Chapter 38: Choosing the Right Person Matters

In the office, Ni Feihong was also thinking about Xiao Ma. Theoretically speaking, the boy was indeed remarkable in certain ways—for instance, his neuroticism had reached a kind of zenith, and his peculiar stupidity was almost endearing rather than off-putting; that, too, required a certain talent. Then there was his cowardly demeanor, the sort that didn’t even have the guts to fight, yet Ni Feihong was particularly struck by his cry of “Let go of that witch” at the time. All these negative traits combined seemed to cancel each other out, resulting in an air of authenticity and sincerity.

On the whole, these qualities left a deep impression on Ni Feihong, who made a note of them. For these reasons, she had reluctantly agreed to let him return to work. His actual motives for wanting the job were unimportant. What she had just said to Sinan was from the heart: as long as he had the right attitude and could do the work, that was enough.

Eventually, Ni Feihong couldn’t help calling out, “Xiao Ma, come in.”

Ma Weimin hurried inside.

Ni Feihong slapped her desk. “Today is Wednesday, isn’t it?”

“And then?” Xiao Ma was instantly bewildered.

Ni Feihong deliberately pressed the issue. “The journal I read regularly has already hit the shelves, but I didn’t find it on my desk. Do you think this is your problem or mine?”

“Uh, well…” Xiao Ma was caught off guard.

“What, were you about to make an excuse and say I didn’t give you advance notice?” Ni Feihong frowned.

“I really was thinking that,” Xiao Ma admitted sheepishly.

Ni Feihong, displeased, said, “That’s still your problem, not mine. Don’t wait for me to remind you about everything. There are plenty of things you should be reminding me about instead. Don’t make excuses about being new here and not knowing; initiative is important. Don’t expect me to spell out every task for you—if I had the time and inclination to do everything myself, why would I bother hiring an assistant? As my assistant, you’ve accepted this job but haven’t gotten into the right mindset. If you don’t take the initiative to figure out my preferences, needs, and style, that’s dereliction of duty on your part.”

“Don’t think I’m hard to get along with. In fact, there’s no such thing as an easy boss in this world—if there were, she’d be a lousy one. Maybe you don’t need this job, but work is a matter of attitude. I can assure you, if you can’t do well here, you won’t do well elsewhere either. If you can’t get along with me, you won’t get along with other bosses, either. Sometimes, the problem isn’t the boss—it might be you, and you haven’t realized it.”

“Don’t expect the world to revolve around you. The kind of person who can demand that has ten times your luck, intelligence, attitude, persistence, and work ethic. As my assistant, even if I don’t give you instructions, you could ask Meishu Longze what needs to be done—that’s your job, and hers as well. If she refuses to tell you or deliberately misleads you, then she’s at fault. But if you don’t ask, if you’re not proactive or hardworking, she’ll be even happier, because in a way you two are in competition. With a teammate and rival like you, she can shine simply by not making mistakes. If I were her, wouldn’t I be pleased?”

After listening to all this in one breath, Xiao Ma felt dizzy, as if he were seeing stars. Damn, he thought, so she really loves to lecture! But, as much as it stung, she did have a point. Now he understood why his name had come up during the layoffs at his last company.

“I know you don’t want to hear any of this, but I didn’t call you in here to make you happy,” Ni Feihong concluded. “Now, go buy the journal I want. And figuring out which journal that is—that’s part of your job, too.” With that, Ni Feihong nodded and dismissed him.

Ma Weimin said nothing, and as he walked out to the elevator, he happened to run into the slightly adorable Meishu Longze, who was carrying the journal upstairs.

With a wry expression, Xiao Ma said, “You set me up.”

Meishu Longze bowed and grinned. “Nice to meet you. I didn’t do it on purpose. If you don’t ask, and you’re so carefree, I have no reason to complain. I don’t mind a bit of trouble myself, so I don’t need to send you to buy it. If you’d asked, I would’ve told you. But since you didn’t, I kept quiet.”

“Uh… Do you have time later? Let me treat you to a meal. We can talk about life, and I can learn a bit more about the job?” Xiao Ma asked.

“Sure, it’s a date,” Longze replied, then hurried off to deliver the journal.

After work, he decisively took Meishu Longze out for a meal. She managed to find the most authentic, reasonably priced Japanese restaurant in Haizhou.

During the meal, Xiao Ma tried to have a deeper conversation with her. In part, it was because she so closely resembled—back in her youth—a figure every tech geek knew well.

It was obvious that Meishu Longze was hoping to see a movie with Xiao Ma and continue their conversation about life. Unfortunately, just then, Feng Chenchen stormed in, lunchbox in hand, and insisted on paying the bill, her expression deliberately implying she was catching them in the act.

With that, the bewildered Meishu Longze was so startled that she grabbed her head and fled.

Still, Xiao Ma managed to glean quite a bit of information about Ni Feihong from her.

“Shall we go to your place or mine? Or if you’d rather see a movie, I’ll join you. I actually came up with a script idea this afternoon—think of it as my audition piece for a career change. When you have time, let’s discuss it. If you like it, Young Master, introduce me to an investor. With your recommendation, it’ll definitely work,” Feng Chenchen said.

Xiao Ma himself was tempted to go to her place. But the body he now inhabited still felt some aversion to this femme fatale and didn’t care much about her request.

Thus, caught in a mental struggle as if he were split in two, his body won out again. Ma Weimin said, “Don’t bother me with these trivial matters. If you have a list of investors, go to them yourself—just say it’s my recommendation.”

Feng Chenchen was genuinely a little surprised, and smiled. “All right, then let me give you a ride home?”

Xiao Ma nodded.

After dropping the Young Master off at his humble abode, Feng Chenchen sat in her Cadillac SUV and immediately took the opportunity to call Jiang Yaowen. Once connected, she said, “Young Master Jiang, he’s interested in investing in a blockbuster.”

“Is it you or him who’s interested? Don’t be coy,” Jiang Yaowen said, unable to hide his exasperation.

Feng Chenchen replied a bit awkwardly, “All right, it’s really me. I’m not embarrassed to admit it. But he agreed, so that at least means I’m doing my job. He’s not exactly relying on me, but he’s definitely not annoyed by me—he still treats me as a friend. It’s a strange feeling.”

Jiang Yaowen hesitated for a moment. “At least you’re honest. I’m glad to see you settling down a bit. Your work has always been solid—no complaints. This time, you’ve shown real commitment and delivered results.”

Feng Chenchen said, “As for the movie, I already have a script in mind. It’s loosely based on his experiences and persona, which should be plenty entertaining, right?”

Jiang Yaowen replied, “That’s a minor issue. The script is a bit sensitive, so it’s best not to tie it directly to his story. I’m sure your script is good—I know that. But there are plenty of good scripts. I’ll find a bunch for you to choose from; if you like one, we’ll buy it and put your name on it. Funding isn’t a problem—I’m guessing your boldest estimate is three hundred million, but I’ll bring in a suitable producer and raise the total investment to a billion. Not because I’m afraid you’ll overspend, but because I’m afraid you won’t spend enough. His approval is crucial this time—it means certain business lines will restart.”

In fact, three hundred million was about the minimum for a decent production, but he was raising it to a billion, and insisting it all be spent?

“What kind of operation is this?” Feng Chenchen asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Otherwise, one day someone might say, ‘You know too much,’ and that wouldn’t be good. Just focus on your side of things—I’ll find someone reliable to handle the finances. The money will be there, but financial oversight will be separate. Understand?” With that, Jiang Yaowen hung up.

For a moment, Feng Chenchen felt as if luck had suddenly turned in her favor. Everything she wanted was coming true. It really was true—choosing the right people to follow made all the difference.