Dried Fruit succeeded. I'm sure it wouldn't have grown so quickly without you, Manager Lin," the personal secretary said, slipping in a timely compliment.
Lin Zuo smiled, looked out at the white clouds, and drifted off again.
The personal secretary fell silent. He thought his compliment had backfired, and said nothing until Lin Zuo spoke again.
"He didn't leave."
"What?"
The personal secretary stared