Early the next morning, Xiao Luo went to the open window and drew the curtains aside. As he breathed in the fresh air, birds could be heard chirping away in the trees beyond the window. What a delightful day to wake up to, he thought.
âDaddy, daddyâ¦â
Before Xiao Luo could even freshen up, Su Xiaobei was already outside his door, knocking on it and calling for him.
Xiao Luo promptly went to the door and let her in.
âDaddy, have you eaten breakfast? Have you brushed your teeth? Mommy said that you must brush your teeth every morning and night so that worms wonât grow,â Su Xiaobei told him, looking very solemn as she gave Xiao Luo a short lesson in oral hygiene.
âIs that so? Okay, daddy will go and brush my teeth now!â
Xiao Luo touched her head affectionately then headed for the bathroom.
The little girl followed him in and held the edge of the sink with her tiny hands. She stared at Xiao Luo with unblinking, large eyes.
âDaddy.â
âHmm?â
âWhy arenât you staying with mommy?â
âDaddy has to work at night. I will disturb you and mommy if Iâm staying with her,â Xiao Luo said, randomly coming up with another white lie.
The little girl frowned. âBut you can work during the day,â she responded.
âI have other things to do during the day.â
Xiao Luo put down his toothbrush and gently pinched her cheek.
After washing his face, he picked Su Xiaobei up and walked out.
At Su Liâs apartment, a sumptuous breakfast had been laid on the dining tableâat a quick glance, he saw that there was a selection of bread, poached eggs, corn, pastries, milk and cereals. Aunt Lee was still busy in the kitchen, and when she saw Xiao Luo walking in carrying Su Xiaobei, she greeted him warmly, âGood morning, Mr. Xiao, breakfastâs ready!â
Xiao Luo nodded and smiled. Su Li was already at the table, and as Xiao Luo took his seat opposite her, he wished her a good morning.
Su Li only lifted her head and glanced at him.
Her hair was worn loosely, cascading over her shoulders, and as rays of the morning sun streamed in from the balcony windows, her exquisite features glowed with a fairy-like luster that accentuated her beauty.
âSu Xiaobei, now that he has woke up, can you be a good girl now and eat up?â
âYup.â
The little girl nodded cheekily and beamed at Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo smiled back at her and placed her on the high chair next to him.
As Su Xiaobei ate her breakfast heartily, she kept smiling sweetly at Xiao Luo all the while, and Xiao Luo, likewise, smiled back.
Watching the two of them share such a strong bond as father and daughter, Su Li felt an inexplicable sense of envy and jealousy, perhaps to the extent of even hatred. She was the one who had brought up Su Xiaobei, yet she couldnât even compete with an outsider. Seeing how her daughter was reacting to Xiao Luo, she felt like the outsider instead. But what could she say? Wasnât she the one who hired Xiao Luo to be Su Xiaobeiâs surrogate father in the first place? In any case, Xiao Luo seemed like he was doing a great job, and wasnât that precisely what she wanted?
âIâll have to go out after breakfast,â Xiao Luo said.
âI already said it before. While you have to play your role, you are free to do your own things.â Su Li replied curtly without even looking at Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo did speak further, and he realized that this woman seemed very reluctant to have any conversation with him. Which, in a sense, suited him well, as he wasnât someone who enjoyed making small talk.
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After leaving the Crescent Bay Hotel, Xiao Luo contacted his cousin, Ding Zhenyun. He had promised his uncle and aunt that heâd look into it, and his mission was now to get Ding Zhenyun out of those MLM dens.
As soon as he heard that Xiao Luo was coming alone, Ding Zhenyun immediately agreed to meet him.
The rendezvous was to be a subway station. When Xiao Luo arrived, he didnât see Ding Zhenyun anywhere, but he was instead picked up by two young men that he wasnât acquainted with.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Sallow faced and haggard, they looked terribly undernourished.
âYou are Zhenyunâs cousin, right? We are his friends, he asked us to come and pick you up.â The two youths who approached Xiao Luo, shook his hand enthusiastically when he said he was.
âWhy didnât he come?â Xiao Luo asked.
âHe isnât free. He has a class to attend. Please come with us.â
Xiao Luo could only guess what âattending classâ meantâit could only be another brainwashing session.
He followed behind them as they made their way through several busy streets bustling with people before they finally turned into a grubby, filthy-looking alley. It looked forbiddingâthere were bills posted haphazardly on the decaying walls, and every house and shopfront were in a dilapidated state. The people he encountered there were mostly elderly, but he also heard the sound of children crying emanating from some of the houses.
The place was evidently teeming with low-income workers, and a number of them seemed to have come from other parts of the world. In such tenements, they would be living in densely packed, squalid conditions.
The two men led Xiao Luo through a dark corridor, and from there, they made their way up to eight floors, before finally arriving at their destination.
It was a modest-sized unit comprising of a living room and three smaller rooms. As soon as Xiao Luo walked in, the musty smell of mildew overwhelmed his senses. In one of the smaller rooms, seven to eight men were sitting on the floor holding notebooks, and they were attentively listening to a man giving a talk. The speaker was attired in a sharp suit worn over a spotless white shirt. He was about 27 or 28 years of age and was very animated and high spirited, talking vigorous without pause since the time Xiao Luo arrived.
His cousin Ding Zhenyun was sitting on the floor along with the others, listening to every word the man uttered.
âBrother Lu, Zhenyunâs cousinâs here,â one of the men called out.
The speaker broke off immediately and approached Xiao Luo. He was amiable and as he held Xiao Luoâs hand firmly, he said, âComing early is not as good as coming on time. We are just in the middle of an entrepreneurship course, and you should take a seat and listen too. Zhenyun, hurry up and bring your cousin in.â
Ding Zhenyun was short in stature and had a tanned complexion, and although already in his twenties, he still looked like a teenager going through puberty. As they shared a common bloodline, he did resemble Xiao Luo in appearance.
âXiao Luo, come, letâs sit down and finish this class before catching up.â He came out and brought Xiao Luo inside.
âYouâve become skinny.â
Xiao Luo empathized with Ding Zhenyun. He had some understanding of MLM organizations and knew what he must be going through. Having seen the cabbage and radish in the kitchen sink outside, the youths here mustâve been poorly fed and so it wasnât unexpected that they looked undernourished.
âNo pain, no gain. Suffering now is nothing. When I get rich in the future, everything will be worth it,â Ding Zhenyun said.
Xiao Luo didnât respond but just shook his head, feeling sorry for his younger cousin.
âOkay, everyone, let us continue. You only have to invest 3,800 dollars, and you will immediately get a place in the chain. Then, all you need to do is to find three downlinesâso simple. Then each downline just acquires another three downlines, and so on. Now just multiply this, and you will see that a profit of 112 thousand dollars will be generated! Isnât that wonderful? Our company has a very fair five-level and three-tier systemâthe five levels and three tiers are represented by the letters ABCDE. You will work your way up from intern salesman to senior salesman, business leader, business manager, and finally to the director of operations.â
When the speaker, Brother Lu, was delivering the most exciting part of his pitch, he drew a chart with a multiplying factor on the tiny blackboard and explained it in detail.
Xiao Luo almost cracked up. That was a typical MLM organization with an unmitigated pyramid structure, and no attempt was even made to gloss over the scheme.
âWhen you personally sell one or two products for the company, you will become an intern salesman. When you and your downlines sell an accumulated 64 products for the company, you are already a business manager. So, is it really so tough? As I explained earlier on the board, the difference between D and E is just over 700 dollars, and the difference between C and D is about 4,000 dollars. This means that when your team expands to 16 people, youâll begin to see big money. In short, you just have to sit tight while others to earn money for youâand all you need to do is find three downlines for yourself. Now, you tell me, doesnât that sound interesting?â
The group of listeners broke into spirited applause. The loudest and most enthusiastic endorsement came from the most engaged person in the sessionâwho else, but Ding Zhenyun.
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