Chapter 4 — I Don't Wait For Them Anymore

Not in the directory, but shows an area called Shanghai. I hesitated for a second then picked up the phone.

"Tran Bai? I'm Phuong Hoanh Vien."

Phuong Hoanh Vien. Boss Phuong. My current biggest customer. It's also the order that my eldest brother's company has been desperately trying to get for half a year now. But what my eldest brother didn't know was that the only reason why boss Phuong still considered cooperating with his company - was because of me. I have worked in this industry for six years, from a lowly salesperson at company B (service provider) to becoming an independent commercial consultant. Boss Phuong is a customer that I successfully negotiated with myself three years ago. He believes in me. Don't believe my eldest brother's drawings on Powerpoint. On this National Day trip, my original plan was that after arriving at Thien Dao Lake, I would take the opportunity to meet boss Phuong for a while. Because he also went there for the National Day holiday. Finalize the final details of the contract, and sign it after the ceremony. This is a life-saving order that I brought back to your company. An annual cooperation contract framework worth twelve million yuan (about more than 40 billion VND). The eldest company's cash flow now cannot last more than three more months. No one in my family knows these things. They only know that I "do small business outside". My mother's original words: "Unlike your eldest brother, open a decent company." Huh.

“Boss Phuong, this is Tran Bai.”

"Tieu Tran, have you been to Thien Dao Lake yet? We have to fly to Beijing tomorrow afternoon, today is the final deadline. Has the contract been confirmed yet? Can we meet for a while tonight?"

“Boss Phuong, today I... may arrive a little later than expected.”

“How late?”

I looked at the map. Mr. Chu's car will take about an hour to arrive.

“I'll be there within two hours.”

"Okay, then I'll wait for you. Before 8 p.m., after that time you have to prepare for tomorrow. Call me when you get there."

“Yes.”

Hang up the phone. Two hours. The time is just right. If I were still standing stupidly at that rest stop waiting for my family to come back to pick me up... then this meeting would be over. This order is considered dead. The eldest brother's company also collapsed. Thinking of this, I burst out laughing. Luckily they left me behind. Fortunately, I called a carpool myself. Luckily I didn't keep waiting. What if I wait? The most likely possibility is that they were stuck on the highway, waiting for the road to clear before turning around to pick me up. It takes at least three hours. After that, I missed an appointment with boss Phuong. Lost order. They will never know that it was because they left me behind that led to this consequence. And also never feel sorry for me. Because in their perception, leaving me behind... was not a big deal. 【Chapter 8】 At six forty, Mr. Chu dropped me off at the town by Thien Dao Lake.

“Brother, we're here.”

I got out of the car, pulled out a two hundred yuan bill from my pocket and handed it to him: "I'll cover the gas money for you, thank you very much, Mr. Chu." Mr. Chu refused to accept: "Paying on the app is fine, take it away." I deliberately stuffed it into the luggage compartment in the passenger seat: "Just take it. I'm bothering you today." Mr. Chu reached through the window and patted my shoulder: "Little brother, there are things you shouldn't try to endure. People who If you don't deserve it, don't serve it anymore." I nodded at him. Watching the Accord drive away, I stood on the side of the road and took a deep breath. There is a scent of cinnamon in the air. In October at Thien Dao Lake, the temperature is pleasant. I turned on my phone… Fifty-seven missed calls. More than a hundred Wechat messages. The family group seemed to explode. I read each news one by one. Elder brother: "Tran Bai, what the hell are you doing??"