After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

When Gong Yuelong pushed open the door to Jiang Yan's office, she was on the phone.

Seeing him come in, Jiang Yan raised her hand to indicate that she should wait a moment, said a few more words into the phone, and then hung up.

"Why are you here at this hour? Is something wrong?"

Gong Yuelong placed his travel bag on her desk.

"Mr. Jiang, I have some money and would like to ask you to manage it for me temporarily. I'll ask you for more when the project needs it."

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and reached out to unzip her travel bag.

Then she froze.

The bag contained twenty neatly stacked bundles of 100-yuan bills, brand new, with the seals still intact.

Under the bright office lights, the area was a striking red, creating a strong visual impact.

Jiang Yan stared at the pile of money for several seconds before looking up at Gong Yuelong with a strange expression.

"Grandma's..."

She couldn't help but swear:

"I was thinking that since you're just starting out, you must be short on funds, so I was planning to contact you in the next couple of days to ask if you could lend me some money to tide you over."

She pointed to the pile of money.

"And then you just quietly showed up here with 200,000 yuan in cash?"

She leaned forward, staring at Gong Yuelong:

"Gong Yuelong, tell me the truth—where did this money come from? Don't tell me you robbed a bank."

Gong Yuelong smiled, pulled up the chair opposite her, and sat down.

"Don't worry, it's clean money. My ex-wife paid it back."

"Yu Yue?" Jiang Yan narrowed her eyes. "Would she really be willing to give her up?"

"I'm returning part of what I took before," Gong Yuelong said casually. "She sees it as a gift, but I see it as repaying a debt."

Jiang Yan stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled:

"You're something else. You managed to get the money back from that woman. You're quite capable."

She took a cigarette case from the drawer, tossed one to Gong Yuelong, and lit one for herself.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want to do?"

Gong Yuelong took the cigarette but didn't light it. "Just leave it here. Keep an eye on it for me, and I'll ask you for it when I need it. You've already told me about the interest and stuff."

Jiang Yan stared at him for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Gong Yuelong, you're... kind of interesting."

She flicked off her cigarette ash, her tone becoming more serious:

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on the money for you. You can come and get it anytime you need it."

"Okay." Gong Yuelong nodded.

The two smoked in silence for a while.

The office was filled with smoke.

Jiang Yan suddenly spoke up: "By the way, about that sports center project last time, I talked to Manager Chen afterwards. He said if you want to do it, he can give you a portion of the main construction, and the scale is much larger than the one in the High-tech Zone."

She looked up at Gong Yuelong: "What do you think?"

Gong Yuelong did not answer immediately.

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, thought for a moment, and then said:

"I've thought about that job at the sports center."

"Subcontracting the main business sounds good, and the scale is large. But upon closer inspection, the types of work are too limited."

Jiang Yan didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

"I bring my people to do the work, it's just pouring concrete. Once it's finished, inspected, and paid—then what?"

Gong Yuelong placed his hands on the table,

"I still only know how to do the main structure. When the next project comes, they'll ask me: Have you ever done steel reinforcement? Carpentry? Plumbing and electrical installation?"

He shook his head: "If I say I don't know how, people will think I'm just a foreman who does manual labor, only now I have the qualifications and have been upgraded to a formal foreman."

Jiang Yan listened quietly, the cigarette slowly burning between her fingers.

"But this project in the High-tech Zone is different," Gong Yuelong continued.

"A power distribution room, though small, has all the essentials. It includes civil engineering, electrical, water supply and drainage, fire protection, decoration... everything. Although there isn't much of anything, the procedures for each one have to be followed."

"If I complete this project, I can confidently say that I have done all these jobs, I understand them, and I can manage them when there are similar overall projects in the future."

He paused, then looked at Jiang Yan:

"Mr. Jiang, what I lack right now isn't quick money from a big project. What I lack is the experience to go through all the processes, and the confidence to take on big projects in the future."

The office fell silent again.

Jiang Yan stubbed out her cigarette, leaned back in her chair, and stared at Gong Yuelong for a long time.

Then she laughed.

This time it wasn't a joke, nor was it surprise; it was a smile tinged with appreciation.

"Gong Yuelong. I used to think you were a hardworking and resilient person."

"Now I realize I underestimated you."

She pointed to the 200,000 yuan in cash on the table, and then to Gong Yuelong:

"With your intelligence, vision, and patience, you're destined for great things."

Gong Yuelong didn't respond to that, he just smiled:

"Take it one step at a time. Focus on doing the task at hand well first."

"Yes, one step at a time." Jiang Yan nodded, stood up, and walked to the window.

She turned around, her back to the city lights outside the window:

"After a while, I'll introduce you to a few people—a few people who can actually make decisions."

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Jiang."

"Don't thank me." Jiang Yan waved her hand, but did not see the guest off directly as usual.

She suddenly asked, "Have you eaten?"

Gong Yuelong was taken aback: "Not yet."

"Perfect timing." Jiang Yan glanced at her watch. "I haven't eaten either. Let's go, there's a new private restaurant downstairs, the food is pretty good, please try it."

As she spoke, without waiting for Gong Yuelong's response, she picked up her handbag and walked out.

Gong Yuelong followed.

The two went downstairs and through the lobby. The young woman at the front desk saw Jiang Yan come down with a man, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly lowered her head and pretended to organize documents.

The private restaurant was just across the street, elegantly decorated. The waiter clearly recognized Jiang Yan and led them directly to a quiet private room.

After ordering, the waiter left and the door closed gently.

Only the two of them remained in the private room.

Jiang Yan poured Gong Yuelong a cup of tea, then picked up her own cup but didn't drink it, only watching the tea leaves floating in the cup:

"What you just said about why we didn't do the big project of the sports center and why we chose this small project in the high-tech zone, I've thought about it, and it makes a lot of sense."

She looked up at Gong Yuelong.

"I've seen too many people who, given the slightest opportunity, are eager to achieve instant success."

Take on a big project, make a quick buck, and then what? You either get cocky or you get exposed.

There aren't many people like you who can remain calm and know what they want and what they don't want.

Gong Yuelong took a sip of tea but did not reply.

He knew that Jiang Yan had more to say.

Sure enough, Jiang Yan continued, "I also made the mistake of being too eager for quick success, and I almost got myself into trouble. Only after that did I realize that you have to take things one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time."

The waiter knocked on the door to serve the food.

Steamed fish, poached chicken, lettuce with oyster sauce, and slow-cooked soup. The dishes were few, but exquisite.

Jiang Yan picked up her chopsticks: "Eat up, don't be shy."

The two ate a few bites quietly.

Jiang Yan suddenly put down her chopsticks and asked, "You just said you wanted to try out all the different jobs. What are your specific plans?"