Chapter 20 – Placing an Order (2)

Translator: Mukyuu
Editor: Mikyuu

“Even if you’re not a ‘young master’, you can still sell yourself.” President Zhang might have been teasing at first, without any real intention of following through, but after looking at Wang Xiaoming’s tortured expression, he actually felt some interest. “If this is your first time, I can even raise the price. How about the same as Jie would get for stepping out?”  

“I…” Wang Xiaoming stood on the second-floor steps and looked down at the winding staircase he was standing on, his face burning. “I’m not…” 

Before he could finish his sentence, he heard President Zhang scream out “Ahhh” and then tumble down the stairs like a tomato. 

…

Wang Xiaoming opened his eyes wide and looked at his palms, which Baal had held and pushed out just moments before. “I… I just…” 

“You just pushed him down.” Baal denied all wrongdoing. 

“But clearly it was you who grabbed my hand…” Wang Xiaoming’s face turned even redder, this time out of anger. 

Baal raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got a temper now?” 

Wang Xiaoming looked into those pitch-black eyes and gave up. He said quietly, “If anybody finds out…” He had already made so many mistakes today and when he finally got a chance to make up for them, he…

He looked at the guard and driver hurrying in to carry the man out and became a nervous wreck. While he didn’t know who this President Zhang was, he could tell from the man’s dress and behavior that he must be rich. 

The commoner should not fight with those in power, the poor should not fight the rich. That would always be the way of the world. President Zhang did not look like someone who’d swallow the insult. 

“Who’s to blame for him accidentally falling down?” Baal crossed his arms uncaringly. “If he dares make a fuss tomorrow, I’ll send him to a chimney.” 

…

Into a chimney? 

Wang Xiaoming imagined a frighteningly tall chimney and shivered. 

Xiang Wenxun looked at the screen and said quietly, “Replay the footage from when Zhang Ronggui fell down.” 

The guard had taken advantage of Xiang Wenxun stepping out earlier and had gone to the bathroom. Now he was completely relaxed and quickly and accurately handled the security camera. 

“Stop!” Xiang Wenxun looked at the moment Wang Xiaoming had reached out. “Zoom in.” 

The guard didn’t understand but followed orders. 

“Enlarge the area around his elbow,” Xiang Wenxun demanded in a low voice. 

As the image zoomed in, Wang Xiaoming’s elbow filled almost half the screen. 

The guard couldn’t help but ask, “President Xiang, what’s the problem?” 

Xiang Wenxun replied calmly, “Nothing. I just wanted to see if his sleeves had a hole.”

“…” To see if an employee’s sleeves had a hole? The guard’s gaze moved awkwardly between Xiang Wenxun and the screen until he silently decided—all of President Xiang’s actions had meaning, it was just a matter of him understanding it or not.

Xiang Wenxun didn’t care what the guard had thought during those few seconds. He stared intently at the area about five to six centimeters above Wang Xiaoming’s elbow—the loose sleeve was tightened as if something was grasping it. 

He reached out his right hand and gently grabbed the same position on his left arm. 

The secretary—the young lady who had been waiting by the elevators for Wang Xiaoming—walked in with a phone. “President Zhang suffered major injuries; he’s already lapsed into unconsciousness.” 

Xiang Wenxun murmured an acknowledgment. 

The secretary thought for a moment and then quietly warned, “I heard that President Zhang and Secretary Qian…” 

“I know,” Xiang Wenxun interrupted calmly. 

Xiang Wenxun nodded, “Remember to send President Zhang to First Hospital.” 

The secretary frowned slightly. “Mr. Tao is also at First Hospital.” 

“Make sure their rooms are close. Saves him the inconvenience of a long walk.” Xiang Wenxun smiled slightly. “Wasn’t getting a couple of goons to give him a light beating all for sending him to the hospital?” 

The secretary immediately understood his hint and nodded. Just as she turned to go, she heard him say, “Oh that’s right, tell Chu Zhao to send Wang Xiaoming to Hao Qing Ge.” 

The secretary was slightly startled. Ever since the Silver House opened, Xiang Wenxun had never, with the exception of the top executives and his trusted underlings, personally overseen the job placement of anyone. She asked cautiously, “Is it Director Chu?” 

Xiang Wenxun looked up. “You sure have a lot of questions today.” 

The secretary’s face paled and she hurriedly turned around and left. 

Wang Xiaoming finally gathered up the courage to ask a passerby how to get back to the tiny room with the machinery. When he arrived, he saw a pissed-off Wang Sis standing by the door. 

His heart thumped once and he prepared himself for the worst. 

But to his surprise, Wang Sis didn’t scold him for leaving his assigned post. Instead, she said calmly, “It’s time to eat. Let’s go.” 

The cafeteria was right through the teal door that Director Yang had mentioned before. When they arrived, the lines were just forming. 

Wang Xiaoming was a bit surprised. The SIlver House looked empty and he had only run into a few people while he had walked around. That made him assume that Silver House only had a few employees, so he had never thought… Where had they snuck off to slack off? They sure kept themselves well-hidden. 

Wang Sis seemed to know what he was thinking and explained, “Every worker has their own zone. You’re absolutely not allowed to leave your work zone without express approval from your supervisor.” 

Wang Xiaoming knew this was directed at him, and his face flamed. 

“In the Service Department, aside from the receptionist division, all the other staff members are not allowed to see the guests face-to-face,” she said. Then she took out a walkie-talkie from her pocket. “There are surveillance cameras throughout the Silver House. Every guest is watched the entire time, from the moment they step foot inside to the moment they leave. If a guest will be passing by a hallway with staff members, the staff members will receive the notice to withdraw.” 

…

So instead of sneaking away quietly as he had assumed, everyone had watched the entire fiasco happen?

Wang Xiaoming wanted to dig a hole again. 

Baal suddenly said, next to him, “If every guest is watched from the moment they enter to the moment they leave, how’d that pig get beaten up just now?” 

Wang Xiaoming paused in confusion and looked at him. 

Baal’s lips twitched. “Hmph, you didn’t think of this?” 

“No, I was just thinking… how could you be worried about someone else at a time like this?” This might be their last meal and they’d be told to scram immediately after. 

“Me? Worry about someone else?” Wang Sis’s eyebrows almost flew beyond her forehead! 

Wang Xiaoming jumped and hurried to explain, “I’m not-not saying that you’re a busy-body. I’m just saying…” 

“Even if you’re about to go to Hao Qing Ge, I’m still your supervisor. You’re still an employee at the housekeeping division, got that?” Wang Sis bit out. “Don’t think that doing President Xiang favors will get you a promotion. Here, everyone has to rely on their own skills.” 

“Pfft.” 

This kind of derisive laughter clearly didn’t come from Wang Xiaoming. At that moment, he was obediently listening to the scolding like an elementary school student. 

The one who spoke up was a young woman wearing a bright red suit and vixen-like makeup. “Yo, the same Wang Sis who often mentions that she’s the aunt once-removed to Mr. Tao is talking about skills. It really is true that weird things happen every year, and every year gets weirder.” 

“Jiang Xueyan, be polite.” Wang Sis’ expression darkened. 

Jiang Xueyan laughed coldly. “I didn’t say damn, I didn’t say fuck, how am I not polite? Or would you prefer that I talk about all your body parts?” 

Wang Sis was so angry that her face turned white. 

Wang Xiaoming thought if it weren’t for the thick layer of mousse on her head, her hair would absolutely be standing on end right now. 

“Jiang Xueyan, you bitch!” Wang Sis burst into insults. “Who do you think you are? How did you think you got in? It’s all because you have a bitch of a brother!” 

Both Jiang Xueyan’s eyes and smile turned sharp. “Then I should thank your nephew. If it wasn’t for him, my brother wouldn’t be like this!” 

Wang Sis’s chest rapidly moved up and down and she felt like something was stuck in her throat. She suddenly whirled around to glare at Wang Xiaoming. “Are you mute? Can’t you help me insult her?!” 

…

Wang Xiaoming opened his eyes wide, innocently. In this day and age, a housekeeper needed to be good at insulting people? 

“Go on!” Wang Sis had turned into a shrew. 

Those in line were clearly used to this. If they were lining up, they stayed in their line. If they were watching the drama, they kept on watching. 

Wang Xiaoming looked over at Jiang Xueyan. 

Jiang Xueyan looked unabashedly at him. 

Wang Xiaoming said slowly, “Your lipstick is too bright.” 

…

The chef, in the middle of divvying up the food, dropped the spatula onto the tray with an audible clang. 

Everyone’s metaphoric glasses broke. 

Wang Xiaoming noticed Wang Sis was about to explode and hurriedly followed up with, “Really. Looks like a bloody, gaping mouth.” 

…

Fine, that would count. 

Wang Sis worked hard to swallow her anger. 

But Wang Xiaoming felt that since he was neither family nor friend with Jiang Xueyan and they were practically strangers, it was rude of him to say so about her. So he added, “I think a lighter color would suit you better. You’re pretty, a lighter shade would make you even prettier.”

Wang Sis finally couldn’t resist the urge to whack the back of Wang Xiaoming’s head. 

Baal frowned. 

Everyone who was waiting for Wang Sis to throw a tantrum only blinked and Wang Sis seemed to have disappeared into thin air. 

“Ah!” 

Wang Sis’s scream sounded from somewhere by the door. 

Everyone turned around to see the door standing wide open. Wang Sis’s rotund figure struggled in terror as she dangled from the door. 

…

“What happened?”

“What’s going on?” 

“…”

The whispers sounded and many people looked at Wang Xiaoming in surprise. 

Wang Xiaoming couldn’t explain himself. Great, then he didn’t have to worry about being fired; he could just worry about being sent for dissection as an alien. 

Jiang Xueyan wasn’t as outwardly shocked as the others, but she did look questioningly at Wang Xiaoming. 

“What?” Chu Zhao appeared at the door. His purple-blue chicken nest had become a black flattop and it made him appear more cheerful and attractive. 

“Director Chu…” Wang Sis’s tearful and congested voice sounded from above the door.  

Her voice gave Chu Zhao a scare and he subconsciously raised his hand. As an athlete, he had decent accuracy and power behind his strikes. 

Wang Sis didn’t get a chance to recite the speech she had prepared. Before she could, her vision turned dark and she flew backward until she hit the ground with a bang. 

…    

This series of plot twists caused everyone to lose their ability to react.     

Wang Xiaoming was actually the first to recover and asked quietly, “Should we call for an ambulance?”