Chapter 45: Boss

It was noisy on the second floor, and Meng Chengcheng was crying so bitterly that Zhang Tan could hear it all the way up on the third floor. He stepped outside to take a look and just happened to see Xiaobai trotting along behind her aunt, stepping out of the kindergarten, turning a corner, darting into the night, and disappearing beyond the perimeter wall.

"What's going on here? Why is she crying so bitterly?" Zhang Tan asked. Meng Chengcheng was a crybaby, but usually, it was just soft whimpering, not the full-blown wailing like this.

"Her father hasn't come yet..." Teacher Xiao Liu explained, adding that Xiaobai was also a factor; with Xiaobai keeping her company, Meng Chengcheng would probably have felt much better.

Jiang Bin was staying by Meng Chengcheng's side, wiping away her tears and occasionally patting her little head and back out of fear that she would choke from crying. He stepped in to do what Teacher Xiao Liu should have been doing, acting just like a dependable older brother.

Clang, clang, clang~~~~

The midnight bell drifted through the kindergarten. Meng Guangship, Meng Chengcheng's father, rushed in right on the stroke of midnight, looking travel-worn and weary.

Seeing that both Zhang Tan and Teacher Xiao Liu were still there, and that his daughter was obediently watching television, he let out a profound sigh of relief. Even from five or six meters away, he hurriedly bowed and apologized to Zhang Tan and Teacher Xiao Liu, explaining the reason for his delay: his shift at work had run late.

"Daddy~~"

Hearing the voice and seeing that it was him, Meng Chengcheng brushed away her sadness, let out a joyful cry, and lunged forward into his arms.

Meng Guangship dropped his work bag and used some effort to squat down on his chubby frame, gathering Meng Chengcheng into his embrace. His sweaty, grease-stained face beamed with light, and all his fatigue vanished in an instant.

"Did Chengcheng be a good girl?"

"...I cried."

Meng Chengcheng rested against her father's chest and helped wipe the sweat from his face.

Meng Guangship held her with a beaming smile, stroked her little head, and expressed his gratitude to Zhang Tan and Teacher Xiao Liu.

"I'll take Chengcheng home now. Thank you both."

"You're too kind."

"Bye-bye, Chengcheng."

Meng Guangship once again bent down with some difficulty to pick up his work bag, and holding Meng Chengcheng, he left while telling her a story.

Zhang Tan and Teacher Xiao Liu watched as they mounted a little electric scooter and disappeared into the night.

Now, there were only two children left in the entire kindergarten. One was Xiaomi, who was already asleep in Teacher Xiao Liu's room and didn't count; the other was the oldest boy in the kindergarten, eight-year-old Jiang Bin.

Seeing Zhang Tan and Teacher Xiao Liu both looking over at him, he nervously squeezed his palms and said, "Teachers, you can go to sleep. I'm not scared. I'll wait here for my dad by myself."

"How can we do that?" Teacher Xiao Liu said.

Jiang Bin's father usually came to pick him up around eleven o'clock, but today he was already more than an hour late—even later than Meng Chengcheng's father.

"Teacher Xiao Liu, you go get some rest. I'll stay here and keep Jiang Bin company," Zhang Tan said. It was already so late, and Teacher Xiao Liu had been busy all evening; exhaustion was clearly written across her face.

Teacher Xiao Liu resolutely refused. Zhang Tan was her boss, and this was her job; how could she possibly let her boss do her work for her?

Beep, beep, beep~~~~~

The sound of a little electric scooter's horn echoed from the courtyard.

Jiang Bin leaped to his feet, looked out the window, and said happily, "Teacher, my dad is here! I'm leaving now, bye-bye!"

He bolted down the stairs at a run.

"Slow down, don't fall," Teacher Xiao Liu cautioned anxiously.

This was the first time Zhang Tan had laid eyes on Jiang Bin's father. He was a lean man wearing a safety helmet and a blue-and-white vest—the exact same outfit as the designated driver who had helped drive him home today.

With all the children finally sent off safely, the work for the night at the kindergarten had finally come to an end. Zhang Tan and Teacher Xiao Liu bid each other good night.

Early the next morning, Zhang Tan packed up his things and prepared to head to work when he suddenly noticed the fat-bellied glass bottle on the living room coffee table. Inside, a little blackish creature was clinging to the glass—a cicada.

He thought for a moment, pushing aside the worry of whether Xiaobai would cry, and released the cicada from the bottle.

If it stayed trapped in the bottle for an entire day, he feared it would die.

The cicada fluttered its wings and took flight, but dropped to the ground. After recovering for a moment, it took off again, tracing a crooked trajectory through the air before landing on the mulberry tree outside the balcony.

When Zhang Tan arrived at the company, someone was already there before him: Jiang Rong.

"Boss, you're here! I've brewed some tea for you, please have some," Jiang Rong said, offering her service with a beaming smile.

"What's this?" Zhang Tan asked with a puzzled expression.

Jiang Rong laughed. "Haha, I'm joining the production team now! I'm no longer part of the evaluation panel; I'm a member of the *Bad Luck Bear* crew. So naturally, I have to work where you are, making it convenient to be at your beck and call!"

Zhang Tan saw that she had already made herself at home and picked out a spot in the office. The office was twenty-five square meters and could seat four people.

"You don't need to worry, Boss. I've already spoken with Teacher Luo; he knows I'm coming."

Zhang Tan was momentarily stunned. "You have such wide connections."

"Heh heh heh, just so-so."

"Don't call me boss. Just call me Zhang Tan."

A short while later, Luo Ming arrived. Upon seeing Jiang Rong, he smiled and remarked that the office finally had some fresh blood injected into it—as if Zhang Tan didn't count as fresh, having been here for less than a month.

After handing the outline and the first few episode scripts of *Bad Luck Bear* to Jiang Rong for her to study first, Zhang Tan stepped out and went to find Xu Jian.

Xu Jian belonged to the Second Screenwriting Group and was located on the tenth floor. It was Zhang Tan's first time on the tenth floor. This floor housed the First and Second Screenwriting Groups, while the floor where he usually worked, the ninth, housed the Third and Fourth Screenwriting Groups. The script evaluation panel was on the eighth floor, and further down were the various specific project groups.

"Hello, excuse me, where does Xu Jian sit?" Zhang Tan asked a young woman nearby.

The other person curiously sized him up twice and noticed the employee badge hanging on his chest, which bore his name.

"Oh, you're Zhang Tan? Xu Jian is over there, by the window."

She sounded as if she already knew who he was. Zhang Tan didn't ask any further questions, offered his thanks, and walked forward. He found Xu Jian at a desk by the window. Xu Jian was wearing headphones, typing away at his computer—probably listening to music—and paid no attention to his arrival. A male colleague sitting opposite him tapped on Xu Jian's computer and pointed toward Zhang Tan standing behind him.

Xu Jian pulled off his headphones, turned around, and froze.

"Zhang? Zhang Tan? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Looking for me?"

Zhang Tan smiled. "Yeah, got a minute? Let's chat."

Xu Jian hesitated for a moment, put down his headphones, stood up, and said, "Let's go to the meeting room over there."

He didn't know what Zhang Tan wanted to talk to him about. Since Zhang Tan had just beaten him out in the pitch yesterday, he figured Zhang Tan probably wasn't here to gloat, and he actually held a pretty good impression of him.

When he learned that Zhang Tan had come to invite him to join the screenwriting group, Xu Jian was taken aback. It took him a long time to snap out of it and confirm that Zhang Tan wasn't joking with him.

"Why me?" Xu Jian asked.

Zhang Tan replied, "There are so many humorous gags and plots in *Kiki's Wonderful World* that, with just a little tweaking, can be used in *Bad Luck Bear*. That goes to show your style is suited for *Bad Luck Bear*."

"Let's work on this together. It's a long-form show, and I can't handle it all by myself. I'm in urgent need of someone who has ideas and is funny..."

Xu Jian considered it for quite a while before finally agreeing. He had poured so much effort into *Kiki's Wonderful World*; it would be a terrible pity to just let those ideas sit unused.

"You can prepare for a bit and come over tomorrow."

"No need, I'll come over this afternoon. I don't have anything else going on here."

Having persuaded the person he wanted most, Xu Jian, Zhang Tan still needed two more people. Yesterday, Luo Ming had recommended Liu Shi and Jia Yulin, both from the Third Group.

Zhang Tan returned to the ninth floor and first found Liu Shi. The other man was quite surprised by Zhang Tan's invitation, as the two of them hadn't had much interaction previously. Still, it was a good thing, and he had no reason to refuse.

That left Jia Yulin, who was not in the office.

"I just saw him a moment ago," someone from Jia Yulin's office said. "Give him a call."

Zhang Tan obtained Jia Yulin's number, dialed it, and explained the purpose of his call.

"Sorry, I don't have time. You should look for someone else," Jia Yulin said over the phone.

Zhang Tan didn't give up and continued to extend the invitation, but the other party remained firm. With no other choice, he could only express his regret and look for someone else.

Just as he left, Jia Yulin walked back into the office.

"Old Jia, someone was just looking for you. That new guy named Zhang Tan, sounded like he was inviting you to join the *Bad Luck Bear* crew."

Jia Yulin chuckled and said, "I already turned him down. I haven't even finished the projects on my own hands."