I painstakingly helped Pei Shiyu out of the car. As I supported her, I took out my cell phone and called her father. It wasn't too late, so the call connected as soon as I dialed, but his voice sounded a bit sad...

"Shiyu, why aren't you home yet?"

It felt awkward talking to him. I deliberately raised my voice and said, "Your daughter had too much to drink. She's downstairs now. You should come down and get her."

"Downstairs at the building?"

"That's right. She's already asleep. If there's anyone else at home, bring them down to help her."

"Who is this?" the old man asked warily.

"Who I am isn't important. What's most important is getting her upstairs."

I hung up the phone directly after a few words. The grudges between him and me were three years in the past. I didn't know if he had put aside his prejudice against me.

He came down quickly, in just five minutes, wrapped in a large cotton coat. Even though it was night, I could clearly see the look on his face. He looked very haggard. The spirited man from back then was gone, replaced by someone old, with a scruffy beard, completely unkempt.

He was stunned when he saw me, then his eyes settled on his daughter, revealing a worried expression. He went over and supported Pei Shiyu, as if I were just a fly. His previously low mood instantly became combative as he shielded his daughter and questioned me, "What's going on? Who told you to be with my daughter?"

I originally didn't want to explain, because I could tell from his face that he was full of rejection towards me, but if I didn't explain clearly, he probably wouldn't let me leave...

"I'm a friend of Director Li..."

He interrupted me as soon as I opened my mouth, "Which Director Li?"

"Li Jianwei."

"What does their business have to do with you!"

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you. If I hadn't brought her back tonight, your daughter might have been sleeping on the street."

"You can leave. Stay away from her in the future."

"Who wants to stay here? Give me the taxi fare."

The old man took out several red bills from his pocket and threw them on the ground as if to vent his anger. I picked up one of them, determined to disappear from his sight.

I hadn't walked more than a few steps when I suddenly heard a "thump." I instinctively turned around and saw Pei Shiyu had fallen to the ground. It seemed the old man was having difficulty getting a drunk person upstairs.

I just quietly watched this scene, knowing that if I tried to help, I would be met with resistance. It was better to observe the situation from where I was.

The ground was bitterly cold in the dead of winter. I saw Pei Shiyu shrink her body, looking like a turtle, but showing no signs of waking up. As I was considering whether or not to help, two security guards quickly appeared, helping her up and asking, "What happened? Should we take her to the hospital?"

"No need, just help carry her up," the old man replied anxiously.

With the security guards there, I didn't need to worry. So, I immediately hailed a passing taxi, jumped in, and left.

On the way, I called Director Li and learned that they had already gone to the club together. As I was considering whether or not to join them, Director Li invited me...

"Lin Che, you should come too. The atmosphere is always better when you're around."

Before I could answer, he asked, "You got Pei Shiyu home safely?"

"Yeah, I took her downstairs. Her dad came out to pick her up."

"Well done. Come over quickly, I'll send you the address."

"You're not drunk yet, and you're already moving places."

"It's rare to be out, so let's have some fun together."

"Forget it, I don't really know these people. You guys go ahead, I'm going home."

"Come on, that Lao Liang likes hanging out with you."

Director Li's words made it hard for me to refuse. I told the taxi driver to take me to where he was. Coincidentally, Xiao Wu also called...

"Brother Long, where are you?"

I smiled. He really changed his tune for a hundred yuan. I asked, "Where are you three loitering around?"

"Just hanging out outside, it's too early to sleep."

"It's so cold, hurry home."

"It's no fun going back without you. What are you doing?"

"Director Li and them went to a nightclub, and asked me to come over."

"Then you go have fun, we'll hang out for a while and then go back."

After finishing the call with Xiao Wu, the taxi arrived at the entrance. I went inside and directly pushed open the door to the private room, only to find that they weren't singing. All ten of them were gathered together. When they saw me, they immediately stopped talking. Their behavior made me stop in my tracks...

I cautiously asked, "Am I interrupting your conversation? If it's inconvenient, I'll leave."

"It's okay, we're discussing the start of construction," Lao Liang replied.

I still looked at Director Li, who waved at me and said, "Lin Che, come in, it's okay. There are some things I need you to do anyway."

After getting his confirmation, I walked over and sat down next to Director Li. I asked jokingly, "You didn't even call any beauties here!"

"Lin Che, I heard you're very good at debt collecting?" Lao Liang asked curiously.

"That was in the past. I've already left that industry."

"If Director Li doesn't want you, come work here. I guarantee you won't regret it."

I thought Lao Liang was just joking, but I never expected him to seriously add me on WeChat and give me his phone number.

"Director Liang, you can't do that. Lin Che is my recognized right-hand man. There are plenty of bookworms in the company, but he's the only one who can really help me solve problems."

Director Li's affirmation of me made me feel embarrassed. Actually, I hadn't done anything for him, but in an instant, I understood his intention. He was building a bridge for me, because the road ahead was still long, and connections were the key to the future. The project hadn't even started, and he was already setting up future business for me.

I immediately showed a grateful expression and passed around cigarettes. For someone like me, this was a rare opportunity. If I really left Director Li because of Pei Shiyu, I might be able to choose to go to Lao Liang's.

They didn't avoid talking because of my presence, which allowed me to learn a lot of details. It turned out that the launch of a project involved too many related projects, and many things had to be interconnected. Lao Liang was just an investor, Zuo Er and the foreigner were developers, and Director Li contracted the basic construction work. Several people in the room were Lao Liang's people, providing materials and a large fleet of construction vehicles, as well as the way the funds were managed. They were all carefully going through the list.

Logically speaking, this kind of thing should be done in a conference room. They had originally decided to have a meeting tomorrow, but Lao Liang was busy tomorrow, so they took the opportunity to discuss everything tonight. And I was the biggest beneficiary, understanding the entire operation procedure of the project and grasping many details.