Prologue ✦ In this life, I’m not very promising
“You really don’t need to, Dad, you’re making me lose face…”
“How are you losing face? Who dares to say that my daughter is losing face?”
…
The man presented the cake carefully, “Does it look good? The latest Haagen-Dazs mermaid ice cream cake1[
]. I didn’t even know that cakes could be made so beautifully now. They said that this is the bestseller, and girls all like it…”
Truly beautiful. The girl’s heart was moved, but she still didn’t let go, “Why did you buy such an expensive one…”
“The money has already been spent, your dad can still afford a cake.”
“Pretty, it’s really pretty…”
He Jianzhen was fully satisfied. He knew his daughter well. This sentence meant that the little kid was pleased.
Ten-year-old He Tong made an exasperated expression, “Who would celebrate second place on an exam? If you say it outside, people will think you are mocking me.”
“What’s wrong with second place? Isn’t second place outstanding? I think second place is already very good.” He Jianzhen took a picture of his daughter, “Smile, come on, it’s something worth being happy for. I never got an exam ranking as high as second place before.”
The father and daughter took a photo together in front of the camera. In the photo, the father He Jianzhen smiled with two shallow wrinkles on his forehead. He Tong’s heart ached. She held the phone and murmured, “Thank you, Daddy.”
His daughter was a sensible child, He Jianzhen was really relieved.
“Tongtong, come.” He held his daughter’s hand, “Dad has always told you that the most important thing is your happiness, right? I bought this cake today to tell you that an exam ranking, whether you can get into a key school2[In China, “key schools” are high schools that are designated as schools for top students, allocated more resources by the state.], or whether you will be successful in the future is not the most important thing. You have done your best. I, your father, have not been very promising in this life. I can’t earn 100 million and I can’t become the general manager. After so many years, I am still a sesame-sized small manager. So I will never ask my daughter to become a dragon or a phoenix, I just want you to be happy.”
He Tong was moved, “I’m already very happy. Really.”
What she said was the truth.
He Jianzhen gave her a hug, “That’s good, my baby has always been the best.”
They cut the cake, and the father and daughter curled up on the sofa with a piece of cloyingly sweet dessert to watch a movie.
It was a rare bonding moment for the two of them. He Jianzhen was always busy at work. Working overtime was a common occurrence, and he rarely spent much time with his daughter. He deliberately emptied his schedule for two days. The final exam just finished, and there was a school event the day after. He was determined to attend, and he had already asked the company for leave. He didn’t want his daughter to feel that she didn’t have family who could attend her school activities.
On the screen, the little boy Charlie finished listening to the story of the chocolate factory, and the grandma behind him suddenly said, “Nothing is impossible.”
At this moment, He Jianzhen’s cell phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw an unfamiliar number. He thought it was a sales call, so he hung up. But the phone quickly vibrated again. He Jianzhen looked at the string of numbers and his heart started beating faster, without any particular reason.
He picked it up, “Hello.”
“Director3[总监 (lit. “General Supervisor”), it’s a management role that directly reports to a Vice General Manager in He Jianzhen’s company. In a typical US / UK corporate governance structure, it would be considered one level below the C-suite, but in this company it is considered middle management.] He? I’m Chen Xi.” It was the company secretary4[Not actually a secretarial role despite the name. The company secretary is in charge of ensuring the board of directors complies with laws and regulations, and it is considered an executive role (in other words, higher than He Jianzhen’s position).]. “Is it convenient for you to answer the phone now?”
He Jianzhen didn’t have much contact with this company secretary, but he remembered that he had Chen Xi’s phone number saved. Why did the other party change their number?
He politely replied: “It’s me, sorry, I just thought it was…”
Chen Xi interrupted eagerly, “I’m going to pick you up at your home now, and I’ll arrive in about 20 minutes. We’ll go back to the company right away.”
“What’s the matter? Why, all of a sudden…”
“Jianzhen, listen carefully to every word I say next – starting from now, don’t call anyone, and don’t answer calls and texts from any company colleagues, leaders, or outsiders. Turn off your mobile phone and unplug the phone line at home. Before you see me, don’t leave home. Pack your luggage quickly and wait for me at home with your ID card. I will ensure that you leave safely.”
He Jianzhen’s hands shook as he held the cake. He forced himself to calm down and got off the sofa first, leaving his daughter behind. Then he whispered, “What happened?”
Chen Xi answered in a despairing tone, “I just received news that Chairman Liang and Wu-zong’s5[-zong is a generic honorific for any “top leader” in a company, basically all the executives. It means something like “Director-General”, which is too long, so I decided to not translate it.] plane crashed tonight. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. There’s a high probability that they already passed away.”
He Jianzhen’s breathing stopped. He was too shocked to speak.
The chairman and the general manager6[In this company, the chairman of the board of directors is the highest position in the company, and the de facto leader. The general manager is the second highest position and the highest executive position, akin to a CEO or President in US / UK companies.] of the company were both dead? How did this happen? Why could something like this happen?
There was the sound of sudden braking and shifting gears on the phone, and the tires scraped the ground and let out a long shriek, filling He Jianzhen with adrenaline. He looked at his daughter, reflected on the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window, and his mood suddenly became very heavy.
“Understood. What do I need to do?” It seemed like their warm family time was coming to an end.
Chen Xi spoke very quickly, “What we need most right now is you! The top two decision makers of the company might be gone. If no one takes charge, the company will definitely be in chaos. I’m the company secretary. My duty at this time is to assure the safety of the ‘temporary person-in-charge’. I will have him replace the general manager, as soon as possible, so the company can continue to operate normally.”
He Jianzhen didn’t understand, “What ‘temporary person-in-charge’? What do you mean? Who are you talking about?”
“I don’t have time to explain it to you now, let’s discuss it in detail after we meet. You just need to be clear about one thing.” Chen Xi’s voice was like a lightning strike—
“From this moment on, you, He Jianzhen, will be the general manager of the company.”
(Nothing is impossible: This scene is from the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”)
T/N: This is one of my favourite danmei novels, I read it several times. The MC and ML are extremely cute together, but it is also a mature story about two adults. It is a sweet pampering text, emphasis on sweet. I rarely read sweet novels, but this one really touched me, so I wanted to share it with everyone. Please enjoy.
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- 2[In China, “key schools” are high schools that are designated as schools for top students, allocated more resources by the state.]
- 3[总监 (lit. “General Supervisor”), it’s a management role that directly reports to a Vice General Manager in He Jianzhen’s company. In a typical US / UK corporate governance structure, it would be considered one level below the C-suite, but in this company it is considered middle management.]
- 4[Not actually a secretarial role despite the name. The company secretary is in charge of ensuring the board of directors complies with laws and regulations, and it is considered an executive role (in other words, higher than He Jianzhen’s position).]
- 5[-zong is a generic honorific for any “top leader” in a company, basically all the executives. It means something like “Director-General”, which is too long, so I decided to not translate it.]
- 6[In this company, the chairman of the board of directors is the highest position in the company, and the de facto leader. The general manager is the second highest position and the highest executive position, akin to a CEO or President in US / UK companies.]