While Tang Dafa was all smiles, Su Yang frowned as he curled his hands into fists tightly.
Truth be told, he did not believe a word Tang Dafa said.
If Su Yang had not seen Tang Jing's luxurious car and villa or receive a thick red envelope from her, which contained a whopping 10,000 yuan inside, maybe Su Yang would have believed Tang Dafa.
However, he saw the luxurious car and villa and accepted the 10,000 yuan gift. Therefore, he did not believe that Tang Dafa would only charge Tang Jing 600 yuan per fortune-telling session. 600 yuan was like the price of a meal to people like Tang Jing. Besides that, Su Yang had helped find her daughter, so how could she only pay 600 yuan for it?
Unfortunately, it was all a guess and Su Yang did not have any evidence to prove it, so all he could do was force a smile on his face in agreement. "I see…"
Tang Dafa was a smart and cunning man. As if he did not notice Su Yang's suppressed anger, the man did not even reveal a change of emotion on his face. His face was as sincere and as kind as ever. "300 yuan isn't a small amount, am I right? Besides, we shouldn't focus on the present. We must look into the future since we might be able to collaborate even more."
If Su Yang had not been sure about Tang Dafa cheating his money before, he was certain now. He suppressed his emotions and asked, "Little Boss Tang, what's the plan for our future collaboration?"
Tang Dafa laughed and showed off his shining gold teeth again, resembling someone with an evil plan. "We'll discuss this later since I practically can get any kind of business. I'm a fair person. I don't dare to assure you anything else, but I can tell you one thing: as long as I have a pie on my table, you will be able to have a slice.
"Of course, if you wanted to join us as a single entity, that's also possible. It's not much, only a million as the base fund, and if you have the money, we will be working partners."
Because Tang Dafa did not show any disdain in his words, he did not sound like he was mocking Su Yang. Instead, he sounded even more sincere than before.
However, Su Yang felt chills from what the man said. Tang Dafa was practically telling him that the two of them were not on the same level. If Su Yang wanted to follow him and earn some extra money, he would have to be willing to take the smaller share. On the other hand, if Su Yang wanted to have a fair working relationship, he would have to bring his own chips to the table.
On second thought, it was actually how society worked nowadays. Without money or power, one could only work for other people, earning scraps after a whole month of hard work. The value that one created would be taken away by the company or the boss.
On top of that, one must pray to not get fired for whatever reasons while hoping to get paid on time every month.
However, if one was rich or had the power, one could propose a fair working relationship. Power could bring wealth, and wealth would then multiply by using other people's time or even life.
All Tang Dafa did was show Su Yang the cruel rules of the society in its raw and bloody state, indirectly telling him, 'Make a choice, young man.'
Su Yang's hands that were holding the red envelope somehow relaxed, and so did the look on his face as he gawked at Tang Dafa and said, "A million? I was expecting something else. If I can earn a million, why would I want to join you? Are you or your people even worthy enough?"
After that, he shoved the red envelope with 300 yuan into his pocket and walked out of Tang Dafa's office without looking back.
The office door slowly closed as he walked out, leaving the altar of the Five Paths Fortune Gods behind him. He looked up and saw the sculpture of a golden koi fish.
'The koi fish leaping over the dragon gate?'
A million was not a huge amount. With the system in his possession, if he could not earn a million, he would not be qualified to change his life altogether. He would be no different than a salted fish!
'Let's see whether I can earn a million!'
It was not to slap Tang Dafa in the face or prove himself to the man. Su Yang just wanted to test out whether he was capable of doing so or not.
Following his strong determination, a beep from the system sounded in his head. It had been a while!
[Triggered Silver Mission: First bucket of gold]
Su Yang tapped on it and realized that this was probably the most detailed mission from the system.
[Silver Mission: First bucket of gold]
[Mission objective: Earn your first million]
[Mission duration: Six months]
[Mission remark: The greatest thing about this era is its uncertainty. No one knows where or who the miracle will happen to! This Silver Mission is a branch of the Road To Zenith mission series. Please approach it carefully]
'Silver Mission, the Road To Zenith…'
After he walked out of Dafa Gold Shop, Su Yang looked up at the blue Shanghai sky.
All the young ones thought they had missed out on the best era to live in. They missed the period of reformation and liberalization as well as the birth of the internet and the mobile network. They always fantasized about being born in that period and dreamed about how rich or how powerful they would become.
However, the modern era was expanding at a speed that surpassed the human imagination. They might be standing on the tip of the next trend without even knowing.
Maybe in five or ten years, one would realize that one was actually standing on the crest of the wave of revolution.
The current industry was already broken and worn down. While the giants of the internet formed their own territories and drew clear lines around them to fend off competition, maybe the future leaders were clasping their hands together for a challenge, and perhaps the new ruler of the future was quietly rising to power. Who knew anything about the future?
Su Yang turned his gaze away.
'Why can't I become the new favorite of the era? Everything starts with my first million!'
…
Back at Dafa Gold Shop, Tang Dafa was in deep thought at his desk. The salesperson poured him a glass of water and casually commented, "Boss, you seem to care about that university student a lot."
Tang Dafa was interrupted but he was not vexed. Instead, he smiled and showed off his signature golden teeth and eyes that curled into slits. "Not exactly. At first, I thought the young man is some kid from some wealthy family or some powerful officers of Shanghai since Jiang Yan recommended him to me. After all, we are living in Shanghai and the waters are so deep here that even a dragon might drown. That's why I sent you to test him.
"Unfortunately, you didn't find out the depth of his background, so I treated him as a potential client. But when he asked me about my fortune-telling business, he scared me a little. So, I called Jiang Yan to look him up and realized that he's just a normal university student.
"However, I liked how smart he is, so I tried to knock him up. I wanted to see whether I can keep him around and work for me, but as you can see, he didn't appreciate the offer. It's understandable. He's a young man after all and he hasn't experienced the harsh beating of society. After he graduates and hustles around for a few years, he'll realize that he just gave up on a golden opportunity."
"Aren't you disappointed? You did lose someone capable," the salesperson said softly.
"Haha! Why should I? This is Shanghai! You throw a brick out on the street and you might kill 800 capable young men and women. There are countless young and capable people hustling in this city every year, but how many of them can really stand on their feet in the end? Cut one off and ten will replace him," Tang Dafa scoffed at what the salesperson said.
The two of them were obviously more than merely employer and employee. The salesperson leaned her body against Tang Dafa and whispered, "Aren't you afraid that he might really be someone with a background?"
Tang Dafa picked up his cup of tea for a sip. "Commoners might believe that one might get so wealthy that the wealth can rival the counterparty or the powerful officers in the government, whose family tends to lay a low profile, but only people like us know that the capable ones will never stay low and those who keep a low profile will never be capable. Those who hide in the shadows will never grasp true power.
"The real nobles and powerful families will always stand in the public eye. You can look at them, be jealous of them, love them, or hate them, but whatever you do, they won't be afraid because they are the dragons among the people. A single word from them can call upon the rain or summon the wind. Many people will follow them and they will stir up a storm just like Jiang Yan's grandaunt.
"As for that student boy, I'm willing to bet a hundred yuan that he will never earn a million in his life! Hahaha!" Tang Dafa guffawed.
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