No matter what actually happened, the responsibility doesn't lie with me. Whether I'm there or not, the outcome will be the same.
But after Cangyu left, my first thought was to pick up the phone and call Huan Ge. But just as I expected, Huan Ge's phone was off, and I couldn't get through to Jinhe either.
I was worried about Huan Ge's safety, but after thinking about it for a while, it seemed that what Cang Yu said meant that Huan Ge's safety wouldn't be a problem—he would probably just lose some authority and status within the organization.
Ten minutes later, Amei returned to the ward, holding a newspaper and a bottle of drink. She looked at me with a smile and said, "Chen Yang, that lady from earlier was so pretty! Is she your girlfriend?"
I snorted and said with a wry smile, "Please, she's ten years older than me!"
Ah Mei exclaimed in surprise, saying repeatedly, "I can't believe it!" Her face was full of envy as she sighed, "She's ten years older than you, but she looks so young! Ah, if only I could look this young at her age..."
I had no time for idle chatter with this girl. After thinking for a while, I glanced at her and said, "Amei, I want to be discharged. Can you help me with the discharge procedures?"
"No!" she shouted almost reflexively, then blushed, a little embarrassed, and whispered shyly, "Chen Yang... could you stay in the hospital for a few more days... just to help me out, okay?"
"……ah?"
Ah Mei grew anxious, her voice pleading, "Please... at most... next time I help you to the toilet, I won't peek at you..."
"…………"
Book 1: In the Jianghu, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 30: I Lost My Job
Amei's request is somewhat puzzling to me.
"Well... it's like this!" The girl looked a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, and she said hesitantly, "Well... making a living isn't easy these days. My job only pays a pitiful little bit each month. Any extra pay depends on how well we provide; customers will pay us extra, and the company will give us bonuses... As for you, you're the easiest customer I've ever met... no, the kindest customer ever. Taking care of you is easy, doesn't take much effort, and you're very honest; you won't touch me... Of course, most importantly, your friend offered me a really high price! Besides my basic salary, I get an extra two hundred yuan a day. And if you're satisfied with my work after you've fully recovered, I'll get a substantial reward! Where else can I find such a good job?"
Seeing that I didn't speak, Amei became a little anxious: "Once you're discharged from the hospital, my work will be over... I don't even know what kind of patient the company will assign me to take care of next! What if I run into some perverted old lecher again... Sigh..." She deliberately sighed pitifully: "I'm only nineteen years old, so young, so innocent, so naive, so pitiful... If I really encounter one of those perverted customers who bullies me, it's just my bad luck... What can I do when I'm so beautiful... Sigh, they say beautiful women have short lives..."
After saying that, she deliberately rubbed her eyes, as if trying to squeeze out some tears to gain my sympathy.
This girl really has the ability to make things up on the spot. Her acting skills, changing from joy to anger to sorrow, are so high that I've never seen anything like it in my life! Compared to her, all those so-called top-tier hostesses and enchantresses in our nightclub who claim to be able to charm any man are as innocent as kindergarten lolis!
I found it somewhat amusing. Seeing that my expression seemed to soften a little, Amei quickly added fuel to the fire: "Hey, Chen Yang, you have no compassion at all! Have you forgotten who took such good care of you these past few days? I thought you were a really good person! Humph! Who went out to buy you food in the middle of the night? Who kept watch for you and let you smoke behind the doctor's back? Who helped you to the toilet? Who slipped toilet paper through the door for you? Who washed your underwear?! You..."
"Okay! Okay! Okay, okay!" I quickly told her to stop: "I give up! I give up, alright?"
A smug smile played on Amei's eyes. These past three days we'd been together, and this shrewd girl seemed to have figured out my temper, which was why she dared to speak to me in such a joking tone.
She chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, I know you must be very rich! The clothes you're wearing, and the people who come to see you, are all high-end designer brands! And you drive a really nice car! This amount of money shouldn't be much to you, right?"
I shook my head: "I don't have any money. It was the company's money that paid for you."
"Company money?" The girl's eyes lit up immediately: "Wow, public funds for consumption! Then it's better to spend it! Everyone knows this principle now: no matter how rich you are, you can't spend public funds!"
I feel completely defeated by this girl.
Amei seems to be that kind of girl. She has a special charm that always makes people feel very approachable, like a lovable little fairy.
"Alright, just say yes..." Amei started to hold up three fingers and swear, "I'll definitely serve you well from now on! I'll be even more attentive than a maidservant in ancient times serving a landlord!" After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and added another bargaining chip: "At most, I'll massage your legs for an hour every day from now on?"
To be honest, this girl's professional skills are indeed excellent. Her massage technique is definitely the result of professional training; her skill level is truly impressive!
I looked at her and said seriously, "Ah Mei, I'm actually very grateful to you, but I really have something to do and can't stay here any longer." Seeing the undisguised disappointment and frustration on her face, my heart softened, and I changed my words, "But even if I'm discharged, you... can still continue to take care of me, right? You're a professional private caregiver, not a hospital nurse. My injuries haven't healed yet, so even if I'm discharged, you can stay by my side and continue to take care of me."
“Yes!” Amei smiled broadly. “I can come to your house to take care of you. Anyway, I used to work as a caregiver for rich people. My workplace was in other people’s homes when I had time.”
She immediately put on a fawning smile and helped me lean back: "Come on, Mr. Chen, lie down. Just tell me what you need. If you want water, I'll get it for you! If you want a smoke, I'll keep watch outside!"
Seeing her like this, I wanted to tease her, so I deliberately made a lewd face and chuckled, "So... what if I want a woman...?"
"Hmph!" Amei's expression immediately changed, and she said irritably, "Well... at worst, I'll buy you a few adult magazines, and then I'll keep watch outside... You can take care of it yourself in your room!" After saying that, she suppressed a laugh, looked at me, and said seriously, "You must remember: happiness is in your own hands!"
Me: %...￥※%...
...
I was discharged from the hospital. When I left, I only took the clothes I had with me. Of course, I also had a little follower, Ah Mei.
Actually, I know very well what kind of tricks this girl has up her sleeve.
She thought I didn't understand, but I understood perfectly! The typical operating procedure for these professional care companies is this: when a client hires a professional caregiver, they pay the company an advance payment, and then the caregiver's daily fee is deducted from that advance. The advance payment Cangyu made to Amei's company should have been enough for Amei to take care of me for at least a month.
It's only been four days. If I send her back now, her company will have to refund the unused advance payment. Ah Mei, that little money-grubber, naturally wouldn't give up such an easy job, so she begged me to let her stay with me.
Frankly, there's a reason I was discharged from the hospital so quickly.
Although Huan didn't contact me before leaving, I understood what he meant. It seemed he didn't want me to be involved with that circle for the time being. My request to be discharged immediately was also to follow Huan's instructions and get rid of my connection with the casino as soon as possible.
As for Amei, let her come with me if she wants. I don't care. Anyway, her payment can be deducted from the advance payment.
Otherwise, where would I get the money to hire such an expensive private caregiver?
Let's just consider it a favor to her. Anyway, having such a maidservant around is pretty nice; no one would object to me living a life where I'm waited on hand and foot, right?
I put on my own clothes (the expensive suit Huan Ge gave me that night at the casino had been torn to shreds after I fell down the hill). As for my personal belongings left at the casino, my phone, wallet, keys, etc., they had already been delivered to me when I was admitted to the hospital.
Stepping out of the hospital, I let out a long sigh of relief. I'd had enough of the disinfectant smell these past few days! Standing at the hospital entrance, bathed in sunlight, I felt a sense of liberation!
When I was discharged from the hospital, the little money-grubber who was trying to curry favor with me carried my bag and tried his best to keep up behind me, while I walked ahead empty-handed. It wasn't that I lacked gentlemanly manners... my right arm was still broken and in a sling.
I hailed a taxi; my first destination was a nightclub.
I didn't let Amei come with me to the nightclub... that's a place good girls shouldn't go. So Amei stayed in the hotel lobby.
When I entered the nightclub, it was still well before the start of the workday, but some staff had already begun cleaning. The two supervisors, who had just changed into their uniforms, paused for a moment when they saw me walk in, their expressions somewhat strange. It seemed to take them a few seconds to react before they reflexively greeted me respectfully with "Hello, Brother Xiao Wu."
I waved to them as a greeting and headed towards my lounge.
The atmosphere was a bit strange... As I walked down the corridor, almost all the waiters gave me odd looks, their expressions somewhat unnatural. I noticed this and felt a little puzzled.
To get to my lounge, I had to pass through the ladies' lounge. Although it was still early, Mary had already arrived, as was her habit. She often arrived early to spend time carefully applying her makeup and meticulously checking the attire of the ladies under her care; in her words, this was called professionalism.
I truly admire her for reaching such a level as a prostitute.
Perhaps all we can say is: There are 360 professions, and every profession can produce an expert…
As Mary passed through the lounge, she had just changed into her black suit and uniform, and as usual, she had the front of the suit jacket slit low, revealing half of her lace bra underneath, her two breasts deliberately squeezed together to create a white cleavage.
Actually, Mary's breasts weren't the big, busty type... she just knew how to show them off.
In summary, the secret to this technique can be summed up in one word: squeeze!
As the saying goes, time is like water in a sponge; you can always squeeze some out... The same goes for a woman's breasts.
But when Mary saw me today, she didn't fawn over me with her usual smile. She paused, a strange expression on her face, gave me a deep look, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered her voice: "Brother Wu...you...why are you back?!"
"Hmm?" I pursed my lips. "I was only gone for a few days. I'm back to work today. I hope my underlings didn't cause any trouble while I was gone?"
Mary's expression was complicated, but mostly surprised: "You? How could you... Don't you know?"
I frowned: "What do you not know?"
Mary sighed, a worried look on her face. She leaned closer, about to say something, when suddenly she looked behind me and coughed loudly.
I turned my head and saw that the finance manager, A-Kan, and the security chief, A-Wei, were standing at the end of the corridor. A-Kan was staring at me with a gloomy expression, while A-Wei behind him looked somewhat helpless.
"Chen Yang." It was A-Kan who spoke.
My face darkened.
This guy usually calls me "Fifth Brother".
To be honest, although I don't deliberately put on airs, as the person in charge here, no one dares to call me by my name.
Just like when you work at a company, would you call the general manager by his full name?
"Come to my office for a moment." After saying that, Ah Kan turned and left with a cold expression. Ah Wei looked a little pale. He walked to my side, patted my shoulder, and said in an awkward voice, "Brother Xiao Wu...you...try to take it easy."
I had a vague premonition that something must have happened while I was away!
Although Awei was rude, we usually got along quite well. I nodded to him and then went to the finance management office.
Ah Kan sat behind his desk with a serious expression. When he saw me come in, he nodded slightly, then took something out of the desk and placed it on the table.
His voice was cold and harsh: "Chen Yang, you may not know this yet... but you are no longer a member of the company."
"What?"
His expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of arrogance in his eyes. He pushed the document towards me: "Huan-ge came by a couple of days ago and announced something. You're no longer the company's manager... which means you've been fired. This is a termination letter with Huan-ge's signature on it. Everyone was there when it was announced!"
I was stunned!
Ah Kan ignored my expression and continued coldly, "As Huan-ge instructed, the company will compensate you with half a year's salary, which I have already transferred to your account. Also... there are some of your personal belongings in your lounge. I originally planned to have someone send them to you, but I heard that you have no place to stay, so I left them there. Now that you're here today, please pack your things and take them with you."
After saying that, the guy pushed up his glasses and said coldly, "Alright, that's all. Now please leave. I need to get back to work... Please close the door behind you when you leave."
Part One: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter Thirty-One: The Coldness and Warmth of Human Relationships
I've lost my job!
I've lost my job?!
Although Ah Kan's arrogance was infuriating, I did not do anything out of line.
There's only one reason: these were arranged by Brother Huan.
I wondered if Huan-ge's arrangements were intended to keep me away from this circle?
As for Ah Kan's arrogant attitude, I couldn't be bothered with him at all. I've long understood the saying "out of sight, out of mind."
When I walked out of Ah Kan's office, several waiters were watching from a distance in the corridor, while Ah Wei stood in front of the corridor with two security guards.
I walked over and said with a faint smile, "What, are you worried that I'll get angry and attack Ah Kan?"
Awei's face immediately turned purple, and he quickly shook his head, saying, "Fifth Brother, how could I be that kind of person... I'm just worried..."
"No need to say anything more." My expression was calm. "Don't worry, I'll leave as soon as I get my things."
But a hint of disdain lingered in my heart.
I've always treated Ah Wei really well. I originally thought he was a rough and straightforward guy, but now it seems... hey!
Perhaps my gaze was a bit too sharp, because this guy didn't dare to meet my eyes, and just whispered, "Fifth Brother... we're also indignant for you, but the boss's arrangement... now Ah Kan is in charge of the place..."
I patted him on the shoulder, gave him one last deep look, and said seriously, "Do your best. Even though I'm gone, the company rules still apply. You're a member of the company, and as long as you follow the rules, the company will definitely protect you."
After saying that, I stopped talking to him and walked towards my lounge.
As I unlocked the door, Mary came out of the next room. She stared at me and sighed softly, "Fifth Brother."