Unexpected Aerobic Exercise

The 7K monthly salary proposed by General Manager Zhou was equivalent to the compensation package of the subordinates Chen Jue was currently managing.

If he were to lose his head and bite into the pie General Manager Zhou was sketching out, it would be an immediate step backward, returning him to the entry-level pay of a fresh university graduate.

Furthermore, this General Manager Zhou hadn't mentioned a single word about subsidies, leading Chen Jue to suspect that the man was likely strapped for cash; starting a new venture from scratch would probably require gambling his entire livelihood.

Bosses like this were formidable—they had ability, ambition, and connections—but they were usually incredibly stingy.

Those who rose from humble beginnings were often calculating to a fault; once they struck it rich, they would inevitably exploit their employees to the bone.

Thus, after chatting with the General Manager for a dozen minutes and sipping a few cups of tea, Chen Jue excused himself from the office with the pretext, "I'll go back and think about it, and give you an answer in a few days."

Chen Jue didn't have the talent for feeding people empty promises.

But having spent these years in the workplace, he was no longer some naive greenhorn who didn't know the ropes.

When a boss tried to sell him a dream, he simply deflected with Tai Chi.

Moreover, Chen Jue had already decided that if he truly couldn't find a suitable landing spot, he would just take some time off to clear his head.

After working hard for several years, he had at least some savings on hand.

He couldn't afford a house in Hang City, but he could certainly afford to go out and live it up for a while.

"Gold will always shine!"

"I'll just wait and see for now!" Chen Jue consoled himself.

He was currently leaning toward a "wait and see" approach, feeling that with his technical skills, ability, and work experience, it shouldn't be hard to find a new position.

Plus, having inexplicably awakened a strange Attribute Panel, the sense of embarrassment he'd felt earlier while negotiating his severance package in the HR office had vanished.

Back at his desk, he went back to his usual routine of slacking off.

Since the news that Taisheng Finance was about to liquidate had already spread, the company's finance department had stopped advancing funds for loans, and the clerks at the cooperating stores and agencies were as sharp as monkeys.

By this afternoon, they had already begun to suspend new submissions.

With no client data being uploaded, those in the Risk Control Department had all become mere ornaments.

With no clients, what the hell was there to audit?

The three teams, totaling over a dozen employees, were all sitting at their desks chatting, blowing hot air, and shooting the breeze.

Some were busy hunting for new jobs and sending out resumes everywhere.

Others were openly playing mobile games—Genshin Impact, Honor of Kings, and PUBG, taking turns.

There were also those like Chen Jue, who were being frequently summoned to the offices of the General Manager, the Directors, and the Chairman.

The various executives and shareholders all wanted to hollow out and exhaust the company's existing resources before liquidation, so they were all showing off their "culinary" and "artistic" skills, sketching out all sorts of grand visions for everyone.

After all, in this day and age, human resources were resources too.

However, upon hearing that his own young apprentice, Jiang Lin, had actually received a verbal offer from General Manager Zhou for 6K a month with room and board included, Chen Jue's expression turned into a silent string of profanities.

According to his naive little apprentice's description, the General Manager felt that as a fresh graduate, he had a transparent mind and a diligent work ethic, making him a talent worth cultivating closely.

In a few years, once General Manager Zhou's new company grew big and strong, he might even let Jiang Lin serve as the Director of Risk Control.

Unlike old workplace foxes like Chen Jue, who were restless and distracted, Jiang Lin was supposedly offered a higher package because of his sincerity.

Isn't this just pure malice? Just because I pushed back a little, they play it like this?

They really are bosses! So calculating! Chen Jue was thoroughly impressed by these executives' ability to paint a picture.

He slacked off until 6:00 PM when it was time to clock out. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the sun was sinking, and the entire industrial park was shrouded in the glow of dusk.

Night fell early in Hang City; in another half hour, darkness would descend completely.

Chen Jue clocked out on DingTalk and squeezed into the elevator with his colleagues to head downstairs.

"Brother Jue, want to grab some dinner together?"

"I don't have much experience with what General Manager Zhou mentioned, and I'd like to hear your advice, Brother Jue. Dinner is on me!" Once they were out of the Huaye Building, Jiang Lin, who had been thinking about it for a long time, spoke up.

Chen Jue glanced at him, knowing that his little apprentice had been moved by the pie General Manager Zhou had sketched out, so he nodded in agreement, intending to help him weigh the pros and cons.

They didn't go far; the two of them ordered a grilled fish and a few side dishes at the comprehensive restaurant on the first floor of the Huaye Building, spending over a hundred yuan.

The restaurant on the first floor was contracted out to private operators, and thanks to the flow of tens of thousands of office workers in the park, business was booming.

It was said that the annual rent for a single storefront had been bid up to 500,000 yuan, and even then, they were hard to come by; one could imagine just how profitable these semi-monopolistic catering businesses were.

In any case, it was much better than working for someone else!

As for the taste of the food, it was strictly average.

Hang City was a culinary desert, and those who came here to run food businesses were all outsiders.

Heavy on salt and oil, with a bit of numbing spice, it tasted better than a university cafeteria, which was definitely enough to satisfy a cash-strapped fresh graduate like Jiang Lin.

But Chen Jue was nearly 30, and after eating out so much, he always felt it wasn't as good as home-cooked meals.

Still, they were all out here working to put down roots in a big city, so there was no point in being too picky.

With two beers down, Chen Jue began earnestly trying to talk some sense into his naive young apprentice.

When the company was hiring, Chen Jue had personally interviewed Jiang Lin.

He knew the kid was much like himself—an introverted homebody who wasn't good with words.

People with this kind of personality were better suited for technical roles like programming.

If he really followed that General Manager Zhou to start a business, he'd probably be sold off and still end up counting the money for the person who sold him.

That was why Chen Jue advised him that if things didn't work out, he should just go back to his hometown to take the civil service exam or get a job at a major bank.

Jiang Lin had only just graduated this year, held a bachelor's degree, and was still young; he had plenty of opportunities and time to fight for a stable position.

According to Chen Jue's experience as someone who had been through it, financial companies in the startup phase had extremely low risk tolerance; they would dissolve or liquidate at the drop of a hat and didn't care about their employees at all.

Passing the civil service exam or getting into a big bank meant that, as long as you didn't make any major mistakes, you could at least count on a stable job until retirement.

Furthermore, the salary and benefits in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region were already high; the annual salary of a grassroots civil servant, plus various hidden perks, was approaching 200,000, which was far more promising than the path of white-collar workers like them who were out here trying to make a living on their own.

After the meal, Jiang Lin seemed to have gained some insight.

Seeing the thoughtful look on his face, it was hard to tell if he had actually taken Chen Jue's advice to heart.

Everything that needed to be said had been said; in any case, Chen Jue had done his duty as a mentor.

If it weren't for the fact that they were fellow townsmen, had a master-apprentice relationship, and the kid was always diligent in helping him with miscellaneous work, Chen Jue wouldn't have bothered sharing his life experience with an outsider.

He had worked hard until nearly thirty without achieving success himself, so he had no business trying to guide others.

The most he could do was advise others to avoid some of the detours he had taken.

After leaving the industrial park, the two parted ways.

One headed toward the subway station on Jianye Road, while the other hopped on a HelloBike.

The next two days were the weekend, and Chen Jue had originally planned to continue sending out resumes to look for work.

But after being thrown for a loop by this suddenly awakened Attribute Panel, he felt like he might be able to do something different than before.

"Where can I go stone skipping?"

Sitting on his bike, Chen Jue found himself at a loss for where to go.

Having worked in the industrial park for over two years, he had spent most of his time between his rented room and the office.

Occasionally on weekends, he would grab a meal with a few classmates or friends who had stayed in Hangzhou, or play some games at an internet cafe, but he had basically never explored the surrounding area.

Because this was all industrial parks, filled with high-rises and residential districts, there were no novel scenic spots.

He opened his navigation app and searched for ponds or rivers; a few miles away was White Horse Lake Park, not far from the Changhe Residential District where Chen Jue lived.

It took him over 20 minutes to bike there, and by the time he got off and locked the bike, Chen Jue was drenched in sweat.

"Huff... huff..." He took a few breaths to steady himself.

Chen Jue realized he hadn't exercised in too long; his body was truly in a sorry state.

He had only biked 5 kilometers, yet his legs were already sore and weak, and he was covered in sweat.

However, to Chen Jue's surprise, just a few seconds after he started resting in place, the Attribute Panel in his line of sight unexpectedly stirred!

[Ding~]

[Completed one aerobic exercise session meeting the requirements]

[Allocatable free attribute points +0.01]

First update of the day~

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