Chapter 44 A Well-Intentioned Lie
The boss quietly did the math, these five phones, if resealed, would easily net a profit of seven or eight thousand without any pressure. Suddenly, he felt as if he had acquired a supreme treasure.
......
Li Xiaoya and her secretary were on their way back.
Sitting in the luxurious BMW car, Li Xiaoya gently sipped her tea. Her eyes enjoyed the scenery outside. Her heart seemed very relaxed, but Xiao Han's face kept surfacing in her mind. Her visit to Linjiang No.1 Middle School had two motives. The first was to verify the truth of Xiao Han's words.
From Xiao Han's words, behavior, and even his actions in standing up for others, he didn't seem at all like a clueless high school student. On the contrary, he seemed more like a superhero, a super hero roaming this world. The world lacked such people. Hence, her second motive was also to thank Xiao Han, and to pay tribute to such heroes at Linjiang No.1 Middle School.
"Director Li," Xiao Mei said awkwardly from the side, "there's something I don't know if I should ask."
"Ask away," Li Xiaoya said, looking out the window and replying nonchalantly. She wasn't much interested in work now. Her mind was full of that handsome figure.
"For something like delivering a letter of thanks, why did you have to do it yourself?" Xiao Mei said with a smile. "Isn't it enough to have me do it?
"That's different!" Li Xiaoya shook her head. "Of course, I still have my own motives."
"Actually, I've figured it out," Xiao Mei said with a smile.
"What have you figured out?" Li Xiaoya asked.
"You've fallen for that kid," Xiao Mei said with a giggle.
"Right, you're not wrong," Li Xiaoya nodded and said, "This world lacks those who act bravely for justice, those who sacrifice themselves for others. So, I had to personally visit Linjiang No.1 Middle School to not only thank Xiao Han but also to pay homage to a hero."
"Now I'm confused," Xiao Mei said, puzzled. "If you like him so much, even to the point of willing to compensate him a hundred thousand Yuan and to donate three hundred thousand to the school, why would you still charge him three hundred thousand for agency fees? For a high school student, that's an astronomical sum."
"Right!" Li Xiaoya nodded and said, "Three hundred thousand, to me during high school, sounded like an astronomical sum. Let alone three hundred thousand, even thirty thousand felt enormous to me."
"Then..." Xiao Mei was even more baffled.
"If Xiao Han personally asks me, I can immediately waive his agency fee, and even gift him a hundred of the latest Apple phones," said Li Xiaoya with a faint smile, her lips slightly curling up, a glint of slyness in her eyes before continuing, "But I will never take the initiative to waive the three hundred thousand agency fee for him."
"Why?" Xiao Mei was completely mystified.
Why wait for Xiao Han to speak up? Why not take the initiative to waive the agency fee? Could it be... Director Li has some more important matter at hand? Or perhaps, Director Li has another motive? After three years of working with Li Xiaoya, even Xiao Mei, who was dazzled by the beauty before her, couldn't grasp her intentions.
She even suspected that the intelligence of this woman might have surpassed Einstein.
"Because..." Li Xiaoya said with a slight smile, "I want to see just how capable he really is. If he can come up with three hundred thousand for the agency fee, then there's no doubt about his abilities. If he can't come up with three hundred thousand..."
"What will you do?" Xiao Mei asked with curiosity.
"I'll waive his agency fee and give him a hundred of the latest Apple phones as a thank you," Li Xiaoya said with a laugh. "After all, he saved my son's life!"
Xiao Mei blinked, looking curiously at Li Xiaoya, somewhat puzzled.
"I still don't get it!" Xiao Mei said, disappointed.
"No need to understand," Li Xiaoya said with a laugh, gently taking a sip of her tea, her lips still curling with a mysterious smile that seemed unfathomable.
Xiao Mei pursed her lips and said, "Director Li, you're not enlightening me again."
"You'll understand naturally once you fall in love," Li Xiaoya said with a laugh. Discover more content at empire
"What does that have to do with falling in love!" Xiao Mei said, helpless.
The BMW car rushed towards the provincial city.
......
Xiao Han returned home.
He was going to Macau tomorrow, but he felt very uncertain. This was his first time going on a long journey. Apart from going to the provincial city once for a math competition in middle school, he had never been out of Linjiang City in his life, so he felt uncertain.
Moreover, he didn't know how to explain it to his mother.
After some thought, he decided to use a relative strategy.
Dinner time, Xiao Han put down his chopsticks and looked at his affectionate mother and said, "Mom, I might not be coming home these next two days."
"Where are you going?" Mother Xiao asked anxiously.
"Oh, don't worry!" Xiao Han said, speaking slowly and calmly. "The school is hosting an exchange student program with the No.1 Middle School in the provincial city. It's a two or three-day exchange. I did well on my exams, so the teacher is considering giving me this opportunity."
"Really?" Mother Xiao brightened up immediately and said with great joy, "That's wonderful. My Xiao Han is finally making something of himself, fantastic."
Seeing her mother so excited, Xiao Han felt a different kind of sentiment. After all, this was a kind of deception. Although he hadn't done anything bad, this was the first time in his life that he had lied to his own mother. Xiao Han hated himself for how effortlessly and calmly he could lie.
Sometimes, Xiao Han even doubted whether he belonged to this world, why his pursuit of fame and fortune felt so insignificant at times. Keep in mind, he was only nineteen years old. Nineteen was merely the beginning of life, the prologue of life had just unfolded.
Mother Xiao quickly put down her chopsticks and then went into the room to pack things for Xiao Han.
"Mom, no need to pack," Xiao Han quickly said, "It's just an exchange student activity, and besides, it's only for two or three days. I'll just bring some clothes to change into."
"Oh, right!" exclaimed Mother Xiao, nodding eagerly.
After that, she turned and left Xiao Han's room.
As he watched his mother's retreating figure, the guilt in Xiao Han's heart slightly lessened.
However, what Xiao Han didn't expect was that, a few minutes later, Mother Xiao came back holding a small bag. As she walked, she pulled out a stack of money from the bag.
"Mom, what is this…" Xiao Han asked, puzzled, as he looked at his mother.
"I have a thousand yuan here," Mother Xiao said with a smile, "Take this money with you. When you're out, there are many places where you might need it."
"Don't need it!" Xiao Han quickly shook his head, saying, "The school will cover all expenses."
"Take it anyway," Mother Xiao insisted seriously, "Sometimes when you go out to eat or shop, you'll find it useful. You're not in Linjiang, you're going to the provincial city where the cost of living is higher, so take this money. What if you need it?"
Mother Xiao looked so earnest that Xiao Han simply couldn't refuse. In order not to disappoint or worry her, he pocketed the money.
"Xiao Han, you should get some rest early," Mother Xiao said with a smile.
"Okay!" Xiao Han nodded.
Mother Xiao turned to leave. As she was leaving, she looked back several times, seemingly with something to say to Xiao Han, but in the end, she left without saying it. Looking at his mother's pale face, Xiao Han felt a deep guilt. This guilt even tormented him for his whole life.
He did not sleep all night.
The next morning, Li Dapang arrived at Xiao Han's house on his motorcycle.
"Xiao Han!" Li Dapang yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Coming." Xiao Han quickly came out, shouldering a black backpack, a Swiss military brand that looked quite new. The bag was a gift from one of Mother Xiao's colleagues and hadn't been used for very long.
Xiao Han was dressed in a brand-new outfit. Although it was not branded, he looked completely refreshed. He even wore a black Duckbill Cap, which made him look quite handsome and imposing.
"Wow," Li Dapang exclaimed in surprise, "You do look pretty sharp in new clothes, dude!"
"Clothing is just an accessory," Xiao Han laughed, "It's the beauty of the soul that truly counts!"
"Cut the crap," Li Dapang waved him off, "Get on!"
Xiao Han got on the motorcycle that Li Dapang was so proud of, and they sped off towards the airport.
They had already booked their flight online, and the two of them only needed to go to the airport to print their boarding passes to board the plane to Zhuhai.
"Xiao Han, why don't we fly directly to Macau?" Li Dapang asked curiously.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Do you have a Hong Kong and Macao Pass?" Xiao Han asked in return.
"No!" Li Dapang shook his head.
"Then we can only go to Zhuhai and smuggle ourselves across," Xiao Han said with a smile.
"Damn it. What's this 'smuggle'?" Li Dapang exclaimed, "Motherfucker, isn't Macau part of our China's territory? Why can't Chinese people go there? On our own territory, we still need some bloody Hong Kong and Macao Pass. What a freaking farce!"
"That's the system!" Xiao Han retorted unexpectedly.
"Bullshit system!" Li Dapang cursed resentfully.
The plane departed at nine-thirty in the morning from Linjiang to Zhuhai.
At eleven in the morning, the plane arrived at Zhuhai Jinwan Airport.
Zhuhai Jinwan Airport, formerly known as Zhuhai Sanzao Airport, was put into use in June 1995. Zhuhai Jinwan Airport is a first-class international civil airport, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao. The airport has been planned and constructed according to ICAO 4E standards, and it supports 4F class aircraft landings and takeoffs.
Zhuhai Airport, located near Hong Kong and Macao, boasts an advantageous geographical location and provides a swift transfer and service platform for over two hundred million urban residents in China who choose to travel independently.
In 2015, Zhuhai Jinwan Airport completed 50,000 transportation takeoffs and landings, a decrease of 0.9% compared to 2014; the passenger throughput was 4.71 million people, an increase of 15.5% compared to 2014, ranking 41st in China; the freight and mail throughput was 26,000 tons, an increase of 16.7% compared to 2014, ranking 44th in China.