"Mom, Dad, what are you guys doing here at this hour?"
Father Chen and Mother Chen exchanged a glance before Mother Chen spoke. "What else? It's about you."
Chen Xiao was confused. 'My business? What business do I have?'
"You're already twenty-five and you still don't have a girlfriend! Your father and I are worried sick! Look, your Aunt Wang has a neighbor with a daughter around your age. They say she's drop-dead gorgeous, so we want to set you two up."
Chen Xiao replied helplessly, "What era is this? People still go on blind dates? Besides, I'm twenty-five, not fifty-two. What's the big rush?"
Mother Chen glared at him. "Watch your mouth, young man! Let me tell you, several of my colleagues at work, people my age, are already holding their grandchildren! You need to make me proud!"
Chen Xiao sighed. "It's not that hard if you want a grandchild. These days, you don't have to be married to have a kid and get them legally registered!"
His joke startled Mother Chen. "How could you even think like that? You've only been out in the working world for a few years and you're already corrupted! Look at you! How can we not find someone to keep an eye on you?"
"Alright, Xiaoxiao," Father Chen interjected. "The main reason your mom and I came this time is because of the girl Aunt Wang introduced. Her family requires the man to have a house and a car in Jiangzhou. So, we came to discuss it with you. We're planning to use our life savings to make a down payment for you, and we'll slowly pay off the mortgage later."
The current housing prices in Jiangzhou were over 30,000 yuan per square meter. For an ordinary working-class family, this meant using their entire life's savings just to make a down payment for their child, then condemning that child to be a "mortgage slave" for the next twenty years.
Father and Mother Chen were worried that without a house in Jiangzhou, their son would have a hard time finding a wife in the future. That's why they wanted to come and settle the housing issue for him as soon as possible.
Chen Xiao knew his parents probably hadn't saved much money in their entire lives. Not to mention that he now had the system, making things like a house a non-issue. But even before that, he had no intention of being a freeloader who mooched off his parents. They had worked hard their whole lives; it was time for them to enjoy themselves. Their children shouldn't be a burden to them anymore.
"Dad, Mom, you don't have to worry about me. My job is going really well. I just closed a deal yesterday, and the bonus alone is hundreds of thousands of yuan!"
Father and Mother Chen stared at each other. Hundreds of thousands? The two of them had only managed to save a few hundred thousand over their entire lives, and here their son was saying he'd earned that much just yesterday.
Little did they know, Chen Xiao hadn't even included the additional rewards from his system.
After confirming again and again that this was real, Mother Chen said happily, "I always said our Chen Xiao has been outstanding since he was a child! He's handsome, kind-hearted, and destined for great things! And he's still so young, already able to earn hundreds of thousands at once!"
Father Chen also laughed heartily. "Xiaoxiao has always been amazing! This way, we can buy an even bigger house!"
'Great,' Chen Xiao thought. 'They're stuck on the house again, and there's no way out.'
"Dad, Mom, please trust me. Give me one year. If I can't buy a house on my own by then, I'll ask for your support. But for now, I really want to rely on myself!"
Chen Xiao was using a delaying tactic. 'If I can't even buy a house in a year, I might as well just die of shame!'
He didn't mention that he already owned a small apartment for now. Otherwise, the source of his money would be difficult to explain.
Finally, Father Chen made the decision. "Alright then. Xiaoxiao is a grown man with his own ideas. We won't buy the house for now. We'll tell your Aunt Wang that if you two hit it off, we can buy a house at any time!"
Mother Chen added, "That works. But Chen Xiao, you have to meet the girl next week. You need to seize this opportunity. It's not easy to find a good girl these days."
After having dinner with his parents and taking them back to their hotel, it was past 11 PM by the time Chen Xiao got back to his place. He suddenly remembered he still hadn't paid back his neighbor across the hall. 'She probably thinks I'm untrustworthy by now,' he mused. 'After all, the property manager lady painted a very "vivid" picture of me yesterday!'
He thought about knocking on her door to return the money but decided against it. She was probably already asleep at this hour. He'd just give it to her if he ran into her in the morning.
He took a shower and lay down in bed, but his mom kept sending him messages, teaching him the "secrets" to a successful blind date. It struck Chen Xiao as odd. 'Didn't Mom and Dad fall in love on their own? Where did she get all this experience?' Then he thought about it again and had an epiphany. 'Mom must have been watching too many TV dramas. No wonder all her moves seemed so familiar.'
All the texting made him sleep late. Since the next day was Saturday, Chen Xiao didn't wake up until 10 AM. After washing up, he went to knock on the door across the hall, but there was no answer for a long time. She had probably already left.
At noon, Wang Jing called to ask him to lunch. It was almost 12 PM when Chen Xiao left to meet him. The restaurant was in Wansheng Square, not far from the company.
After quitting Dr. Feng's Robot, Wang Jing had heard that the company's funding issues were resolved and was now thinking about coming back. He had asked Chen Xiao out today to get the inside scoop.
Chen Xiao privately scorned this kind of behavior. 'You run when the company is in trouble, and you come back when things are looking up!'
'Every company has at least one person like that, right?'
But as a colleague, Chen Xiao knew how to navigate the conversation. Whether Wang Jing returned or was even able to return wasn't up to him.
This Sichuan restaurant was doing good business; it was already packed at lunchtime. Wang Jing enthusiastically poured Chen Xiao a glass of watermelon juice and said with a smile, "Buddy, how are things between you and Yuan Kai?"
Chen Xiao just laughed. "Same as always. Let's not talk about him!"
To be honest, there was nothing Yuan Kai could do to him at the moment. After all, he had brought in a five-million-yuan order for the company—money that was its lifeline. For that reason alone, Yuan Kai couldn't cause any trouble for Chen Xiao at the company.
"Buddy, do you think I should come back now?"
Chen Xiao thought for a moment. "It depends on what you want. The company is still facing a lot of difficulties. Although the funding issue has been alleviated, you know how R&D is. Sometimes it's a bottomless pit, and you can't say when it will pay off!"
Wang Jing nodded. "Yeah, that's true. But it's not easy to find a job out there right now, and President Feng is really good to her employees. Plus, she's willing to give newcomers a chance!"
That was true. Just look at how Feng Feifei gave severance pay to employees who resigned, even when the company was in such dire straits. You could call her a conscientious entrepreneur. If a person like that could make their business big, you wouldn't go wrong following them.
"By the way, buddy, I heard that starting next month, the base salary is dropping to 4,000. Is that confirmed?"
Chen Xiao nodded. Feng Feifei had already confirmed it, and she wasn't one to go back on her word.
"Huh? That low? After paying rent, there'd barely be enough left for food. I'd have to start smoking five-yuan-a-pack cigarettes!"
Chen Xiao said, "So you should consider it carefully. Of course, the commission rate has increased, and for those of us in sales, the commission is what we really rely on, isn't it?"
"Hey, Chen Xiao, look at the beauty at the table next to you! She's so damn beautiful, way prettier than any big celebrity. So elegant, too. She's glanced over here a few times!"
Chen Xiao followed his gaze and froze. Sitting at the next table was none other than his neighbor from Hai Run Mansion!