Assistant Architect

Chapter 17: Threats

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However, Zhang Siyi doesn’t have time to think about it too deeply. He has only one choice now.

In the current economical downturn, if he left Borderless, without experience and better education, he might not find another job.

Su Yuan saw Zhang Siyi frowning, and did not say any more. She is just a newcomer to the workforce and don’t know the ins-and-outs of the domestic construction market. There is always a reason for the boss to bring in subordinates. The good reputation of Borderless doesn’t come from thin air.

She shifted the subject: “But you are so busy that you have very little time now and you aren’t even active online.”

Originally, Zhang Siyi had the nickname “second praises Little prince” in his social media circle of friends. Like clockwork, Zhang Siyi was the first to respond to friend’s posts and offer praise or encouragement. His friends often wondered if he isn’t holding the mobile and constantly refreshing the news feed all the time. But since he has been at work, his attitude towards his social media account has changed. His nickname went from “Second Praises Little Prince” to “Centralized Review”. Once Su Yuan opened her social media and received a ‘week in review’ from Zhang Siyi.

“I don’t have time to look at the phone!” Zhang Siyi said bitterly. When his Boss gives him a job, there is often a deadline assigned as well. He is very strict. When I’m very busy I feel like going to the bathroom is a waste of time. Besides, the Directors office is right behind me. He often comes over to my desk silently and looks at my work. If he found out that I still had time to play with my mobile phone, I would die!”

Everyone: “...” Poor fellow.

Su Yuan asked: “Is your boss the one that graduated from high school with you?”

Zhang Siyi: “Yes, but he is six years my senior. He already had graduated for several years while I was there.

Remembering the adoption of the plant in the company, he said to everyone, “He gave me one of his cactus plants. Colleagues think I am special to him, but I think he just wants to give me a hard time. He messaged everyone in his department telling them not to help me.”

His friends silently gave Zhang Siyi a sympathy tear.

Ren Mengyu asked: “Was he the one who got splashed by coffee by your girlfriend before?”

“It’s him! At the company dinner, he got everyone to give me a toast. I couldn’t stand up that day. Now, Zhang feels like a bully who got in trouble for bullying a kid. “The coffee was spilled on him, but I really doubt he is retaliating against me. He is a good person.”

Fu Xinhui touched his chin and said: “The person who made me call you that day is him.”

Ren Mengyu curiously asks: “Heartless Han has seen him? What does he look like?”

Fu Xinhui: “I am almost as tall, looks very young and handsome, and a kind of cool.””

Su Yuan: “...What is the strange description of ‘sexual coldness’?”

“He just looks like a very clean-cut, straight-laced person.” Fu Xinhui said. Then to illustrate his point, he relaxed his facial muscles, like a facial paralysis, causing everyone to laugh.

Jiang Hai joked: “You could look for an opportunity to retaliate back.”

Zhang Siyi said: “How am I going to get revenge?”

Fu Xinhui squinted His eyes and came to a somber sentence: “Kill his cactus.” (╰_╯)

Zhang Siyi: “Hey!!”

Conspiring together, his friends excitedly plotted revenge. One idea was to kill the cactus slowly by watering it a little bit every day. Some thought that way would be too gentle, and a direct approach is better. Then they thought up a scheme to take advantage of the late hours to directly pull up the root and leave it at his office door. Zhang Siyi listened to the discussion of his friends, clutching his stomach and almost laughing. Of course, these are all jokes. ... Anyway, as soon as his ball dies, he won’t be able to get the ‘I love my job’ bonus.

Life is like this. Everyone gathers together and complains about their woes. It is nothing more than trying to ease the pressure of work. When tiered after the work week, just have a drink with friends and laugh the week away and all the troubles will be gone.

Last dinner gathering, Jiang Hai didn’t have the best things to say about his boss. This time, there were several design companies to talk about: “Our company gave clear design requirements on the project, but the other party didn’t adhere to the guidelines. I changed some areas and indicators and handed it in without changing the name of the project. There are just too many people working the project all injecting their own ideas like the business center’s plan and the design company. As a result, they have created a post-modern Zha style, twisted and twisted. They convince themselves there are benefits to the plans. The project keeps growing, but there is a limited budget. No matter how good things are, if there isn’t money, you can’t build something out of air. My boss loves the talk big on paper, but now I know there are even more unprofessional design companies out there. The boss will be finished sooner or later!”

Su Yuan: “So the most important thing is communication!”

Jiang Hai: “Yes, our Head boss also compared the relationship to love. He said side A and side B needed to understand each other in order to have a good ‘ love ‘.”

Zhang Siyi laughed and listened, but also secretly recorded this in his heart.

As for Fu Xinhui, his family hasn’t pressured him to either return home or find a job. Although he doesn’t have much direction, his family is big, and his parents are exposed to investment, real estate, all kinds of officials, and wealthy people. His intuition is good, so he can contribute to the conversation from time to time and express his views.

In addition to working life, everyone also talked about the development and status quo of other students who are still studying abroad. Who is in love, who broke up, and who is playing the demon.

There is a good relationship between their classmates except for one. One of their classmates, Yu Rui, is somewhat alienated by the other classmates. She looks pretty and continues to study in the UK for a master’s degree but has unattractive personality and a black history.

For example, she is very vain and only will go out with young rich men, she got between friends and caused them to be estranged, and she gave gifts and bribes to the professor. Also, she had no fewer than five boyfriends during university. She used up each one of them for a specific reason, like helping with a design or a written paper. After their value was used up, she would mercilessly shake them off.

Once Ren Mengyu was very generous to say that her father taught her “smart woman should step on a man to climb up” ... Moreover, who are they to remark about her methods because the good results prove themselves; a good degree, a graduate school offer, and a good job in the future. Except for one missing point: Good relationships.

With ill feelings towards Yu Rui, they will naturally not be very connected after graduation, but they were all still very curious what kind of development and outcome will happen in the end.

Ren Mengyu is the most energetic. She currently works in a design consulting company, mainly to translate some architectural planning tenders and competitions at home and abroad to hang them on their company’s platform, so that the global architectural design firms can share project resources. In the end, they are a little of building design. It is more like an intermediary work. This kind of company has a good environment, work is easy, with good wages, but there is almost no room for improvement.

Fortunately for Ren Mengyu she also has little to worry about money. Her family has helped her rent a small bungalow in the city and with resources to purchase brand-name bags and clothes. It’s a life without economical pressure, but she works in a high-end environment with girls in a similar situation so there is a lot of petty drama. Like watching a talk show, the others watch her motions and listen to her lively stories.

“I told you, our company has a woman that acts like a little girl. A few days ago, I asked which country is going to start discounting since I never bought discounted good, she came to help, and I ended up with good results. Another colleague is buying from eBay and she insists that she help make the purchase for designer boots from five years ago in order to save shipping costs.”

Su Yuan has always been thrifty and can’t express any opinions. Jiang Hai and Zhang Siyi are people who have no psychological needs for famous brands. Therefore, Fu Xinhui can also make a few words with her in the presence: “Five years ago? Is it free to purchase?”

Ren Mengyu: “Yes, that colleague is not happy! She is about the same size as me. The boots from five years ago are very old and worn. They are not in style anymore.”

Fu Xinhui: “You need a good relationship to make purchases after all. Especially for the named-brand bags and shoes. I only brought items home from England for my sister. It was too troublesome to buy things for other classmate’s friends.”

Ren Mengyu: “Yes, the knee-high boots must be deducted from customs duties. I don’t know how much to ship from Canada.”

Su Yuan nodded: “Thousands of luxury goods and famous brands, it is really necessary to do what you can.”

Ren Mengyu continued: “”She didn’t say she didn’t buy a discount before, I don’t like this kind of money! Ren Meng scoffed, and then said to Su Yuan sitting with crossed arms looking irritated,” look at our Su Yuan, although in general, she doesn’t have lot of money, she is so charming! “

Su Yuan smiled and pushed away Ren Mengyu: “Are you complimenting me or insulting me!?”

A burst of laughter, indeed, Su Yuan is very good with people.

After that, Su Yuan also gave a few examples of the arrogance that economic and social gaps bring at her firm.

Ren Mengyu: “Our company has a pretty girl that only smiles to male colleagues. “I heard that she was not familiar with some of the work, so she went to find the boss to ask him. The boss was calling his family. Unbeknown to him, she stood on the side of the room smiling, listening to the boss on the phone for one hour. Later, when the boss turned to see her in the room, he was angry.”

Everyone heard a sly look, and Zhang Siyi stupidly helped the girl: “Maybe the sister’s emotional intelligence is lower?”

With cold, vertical eyebrows, Ren Meng addressed Zhang Siyi and said: “Don’t be silly! What low EQ! Over the years, witnessing such events, now I can see that the other party is playing. You are so stupid and deceived, maybe you have been targeted!”

Zhang Siyi: “...”

After the weekend, Zhang Siyi returned to the company to go to work. When he went in, he saw the size of the cactus on the landscape frame and couldn’t help but think of the topic that everyone talked about this past weekend.

He looked around, quietly approached, staring at the big cactus, let his eyes slowly released murderous intent and whispered: “abuse me again I will use the eyes to kill you!””

Cactus: “...”

Zhang Siyi threatened, grinned, and happily began a new week’s work.