The Mafia Overlord becomes a Road Manager (Part-2)

Theo continued. "My dad always says that a stranger may not deserve a second chance. A friend or a relative? Maybe… But family?" Theo's fingers gripped tighter. "Family should even get a third chance. Because God decides the family, not us. And one should have faith in his plans. Of course, not that I believe in God or anything, but if Dad believes it, then he can't be a hypocrite."

His grandfather blinked, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.

Theo looked down, trying to find the right words. "He criticizes you for suppressing his dream, but does the same with us. He supports Vera but not me. She wants to become an idol, and he will resign from his job, leave his whole life behind, and move cities for her. But when it is my turn, I will only get criticism for disobeying his words. She makes a mistake… she will learn. I make a mistake… when will I learn? I want to argue with him so many times, but… sigh… I end up agreeing with him."

Theo let out a shaky breath.

"I might have made a mistake last time in the instant dungeon, but I don't agree with Dad that I can't become a hunter. Help me, Grandpa…"

Dongzhi stared at him for a long moment. Then, wordlessly, he patted the boy's shoulder. His hand was rough, but warm. "You're a good kid," he said. "Your dad's going to hate me more for this."

Theo tilted his head.

"But fine," the old man said, his lips curling into a smile. "I'll be your guarantor."

Theo's face lit up.

"But…" Dongzhi raised a finger. "You're going to keep this from your dad, even after you pass the exam and get the license. Until you're atleast a Silver rank, at least. Something that'll make him shut up when he finds out."

Theo grinned. "Deal." He gave a hug, "Thanks, Grandpa, you are the best."

Dongzhi couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, back at the Vesta Agency;

After the director left the area, stating that he needed to go for auditions for various roles, Manager Jingmin couldn't help but congratulate Xueli on securing the role.

He remarked. "Xueli, Director Haoxi's movies always performed exceptionally well, with the past two films in the franchise selling at least 10 million tickets each." Xueli, however, had a calm smile as if she had expected that much and responded, "I guess I'm lucky."

Then, turning to Tianzhu, she instructed, "Xiao Zhu, follow Jingmin to the CEO's office. With my recommendation, you'll definitely get the job."

Tianzhu smiled with a slight nod. "Thanks, Jiejie," he said before following the manager out.

As they walked together, Manager Jingmin offered some words of caution, "Tianzhu, before we go, I want to remind you of something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"The CEO has a pretty erratic personality. He might approve you because of your sister's recommendation, but every time something goes wrong, he'll remind you that you got the job because of her. He doesn't hesitate to blame employees' qualifications for any mistake. And… he has a short temper. If you argue with him, he won't care if others are around. He'll scold you in front of everyone." The manager explained.

Tianzhu listened carefully before smiling. "Then don't tell him I'm Jiang Xueli's brother. Just say that she recommended me and leave the rest to me."

"Eh?" Jingmin was visibly surprised but nodded in understanding. "Alright."

Soon, they arrived at the CEO's office. The secretary sitting at her desk outside the office looked up and informed them, "CEO Tang is currently in a virtual meeting. Please wait."

As they sat down, Jingmin leaned in and whispered, "There's no meeting. CEO Tang just likes making employees wait on purpose."

Tianzhu simply nodded, understanding this CEO's sadistic personality. He already knew how to deal with people like him.

He waited in patient silence for twenty minutes and did nothing but shut his eyes

And then finally, the secretary looked up and said, "You may go inside now."

They nodded and rose from their seats. As they stepped inside, a man appeared in Tianzhu's sight, sitting at his desk. He seemed like a man in his 50s with a well-groomed, sharp appearance. He has short, dark hair, styled neatly, and a somewhat serious expression.

Manager Jingmin greeted the CEO with a deep bow and a goofy grin, while Tianzhu offered only a slight bow as if he didn't acknowledge the latter's status. CEO Tang Wenhao's eyes flicked between them, his frown only deepening further. "What is it?"

Manager Jingmin cleared his throat. "Sir, this is Qin Tianzhu. He comes recommended by Ms. Xueli as a road manager."

The CEO's frown deepened even further, his gaze studying Tianzhu. He leaned back in his chair but didn't say a word for a moment. Then, exhaling sharply, he gestured toward Tianzhu. "Let's hear it from you, Qin Tianzhu. What are your qualifications? Experience?"

Tianzhu met his gaze without hesitation. "None. Zero experience in this field," he said plainly. "Before this, I was a legal consultant for the Royal Gold Group in St. Petersburg."

A flicker of surprise crossed the CEO's face, but he masked it quickly. His fingers drummed against the polished desk as he scoffed. "A legal consultant for RG Group wants to be a road manager? You expect me to believe that?" He narrowed his eyes. "Alright, let's go with that. Why the sudden career change?"

Tianzhu shrugged his shoulders, "I felt like changing it."

The CEO stared at Tianzhu in silence. His gaze carried seriousness at Tianzhu's lackluster reply, and his legs were on the desk.

Meanwhile, Tianzhu received sudden notifications, one after another.

*Ding!

[Intimidation skill has been applied to the host]

[Resistance is higher than applied skill. Nullifying the effects of the skill]

As Tianzhu calmly stared at the CEO as if he were waiting for the answer, Wenhao's eyes widened for a moment before he opened his mouth. "Alright. You are hired."

"Huh?" Jingmin was taken aback. He expected refusal, based on Tianzhu's act.

Meanwhile, the CEO continued. "For the first three months, you will serve on probation. You will receive a basic monthly salary of 265000 credits. Based on your performance, we will talk about how much we should give you or whether we should even keep you as the new financial year comes up. Send your required documents and fill out the application form. Jingmin will take care of it."

"265k?" Tianzhu couldn't help but helplessly smile in his head. That wasn't even a month's worth of pocket money he gave to his children.

Manager Jingmin almost had a jaw drop. "265k? For a rookie? That's the same as the normal salary of a celebrity manager. Did Xueli already call the CEO or something?

As he was filled with thoughts, Tianzhu surprised him once again by raising his hand for a handshake. His gaze never left the CEO. "Pleasure to work with you."

Jingmin was taken aback; his eyes widened in surprise as he expected Tianzhu to bow, not bring forth a handshake. Even more ridiculous, the CEO takes the hand.

Then, after a moment, he waved a dismissive hand. "Jingmin, leave us for a second," he ordered.

Jingmin hesitated, but in the end, he bowed and stepped out of the office.

The CEO left his seat and walked to Tianzhu. The latter didn't move an inch. They stood away, just a feet away from each other.

And then all of a sudden, the CEO stepped back and gave a bow. "Haoxi greets the governor. I apologize for the late greeting."

Tianzhu gave a smile.

*

Meanwhile, Lee Hyerin entered the building alone.

"Morning, Ms. Lee."

"You look radiant as always, Ms. Lee."

"Are you here alone, Ms. Lee? Where's your assistant?"

"Ms. Lee, you look beautiful as always."

Amidst the showering of praises all around on the way, Hyerin reached the third floor, watching Xueli there, standing alone with her coffee.

"Senior…" Hyerin greeted her.

"Oh, Hyerin?" Xueli seems surprised.

Hyerin replied, "Director Haoxi called me for an audition for Princess Taiping."

"Oh, then you are going to be my daughter?" Xueli's face lit up with mischief in her eyes.

"Well…" Hyerin averted her eyes. There was this hesitation in her eyes. "I don't think I can get such a powerful part, though. Last time I was selected as a leading cast for a princess, the netizens bashed the producers online for choosing a Korean like me to get a Chinese historical character. I was fired from the drama before the shooting even began."

"Don't worry. This time, it's going to be different." As Xueli was trying to think of more encouraging words, right then, Tianzhu and Jingmin returned to Xueli's side, finding her engaged with Hyerin.

Hye-rin turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, her gaze flickering past Manager Jingmin before landing on Tianzhu. Her brows furrowed for a moment. "This guy," she murmured, recognizing him in one look.

But before she could say more, Xueli smoothly stepped in, "By the way, this is my new road manager, Tianzhu."

"Ah, Hello." She maintained a forced smile, thinking inwardly, "So, his name is Tianzhu? The hotel management told me that his name was Alexander, though. A fake identity?"

"Hello." Tianzhu, meanwhile, plainly greeted her.