Hidden Moth-Chapter 375 - 211: A Lover Far Away on the Road of Love
Chairman of Huishi Trading Group, Shi Haotu, recently spearheaded the establishment of a subsidiary, Huishiming Brand, gathering numerous quality resources to specialize in online projects with the aim of going public.
To manage a company well, one needs excellent talent, so he appointed his own nephew, Dr. Shi Yun Road from the United States, as the CTO, commonly known as the Chief Technology Officer, also considered one of the senior management team.
Shi Yun Road spent two years in the United States trying to start a business, but much of his money was wasted. Initially, the Shi Family sorcerers could obtain dividends from the family enterprise and support internal cultivation resources, but after the fall of the Shi Family, that source of income was cut off.
Theoretically, Shi Yun Road should find his own way to earn a living. In fact, with his cultivation as a Tier Three Appraiser, he could easily help people refine some Treasures of Heaven and Earth to live comfortably, but Young Master Shi wasn’t willing to do such laborious work.
Even if he wanted to do it, he couldn’t within a year after returning home because his cultivation was sealed.
His mother, Chang Manxia, was very worried about her son. She was relatively well-off, but couldn’t bear seeing her son suffer, so she went to negotiate with Shi Haotu.
Why go to Shi Haotu? Because no one else would have any say, but she was still considered a shareholder in Huishi Trading, which was still considered a Shi Family property.
Shi Yun Road was also a "surviving" cultivator of the Shi Family, with cultivation higher than Li Chun’s. Although Shi Haotu nominally held Huishi Trading, he would still need the support of Shi Family disciples in the future... at least, that’s what Chang Manxia said.
Originally, Shi Haotu didn’t agree, but perhaps he recently changed his mind and finally gave his sister-in-law some consideration and relented.
He arranged a senior managerial position for Shi Yun Road in the newly established subsidiary and said that if he performed well, he could continue to be promoted in the future, and he could get shares when the company goes public, etc.
The first project Shi Yun Road was responsible for after taking office was the collaboration with Tengxin Group’s Cloud Services Division, and his business contact was named He Kao.
Although He Kao and Shi Haotu had never met before, they could still be connected because Yao Shaolan is now the chief legal advisor of Huishi Trading Group.
Such a large enterprise like Huishi Trading Group certainly has its own legal department, and an external legal advisor would logically be a local bigwig in the legal field. So why did they hire Yao Shaolan, who was far away in Qi Yuan?
The details of this are not for outsiders to know.
Recently, He Kao specifically invited Qian Guran and Yao Shaolan to a meal, seeking advice from Lawyer Yao about Huishi Trading Group’s affairs, then applied to Qian Guran to go on a business trip to Nanhua, with the external unit being Huishiming Brand, responsible for "on-site technical support."
If He Kao just requested a business trip assignment, Qian Guran could still use words like "considering" to stall, but since He Kao specified the specific location, specific time, and specific business, Old Qian had no way to defer anymore.
This is the business of the project team that He Kao belongs to. Tasks like long business trips to foreign places should be taken by single young men like him who aren’t married yet and have strong abilities, without delaying other departmental work.
Thus, Qian Guran exercised his presidential authority, level-by-level passed the task to the grassroots, designating He Kao for external assignment to Nanhua... others didn’t have much opinion, but Gao Xue’e was somewhat unhappy.
Previously, when He Kao was out on fieldwork and not in the office, Gao Xue’e didn’t feel it was significant, nor did she inquire into what he was doing outside; after all, he could always find other times to meet.
He Kao was not a regular person, and his actions couldn’t be measured by common norms or demanded by conventional logic.
But this time, the assignment would last at least two months, and Nanhua is so far away that He Kao wouldn’t be able to return frequently, making Gao Xue’e genuinely reluctant to see him go.
Gao Xue’e knew that He Kao was a highly skilled and extraordinary individual, but if He Kao didn’t want her to pry into certain things, she wouldn’t ask. She had personally seen him handle matters like murder and explosions, so asking would be inappropriate.
He Kao talked to her about the Magic Sect, sorcerers, and techniques, also teaching her Foundation Establishment Skills before entering the technique, which she diligently practiced, supposedly extending life, strengthening the body, beautifying the complexion...
Yet He Kao never told Gao Xue’e that he was the Hidden Moth, nor did he display the Invisibility Ability in front of her. This wasn’t out of distrust but for protection, and besides, the timing wasn’t right.
So before his departure, He Kao specially went to cheer up President E, for example, by doing an interactive game using Xue Guanghan to refine Ice Skin Jade Bone for her, although not specifically for detoxification, but to clear any toxins within the organs and meridians incidentally.
He Kao originally didn’t know what this felt like, but after witnessing Lan Jiwan’s reaction last time, he understood. Detoxifying President E was quite an intriguing process, after which they could freely engage in other activities.
Gao Xue’e was not only completely softened but felt like she was about to melt... In fact, she always felt like she was melting every time, but this time the melting was even more thorough!
President E was very satisfied, and He Kao’s work enthusiasm was very high, packing a full load into two large suitcases, finally taking a plane to Nanhua.
Given He Kao’s rank, he naturally flew economy class for his business trip, but didn’t expect the reception to be so high-standard after landing.
Shi Haotu and Li Chun personally came to the airport to welcome him, accompanied by the project liaison Shi Yun Road and Li Chun’s assistant Lan Jiwan.
He Kao was a "Senior Programmer" at Tengxin Group’s Qi Yuan Branch, but no matter how senior, he was still a grassroots employee. Shi Yun Road could have sent someone to meet him or just allowed him to take a taxi from the airport to the company.
Shi Yun Road personally coming to the airport was already quite considerate, not to mention this grand reception. Huishiming Brand was just a subsidiary of the group, yet the group’s chairman and his wife also came.
He Kao had underestimated his own "reputation." Over the past year, rumors were abundant among the sorcerer community about him, with some almost certain that he was a secret disciple of a certain elder, either Elder Jiang or Elder Gu.
Chairman Li Chun of the group today specifically brought his newly hired assistant—Lan Jiwan, a Tier Three Traveler from Heart Plate Sect. But Li Chun and his wife have not disclosed the sorcerer identity of Lan Jiwan to anyone for the time being; only they themselves are aware.
People at the company still found it strange. Chairman Li Chun suddenly had a demand to hire an assistant and then picked this particular young lady from a bunch of applicants, bringing her along whenever business was conducted outside.
Assistant Lan was indeed very beautiful and capable, but recently Chairman Li was always working with President Shi. Who would bring such a beauty to hover around her husband all day long?
Today was also the first time Lan Jiwan met He Kao in person, not recognizing him as her "Sect Leader Senior Brother." When He Kao saw her in the past, he always wore the Hidden Moth Gauze, that black eye mask, and even his voice sounded different.
But upon seeing He Kao, she instinctively felt a sense of familiarity, not understanding why herself, perhaps it’s the spiritual sense of a cultivator, or perhaps due to the rumors of being the "secret disciple of the Earth Master."
Now, Lan Jiwan also held the identity of a disciple of the Heart Plate Sect, having been handpicked and personally registered by the Earth Master while collecting talents from the Jianghu.
At the airport, Lan Jiwan merely greeted He Kao, without having a chance for more interaction because Shi Haotu, after completing introductions with He Kao, warmly led him outside to get into the car, with Lan Jiwan following behind with the luggage.
He Kao brought two large luggage cases, both overweight for check-in. Lan Jiwan pushed one, and Shi Yun Road pushed the other. They didn’t head to the company but went to an apartment first.
For someone like He Kao on a business trip providing "on-site technical support" to clients, it’s typical for them to find a nearby hotel to stay, and if the time span is longer, they might rent a place to save money.
With his level and work nature, the company’s policy grants a daily fixed subsidy of 600 Qian, and any excess on food and accommodation would have to come out of his pocket.
But for a large company like Tengxin, they have agreements with many chain hotels, allowing attendees to get very low discount rates during business trips, sometimes enough to stay in a five-star hotel within the daily subsidy.
However, Shi Haotu couldn’t possibly let He Kao find a hotel on his own and had long arranged accommodations, a high-end apartment in Nanhua dedicated to serving expatriate executives of multinational groups.
An apartment with three bedrooms, a living room, and a full kitchen and bathroom, boasting river views, complete with housekeeping and cleaning services, far better than the Sesame Apartment He Kao rented at Qi Yuan. He Kao politely inquired about the monthly rent.
Lan Jiwan explained that it was a dormitory rented by the group for a foreign expert, who had returned home recently, but the rent for half a year was already paid. Leaving the place empty would be a waste, hoping he wouldn’t mind the simple conditions.
Li Chun also commented that the property management here had a good reputation, and various facilities were relatively complete, although the scenery might not compete with being slightly further from the office. He asked He Kao not to mind, since Shi Yun Road would drive him to and from work every day anyway.
See how well they speak; Shi Yun Road wasn’t his designated driver, just conveniently giving him a lift to and from work daily.
Earlier in the car, Shi Haotu had already specifically instructed Shi Yun Road to personally cooperate well with He Kao’s work as a CTO, to accommodate any need He Kao might have.
He Kao felt a little bewildered, unsure who exactly was the client. These were the reminders Huang Si should have given him before the trip, but Huang Xiaopang never said, and instead, Shi Haotu instructed Shi Yun Road.
That evening, the group’s chairman also hosted a banquet to welcome He Kao, thanking him for coming to Nanhua and providing important support and help to the group’s newly established subsidiary.
The banquet venue was at a certain club on the 60th floor of a building, with a batch of high-ranking officials accompanying... Well, this just showed how Tengxin Group had power, giving employees significant face when going out.
Hence began He Kao’s light-hearted and enjoyable expatriate life. The next day, Shi Yun Road personally drove him to work, not needing to comply with the other company’s attendance system.
He Kao had already discussed with Huang Si, that there was no rush to wrap up the work here, planning to work for two months, and extend further if necessary with an excuse.
Incidentally, Huang Si was recently promoted to deputy manager of the project group, in charge of technology.
Shi Yun Road only acted as He Kao’s driver for three days, then cleverly lent him the car, allowing He Kao to drive himself, contrary to Shi Haotu’s instructions.
Shi Yun Road outwardly claimed it was He Kao’s idea, perhaps for convenience in personal matters.
Normally, with such an opportunity, Shi Yun Road should have been thinking of getting close to He Kao, but now, Shi Yun Road felt uneasy inside.
Shi Yun Road had schemes that couldn’t be discovered. He Kao might be Elder Gu’s secret disciple, and the Earth Master oversaw the conduct of sorcerers worldwide. Instinctively, he didn’t want to be around He Kao.
Every day in front of He Kao, Shi Yun Road had to be cautious, afraid of exposing any flaw. Despite his unease inside, he had to put on an affable face, which was hard to maintain.
Especially when he was about to take action soon, not wanting the Earth Master’s disciple around every day.
These days, the subsidiary’s situation received exceptional attention from the group leadership. Despite He Kao having been there for less than a week, leadership found various excuses to invite him to three banquets, each at the finest restaurants in Nanhua.
The more this went on, the less opportunity there was for Shi Yun Road to take action!
A week later, Shi Yun Road’s chance finally came because it was the Golden Week holiday. With the break from work, the diligent He Kao didn’t go back to Qi Yuan for a vacation but drove around the surroundings of Nanhua.
Shi Haotu and his wife were very busy, unable to rest even during the holiday. On the first, they had to go back to Huiming, accompanied only by Lan Jiwan as both driver and assistant, returning in the afternoon of the second.
On the morning of the second, after making arrangements to cover up his whereabouts, Shi Yun Road quietly left the Nanhua City District, sneaking into a pre-selected reserved location.
**
