22: Chapter 22 Ask Him

Song Yuan didn’t want to be too direct and make everyone awkward, as the truth had not yet been revealed.

He paused for a few seconds before replying, “Yuanyuan, I’m getting married in three days. Remember to come then!”

Xu Yuanyuan was stunned. She had seen Lin Xueyao downstairs at the company yesterday and heard from colleagues that they had broken up. Only today did she volunteer to come with Wang Jincai to find Song Yuan.

She had finally mustered the courage to speak her mind, but she didn’t expect to be hit with such a blow.

A wedding, he was having a wedding!

Xu Yuanyuan was completely bewildered for a long time.

“Sis… sister-in-law is?”

Song Yuan replied, “You haven’t met her. You’ll know when you come.”

The light in Xu Yuanyuan’s eyes dimmed. She was glad she hadn’t spoken her mind just now, leaving herself a little room to retreat, but this incident was a huge blow to her, and her emotions instantly plummeted.

She tried hard to hide her feelings.

“The company’s website isn’t completely fixed yet. Wang Jincai is as anxious as a dog right now and might still bother you. If you find it annoying, you can block his number.”

After a pause, she added, “I’m going back first. The wedding in three days… I’ll be there!”

After Xu Yuanyuan finished speaking, she turned to leave. Song Yuan called her back, took a bottle of cola from his car, and put it in her hand.

“Everyone in the team was hired by me personally. Wang Jincai won’t affect my working relationship with you all. If you encounter any difficulties at work, feel free to come to me!”

Xu Yuanyuan nodded and left.

Song Yuan stood silently for a few seconds before walking into the office. Lu Chi and Gu Shiyuan had already started their day’s work.

Lu Chi saw him enter and cast a gossipy look at him.

“Old Song, how was yesterday? Do you need me to order you some grilled kidney to replenish yourself?”

Gu Shiyuan sighed.

“Brother Lu, didn’t you see the message in the group? Senior Brother Song is saving his first time for the wedding day!”

Lu Chi nodded.

“That’s right, that’s more memorable. It’s the first time, so it definitely needs to be taken seriously. Do you want to do some research beforehand and create a romantic and unforgettable night?”

Gu Shiyuan snapped his fingers.

“I have a lot to say about this! Senior Brother Song, I’ll be your planner. This is on me!”

Song Yuan didn’t reply, thinking to himself that there was no “first time” between them. If he were to count carefully, it might be the sixth time. They had done it five times that night.

In the morning, the three of them held a small meeting. Song Yuan assigned some work to Gu Shiyuan and reviewed the logic of the game currently under development. Next, they would need to hire a senior designer to design the game’s UI and a test engineer to report bugs.

After optimizing the existing demo, they could seek funding.

Song Yuan and Lu Chi were confident in their game. They had rejected an offer of 30 million for an outright sale, determined to increase the game’s value tenfold or even a hundredfold.

Song Yuan finished his work early today. He had been busy preparing for the wedding these past few days, so the hiring work was left to Lu Chi.

Song Yuan left work two hours early in the afternoon. He had an appointment with the jewelry store to pick up the rings.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw someone he didn’t want to see.

Wang Jincai, with his potbelly, looked at him with a fawning expression.

“Song Yuan, let’s talk!”

Song Yuan brushed past him, “Sorry, I’m busy, I don’t have time.”

Wang Jincai jogged a few steps to catch up with Song Yuan’s pace.

“Song Yuan, don’t be in a hurry. Just listen to me first, and you’ll know if you have time to talk. This time, the company has given me authority. As long as you come back and fix the website’s vulnerabilities, you can name your terms. Giving you a portion of the original shares is not a problem!”

Wang Jincai was short, not even 1.7 meters tall, and his two short legs could barely keep up with Song Yuan’s pace by almost jogging.

“What do people work for? Isn’t it just to make money? If you come back this time, the HR department will draft a new contract for you: double salary, plus shares, and project dividends. All of that combined, the money you earn in a year could cover a down payment in the Third Ring Road. Isn’t that better than starting your own business?”

Wang Jincai exhausted all his eloquence along the way, talking until his throat was dry. Song Yuan only replied with one sentence:

“Sorry, not interested.”

Wang Jincai wiped the sweat from his forehead, almost kneeling, his attitude humble to the dust.

“Song Yuan, please don’t refuse yet. Think about it carefully. Work is not a small matter; it concerns your future. Think about your family, your fiancée. Don’t you want to give them a better life?”

As they spoke, the two had already reached the parking lot.

Song Yuan took out his car keys to unlock it. Wang Jincai, seeing that he was unmoved, became anxious. If he couldn’t bring Song Yuan, this great Buddha, back, his job would also be in jeopardy.

He threw caution to the wind and sacrificed his old face.

“Song Yuan, I know you’re angry. My attitude was bad that day, and some of the things I said were wrong. Now I sincerely apologize to you. After all, we’ve been colleagues for three years. For the sake of those three years, can’t you just let it go?”

Song Yuan opened the car door and got in. Wang Jincai, startled, jammed his leg in the door, hoping he would reconsider.

Song Yuan raised his eyelids and glanced at him, quite speechless.

“President Wang, I’m in a hurry!”

Wang Jincai scratched his head in frustration. He had already rubbed his face on the ground, yet Song Yuan really didn’t give him any face at all.

He deeply regretted listening to Xiao Nianchen’s instigation that day. At the time, he never imagined that the layoffs would cut into the main artery, effectively ending his own career.

He now hated that guy named Xiao to death.

What kind of President Wang was he still? Now, in front of Song Yuan, he was more like a turtle, almost ready to grovel and perform for him.

“President Song, will you reconsider? Our company cannot do without a backbone like you. If you come back, you’ll be the pillar of our company. The leaders above attach great importance to this project, and the year-end dividends won’t be small!”

Song Yuan only felt the noise in his ears. He glanced at his wristwatch and, while Wang Jincai wasn’t paying attention, closed the car door and started the car, spewing exhaust in Wang Jincai’s face.

Wang Jincai stood rooted to the spot, watching the car drive away, his heart in a panic. How was he going to explain this to the leaders when he went back?

Every day the website wasn’t fixed, millions in revenue were lost. This burden was not something he could bear.

Wang Jincai thought of his monthly mortgage and car loan, his wife’s handbags, his son’s exorbitant tuition fees at the aristocratic school, and his parents’ expenses at the nursing home. His head was spinning.

If he couldn’t get Song Yuan back, his world would collapse!