Not being able to take time off wasnât a big deal. After all, the company was usually busier on Fridays and her managerâs reason was sufficient. This company treated its employees very well, and her manager treated her with courtesy and warmth, so Ruan Xia didnât even think about complaining.
It was just that she had already agreed to Little Wangâs request, and she knew that heâd be disappointed when she told him she couldnât go after all. This chubby kid was too cute. Ruan Xia felt guilty just from picturing his sad and disappointed appearance.
After thinking it over, Ruan Xia decided to ask Song Tingshen for advice. Taking advantage of her lunch break, she called Song Tingshen.
âWhat are you doing? Do you have time to talk?â The number of phone calls between them had noticeably increased.
Song Tingshen opened his lunchbox. âIâm about to eat lunch. You?â
âItâs almost 1PM. Youâre just eating now?â Ruan Xia casually asked, âWhat are you eating?â
In contrast, Song Tingshen enjoyed this type of everyday conversation very much, so he patiently answered, âI had the assistant go out to buy a business set meal. Itâs beef with soft scrambled eggs, stir-fried romaine lettuce, stewed pork with potatoes, and pork ribs soup.â
It was a very detailed self-report of his situation.
Ruan Xia smiled. âThatâs a sumptuous lunch. Drink the soup first. I heard doing that is better for your stomach.â
âOkay.â
After laying enough groundwork with small talk, Ruan Xia rushed to the purpose of her call. âUmm, Song Tingshen, thereâs something I want to discuss with you. I asked my manager to take this Friday off, but there happens to be something at work that day, so I canât take time off.â
Song Tingshen was a bit surprised by that. âYou canât take time off? I thought youâre not busy at work?â
Honestly, after he had the company checked out and determined there was nothing wrong with it, even Song Tingshen would occasionally question and reflect on his understanding of the world. Were there really people that ran their companies this way? Giving their employees the highest salary and treatment in the industry with the most leisurely amount of workload. Moreover, Ruan Xia said the receptionist would order a variety of beverages for afternoon tea...
He had frequently said in the past that no one starts a company for the sake of doing charity. After all, profit always ranked first for business people. It felt as if he had been slapped in the face.
âYeah, but the customer Iâm responsible for said heâs coming to this office on Friday, so I definitely canât be absent that day. What should I do? I already agreed when Little Wang asked. Heâll definitely have opinions if I got back on my word.â
âYour hands are tied.â Song Tingshen took a sip of soup. His expression was very calm. âYou canât take time off from work that day and you canât quit your job just to participate in this parent-child activity. Little Wang isnât an unreasonable child. Just properly talk to him about it. Heâll understand. He might mention some conditions though. For example, taking him out to play on the weekend.â
âNo matter what he asks for, Iâll agree to it.â
Ruan Xia was looking at it from Little Wangâs perspective. She had similar childhood experiences. For example, her parents said they would take her to a childrenâs playground in the city, but on the day of, they said something came up. Adults always thought that children would forget things in a few days, but in reality, when the accumulated number of broken promises exceeded a threshold, children would no longer believe those adults.
Song Tingshen said, âSo donât worry about it. Iâll talk to Little Wang too. Iâll do my best to keep him from being disappointed in you.â
âThank you.â
âBut...â Song Tingshen suddenly changed the topic, âI also have something I want to discuss with you.â