Assistant Architect

Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

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Chapter 14: Member

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“Why?” Zhang Siyi wiped his mouth and said,“Yesterday he criticized you so severely. He is not gentle so how doesthat make him perfect?”

Not only that, he also is always giving Zhang Siyi a hardtime. Isolation by way of no help from his colleagues, ridicule, can't chat tofriends…. Maybe the guy has no friends at all!

Despite getting along well in a short period of time, ZhangSiyi can list a bunch of grievances. The illusion of "good and generous" haslong since disappeared. With such a hard and unforgiving boss, Zhang Si Yi doesn'tunderstand why Gi Yu is so popular with girls. Well, aside from his looks andprofessional ability.

Du Rui immediately retorted: “I did not do well sohe is indeed qualified to criticize me.” There is the public Boss Gu Yuand the private Gu Yu. Even though young people spend time out at night, he can'tlive that way. Being a director has many responsibilities. He is very polite tohis subordinates. but privately he is very gentle and considerate person.

…… Mild? Considerate? pppftt! Is she talking aboutthe same person?

Originally, Zhang Siyi used such adjectives to describeGu Yu, but now it will never be. He also thinks that Du Rui is confused by GuYu's performances as he was at the beginning.

Zhang Siyi flat mouth: “Anyway, I think he is sometimesoverbearing."

Du Rui became unhappy after hearing Zhang Siyi harshwords. The atmosphere between them became strained and in defense Du Ruisuddenly said. "I didn’t have such a good predecessor to work under at my oldjob, you can't even see the blessing before you…" She paused. A look of envyflashed in her eyes, "He even gave you his cactus!"

Zhang Siyi: "……" Can the cactus tell us anything? It’snot made of gold!

This topic let the atmosphere take a sharp turn and thechatting stopped. Du Rui stood up holding her cup of coffee: “Well, let’shurry back and finish drawing otherwise so we can report to Gu Yu."

Shit! Reminding him of his responsibilities, Zhang Siyialso stood up and was anxious and go back to work.

When Zhang Siyi worked overtime at 10 o’clock that night,he completed the task assigned by Gu Yu before he got off work, but this is notthe end of his hardship.

After one months, almost every day, he painted thebuilding’s core functions and various other details. He had to create so manybathroom designs that he couldn't think anything else but toilet measurements. It'slike an occupational hazard.

There was this one time, at a restaurant with Fu Xinhui,where Zhang Siyi went to use the bathroom. The internal separation was very unique,so he felt compelled to measure all the toilet proportions in the room for along time. The people who went in and out of the bathroom looked at him as strangely.After returning, Fu Xinhui also laughed at him. The dishes were already cold.

Just when Zhang Siyi had enough of drawing toilets, the humanresource department informed him that Gu Yu passed his probationary period.When Zhang Si Yi learned the “good news”, he felt so excited. Earlierthat day, when Zhang Siyi first arrived at the company, he received a messagefrom Gu Yu: “Don’t leave after work. We will have a meal together.”

Accustomed to Gu Yu's orders every time there is a task, ZhangSi Yi instinctively rose from his desk. He did not expect to see such aninvitation.

He returned an “Oh” word, and he felt happyafter a long while.

Gu Yu told him to eat together. Is it to celebrate his newstaff member status? The days of painting toilets and stairs are over? Ah ha-ha!Grappling with his past treatment, Zhang Siyi doesn't know if he wants toforgive Gu Yu. Although, being invited to dinner…. Zhang Siyi's attitudesoftens.

Zhu Hongzhen suddenly said, "Auntie Four, you know abouttonight's dinner?”"

“AHA? Zhang Si Yi's mood suddenly fell from theclouds!

Had his intention been made clear from the start, ZhangSiyi wouldn't have been hurting all day! Feeling depressed, he turned around tosee Gu Yu came out from the office and greeted everyone to eat. The people inthe group were noisy and excited to go downstairs to gather.

Autumn comes at the end of September and with it, coolertemperatures. Outside the group gathers to hail a taxi. Zhang Siyi was mixed inthe crowd, and his eyes swept to Gu Yu, and suddenly he could not move hiseyes. He is wearing an indigo blue sweater and black slim jeans. With hands inhis pockets, and long legs, he looks like purple bamboo… A rare specimen.

The man was standing slightly to the side and did notinterrupt his subordinates while they chattered and laughed. With eyes smiling,Gu Xiao radiated a unique quietness that would not make people feel pressured,but also, would not make people feel ignored.

The dinner venue was set at a Cantonese restaurant threekilometers away from the company. The group of people called three cars tobring them to the restaurant. Zhang Siyi got in first followed by Zhu Hongzhen,Bi Lele and last was Yuan Zhicheng. Gu Yu leaned in and carefully told YuanZhicheng the location of the restaurant then let them leave.

When the car started, Zhang Siyi saw two other carscoming. Another group of people took the second taxi, and some girls includingDu Rui got into the third car along with Gu Yu.

Zhang Siyi turned around and there was a feeling ofsorrow in his heart, and he did not know where it came from. He asked Zhu Hongzhen,“Why are you having dinner today?"

Zhu Hongzhen: “At the end of every month we have acompany dinner."

Zhang Siyi was shocked: “Every month Guo takes thedepartment out for dinner!? For a large group of people, Isn't that just toomuch?"

Zhu Hongzhen laughed: “It's not a treat. It'sthe class fee.”

Zhang Si Yi is a bit blindfold: “What class meetingfee?”"

Bi Lele laughed and said: “It is the funds for theactivities in the group. We all call them “Class membership fees.”

Zhang Siyi suddenly remembered the 500-dollar salary deduction.He asked, “Does the company give us the class membership fee?"

“No, it’s what we earned ourselves,” Bi Leleexplained. “After the company’s quarterly benefits are met, one percent ofthe extra design fee is spent on activities. For example, the company requiresthe annual performance to be 10 million. The average is 2.5 million perquarter, and we have done 3 million jobs, of which 500,000 percent are countedas activities for this quarter, including employee travel and out-of-schoolstudy benefits.”

Zhang Siyi: “The trough, 10 million a year! Can ourcompany earn so much?”

Bi Lele looked at Zhang Siyi as if he was looking atXiaobai: “One million is less than in the past. When the industrysituation was better, 20 million was easy to earn. Don't forget there isn'tmuch support and our projects are on the smaller side."

Zhu Hongzhen: “To make a contract you need prettygood connections and our company design fees are higher."

Yuan Zhicheng, who is sitting in the vice-passenger seat,also turned around to comfort Zhang Siyi: “Although it is not very goodnow, but we can still eat at dinner, rest assured.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

However, since there are so many class fees, why shouldGu Yu also deduct his poor five hundred wages? Zhang Siyi feels slighted again!

Zhang Siyi could not help but be curious: “Hey, doyou know how much Boss is paid?”

Zhu Hongzhen: “I'm not sure, but my classmate'sfather is a chief architect. His annual income is about 5 to 600,000. Someother higher-ranking people make more than one million.

Zhang Siyi is excited – Who says that building can’t makemoney! A lot of money! (¥¥)

Bi Lele turned back and whispered: “I have listenedto the group B people to discuss the annual salary of child labor, it seems tobe 350,000, I think the work is almost the same.”

Zhu Hongzhen nodded: “It is high for someone asyoung as Gu Yu."

Zhang Siyi glared at his fingers and thought that JiangHai and Fu Xinhui would not work for so little wages. So little money, it hurts:“Then our salary is bad?”

Bi Lele turned a blind eye: “What do we have tocomplain? We are new. A senior told me that one needs more than 8 years to eventhink about it. Maybe years ago, it was not like it is now."

Zhu Hongzhen: “That is, nowadays, the graduates ofthe architecture department have a lot of graduates, and they are mostly cheaplaborers. But the elite talents of the industry are hard to find. After all,the transfer rate is too high and there are too few who can persist.”

Bi Lele: “I heard that when the boss just became theDirector, there was a real estate company in Shenzhen who offered a millionyuan to recruit him as a design consultant, but he refused.”

Zhu Hongzhen: “How do you hear about so much?

Listening to colleagues talk about those high-incomearchitects, Zhang Siyi has been speechless, why is the gap between people somuch!

With the distraction of conversation, time passedquickly. In what felt like an instant, all 11 people arrived at the Cantoneserestaurant. After the group of people were seated, several male colleagues wereclamoring for a drink. Beer and wine were passed around and the atmospherequickly became lively.

Everyone should respect the director as usual, but it isnot a coincidence that Gu Yu's cell phone suddenly rang. He smiled and pointedto Zhang Siyi’s direction: “Be good. I will go out and take my call.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

When Gu Yu left, Zhang Siyi became the target of hiscolleagues and could not hide. Now that he has been with the company for a months'time, he isn't treated like and outsider. Plus, he is the only internationalstudent in Group A”.

Everyone laughed and laughed. When Gu Yu came back from hisphone call, Zhang Siyi already drank several rounds. Hot faced, he had beenteased mercilessly. He felt Gu Yu was intentionally making him angry. Head fullof wine, Zhang Siyi stood up and pretended to be respectful: "Gu, thank you forthis past month, teaching me so many things, here is a toast.”

Gu Yu felt touched. He happily picked up the glass andsmiled: “Thank you, as long as you are obedient and eager to learn, I willbe able to teach you more in the future.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

The two men dried up the wine. When Zhang Siyi wasseated, he listened to Gu Yu say to everyone: “Oh yes, I almost forgot,Zhang Siyi just became a full staff member, so everyone can make another toast.”

Zhang Siyi："……"

The crowd immediately and enthusiasticallyraised a glass: “Congratulations! Welcome to Group A!"

Zhang Siyi is starting tofeel overwhelmed so it's getting harder to drink each round. He just wants totake a break, but Gu Yu raised his glass for another toast, smiled at him andsaid, "In fact, Zhang Siyi especially took five hundred dollars from hisprobation period salary to let everyone eat, so half of this meal is hisinvitation. So, everyone can have another drink."

The crowd was shocked andhappy, and they raised their glasses: “Come here, thank you Zhang Siyi!Thank you, Boss! Thank you, four!”

Zhang Siyi： "…………" Oh,my God! You have a grudge against me, don’t you?