CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 89: WARMHEARTED BENTO

Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong finished delivering all the New Year’s gifts and rushed back to the company by car. The businesses they took on have two orders that haven’t been completed yet, and they must finish the work before the end of the year.

The two pushed the door in, the company was a temporarily rented ground floor shop with a sign above it, the company registered name: Xinyuan Network Company.

The name was directly taken by Qu Chaozong from a hotel sign in the provincial city. Shi Yang felt the meaning was good after hearing it, and it also rolled off the tongue easily, so they decided on it.

As soon as the two pushed the door in, they smelled the fragrant scent of home-cooked food.

Qu Chaozong sniffed: "Wow! Home-made stir-fry! Who went to buy it?"

Shi Yang and Qu Chaozong had been running around outside for most of the day, both were already cold and hungry, their fronts sticking to their backs.

The other people in the company are workaholics, when busy, no one thinks of eating a hot meal.

A colleague sitting at the door said: "Where do we have the time to buy food? Someone specially sent a loving meal box over!"

The others laughed silently.

Shi Yang walked to his desk deep inside the office, and when he casually threw his briefcase, he glanced at the insulated lunch box placed in front of his computer.

Shi Yang was stunned: "Who sent it?"

Qu Chaozong simultaneously exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, even I have a share?! Who is it? Miss Snail?"

The colleague sitting next to Qu Chaozong turned around and smiled, saying, "Mr. Shi’s sister sent it over."

Shi Yang opened the insulated lunch box, inside was steamy tomato stir-fried eggs and shredded potatoes with green peppers, obviously cooked by Liu Xiue, and at the bottom was a box stuffed full of rice.

A smiley face was made on the rice with shredded potatoes.

Qu Chaozong opened his share and laughed heartily: "Wow, my little sister! This shredded potatoes, just looking at it, she made it, did the little ancestor wash her hands before arranging?"

Shi Yang couldn’t help but laugh either, as he laughed, his gaze froze on that simplistic smiley face, his heart moved beyond measure.

Shi Yang completely relaxed only by the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. After calculating the company’s earnings over more than half a year, subtracting everyday expenses, monthly salaries, and money spent on networking connections, not only did they not make a profit, but they also lost more than twenty thousand.

In front of others, Shi Yang put on a façade of "spring breeze brushing the face" and "things are going well", awarding year-end bonuses based on everyone’s usual performance.

Once everyone else had left, and the door was closed, Shi Yang’s smile crumbled, realizing his efforts over half a year amounted to nothing but fooling around!

He reached to pull off the tie tightly around his neck, loosened the collar that was binding him, took a deep breath, feeling throbbing in his lungs.

Qu Chaozong followed with anger, feeling sorry for the year-end bonus just given out. He glanced at Shi Yang’s listless demeanor and sighed inwardly, knowing that at this moment, saying anything would only add to the frustration.

Shi Yang croaked at Qu Chaozong: "Chaozi, give me a cigarette."

Qu Chaozong pulled out a cigarette with a lighter and tossed it to him: "What’s up? Deciding to learn to smoke?"

Shi Yang remained silent, expertly clamped a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, took a breath, and exhaled a perfect smoke ring.

Gliding effortlessly, the smooth round smoke ring rose skyward, stunning Qu Chaozong.

Qu Chaozong gestured at Shi Yang: "Damn! When did you learn to smoke?"

It’s no wonder he’s surprised. He’s been hanging out with Shi Yang since junior high, and while they’re not inseparable, they’re close enough. During college, Qu Chaozong often visited Shi Yang and spent a week together, and this guy never smoked, no unusual reaction even when he smoked.

Shi Yang glanced at him: "Learned in fifth grade, got quite addicted at first, smoked for a year, and later once almost got caught by my mom, so I just quit decisively."

"Damn!" Qu Chaozong was speechless, thinking quitting smoking is almost like quitting eating.

Shi Yang finished speaking, stopped humming, leaned back in his chair, cigarette in mouth, feeling a void in his heart, previously filled with eager passion, suddenly cooled a bit.

When Shi Yang exhaled his last smoke ring, he stood up from the chair, reached out and patted Qu Chaozong’s shoulder: "Alright, go home and rest well for two days, adjust your state. I just don’t believe there’s anything in this world I can’t conquer!"

Qu Chaozong grinned: "Sure thing! Afterward, I’ll bite the bullet with you and help tackle it together!"

"Damn!" Shi Yang exhaled stale air, casually pressed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray: "Let’s go, go home for the New Year!"

Shi Yang went home and enjoyed a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner with his parents. In front of his mom, Shi Yang maintained a bright smile on his face, only relaxed and collapsed like an ending curtain when out of his mom’s sight.

How sharp is Shi Yang’s father, who noticed Shi Yang’s reaction, waited until Shi Yang’s mom collected the dishes, then called Shi Yang: "Grab two strings of firecrackers, we’re going out to set them off, clear away the year’s misfortune."

Normally, Shi Yang would certainly not go with his dad, but this evening, crushed by a great sense of defeat, he felt quite vulnerable, so when he heard his dad suggest dispelling misfortune, he got a bit tempted.

Shi Yang changed his clothes, followed his dad downstairs in the neighborhood to set off the firecrackers.

Firecrackers exploded chaotically with crisp sounds, resonating in tandem which seemed to echo in the ears.

Once the firecrackers finished, Shi Yang rubbed his hands, turned around wanting to go home, being called by his dad.

Shi Yang’s dad said: "Just had dinner, stomach feels a bit bloated, accompany dad for a walk?"

Shi Yang looked at him, remained silent, but turned his body around, silently following behind his dad.

The two walked out of the neighborhood, along the brightly lit sidewalk, aimlessly moving forward.

Shi Yang looked down at the snow beneath his feet, suddenly recalled the day when he first brought Zhao Meimei home, the two also stepped on the white snow, walking slowly.

Imagine how many years have passed in a blink.

Shi Yang’s dad pointed at the decorated hotel across the street: "Ten years ago, that building was just a residential building, within a few years it’s turned into its current form."

Shi Yang followed and glanced, this hotel is quite well-known in the city and has opened several branches already.

Shi Yang’s dad withdrew his hand, put it in his pocket: "The owner of that hotel, I used to eat with him. He was just running a restaurant back then, saved some money. At that time, hotels hadn’t yet become popular in our city, only small lodges existed. He was a pioneer trying to cross the stone river."

Shi Yang’s dad laughed: "He personally told us, no matter how many times you’re stumbled by the stones along the way, as long as you lift your foot and continue forward, you’ll eventually reach the other side. Conversely, if you stop and do not move forward, then the other side will always be just a mirage."