Chapter 116

Chapter 116

◎Oh, another old acquaintance.◎

Days still passed like before, twenty-four hours at a time, but now those twenty-four hours felt excruciatingly long for Meng Qi because he had so much more to look forward to. He was dying to check his phone every few minutes, counting down the time until he could see Wang Boyuan.

That night, Qu Liang drove all night back to Beijing, arriving at their company around noon the next day. With help from a colleague in admin, he worked nonstop for a day and a half to organize all the previous materials and submit them. After that, he signed the newly revised confidentiality agreement as required by the company... The schedule was so tight he didn't even have time to chat with Wang Boyuan. After adding each other on WeChat, they simply exchanged a brief greeting and went their separate ways.

Qu Liang carefully read the new confidentiality agreement and found the content wasn't much different from before. Only one or two clauses had been changed, regarding matters that were optional for lower-level employees like him and Zhao Zheyuan—the kind that whether you signed or not made little difference. Even if Zhao Zheyuan didn't sign for now, it probably wouldn't be a big deal later.

Since it involved the company's confidential matters, when Qu Liang mentioned it to Meng Qi, Meng Qi didn't feel comfortable asking which clauses had been changed. But from what Qu Liang said, the original agreement required lower-level employees to be responsible only to their direct supervisor, Li Wangshan. Others—whether department heads or board members—were to be completely ignored if they inquired about work content, progress, or anything work-related. The revised agreement, however, relaxed this restriction: when board members asked about such matters, employees could answer directly without consulting Li Wangshan, and in fact, they were required to.

This led Qu Liang to speculate, "Our boss might have offended someone on the board. This is clearly a move to marginalize him."

"Not necessarily. Maybe they just want to share some of his workload and ease his pressure?" Meng Qi recalled the confident and composed aura Li Wangshan had exuded when they first met, and he felt the company wouldn't easily let go of such talent.

On the other end of the phone, Qu Liang shook his head and muttered, "Who knows? I asked our boss if this was serious, and he said, 'Serious my ass. The board is always blowing hot and cold. They'll forget about it in a couple of days. Don't worry, just focus on your work.'"

Then he added hesitantly to Meng Qi, "Even though signing this agreement makes no difference to me and has no impact, if our boss can't stay one day, I'll leave with him."

Meng Qi understood what Qu Liang meant by "leave with Li Wangshan" without needing further explanation. At that point, he would have to find a different bodyguard. Qu Liang was giving him a heads-up in advance.

Goodbyes always leave a bitter taste. It's better to be forewarned, so when the time comes to face it, acceptance comes more easily.

If this had been before Wang Boyuan was coming, hearing that Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan might leave him would have made Meng Qi very sad and disappointed. He had experienced too many partings over the past six months—unexpected partings, calculated partings, forced partings, heart-wrenching partings... enough of all kinds. He really didn't want to go through another one.

But now it was different. Wang Boyuan was coming! Wang Boyuan alone could make up for everything. Even if everyone else around him left, he would still feel sad, disappointed, and reluctant to let them go, but that level of sadness and disappointment wouldn't be as heavy anymore. He could accept it.

So Meng Qi became even more eager for Wang Boyuan's arrival. If Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan had to leave, he hoped it would be after Wang Boyuan came.

Later, Qu Liang also told Meng Qi about how he had contacted "Qi Yun" and how, once he finished the company's unified training, he could leave anytime, just depending on Qi Yun's schedule.

Before that, Wang Boyuan had already told Meng Qi about his conversation with Qu Liang, saying he was ready and could leave whenever Qu Liang finished training.

At this point, Qu Liang had less than two and a half days left before his training ended, and Meng Qi was buzzing with excitement all the time.

But before meeting Wang Boyuan, there was something else Meng Qi and Li Qingjiang needed to do. The person in charge of the county newspaper had called him, telling him the first edition of the newspaper with the missing person notice had been printed. They needed to send someone to check it out, and if it was fine, they could bring it back directly.

This was another piece of good news after Wang Boyuan's impending arrival. Meng Qi was so happy he was grinning even in his sleep. He'd talked it over with Li Qingjiang—this time he'd go to the county as well. Besides picking up the newspapers, he also wanted to go to the largest supermarket in the county to buy things for Wang Boyuan—daily necessities, pajamas, gifts! Now he had money, and he wanted to buy the best for Wang Boyuan!

At the same time, the medical equipment that Li Qingjiang had asked his classmate to send had also arrived, so they could transport it together.

Before leaving, Meng Qi didn't forget to put on the baseball cap Yang Yiming had given him. The wide brim was just enough to cover his entire face.

He and Li Qingjiang first went to the newspaper office to pick up the papers, then went shopping at the mall, buying from the first-floor general merchandise section all the way up to the fourth-floor home furnishings section, until they couldn't carry another thing. Finally, they went to the post office to pick up the equipment.

When they arrived, Li Qingjiang instructed Meng Qi to stay in the vehicle and rest, and to keep an eye on their things. Even though people here are simple and honest, you can't rule out a few light-fingered sorts, and there weren't as many surveillance cameras here as in big cities. If something got stolen, they'd just have to chalk it up to bad luck. Meng Qi nodded, "Sure thing." While Li Qingjiang went inside to find the staff and retrieve the equipment, Meng Qi sat in the car and chatted with Wang Boyuan.

"Young Master Meng?"

Someone suddenly called out, hesitantly, "Young Master Meng?" startl-ing him so much that he looked up abruptly. Standing across from him was someone he never expected to see, staring with his expression shifting from doubt to surprise.

"Liang Wenkai, what are you doing here?" Meng Qi asked while cautiously observing his surroundings and pulling the brim of his hat lower.

"It's just me, Young Master Meng," Liang Wenkai first assured Meng Qi that there was no one else nearby. Seeing Meng Qi relax his vigilance, he continued, "I never thought I'd run into you here of all places. I... I quit Golden Sorghum, Young Master Meng. I didn't know where else to go, so I came back home and found a job just to get by." Liang Wenkai pointed to the water delivery station behind Meng Qi. "I deliver water here, and occasionally help the post office next door deliver packages."

"When did you come back? Why didn't you contact me?" Meng Qi asked. He had lost touch with Liang Wenkai since leaving Beijing. He had no idea Liang Wenkai had left Golden Sorghum; he thought he would have followed Qian De'an forever.

But Meng Qi had a pretty good impression of Liang Wenkai. Without his help, Meng Qi wouldn't have been able to leave Beijing so smoothly. And this guy had a tight lip—he said he wouldn't betray Meng Qi, and he didn't. So if Liang Wenkai was in trouble, Meng Qi wouldn't mind giving him a hand.

Liang Wenkai scratched the back of his head awkwardly and replied, "I came back in the second month after you arrived. I snuck by the school to see you once, and I saw a bunch of kids hanging around you, so I didn't feel right going in. Seeing how beautifully you built the school and how happy the kids were, I became even more convinced that you're someone destined for great things. I couldn't risk messing things up for you because of me. The only way not to mess up whatever you were planning was to stay far away."

Meng Qi’s head was spinning from all the formal "you"s. He waved his hand and said, "Stop, stop. Don't keep calling me 'you' like that. It makes my head spin. Just call me by my name."

"Alright." Liang Wenkai agreed readily.

Meng Qi went on, "What plans could I have? I'm just trying to live one day at a time. Don't build me up like that. First, tell me why you left Golden Sorghum. If you left on good terms with everyone there and quit properly, then it won't affect me. You could come work as a PE teacher or supply buyer at my place—no problem."

As if worried Meng Qi would get the wrong idea, Liang Wenkai quickly explained, "There's no conflict between me and Brother Dan. But Brother Dan must have offended someone. Out of the blue, the cops started raiding Golden Sorghum every few days, scaring customers away. The revenue dropped day by day, and pretty soon we couldn't even pay next quarter's rent. So Brother Dan told us anyone who wanted to go should go now, before it was too late and we couldn't even get our wages. He was also gonna scout out a new spot and find someone to take over Golden Sorghum."

That serious?

Meng Qi remembered the blinding, golden lobby that was Golden Sorghum and couldn't help asking Liang Wenkai, "Doesn't Qian De'an have connections? Can't he find out who's gunning for him?"

Liang Wenkai shook his head. "No idea. Probably too many people are green with envy over his money... Fortunately, he's already found other ways to make money, and he doesn't want to keep running this hospitality business anyway."

"Since he has a backup plan, why didn't you keep working for him?"

"Brother Dan's starting an internet company. I don't have a degree, so I can't do that kind of work." Liang Wenkai suddenly looked down, like he really regretted leaving Qian De'an.

Well...

Meng Qi was quiet for a moment, not sure how to help Liang Wenkai get back to working for Qian De'an. He could only console him temporarily, "Think about it. If things don't work out here, you're always welcome at my place. I don't care about degrees."

Liang Wenkai perked up right away and looked at Meng Qi with gratitude, thanking him repeatedly, "Thanks, Young Master Meng! I'll really think about it!"

Just then, Li Qingjiang came out, followed by a postal worker carrying a bunch of boxes. Seeing this, Meng Qi immediately jumped out of the vehicle to make room for the boxes.

Li Qingjiang frowned and called out, "Be careful."

Meng Qi gave a sheepish grin. "You got it, Doc."

Liang Wenkai glanced at Meng Qi first, then went over to help Li Qingjiang arrange the boxes, asking as he worked, "Is it okay to leave Meng Qi's stuff here?"

Hearing Liang Wenkai call Meng Qi "Young Master Meng," Li Qingjiang gave him a sidelong glance and asked, "Know him from before?"

Liang Wenkai nodded. "Yes, we met a few times in Beijing."

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. Put the boxes here, and give me a hand—throw me that rope over there." Li Qingjiang gestured with his chin toward Liang Wenkai's left, where a rope as thick as a finger was lying, which Li Qingjiang had prepared in advance to tie the boxes.

Meng Qi was closer and stepped forward to help, but Li Qingjiang froze him with a look.

Acting as if he hadn't noticed, Liang Wenkai tossed the rope to Li Qingjiang and went back to arranging his boxes. Only when Meng Qi was back in the truck and about to leave did Liang Wenkai raise his voice a bit and say, "Young Master Meng, I may not be good at much else, but I have plenty of strength. If anyone bullies you, just tell me, and I'll teach them a lesson."

"Author's Note"

Li Qingjiang: Seriously, guys, am I being threatened? [confused]