It will be useful later

Jiang Ke's lips moved, forming an almost soundless shape.

"Mr... Mr. Chen..."

Chen Zhi mouthed back.

"Your dad?"

Jiang Ke was on the verge of tears, nodding frantically.

"Young man!" Jiang Ke's dad was still pulling his arm. "Don't go! You were absolutely right just now! Let's go find that black-hearted boss together and demand an explanation!"

Chen Zhi looked at the enthusiastic face of the middle-aged man, thinking to himself, I am that black-hearted boss.

"Uncle, well..." Chen Zhi coughed dryly, trying to step back. "I suddenly remembered, I haven't turned off the gas stove at home—"

"The gas stove can wait! Justice is more important!" The Old geezer grabbed him tightly. "Let's go! We're going upstairs! Today we must bring this black-hearted capitalist to justice!"

Jiang Ke rushed over and pried her dad's hand away.

"Dad! Let go!"

"You know this young man?" The Old geezer looked Chen Zhi up and down. "He's your colleague, right? Look how energetic this young man is, he's a good person!"

Chen Zhi and Jiang Ke both fell silent.

A good person.

A really good person.

Couldn't be better.

"Dad, I'm begging you, come with me." Jiang Ke whispered into her dad's ear. "If you don't leave now, I'm really done for."

"What do you mean done for?" The Old geezer rolled up his sleeves, spit flying everywhere. "Your dad is here today to back you up! Tell me the truth, what does that black-hearted boss look like? Is he tall? Is he strong? Even though your dad is getting old, beating up an IT guy is still no problem!"

Chen Zhi's eyelids twitched wildly, and he silently took another step back.

Wait, you make it sound like all IT guys are weaklings who can't even lift a finger.

The crowd around them was growing larger and larger. Many people held their phones up high, and some had even started live streaming.

Chen Zhi's brain spun rapidly for three seconds, and he made a decision.

He stepped forward and patted the Old geezer on the shoulder.

"Uncle, let's not talk here. There are too many people around, it might cause a bad impression." Chen Zhi lowered his voice, looking entirely righteous. "Come upstairs with me, I'll take you to find that boss and confront him face to face, how about that?"

The Old geezer's eyes widened, his face full of pleasant surprise. "You can take me up?"

"I can." Chen Zhi patted his chest. "I have friends in this building, taking you up is not a problem. I'm definitely getting involved in this matter today!"

The Old geezer was overjoyed and slapped his thigh. "You're a loyal young man! Let's go, let's go!"

Jiang Ke, listening from the side, was scared out of her wits. She grabbed Chen Zhi's hem tightly, her voice trembling. "Mr. Chen, what are you doing?"

Chen Zhi turned his head, also keeping his voice low so only the two of them could hear.

"Your dad is making a scene out here. The bigger it gets, do you think you can still stay in the company?"

Jiang Ke's face instantly turned whiter than paper.

"Come upstairs with me, we'll solve this in the office." Chen Zhi patted the back of her hand. "Don't worry, even though your boss exploits his employees, he has a kind heart. He won't do anything to you."

Jiang Ke's lips trembled. Completely losing her ability to think, she could only follow behind like a puppet.

The three of them squeezed out of the crowd and took the elevator up to the twentieth floor.

In the elevator, the Old geezer was still endlessly cursing the black-hearted boss. Chen Zhi chimed in from time to time with "Exactly" and "That's too much," making Jiang Ke next to them shiver, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

"Ding—"

The twentieth floor had arrived.

The moment the elevator doors opened, the receptionist girl, who was filing her nails, looked up and saw Chen Zhi walking out. She instinctively stood up straight.

"Mr. Chen—"

Chen Zhi quickly made a "shush" gesture, blinking his eyes frantically.

The receptionist girl was quite sharp. She forcefully swallowed the words "Hello, Mr. Chen" and said, "Welcome."

The Old geezer looked around, full of praise for the floor's decoration.

"Didn't they say it was a black-hearted company? The decoration is quite exquisite. They must have used my daughter's hard-earned money! Even the receptionist is so polite!"

Chen Zhi led them inside without changing his expression.

Passing by the technical department, Dai Damai happened to come out to get water, holding a mug printed with an anime girl.

Looking up, he saw Chen Zhi leading two people. One was the new intern from the administrative department, and the other was an old man in a worn-out jacket.

Dai Damai froze for a moment and had just opened his mouth to greet him.

Chen Zhi grimaced and winked at him, meaning "Don't say a word, get lost."

Dai Damai was completely confused, but based on the principle of not meddling in other people's business, he inexplicably pulled his head back.

Small conference room.

Chen Zhi closed the door, pulled out a chair, and first invited the Old geezer to sit down.

"Uncle, have some water first." Chen Zhi personally got a cup of warm water from the dispenser and handed it over.

The Old geezer took the paper cup, deeply moved. "Young man, you are so nice. Unlike my daughter's black-hearted boss, who is simply not human."

Chen Zhi smiled and pulled out the chair opposite him to sit down.

He spun the disposable paper cup on the table, looked up, and quietly stared at Jiang Ke's father.

"Uncle, let me introduce myself first."

The Old geezer drank his water and casually replied, "Go ahead."

"My name is Chen Zhi."

The Old geezer nodded. "Good name."

"CEO of Deep Space Technology."

The Old geezer's nodding motion instantly stopped.

He slowly raised his head, looking at the completely harmless-looking young man sitting across from him.

Chen Zhi gave him a practically perfect smile.

"I'm the one you were talking about downstairs, the black-hearted boss whose heart is rotting with pus."

"You, you, you..."

Jiang Ke stood by the door, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

"It's me." Chen Zhi calmly pulled a tissue to wipe the table. "I set the three-thousand-yuan monthly salary, and I arranged for her to serve tea and pour water. But I don't remember anything about sweeping the floor, and scrubbing toilets definitely never happened. Uncle, you made that last part up yourself, didn't you?"

The Old geezer's face instantly flushed the color of pig liver.

Chen Zhi leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

"Uncle, did your daughter know in advance that you were coming down to my company building to make this scene today?"

The Old geezer opened his mouth twice but still couldn't make a sound.

Chen Zhi turned to look at Jiang Ke.

Jiang Ke shook her head desperately, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mr. Chen, I didn't know, I really didn't know he was coming, I..."

"I know you didn't arrange this." Chen Zhi interrupted her mercilessly.

Jiang Ke bit her lip and lowered her head.

Chen Zhi looked back at the Old geezer. His tone lost its earlier playfulness and became highly oppressive.

"Uncle, let me speak to you straight from the heart."

The Old geezer's arrogant attitude from downstairs had completely withered. Sitting across from Chen Zhi, he felt a guilty conscience, much like a student called into the head teacher's office for a scolding.

"Your daughter was able to join Deep Space Technology because she pulled some strings. Did she ever tell you that?"

The Old geezer froze for a moment and secretly glanced at Jiang Ke.

Jiang Ke didn't dare to look up.

"A monthly salary of three thousand yuan really isn't considered high for an intern. But sir, do you know how many students from Tsinghua and Peking University are lining up outside for an internship at Deep Space Tech? Your daughter is just a college freshman with no professional background whatsoever. Letting her in was already an exception I made out of respect for someone else."

The Old geezer's mouth twitched twice, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

"If I were a bit more petty about the scene you made downstairs today, I would have had security throw you out and fired your daughter on the spot. She wouldn't be able to make a living in Beijing's internet circles for the rest of her life. Having 'Deep Space Tech' on a resume followed by getting fired—go ask around, what company would dare to hire her then?"

The Old geezer's face finally changed completely.

"I, I didn't mean... I just thought three thousand was too little..." he stammered, trying to defend himself.

"Too little?" Chen Zhi tapped his finger heavily on the desk twice. "This three thousand yuan is enough for your daughter to eat and buy clothes at school, right? If it's not enough, how much are you siphoning from her card every month?"

Jiang Ke suddenly looked up, staring at Chen Zhi in disbelief.

She had never told anyone about this, not even Li Zhiyi.

How on earth did this man know?!

Chen Zhi didn't explain. He stood up, walked to the window, and with his back to the two of them, glanced down at the heavy traffic below.

"Sir, let me make myself perfectly clear."

"First, if your daughter works hard here, I won't mistreat her. Once her skills improve, her salary will naturally increase."

"Second, don't come to the company anymore. Every time you come here and make a scene, she loses face in front of her colleagues. How is she supposed to hold her head high after that?"

"Third—"

Chen Zhi turned around, his sharp gaze fixed on the Old geezer.

"If you are truly short of money and struggling to make ends meet, I can personally lend you a sum, but on one condition."

The Old geezer instinctively swallowed hard. A flash of greed crossed his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by Chen Zhi's imposing aura.

"From now on, you are not allowed to touch your daughter's payroll card. Not a single cent."

The Old geezer's expression shifted several times before he finally lowered his head, remaining silent for a long while.

Ten minutes later, Chen Zhi had the receptionist call a ride-hailing car and personally escorted the Old geezer downstairs.

When leaving, the Old geezer didn't say any more tough words. Right before getting into the car, he looked back at Chen Zhi with a complex expression—a mix of embarrassment and a guilty conscience.

The car drove away.

Chen Zhi turned around and looked at Jiang Ke, who was standing motionless in the lobby.

"Alright, don't just stand there." Chen Zhi pulled an unopened packet of tissues from his pocket and tossed it to her. "Go back and get to work."

"Mr. Chen... thank you."

Chen Zhi was already walking towards the elevators, not even turning his head, his capitalist true colors fully exposed. "If you really want to thank me, then finish your work. It's almost the end of the month, and the whole company's attendance records haven't been reconciled yet. If you don't finish them today, I'm docking your performance bonus. There will naturally be places where I can use you in the future."

Although Jiang Ke didn't know where she could be of use, she broke into a smile through her tears and bowed deeply. "Understood, Mr. Chen!"

Having dealt with this mess, Chen Zhi rubbed his sore neck and pushed open the door to his office.

What a day. First, he had to match wits with his father-in-law; then he came back to deal with an employee's family making a scene, forcing him to play the role of a neighborhood committee busybody.