Although it had reached the point where Lu She had to step in, Xiao Fengtai didn't think keeping Jiang Tong would be difficult.
Jiang Tong lacked money, and Xiao Fengtai just happened to have a decent, easy job to offer him; who would turn down money? Besides, if he was in a good mood, he could introduce Jiang Tong to his father and use the Xiao family's resources to give him a leg up in his career—that would be a simple matter. With the brain of a top-tier university graduate, Jiang Tong wouldn't fail to see where his best interests lay.
Xiao Fengtai was almost moved by his own kindness. He had never been this good to anyone.
However, to his surprise, Jiang Tong refused.
"I've said everything I could," Lu She said helplessly. "He's dead set on resigning. He says he wants to focus on his research... and that he isn't in urgent need of money lately."
Toward the end of their conversation, Jiang Tong seemed to have sensed something was off. He had even asked Lu She why, if the Xiao family’s compensation was so generous, Lu She didn't just continue the job himself.
Lu She had been left speechless. He couldn't exactly say, *The young master won't have anyone but you, and if you don't do it, I can't keep the job either.*
Life was just too difficult!
He tremblingly dialed Xiao Fengtai’s number, expecting the pampered young master to fly into a rage, but Xiao Fengtai’s reaction was remarkably flat. Lu She breathed a sigh of relief at first, but an ominous premonition soon rose within him.
It was like the period of exceptionally clear, dry, and hot weather that always precedes a major typhoon. Thunderstorms, on the other hand, always arrived with dark clouds blotting out the sun and bursts of lightning; the rain looked terrifying, but it usually cleared up in the time it took to finish a cup of coffee.
He felt that this matter was far from over.
Xiao Fengtai hung up on Lu She and opened WeChat. Most of his peers used Facebook or WhatsApp; Jiang Tong was the only friend on his WeChat list.
Jiang Tong’s profile picture was a landscape photo: a vast, boundless blue ocean under a clear, expansive sky. Sunlight refracted off the surface of the water, the undulating waves looking like shimmering silver scales.
Jiang Tong’s Moments consisted only of a few scattered articles he had shared regarding the latest discoveries in biology, updates on Singaporean visa policies, and Chinese language learning. Xiao Fengtai reached the end after only a few swipes. He stared at the blue sea and sky in the profile picture, a sense of grievance and resentment swelling in his heart. He actually felt a sense of being abandoned.
He wanted to hear Jiang Tong tell him personally exactly how he had offended him, and why he refused to accept this job no matter what.
He dialed Jiang Tong’s number.
No one answered.
He dialed again. Still, no one answered.
In a fit of pique, Xiao Fengtai slammed his phone onto the desk with a loud *crack*. A servant passing by the door outside carefully lightened their footsteps even further, terrified of crossing the "little ancestor" while he was in a foul mood and becoming collateral damage.
He sat at the desk, seething in silence. One moment he blamed Jiang Tong for being cold, the next he was angry at Lu She for being incompetent, and the next he was frustrated with his own lack of resolve, feeling he had lost face. After a long while, he eventually dragged the phone back to himself and dialed Jiang Tong’s number once more.
Still, no one answered.
Xiao Fengtai was so angry he began to laugh. In his short dozen or so years of life, almost no one had ever dared to ignore him like this.
Who did Jiang Tong think he was?
Things were better before, Xiao Fengtai thought. He only needed people to flatter and please him. Wasn't it enjoyable to watch the ugly displays of those around him as they endured humiliation while being forced to greet him with a smile?
What "understanding," what "respect"—he would never do such thankless things again.
He wasn't sad at all.
Xiao Fengtai opened WeChat.
"You're fired."
After sending the message, he didn't hesitate and uninstalled WeChat from his phone entirely.
***
