thefictionvixens Chapter 1, Society, Lesson 1
Chapter 1, Society, Lesson 1
People in Kuala Lumpur Commercial City are saying that Huayu Digital has a "miracle doctor for mobile phones".
A Nokia phone that was bricked with SIM cards could be made to run like lightning in his hands. No one knew how this boy named Ye Chen did it, just as no one knew how this high school dropout, who was tricked by a shady agency, managed to make Chen Shanhe, the wealthy owner of "Da Di Digital" across the street, remember his name by gritted teeth within three months.
It all started in the spring of 2008 when he and his brother were abandoned by a bus at a desolate highway intersection. Looking up, they saw a counterfeit sign with the character "域" (domain) written backwards.
......
December 2008, 3.
Ye Chen and Lin Feng stood in front of Bai Yunzai's highway ramp, not on their way out, but having just arrived at their destination.
They were thrown off the bus by the driver and left in front of this desolate highway ramp, where they had to walk off the highway. The grass along the ramp was as tall as a person, and even some small cracks in the concrete were sprouting green shoots.
Ironically, they were going to Huicheng's most bustling commercial city—Jilong Commercial City.
Lin Feng simply lay down on the emergency lane, half-covering his face and pretending to be dead.
For Ye Chen, his biggest regret over the past fifteen years was not stopping Lin Feng from buying the inside information of that shady broker.
The message is simple: "Huayu Digital City" is hiring salespersons. Meals and accommodation are provided, with a high base salary and high commission. Located in the most bustling commercial area of Huicheng, your youth will begin here, and pure, innocent factory girls are waiting for you.
After Lin Feng launched into a barrage of long-range attacks, the agent had no choice but to add a home delivery service, with the result as described above.
Ye Chen kicked Lin Feng on the ground, telling him there were cameras on the roadside and urging him to get up quickly so as not to be mistaken for a car accident and carried away.
"Stop pretending to be dead, brother, I'll take you to get rich and make the factory girls fall head over heels for us!" Despite his current predicament, Ye Chen was still full of vigor and high spirits.
Ye Chen – a lean, deep-set-eyed, and somewhat brooding man. He is arrogant and conceited in front of acquaintances, but becomes timid as a mouse when he encounters a beautiful woman.
Going back another two weeks, Ye Chen was still a high school student at Yang City No. 3 Middle School, though he isn't anymore. University graduation? Ye Chen couldn't wait to graduate and had already dropped out of school.
He is now determined to get involved in the murky waters of society and embark on the road to wealth.
"..." Lin Feng was still lying there pretending to be dead, which enraged Ye Chen, who roared, "If you weren't so unreliable, things wouldn't have come to this!"
Hearing the roar, Lin Feng jumped to his feet and shouted, "I'm unreliable? How come you didn't see that, Genius Bro?"
"Come on, try shifting the blame again!" Ye Chen's face darkened.
The two brothers, bickering and arguing, walked step by step down the ramp and off the highway.
Just as they exited the tollbooth, a gleaming Zhujiang motorcycle sped towards them, then suddenly braked sharply, skidding slightly as it came to a stop in front of them. A chubby man, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, wearing a pair of smug sunglasses, smoothed his wind-blown hair.
"Hey, Brother Chen! Is this your older brother? His flamboyant aura overshadows yours from over twenty meters away." Lin Feng was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped.
"..." Ye Chen didn't respond to this, because responding would be tantamount to admitting that he was being flirtatious, so he simply remained silent.
"Ye Chen? Lin Feng?" the fat man asked, his voice genuinely gentle and pleasant.
"Hello! Do you know us? What's your name?" Lin Feng quickly put down his suitcase, wiped his right hand on his pants, and slowly extended both hands to shake hands with the fat man's large hands. After all, he had been to the Shenzhen mobile phone market, and when the other party directly said their names, he immediately changed his expression and took the initiative to shake hands. Coupled with his pretty-boy appearance, he definitely made a good first impression.
Ye Chen, on the other hand, was of average appearance and it was his first time going out, so he was a bit reserved. If he ran into the joint defense team, he might even have to have his ID checked.
"Hello, I'm Zhong Liang, the store manager of Huayu Digital." The fat man gave a brief self-introduction.
Ye Chen felt something was off and stared at the fat man with a puzzled look.
Zhong?
They share the same surname as that shady real estate agent online!
Ye Chen suddenly interjected, asking, "Mr. Zhong, are there any other job offers you could recommend?"
"Not at the moment! If I do, I'll..." Zhong Liang answered subconsciously, but then realized he was being tricked into saying something and couldn't continue.
"Huh? You're that liar?" Lin Feng's face darkened, and he shouted directly.
"Calling me a liar sounds harsh, the shop is really short-staffed. That's why I rushed over to pick you up," Zhong Liang said, sounding a little guilty.
"That's going too far. You're hiring people in your own shop and then charging an agency fee?" Lin Feng said.
As he spoke, he approached Zhong Liang and said fiercely, "Give me my money back!"
"Let me take you back to the shop first, we can talk about the money later." Seeing this, Zhong Liang immediately used a delaying tactic.
"Zhong Liang? Are you sure you're not called 'utterly depraved'?" Lin Feng said.
"I'm a store manager, at least give me some face!" Zhong Liang said with an embarrassed smile.
The red sun quietly slipped below the horizon. Ye Chen glanced at the desolate scenery around him. He sighed, turned to look at Lin Feng, and Lin Feng nodded. "Well, we're already here, let's just walk and see what happens."
And so, they got on Zhong Liang's motorcycle and arrived at the Jilong Trade City.
The road was desolate. Zhong Liang led them through a rutted road, with farmland on one side and fishponds on the other. This was hardly the scene of a bustling city; it was even more remote than Ye Chen's hometown.
Amidst the clattering of motorcycles, it took them more than half an hour to reach the Jilong Trade City, their backsides completely numb from the vibrations.
When Ye Chen saw the Huayu Digital City sign, he was shocked! The entire building had four floors, with the Huayu Digital City sign prominently displayed on the front, its dazzling neon lights almost blinding. It was the first time Ye Chen had ever seen such a large storefront, and the six shops on the first floor were connected, brightly lit—no wonder it dared to call itself a digital city. He glanced at the street scene again and noticed that Huayu Digital City was located at the entrance of the Jilong Trade City. He thought to himself, "Zhong Liang's strength is not to be underestimated."
However, this shop sign has once again pushed the boundaries of that damned Zhong Liang's shamelessness.
At first glance, the "土" radical of the character "域" in Huayu Digital City is reversed, indicating that it is a counterfeit store!
Ye Chen looked at Zhong Liang with disdain.
Zhong Liang seemed used to it, saying nonchalantly, "This signboard has nothing to do with me. This shop belongs to Lao Liao; he's the shameless one."
They didn't go into the store. Zhong Liang led them to the stairwell on the side of the building, saying they should go to their dormitories to settle in first.
A standing lightbox sign stands at the entrance to the stairwell, which reads "Youth Internet Cafe" and below it, in small print, "Please go up to the second floor".
The dormitory is on the third floor, which is an entire floor. This boss is really rich and powerful, and looks like a nouveau riche.
The male and female dormitories are separate, but they are only separated by a one-meter-wide passageway.
When it comes to dormitories, Ye Chen can only describe them as clearly divided. To the right is the smelly boys' dormitory, and to the left is the fragrant girls' dormitory.
Zhong Liang explained, "Look! Two male dorm rooms and three female dorm rooms. This one belongs to Old Yang, the warehouse manager, and that one is for you two."
"What's inside?" Lin Feng asked.
"That's the management's living quarters. When you become managers, we'll make room for you there." Zhong Liang winked and patted Lin Feng on the shoulder.
Zhong Liang suddenly lowered his voice, a somewhat lewd laugh in his eyes, and said, "Living outside isn't so bad. Currently, there are only five men in the shop, including you guys. Lao Yang, Yue Sheng, and I are all married. There are twelve female employees. Apart from Sister Shuang, the rest... you can decide for yourselves."
Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and his resentment from before vanished instantly.
It's hard to say whether it's good or bad; in short, they've found a place to stay for now.
Ye Chen has no idea that he has walked this dormitory corridor for fifteen years without ever getting out.