“Tch~”
Su Tong simply assumed Xu Ye was bragging, and Xu Ye didn’t explain any further. He left the office soon after.
The next day was the twenty-first.
Three days left until finals.
When Li Tongwen and Zhang Xinzhou went to the company they didn’t forget to bring their revision material along with them.
Xu Ye, meanwhile, spent the whole day at the company waiting for news.
Fortunately, at a little past three in the afternoon, he finally got two messages from Jiang Chao — a person’s name and a phone number.
Straight afterward Jiang Chao sent a voice message as well.
“This man graduated from Fudan University in the class of ’09 and went to Jin Tiancheng law firm afterward. Last August he quit his job to travel the world, and he only got back from abroad last month. You can talk to him. Whether he agrees is your business.”
Xu Ye replied quickly, then went straight ahead and dialed the number Jiang Chao had sent.
“Hello? Who’s this?”
Xu Ye said with a smile, “Is that Mr. Tang Bowen?”
Tang Bowen: “Speaking. And you are?”
Xu Ye: “My name is Xu Ye. I’m—”
Tang Bowen: “I know. Dean Jiang already spoke to me about it. Send me your company’s address and we’ll talk in person.”
Xu Ye: “Good.”
Xu Ye hadn’t expected Tang Bowen to be quite so quick about it. He added him on WeChat, sent the company’s address over, and then immediately called out to Zhang Xinzhou and Li Tongwen, “You two, stop revising. Somebody important is coming over shortly. Don’t let him take one look at you and see nothing but students.”
Then he snapped his fingers at Yuan Yuqi. “Yuqi. When he gets here, use our best tea leaves, brew a pot and bring it into my office.”
“Understood.”
Tang Bowen genuinely had been looking for work lately, but everything he was aiming at was a top-ten firm nationally. The reasons he was willing to meet Xu Ye at all were, first, that Jiang Chao had praised Xu Ye to the skies on the phone, and Tang Bowen was curious how a first-year student had come to be rated that highly by the associate dean of Fudan University’s School of Economics; and second, that he was a Shanghai man himself, and if he could find a job in Shanghai he was satisfied with, he would rather stay in Shanghai.
He drove to Jinqiao Wanchuang Center, and once he was at the company’s door he pushed it open and walked straight in.
Seeing somebody come in, Yuan Yuqi hurried forward to receive him, but Tang Bowen said briskly, “Take me to your boss. I have an appointment with him.”
“This way, please.”
Yuan Yuqi led Tang Bowen toward Xu Ye’s office, and as she did Tang Bowen ran his eye over the several people in the office.
Frankly, he was disappointed.
He had assumed a company Jiang Chao recommended would be a fairly mature one. He hadn’t expected it to be not only pitifully short of people but with youth and inexperience written all over every single face.
But he was here now, so of course Tang Bowen wasn’t going to walk straight out. It was a place Jiang Chao had recommended, after all — even to refuse, he needed a suitable reason.
“Director Xu, the person you’re expecting is here.”
“Show him in.”
Tang Bowen walked into the office. Xu Ye got up promptly, greeted him politely, and had him sit down.
Xu Ye had already seen in Tang Bowen’s eyes that he had not the slightest interest in working at his company, so he didn’t circle around. He said openly and frankly, “As you can see, our company was only set up recently and we’re short of people in every position. But what my company needs most right now is an experienced head of legal like you. I know that in your eyes this may look like a little backyard workshop, so you tell me: what terms would I have to give you before you’d stay?”
Tang Bowen was left stunned. He had anticipated that Xu Ye would try to get on friendly terms, that he would flatter him, that he might even paint him a big picture — but he hadn’t expected Xu Ye to put it as bluntly as that.
He gave a small laugh. “Forgive me for speaking plainly. Your platform is too small. A law firm suits me better.”
“I know my company is small, but that’s only for now. My goal is to be in the top ten of the investment industry within three years, and number one in the industry within ten. I know that hearing this now, you’ll certainly think I’m bragging — so how about a bet?”
“A bet?”
“Yes.” Xu Ye smiled. “My company has just invested in a project, and by the end of next month the result of that project will be in. If the return on investment is over 200 percent, you stay and work a full year. I’ll pay you your salary that year regardless, and by the end of next year, if the company’s market value hasn’t reached three hundred million, you’re free to leave whenever you like.”
Tang Bowen heard him out and asked, with real interest, “What project has your company invested in that produces a result this fast?”
“A homegrown Chinese animated film.”
Tang Bowen still felt it didn’t quite hold up, but there was something novel about the impression Xu Ye gave him. He kept feeling that the young man in front of him was far more mature than others his age, and that there was a natural confidence about him — a confidence that wasn’t blind. It was as though… as though he could see the future, and believed firmly in what was going to happen.
Seeing that Tang Bowen wasn’t speaking, Xu Ye added, “A month isn’t long. If you want to leave when it’s up, I won’t stop you.”
“All right!”
Tang Bowen finally answered. “I’ll take one month, then, and see where your confidence actually comes from.”
“No problem.” Xu Ye got up, went to the door and called Zhang Xinzhou in to do Tang Bowen’s onboarding paperwork. Then he remembered something and said quickly, “One more thing. Don’t tell anyone else in the company — and particularly don’t tell the head of the finance department — that you were introduced by Dean Jiang Chao.”
Tang Bowen was thoroughly puzzled. “Why?”
Xu Ye explained. “Our head of finance, Jiang Wei, is Dean Jiang’s daughter. There’s a rift between the two of them. Believe me, Dean Jiang would certainly want you to keep it quiet as well.”
“So that’s how it is…”
I did wonder how the eminent associate dean of Fudan University’s School of Economics came to think so highly of you. So you’ve already got the man’s daughter.
Tang Bowen gave a small laugh and said nothing more.
Once Tang Bowen had joined, the company had heads for all its important departments. It had only just started up, so for now one person certainly had to do the work of two or even several — but Xu Ye believed that before long Qingye Investment’s staff would fill this office, and that even this five-story building wouldn’t be able to hold what Qingye Investment would be.
Xu Ye stayed at the company until past seven before driving back to the dorm.
He hadn’t been back long when he got a message from his mother. “Son, it’s Father’s Day today. Remember to send your dad a message.”
Xu Ye opened the calendar and looked: the twenty-first of June was indeed Father’s Day.
He quickly replied “OK,” then opened his chat with Old Xu and sent, “Dad, it’s Father’s Day. How come you haven’t sent me a red packet?”
Old Xu replied quickly. “It’s Father’s Day. Shouldn’t you be sending one to me?”
Xu Ye: “Without me, could you have become a father?”
Old Xu: “Christ. I have nothing to say to that.”
(End of Chapter 251)