Chapter 080: High-Salary Recruitment

"My younger brother is the hope of our family, even of the entire Zhang clan. There’s something I’m not ashamed to share with you: my grandfather had four sons and one daughter. My father is a businessman in Taiwan, three uncles are involved in politics on the mainland, and my aunt is a businesswoman in Guangdong. Among the five households, my brother is the only male heir!" After a moment, Zhang Xiuxiu shook her head with a smile. "If my brother had been an obedient child growing up, perhaps by now he’d be an outstanding businessman or a government official. But he’s always been introverted, and his health has never been good. Honestly, I’m to blame for how things turned out. If not for me, maybe he wouldn’t be the way he is today!"

"Because of you?" Yang Tian was slightly surprised; he knew Zhang Xiuxiu was referring to Zhang Zhi’s physical disability.

"Yes. When we were kids, I was always bullied by older students, and he would stand up for me. Once, he got beaten up by a bunch of rough boys. His health was already fragile, and that illness lasted over a year. That’s how he ended up the way he is. Every time I think about it, I feel I’ve really let him down!" Zhang Xiuxiu couldn’t hold back her tears. After a while, she wiped her eyes and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, you must think it’s silly!"

"It’s nothing. Zhang Zhi and I are good friends—true friends," Yang Tian said sincerely.

"That’s exactly why I’m telling you all this. The point is, Zhang Zhi is very important to me and to our whole family. We don’t expect him to achieve anything grand; we just want to see him happy. That’s something none of us has been able to give him, but you’ve managed to do it," Zhang Xiuxiu said with heartfelt gratitude.

"You’re too kind, Miss Zhang. All I did was help him grow the internet café. With your family’s resources, I’m sure that would have been easy enough," Yang Tian replied, understanding Zhang Xiuxiu’s implication. The growth of Hongyu Internet Café was, after all, a key factor in Zhang Zhi’s newfound happiness.

"That may be so, but he’s never willing to accept help from the family. He’s stubborn and insists on achieving something by his own effort," Zhang Xiuxiu sighed.

"Well, he works hard, and he’s doing well now. Independence isn’t a bad quality for a young man," Yang Tian said with genuine appreciation.

"I’m grateful you’re with him, fighting side by side, helping him rediscover himself and find happiness. Honestly, I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time!" As she spoke, Zhang Xiuxiu took Yang Tian’s hand again, her face full of gratitude.

This time Yang Tian didn’t pull away. He understood the sibling bond between Zhang Xiuxiu and Zhang Zhi was as deep as the one he shared with Yang Xueling. If someone could bring happiness to his own sister, he would be just as grateful.

"This morning, Zhang Zhi was ready to fight me. Do you know why?" Zhang Xiuxiu resumed with a smile. "I told him I wanted to offer you a high-paying job as a consultant at our soon-to-be-established investment company in Binhai. He got so upset—he said if I dared to poach you, he’d stop acknowledging me as his sister!"

"Senior consultant at an investment company? Ha! You really think I’m good at everything," Yang Tian laughed heartily. Though he’d been given a second chance at life and knew many things yet to happen, he wasn’t omniscient.

It was indeed the right time for investment companies to rise in the mainland, and there was great potential. Still, Yang Tian had his own principles and didn’t want to work for others forever. He wanted to build his dreams, step by step—that was the true value of his second chance.

"Don’t be so modest! I’ve studied your game membership card sales model; it’s classic. If we applied it to the investment company, it would be a huge hit! How about this: you help my brother manage the internet café during the day and work as a strategist at my investment company in the evenings. I’ll pay you five thousand yuan a month—how about it?" Zhang Xiuxiu leaned in, smiling softly.

"Miss Zhang Xiuxiu, let’s be clear—I’m still just a high school student! The reason I help Zhang Zhi boils down to two things: first, he’s someone who loves to fight for his dreams, and that inspires me to do the same; second, I’m passionate about computers and the internet. As for money..." Yang Tian waved his hand and started back home, smiling. "If I’d come back just for money, I’d already be a millionaire by now."

After that, Zhang Xiuxiu and Xia Dong moved into Yang Tian’s house, which greatly annoyed Zhou Sheng’s family. Seeing how well Zhang Xiuxiu and Yang Tian got along, Zhou Sheng no longer dared to show off before the villagers. He used to think himself superior, but now he felt he was far beneath Yang Tian.

This year’s Spring Festival was livelier than ever. Yang Bao and his wife were preparing to move to the city, so they made their rounds visiting relatives with particular enthusiasm, knowing next year’s holiday would be different.

Zhang Xinyu’s family also visited Yang Tian’s house every few days to discuss the Binhai branch of the textile factory. Zhang Xinyu was especially excited—she hadn’t seen Yang Tian in over half a year, and the pressure of her third year of middle school made her miss him even more. If her parents had allowed it, she would have stayed at Yang Tian’s house for the winter holidays.

It wasn’t that her parents objected, but her grandparents couldn’t bear to be apart from her for long and would trouble her parents if they didn’t see her for a few days.

"Brother, I heard you gave Xueling a bath, right?" One sunny afternoon, as Yang Tian lay in the courtyard reading, Zhang Xinyu approached with a mischievous smile.

"Yes, I did. Why?" Yang Tian replied softly, not looking up from his book. He guessed Yang Xueling must have told Zhang Xinyu about it.

"Then give me a bath too!" Zhang Xinyu grinned, saying something that nearly made Yang Tian fall off his chair.

"No way! You can bathe when you get home," Yang Tian protested loudly. Though he and Yang Xueling weren’t blood siblings, they’d grown up together. Zhang Xinyu was different.

Besides, she was probably just being playful—her family had a bathtub, much more comfortable than bathing in the countryside.

"Why not? If you can bathe Xueling, why not me? You’re so biased! You always treat Xueling as your sister, but never me!" Zhang Xinyu pouted.

"Xinyu, don’t be stubborn. Our place is simple; we bathe in a big plastic tub. Wait till you’re home." Yang Tian got up and coaxed her gently.

"No! I want to bathe today! Bathing in a big tub must be fun—I’ve never tried it. Please, just grant me this little wish!" Zhang Xinyu clung to Yang Tian’s arm, shaking it.

"You’re a young lady of fourteen or fifteen and still want someone to bathe you? Aren’t you embarrassed? Fine, go get ready—I’ll heat the water," Yang Tian said loudly, shaking his head in defeat.

"Alright! What’s there to be embarrassed about? You’re my brother—even if I were twenty-four or twenty-five, I wouldn’t be embarrassed if you bathed me!" Zhang Xinyu cheered, hopping away to get ready.

PS: Second update finished, please vote for recommendations!