Jiang Tian naturally couldn’t explain that he had been out cultivating, so he simply sat down and said casually, “I went for a walk at Hundred Zhang Cliff…”
“Oh, Hundred Zhang Cliff? That place is deserted. It’s not safe to go there at night. You should be more careful…” Zhao Hucheng replied, though his smile grew increasingly forced as the conversation continued.
This guy is completely insane! Who goes to Hundred Zhang Cliff at night? He’s lucky he didn’t get mauled by wild animals! Zhao Hucheng thought to himself, deeply regretting his lack of foresight. He hadn’t realized how close the Jiang family was to collapse. Without the Jiang family’s backing, Jiang Tian was nothing but a useless waste of space. In terms of ability and influence, he couldn’t even compare to Liu Wangfeng!
“Jiang Tian, how’s your head feeling now? Still confused? Have you thought about going back to work at the company?” Zhao Hucheng asked, though he couldn’t hide his disdain. Still, as family, he felt obligated to show some concern.
“Work? I’m not interested. I don’t know anything about business management. Right now, I just want to take care of Xueqing…” Jiang Tian replied with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
Having returned from ten thousand years of cultivation, with boundless abilities, making money would be a trivial matter for him. Why would he need to work a regular job?
“Jiang Tian, you should really consider learning some business management skills. If nothing else, you could start with an entry-level position in public relations or sales,” Zhao Hucheng said, frowning.
This kid is completely hopeless. He’s not even interested in working anymore. Look at Liu Wangfeng—he’s already taken one of his companies public on the New Third Board and made over a hundred million in one deal. With your current state, just don’t hit my daughter, and I’ll consider it a win. Taking care of her? What a joke!
“Since you’re offering, maybe I’ll go work at Xueqing’s company,” Jiang Tian suddenly said, an idea sparking in his mind. Working at her company would be the perfect way to protect and take care of her.
Yes, in his past life, he had also worked at her company. But back then, he had been powerless to protect her, forced to watch as she was harassed and bullied. But now, having returned from ten thousand years of cultivation and having once stood at the pinnacle of the universe, he would never allow such things to happen again.
“Oh, that’s a great idea! Doing something is better than sitting around idle,” Zhao Hucheng said with a smile, though internally he was thinking, What am I even saying? Him working there would just cause more trouble!
Jiang Tian nodded silently.
“Xueqing, think about what we discussed earlier. I have a meeting to attend, so I’ll head out now,” Zhao Hucheng said, glancing at his daughter before leaving.
This girl is so stubborn! I told her to divorce Jiang Tian and marry Liu Wangfeng, but she’s completely resistant. When will she wake up?
After Zhao Hucheng left, Jiang Tian went into the kitchen, took out some ingredients, and quietly started preparing breakfast. Soon, the aroma of food filled the air.
Though Jiang Tian appeared calm, his heart was in turmoil. The house was practically empty, with no decent furniture to speak of. The 29-inch TV in the living room had been bought by Zhao Xueqing from a second-hand market.
Although his parents sent living expenses every quarter, and Zhao Xueqing, as the manager of the R&D department at Zhao Pharmaceuticals, earned a decent salary, most of the money had been spent on his medical treatment and his reckless lifestyle. They were now completely broke, with significant debts.
Zhao Hucheng, who had no faith in Jiang Tian and was pressuring Zhao Xueqing to divorce him, naturally didn’t offer any financial support.
As he cooked, Jiang Tian silently vowed:
“Xueqing, I won’t let you live in poverty anymore. I’ll make you wealthy and powerful!”
“I’ll become your pride, the man who makes you the envy of every woman in the world!”
As Zhao Xueqing ate the delicious breakfast, she was surprised.
Has he really gotten better? He can even cook now. Maybe his mental illness has become intermittent.
—
After breakfast, Zhao Xueqing drove her red Chevrolet Cruze, taking Jiang Tian to Zhao Pharmaceuticals, located on Linzhou’s Financial Street.
The company specialized in traditional Chinese medicine and was among the top ten in Linzhou, with assets worth twenty to thirty million. The employees were well-paid.
Zhao Hucheng was a shrewd man. He had placed the children of influential officials in nominal positions within the company, using them to grease the wheels of bureaucracy.
As a result, the parking lot in front of the company was filled with luxury cars, mostly European and American models, with a few high-end sports cars mixed in.
“I remember in my past life, Xueqing placed me in the Public Relations Department,” Jiang Tian thought as he walked through the hallway.
Around him, male employees in suits and office ladies in short skirts bustled about, full of energy and determination. It felt like a different world.
In his past life, after the Jiang family fell, the Liu family had immediately attacked the Zhao family, swallowing Zhao Pharmaceuticals whole. The company had vanished from Linzhou overnight, and all these employees had lost their jobs.
“I’ve already spoken to the HR director. You can go straight to the Public Relations Department. I’ll handle your onboarding paperwork,” Zhao Xueqing said.
The Public Relations Department mainly involved entertaining clients and government officials, building relationships, securing orders, and chasing payments. The work was relatively simple.
“Xueqing, to avoid embarrassing you, let’s keep our relationship a secret here,” Jiang Tian said softly.
In truth, Zhao Hucheng had also considered this. While he had hoped to leverage the Jiang family’s influence, he had also sensed that the Jiang family’s fortunes were declining. As a result, Jiang Tian and Zhao Xueqing’s marriage had been kept very low-key, with few people knowing about it.
“Oh… okay,” Zhao Xueqing replied, feeling a pang of sadness as she looked at Jiang Tian’s bitter smile.
He must feel so inferior.
Once, Jiang Tian had been a notorious playboy in Jinling, feared and respected by all. But now, he was a mentally ill man, constantly humiliated and bullied.
“Then I’ll head over,” Jiang Tian said, walking toward the Public Relations Department.
“The work there is easy, but remember not to drink too much. Your brain…” Zhao Xueqing said, her voice filled with concern.
“Got it!”
Jiang Tian felt a warm, sweet sensation in his heart. Even though he had often mistreated her, she was still fulfilling her duties as a wife.
When Jiang Tian entered the Public Relations Department, he was momentarily stunned.
The office was filled with tall, handsome men and stunningly beautiful women, all with model-like figures and top-tier charm. They could easily grace the covers of magazines.
“In my past life, when I joined the Public Relations Department, my mind was already a mess. I didn’t even notice how good-looking everyone here was,” Jiang Tian thought with a smile, finding an empty desk and sitting down.
The employees weren’t all naturally beautiful, but they were all skilled at dressing and presenting themselves, exuding youthful energy.
At the moment, they were eating breakfast, sipping coffee, and chatting about work-related anecdotes, completely ignoring Jiang Tian.
“New guy?” someone finally noticed him.
“Yeah,” Jiang Tian replied, looking at the young man next to him.
The guy was handsome but had dark circles under his eyes and was yawning constantly, clearly still recovering from last night’s client entertainment.
“Ugh, I was hoping for a beautiful woman, but we got another rough-looking guy. You’re not even that good-looking. How did you even get into the Public Relations Department?” the guy muttered, shaking his head and sighing.
“Even the lines are exactly the same. Shen Le, you haven’t changed a bit,” Jiang Tian thought to himself, feeling a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude.