Chapter 7

As they ate hotpot and chatted, everyone at the table kept an ear on what Gu Chen and Zhou Xiaoting were talking about. Seeing how desperate Gu Chen seemed to make money, Huo Mingzhang said impatiently, "That broke? Why not join the school basketball team? In return, I'll pay you three thousand yuan a month."

The moment he said that, the previously boisterous table fell silent. Several basketball team members exchanged looks. The student who had ordered the food stared at Gu Chen in particular curiosity. "No way. Young Master Huo is this eager to recruit talent? Just how insanely good does this guy have to be at basketball?"

Why was he so unwilling to believe it? Could it be that Huo Mingzhang had taken a fancy to his looks and was deliberately using money to bribe his future brother-in-law?

"No need," Gu Chen declined flatly. Because of what had happened in his previous life, he had no fondness for the basketball team. How had someone with such mediocre basketball skills ended up playing so well? Wasn't it because of Huo Mingzhang and his gang of fair-weather friends? To vent Gu Xiu's anger, they often invited him to play basketball. They called it playing basketball, but in reality, they used the ball to hit him. In order to earn these people's approval, Gu Chen had trained desperately. Unfortunately, even in the end, he was still a good-for-nothing loser in their eyes, a lapdog who only knew how to grovel and please others.

Zhou Xiaoting blinked. "How about this? I have another opportunity on hand. A new development in Great Zhou World is about to open for sales. Its average price is one hundred thousand yuan per square meter. As long as you sell one unit, you can earn twenty or thirty thousand yuan in commission alone. But you should know that luxury developments like this have especially high requirements for sales staff. You need plenty of work experience and must undergo strict training. You definitely don't meet those requirements right now. If you're willing to join the school basketball team, I can give you a chance and arrange an internship for you."

"That's a bit much, isn't it?" The team members who were still eating hotpot immediately objected. "Didn't you say your family's sales office only recruits female interns? We begged you so much to pull some strings for us, and you refused. What does this pretty boy have that we don't?"

"Give me a break!" Zhou Xiaoting shot the players a glare. "Don't think I don't know what you're really after. Do you want to sell houses? You just want to chase the girls at our sales office."

As Zhou Xiaoting spoke, she looked back at Gu Chen. "Of course, I'm only giving you an opportunity. The new development starts selling next week. You'll have one week to familiarize yourself with the materials and train with the senior staff. Then you'll have one month of internship to prove yourself. If you can't make a sale within that month, sorry, your internship will be over. No salary, and you'll have wasted a month for nothing."

"And in exchange, whether you can keep up with the job or not, you must join the school basketball team. From now on, I won't introduce you to any more part-time jobs. Consider it punishment for failing to assess your own abilities properly."

After Zhou Xiaoting finished speaking, the corner of her mouth curled up. "So? Dare to take the bet?"

Gu Chen weighed a promising job against the school basketball team he despised for two seconds before saying, "Fine."

"Very good." Zhou Xiaoting raised her glass to Gu Chen. "Come report to the basketball team tomorrow after military training ends. I'll give you the materials on the new development. Familiarize yourself with them as quickly as possible. On the opening day, you'll need to know every unit layout, specification, and sales pitch for the development by heart."

After Zhou Xiaoting finished, Huo Mingzhang drawled lazily, "Give that tutoring job of yours to Gu Xiu."

Zhou Xiaoting glanced at Huo Mingzhang. "Gu Xiu scored 669 on the college entrance exam. He doesn't meet the parents' requirements."

Gu Xiu's face flushed bright red. He hurriedly lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly together.

Huo Mingzhang frowned. "There isn't much difference between 669 and 700. Besides, Gu Xiu is good-looking. He has a good personality too, and he's patient with people. Aren't they looking for a tutor who looks good, has a good personality, and can communicate with the kid? Let him try first."

Zhou Xiaoting said nothing.

With a playful grin, Huo Mingzhang stood up and poured Zhou Xiaoting a glass of beer. "Give him a chance."

The players at the table joined in the teasing. "Yeah! You already pulled strings for his brother. One more won't hurt."

Irritated, Zhou Xiaoting drained the beer in her cup in one gulp. "I'll give you one interview opportunity. Whether you can seize it is up to you."

Gu Xiu nodded hurriedly. "I understand. I'll prepare the lesson plans carefully. Back in the village, I tutored other children too. I have quite a bit of experience."

At this point, Gu Xiu cautiously glanced at Gu Chen, his spirits quietly sinking. "Actually, my grades were usually pretty good. I scored above 680 on all three mock exams. It was just that something happened during the college entrance exam, which was why I only got 669."

When Gu Xiu said that, everyone at the table fell silent and turned to look at Gu Chen in unison.

Expressionless, Gu Chen fished several slices of winter melon from the clear broth and ate them slowly.

Seeing that Gu Chen ignored him, Gu Xiu forced himself to say, "My hand got burned on the last day of the exam. That's why I didn't do well."

His hand got burned on the last day of the college entrance exam? How careless did someone have to be to do something like that? Yet Gu Xiu didn't look like a careless person at all.

Thinking of the gossip spreading through the school—that on the first day of school, Gu Xiu had fetched hot water, cooked, and done laundry for his brother as though it were perfectly normal—everyone began to wonder. They secretly glanced at Gu Chen.

As if sensing what everyone was thinking, Gu Xiu hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand. It had nothing to do with my brother. I was the one who wasn't careful."

Huo Mingzhang frowned. "How weren't you careful?"

Gu Xiu glanced at Gu Chen again and said quietly, "At lunchtime, I couldn't hold the bowl of noodles properly and spilled it."

"..."

Everyone at the table exchanged looks.

After thinking for a moment, Huo Mingzhang said, "Then your luck really was a little bad."

Gu Xiu lowered his head with a bitter smile. "Wasn't it? It's all my own fault. I was born unlucky."

Hearing Gu Xiu say that, everyone inevitably thought of his background. They had heard that he had been abandoned by his biological parents right after birth. His fate really was rather unfortunate.

With that thought, everyone could not help feeling some sympathy for Gu Xiu.