Chapter 935: A Dog Never Changes Its Habits

The person that Chen Ji introduced to Xu Shaochen was indeed very capable, with an impressive resume.

But there was something Chen Ji didn’t mention.

That is, this Xu Zhou has a stock trading addiction. He lost a lot of money and has a history of embezzling company funds while working abroad to fuel his stock trading habits.

Moreover, he’s very skilled in finance, doing things smoothly. Every time his embezzlement was exposed, it was long after he had left.

Some companies didn’t even discover Xu Zhou’s embezzlement of public funds.

This time Xu Zhou did resign and return home, but not to relax. He had just embezzled a large amount of money from the company he worked for in France.

For safety, he fled back to the country first, assuming the company in France wouldn’t notice anytime soon.

How does Chen Ji know this so well? It’s because they have been classmates since junior high and have always stayed in touch, more or less.

Introducing Xu Zhou to Xu Shaochen this time was with the explicit intention of scamming him.

And after Xu Shaochen falls into the trap, he can’t blame Chen Ji for it.

As for whether Xu Zhou would dare to take money from Xu Shaochen’s wallet, Chen Ji had no doubts about it.

After all, there’s an old saying: A dog never changes its habits.

In the beginning, Xu Zhou might be cautious because of Xu Shaochen’s status, but over time, his restless heart will undoubtedly resurface.

Besides, as far as Chen Ji knew, Xu Zhou had lost so much in stock trading over the years and was in debt up to his ears. If he didn’t embezzle, where would he find the money to pay off his debts? Hmph! Xu, you’ve forced me to do this.

Watching Chen Ji leave, Xu Shaochen dialed Xu Zhou’s number.

“Beep… Beep… Beep…”

“Hello, who is this?”

After a short wait, a strong male voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

“Is this Mr. Xu Zhou?”

Xu Shaochen asked first to confirm the identity.

“It’s me. Who are you? How did you get my number?”

Xu Zhou immediately asked two questions.

Xu Shaochen chuckled softly: “My surname is Xu. I am Chen Ji’s boss. He’s quitting, and he introduced you to me. I’m wondering if you’re interested in a job here in the country.”

“Oh, it’s Mr. Xu.” Xu Zhou’s tone became much more respectful. Clearly, he had heard about Xu Shaochen from Chen Ji.

“Mr. Xu, did you say Chen introduced me to you?”

Xu Zhou found this hard to believe. He didn’t think Chen Ji was ignorant of his behavior, so why would he introduce him to Xu Shaochen?

“Yes, that’s right, Mr. Xu. Do you have time to chat?”

Xu Shaochen caught the oddity in Xu Zhou’s tone, which made him feel a bit suspicious.

“Mr. Xu, I’ll call Chen Ji first, and then I’ll get back to you.”

After thinking for a moment, Xu Zhou replied.

“Alright, no problem.”

Just as Xu Shaochen spoke, he made a mental note about Xu Zhou’s tone and planned to investigate his background.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Shaochen called a friend of his who worked in the government: “Brother Chen, it’s me. Can you do me a favor and check on a guy named Xu Zhou… alright, thanks. Just send it to my phone.”

For most people, digging into someone’s background could be difficult.

But for him, a simple phone call could reveal even Xu Zhou’s ancestors.

After all, Xu Zhou wasn’t employed in any special department, and his personal details weren’t classified. Investigating him was ridiculously easy.

……………

At a café.

Across from Chen Ji sat a chubby man with glasses. He had an innocent-looking face but was actually Xu Zhou, who had just gotten off the phone with Xu Shaochen and immediately arranged to meet Chen Ji.

“Hey, explain yourself.”

Xu Zhou broke the silence, eyeing Chen Ji across the table.

Chen Ji smiled: “What’s there to explain? I’m introducing you to a job. It’s a well-paying, high-position job. What doesn’t appeal to you?”

“Cut the crap. You know what I mean. You know exactly what kind of person I am. Are you trying to ruin Chen Yu or ruin me?”

Xu Zhou rolled his eyes, suspecting that this guy had fallen out with Xu Shaochen. Back in their school days, Chen Ji was the most scheming one.

On the surface, he acted all buddy-buddy, but in the shadows, he would use every trick in the book against you.

“Ruin you? How so, Old Xu? I’m trying to help you! You can’t keep going like this. You’re still young now, but what about in the future? When you get older, what will you do?”

“So, now that I’m quitting, I figured I’d get you into a big company. That way, you wouldn’t dare embezzle, and you could finally kick your bad habits and work steadily.”

“Hah! You’re like a dog biting Lu Dongbin, unable to tell a nice person from a bad one. Am I the bad guy now?”

Seeing Xu Zhou’s reaction, Chen Ji’s face changed instantly, looking extremely angry as he stood up to leave.

“I finally see who you really are. Fine. I’ll admit I was wrong. I’m going to talk to Chairman Xu right now and let him know you refused, and I’ll introduce someone else to him.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Xu Zhou jumped up and stopped Chen Ji, immediately putting on a remorseful smile: “Come on. Chen, have a seat. I was wrong, okay? After I start working at Chen Yu Group, I’ll treat you to a meal to apologize.”

The chubby guy thought Chen Ji wasn’t faking it, and he instantly believed him, thinking that Chen was sincerely trying to help.

Besides, in hindsight, what Chen Ji said didn’t seem to have any flaws.

Even when Xu Shaochen called him, his tone didn’t sound like someone who had fallen out with Chen.

Thinking about it, he really was being overly suspicious earlier.

“Hmph! So you’re saying you’re willing to work at Chen Yu Group?”

Chen Ji unwillingly sat back down, taking a sip of coffee to hide his slightly unnatural expression.

“Yes, of course. Chen, I appreciate your kind intentions so much. How could I pass it up? You’re right; it’s time I settled down.”

Xu Zhou spoke with a touch of emotion.

Chen Ji put on a show of sincerity: “I’m telling you, Xu, I introduced you for this job. Don’t fall back into your old ways at Chen Yu, okay? If you get caught, I won’t be able to face Chairman Xu.”

“Don’t worry, Chen. Even if you gave me a hundred chances, I wouldn’t dare pull any stunts under Xu Shaochen’s nose.”

Xu Zhou repeatedly promised to reform himself and never repeat his mistakes.

“Good. Like I said, if you mess this up, I’ll cut ties with you.”

Chen Ji nodded, issuing a fake but stern warning. A sliver of mockery flashed in his eyes, unseen.

Reform? How laughably ridiculous.

I’m just waiting for you to embezzle Xu Shaochen’s money.

After all, can a dog ever stop eating its own poop?