Morning.
Inside the Porsche.
Dong Xuebing drove along the highway, and Sun Kai wanted to say something but hesitated.
“What is it?” Dong Xuebing asked.
“Brother Dong.” Sun Kai said. “Thank you.”
Dong Xuebing smiled. “Why are you thanking me for?”
Sun Kai clenched his teeth and said. “I need to thank you for a lot of things. I… I heard from Jingjing that her family opposed our relationship, and you are the only one who helped us. Also, the red packet you gave to my niece. Thank you.”
Dong Xuebing waved his hand. “Xiao Jing is my sister, and I must help when she pleaded with me. That red packet is for her. You don’t need to thank me.”
“But the amount is too large.”
“I said it’s all one RMB note.”
“How is it possible? Brother Dong, I am not a fool. I know you are trying to help me.”
Dong Xuebing looked at him. “Everyone in your family depends on you. Does Xiao Jing know about your family’s condition?”
Sun Kai looked uncomfortable. “She doesn’t know, and I have not told her yet.”
“Why didn’t you tell her? Are you afraid she looks down on you?” Dong Xuebing asked.
Sun Kai hesitated for a few seconds and nodded.
Dong Xuebing continued driving and said. “I don’t think Xiao Jing is looking down on you. You are the one who has low self-esteem.”
Sun Kai sighed. “You are right. The gap between my family and Xiao Jing’s is too wide. I am not good enough for her.” After understanding Xiao Jing’s family conditions, Sun Kai felt staying away from her was the right choice.
“Why do you say so?”
“My family is poor, and I don’t have any capabilities. Brother Dong, you will never understand my feelings now. If I have one-tenth of your capabilities, I will not….”
Dong Xuebing blinked and said. “Haha…. How do you know I don’t understand?”
Sun Kai replied. “You are so capable, and I….”
“Do you think we are worlds apart, and I don’t understand you?” Dong Xuebing asked.
“Yes. You reached a high position at a young age. You have power and money, and you might not have suffered before. My family is poor, and I know I lack self-confidence. But how can I have confidence in front of Xie Jing?”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “How do you know I had never suffered before?” He asked Sun Kai.
“How can you suffer hardship? It’s impossible.” Sun Kai replied.
Dong Xuebing shook his head and slowed down. “Xiao Sun, I disagree with you. You are looking down upon yourself. Some people, like Xiao Jing, are born with golden spoons. But do you think Xiao Jing become the head of a department in Xin Hua News Agency because of her family ties? Xiao Jing’s family did play a part, but it was more because of her hard work. You only notice her family members holding high positions, but you forget about her hard work and capabilities. Everyone is human and is equal.”
Sun Kai replied. “But….”
“Let’s talk about me.” Dong Xuebing stopped Sun Kai. “Do you think I am born with my abilities? Stop joking. Do you think I had money and capabilities since I was born?!”
Sun Kai did not say anything as he thought that was the truth.
“I was nothing compared to you in the past. You are good at your studies and know three foreign languages. I was a below-average student in school and had average looks compared to you. I was always the invisible guy in classes, and I believe many classmates don’t even know my name. No one had paid attention to me, including the teachers who taught me for two years. Can you imagine that?”
“This….”
“If this is considered to be born with a gift, then this will be the most powerful gift in the world.”
“You keep a low profile and do not want to show off.” Sun Kai replied.
Dong Xuebing laughed. “You think too highly of me. Xiao Sun, didn’t Xiao Jing tell you about my family condition?”
Sun Kai paused for a second. “She only told me you are capable and can solve whatever problem you face.”
Dong Xuebing replied. “Did you think I am a Government Official or a wealthy businessman’s second generation?”
“You are not?!” Sun Kai was surprised.
Dong Xuebing was amused. “My mother is also a teacher. The lowest-grade teacher, and her salary during that time was around two thousand RMB. My father was a hard laborer, doing the toughest and most tiring job. He doesn’t have many relatives, and my mother’s family is from the villages. Haha…. Which Government second-generation or wealthy second-generation is like me?”
Sun Kai exclaimed in awe. “Are you serious?”
Dong Xuebing continued. “I have never said this to my wife or anyone before, but I will tell you today. Haha…. My family’s condition was worse than your family’s. Don’t look at me like this. I am not making this up. My father fell sick several years ago, and we ended up with a hefty hospital bill. My family’s financial condition was not good, and my mother had to sell our house and use up all our savings for his treatments. But he did not recover and passed away after a few months. From that day onwards, my mother and I had not eaten a proper meal. We got to pay rent and school fees. We survived on plain mantou and vegetables. We could not even afford to buy eggs, let alone fruits. We were lucky if we got to eat these once a month when helpful neighbors gave them to us.”
Sun Kai was stunned. Even his family could afford to eat meat and would not eat mantou and vegetables daily.
Dong Xuebing shrugged his shoulders. “That period lasted for around three to four years. That was the time when I knew what hardship was. But I am different from you. I had never looked down upon myself. After graduating from University, I passed the civil servant exams and climbed up the ranks through my hard work. The only thought in my mind was to give my mother a better life and nothing else. That was what pushed me forward to this day. I fought my way up and did not sit at home, blaming the heavens for being unfair to me. That’s how I get to where I am now.”
“Brother Dong.” Sun Kai was dumbfounded.
Sun Kai thought Dong Xuebing was born into a wealthy and influential family and never thought he had lived in poverty.
From penniless to a multi-millionaire….
From a nobody to someone holding a high position in the Government.
Sun Kai could tell Dong Xuebing had experienced numerous setbacks and hardships from his tone. Those setbacks might be worse than he can imagine. Thinking back, Dong Xuebing had not shown any disrespect or looked down upon his family at his house earlier. He even did not care about his expensive suit and sat on a dirty stool to chat with his family. He realized Dong Xuebing’s former living conditions might be worse than his.
Dong Xuebing glanced at Sun Kai. “Do you still want to say your family’s condition is tough now? At least you all have a roof above your head and don’t need to worry about food. Your parents are healthy, and aren’t that enough? Compared to me, you are blessed, and what’s there to complain about? Don’t look down upon yourself. I cannot afford to buy meat, and I eat mantou to fill my stomach. My family could not afford to pay my school fees, so I worked three part-time jobs. I felt inferior, but I did not think others were much better than me. They can earn tens of thousands a month, and I can earn the same by taking two or three jobs for a year. I can work hard for two or three years if one year is not enough. They can clear obstacles and move up the ranks with their family’s help, and I can do the same by working ten times or a hundred times harder than them. I lost to them at the starting line, but it does not mean I will lose forever.”
Sun Kai’s breathing got faster.
Dong Xuebing continued. “I had done it. Why can’t you do it? How are you inferior to others when you do not depend on others?!” He turned to Sun Kai and patted his chest hard. “Push out your chest and raise your head. Remember my words. You can bow to others but must never bow down to yourself! That’s when you will become a real loser!”
Sun Kai was quiet.
Dong Xuebing looked at him again. “I am asking you again. Do you want to be a winner, or do you want to be a loser? If you think you will be a failure forever, you can get out of the car now.”
Sun Kai clenched his fists. “I want to win!”
“That’s right.”
“Brother Dong, I think I understand.”
Dong Xuebing laughed. “That’s good. You didn’t waste my efforts.”
Sun Kai took a deep breath and said firmly. “I will do my best and not let you or Xiao Jing down. You will be my role model from now on. If you can do it, I can do it too.”
“Great! You will do well.”
Mantou
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantou
