Chapter 85: Training in the Customer Service Department

Yao Jia kept replaying Meng Xingzhe’s questioning remarks in her mind. It wasn’t until the third time that she realized what he was implying—

He believed that Meng Yutang and Yao Bingkun had known each other for a long time;

He thought Yao Bingkun had long been aware of his infiltration into the Kunyu Customer Service Department and knew that he was actually the owner of Xingbei Technology.

Yao Jia was stunned, so much so that she was almost bewildered.

In contrast, the questioned Meng Yutang, faced with his son’s accusatory questions, maintained a calm demeanor. He neither confirmed nor denied anything, appearing completely unconcerned, as if he were deliberately torturing them.

Amidst the confusion and accusations of the two younger people, he leisurely raised his arm to check his watch, murmuring, “It’s about time.”

Meng Xingzhe snatched his attention away from the watch. “What do you mean, ‘it’s about time’? Old Meng, stop dodging and answer my question!”

Meng Yutang lowered his arm, resting his hand on the sofa armrest, tapping his fingers leisurely. “Why is there still no movement?”

He was continuing his previous train of thought, completely ignoring his son, who was almost baring his teeth in frustration for the truth.

Yao Jia was equally confused, sitting on the sofa, wondering what kind of movement Meng Yutang was expecting.

The next moment, she heard the very movement that the smiling, inscrutable Uncle Meng seemed to have conjured—

The doorbell rang at the entrance.

On the coffee table in front of the sofa, Meng Xingzhe’s phone screen displayed the video doorbell’s feed.

Bei Luonan was pressed against the doorbell camera, his face distorted like a close-up photo, saying, “Xingxing, it’s me, open the door!”

Meng Xingzhe frowned and asked into the phone, “Why are you here all of a sudden?”

Bei Luonan was almost squeezing himself through the doorbell. “Hurry up and open the door, or the property management will think I’m crazy, talking to a broken door!”

Meng Xingzhe put down the phone, glared angrily at his father, and said, “Dad, don’t worry, I won’t forget this just because of a distraction. Once I deal with Bei Luonan, you still owe me a clear answer!”

He got up from the sofa and went to the entrance to open the door.

Yao Jia, sitting on the sofa, craned her neck to look back and saw Bei Luonan walking in from the doorway.

As soon as he entered, he started rummaging through Meng Xingzhe’s shoe cabinet for slippers.

Meng Xingzhe asked him irritably, “What’s up? Say what you need to say and leave. Why are you looking for slippers? Are you planning to stay for a while?”

Bei Luonan ignored him, not only finding slippers for himself but also taking out two pairs.

“?” Meng Xingzhe snapped at Bei Luonan, “Are you here to swipe slippers? Are you planning to wear one pair and take another with you?!”

Just as he finished snapping at Bei Luonan, his gaze shifted past Bei Luonan’s shoulder to the doorway, and his expression changed dramatically.

“Yao, President Yao?”

Meng Xingzhe looked at Yao Bingkun, who had suddenly appeared at his doorstep, and almost tripped over his words.

The next second, he snatched the other pair of slippers from Bei Luonan’s hands, pushed him into the living room to get him out of the way, and personally handed the slippers to Yao Bingkun.

As Yao Bingkun changed into the slippers and walked into the living room, Yao Jia jumped up from the sofa, her eyes wide with shock, exclaiming, “Dad?!”

She felt that her shout of “Dad” was just as shocked as when Meng Xingzhe saw his father suddenly appear.

She looked wide-eyed from Yao Bingkun to Meng Yutang. She now believed Meng Xingzhe’s suspicions were correct; these two must know each other!

For a moment, she felt like she understood the truth, yet she was even more confused.

She turned to look at Meng Xingzhe, who was just as bewildered, trying to maintain his composure to keep up appearances.

As Yao Bingkun approached the sofa, Meng Yutang, sitting there, greeted him with a cheerful smile, “Old Yao, come, sit next to me.” He patted the sofa beside him.

Yao Bingkun sat down on the single sofa next to him.

Meng Yutang looked at the three young people, each with different expressions, and beckoned them, “Come on, Nan Nan, sit across from Uncle Meng. Xiao Yaojia, you too. Come, son, come meet your Uncle Yao!”

Yao Jia thought, “Uncle Yao… what a down-to-earth way to address him.”

Yao Bingkun spoke, his voice deep and steady, “Better to call me Uncle.”

Meng Xingzhe, suppressing his confusion and uncertainty, returned to his original seat.

Now, he and Yao Jia sat on the long sofa, with Meng Yutang and Yao Bingkun each on a single sofa. Bei Luonan sat across from them.

It seemed like the five people in the room were about to uncover a big secret.

Meng Xingzhe suddenly remembered something and pointed at Bei Luonan, asking, “How did you end up coming with Uncle Yao?”

Bei Luonan glanced at Meng Yutang, and only after Meng Yutang nodded did he truthfully answer Meng Xingzhe, “Uncle Meng asked me to bring President Yao here.”

Meng Xingzhe turned to look at Meng Yutang, “Old Meng, since when did you become so close with my partner? Why does he have to look at you before speaking to me?”

Meng Yutang smiled innocently, “My private connection with Nan Nan goes way back. Otherwise, how would I know everything about you?”

“???” Meng Xingzhe was in disbelief.

He turned to glare at Bei Luonan, as if looking at a traitor.

Bei Luonan, feeling the intense glare, found an excuse to get up, “I’ll go boil some water and make tea for everyone!” He quickly ran off.

Meng Yutang continued to provoke Meng Xingzhe, “Don’t worry, Nan Nan, Uncle Meng will protect you! Son, let me tell you, my private friendship with Nan Nan is something you’d be envious of!”

Meng Xingzhe was so provoked that he slapped the coffee table, “Are you two plotting something behind my back?!”

Yao Jia watched Meng Yutang provoke his own son with wide-eyed amazement. This was the first time she’d seen such a father.

Meng Yutang suddenly smiled, like a handsome Maitreya Buddha, and said to Meng Xingzhe, “Son, you just asked me those two questions. Let me give you the answers now.”

He immediately took control of the conversation, making Meng Xingzhe skip over the topic of the two of them hiding something from him.

…Yao Jia thought this Uncle Meng was quite formidable.

She glanced at her own father, who remained expressionless, revealing nothing.

She heard Meng Yutang answering Meng Xingzhe’s questions,

“Yes, your Uncle Yao and I have known each other for a long time.”

“That’s right, when you first started working at the Kunyu Electric Customer Service Department, your Uncle Yao already knew who you were.”

Yao Jia let out a soft “Ah!”

Meng Xingzhe looked at his father, taking a deep breath to suppress his emotions and not disrespect his father.

“I think you owe me an explanation!” he said, biting his molars, his voice full of grievance.

Meng Yutang appeared easygoing and good-natured, smiling as he asked Meng Xingzhe which matter he wanted to understand first.

Meng Xingzhe’s usual imposing demeanor was now completely shattered. Provoked by his father, he seemed like a bullied child, his face dark as he asked, “How did you and Uncle Yao meet?”

Yao Jia nodded along. She was also eager to know.

Meng Yutang, still smiling, turned to Yao Bingkun, “Hey, Old Yao, why don’t you tell the kids how we met?”

Yao Bingkun glanced at him but remained silent.

Meng Yutang teased him, “Is it because you can’t open your mouth due to the embarrassing things you did when you were young?”

Yao Bingkun shot him another look, saying nothing, but his body leaned away from Meng Yutang in disdain.

…Yao Jia realized that Meng Yutang not only had the ability to provoke her son but also her father.

Meng Yutang turned his head back, addressing both Meng Xingzhe and Yao Jia, “Do you remember how Old Yao and I met? Yao Jia, do you recall what I said about your dad’s embarrassing habit when he was young?”

Yao Jia immediately replied, “He loved to make sworn brothers with everyone!”

Yao Bingkun coughed authoritatively from the side.

Meng Yutang called out to Bei Luonan, “Nannan, come, serve tea to your Uncle Yao!”

Bei Luonan hurriedly brought the tea, serving a cup to each person.

Meng Yutang said to Yao Bingkun, “Come on, Old Yao, have some water to soothe your throat. Stop making those weird noises to scare the kids.”

Yao Bingkun glanced at him again.

Yao Jia felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.

Meng Yutang continued to Yao Jia, “That’s right, back then your dad loved making sworn brothers. Not only did he become brothers with Qiu Lishi, but he also did with me.”

Yao Jia asked in surprise, “So, are you also sworn brothers with Qiu Lishi?”

Meng Yutang quickly denied, “No, no, no! Your dad and I became sworn brothers first. Later, he insisted on becoming brothers with Qiu Lishi and wanted to drag me along. But I found Qiu Lishi too annoying, so I let your dad go ahead on his own.”

Yao Jia sorted out the relationships, “So, the three of you each became sworn brothers with two others?”

Meng Yutang nodded.

Yao Jia thought, weren’t the older generation just as childish in their youth? It’s no different from eight people in a dorm creating seven different chat groups nowadays.

Suddenly, Meng Xingzhe asked, “Old Meng, why did you find Qiu Lishi annoying? Was he doing all those annoying little things even back then?”

Meng Yutang let out a cold laugh, “He tried to woo your mom. Even though your mom and I weren’t married yet, we were already in a relationship.”

Yao Jia almost popped her eyes out. Bei Luonan spat out her tea.

Meng Xingzhe’s face turned cold, “That’s not annoying; that’s despicable!”

Meng Yutang said, “Exactly. Because of Qiu Lishi, Old Yao and I drifted apart.”

Yao Jia couldn’t help but let out a soft “ah!” again, feeling a sense of regret for the faded brotherhood.

Meng Yutang looked at Yao Jia and smiled, comforting her, “Don’t worry, Xiao Yaojia. Haven’t your dad and I patched things up?”

He raised his tea, not drinking it immediately, and nudged Yao Bingkun with his elbow, “Come on, Old Yao, let’s toast to our mended friendship!”

Yao Bingkun frowned, reluctantly raising his tea to clink cups with Meng Yutang.

Yao Jia thought Meng Yutang was truly amusing, even turning a tea-drinking session into a ceremonial event.

Meng Yutang took a sip of tea, moistening his throat, then continued to speak to Yao Jia, “In the past couple of years, your dad gradually realized something was off with Qiu Lishi. You know, when two people can gossip about someone else together, they can develop a deep friendship. Your dad and I rekindled our friendship by talking about Qiu Lishi’s faults, and it’s even stronger than before.” Meng Yutang added, “Of course, the bad things we said about Qiu Lishi are all true, based on the disgraceful things he’s done.”

Meng Xingzhe seized the opportunity to interject, gritting his teeth, “Old Meng, forget about Qiu Lishi for now. Talk about my issues!”

“Oh, your issues.”

Meng Yutang chuckled, then turned serious.

His voice became solemn, even a bit grave, “I’ve noticed that as you’ve grown, your flaws have increased. Of course, part of it is because of your mom and me. We believed life is short and just let you do whatever you wanted, which resulted in you developing a lot of bad habits. By the time we realized it, you had become selfish, self-centered, pampered, indulgent, unable to endure hardship, never helping others, and arrogant. You even act like a hands-off boss in your own company. It’s a wonder you can manage a company like that! Forget about managing a company; with your personality, it’s a wonder anyone can tolerate you! Your mom and I thought, what would happen when we’re gone, and Bei Luonan has her own family? Who would look after you and accommodate you? You’d end up a lonely, annoying person.”

The conversation suddenly turned heavy. Yao Jia was affected by Meng Yutang’s words, quietly reflecting on her initial impression of Meng Xingzhe.

Indeed, he was full of those flaws. He was truly annoying.

“Fortunately, I realized in time that if you weren’t tempered, both you and your life might be ruined. So, I spoke with Yao Jia’s dad and asked Bei Luonan to help me figure out a way to get you into Kunyu Electric’s Customer Service Department. The Customer Service Department is the toughest place to work, where you can’t act on your whims, and it really tests your character and willpower. It’s the best place to grind away your flaws. At the same time, it connects with all departments, allowing you to gain experience to help manage your company better.”

As Meng Yutang spoke, Yao Bingkun chimed in, telling Meng Xingzhe, “When you submitted your resume, wasn’t the Customer Service Department the only one hiring? How could a company as big as Kunyu only have one department hiring? That day, I had Assistant Hou remove the recruitment notices from other departments, leaving only the Customer Service Department.”

Yao Jia turned to look at Meng Xingzhe. His eyes flickered with surprise and realization.

“So,” Meng Yutang spoke again, a smile returning to his face, “Son, you’re right. Your Uncle Yao knew who you were from the start. Not only that, he knew I wanted to temper my son, so he thought he might as well temper his daughter too.”

Meng Yutang looked at Yao Jia and said, “Then your dad deliberately had a big fight with you, using reverse psychology to get you into the Customer Service Department too!”

Yao Jia was dumbfounded. She couldn’t count how many times she had been surprised today.

She felt like she was part of the drama she was witnessing.

Turning her head, she and Meng Xingzhe exchanged glances.

She saw that the anger in Meng Xingzhe’s eyes had dissipated.

He was feeling the earnest intentions of his father.

She felt the same.

She heard Meng Yutang sigh softly to Meng Xingzhe, “Son, I now feel that my decision was absolutely right. Your time in Kunyu Electric’s Customer Service Department has really changed you for the better. I’m very pleased!”

Yao Jia saw a change in Meng Xingzhe’s expression.

She turned to look at her own father.

Yao Bingkun nodded at her, “Xiao Jia, you too. You’ve grown through your experience in the Customer Service Department.”

After a pause, Yao Bingkun actually smiled at her. The smile was still unfamiliar on his face, but it made the affection he exuded at that moment even more sincere, “You’re amazing. I’m proud of you.”

Hearing this affirmation, Yao Jia’s eyes suddenly welled up with warmth.

— Translator’s Notes —

• Maitreya Buddha: Maitreya is the future Buddha in Buddhist tradition, often depicted in Chinese art as a joyful, plump, and smiling figure symbolizing happiness and benevolence, contrasting with the more austere image of Shakyamuni Buddha.