A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Fu Yan thought he had passed the test and was still planning in his mind how to make a good impression tonight—in this atmosphere, with this look and this state, it would be a waste not to take the opportunity to carry her into the bedroom and have sex with her.

He stood up and reached out to take Xu Wenshu's hand.

Unexpectedly, Xu Wenshu withdrew her hand.

What are you doing?

Fu Yan was stunned: "No... what I meant just now... I..."

"What did I mean just now?" Xu Wenshu's smile vanished, replaced by a businesslike expression. "I'm asking you a question. Just answer it and don't overthink it."

"Wen Shu..."

"The bed in the west wing has already been made up..." Xu Wenshu turned and walked towards the bedroom. "You'll sleep there tonight."

"Why? Ah!"

Xu Wenshu walked to the door, turned around, and said expressionlessly, "I'm very angry because you went next door to watch the girls dance."

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

Fu Yan stood there, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

He suddenly realized a cruel truth: the correct answer to some questions doesn't seem to be "good-looking".

……

The bed in the west wing was not as comfortable as the one in the main room; the pillows were hard, and the quilt smelled of mothballs.

Fu Yan tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling. He concluded that women's logic was completely different from investing in futures. The latter at least had some patterns, while the former was utterly chaotic.

For several days in a row, Fu Yan was unable to get any opportunity to get close to her.

Xu Wenshu was at work during the day and not at home; when she came back in the evening, she would either say "I'm too tired today" or "I want to go to bed early," being as polite as if she were entertaining a distant relative. Fu Yan tried to probe her a few times, but each time she was deftly deflected.

He even began to suspect that Xu Wenshu was deliberately training his willpower.

……

One morning in late March, Fu Yan had just gotten out of bed when his phone rang. It was his assistant, Lin Xiaochen, calling.

"Mr. Fu, we've found a secretary. Would you have time to come and take a look?"

"Now?"

"Yes, if it's convenient."

Fu Yan checked the time; it was 9:30. He had gotten up quite early today. After thinking about it, he figured he had nothing else to do, so he decided to go.

When Lin Xiaochen arrived at the office, she found a girl already waiting in the conference room.

Fu Yan pushed open the door and glanced at her first—she wasn't short, about 1.67 or 1.8 meters tall, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, a very proper outfit. Her appearance was delicate, not the kind that would stun you at first glance, but pleasing to the eye, with regular features and fair skin.

"President Fu, this is Cai Yunfei, a Master of Management from Yanli University, a recent graduate this year," Lin Xiaochen introduced.

Fu Yan sat down, glanced at the resume, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Yan Li, a Master of Management, a recent graduate—this is the kind of qualifications you'd expect for a newly established small private company like theirs?

"Cai Yunfei, right? Please sit down." Fu Yan closed the resume. "I have a question. With your qualifications, you'd be more than qualified for a large corporation, a state-owned enterprise, or even for a civil service exam. Why did you choose to work for us?"

Cai Yunfei sat upright with her hands on her knees, looking a little nervous, but her answer was very clear and organized: "Mr. Fu, to be honest, I did receive offers from several large companies and I was also planning to take the civil service exam. But after considering everything, I feel that this place is more suitable for me."

"Hmm? Which aspects would be more suitable?"

“Three aspects.” Cai Yunfei held up her finger. “First, the conditions your company offers—five social insurances and one housing fund, a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan, and dormitory accommodation—are very practical for me. I come from the mountainous area of ​​Qiannan, and my family is not well-off. It was already a struggle for them to support my studies. What I need most now is stability and peace of mind. Although large companies may be more stable and have better benefits, the costs of commuting and renting a place mean that the actual take-home pay is not as good as here.”

Fu Yan nodded without interrupting.

"Secondly, I know my weaknesses. I have a somewhat soft personality and my emotional intelligence isn't particularly high, so I'm unlikely to be suited to the complex interpersonal relationships and office politics of a large corporation. Here, the company is just starting out, and the interpersonal relationships are simple. I can focus my energy on getting things done instead of dealing with ineffective social niceties."

Fu Yan glanced at Lin Xiaochen, who nodded slightly, indicating that what she said was indeed true.

"Third," Cai Yunfei paused, "Although the company is small now, I did my homework on your background and resources before submitting my resume, Mr. Fu. The most crucial factor in whether a company can develop is not its size, but the person in charge. I think the future will be bright if I follow you. Even if, in the worst-case scenario, the company doesn't grow big, as a founding member of the startup team, this experience is not shameful to put on my resume."

Fu Yan didn't speak immediately after hearing this.

He looked Cai Yunfei up and down again. When she came in earlier, he only thought she was pretty and well-behaved, but now he realized that this girl was not simple—she knew what she wanted, she knew where her weaknesses lay, and most importantly, she knew how to play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses.

A girl from the mountainous area of ​​Qiannan, who got into a university like Yanli and eventually graduated with a master's degree in management, can analyze her own situation so clearly. She must be very smart.

"You mentioned a third reason," Fu Yan leaned back in his chair, "which you did your homework on—how did you learn about me?"

"There are news reports about your shorting of subprime mortgages on the alumni website, although not many, but some can be found. Also, the business registration information of the newly established company by Mr. Zhang is publicly available, and your name and investment amount are on the shareholder list."

Fu Yan couldn't help but laugh.

This girl is something else; she even looked up business registration information. She did her homework even more thoroughly than Lin Xiaochen did during her interview.

"Okay," Fu Yan stood up, "you're hired."

Cai Yunfei visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't show it. She simply stood up and bowed slightly: "Thank you, President Fu."

Fu Yan turned to Lin Xiaochen: "Take her to buy a few sets of business attire, including work uniforms. Take measurements for everyone in the office, three sets for each person, and we'll reimburse you when we get back."

"Okay." Lin Xiaochen wrote it down.

Cai Yunfei was taken aback: "Go now?"

"You can wear this too~" Fu Yan glanced at her white shirt, "It's just a bit too plain. Although we're not a big company, we still have to maintain a presentable image."

Cai Yunfei looked down at her own clothes, then at Lin Xiaochen's well-tailored gray suit, and nodded silently.

As Fu Yan walked out of the conference room, he glanced back—Cai Yunfei was talking to Lin Xiaochen, probably asking where to buy it and what style to buy.

Lin Xiaochen said something, and Cai Yunfei smiled, revealing a row of neat white teeth.

Fu Yan looked away, thinking: This girl is quite interesting, much better than I expected.

It's not that she's good-looking, it's her wisdom—knowing her own limitations and where she should go. A person like that might be swallowed up whole in a large company, but in her case, they could truly flourish.

As for how big it will grow, that depends on fate.