Chapter 177: A Special Ratio
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
600 miles away from Binhai city, there was another city called Hu City.
It was the grand opening of the brand-new headquarters building of Stars Pet Chain Supermarket.
Feeling helpless, Qian Tong sighed, “So many people! I absolutely hate crowded places!”
With a huge professional camera on his shoulder, Yu tried to comfort her. “What else are we going to do? That’s our job. Hey, if you hate crowded places so much, how come you majored in journalism?”
Upon hearing these questions, Qian Tong started complaining, “Well, I majored in journalism because I wanted to be a TV show anchor. I have been through so much to get a job at the TV station, yet all I got is this no-name reporter position!”
Yu was in his forties and had a family to feed, so he was much more tolerant. Wearing a photographer’s vest which had a thousand pockets between the inside and outside, he used one hand to carry the camera and the other hand to reach into the chest pocket for his cigarette. He shook the package until one cigarette stuck out from the opening. He bowed his head and got it in his mouth, pulled out the lighter, lit it and took a deep drag.
“Everyone wants to become an anchor because that is where the fame is. The problem is that you don’t have a great network, nor did you graduate from a broadcasting and hosting arts major. So, it could be difficult to become an anchor. Anyways, getting a paycheck regularly is nice, isn’t it?”
Taking another drag of the cigarette, Yu felt a bit annoyed by the crowd in front of him. There were a lot of cameramen from other TV stations and newspapers. If he wanted to get a good angle for the news, he had to fight for a good spot to place his camera. He had gotten in a fight with others for a good spot before. It wasn’t good. However, he was excited when he thought about the cash gift the organizer was going to distribute.
He fixed his cap, and looked up to the top of the headquarters building.
It was a 25-story building: square, solid and practical. Compared to other new designs, this building looked somewhat plain. Stars Pet Chain Supermarket was such an enormous enterprise. Why didn’t they spend more money on the exterior design?!
Anyways, that’s none of my business. He habitually fixed his cap again and thought to himself.
There was a long red carpet extended from the front door of the building to the outside. The red carpet then went from the middle to both sides.
A few technicians were on the stage testing the microphone.
On both sides of the podium, there was a bunch of stuff mysteriously covered underneath some red clothes. They might reveal it during the ceremony.
Qian Tong took out a mirror and fixed her makeup carefully.
“Let’s go. Their PR person is here. Go get our cash gift,” Yu pushed her.
Qian Tong was excited. Yes, she liked to complain about her job, but the side money she was getting was, in fact, not bad.
She was wondering how much there was inside the red envelope. Was it enough for the imported perfume she had been dreaming about?
Other reporters also started to act and rushed towards the PR manager.
“Don’t rush. Please come this way to sign in and get your lucky money. One for each person,” the PR manager said with a big smile.
This was an unwritten rule in the news industry. The organizer needed to give the reporters some money as a thank you gift. The reporters then would write a nice article about the organizer after receiving the cash gift.
Qian Tong and Yu waited in line, signed in, and the PR manager gave them each a red envelope.
Coming out from the crowd, Qian Tong couldn’t wait to open hers and counted the cash inside. “2888 Yuan! Stars Pet is generous!”
Yu put the camera down on the ground, opened his red envelope and counted. He only got 1888 Yuan, but it was better than nothing. The production crew always made less than the people standing in front of the camera.
He pulled out 200 Yuan and put the remaining 1688 Yuan back in the envelope.
“What are you doing?” Qian Tong was confused.
Yu put the red envelope in one of the pockets of his vest and laughed, “It’s all my fault. I was drunk one time and told my wife about the organizers giving out cash gifts and my wife remembered it. Ever since then, I have to give her all the cash gifts I receive. I am a grown man. I have to have some money put aside for myself, right?”
He shook the 200 Yuan he took out, “Look, I am giving her 1688 and keeping 200.”
“F*ck!” Qiang Tong didn’t like it. “Men are tricky! I don’t like it.”
Yu responded immediately, “Well, that’s because you ladies are too harsh on us. I almost cannot afford my cigarettes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do that to my wife.”
“Well, I am going to tell on you sometime.” She felt bad for his wife.
Yu smiled, “If you tell on me, I won’t teach you any other tricks I know. When you get married, you won’t be able to figure out your husband’s tricks.”
“You…” Qian Tong was speechless.
Raising up the 100 Yuan note to the light, Yu checked if the notes were real – He heard from friends that some companies put fake notes in the cash gifts, so he was cautious.
The notes were real.
He relaxed, put down his hand, and found something interesting.
“Qian Tong, look,” he said to her.
“What is it?”
Qian Tong replied without thinking while she was still caught up on Yu’s act of hiding pocket money from his wife. She thought that when she got married, she had to be a generous wife: give a bit more pocket money to her husband. Yet men could not have too much control on money, otherwise who knows whom they were going to spend the money on… How much is a good amount? 300? 500?
“Qian Tong, come!” Yu called her again.
“What is it?” She walked over unwillingly.
“Look at the ratio! Does it look like something you know?” Yu was holding up a 100 Yuan note and had her look up.
“What ratio?” She was confused.
He said, “Look at this note and the building. Look hard!”
He was a photographer who had excellent eyes when it came to observation. Holding up a 100 Yuan note next to the brand new headquarters building, he had Qian Tong come over.
“Look, the length and width ratio of this note is very similar to the building.”
Qian Tong stood next to him, looked at the note and then at the new building.
“Really?” She wasn’t sure.
Yu was affirmative, “I am sure!”
“So?” She was still not interested.
Yu was a bit frustrated, “Don’t you find it interesting? I don’t think this is a coincidence.”
“Why not?” she questioned.
“Well…” Yu couldn’t respond, “If it is a coincidence, then it had to be a rare one!”
“So, what if it isn’t a coincidence? It is their building. They can design it however they want.”
She was not curious as to why the Stars Pet Chain Supermarket designed the building that way at all. Yu was disappointed. It looked like there was in fact a communication gap between men and women.
He looked at the stage. The staff had left. It was almost time for the show.
