Chapter Sixty-Eight: I Am Merely a Legend

Gao Jun was fine—his problem was mostly anger, and after a while, he was back to normal. But now that he was fine, it meant trouble for Chu Dong, and it was only with the intervention of others that things finally settled down.

After such a commotion, Chu Dong lost his appetite. He left the Development Zone Sub-Bureau, hailed a taxi back to the city, and before he even reached home, he received a call from Tan Xue.

“There’s a banquet tomorrow evening. Get yourself ready.” Tan Xue’s instructions were always so succinct.

“What banquet? What am I supposed to prepare?” Chu Dong was utterly confused.

“Why do you care? Just get ready. Don’t dress like a vagabond, and you won’t need to speak anyway—just follow me.” Tan Xue was clearly impatient. She didn’t even want to make this call; if it weren’t for Tan Songhai’s orders, she’d rather handle it herself.

“When have I ever looked like a vagabond…” Chu Dong bristled at the accusation. Not understanding fashion was one thing, but being called a vagabond? That was postmodern decadence, if anything.

But Tan Xue didn’t give him a chance to defend himself. The call ended abruptly.

Hunger gnawed at him. Chu Dong called Lan Zi and asked her to bring over some takeout, which he devoured, even raiding the biscuits and snacks meant for the shop’s part-timers. Then he turned on his computer and began connecting with contacts across the ocean, working until dawn before finally shutting down and going to bed.

He slept soundly. It was after ten when the persistent ringing of both the landline and his mobile finally woke him. Annoyed, he grabbed the phone. “I’m telling you, anyone who wakes me up had better have a good reason, or there’ll be trouble!”

“You rascal, what trouble? I’d like to see how you could possibly trouble your mother!” It was the old Madam Chu’s voice.

“Oh, Ma, I didn’t know it was you! What can I do for you?” The irritation vanished, replaced instantly by a fawning smile. Chu Dong was genuinely afraid of his mother.

“Why didn’t you go to work today? Xiao Xue told me you’re still not there. Haven’t you been disciplined enough lately?” Her voice rose, launching into a barrage of scolding.

“I overslept, I’ll go right now. Ma, by the way, phone calls are expensive…” He threw on yesterday’s T-shirt and was halfway out the door, not even bothering to wash his face.

“Don’t give me that nonsense! All my assets are left to you, and you’re stingy about a phone call?” Madam Chu saw right through his attempt to change the subject.

“Alright, alright, Ma, your estate is so vast, but as soon as I took over, I inherited seventy million in debt. If I weren’t quick-witted and resourceful, I wouldn’t even have a place to live right now. Please, don’t bring up the family business again, alright?” Chu Dong was nearly in tears from her bullying.

“Enough talk. Get to work. If you upset my daughter-in-law, I’ll come back and skin you myself.”

Joking with his mother, Chu Dong dashed down the stairs, not hanging up until he was in the car. Teeth gritted in frustration, he muttered, “So, you’re tattling on me now? Just wait and see how I deal with you.” He started the car and sped off toward Silver Dragon.

“Yao Mei, you look especially lovely today. Got a date?” As soon as he entered the office building, Chu Dong greeted the secretary who’d last reported on the Marketing Department’s activities. Not a hint of anxiety or guilt for being late, he leaned on her desk, making small talk.

The secretary, Xie Yaomei, was capable but shy. Blushing furiously, she had no idea how to respond.

“You, get in here!” The door to Tan Xue’s office swung open. The petite woman stood in the doorway, one hand on her hip, glaring at the still-smiling Chu Dong.

“Coming, coming. So, miss, are you here for a meal or a room?” Chu Dong swayed his hips as he sauntered over.

“You’re insufferable.” She grabbed his ear and dragged him inside, slamming the door.

Xie Yaomei shivered and silently prayed that Chu Dong would make it out alive.

“Let’s talk this out, don’t be like this. I’m telling you, I’m going easy on you. With those few tricks of yours, I could break free any time.” Tall as he was, Chu Dong had to bend awkwardly to lessen the pain in his ear, putting him almost on eye level with the petite Tan Xue.

“Shut your mouth.” She pushed him down at his makeshift computer desk. “How much of the work I assigned you yesterday did you finish? Even if you’re full of energy, if you don’t finish today…”

“You’ll go tell Mom,” Chu Dong interjected.

“My mom!” Tan Xue corrected herself, then quickly amended, “My godmother.”

“It’s all the same. You only have this one trick—when you can’t do it, you say others can’t either. Why don’t we split the work? Half each, let’s see who finishes first. Don’t say I’m bullying you.” Chu Dong rubbed his aching ear, wary of falling into her hands again.

“No interest. I have plenty to do. Not everyone sleeps in like you.” Tan Xue refused to be tricked. She wasn’t the naïve girl she once was. “And by the way, you’re late again today…”

“I paid the fine yesterday. Now we’re even,” Chu Dong replied smugly, recalling yesterday’s incident.

“True. Still, let me inform you: given your repeated tardiness, you’ve lost the company’s perfect attendance bonus,” Tan Xue said coolly, returning to her desk.

“How much?” Chu Dong asked instinctively.

“Not much, five hundred,” she replied as if it didn’t matter.

“Damn, why didn’t you say so earlier?” His heart ached. In just two days, he’d lost over six hundred, not counting the expenses for the Development Zone trip.

“If your work isn’t up to par, you’ll also lose eligibility for Best Employee awards.” Tan Xue spun in her chair.

“How much?” Chu Dong asked again, almost reflexively.

“Group Best is five thousand, Department Best two thousand, Team Best five hundred, Office Best two hundred,” she listed them off, counting on her delicate fingers.

“How do I win Best?” Chu Dong’s eyes lit up with a hungry gleam. He might be worth a lot, but he was never wasteful, and the prospect of earning so much made him perk up like a tiger.

“That’s up to me,” Tan Xue said proudly, finally feeling triumphant.

“Damn, then I’m out of luck. If it depends on you, it doesn’t matter how hard I work. In the end, it’ll be for nothing, and judging by your attitude, that’s exactly what’ll happen.”

“Not necessarily. If you finish all this work today, I might change my mind,” Tan Xue said, now fully entitled to do so—her father wasn’t around, and she was in charge.

“Really?” Chu Dong’s eyes shone with renewed hope.

She shrugged. “Of course.”

“Alright, deal. If I finish, just give me the department bonus. I’m not greedy.”

“And if you don’t finish?” Tan Xue was skeptical, but seeing his confidence, she refused to be on the losing end. If there was a bet, Chu Dong had to put something on the line.

“If I don’t finish, you can kiss me.” The words tumbled out, and his smile was almost wicked.

“As if,” Tan Xue scoffed. She was in a winning position—no way she’d let him take advantage. “If you don’t finish, you’ll work for Silver Dragon for free for three years. Maybe you can’t do much valuable work, but even odd jobs require someone.”

“Hey, that’s a bit unfair. If I lose, that’s basically a slave contract—three years of free labor. But if you lose, a kiss is all I get? That’s hardly equivalent. I’m the acting CEO of the Chu Group, you know—my time is worth hundreds by the minute.”

“Then you tell me what’s fair,” Tan Xue said, unconcerned about losing since she never thought she could.

“If I lose, I’ll really work for free for three years. But if you lose, a kiss will do. Fair enough? You’re not at a disadvantage.”

“Deal. Come on, shake on it!” She didn’t know where she’d learned such rituals, but she shook hands with Chu Dong, sealing the wager.

They got straight to work. Chu Dong closed the game he’d just opened and started a new Word document, his slender fingers flying across the keyboard.

Tan Xue was confident. She’d given him enough work to keep a professional planner busy for a week, and Chu Dong had only been in the company for two days—he was still a novice. But she was happy to watch him toil away. After a while, she got bored and started playing her own games.

But Chu Dong was hardly one to work quietly and diligently. Of course not. He used the internet to contact people overseas, setting them to work as soon as he gave the word.

“Peter, you handle the annual plan. I’ll send you Silver Dragon’s business and development forecasts. Hi, Tom, stop playing around—the boss’s orders are here. If you mess up, you’re out…” A Chinese man issued orders to several blond foreigners, then picked up the phone, “Smith, get back here. The boss needs you…”

With a word from Chu Dong, many people sprang into action. Their overtime pay was worth far more than the meager bonuses on offer.

Still, Chu Dong didn’t rely on others for everything—what he could do himself, he did. That was part of why Tan Xue felt he was making an effort.

Whether time flew too quickly or the game was too absorbing, Tan Xue didn’t know. All she knew was that, before long, Chu Dong was standing before her with a thick stack of neatly bound reports—plans, proposals, all sorted and ready.

“Done?” Tan Xue was incredulous—utterly, not just a little.

With a flourish, Chu Dong tossed his head. “Don’t worship me. I’m just a legend.”