From Wage Slave to Tycoon

"Just stop at the entrance to the alley up ahead!"

Su Chen told the driver to stop and got out of the car, carrying a bag of fruit he bought from a roadside stand.

Watching the driver turn around and leave, Su Chen then walked into the alley. Luckily, his memory was pretty good. After a few twists and turns, he finally saw the familiar courtyard residence.

When he reached the main gate of the courtyard residence, just as Su Chen was about to ring the doorbell, the gate swung open.

The next moment, two familiar faces appeared before Su Chen, both smiling at him.

"Ah... It’s you guys. Were you about to head out?" Su Chen was a bit surprised at first, but he quickly recovered and asked with a smile.

The two people before him were none other than the two guards he had met on his first visit. He remembered giving them half a pack of plain-packaged cigarettes when he left.

"Not at all. We were opening the gate specifically for you, Mr. Su," the captain in the lead said with a hint of respect.

He had treasured that half-pack of cigarettes Su Chen gave him last time. Unfortunately, one of his men had a loose tongue and bragged about it as soon as they returned to the unit.

The company commander and battalion commander came straight to his barracks. Left with no choice, he could only share the cigarettes with everyone. He’d been kicking himself over it for half a month before he finally got over it.

"Opening the gate specifically for me? You saw me coming?" It only took a moment for Su Chen to guess what was going on. ’How could the place where Elder Xiao lives be like any ordinary alley? Security must be top-notch. They’ve probably been watching me ever since I got out of the car.’

The captain just smiled and nodded at his words but didn’t offer any explanation. "Mr. Su, please, come in!"

Su Chen thanked him and headed toward the central courtyard, carrying the fruit from the roadside stand.

Watching Su Chen’s back disappear through the Hanging Flower Gate, the young guard sidled up to his captain and asked, "Captain, do you think Mr. Su will give us another half-pack of cigarettes when he leaves?"

The words had barely left his mouth when he felt a kick to his rear. Before he could even react, he heard the captain’s grumbling voice, "You little brat! It was your big mouth last time that got me robbed by the battalion commander and the others."

"And you’re still thinking about cigarettes? Looks like you haven’t had enough training drills lately. After our rotation, I’ll personally take you through your paces!"

"Ah! Captain, no!" The young guard’s face was a picture of misery. If the captain really trained him when they got back, he’d be lucky to escape with his skin intact.

The captain shot the young guard a glare and walked straight into the guardhouse.

Meanwhile, as Su Chen stepped into the central courtyard, he saw Elder Xiao lounging leisurely in a reclining chair. On the table beside him, a cell phone was playing music, and the old man would occasionally hum along for a line or two.

The old man held a cattail fan in his left hand and a Zisha teacup in his right, taking a sip from time to time. He looked utterly content.

Anyone who didn’t know Elder Xiao’s status would have mistaken him for an ordinary retiree.

"So, the Su kid is here." Elder Xiao caught sight of Su Chen out of the corner of his eye and set down the Zisha teapot he was holding.

But when he saw the bag of roadside fruit Su Chen was carrying, he grumbled, "You come to see this old man and all you bring is a bag of apples?"

A pang of bitterness hit him as he remembered all the treasures Su Chen had fleeced him out of last time.

"Ahem, Brother Cheen was the one who told me to hurry over. I rushed here nonstop as soon as I finished my business. You can’t blame me for this!"

"Elder Xiao, I’ll just take these inside for you!" Without giving Elder Xiao a chance to react, he grabbed the apples in their clear plastic bag and hurried into the house.

A moment later, Su Chen came back out, hauling a reclining chair. He set it down on the other side of the table, plopped right down, and—of course—didn’t forget to pour himself a cup of tea.

He tilted his head back and drained the cup in one go.

"Still, nothing beats your tea, Elder Xiao," Su Chen praised with a satisfied expression, smacking his lips.

Elder Xiao watched this series of actions, somewhat dumbfounded. ’Why does it feel like he’s in his own home? He’s not acting like a guest at all.’

Watching Su Chen down three cups in a row, Elder Xiao finally couldn’t hold back any longer. ’If I don’t say something, this little rascal Su Chen is going to drink my entire daily ration.’

"Alright, that’s enough now. How many cups have you had?"

Hearing this, Su Chen’s outstretched hand paused for a moment, but in the end, he still picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup.

"Hehe, last one. I won’t pour any more after this," Su Chen said with a wide grin.

Elder Xiao glanced at the teapot, which was now less than a third full, and the corner of his mouth twitched. The deed was done; there was no use saying anything more.

He just silently slid the teapot on the table a little closer to himself.

"Alright, let’s talk about something serious."

Hearing this, the playful grin on Su Chen’s face vanished. He sat up straight in his reclining chair, his posture becoming impeccably proper.

The main reason for his change was that Su Chen had thought it over on the way here. The most likely reason Elder Xiao had called him over was because of Byte Company. Su Chen couldn’t think of any other reasonable explanation.

If Elder Xiao himself was this concerned about it, that could only mean the situation was not as simple as he had imagined.