Chapter 52: Time Bomb
Soon, the major news from the company spread to the crew's quarters at the field site.
For a company of this size, explosive news traveled fast.
Upon learning that not only would they avoid punishment, but that the instigator, Ma Yuan, had been severely disciplined with the loss of his year-end bonus, everyone on the team was overjoyed.
Squad leader Wang Wanlin pulled out all the best snacks, beer, and liquor he had stashed in the refrigerator.
Their dinner was almost as lavish as a New Year's Eve feast.
"Come on, little brother Liu Shang, I, Wang Wanlin, offer you a toast," he said, raising his glass.
"Today's events… damn, that was awesome and satisfying!"
"I'll admit, when you said you were taking full responsibility for this well, I really didn't believe you."
"But today, I believe it!"
After his speech, Liu Shang drank a glass of wine with Wang Wanlin and the others.
He then said with a smile, "This is just the beginning."
"If you continue to trust me, then let me tell you: as long as you all work hard on this well and don't make any mistakes in construction quality, the results will be absolutely amazing."
"When that time comes, just wait for the company to give you extra bonuses."
"I, Liu Shang, am making you this promise right here, today. If you don't get a bonus, you can come and ask me for it!"
Liu Shang's bold words drew laughter from the others, and they continued to eat and drink heartily.
Throughout the meal, they all repeatedly assured him that there would be absolutely no problems with the quality of the construction they were assigned to.
Of course, they all took his promise of a bonus as a joke.
***
Meanwhile, a sullen Song Guangyuan returned home. The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by his precious daughter, Song Jia.
"Dad, are you surprised? It's your girl! I came back from school today!"
Then, noticing his expression, she asked, "Hey, Dad, you don't seem to be in a good mood. Is there a lot of pressure at the company recently?"
The sight of his smart and beautiful daughter immediately made Song Guangyuan's troubles vanish.
"Hey, if it was just about company business, I'd be fine," he sighed.
"You're in business to make money, of course there's going to be pressure."
"I'm in a bad mood today all because of that useless Ma Yuan."
Song Guangyuan then briefly recounted the day's events, which made Song Jia furious.
"This Ma Yuan is just a petty villain!" she exclaimed.
"How dare he try to embarrass Liu Shang, a freshman student?"
"It's just disgusting!"
Hearing Song Jia defend Liu Shang so vehemently, Song Guangyuan frowned. "Hmph, that Liu Shang is probably no better than Ma Yuan!"
He then told her about how Liu Shang had cleverly maneuvered him into a bet on the success of the well's construction.
After hearing this shocking news, Song Jia was taken aback for a moment. It seemed the situation she had been most worried about recently had finally taken a turn.
She raised her eyes and asked slowly, "Dad, if the construction of this well fails, will Liu Shang be fired from the company?"
Song Guangyuan nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He will have caused such a large loss and created such a bad impression for the company through his own mistakes. His departure will be inevitable."
"And at that point, even if Mr. Zhong and Professor Xu wanted to keep him, it would be very difficult for them to say anything."
Hearing this, Song Jia didn't speak, but simply nodded.
Inwardly, she was very satisfied with this potential outcome.
She held no personal hostility or dissatisfaction toward Liu Shang. On the contrary, she admired his diligence and hard work.
However, she stood on the same side as her good friends, Tan Feng, Zhou Liang, and Lu Kai.
Even if she hadn't joined them in their schemes to break up Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin, Song Jia certainly didn't want to be their enemy.
If, one day in the future, Tan Feng and the others asked her why Liu Shang was making money—a lot of money—at her family's company, she'd never be able to explain her way out of it.
Therefore, if Liu Shang really did leave her family's company because of this incident, the knot of anxiety in her heart could finally be untied.
At that moment, Song Guangyuan put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and spoke with heartfelt earnestness. "Jiajia, you're the only precious daughter I have."
"The only reason I worked so hard to build this family business was for you."
"All of this will be your dowry one day. Sooner or later, it will belong to you and your husband."
"So, Dad doesn't care how talented or capable your future husband is. What's essential is that he must be mentally and emotionally mature."
"As long as he can treat you well, love you, cherish you, never leave you, and maintain your little family with all his heart, that's enough."
"Now, you've seen the situation with this Ma Yuan and this Liu Shang. A boy who grew up in an ordinary family like that is like a time bomb. One day, he might suddenly explode on the track of your future marriage."
"One day, when your mother and I are no longer by your side, when there are no restrictions and he faces the temptations of the outside world and absolute freedom, no one can say what might happen."
"It's not that I have any prejudice against poor boys—I started as a poor boy myself and got here through my own hard work."
"I'm telling you this because I don't want my precious daughter to take such an unknown risk."
What Song Guangyuan said came straight from the heart of a father speaking to his most beloved daughter.
Song Jia was deeply moved, and her eyes reddened slightly.
When she heard her father talk about a day when he might not be by her side, her heart ached with sadness.
After a moment, Song Jia composed herself and nodded vigorously. "Dad, don't worry. I won't let the kind of thing you're worried about happen."
"Actually, I've always had the same opinion as you. If I had to choose in the future, I would definitely choose a boy from a more privileged family."
"However, Dad, you have to promise me you'll never say things like that again."
"You're not that old. I want you and Mom to be by my side forever!"
Song Guangyuan nodded affectionately. "Okay, okay, I will always be by my precious daughter's side."
"One day, I will personally pick up my precious granddaughter from kindergarten, and watch my granddaughter go to primary school, and even to college."
"Dad..."
"What are you even talking about?!"
"Ah, you're terrible! I'm ignoring you now..."
Blushing from her father's words, Song Jia's repeated protests only made Song Guangyuan and his wife laugh even harder.
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