Chapter 152: Two Years Later

Chapter 152 Two Years Later

Two years after they got back together, both were now thirty-one years old.

Xu Moxing was still at the same company; he had been promoted and was now basically the second-in-command under Sister Zhong.

Sister Zhong had been hinting at early retirement, and when that time came, her position would go to Xu Moxing, barring any surprises.

Xu Moxing was very grateful for Sister Zhong’s appreciation and held her in high regard.

Xu Moxing knew that a colleague had been insinuating that he was sucking up to the bosses to get all those benefits, claiming that he himself would never stoop to such behavior.

Xu Moxing felt offended, but he didn’t get angry.

He saw his former self in that colleague.

Back then, he too thought that sucking up to his superiors was shameful. He even deliberately avoided his bosses to show off his "noble character."

His former "ideal self" had set the bar too high, labeling friendly interactions with superiors or bosses as "flattery" and judging both himself and others.

He had stigmatized the act of "getting along with the bosses."

Subconsciously, he believed that "relying on your abilities" was the right way, while "relying on connections" was wrong.

But in reality, the two were never mutually exclusive.

Having both ability and skill, while also letting the bosses see your strengths and enjoy working with you—that’s how a normal professional operates.

He no longer thought that way.

It wasn’t like he was blindly sucking up to the bosses. If getting along with them made his life easier, what harm was there in a little sucking up?

Sister Zhong was such a good person as a leader—what was wrong with being nice to her?

He wasn’t the type to suck up to a boss who just piled work on you without sharing the credit or making you take the blame.

Only those who suck up to bosses and bully underlings are truly disgusting, and Xu Moxing believed he never bullied those below him.

Because he only got along well with the bosses—he didn’t treat them like "masters" to serve, so naturally he didn’t treat his subordinates like "servants" either.

But since he felt offended, Xu Moxing had to fight back a little. Otherwise, it would be like letting someone walk all over him.

If something bothered him, he needed to speak up promptly to protect his boundaries. He was no longer the person he used to be.

He smiled and said, "The way you put it, it’s like I get along well with the bosses and also with many colleagues. Do you think I’m flattering everyone?"

The man was left speechless, and others had already started defending Xu Moxing.

"Deputy Manager has a great temper and treats us all well. Personally, I’m happy to have Deputy Manager Xu as my boss."

In the workplace, there aren’t that many real idiots. Most people just mind their own business. The things that seemed stupid to Xu Moxing in his twenties, carried out by colleagues he thought were foolish, were actually the result of their own cost-benefit analyses.

Xu Moxing now understood that perhaps in their value system, he was the fool too.

They were willing to speak up for him because he really didn’t bully his subordinates, didn’t deliberately make their lives difficult, and was very responsible.

If they truly offended him and he started acting like a tyrant, what then?

Everyone would suffer.

Xu Moxing went back to his desk and continued working.

Xiao Ke had already left the company last year. She was pregnant, and the father was that scumbag.

Before she left, she said to Xu Moxing with her usual naivety, "This is the last meal I’ll have with you. I’m going home to be a housewife, so I don’t have to suffer the hardships of working anymore."

Xu Moxing sincerely hoped her wish would come true.

Even though he still thought that if ordinary people don’t suffer the hardships of working, they’ll have to suffer in other ways. And in the end, it’s very likely they’ll have to come back and endure the hardships of working all over again.

……

Su Lichen’s company was growing steadily, and they had hired a few salespeople and other back-office staff.

But when it came to finance, Su Lichen had never found a particularly suitable candidate.

For a company’s finances, unless it’s a large corporation, it’s best to have someone the boss truly trusts handling the books.

Su Lichen mentioned this to Xu Moxing, but Xu Moxing didn’t agree right away; he was still thinking it over.

"I always feel that having a couple running a company isn’t good for its development. It can easily scare off talented people."

Unless it was absolutely necessary, Xu Moxing really didn’t want to get involved in Su Lichen’s career. He had his own considerations.

His current job was fine.

If he chose to work at Su Lichen’s place, he wasn’t too worried about the work itself, but he was afraid that he might become "overbearing" because he was dating the boss, or that conflicts at work would affect their relationship.

If they worked together, how would they even date after hours?

Being glued at the hip almost 24/7—Xu Moxing really didn’t like that idea. It wouldn’t be good for the stability of their relationship.

Xu Moxing wasn’t particularly obsessed with money. He knew money was important, but he didn’t want to live just for money, because that would mean losing a lot of the pure things in life.

"Hmm... from a company development perspective, your point is valid, but I’d say my company doesn’t need to worry about that yet."

When the team grew larger in the future, Su Lichen wouldn’t consider letting "connections" join, given what happened at his previous company; he knew the risks.

But for now, it was still the early stages of entrepreneurship. Although this year’s profits were impressive, his current company couldn’t attract top talent, so having someone he trusted involved was unavoidable.

"Can you give me some more time to think about it?"

Xu Moxing hesitated for a few days, but in the end, he turned it down.

"I can temporarily help you in my spare time—half a year or so. But during that time, you need to find a professional. I still think that my working at your company would do more harm than good to our relationship."

Su Lichen finally stopped persuading him and chose to respect Xu Moxing’s wishes.

In fact, Su Lichen’s mother had already introduced him to a trustworthy accountant, and Su Lichen also had friends in finance, but secretly he wanted to work with Xu Moxing so they could be glued at the hip all the time.

Su Lichen knew that, given Xu Moxing’s personality, he would never agree. He was just betting on a possibility.

This summer, Xu Moxing took his annual leave and went on their agreed-upon annual trip with Su Lichen.

Shen Qin and Luo Shuling also went on a trip. They now only set up their stall in spring and autumn; in summer and winter, they drove to places with pleasant temperatures for long stays.

Since Xu Lan got divorced, his quality of life had been getting worse and worse.

He had originally hoped to marry another "free maid and human punching bag," but once people learned that he had no pension, that his two children weren’t willing to support him, and that he had hardly any savings, they all ran away.

Xu Lan had acted like an "emperor" in front of Shen Qin for most of his life, and his pride and sense of face were inflated to the heavens. After being rejected a few times, he didn't want to try again.

Xu Moxing and Xu Jianqing indeed refused to give him living expenses. It was his card buddies who told him he could just sue his kids for filial support payments.

But whatever the judge decided was final, and they just gave him things and never any cash.

There was nothing Xu Lan could do about it.

Now Xu Lan could only numb himself with alcohol every day. He also owed a lot of money from playing cards, but no one cared about him anymore.

According to Xu Moxing's take on Xu Lan: "This man's lifespan was prolonged by sucking the life out of his wife. Once he got divorced, he’d be dead within five years from his own doing."

Now no one cared whether Xu Lan lived or died. Whether he lived or died, no one else would know, and Xu Moxing wouldn’t shed a tear.

Xu Moxing and Su Lichen sat in business class on the plane. After sleeping, they landed at their destination.

Su Lichen's income had been over a million bucks for two years, and he had no desire to buy a house. He could certainly afford to travel business class.

Xu Moxing was fine with him buying the tickets; being too nitpicky about the split would seem distant, and after all, Su Lichen was happy to spend the money.

They held hands and strolled aimlessly in an unfamiliar city, chatting as they walked.

"My mom is urging me to bring you home again. She asked me, 'You've been together for over ten years, and now my income is decent too. Why haven't you decided to get married yet?'"

"How did you answer your mom?"

"I said neither of us plans to get married or have children."

Su Lichen paused, then laughed at the thought of his mother's words.

Xu Moxing didn't know what was so funny, but seeing him laugh so happily, he caught the laughter and started chuckling too.

Once he stopped laughing, Su Lichen went on, "When my mom heard my answer, she didn't object to me not marrying or having kids, but she got suspicious that I didn't actually have a partner at all, and that I had invented a Schrödinger's partner just because I was afraid of her nagging about marriage, and had been fooling them for over a decade."

"Hahaha, your mom has quite an imagination."

Thinking about it, it made sense that Su Lichen's mom had her doubts.

After all, over so many years, she had never seen her son's partner; she only knew from what her son said that he had a partner.

A normal couple who had been together for over a decade and were now in their thirties would at least be anxious to get married or meet the family, but Su Lichen still hadn’t done a thing.

Dong Yuzhen was certainly suspicious...

After all, Dong Yuzhen was a very open-minded parent. As long as her son was happy, she wouldn't interfere at all.

"My mom must be really puzzled to have come up with this suspicion... Do you think I should come clean with them?"

"Uh, it's up to you."

Xu Moxing didn’t want to weigh in on stuff like this.

"Would you tell your mom about your orientation?"

"No. My mom could never accept it. And my sexuality has nothing to do with her. Her knowing doesn’t change my decision, but if she knew, she would be very upset. I don’t want to make her miserable."

Xu Moxing and Shen Qin were never going to have a very close bond. He supported her, but he would never let Shen Qin interfere in any of his decisions.

Su Lichen thought for a while.

"I plan to tell my mom, but not now, maybe in a few years. Once my mom’s okay with who I am, if she asks to meet you, would you be willing to go?"

Xu Moxing's first reaction was that he didn't want to go, because it would inevitably be a bit awkward and uncomfortable. He didn't want to be weighed and measured.