That noon, the angry Jiang Jingyu skipped lunch, and Jiang Nanfang didn't call him.
He stayed in his room, playing games and scrolling through his phone, bored. He eventually fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was already dark.
He checked his phone; it was past nine in the evening.
He had missed dinner, and since no one had woken him, he assumed everyone had already eaten.
Great. At a crucial moment, no one cared about his emotions or his well-being.
The house was silent, not a soul speaking. His phone was also quiet, with no calls or messages.
He suddenly felt abandoned by the whole world.
The more Jiang Jingyu thought about it, the more desolate he felt. He reasoned that since he had already strained his relationship with his family, he might as well leave with his friends.
After all, no one cared if he lived or died, and he wouldn't be an eyesore in the house.
His emotions were a bit agitated. Just as he was about to call his friends from the mountaineering team, his door was knocked.
Zhan Beijue's deep voice sounded from outside: "Jingyu."
Jiang Jingyu had never had a conflict with his parents before. This was the first time, and it was all one-sided.
His dad had come to his door, so he had no choice but to open it.
Feeling dejected, he opened the door. Zhan Beijue was impeccably dressed in a suit, his tie neatly done, looking as if he had just returned from work, with a hint of weariness in his expression.
Glancing at his messy hair, he loosened his tie, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked in.
"Mommy took your younger siblings to their art class exams. I just got off work and heard you hadn't eaten, so I came up to check on you."
So that was it.
It wasn't that no one had called him for dinner, but rather that everyone had been busy.
Jiang Jingyu's mood improved slightly.
He looked at his father again.
Young, successful, with a strong demeanor. Compared to him, he felt like nothing, and rather petty. He felt a little embarrassed.
"I accidentally overslept..."
Zhan Beijue looked at him calmly.
"Didn't you promise to intern at the company? I had a video conference with your Ms. Lu earlier. She just finished work too. Why did you come back and sleep?"
Since he had a video conference with Lu Jiaying, she must have known what he had done today. Wasn't he asking the obvious?
But Jiang Jingyu still had to answer, "Actually, I don't really want to go to the electrical company..."
Zhan Beijue sat down on the small sofa.
Jiang Jingyu knew it was useless to lie to him; nothing could escape his eyes. He decided to tell the truth.
"I was joking yesterday when I agreed. I want to go mountaineering."
To his surprise, Zhan Beijue readily agreed.
"Sure, there's no problem with you wanting to go mountaineering. Why didn't you tell me the truth yesterday?"
"..."
"If you can't do it, why did you agree so easily? You should know by now what kind of people your Mommy and I dislike the most."
Jiang Jingyu knew that both he and his mother were people with strong principles. Unless they couldn't do something, or hadn't agreed to it, they wouldn't give up halfway.
He felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, Dad."
Zhan Beijue looked at him with a hint of disappointment.
"Jingyu, you do have a bit of a talent for academics. Coupled with being the son of Zhan Beijue, you might have a slightly inflated sense of self-worth."
"Do you think getting a recommendation spot is that big of a deal?"
To be honest, Jiang Jingyu did think so.
He had been praised as a child prodigy by teachers and classmates since he was young. Nothing had ever been too difficult for him. Coupled with his family's good financial situation, how could he not have a sense of superiority?
Not denying it was tantamount to admitting it. Zhan Beijue chuckled, as if finding it amusing.
"Let me tell you now, do you know how many students are recommended nationwide each year? Do you know what conditions you need to meet to intern at Zhan Corporation even after going to university?"
Jiang Jingyu didn't know.
But he knew that since his father said so, it was definitely meant to put him in his place. He listened obediently.
Zhan Beijue said, "Those who don't graduate from prestigious universities or haven't shown outstanding performance during their studies don't even qualify to have their resumes screened by Zhan Corporation."
"Each year, Zhan Corporation recruits no more than two thousand new employees, but do you know how many people apply? More than fifty times the number of positions available."
"Everything you disdain today wasn't earned by yourself, but because you are the son of Jiang Nanfang and Zhan Beijue. What you don't cherish, countless people far more outstanding than you are desperately trying to get."
"From the moment you were born, you were destined to represent the reputation of Zhan Beijue and Jiang Nanfang. Therefore, if you break your promise, you disgrace us. I will not allow my son to do such a shameful thing. Jiang Jingyu, to be frank, from the moment you chose to agree, there was no turning back."
Jiang Jingyu knew that his mistake was agreeing so carelessly.
His father's words made sense. No matter how unwilling he was, there was no turning back now.
Besides, Mount Everest wasn't going anywhere.
If necessary, he could wait a year or two until he was fully in charge and then go.
"I understand, Dad. I'm sorry. I'll go to work properly tomorrow."
His attitude was good.
Zhan Beijue stood up and patted his shoulder. "Alright, go down and eat."
As if nothing had happened the day before, the next day they all ate breakfast together as usual, and then went about their own business.
Before leaving, Jiang Jingyu told Jiang Nanfang that it would be bad for their image if the driver picked him up and dropped him off at work every day, and he wanted to go by himself.
However, traffic control in Nancheng was very strict, and there were no low-key cars at home. He was still young, and Jiang Nanfang was worried about accidents, so she told him to take a taxi.
"From now on, you need to come down twenty minutes earlier than everyone else each day. Call for the car before you eat to avoid wasting time."
"Starting yesterday, I've frozen all of your cards. Everyone is treated the same to prevent wasteful spending. You'll receive your living expenses from me daily. 200 yuan should be enough for you."
Gree Electric provided lunch. Breakfast was at home, and dinner was also at home. All he needed was transportation money, and 200 yuan was indeed enough.
However, Jiang Jingyu still felt a bit down. He wasn't used to being so poor.
It took nearly half an hour for the ride-hailing car to reach the roadside. Because he left late and ran into the morning rush hour, he was naturally late.
He was a full forty minutes late.
The customer service representatives from the marketing department saw him walk in and looked pleasantly surprised.
"Oh, you're here again? We didn't see you yesterday afternoon, and we thought you couldn't stand the 'Tyrant's' reign and had escaped early!"
Jiang Jingyu smiled and explained to them that Ms. Lu had sent him to collect information yesterday. He knew how difficult it was to get into Gree Electric, so why would he escape so easily?
Everyone was happy, looking forward to working with a handsome colleague.
After saving face for himself, Jiang Jingyu went to knock on Lu Jiaying's door.
Lu Jiaying had been extremely busy since early morning and was staring at her computer with a stern expression.
When he entered, she glanced up at him, her expressionless.