John actually had the audacity to offer to help translate a magazine and invite Yuanyuan out to dinner. In Little Wang's eyes, this was already shameless enough. But then, at that moment, John and Yuanyuan came downstairs together. Chen Meilan even asked Yuanyuan, "Yuanyuan, have you talked to Jim on the phone? Did he give us the tickets for the Olympic Opening Ceremony?"
Yuanyuan's cheeks flushed red as she looked at her brother and shook her head, "Forget it, Mom. He insisted that I take a leave of absence and go to Guangzhou with him to perform in order to get the tickets. I don't want to go. I tried to grab tickets online, but I missed the first batch. Let's wait until October and try for the second batch."
Jim is now a slightly renowned violinist internationally and will perform at the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
As part of the performance crew, he has complimentary tickets for next year's Olympic Opening Ceremony.
In the current capital, tickets for the Olympic Opening Ceremony are nearly impossible to get. Even queuing doesn't guarantee a purchase. Since Jim has complimentary tickets, it would make sense for the whole family to share them.
But for Yuanyuan to have to accompany him to Guangzhou to perform in order to get the tickets? What kind of nonsense is that?
Could it be that Jim, that shameless guy, also wants to pursue Yuanyuan?
And at that moment, John said, "Let's go, Yan Shengnan. I found a really good French restaurant. You'll definitely love it. We can discuss your leader's paper while we eat."
"I'll make you pulled noodles, oil-splashed noodles. I'll do it myself," Little Wang blurted out.
Yuanyuan, in a reflex reaction, immediately raised her hand and said, "I'll help you, peeling onions and garlic."
Cooking together as siblings was what Yuanyuan found most enjoyable.
Originally, Little Wang and Yuanyuan getting along well was something Chen Meilan would have supported the most. But Chen Meilan surprisingly said, "Yuanyuan cooks at home every day. Since Little Wang is back, let's go out to eat. I agree."
"Let's go," John also said.
Yuanyuan was silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, John, I won't join you for dinner. But I can help with other things. What else do you need help with?"
John works in a hospital, doesn't get sun exposure, and has very fair skin. He also has a natural obsession with cleanliness, both personally and with his clothes. His hands are especially pristine, with a ivory-like whiteness. With his arms crossed, he tapped his long, clean fingers on his arms and said, "Well, my car is dirty. You can help me wash it."
If Little Wang had a forty-meter-long sword at that moment, he would have swung it out.
His little Yuanyuan had never washed anything more than some clothes for him and his brother, Xiao Lang, let alone dishes.
John, the bastard, actually wanted Yuanyuan to wash his car for him?
And Yuanyuan actually agreed, "Alright, I'll help you wash it."
By this time, Yuanyuan and John had already gone outside. Little Wang turned back to look at Xiong Zhuang and called out to him, "Come on, let's go help John wash that bastard's car."
Xiong Zhuang had been in Germany for several years, always serving as Little Wang's subordinate.
He was the kind of guy who would go wherever Little Wang pointed.
He had been especially obedient, helping Little Wang with everything from wedding house renovations to other tasks.
But once they were outside, Xiong Zhuang pulled Little Wang back and said, "Wait, boss. You said Yan Shengnan is your wife, but from what Auntie Chen said, it sounds like you two haven't even started dating. What's going on?"
"How do I start dating her? Yan Shengnan has been my sister since she was little, and now she should be my wife," Little Wang said indignantly.
It was only now that he realized he had been too careless. How could he have forgotten that while he was studying abroad, Jim often returned for performances, and John, damn it, lived in the same building, right under his nose.
Those two brothers were stabbing him in the back, setting fire to his backyard.
How shameless.
That was enough to make Little Wang furious, but then Xiong Zhuang suddenly said, "I think Yan Shengnan doesn't have any intention of marrying you. Auntie Chen even said she wouldn't mind if she found a partner through a message in a bottle. Brother, I'm a man of integrity, straightforward and honest. I'll be staying at your place recently, so I'm telling you upfront—I want to pursue Yan Shengnan."
Little Wang stood there, dumbfounded, for a long time before he finally said, "Xiong Zhuang, you little brat, are you out of your mind?"
"I'm 25, Yan Shengnan is 24. We're the same age. I've graduated with a master's degree, and my dad is the general manager of an international waste company. My family background isn't bad either. Why can't I pursue Yan Shengnan?" Xiong Zhuang pressed on.
John was very handsome, a kind of refined and gentle handsomeness. But Xiong Zhuang didn't think he was bad-looking either. He had once been pursued by an American girl who called him a "sunny guy."
Since Yan Shengnan isn't dating anyone, why can't he pursue her?
By this time, they had reached the parking lot of the high-rise building, where the most eye-catching BMW was parked.
John reached out to take the keys and was about to open the car door when Little Wang caught up, "John, don't you dare let my sister wash your car. If it needs washing, I'll do it. Damn it, John, you've got some nerve, actually asking my sister to wash your car."
"You'll wash it yourself?" John retorted.
Little Wang puffed out his chest, "Give me the keys. I'll take it to the Red Brick Building and wash it in a jiffy."
He had to take the job himself. No way could he let Yuanyuan do the washing.
John glanced at Yuanyuan and smiled, handing the keys to Little Wang, "I was actually planning to let Yuanyuan drive it out and wash it for me. But if you want to do it yourself, that's fine too. Just make sure it's spotless, and don't forget to wax the whole car."
So John didn't want Yuanyuan to wash the car herself; he wanted her to drive it out and wash it for him?
Little Wang, being sharp as he was, realized at this point that John was deliberately setting a trap for him.
But if John was trying to trap him, Little Wang would trap Xiong Zhuang. He tossed the keys to Xiong Zhuang and said, "Take it to the Red Brick Building. There's a hose near the restroom; you can connect it and start washing."
Xiong Zhuang also wanted to show off, so he took the keys, "Got it." While busy, he still managed to ask, "Yuanyuan, do you remember me? I'm Xiong Zhuang. We met when we were kids."
"Get going," Little Wang pushed Xiong Zhuang into the car.
He then approached Yuanyuan and said, "Come on, Yuanyuan, let's go buy some groceries."
"Let's go," Yuanyuan said.
And just like that, he had intercepted the situation. Yuanyuan was still his.
"Don't go out with John anymore, or with Jim either. Those two brothers don't have good intentions. Oh, and Xiong Zhuang—he'll be staying at our place recently. Stay away from him. He actually wants to pursue you, so he's not a good guy. Understand? Once he finds a place to rent, I'll make sure he moves out," Little Wang said.
Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother. I'm focused on work. I don't want to date or get married."
Little Wang was stunned for a moment. Yuanyuan's words sounded a bit off.
The two siblings entered the market, a familiar place with familiar smells. Various braised dishes, intestines, ears, trotters, tomatoes, eggplants, cabbages, and winter melons. The newly listed peaches, green apples, and cantaloupes, watermelons. Yuanyuan picked out the vegetables, and Little Wang carried them. A familiar place, familiar people, familiar feelings. What is happiness? This was Little Wang's happiness.
Just a month ago, Little Wang was still smug, thinking that as soon as he returned home, he could get married and move into the cozy little home he had just renovated, right next to Yuanyuan's workplace. That way, Yuanyuan wouldn't have to endure the crowded subway, and he could easily enjoy his happiness and joy.
But now, the clever Little Wang realized that compared to the renovation, the most important thing was probably that he needed to court Yuanyuan first. He needed to take her on a date and propose. Otherwise, he was afraid that when he brought up marriage, Yuanyuan might reject him.
After buying the groceries, Little Wang racked his brain for an excuse and said, "Yuanyuan, you know, after a year abroad, I really miss the old Tongguan meat pies from the Beijing office. How about you accompany me to eat one tomorrow night? No problem, right?"
"No problem at all. Let's go together," Yuanyuan said.
That was settled. Tomorrow, he would first report to that supposedly very lucrative unit, and then the evening date would begin.
Yan Wangqi still felt confident.
Tonight, they would have oil-splashed pulled noodles at home. The noodles were made by Little Wang, but the pot was washed by Xiong Zhuang.
Chen Meilan, on the other hand, was busy with the merger of 271 and Bayi Food Factory into a single group company, preparing for a listing on the securities market. She needed legal advice from Yan Zhao, so the two of them were swamped with work, too busy to even think about cooking and eating.
Xiong Zhuang was quite the performer—after finishing dinner, he eagerly volunteered to wash the dishes, and after washing them, he even insisted on mopping the floor. While mopping, he kept telling Chen Meilan, "Please don't be polite. Consider me your son-in-law, feel free to order me around."
That night, Xiong Zhuang stayed in Little Wolf's bedroom, while Little Wang was already planning to have him rent his own place and move out as soon as possible the next day.
The next morning, Little Wang woke up early enough, but Yuanyuan had already left earlier than him, reportedly because the Olympics were coming up next year, and she was worried about traffic in the city, so she didn't even eat breakfast before leaving.
Little Wang and Xiong Zhuang hurriedly ate some breakfast and then headed to the Quality Supervision Station according to the address.
This job was arranged through Yan Zhao. Normally, one would need to take the civil service exam, but since both Little Wang and Xiong Zhuang held master's degrees, they were exempted and could join the unit directly.
The Quality Supervision Station was the Capital Engineering Quality Management and Supervision Headquarters, responsible for reviewing the quality of all currently under-construction buildings, whether large or small, in the entire capital.
It was a state-owned unit, and working there meant becoming a civil servant.
Little Wang had previously invested in several companies, all of which were doing well financially. The reason he had changed his major from computer science to civil engineering was that during the Three Gorges flood, he had seen too many shoddy engineering projects in the floodwaters. He felt that anyone could work with computers, but there weren't many people with a conscience in infrastructure projects.
Just after switching majors, he wanted to become an ethical entrepreneur in the construction industry.
However, his parents always hoped their children would have stable jobs. Little Wang, currently following his father's wishes, took the civil servant job mainly to appease his stern father. He planned to act obediently, make his father happy, and once his father agreed to let him marry Yuanyuan, he would quit and return to business.
Money was still something he aimed to make a lot of. Being a civil servant was out of the question.
Before they knew it, they arrived at the unit.
The Quality Supervision Station, being a state-owned unit, was run-down—an old building, old offices, with desks and chairs all chipped.
The station chief was a woman named Wang Lin, in her forties, looking like an ordinary female colleague, but her face was somewhat abnormal, swollen badly. The deputy station chief was named Sun Wang, a man wearing old cloth shoes and a worn-out shirt, also looking quite ordinary. There were about a dozen staff members, all of whom looked very average.
Perhaps due to the busy work, the unit didn't hold morning meetings. Staff members just checked in and then left.
Deputy Station Chief Sun Wang handed each of Little Wang and Xiong Zhuang a work badge and a stack of materials, then sent them to the farthest area in Haidian, saying there were a few small projects urgently waiting for review. After that, Sun Wang also left, leaving only a clerk to watch over the office.
Little Wang and Xiong Zhuang didn't have a car and had to take the bus to the project site.
After flipping through the materials, they found a state-owned urban village renovation project, an Olympic venue construction project, and several small real estate development projects. Since the urban village renovation project was closer, they decided to go there first.
Upon arrival, Little Wang called the other party, introduced himself as a new staff member from the Quality Supervision Station, and said he needed to inspect the construction quality as part of a routine check. After looking around, he found that overall, the urban village renovation project was decent, with the construction quality not too bad. However, there were a few visible areas that needed rectification. He thought it would be fine to ask the other party to make those corrections.
But in the blink of an eye, the project leader arrived—a village chief-like figure who bowed and nodded, saying, "Comrades from the Quality Supervision Station, you came too suddenly today. We weren't prepared. According to the old custom, how about we treat you to a full package of dining, drinking, and bathing?"
What did "dining, drinking, and bathing" mean?
Little Wang and Xiong Zhuang were both momentarily stunned. The leader smiled awkwardly and reached out, saying, "If you two are too busy and don't have time, we have a solution. Here are room cards for the Junhao Hotel, each preloaded with two thousand yuan. Feel free to enjoy yourselves. Our project doesn't have much money, after all, it's a poor resettlement and renovation project. I can't give you a big red envelope, but this is a small token of our appreciation. You can take it. Regarding the corrections, feel free to make your demands. We'll correct them all at once to ensure the quality passes the inspection in one go. After all, these are resettlement homes, and the villagers are waiting to move back in. How about it?"
With that, he handed each of them a red envelope.
Little Wang weighed it in his hand. Goodness, judging by the thickness, it was at least eight hundred yuan, if not a thousand.
That meant, between the hotel consumption cards and the red envelopes, just on their first day of work, on their first inspection of one of the poorest urban village renovation projects in the capital, they had already received nearly five thousand yuan?
No wonder his father said it was an easy and lucrative job.
This wasn't just making money; this was milking the system.
Extending this thought, such a poor project, facing just two ordinary staff members from the Quality Supervision Station on a routine inspection, was already offering such a large red envelope. Then, what about other projects, like large commercial buildings, highways, and large office buildings?
How much could those red envelopes be worth?
Little Wang, who loved money dearly, suddenly realized that his father was treating him like a cat watching fish or a dog guarding bones.
Was this not setting a trap for him?
Could the money-loving Yan Wangqi resist taking this money?
