Rebirth and making money first

Aaron carefully walked over to Zhang Jing, carrying a fragrant cola chicken wing burger, and said enthusiastically, "Zhang Jing, don't be polite with me! Just tell me what you like to eat!" Then, he scratched his head, chuckled, and added, "I'm starving! I'm going to eat first! Feel free to do whatever you want~"

Zhang Jing smiled and nodded, understanding. She watched Aaron silently. He stared wide-eyed, his hands tightly gripping the massive burger, as if afraid someone would snatch it away. Then, Aaron opened his mouth and took a fierce bite, like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey.

With every bite, Aaron's face lit up with satisfaction, as if this delicious food could bring him endless joy. Zhang Jing couldn't help but laugh at the man eating heartily, thinking: It looks like he's really starving...

Zhang Jing also picked up the burger. She noticed that Aaron wasn't looking at her, so she started eating it too. The two of them were strangely harmonious, and anyone could have seen them as a couple.

Aaron slowed down his eating and took a sip of his drink. He said to Zhang Jing, "I've heard about your situation from your colleagues. You have experience working in a mobile phone store. I need someone like you. Let me introduce my store to you."

Aaron, an employee in a telecommunications company's computer room, had always dreamed of starting his own business. So, he and his brother invested 30 yuan to open a mobile phone store. Due to his ongoing job commitments, Aaron couldn't oversee the store's operations for long periods of time, but he would make time to visit and, using his technical skills, repair any malfunctioning phones.

Aaron was solely responsible for purchasing, while his younger brother was in charge of sales and employee management. When recruiting, Aaron emphasized that only employees from the Chaoshan region were accepted, but only one person could be hired from each family. This rule was made out of concern that siblings might gang up on employees and seek personal gain within the store.

However, a slip-up in the perfect plan never occurred to A-Long. His younger brother began to fall in love with one of the female employees, which fueled his resentment towards him. To make matters worse, just a few months after opening the shop, his younger brother attempted to remove A-Long from management. Faced with this predicament, A-Long resolutely decided to recruit new employees to break the current situation. It was then that Zhang Jing came into A-Long's sight through a colleague's introduction.

Hearing about these complex and treacherous workplace battles, Zhang Jing felt a surge of disgust. She had originally simply wanted to earn a living, but now she found that achieving this modest goal had become so dauntingly difficult. She sighed helplessly, her eyes involuntarily falling on A-Long's handsome yet slightly youthful face. She silently sighed: This man is truly too naive!

After dinner, A-Long enthusiastically invited Zhang Jing to his shop. Zhang Jing didn't really want to go, but she couldn't find a good reason to refuse. After much hesitation, she finally followed A-Long onto the bus. On the bus, A-Long treated Zhang Jing with such care and attention, without a trace of estrangement. Someone who didn't know them would have mistaken them for a loving couple!

After seeing the scale of the store, Zhang Jing secretly estimated in her heart that the development scale of this store must be more than just 300,000. A'long's younger brother looks very similar to A'long, but he is a little shorter. When A'long introduced his brother to Zhang Jing, Zhang Jing noticed that he did not have any special reaction. Instead, he was whispering with a female salesperson next to him. The interaction between them was as natural as that of a couple. Zhang Jing could not help but glance at A'long. It was obvious that this man knew all about it. From his disdainful look at the female salesperson, it can be easily perceived that he does not like this woman at all! Zhang Jing secretly guessed in her heart that there was about a 99% chance that the discord between A'long and his brother was caused by this woman who was instigating discord between them.

Although A-Long has grown up, he seems to have forgotten the principle that "a big tree has many branches." A-Long left Zhang Jing to help out in the store for two hours while he went on duty, and he repeatedly told Zhang Jing to wait for him to come back.

After A-Long's brother left with the girl, only a boy was left in the store. The boy seemed to be full of dissatisfaction and complaints towards A-Long. He treated Zhang Jing as a new employee and kept cursing A-Long in her ear.

"Along is such a heartless and ungrateful man!" the boy said indignantly. "He's so old and doesn't even have a wife. He has no human feelings at all! He doesn't care about his hometown at all. He just sits there all day and does nothing! In comparison, Brother Along is a hundred times better! We all hope that Brother Along can be the boss in the future!"

Listening to the boy's complaints, Zhang Jing couldn't help but sigh again, "Never go into business with anyone lightly, even with your own brothers. It's fine when it's not profitable, but if it is, it's much more troublesome." She understood deeply that profit often triggers greed and conflict in human nature, even among family members. In such circumstances, a supposedly close brotherly relationship could be shattered. With this in mind, Zhang Jing decided to be more cautious about her future career path to avoid falling into similar predicaments.

When A-Long returned, Zhang Jing had already helped the store clerk sell several phone cards. A-Long was delighted, praising Zhang Jing's prowess and saying he wanted to get more stock. Zhang Jing explained that phone cards were selling well in the market, and that her office was selling a lot every day, so they could get more stock. A-Long was worried about not being able to sell all the cards, but Zhang Jing, realizing it was because he needed cash to buy more, stopped talking.

Zhang Jing said goodbye to A-Long. A-Long, remembering she hadn't eaten yet, hurriedly took her to a snack shop and bought her a large bag. After dropping Zhang Jing off, the two sat down on a bench to eat. A-Long pointed at the buildings in Overseas Chinese Town and said, "My cousin bought a three-bedroom apartment right here. It's so spacious!" His eyes were filled with envy as he spoke. Zhang Jing then realized that A-Long had been brought out by his cousin to work. Curious, Zhang Jing inquired about A-Long's plans for buying a house, but when she learned he didn't have the financial resources yet, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Thinking about the potential sibling disputes she might face in the future, Zhang Jing became even more resolute about not getting involved. However, how could she tactfully express her stance to avoid embarrassment? Zhang Jing began to ponder...

What will Zhang Jing do next? Can she handle this situation skillfully? Let's wait and see! Zhang Jing decided to go back and rest first. It had been a tiring day. Her plan to go to the securities exchange would have to be postponed until tomorrow. Zhang Jing sighed inwardly. Her inability to say no was really holding her back. If she didn't change, she would suffer greatly in the future.

When A-Long asked if she wanted to work, Zhang Jing actually refused, especially when she learned the monthly salary was only 2,000 yuan. Remember, this figure was only half of Zhang Jing's original income! However, Zhang Jing didn't reject the offer outright, saying she needed time to think it over.

Aaron seemed a little anxious. He urged Zhang Jing to give a response as soon as possible, and revealed that there were several other people waiting for interviews. Moreover, he told Zhang Jing without reservation that she was the one he was most optimistic about.

Zhang Jing knew this was just a common recruitment tactic, but she didn't confront him. After all, in today's competitive job market, such situations aren't uncommon. She decided to remain silent for now and figure out what to do next.

After returning to the rental apartment, the landlord, with a look of concern, inquired about Zhang Jing's job search. Zhang Jing told him everything about her encounter with A-Long and the salary offered. The landlord, however, agreed that the job offered too little and advised her not to take it, suggesting she look for better opportunities. Zhang Jing agreed, already making the same decision.

As night fell, Zhang Jing showered and prepared to catch up on a TV series with her landlord when A-Long called. He asked if she had considered accepting the job offer, and Zhang Jing immediately declined without hesitation. However, A-Long refused to give up easily. He offered to add 1000 yuan to the salary, bringing it to 3000 yuan per month, with room and board provided, but he couldn't let anyone else know.

Zhang Jing knew she couldn't afford to shirk her duties any longer, so she made it clear to A-Long that she wouldn't take the job. Despite A-Long's attempts to persuade her to change her mind, Zhang Jing steadfastly refused. Ultimately, A-Long had to give up. Zhang Jing knew he would definitely come back; after all, they had quickly become a boyfriend and girlfriend in their previous life.

However, Zhang Jing had more important priorities. She was determined to visit the stock exchange in person and take a look. She couldn't continue to sit back and wait for her capital to be depleted. Only with sufficient funds could she have more options; otherwise, she would be chosen by others.