Heaven Offered No Help

Time flew, and within a couple of days, Li Guang's visa was approved.

"Do you need me to bring you anything?" he asked over the phone.

"Hmm..." I thought it over. There wasn't really anything I particularly needed.

But I knew Li Guang. He was a sincere, down-to-earth man, and owing someone a favor made him uncomfortable.

"Why don't you bring me a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce?" Then I made a point of reminding him, "Remember to put it in your checked luggage. I brought some in my carry-on when I came, and it was confiscated before boarding."

Back then, there weren't many supermarkets selling Chinese goods, and Lao Gan Ma really was hard to find.

When Li Guang arrived, I picked him up at the airport, arranged a place for him to stay near his company, then took him there so he would know the way.

When Mr. Cai saw Li Guang, he gave his solid shoulder a satisfied pat and immediately had someone take him to get his work permit card.

"Do you have a moment, Mr. Sanhe? Come sit in my office." Mr. Cai invited me with a cheerful smile.

I nodded. "Sure, let's go have a look."

Mr. Cai's office wasn't large, which was understandable in Singapore, where every inch of land cost a fortune.

What I couldn't understand was why his desk was beside the door, with his back to it. Very few people would arrange it that way. (See diagram.)

This was roughly the layout; as you learn more later on, you'll understand how to read this diagram.

Curious, I asked, "You actually put your desk here?"

"Is that bad?" Mr. Cai looked a little nervous.

"No, no, it's quite good. It's just that most people wouldn't choose such an unusual spot," I explained.

The door to his office was in the southeast corner. Directly opposite the entrance, on the west side, was a bank of windows. His desk stood due east, with his seat facing west, and the bookcase was in the northwest corner.

"Hahaha, I chose this spot myself. All I was thinking at the time was that I wanted to face the windows," Mr. Cai explained.

Heaven had its own unseen designs. Perhaps this was what people meant when they said the fortunate found auspicious places to live.

"Mr. Sanhe, thank you for introducing such an excellent worker to me and helping us solve our labor shortage. And all my pain is completely gone now. You really are my benefactor!" Mr. Cai thanked me sincerely.

As he spoke, he took a red envelope from a drawer and handed it to me. "This is a token of my thanks. You mustn't turn it down again!"

I narrowed my eyes for a look. The aura around him had indeed become clear and bright.

I accepted the red envelope and said, "Actually, you're my benefactor, Mr. Cai. You introduced me to someone as skilled as Master Wu, and you gave my classmate a job opportunity that suits him so well."

Mr. Cai laughed. "Then let's stop standing on ceremony with each other! To tell you the truth, I've been wondering how much to put in this red envelope. I suffered from bone pain for years, and no amount of money could express my gratitude.

The red envelope is just a small gesture. I'll always remember what you've done for me.

If you ever need anything, Mr. Sanhe, just ask. I'll do everything I can!"

"All right, then I won't stand on ceremony!"

I figured that since I would soon be starting a company, I would inevitably be dealing with Mr. Cai quite often.

But I soon learned that I had gotten ahead of myself.

Because the mystery of "heaven offered no help" was finally solved.

The subprime mortgage crisis broke out in 2008, triggering an economic crisis that swept across the globe.

"Heaven offered no help" hadn't meant that government policies would prevent me from doing it. It really meant that the timing was wrong.

My original reason for wanting to start a company had been to help more people earn more money.

With the global economy in such a severe recession, that dream wouldn't be easy to realize. Simply avoiding layoffs would be an achievement.

Go with the tide, and heaven and earth would respond in kind.

Although I couldn't start a company to help more people make money, solving my own financial problems was still perfectly possible.

I submitted a few résumés through JOBDB and JOBSTREET, and within days I received two offers: one for a purchasing executive position, the other for a consultant position at an agency.

Switching to a work visa would let me work legally and apply for permanent residency.

Perhaps by the next time I started a company, I would already have permanent residency and wouldn't need to find a Singaporean nominee director!

Whatever happened, the future looked bright!