Sex and love, anger and pride [mxm] [✔]

Chapter 18

Shen Wei couldn't tell if the interview had gone well or not, he didn't even know if it was over! The man was just staring at him now, and he wondered if Yunlan had talked about him after all.

"Do you have anything you want to ask me?" He heard him say.

"No sir." What should he ask?

"Aren't you interested in how many hours you would have to work?"

"Oh. I was under the impression that I would always have the evenings free."

So I can do the night shift at the diner he thought. He had mentally planned to switch to a part-time job where he was working now, or at another place if that wasn't possible.

"So you're not going to ask me if you'll have to work during weekends?"

"I thought that I'd have to work every day that mail is delivered..." he said, then he paused for a second realising something. "But I guess I hadn't thought of internal correspondence. My fault, I admit I'm not familiar with how companies work, but of course it's not a problem, more days it is, the better for me too," he concluded, thinking 'more days, more pay.'

Cong Bo mentally thanked Yunlan for sending someone who didn't want to keep weekends strictly to go out with friends.
"That's it, thank you for coming, you can start this Monday."

Wei had thought that he would have heard from them in a few days, if ever, and was quite surprised, but Cong Bo had seen enough.
He buzzed his secretary to tell him to send old Li to his office, and when he arrived he introduced Shen Wei to him and told him to show him the job, so he'd be prepared.

Old Li was a quiet old man who showed him where the mail from outside was stored, where the internal correspondence was, and how he would be doing his rounds. "Of course I know everyone in here, so I sort everything by who I meet first during my round, but you don't know anyone yet so you'll have to come up with your own way."
Old Li continued to explain everything that was required of him, and Wei listened intently the whole time.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first day Wei sort everything in alphabetical order, asking everyone their name before checking if there was anything for them. There were many people working at this company; he had a list of everyone working on every floor, but it still took him many days to memorize all their names.

Of course he often had to deliver the mail to the upper floors as well, but there were fewer and fewer people each floor, and in the fifth and sixth floors there were only offices, so he would give the mail to the various secretaries, and some times he would be given more stuff and deliver it for them.

Yunlan had told him the truth, days went by and he didn't see him once.
It was hard to admit it but Wei was a bit disappointed. He had really believed that he would have seen him often.

~~~

Wei had to leave his job at the diner, the owner wasn't interested in someone who could only work the nights, but he soon found another place, a new bookstore open eighteen hours a day, where he would work the last six-hour shift from 7pm to 1am.

Now he was making enough money to be able to relax again. His friend Chu was glad as well, not only because now Wei could pay his share of the rent and bills, but also because he appeared less troubled.

Working two jobs Wei was soon able to give Chu both this month's expenses as well as the previous one. He had always hated oweing money to anyone, and although his friend had given him all the time he needed, he was glad he had no more debts with him.

When he had first found himself in trouble, without a house or any money, he hadn't known what to do. After his brother's death he had been too lost to find himself a job, and now he was in real trouble, with no job, no money and nowhere to stay. As hard as it had been for him, he had had only one option. He knew a rich man, his father had worked for him, so Wei went to see him.

Mr Zhu had greeted him with: "Shen's son? That guy was the craziest bastard I've ever met, I miss him every day!"

Wei hadn't replied.

Mr Zhu had boomed again, with his always loud voice, "You must have taken after your mother, I see, well she was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, it's a real pity that they died."

Wei had gathered all his courage and told him about his situation. Mr Zhu had frowned. "Your brother too? Boy, you really are unlucky. I only have a daughter, but you're totally alone and desperate!"

He had shaken his head then he had said, "Can't let Shen's boy starving! I'll give you some money to put you back on your feet, and you can work for me, how about that?"

Wei had been grateful, it had been hard to accept the money but he really was desperate. He had thanked the man many times.

"Don't thank me just yet, I have a bad attitude, but can't change a man's ways at this age so you'll just have to bear with it boy."

Wei never minded that, and he had started working right away while the man went to get his chequebook. "Bring me a scotch, wanna drink at old Shen's memory!"

Wei had taken the cheque feeling a big weight on his heart, but also feeling like he had just been saved.

He paid off everything he owed and was left only with what he owed mr Zhu.
More than once he had wondered if he was really needed there or if he had been given that job out of pity - after all the man already had a cook, a maid and a driver, what was there for him to do? - so whatever the man came up with, Wei always did anything he asked without complaints, and in the last year he had been able to earn more when he eventually took on those other roles as well.

But now those days were finally over, and he would soon be able to repay his generosity.

~~~

Things were definitely better for him now, and when Hong called him to meet up for a chat, he accepted with joy.

They met on a Tuesday, after the company but before the bookstore.
"Aren't you tired working two jobs?" she asked him, but he wasn't, not too much anyway, he could always sleep between the two when he got too tired.

"I'm glad you're ok," she told him, and he nodded.

He was okay now.

The only thing missing was Yunlan.

"Why don't you call him?" she suddenly asked, as if reading his mind.
She didn't have special powers, she just saw that expression that he always had when he was thinking of him.

"I don't know, Hong-mei," he replied. "I messed up too, I don't know what I could say to him."

She smiled, she loved it when he called her that way. They were friends now, and she treasured their friendship a lot. They treated each other like brother and sister, and he had even learned to open up a bit to her, allowing her personal questions like this.

She took his hand and said, "You can start with 'hi'. The rest will come by itself."