Chapter 63: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 63: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

After Xu Moxing got familiar with the place, he realized that Zhong Jie was the true second-in-command in the finance department.

The finance manager was nothing more than a figurehead. In a company with a few hundred people, the relationships between departments were complicated, and within the department itself, they were equally complex.

Xu Moxing entered the finance department and left the door slightly open.

Zhong Jie sat in her chair and pointed to the seat across from her.

"Sit down."

He sat down.

Zhong Jie flipped through a stack of reports on the desk, pulled out a few pages, glanced at them, and then put them back.

"You've been doing well lately. You've picked things up quickly—a world of difference from when you started."

Xu Moxing smiled but didn’t react much. He was waiting for the real agenda.

He wasn’t a fresh graduate anymore, the kind who would be happy just because a boss praised him.

Most praise or criticism from adults has an ulterior motive, usually based on their own perspective and self-interest. Take the good stuff; if it’s crap, ignore it.

Zhong Jie leaned back in her chair, looking at him.

"What's your current salary now?"

Xu Moxing told her the number.

She nodded.

"Your situation was special when you joined, and your salary was set relatively low. The year is ending soon, and the leadership is considering year-end bonuses. Even though you haven't been here a full year, your performance has been good, and the bosses have noticed."

She paused. "When you have your year-end talk, you can mention it."

Xu Moxing was momentarily surprised, then nodded. "Thank you, Zhong Jie."

He hadn’t expected Zhong Jie to look out for her people so much. Many managers in companies—even though they themselves were also working for the boss—always put the company's interests first, treating their staff as disposable.

They always thought, "if you don’t want to do it, plenty of others will." He hadn’t expected Zhong Jie to be so kind.

He had originally planned to wait until next year to ask for a raise. If they didn’t give it, he’d consider quitting, because his current salary was really too low.

Even if he didn’t want to stay in auditing anymore, he could find a job that didn’t pay this poorly.

But now, if this was the case, he could stick around a bit longer.

Zhong Jie waved her hand. "You earned it yourself. Nothing else—you can go back to work."

He stood up, smiled, and nodded. "Zhong Jie, I’ll head out now."

She waved her hand. "Go ahead."

He walked out, gently closing the door behind him.

Xu Moxing decided to bring Zhong Jie some snacks tomorrow—something that wouldn’t feel too deliberate yet would show politeness.

He sat back down and suddenly realized that in the past, he never would have said such things.

Not that he didn’t want to—he just didn’t know the right way.

He didn’t know when to express gratitude, when to give gifts, or when to make a gesture.

He used to think that as long as he did his job well, that was enough. Later, he realized that wasn’t true.

Some work gets overlooked if no one notices it. Some relationships fade if you don’t nurture them.

So hard work alone rarely leads to promotions or raises. To get by comfortably in society, you have to deal with people.

You have to work hard and diligently, but also be a bit diplomatic, a little savvy about social etiquette. If you never put yourself out there, you’ll always be a grunt.

He remembered what Su Lichen had taught him during his amnesia—when there’s no conflict of interest, everyone gets along; but once money is involved, that might change. Don’t assume others are kind just because you are.

He used to think those words were too cold and jaded. Now, he felt they weren’t cold—Su Lichen had just figured these things out sooner than he did.

That was the difference in upbringing. As a child, he was praised as "mature for his age," but that was just his parents and elders seeing him from their perspective, thinking he was low-maintenance.

But many of the skills and abilities needed to get by in society, he had none. He was worse than a blank slate—at least a blank slate has potential.

He was a piece of paper filled with wrong answers, and he had to painstakingly erase them before he could write his own correct answers.

Struggling through life, getting hurt again and again, and wanting to stop the pain—that was his ink. Using pain as ink, he wrote his own correct answers.

What others learned through years of family upbringing, he had to learn through repeated injuries, self-doubt and emotional burnout, and even years of suffering just to get a tiny foothold.

His real growing pains started after graduation.

For that alone, he should thank Su Lichen.

He didn’t doubt that Su Lichen liked him. Eyes never lie. But he wasn’t sure how long those feelings could last.

Honestly, he didn’t think he had anything worth liking.

He was petty, held grudges, was negative all the time, and stingy. He didn’t understand why Su Lichen would like him. It made sense that Su Lichen found him annoying.

Sometimes he didn’t even like himself.

A colleague messaged him, asking for materials. Xu Moxing shook off his thoughts. He stopped dwelling on it and focused on work.

It was year-end, and the company’s workload was piling up.

Reports, summaries, plans for the next year—stacked on his desk.

They all needed to be done before the New Year, but there was no rush.

He tackled them one by one, crossing each off as he finished.

He even stayed an extra hour deliberately, mostly because he didn’t want to go home and eat dinner with Su Lichen.

When he finally got up to pack up, it was already dark. He said to Xiao Ke, who was still working overtime, "I’m heading out."

Xiao Ke didn’t even look up, just mumbled "Mm."

Back in the day, Xu Moxing would have worried if he’d done something to upset Xiao Ke, given her cold response.

But now—whatever, whoever. He’d been polite, and her coldness was her issue.

As he stepped out of the office, a cold wind hit him. He tucked his neck into his collar.

The streetlights were on, and there were many bauhinia flowers along the road, but he wasn't in the mood for the view.

He stood at the doorway, wrapped his scarf tighter, and walked toward the subway station.

Halfway there, his phone rang—a message from Su Lichen: "Working late tonight. Eat without me."

They hadn't contacted each other all day.

Maybe Su Lichen was busy too. Xu Moxing's former self would have made time to chat with Su Lichen despite being busy, but now he didn't want to anymore.

Once bitten, twice shy. He was really traumatized; he didn't want to show his enthusiasm and strong desire to share with Su Lichen anymore.

He stared at the message, instinctively wanting to reply instantly, but then remembered those things. He chose not to reply, pocketed his phone, and kept walking.

During peak hours on Deep City's subway, it was anything but cold. He could even work up a sweat from the heat—too many people, too much carbon dioxide, very warm.

Even after leaving work an hour late, the subway was still packed.

Xu Moxing had become adept at finding a spot: standing by the door meant being jostled by people getting on and off, while standing in a corner or moving toward the middle made it easier to avoid being squeezed.

He knew exactly which car had fewer people and which escalator would be faster for transfers.

This was a skill developed from commuting during rush hour like a typical office worker, but it only meant relatively less crowding.

For someone who had never experienced the morning rush hour in a first-tier city, Xu Moxing's commute experience wouldn't convince them that any car was uncrowded.

When Xu Moxing first started working, he would be polite and courteous even while squeezing onto the subway.

Later, he realized that being polite at such times meant he could neither get on nor off, because others wouldn't get out of his way at all.

Xu Moxing also learned to call out when getting off, "Excuse me, getting off."

When words didn't work, Xu Moxing learned to use appropriate force to push past people blocking his way and squeeze out.

After leaving the subway station, a cold wind hit him. He had broken into a light sweat, and he shivered.

When he was almost home, Xu Moxing remembered he hadn't replied to Su Lichen's message. He took out his phone and responded with a single word: "Okay."