Our Glamorous Time

Chapter 3: Oversea Advice

The HR manager came back with the leaders' comments, and Lin Qian was surprised at what they said.

Well, surprised and moved a little. The wording was sincere and nice: "Miss Lin, since we, Aida, offered you this position, we won't break our commitment because of the temporary difficulties in our operations. If you decide to stay, your pay scale will remain unchanged. As for your position, it won't be set until the new CEO takes office. If you decide to leave, we wish you good luck on finding a better job in the near future."

While waiting for the HR manager, Lin Qian had Googled all the news about Aida Group on her cell phone. She thought about it, and answered sincerely, "Thank you. I'll think it over and give you a reply tomorrow."

When Lin Qian left Aida Group, it was still early, barely 12 o'clock at noon. She walked home slowly. She ordered two dishes at the small restaurant near the entrance of her development and ate them in low spirits. She then went upstairs to her own apartment. After opening the window and turning on some music, she walked out to the balcony and gave Lin Mochen a call.

It was around dusk there in the USA. The deep voice from Lin Mochen seemed to carry a kind of indolence and arrogance typical of Manhattan. "Your call came later than I expected."

She was suddenly frustrated. "Of course you knew about it."

The whole world knew about Aida's recent dilemmas. How could this man, her brother, who worked specifically in financial investment on Wall Street, not know about it?

Dressed in an iron-gray tailored suit, Lin Mochen stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor of a skyscraper. Behind him were staff members who were occupied with data analyses and investment reports.

Through the window were starry lights sparkling all over the city and the Hudson River winding its way through the skyscrapers.

He chuckled and asked, "What's your plan?"

"I'm still not going to work for you." Lin Qian sounded sullen.

Lin Mochen frowned a little but said in a flat tone, "Oh really? So where are you going to work?"

Lin Qian replied, "I was thinking that I should stay at Aida."

In all fairness, despite the plight Aida was facing, "a lean camel is bigger than a horse," as the old saying went. There was still the possibility that they would be able to strike back and return to their previous success. Besides, they had impressed her with the brief interaction they had today.

"I feel a bit bad to give it up," she said.

Gazing at the starlight above the skyscrapers, Lin Mochen tapped the tabletop at his side with his fingers. "Lin Qian," he said, "feelings are the most useless thing. As my sister, you should think more reasonably and objectively." His voice came off cold and somewhat bossy.

Lin Qian didn't get annoyed. Instead, she went along with him and said softly, "All right then, brother, then could you help me with an objective analysis? Is it worth staying?"

Lin Mochen kept silent for a moment, which made Lin Qian a little nervous.

"You may give it a try," he answered steadily.

Lin Qian burst into laughter. She didn't ask for a reason because the terminologies from him, like net asset value, yield rate, etc, would give her a headache.

"Thank you, brother!"

On the other end of the line, Lin Mochen's lips also revealed a barely noticeable smile. "Xu Yong, the Chairman of Aida, is getting old and weak," he said flatly. "He is no longer in charge of daily operations. His eldest son, Xu Yiyang, died in a car accident three years ago. Based on Xu Yong's personality, I bet he won't choose anyone outside of his family. So, there are only three candidates. First, Gu Yanzhi. Second, Xu Chengyan, his illegitimate son, still studying in the USA. And third, the son of Xu Yong and his ex-wife details still unverified. I'll check."