From Wage Slave to Tycoon novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Heavy Fruit on a Slender Branch, Delicious and Cools the Fire

By the time Su Chen got to the station, it was already past eleven. It was the peak of the delivery rush, so the station was nearly empty.

As he walked in, he saw the manager, Yang Wei, busy at his computer.

"Brother Wei~ I’m here!"

Su Chen plopped down right beside Yang Wei, bumping him so hard he staggered.

"Good heavens, what are you playing at today! Do you have any idea what time it is!" Yang Wei shot Su Chen an irritated glance.

But when he got a clear look at Su Chen’s athletic wear, a flicker of astonishment crossed his face. After all, Su Chen was known at the station as "Desperate Dan," a guy who almost never took a day off... all for the sake of the three-hundred-yuan perfect attendance bonus.

’What in the world... Did the sun rise in the west today?’

Yang Wei didn’t dwell on it, though. He looked at Su Chen, still annoyed. "What’s with the getup? You’re not planning on working today?"

At his words, Su Chen’s playful expression vanished. He looked at Yang Wei seriously and said, "Brother Wei, I’m here to quit."

Su Chen was genuinely grateful to Yang Wei from the bottom of his heart. If not for him, Su Chen had no idea which factory he’d be stuck in, tightening screws on an assembly line.

When he was first looking for a job, he’d run into Yang Wei, who was hiring at the time. After chatting for a bit, they discovered they were both from the Sichuan-Chongqing region, which created an instant bond between them.

And just like that, Su Chen started working as a delivery driver under Yang Wei.

Yang Wei took great care of Su Chen. Knowing that Su Chen had just left home to work and lacked real-world experience, Yang Wei, acting as a big brother, naturally lent a helping hand.

He helped Su Chen find a cheap place to live and personally guided him at work, teaching him all the tricks and tips of the delivery trade.

Thanks to Yang Wei’s personal mentorship, Su Chen quickly found his footing at the station.

Hearing Su Chen say he wanted to quit, Yang Wei thought he was joking. He reached out to feel Su Chen’s forehead and teased, "You’re not running a fever. What’s all this nonsense?"

"Brother Wei, I’m serious. I’m not kidding!"

"For real?" Yang Wei looked at Su Chen, confused. Just yesterday, the two of them had been chatting, and Su Chen had been cockily declaring his intention to be the top driver of the month. What could have possibly changed overnight?

"For real." Su Chen nodded firmly.

Yang Wei didn’t say anything. He simply pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offered one to Su Chen, and then lit one up for himself.

The two of them smoked in silence, neither saying a word.

After a long while, Yang Wei finally broke the silence. "Found a better job?"

Su Chen paused for a second, realizing Brother Wei thought he was jumping ship to another company. He quickly explained, "No, it’s not that. I’m just homesick. My mom called me last night, and it made me realize I’ve been away for over four years. It’s about time I went home for a visit."

"You don’t have to quit just to go home for a..." Yang Wei trailed off, seeming to understand something, and didn’t press the issue.

"Fine, then. Looks like you’re planning to process your resignation today, huh?" As he spoke, Yang Wei glanced at the cloth bag on the floor, which held Su Chen’s yellow "battle uniform."

"Yeah. Sorry to trouble you, Brother Wei."

Yang Wei nodded, pulled a resignation form from his desk drawer, and handed it to Su Chen.

"Just fill in whatever. It’s just a formality, anyway."

Su Chen understood. He took a pen, quickly filled out the form, and handed it back to Yang Wei.

Yang Wei took the form and tossed it into a drawer without a second glance.

"I already spoke to Sister Zhang. She’ll calculate your final pay. It should be in your account by this afternoon at the latest."

At his words, Su Chen silently stood up and gave Yang Wei a deep bow.

"Brother Wei, thank you for taking care of me all these years."

Yang Wei patted his shoulder. "You’re not getting any younger, kid. Remember to find a nice girl when you get back home. And don’t forget to call me when you get married!"

"Don’t worry, Brother Wei. I’ll never forget. I’ll be waiting for that big red envelope from you!" Su Chen said with a playful wink.

"Get outta here! In your dreams, kid!"

Laughing and joking, the two of them walked toward the door.

Just as he stepped out of the station, a system notification sounded in Su Chen’s mind.

[Congratulations, Host, you have completed the Novice Quest! You have received a Newbie Starter Pack. Would you like to open it?]

Suppressing his excitement, he silently answered in his mind, ’No!’

Reaching the doorway, Su Chen stopped. "Brother Wei, let’s get Haozi and the guys together for a farewell dinner tonight. My treat!"

Yang Wei didn’t stand on ceremony and readily agreed. After working together for years, the guys were all very close.

"Alright. Just book a place and send me the address. I’ll bring Haozi and the rest of the guys straight there."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Su Chen, under Yang Wei’s watchful gaze, mounted his little electric scooter and slowly merged into the traffic.

-----------------

The moment he got back to his rented room, Su Chen locked the door, bolted the windows, and didn’t even forget to draw the curtains.

He was worried he might get too excited and start shouting.

"System, open the Newbie Starter Pack!"

[Newbie Starter Pack opened! Congratulations, Host! You have received: one 720-square-meter duplex river-view apartment at Seaview One and one Aston Martin DBX707!]

Su Chen was completely floored.

’Wait a minute... System, you’re going this big right out of the gate?!’

A luxury mansion! A luxury car!

That was Seaview One, a luxury residence in the heart of the Lujiazui CBD, where places sold for hundreds of thousands per square meter! Could a grunt like him ever afford to live in a place like that?

’The market value of this place has to be at least two hundred million,’ Su Chen silently estimated.

That was two hundred million! Even if he starved himself his entire life, he couldn’t earn a fraction of that amount.

’O, Great System... please forgive my previous shallowness. I, Su Chen, was far too shortsighted.’

According to the system’s instructions, he needed to go to the property management office to complete the handover. As for the Aston Martin, it was already parked quietly in the spot belonging to his new home.

The thought of the mansion and the car made Su Chen’s heart pound in his chest.

The slum district where Su Chen lived wasn’t too far from Seaview One. It only took about twenty minutes on his little electric scooter to reach the main gate.

Just as he was about to enter the complex, a voice called out to him.

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