Era of Mist

"My reasoning is simple. I firmly believe that no effort is ever wasted."

Shi Tiexin stared at the palm of his hand. "I was born at the bottom. I had no one to help me, and many opportunities were probably closed off to me. But I won’t give up. I’ll keep working hard. In my entire lifetime, my cultivation might never reach any astounding level, but I will always push myself to my absolute limit. I will always get further ahead than others in the same situation."

"The reason I have the opportunity to be here today, speaking so frankly with President Liu, is precisely because, as you said, I’m a ruthless character. I am the victor of the competition at the Orphanage. I pushed myself to the absolute peak of what was possible there."

"But the peak of the Orphanage is not my personal peak. As long as I don’t give up, I will continue to climb. From a temporary worker to a full-time employee—it isn’t a huge leap, but it’s still progress."

The light glinted brighter and brighter off Si Chongtian’s glasses, and Shi Tiexin was becoming more impassioned as well.

He suddenly clenched his open hand into a tight fist. "My generation—I will stand at the forefront of my peers. My children’s generation will have a higher starting point. They will have a father, a mother, a family, guidance, protection, and support.

"Then, he will continue to work hard, to strive. He will start from a position far beyond mine and stand at the forefront of his own generation!"

"Generation after generation, each one striving, each one pushing to their absolute limit! After three generations, five generations, I refuse to believe that my Shi Family will never have its day!"

"I refuse to believe that I, and my descendants, will be suffocated forever!"

By the end, Shi Tiexin was still able to control his emotions, but Si Chongtian suddenly leaped to his feet and roared, "Well said! Big Brother, that was perfectly put! That’s exactly how it should be!"

Neither of them was being quiet, but Shi Tiexin keenly sensed that the assistant who came with Liu Qigang seemed to be using some kind of unknown mind art. As a result, not a single one of the many workers eating in the cafeteria turned to look their way.

It was as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP. A sudden round of applause echoed in his ears. Shi Tiexin turned his head and saw, to his surprise, that Liu Qigang was clapping slowly.

But Liu Qigang wasn’t looking at Shi Tiexin. He was looking at Si Chongtian. It seemed Shi Tiexin still wasn’t worthy of his attention. "Chongtian, my boy, he speaks well, but his ideals are too naive. Because his next generation might not be able to struggle and work as hard as he does."

"Kids are all different, and they can be real pains in the ass. Just when you’re full of hope, expecting them to keep growing, they start comparing themselves to others. They might even blame you, blame their own father for not giving them more. Even if you give them more than enough, they’ll just waste it on pleasure, defy everyone, bicker and fight, and pick up all sorts of bad habits. One wrong move, and they can destroy everything you’ve built."

Si Chongtian fell silent. He knew plenty of spoiled, second-generation brats just like that.

Liu Qigang looked at Si Chongtian with a hint of sentimentality and expectation. "Do you understand now? You bear a great responsibility. You aren’t just striving for yourself. You’re striving for the sake of your ancestors’ sacrifices and for the well-being of your descendants."

"The hard work of the previous generation cannot be squandered. That is why the Si Family needs a driven heir. To be precise, every family needs a driven heir."

"If you aren’t driven, you will fall from the clouds to the very bottom, and your life will be miserable beyond words. By the time you decide to get serious and fight back, it’ll be too late. In this world, no one gets a second chance. There’s no turning back."

"But if you are driven, if you persevere, if you work hard, you will have more than enough drive to sharpen your edge. You will forever be the heir, the developer, and the pioneer of the Si Family. One day, you too will be the pillar of the Si Family. You too will think as your father does today, sending your own child to the bottom to see how the lowlifes live, hoping he will become as ambitious and driven as you."

"My boy, I actually envy your father. You’re a promising one. Not like those worthless fools in my family. All they know is how to enjoy themselves, cultivating all sorts of useless nonsense."

Liu Qigang’s expression softened as he began to chat casually.

But he didn’t spare Shi Tiexin a single glance.

His dismissive attitude remained unchanged.

"Oh, oh, so Uncle Liu, you were trying to guide me, to help build up my mental fortitude! Thank you, Uncle Liu—huh? Wait? No, that’s not right!" Si Chongtian slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering something. He stared at Liu Qigang with wide eyes. "Come to think of it, Uncle Liu, you’ve just been tearing me down this whole time! The one who actually inspired me was Brother Shi!"

Si Chongtian grabbed Shi Tiexin’s hand and shook it vigorously, looking deeply grateful. "Big Brother, thank you! If it weren’t for you, my morale would have completely collapsed!"

Before Shi Tiexin could reply, Si Chongtian turned back to Liu Qigang. "Uncle Liu, speaking of which, Brother Shi was the one who really helped out. We’re both under your management now, so I’ll be shameless and speak up on his behalf—what kind of reward do you think you should give Brother Shi?"

A glint flashed in Shi Tiexin’s eyes.

’So that’s what it was. I was wondering why the young master was winking at me. He was trying to get me a reward! This young master is surprisingly righteous. He might be a rich kid, but he’s a decent guy.’

’I only interjected with a few words out of righteous indignation. Would I really get a reward for that?’

Shi Tiexin guessed not.

Because Liu Qigang’s expression was as cold as ever.

Just as he thought, Liu Qigang didn’t budge. "A reward? I’ve already given it."

"What do you mean!" Si Chongtian protested on his behalf. "Uncle Liu, you can’t be this stingy!"

"My boy, it seems you still don’t understand. For a lowlife like him, many of the things we know as a matter of course are things he would never have access to. Just being able to sit here and listen to our conversation is already a huge gain for him. So not only have I given the reward, I’ve overpaid. I’m the one at a loss here." Liu Qigang waved his hand at his assistant, who immediately understood and gestured for Shi Tiexin to leave.

It seemed he was no longer allowed to listen in.

Shi Tiexin stood up. He looked deeply at Liu Qigang, the man who had repeatedly called him a lowlife, and said slowly, "President Liu, I will take my leave."

Si Chongtian stared at Shi Tiexin in disbelief. "Brother Shi, he said all that about you, and you’re still going to formally take your leave?"

"The company policy handbook states how one should speak and act when meeting with managerial-level leadership. It’s written very clearly that you must say this when departing. If I don’t, it’s a violation of the rules, and the company can dock my pay." Shi Tiexin looked at Si Chongtian and gave a slight smile. "I carry a heavy burden. I have no choice."

"Heh!" Liu Qigang suddenly let out a cold, humorless laugh. "How clever. Leaving me with nothing to hold against you. I was thinking of using this as a pretext to fire you, but now I don’t have a legitimate reason."

Si Chongtian glared at Liu Qigang. "Why were you thinking of firing him?"

"Because, as I just said, I took a loss. I don’t like taking losses. Not ever."

Si Chongtian felt his worldview shattering all over again. The upper class had this much power over the lower class? They could cut off a person’s future, sever their path to survival, based on nothing more than their own whims.

He was stunned into silence, but Shi Tiexin suddenly interjected, "President Liu, I have observed all proper etiquette. So, what I say next shouldn’t be a violation of any rules, right?"

"You may speak." Liu Qigang seemed slightly interested. "But I’m the one who decides what is and isn’t a violation. If you dare to offend me, I’ll still smash your head in."