9: Chapter 9 Starting Over

Chen Guangke wiped his face vigorously.

"Two months ago, they said it was lung cancer caused by inhaling too much chalk dust."

If he could, he also hoped it was a misdiagnosis.

But he had taken his mother to many hospitals for checks.

Every hospital gave the same answer: lung cancer.

"What about your job? Shouldn't you still be at work now?"

At the mention of this, Chen Guangke flared up in anger.

"Ever since you were kicked out of the company, Chen Ling has been tripping up those of us in the founding team. After she messed with me a few times, I resigned."

"Originally, I thought that even if I didn't work for her, I could go somewhere else, but I didn't expect my mother to have an accident right after I resigned..."

Shen Yan closed his eyes, clenched his fist, and slammed it hard on the table.

"I'm sorry, Old Chen, it's my fault."

Chen Guangke quickly shook his head.

"How can it be your fault? It's clearly Chen Ling, who not only betrayed you but also ganged up with other shareholders to kick you out of the company!"

Past events cannot be relived.

Shen Yan didn't want to recall that dark period again.

He opened his eyes and asked Chen Guangke:

"How much more is needed for Auntie's medical expenses?"

Chen Guangke shook his head without thinking.

"You don't need to worry about this, I can handle it myself."

Shen Yan would be a fool to believe him.

If he really had no other choice, Chen Guangke wouldn't have come to him.

"You're still lying? That's your mother!"

Chen Guangke lowered his head, irritably running his hands through his hair twice.

"I know that's my mother, but you're not doing much better than me right now!"

"Your house is like a pigeon coop, you can't even stretch your legs inside. You're in such a difficult situation, how could I possibly ask you for money?"

Shen Yan was silent.

Four months ago, if Chen Guangke hadn't lent him 100,000 yuan at a critical moment, his sister wouldn't even have had the chance to lie in bed.

Now that Chen Guangke was in trouble, he couldn't possibly ignore it.

"Don't worry about it, I have money."

Hearing this, Chen Guangke rolled his eyes.

"Don't try to fool me. If you really had money, you should change your living environment for you and your sister."

Shen Yan took out his phone, opened his wallet balance, and threw it in front of Chen Guangke.

"Ten thousand yuan, and in two days, another 300,000 yuan will be credited."

Chen Guangke looked at the phone with a mix of doubt and belief.

"It really is ten thousand... What have you been doing? You haven't done anything illegal, have you?!"

Shen Yan 'tsk'ed. How could Chen Guangke still look so annoying even after such a big thing happened?

"No illegal activities! I took on a software development project. Actually, if you hadn't come to me today, I would have gone to you tomorrow."

Chen Guangke thought Shen Yan was talking nonsense.

Ever since Shen Yan was kicked out of the company, Chen Ling had her subordinates spread rumors and false accusations in the industry, making other companies afraid to cooperate with Shen Yan.

Otherwise, Shen Yan wouldn't have become a construction worker.

"Don't lie to me. Chen Ling already had people blacklist you from the industry. How could you still find a company to cooperate with?"

Shen Yan took back his phone, typed "Hengtian Company" into the search app, and handed it to Chen Guangke.

"It's them. Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if you're going to work with me or not."

As soon as Chen Guangke saw the words Hengtian Company, he jumped up from his chair in surprise.

Because the space between the table and chair was too small, he accidentally bumped his knee.

"Ouch... You... Hiss... Is this Hengtian, one of the top five companies in terms of domestic and international business volume?!"

Shen Yan nodded, adding:

"They said that after it's done, the final payment will be 1.2 million yuan, and there will be profit sharing after it goes online. Chen Guangke, work with me."

Chen Guangke nodded tearfully and said:

"Nonsense! Who else would I work with if not you?"

"But how did you convince them to cooperate with you? You have nothing now..."

This was a troublesome thing to explain.

Shen Yan didn't want to waste time explaining it.

"Anyway, the contract has been signed. If you're willing to work with me, then let's first find a place and set up some office supplies."

"Oh, and get out your payment QR code. I'll give you five thousand first, so you can pay your mother's medical expenses for the next two days."

Chen Guangke wanted to refuse, but under Shen Yan's intimidating gaze, he finally obediently produced his payment QR code.

To be honest, two people were far from enough to develop software.

Back in school, Shen Yan had organized five or six people to develop the software.

If conditions weren't so bad now, he would definitely find a few more people on a recruitment app.

"Alright, stop staying here, let's go get to work!"

No sooner said than done.

The two, full of motivation, scoured all nearby office spaces.

Finally, they settled on a warehouse that was only fifty square meters.

There was no other choice; that was the cheapest place.

In the initial stages, they had to save wherever they could.

After parting ways with Chen Guangke, Shen Yan brought a ten-yuan bento box home.

When he opened the door, Grandma Liu was wiping Liu Ya's face.

"Aunt Liu, have you eaten?"

Hearing Shen Yan's words, Grandma Liu put down the towel in her hand.

"I already ate a long time ago. It's only you young people who don't eat even this late."

With that, she took out five hundred yuan from her pocket.

"You secretly slipped this in when I wasn't paying attention yesterday, didn't you?"

Shen Yan pursed his lips, closed Grandma Liu's hand holding the money, and pushed it back.

"Aunt Liu, I know you don't want to accept this money, but I still have to give what should be given."

Grandma Liu became anxious and lightly punched Shen Yan with her fist.

"Why don't you listen, child? I said I really like Xiaoya, and I've long considered you both my own children. Doing this, aren't you treating me like an outsider?"

Shen Yan looked firmly at Grandma Liu and replied:

"Precisely because we are family, I must give this money even more. Aunt Liu, this is my heartfelt intention, please accept it, otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Grandma Liu punched Shen Yan again while muttering:

"So young, what is there to feel uneasy about?"

Shen Yan smiled and hugged Grandma Liu, saying:

"Yes, yes, it's my fault, Aunt Liu, thank you, really."

Grandma Liu stopped talking, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.

"You two are such good children, why did you..."

"Oh, right, what I told you last time, you really should consider it carefully. My niece is a really good person!"

Seeing that Grandma Liu was about to bring up matchmaking again, Shen Yan quickly walked to the side.

"I'm so hungry, I'm going to eat first."

Grandma Liu was unwilling to let Shen Yan off that easily. She put the towel and basin aside and closely followed behind Shen Yan.

"If it really doesn't work out, just add her contact information, even as a friend."

Shen Yan couldn't stand the nagging anymore and had to nod in agreement.

"Alright, but Aunt Liu, I'm telling you now, if I add her, you can't mention this to me again."