Chapter 6 — Language is Wings

The UAE representative opened his speech in Arabic, their interpreter switched to English. Gu Shenzhou responded in English, I took notes in Chinese. Everything happens according to the normal process. But fifteen minutes later, something happened. The UAE representative suddenly whispered a sentence in Arabic to his interpreter. Not an official statement, just a private mumble. He thinks no one here understands. But I understand. He said:

"This Chinese company's prices are too high. We'll force it down to twenty percent later. If that doesn't work, we'll change suppliers."

His translator did not translate that sentence, nor should it have been translated. But I heard it. I bowed my head and typed, pretending to be taking notes. Then gently rotate the screen towards Co Than Chau. On it is an inscription:

“The other party wants to force the price by 20%, otherwise they will change partners.”

Co Than Chau's eyes stopped for a second. Expression does not change. But the strategy immediately after that… was different. He proactively offered a tiered quote plan, turning a twenty percent discount into a phased discount, while also attaching a three-year exclusive cooperation term. The UAE side hesitated for a moment. In the end... still agree. Because on the surface, the number is lower than their expectations. But the total actual benefits are higher than the original plan. The meeting ended. The UAE guests left. In the room, there were only Co Than Chau, his assistant, and me left. He looked at me.

“You understand Arabic.”

Not a question.

“Just a little.”

“Not ‘a little’. Just now you heard him say it privately to the translator, then reminded me.”

“I just find that information useful for negotiations.”

“If it weren't for your reminder, I would have lost at least eight million today.”

He stood up.

“Lam Dao, how many languages do you know?”

I paused a bit.

“English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Russian.”

His assistant's eyes behind the glasses opened wide. Co Than Chau is still very calm.

“In Trung Hoa, salary is five thousand eighty thousand.”

“Do you think it makes sense?”

“It's my choice.”

He looked at me for five seconds.

“Are you interested in going to Dong Thinh?”

I don't answer.

"The annual salary I can pay is from fifty thousand. If you want to be the head of the international business department, there is no ceiling."

The phone rang and Tieu Manh called. I don't listen.

"Mr. Gu, thank you for your good intentions. Right now I have no intention of changing jobs."

"Present?"

"Present."

He pulled out a business card from his pocket and gave it to me.

“If you change your mind, please contact us.”

I accepted, nodded, and left. In the elevator, I looked closely at the business card. The background is pure black, with only one line: Co Than Chau, with phone number. No job title. This type of business card... is usually only given to people who don't need to be introduced to know who you are. When I got back to the company it was seven o'clock in the evening. I thought the office was empty. But the light is still on. To Uyen Tinh is sitting right in my seat. My computer is still open.

“What are you doing?”

She turned her head in surprise.

“I… walked by and saw your phone hadn't turned off—”

“I turned it off before I left.”

She stood up.

"You're going to Dong Thinh again today? Is it Co Than Chau calling you?"

“It's a project requirement.”

"What project needs you to work as an Arabic translator? Your CV doesn't even have Arabic! How many other things are you hiding?"

“Team leader To, did you see what was on the computer? I?"

Her expression paused for a moment.

“I didn't watch anything.”

She picked up her bag and walked away. I sat down and checked the computer again. Sure enough, the personal folder was opened. What's inside? Miscellaneous translation practice files—French, Japanese, Korean... things I do to relieve boredom. If she had seen… The phone rang again.

“Lin Dao! Why are you going to Dong Thinh today? This afternoon To Uyen Tinh was crazy in the office all day! She even searched your phone!”

“You knew and didn't sue her?”

“What lawsuit? There is no evidence.”

“Oh my god, you're so calm… okay. I heard some news today, do you hear?"

"To Uyen Tinh and Tran Vu Phi... are not simple."

“What do you mean?”

“It's exactly what you think. I work in administration, managing reimbursements. In the past half year, To Uyen Tinh made private appointments with Tran Vu Phi to 'discuss business' seventeen times. All in the western resort area. You understand.”

I was silent for a while.

“It has nothing to do with me.”

“Is it relevant? Thanks to that, she climbed up to become the team leader! Think about it, how much is her ability inferior to yours?

“Tieu Manh, if there is no proof of this matter, don't talk nonsense.”

“Okay okay. I'm just reminding you. To Uyen Tinh is very scheming, today you are definitely not looking for entertainment."

Hanging up, I deleted all the translation practice files in my personal folder. Then reset the password. But I still have a feeling in my heart— It should happen... sooner or later. The next morning, the company sent an internal email. Sender: Tran Vu Phi. Title: Notice on strengthening the management of employee record information authenticity. The general idea is that the company discovers that an employee did not fully declare their skills when entering the job, and requires all employees to update the information within a week. If concealment or false declaration is discovered, it will be handled according to regulations.