Chapter 37: Let’s Get to Work

Today is Sunday, and Sun Hongming tells his wife he needs to work overtime.

After leaving home, he hurries to the job fair where there is usually a small special event on Sundays with more companies participating than usual.

In this day and age, for someone of his level, job hunting typically involves submitting resumes online or communicating with headhunters to find new job opportunities.

However, the harsh reality of his recent job search has made him lose faith in relying solely on the internet.

He had never imagined that the job market this year would be so difficult; headhunters reported that many companies are downsizing, especially people in his age group, who are in the hardest-hit areas.

Sigh, at over forty, to be so unwelcome.

These past days, Sun Hongming wandered around various job fairs without informing his wife and children, or he loitered in shopping malls and supermarkets until it was time to drive home after work.

A profound anxiety plagued him; after all, he had a 20,000 yuan monthly mortgage to pay.

His wife was jobless, taking care of their two children at home, leaving him as the sole breadwinner for the family of four.

There was a time when he was promoted, got a raise, and they moved into a new home to improve their living situation—it seemed like he had stepped onto the broad, triumphant road of life.

How did he suddenly become one of the unemployed, rejected by society?

If he had known he was going to be out of a job so soon, he certainly wouldn’t have moved from a smaller house to a bigger one and taken on such a heavy mortgage.

Walking through the market, Sun Hongming constantly searched for any company that seemed to offer a decent salary and immediately submitted his resume.

Yet the faces of those tasked with recruitment, the changes of expression upon reviewing his resume, and the polite but empty phrases like “We’ll take your resume and notify you if there’s an interview,” led to one disappointment after another.

Sun Hongming skipped lunch and sat on the steps outside the job fair, deeply puffing on a cigarette.

Having been unemployed for only a week, it felt as though he had exhausted a lifetime.

He had even approached some old classmates who remained in Magic City, hoping they might introduce him to their companies, but it went nowhere.

He even brazenly sought out a younger schoolmate who had once helped him, only to be gently refused.

If not for some savings to fall back on, Sun Hongming would truly be at his wit’s end.

Sun Hongming took out his phone to check the time and noticed new messages on WeChat—he didn’t know why, but his phone never made a sound for incoming messages.

Just as he was about to check WeChat, his phone rang.

To his surprise, it was Du Qiu calling, so he immediately answered.

“Brother Sun, it’s Du Qiu. Did you see the WeChat message I sent you?”

“Ah, my phone’s WeChat doesn’t sound the notifications. I just noticed and was about to check.”

“I’ve started a company and am looking for partners. If you’re willing to join, come over quickly. I’ve already shared the location with you.”

“What? You’ve started up a company? Alright, I’m on my way!”

After the call, Sun Hongming stood up and turned to look back at the job fair, a sense of being rescued from desperation emerging within him.

Driving to the location of Dream Technology, he saw the big building with the “Dahua Auto Repair Shop” sign still on it, which confused him somewhat.

After parking, he stepped out of the car and saw Du Qiu coming around the corner of the building.

“Brother Sun, you got here pretty quick.”

“Xiao Du, you’ve moved fast, haven’t you? How did you start up a company in just a few days?” Sun Hongming said, somewhat moved.

“Hehe, it’s good timing. The company is still in the process of registering, and we urgently need you to join and take charge of management,” Du Qiu explained.

Du Qiu then clarified the basics, including the core concept of the startup and details about shared profits and equity distribution.

Sun Hongming was somewhat skeptical about Du Qiu starting a company without other partners or angel investors.

“I don’t have capital to invest, Xiao Du.”

“Don’t worry, no investment is required. Your salary might not be higher than what you had at Luxing Technology, but it will certainly cover your monthly mortgage of 20,000 yuan and ensure a standard of living for your family of four,” Du Qiu assured him, addressing his concerns.

Thinking they were still in the unmanned driving field, Sun Hongming couldn’t help but ask, “Are the company’s operations still in the autonomous driving sector?”

“Not at the moment. Right now, we’re working on CNC software and industrial automation systems!”

“Is it that software Liu mentioned?” Sun Hongming followed up.

“Yes, the software has already been developed. We urgently need to make it more versatile and commercialize it, not to mention the associated hardware,” Du Qiu said with a smile.

“It’s done? Xiao Du, that’s impressive. Well, since you value me so highly, I’ll join you in the venture.”

“Come on, let’s take a tour inside.”

Inside the factory, Sun Hongming saw Liu discussing with someone while pointing at a scrapped car.

At a distance, Yuan Minhua rushed over from the office area to report enthusiastically.

“Director Du, I’ve made arrangements with the cleaning company. They’ll come this afternoon to tidy up the office and factory. I have also organized someone to remake the company sign.

In addition, Liu is responsible for calling in a scrap company to sell unwanted items. After the workers in the industrial park start their shift this afternoon, I will arrange for security.”

“Xiao Yuan, you’ve all already gotten to work?” Sun Hongming expressed his surprise.

“Yeah, Director Du sent you a message but didn’t get a reply, so we just started working on getting things in order here,” Yuan replied.

“Ah, my mistake for not noticing the message on WeChat.”

On his way here, Sun Hongming was somewhat anxious since he had not yet had a chance to ask about the details.

Now that Du Qiu had explained the situation, and seeing Yuan Minhua and Liu in action, he felt much more at ease.

It seemed the company was solely funded by Du Qiu without too many founding partners, so it was less likely to experience the chaotic internal strife of Luxing Technology.

“Getting started is the hardest part; let’s discuss the work arrangement together,” Du Qiu suggested.

He called out to Liu who was not far away, “Liu, when you’re done there, come up to the office.”

Du Qiu led Sun Hongming on a brief tour.

With his mind finally at ease and feeling grateful that Du Qiu had invited him to join, Sun Hongming was ready to work.

They then went to the meeting room, where Yuan Minhua was already waiting. The three of them sat down to discuss various work matters.

Du Qiu outlined the most pressing matters for the company, and Sun Hongming and Yuan Minhua contributed ideas to refine the initial work plan.

As Du Qiu was not entirely prepared to start a company and only had a rough plan written, the contributions from the others filled in many gaps.

Indeed, it was clear that professional tasks require professional people.

Du Qiu clapped his hands and declared, “Brother Sun, the entire management and operation of the company are now in your hands. Sister Yuan will prioritize and complete the recruitment as soon as possible.

With half a month left, Liu and I will lead the team to quickly integrate the software with the control system and fulfill the contract with Tianqi Company.”

Sun Hongming, his gaunt face flushed with excitement, relished the feeling of being back at work.

He nodded vigorously and said, “Director Du, rest assured, we’ll aim to complete all plans ahead of schedule and make sure the contract with Tianqi Company is secured.”

“Leaders, aren’t you hungry?”

Liu entered, holding two large plastic bags filled with fast-food boxes.

“Come, let’s eat first. We need the energy to get to work,” Liu said as he placed the fast-food boxes on the meeting table, inviting everyone to join.