Doing this was originally Brian Carter's personal choice, but in the eyes of the unit leaders, Brian Carter was simply the fearless, self-sacrificing successor to the socialist cause. For a young person to give up most of his personal time and devote himself wholeheartedly to the unit—such people have basically gone extinct as reform and opening-up have deepened. But now, all these qualities are embodied in Brian Carter; he’s like a giant panda and must be encouraged and commended.

Everyone in the operations department has pretty much benefited from this. As the saying goes, “You can’t bite the hand that feeds you.” In everyone’s eyes, they’ve taken advantage of Brian Carter; it’s a big favor. Never mind how to repay it for now—at the very least, as long as there’s no conflict of interest, they won’t deliberately make things difficult for Brian Carter. This is also one of the reasons why Brian Carter can do as he pleases at the station without anyone reporting him.

Chapter 0007 Working Overtime for the Revolution

“Director Walker, are we supposed to go to Jiugong again today?” On the way home from work, Director Walker, knowing that Brian Carter wasn’t feeling well, kindly acted as his subordinate’s driver for once, taking Brian Carter down the mountain by car. Before they even got on the Jing-Shi Expressway, Brian Carter suddenly asked an out-of-the-blue question.

“Are you okay? I was just about to call Director Yan and the others to ask for leave for you.” Director Walker tilted his head and looked carefully at Brian Carter's complexion. Although there was no obvious sign of illness, he still wasn’t quite reassured. But that was all—his tone wasn’t firm, clearly still hoping Brian Carter would go.

So what exactly were they going to Jiugong for? The answer wasn’t a meeting, nor was it work—it was a card game. This was a rather interesting yet helpless activity. Brian Carter didn’t really like playing cards; neither poker nor mahjong interested him much. He rarely played at home, only joining in a few rounds at his grandmother’s during holidays, and only if his uncle, aunts, and their husbands were home—no one else played.

But ever since he joined this satellite company, right after finishing his first month’s probation, he received an invitation from his immediate superior to go play cards at the Aerospace Department dormitory in Jiugong. And it wasn’t just for a little while—it would last two or three days, from after work on Friday until work started again on Monday morning. Faced with an invitation from his boss, Brian Carter naturally couldn’t refuse outright. At first, he just planned to go through the motions, lose a few hundred yuan, and call it a day. But when he got there, he realized that this card game wasn’t organized by Director Walker at all; he was just a participant. The real organizers were two company executives. It was through this card game that he gradually came to understand the full picture of this satellite company.

Nominally, this satellite company was a subsidiary of the Second Academy of the Aerospace Department, but in reality, it was just a place to arrange jobs for trusted associates and provide pocket money for the leaders. There were fewer than seventy employees, but there were eleven people with the title of “general manager,” most of whom Brian Carter had never met in person—he’d only seen their photos in the company group picture on the wall. No need to ask—these were all people on the payroll in name only. The actual running of the company was handled by just two people, one surnamed Yan and the other Guo. They weren’t ordinary people either; according to inside sources, Director Yan was the old minister’s driver, and Director Guo was the new minister’s secretary before he took office.

These two executives were actually quite amiable, always smiling, but they had a hobby—playing cards. Whether it was poker or mahjong, they were up for it, and once they started, they’d play for hours on end, stopping only when they couldn’t go on. With bosses like this, there really weren’t many people in the company who could keep them company. Who has the time to ignore their family and play cards with them all day? Besides, the regular employees weren’t afraid of them; although their ranks differed, in this matter, no one could throw their weight around.

So the two executives set their sights on those who were unmarried or also enjoyed a few rounds. Thus, the company’s driver, who had just retired from the army, and Brian Carter became their main targets. The driver had boarded the “pirate ship” before Brian Carter, and now Brian Carter had joined too. Together with Director Walker and an R&D department employee, there were exactly six people. When playing poker, more people made it lively; when playing mahjong, they could take turns, and the other two could get some sleep.

What surprised Brian Carter most was that these guys were terrible at cards—no wonder they didn’t play with outsiders. Probably, they wanted to avoid bad impressions, and also, they lost too often and it was embarrassing. The first time, Brian Carter went in expecting to lose—who wins against the boss at cards? But once they started, it wasn’t like that at all. Even someone like Brian Carter, who wasn’t even an amateur, beat them so badly they were routed. It was hard to even let them win. But these guys really didn’t mind losing—losing a month’s salary in one night didn’t faze them at all. The more they lost, the more addicted they became, fighting on with even greater enthusiasm.