Chapter 56: Chapter 054 Promise
Back then, the school did not have an official basketball court; there was just a basketball hoop set up in the center of the playground, with a huge stone weighing down its frame.
Chu Mo remembered that he had wanted to climb on top of that meter-high stone to play, but then was pushed from behind by Chu Liancheng. He stumbled, his forehead striking the sharp edge of the stone, and blood poured out.
Actually, before that incident, Chu Mo and Chu Liancheng were just ordinary classmates, their relationship lukewarm. But since that incident, he and Chu Liancheng had become the best of friends, going to school together and returning home together!
Now that he thought about it, the reason Chu Liancheng became such a good friend was probably because of a sense of guilt and the desire to compensate!
Chu Mo remembered the bleeding incident in second grade very clearly, for he was the victim; yet he had not the slightest recollection of the incident in third grade when a little girl\'s front tooth got knocked out, because the one who got hurt was someone else!
Indeed, humans are selfish creatures!
In that era of scarcity, Chu Mo could even imagine the image of a girl with a missing incisor afraid to cry out loud, afraid to smile loud!
Because doing so would reveal the missing tooth.
In junior high, even feeling inferior because of that missing tooth ultimately led to dropping out of school.
For a young girl, it was definitely an event that could change her fate.
Chu Mo could even imagine that if it hadn\'t been for his push in third grade, the girl wouldn\'t have lost a tooth. In junior high, she wouldn\'t have been mocked, perhaps she would have been admitted to a good high school, gone to college, and eventually changed her fate...
At least, she wouldn\'t have to, like now, leave home at fourteen to struggle as a dishwasher, being called "Gap-toothed Sister" for over a dozen years.
Thus, he would often appear in her dreams, and even after more than a decade, she could recognize him at a glance.
Indeed, in her heart, that little boy who had caused tremendous damage to her entire life, but then just dusted his pants off and walked away, must really be an utterly unforgivable bad egg.
In the vast and empty exhibition hall, due to the end of the car exhibition and the sunset gradually setting, the once dense crowd had thinned out. Except for the occasional few people who had chosen their cars and stayed to sign contracts, the entire hall was incredibly quiet.
In the corner of the hall, in the waiting area, Chu Mo sat quietly on the sofa, feeling restless and uneasy. In contrast, the girl opposite him, who initially had a gaze full of hatred, was now calm as still water.
As if she had let go of something, the girl subconsciously touched her lips, then took a deep breath and said flatly,
"My biggest wish used to be to see you one day and then slap you hard... But now that I\'ve really seen you, I feel like I\'ve come to terms with it.
You were just an eleven-year-old boy back then, a little brat who only knew how to play and make a fuss. If I keep dwelling on it, I\'m afraid I\'ll never be able to move on from the shadows of that time. It\'s good to see you now, let\'s consider everything settled!"
The girl named Chu Wen gently stood up, her eyes filled with complexity. She suddenly shook her head and laughed bitterly,
"Chu Mo, you really are my calamity. The last time I saw you, I lost my front tooth, and this time I lost my job… I hope we never see each other again!"
As her words ended, the girl, who was ready to walk away gracefully, was about to turn around and leave when Chu Mo, who had suddenly stood up from his seat, once again grabbed her wrist. This time, the indecision and guilt in his eyes disappeared as he became incredibly serious,
"I\'ve said that I would compensate you; it wasn\'t a joke."
Amidst the girl\'s subtly raised eyebrows, a hand suddenly extended. Xiao Jin, who had been keeping an eye on the situation as he couldn\'t bear to let go, immediately walked over quickly.
Sitting back down, Chu Mo, with a very solemn expression, pronounced each word clearly,
"Call your manager over, I want to buy all the cars on display here. You don\'t have the authority, let your manager come!"
Xiao Jin, with his crew-cut hair, was slightly stunned. However, after a moment of hesitation, he nodded respectfully, said "please wait" and then quickly headed toward the second floor.
The girl opposite had confusion in her eyes, but after a moment of hesitation, she eventually chose to sit back down. She didn\'t ask anything, as a certain guess had begun to form in her mind.
Two minutes later, with the sound of footsteps approaching, the plump middle-aged man they had seen earlier had arrived in front of them. Completely ignoring Chu Wen next to him and with a respectful look in his eyes, the middle-aged man said enthusiastically,
"Which model do you have your eye on, sir? I\'ll get you the biggest discount!"
Pointing casually at the new A6L on display, the indifferent Chu Mo said:
"That one, full payment, no need for discounts!"
Before the middle-aged, chubby man\'s smile could blossom, Chu Mo casually pointed at the girl opposite him and continued:
"Chu Wen is my friend. It was indeed my fault before for disrupting your work, and I apologize for that. However, I still hope you can give her another chance. After all, it\'s rather harsh to fire someone over a small mistake, don\'t you think? What do you say about this...!"
There was a hint of apology in Chu Mo\'s expression, and not a trace of aggression emanated from him; instead, he exuded an air of amiability and affability.
After all, when asking for a favor, one must lower their stance somewhat.
Yet, upon hearing this, the middle-aged man who had been wearing a beaming expression suddenly became serious and, after a glance at the timid Chu Wen, the middle-aged man with now sharp eyes said slowly:
"Sir, this matter can\'t be settled by just selling a car. Chu Wen seriously violated company rules, wandering around during work hours. Of course, that\'s a minor issue.
But afterward, she consistently displayed a passive and negligent work attitude, which left her completely out of sorts at work and directly caused the sales of the new A6L to drop by half, resulting in immeasurable losses. Therefore, sir, you might want to make some other requests. I can offer you the best price and even give you five free after-sales services, what do you think?"
The girl opposite him sighed softly, clearly expecting this result, yet still she nodded gently towards Chu Mo.
Just as Chu Wen was about to give up and leave, the normally mild-mannered Chu Mo suddenly narrowed his eyes, and his demeanor became noticeably colder. His voice, no longer gentle, was flat as he said:
"How significant are the losses she\'s caused? Give me a specific figure. I\'ll make up for the loss. That should solve the problem, right?"
Under Chu Mo\'s intense gaze, the middle-aged man suddenly stepped back, his expression cold as he answered dismissively:
"I dismissed Chu Wen in front of all the staff members. She must bear the consequences of her actions herself. Sir, don\'t waste your effort; I cannot rehire her just for the commission of one car sale."
As the man turned to leave, and in the midst of Chu Wen\'s soft sighs, Chu Mo, with a slight squint in his eyes, suddenly spoke up:
"Shou Bo, get the details on this manager. Where do his family and close ones work? Bring me detailed information by tomorrow!"
No sooner had he finished speaking, the middle-aged man, who had walked several meters away, suddenly stiffened.
Without any hesitation, Shou Bo immediately took out his phone and dialed a number. After two rings, he spoke in a steady voice without any attempt to conceal the conversation:
"Brother, new assignment. Look up the details of a manager from the Audi Dealership in Magic City\'s Car City. He\'s about 175 centimeters, slightly overweight. A quick call from you should suffice to confirm... I need all the information on his entire family by tomorrow!"
After Shou Bo hung up the phone, Chu Mo spoke in a calm voice as usual:
"I think it would be better if we sat down and talked this over. After all, a family\'s future compared to personal pride... should be an easy choice to make!
Of course, you can choose not to believe and walk away now; nobody\'s stopping you!"
With his chest heaving rapidly and taking a deep breath, the middle-aged man slowly turned around and came back to both of them, and then the middle-aged man with a stern expression told Chu Wen:
"Come to work as usual tomorrow. I\'ll speak to HR!"
As his gaze returned to Chu Mo, the intense middle-aged man said earnestly:
"Sir, is this satisfactory?"
Gazing at the stern expression of the man before him and curling the corners of his mouth, Chu Mo spoke with a playful tone:
"Do you think I really care about this job? All I wanted was your word that Chu Wen could not be fired; she could only resign voluntarily. Do you understand?"
After speaking, he turned his earnest gaze back to the girl opposite him, and Chu Mo said gently:
"I said I would make it up to you, and I wasn\'t joking."