Out Of Control All The Way - Chapter 4

Zhongshi Tower was easy to find, located right in the prime downtown area.

Jiang Muzhou rode his motorcycle straight to the striking, boldly branded building without even turning on his navigation.

His project was a large-scale single-player action-adventure game, a concept and framework he had been building and refining since his college days.

Only, the preparation phase had dragged on for too long. If he couldn’t get it produced soon, his passion and drive would only be worn down and completely vanish.

As soon as Jiang Muzhou walked into the spacious lobby of Zhongshi Tower, a young man who looked like an assistant hurried over to greet him.

Mr. Jiang?

Jiang Muzhou nodded. Hello.

Hello, I’m Chen Jinghuai, President Shang’s assistant. Please follow me; President Shang is currently in a meeting, so you’ll need to wait for a moment.

Jiang Muzhou followed him into the elevator, watching as the assistant scanned his access card to take them straight to the top floor.

Watching the corporate culture promotional videos cycling on the elevator screens, Jiang Muzhou felt a trace of surprise. He had originally assumed the head of the Zhongshi Group would be a man in his forties or fifties, never expecting it to be Shang Shixu.

He just seemed a bit too young—truly young and accomplished.

Chen Jinghuai was very hospitable, leading him into a small conference room and serving him tea.

He also handed him a magazine along the way to help him pass the time.

Jiang Muzhou flipped through the magazine, which was an introductory profile of the Zhongshi Group. It was far more comprehensive than the information available online, detailing how the group spanned various industries including precision instruments, intelligent technology, physical machinery, chemical engineering, entertainment agencies, and investments in emerging sectors.

In short, his particular game development sector was nowhere to be found in the magazine, apparently untouched by their investments.

Yet Jiang Muzhou wasn’t anxious. His principle was to talk things through as much as possible, and if a deal couldn’t be made, to pivot in a different direction. Besides, he still held plenty of confidence in his game.

Shang Shixu didn’t arrive for their meeting until Jiang Muzhou had finished reading the magazine twice.

This was Jiang Muzhou’s first time conversing with Shang Shixu in such a formal setting. The man’s tailored suit accentuated his waistline, and every strand of hair on his head was meticulously combed. Sitting in the spacious and bright office, he was flipping through the materials Jiang Muzhou had left behind earlier.

Perhaps because they had crossed paths twice before, their conversation wasn’t nearly as solemn as Jiang Muzhou had imagined. They talked about the project with surprising ease, and throughout the discussion, Shang Shixu’s expression softened enough that he even exchanged a few casual, everyday remarks with Jiang Muzhou—a sight that caused Chen Jinghuai, standing nearby, to give his boss a couple of surprised sideways glances.

The negotiation went smoother than expected, so smoothly that it felt almost surreal to Jiang Muzhou.

With the assistant’s help, the two of them finalized and signed the contract. An astronomical sum of money, by Jiang Muzhou’s standards, would be wired directly into his account within the next few days.

As things wrapped up, he shook hands with Shang Shixu. Noticing that it was already past closing time, he politely offered to treat Shang Shixu to dinner.

It was meant as a mere courtesy, as he assumed a busy tycoon like him would never bother accepting a dinner invitation from a small developer like himself.

To his surprise, Shang Shixu pulled back his hand and looked at him with deep, amused eyes. Under what pretext? If it’s to celebrate our partnership, I should be the one treating you. We’re in a win-win collaboration, and I have high hopes for your project. I’ll be riding your coattails in the future.

Even though it was polite banter, for some reason, hearing someone as influential as Shang Shixu say those words made Jiang Muzhou’s ears feel slightly warm.

Then… thank you for letting me hitch a ride last time.

There were plenty of upscale restaurants surrounding Zhongshi Tower, and Jiang Muzhou planned to eat somewhere close by.

When asked for his preference, Shang Shixu replied that he wasn’t picky.

Through their three encounters so far, Jiang Muzhou had discovered that this man was genuinely easygoing.

He didn’t put on airs, setting himself apart from other bosses Jiang Muzhou had met.

He attributed these traits to good upbringing and character; only someone with such an expansive mindset could build a corporation of this scale.

As for the document folder he had left behind yesterday, he hadn’t asked why Shang Shixu had opened it without permission, nor had Shang Shixu brought up why he hadn’t contacted him to retrieve it.

Since both sides left it unmentioned, it became an unspoken consensus. Besides, the partnership was already locked in.

The restaurant was nearby, making it much more convenient to walk than drive. Furthermore, Jiang Muzhou had ridden over on his motorcycle, and he couldn’t very well ask Shang Shixu to hop on the back.

The mental image of Shang Shixu in his tailored suit riding pillion on a motorcycle, especially if spotted by his own employees, was simply too wild to contemplate.

They ended up having Cantonese cuisine.

Sharing a meal was the best way to foster a relationship, and alcohol was usually the key ingredient at the table.

With drinks flowing, even if you couldn’t become confidants, becoming drinking buddies still counted as a form of friendship.

Yet tonight’s dinner between the two men was entirely alcohol-free.

Jiang Muzhou had to ride his bike back, and Shang Shixu stated that he didn’t drink.

Halfway through the meal, Shang Shixu’s phone rang. He put down his chopsticks, leaned back slightly against the booth’s backrest, and listened to the call. Though he kept quiet, his gaze drifted toward Jiang Muzhou from time to time.

Jiang Muzhou pretended not to notice, keeping his eyes down to eat. A moment later, he heard Shang Shixu say, Alright, I’ll be there shortly.

Um… Shang Shixu hesitated slightly.

Jiang Muzhou smiled gracefully. If you have matters to attend to, please go ahead.

Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor. I can compensate you for your time…

A few key clients of Shang Shixu’s were flying abroad in a couple of days, but their schedules were notoriously erratic. He had managed to track down their current location nearby, but if he went alone, he would inevitably be dragged into heavy drinking.

If he missed this window of opportunity, finding them again later would be an open question.

Unfortunately, it was already past working hours, his PR department had long since left for the day, and they were likely stuck in traffic jams right now. Returning to the office to pull people in would waste too much time.

After Shang Shixu explained the situation, Jiang Muzhou thought it over and agreed.

Shang Shixu kept emphasizing that they were business partners, but in reality, this investor acted essentially like his boss. On top of that, they had just signed a major contract, and his entire financial future for the next stretch of life depended on this capital injection.

Future reciprocity between them was inevitable, so agreeing to help was only natural, and he certainly wasn’t going to accept any monetary compensation for it.

I’ll have to trouble you tonight. My tolerance is about an ounce before I pass out; I really can’t handle much.

Jiang Muzhou looked at Shang Shixu in surprise. He genuinely didn’t know anyone in his daily life with such a weak tolerance for alcohol. Logically speaking, the head of such a massive corporation should have a decent capacity for drink. Even if it wasn’t stellar, it should at least be a few ounces, otherwise how could they possibly negotiate business deals across dinner tables?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he called the waiter to settle the bill, only to find out it had already been paid.

He turned back to look at Shang Shixu, who politely and courteously said, This one’s on me.

Jiang Muzhou wasn’t one to fuss over formalities, so he simply nodded. I didn’t get to eat properly this time; I’ll treat you next time.

Shang Shixu looked at him and replied, Alright, let’s plan on it.

Shang Shixu’s clients were passionate drinkers, and they had already put away a round before Jiang Muzhou and Shang Shixu arrived. With the two men coordinating as a team—even though Shang Shixu didn’t drink, his sheer presence drew everyone’s attention, and with Jiang Muzhou stepping up to block the toasts—the strategy worked reasonably well.

Later on, the group headed to a private club, and the festivities didn’t wind down until nearly four in the morning.

Standing by the roadside after sending off the last of the group, he and Shang Shixu found themselves momentarily unsure of where to go next.

Shang Shixu handed Jiang Muzhou a cigarette and lit one for himself. I really have to thank you for tonight.

Entertaining clients was pure physical labor, especially when dealing with a crowd that loved to drink and party late into the night. It was an absolute drain on the body.

Jiang Muzhou took a drag, let out a long breath, and looked at the slender cigarette between his fingers; half of it had already burned down in a single inhalation.

As long as it yielded results.

They look old enough, yet they can party harder than us, making me feel like an old man by comparison.

Jiang Muzhou couldn’t help laughing. I certainly don’t consider myself an old man. I’m right in my prime.

Under the streetlights, his eyes shone brightly when he smiled, carrying a playful teasing tone as if mocking Shang Shixu for getting old.

Shang Shixu suddenly found Jiang Muzhou quite fascinating, completely uninhibited by formalities. He thoroughly enjoyed chatting with someone like this.

Everyone he normally interacted with treated him either with extreme caution or rigid politeness. Only Jiang Muzhou talked to him with a completely natural attitude—free of excessive enthusiasm, leaving him feeling genuinely relaxed.

Biting down on his cigarette, Shang Shixu raised an eyebrow at him, his sharp facial features appearing even more defined in the shadow cast by the streetlamp. Am I that old, young master?

President Shang is young and promising, handsome and dashing, mighty and imposing. Jiang Muzhou smoothly delivered a compliment that happened to be the absolute truth.

Beneath the dim streetlights, a sanitation worker parked a three-wheeled garbage cart by the curbside, swept up the scattered leaves blown onto the road, and dumped them into the bin.

A passing gust of wind blew down another cluster of leaves, prompting the sanitation worker to mechanically repeat the exact same sweeping motion.

If it were me, I’d go out in the middle of the night and knock every single leaf off those trees just to guarantee not a single fallen leaf is in sight tomorrow morning. Jiang Muzhou gestured toward the opposite side of the street with his cigarette.

Shang Shixu looked over and said, If it were me, I’d issue an official directive stating that fallen leaves no longer count as trash.

The two men exchanged a glance and laughed.

After watching the street for a moment longer, Jiang Muzhou turned his head and asked, At this hour, should we go sleep off the alcohol and head home?

Going to a hotel wasn’t an option since he didn’t have his ID card with him.

In his slightly buzzed state, he couldn’t ride his motorcycle either. If he took a taxi back, his bike would be left behind here, meaning he’d have to make another trip just to retrieve it.

Too troublesome.

Shang Shixu thought about it. His own place wasn’t particularly close by, and there wouldn’t even be enough time for a round trip.

Let’s go. We’re heading to my company.