Full Cup of Water - Chap 15
Because he had to pack his bags the next day, Xin Qianyu specially set the alarm clock. However, it was not the alarm clock that woke Xin Qianyu up, but a phone call.
The phone ringing was probably deliberately designed to be annoying, and the high decibel was like a sharp needle, ending the dream suddenly like a burst bubble. Xin Qianyu was awakened and groped for the source of the dream disturbance. He barely opened his eyes, saw that the caller ID was “Your mother”, and was even more annoyed. He answered the phone and said, “What’s the matter?”
Xin Mu’s voice on the other end of the line was very sober and even a little cold. “Get to work right now.”
Xin Qianyu rubbed his eyes. “What’s the matter?”
Xin Mu reiterated again, “You, get over here, now.”
After speaking, Xin Mu hung up the phone.
This attitude made Xin Qianyu realize that something was wrong.
After Xin Mu hung up the phone, Zhu Pu called, saying hurriedly, “It’s a big matter this time! The Bureau of Industry and Commerce is here for a raid! ”
Xin Qianyu was startled. “Bureau of Industry and Commerce?! Raid?!”
This was really a big matter!
Xin Qianyu hurriedly got up from the bed, and without caring to wash his face, he hurried to the Yuzhuo Building.
Originally, Xin Qianyu had taken a leave of absence today, but there was a problem with the warehouse and he had to come. Because he did the procurement of teaching materials.
The person from the Bureau of Industry and Commerce said, “We have received a report that you have purchased a large number of pirated textbooks for international exams. So we have to check it out.”
“Pirated?” Xin Qianyu was sweating in shock. “It’s impossible. We ordered them all directly from the examination centre. It’s impossible to have pirated textbooks.”
“Okay.” The people from the Bureau of Industry and Commerce were neither hostile nor friendly. “We’re also checking it routinely. If there is no piracy, we won’t wrong you.”
Xin Qianyu remembered that he hadn’t run this project at all, but Director Chen below him was doing it. He quickly looked around, trying to find Director Chen’s figure, but found that Director Chen had disappeared. His face turned pale, and he asked Zhu Pu in a low voice, “Where is Director Chen?”
Zhu Pu replied with a pale face, “Lao Chen asked for leave a few days ago. It seems as if he has gone abroad…Could it be that he has run away?”
“Ran away?! “Xin Qianyu’s knees softened, and he almost knelt down in fright.
“Well…” Zhu Pu said in a low voice. “I think there are really pirated textbooks in our warehouse, otherwise, why would Director Chen run?”
“He…why would he want to buy pirated ones?” Xin Qianyu shivered, “Is there a misunderstanding?”
“Think about it. Take Cambridge textbooks as an example. A set of genuine textbooks costs more than a thousand, and pirated textbooks only cost more than one hundred… We order thousands of textbooks every year. The difference for one book is nine hundred, and for ten thousand books, it would be nine million! He resold the real textbooks purchased by the group and then replaced them with pirated ones. Wouldn’t he make a lot of money?” Zhu Pu whispered.
Xin Qianyu’s eyes rolled up and he almost fainted.
He was wealthy and did not think much about the people below getting these crooked money-making ideas. Besides, although he had rotated in all the schools before, it was all teaching positions and his interpersonal relationships were relatively simple. When he arrived at the headquarters, there were no stormy seas, and everyone treated him well. And this procurement project was done every year. It appeared very mechanical and simple, and he did not need to worry about it. Who knew, it was a thunderstorm on the flat ground that blew him to pieces!
Although it was not Xin Qianyu who was said to be corrupt, Xin Qianyu was the person in charge and Director Chen’s boss. Moreover, this procurement project was Xin Qianyu’s first project after taking office. Besides the big scandal, Xin Qianyu would definitely be implicated. The old man’s evaluation of Xin Qianyu would definitely be greatly reduced.
Thinking of the possible consequences, Xin Qianyu’s soul was gone.
Zhu Pu poured Xin Qianyu a cup of hot tea and said soothingly, “Actually, it’s okay. Even if you really find pirated textbooks, the Bureau of Industry and Commerce will just fine us…”
“My negligence caused the company’s loss… how could I be okay?” Xin Qianyu smiled bitterly.
“No, which young person doesn’t make mistakes?” Zhu Pu comforted.
“This kind of low-level mistake…” Xin Qianyu was also quite frustrated.
Zhu Pu frowned. “But who reported this?”
Xin Qianyu could make a faint guess. He had been played by someone this time. Someone deliberately targeted him, wanting to see him fall. But…if he had been cautious enough, he would not have fallen into the trap. In the final analysis, it was because he was not competent, so he could not blame others.
Xin Qianyu lowered his head, and “depressed” seemed written on his back.
Zhu Pu sighed. His experience had been relatively smooth because he had powerful connections, did a casual job, and was not a threat to anyone, so he had never been targeted. This was the first time he had encountered the edge of the group’s internal struggle.
Zhu Pu patted Xin Qianyu on the shoulder and did not know how to comfort him, but said, “Then are you still going to the United States?”
Xin Qianyu looked at Zhu Pu blankly.
At this moment, Zhu Zhu walked over on high heels and said, “Xiaoyu, your mother is looking for you.”
Xin Qianyu’s scalp was numb, but he still bit the bullet and went to Xin Mu’s office. As soon as he entered the office door, he smelled a strong smell of alcohol. If it was in normal times, he would definitely taunt, “Go to a nightclub for a drink. Why come to the company”. But now, he was extremely well-behaved, and he whispered, “Mom.”
“That’s how you are… the most obedient when you’re in trouble.” Xin Mu carried a whiskey bottle in one hand, stepped on the carpet barefoot, and beckoned to Xin Qianyu, “Come here.”
Xin Qianyu obediently went over.
Xin Mu asked, “Do you know what went wrong?”
“I know.” Xin Qianyu was usually rebellious, but when there was a problem, his attitude toward admitting mistakes was very proper. “I shouldn’t be so gullible towards the people below. I shouldn’t just ask for details. I shouldn’t be careless…”
“Wrong.” Xin Mu interrupted Xin Qianyu’s words, “The last thing you should do is think about your fucking boyfriend at work!”
Xin Qianyu closed his mouth, and a strong look of shame and anger flashed on his face.
Indeed, if it were not for Su Zhong, Xin Qianyu would not have been so negligent. It was because he was full of thoughts that Su Zhong had been seduced in the United States, so he hurriedly wanted to finish the project quickly, and only then did he carelessly let Director Chen take advantage.
Xin Mu asked coldly, “Are you still going to the United States today?”
Xin Qianyu could not answer. There was a pained look on his face, and he spurned himself again but could not bear to stay. What a contradictory mood.
Xin Mu stared at her son. “You really seem like a dog now, do you know?”
Xin Qianyu’s lips moved, unable to speak. What should he say?
“When Su Zhong went to the United States, did he hesitate for you?” Xin Mu asked suddenly.
Xin Qianyu froze.
Xin Mu continued. “If it was Su Zhong who was standing here today, would he hesitate because of you?”
These words poured down like cold water, and Xin Qianyu was embarrassingly cold from head to toe.
“That’s what I mean by that sentence.” Xin Mu turned the whiskey glass in her hand. “You want to love like a fool. But Su Zhong is not a fool.”
As she spoke, Xin Mu paused. “Don’t be a fool as well, okay?”
Xin Qianyu was crumbling, not knowing what to say. His heart sank, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
Xin Mu could not bear to see him like this, waved her hand, and said, “I, as your mother, won’t let anything happen to you. About the matter of someone reporting pirated textbooks, I received wind of this a long time ago. The pirated textbooks in the warehouse were also cleared by me in advance. Today, the Bureau of Industry and Commerce will not find anything detrimental to the group.”
Xin Qianyu, still hanging his head, immediately raised it when he heard the words. “Mom?”
Xin Mu took a breath. “I deliberately didn’t tell you first, just to teach you a lesson. Otherwise, you’re too complacent.”
“I’m not complacent…” Xin Qianyu said weakly.
Although Xin Mu did not go to work, she had established herself in the group and was really something. She spent time in entertainment venues every day, not purely for her personal hobbies, but also for networking needs. Being resourceful, she has helped the group maintain many relationships, so she was very well-informed. When someone reported that Yuzhuo Group had purchased pirated textbooks, Xin Mu quickly got wind of it and took immediate action.
She acted resolutely, first catching Director Chen and beating him up violently. Director Chen burst into tears and came clean. Although Director Chen was greedy, it was not to the extent of replacing all the books with pirated copies, so it was not troublesome to clean up. Originally, Xin Mu also planned to get rid of Director Chen, but she was afraid of giving it away, so she asked Director Chen to take a leave of absence to lie low and did not immediately launch an attack.
After all, Xin Mu did not want Xin Qianyu to have an accident as soon as he was in charge, so she could only hold it down for the time being.
Xin Qianyu’s heart was overflowing with complex emotions. He looked into his mother’s eyes and his lips trembled slightly, not as proud and rebellious as usual.
Xin Mu was most afraid of seeing her son like this. She hurriedly closed her eyes and waved her hand. “Get out.”
Xin Qianyu left the office in a daze, his body seemed pierced with a large cavity, and any gust of wind could crush his internal organs.
When he returned home, he raised his eyes and saw the ugly mug on the cabinet.
He had originally wanted to bring that mug to the United States for Su Zhong. He originally planned to bring this mug to Su Zhong and Lilith and say arrogantly, “I made this by myself. Although it’s ugly, Su Zhong likes it very much.”
But……
Xin Qianyu subconsciously pressed on the phone, and before he realized it, his finger tapped on Su Zhong’s contact information.
He did not know why he did this…probably…probably because he wanted to hear Su Zhong’s voice.
Su Zhong answered the call but did not speak. He did not like to talk, so Xin Qianyu started every conversation first.
Xin Qianyu was very tired and his tone was a little lazy. “Well, something happened to me at work. Do you think I should come to the United States?”
“Then you shouldn’t come. Finish the work first.” Su Zhong’s answer was always concise.
Xin Qianyu’s mother’s words flashed through her mind again. Indeed, a normal person would say that. Only a fool would fly to the United States in spite of everything!
Xin Qianyu smiled self-deprecatingly. “Well, then you have fun over there.”
“Okay.” Su Zhong replied.
Xin Qianyu did not speak.
Normally, when he called, Xin Qianyu was always chattering. Because he knew that if he did not speak, Su Zhong would not speak either. The two of them would only be silent, listening to the white noise of the phone.
This type of communication made Xin Qianyu very tired, and it was actually very difficult to find something to talk about.
Xin Qianyu subconsciously picked up the ugly mug and suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you bring the ugly mug to the United States?”
Su Zhong said, “The mug is cracked.”
“What?” Xin Qianyu was a little surprised, and when he looked closely, he found that there were indeed a few fine cracks on the rough ceramic mug. He held his mobile phone in one hand and turned the mug in the other to observe. It accidentally slipped from his hand, and the mug immediately fell to the ground and broke.
The ceramic broke on the marble floor, making an extremely loud sound, which made Xin Qianyu’s heart shake.
Xin Qianyu was taken aback and said, “Did you hear that?”
“What?” Su Zhong asked. “The music is very loud here.”
Earth-shaking gongs and drums on Su Zhong’s side could be heard through the phone. It was noisy and lively. Occasionally, the laughter of a girl slid past like a warbler’s crow, and he did not know if it was Lilith. But the strange thing was that Xin Qianyu did not seem to care so much anymore.
“Oh.” Xin Qianyu lowered his eyelids. “That’s okay.”
After speaking, Xin Qianyu hung up.
Looking at the extinguished light on the mobile phone screen, Xin Qianyu suddenly realized that this was the first time he had hung up on Su Zhong first.
Every single time, Xin Qianyu waited for Su Zhong to hang up first before listening to the beep and reluctantly putting down his phone.
