Chapter 14: Help!

The sun was already high in the sky when he woke naturally. Luo Man had arranged to meet in the afternoon, so Zhang Long hadn’t set an alarm. He knew he wouldn’t oversleep, and besides, he still hadn’t decided whether he would actually go. It wasn’t that Luo Man lacked beauty or charm; he simply hadn’t made up his mind about starting a new romance. Of course, if he was being presumptuous, so be it.

“Are we really going to do this?” Zhang Lizhen’s voice was tinged with worry. She knew this was a last resort, but if things escalated all the way to the client’s boss, there would be no turning back. Even if they managed to weather this crisis, their company probably wouldn’t get any work from that region again.

“I don’t want to either,” Zhan Yi sighed. “If we can’t attract investors and can’t collect the payments owed, the company is finished. We’ll have to sell the house to pay the debts. The baby’s almost due. We can’t just live on air.”

“Too honest for our own good,” Zhang Lizhen muttered in silence. The old saying goes, ‘the kind-hearted are easily bullied.’ Their family business was interior decoration, most orders outsourced, and making a living was hard. It was common for final payments to be delayed, but as long as the cash flow could be juggled, it worked out. However, juggling funds was like a cycle of online loans—fine if everything runs smoothly, but when a snag or crisis hits, the whole thing blows up. If they hadn’t tied up three million in the stock market, it could have kept the company afloat for a few more months. Several clients were delaying payments to varying degrees, totaling over ten million. The company couldn’t stop taking orders, and they couldn’t withhold wages from the construction team. Every project meant losing more, and the losses accumulated until the cash flow snapped a few months ago.

Being a boss wasn’t as glamorous as outsiders imagined. The pressure of bankruptcy was immense. Once you go under, it’s often impossible to rise again—a leap from a building to end it all. That’s why most of those who jump are bosses, while ordinary workers, as long as they don’t overspend, can weather storms. If they lose their job, they simply find another. It’s all relatively more stable.

Life is unpredictable; sausage wrapped in sausage.

“Where are you?” Luo Man messaged him on Q-chat.

“Almost there…” Zhang Long glanced at the time. He’d make it right on schedule. Usually, girls arrived ten minutes to half an hour late, but Luo Man wasn’t like that. Just as last time, she was early, which made things awkward.

“Hmph, you do love cutting it close.”

Five minutes later, Zhang Long arrived at the meeting spot, just a minute shy of half past two.

He coughed awkwardly and offered a sheepish grin, not bothering to argue.

Luo Man rolled her eyes, beautifully but without reproach. Instead, she waved the ticket package in her hand, “How about an afternoon at the amusement park, dinner afterward, and a movie to finish the day? I’m not shortchanging you, am I?”

“Uh, alright,” Zhang Long nodded under Luo Man’s sparkling gaze. Accepting the plan, they headed to the amusement park entrance to check their tickets. It wasn’t Disneyland—the crowds were too much on weekends, and the lines would take forever. A regular city park was better.

The place wasn’t as grand as Disneyland, but it had roller coasters, carousel, pendulum rides, and even a ferris wheel. You could eat, drink, and play all afternoon—perfect for couples. Of course, Zhang Long and Luo Man weren’t a couple, but friends could enjoy it just as much.

“Let’s start with something safe,” Luo Man suggested after they entered, casting a glance at Zhang Long. The thrilling rides would come later; they’d begin with the carousel. And so, under Luo Man’s somewhat practiced guidance, Zhang Long began an afternoon of eating, drinking, and playing.

In the lively atmosphere of the amusement park, it was easy for hidden passions to blossom, especially for those usually reserved—the experience became even more exhilarating.

Zhang Long couldn’t hold back. Help!

“Mr. Chen, they’re here.” The assistant knocked, and Chen Youwei gestured for them to enter. He rarely came to the office on weekends, but sometimes he had to deal with accumulated matters, like today’s visit from an exterior renovation company.

“Mr. Zhan, please, come in.”

Zhan Yi and Zhang Lizhen entered the office. Chen Youwei rose to greet them and led them to the sofa, pouring water and tea himself, surprisingly cordial. He didn’t leave it to the secretary.

“Mr. Chen, today—”

Before he could finish, Chen Youwei interrupted, “I know what you need, but the final payment wasn’t intentionally delayed by my company. If the home renovation didn’t meet standards, we have the right not to pay. I’m sure you understand—there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Zhang Lizhen stayed silent, her pregnant belly prominent. Matters outside were left to her husband.

“Mr. Chen,” Zhan Yi exhaled, “You could find fault with anything. What does it matter if there’s a problem or not? Even if some orders weren’t perfect, at least they met basic standards. Otherwise, why keep sending us work?”

“It was fine before—occasionally missing a payment wasn’t a big deal. But now, most payments are withheld. Isn’t that excessive? Do we really need to take this to court?”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t serious.”

Chen Youwei’s brows furrowed. “Mr. Zhan, I understand you, but you must respect the contract. Business is built on trust. Being unreasonable won’t help.”

“One must act with caution.”

Zhan Yi laughed, strangely. “Mr. Chen, my company’s cash flow has been broken by yours—we’re about to go bankrupt. Yet you, like Mr. Zhao in charge of home renovations, keep talking about conduct and business principles. Don’t you find it ridiculous?”

“My family is about to lose everything. My wife is heavily pregnant, and the child will have no security from birth.”

“If it were you, what would you do?”

“Hiss, hiss—” Zhang Long’s teeth chattered. He’d survived the roller coaster, but now found himself faltering on the slow-moving ferris wheel. His fear of heights hadn’t vanished with a change of soul after all.

As they rose higher and higher, an inexplicable terror enveloped his body and mind; he trembled and felt utterly embarrassed.

“Ha, haha…” Luo Man nearly burst out laughing, her bright face glowing with mischievous delight. “A six-foot-tall guy afraid of heights? You didn’t act like this on the roller coaster—oh, right, it was too fast for the fear to catch up.”

“Hold tight!”

With a shout, Luo Man startled Zhang Long. It was the first time she’d seen a guy scared of heights, shivering like a puppy, gripping the rail tightly.

“Stop it, don’t tease me,” Zhang Long’s heart quaked. Luo Man’s sudden exclamation nearly stopped it altogether. Too wicked—the prettier, the sneakier.

“Can you even fly on a plane?” Luo Man’s eyes sparkled as she suddenly thought of it. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been on one. If so, you’re doomed—trains and buses for life.”

“But…” Luo Man’s eyes curved in a grin, “With enough practice, you can overcome your fear. How about we come play every week and cure it?”

Ha, not a chance.

Though Zhang Long trembled inside and out, he never wanted to experience being surrounded by fear again.

This was truly embarrassing.

“Alright, just kidding,” Luo Man stopped teasing and sat down beside him, even leaning close. The fresh fragrance of her perfume drifted straight into Zhang Long’s nose.

In the heat of summer, at such close range, Zhang Long could almost feel Luo Man’s body warmth.

Along with the scent, his heart stirred.

“Hey, your face is pale…”

Zhang Long gripped the rail with both hands. Luo Man’s bright eyes seemed to study him closely, their faces less than half a foot apart. The atmosphere grew inexplicably charged.

PS: To avoid making the story too much about work, you can skim the emotional subplot if you don’t like it.

Forgive a bachelor of thirty years. Sigh.