"The benefits at your Xingchen are truly great, unlike us at Sunac. We haven't received our bonuses yet; we have to wait until the year-end bonus to possibly get anything. As a department manager at Sunac Investment, my performance this year hasn't been great, so I'll probably only get seven or eight hundred thousand. I really envy you."
As Zhang Yue spoke, he cast a subtle glance toward Jiang Cheng, seemingly trying to catch a hint of envy or surprise on the other man's face.
Jiang Cheng almost felt like applauding him after hearing that speech.
Good grief, after talking for so long, he was just finding roundabout ways to brag about his job and income.
One had to admit, there was some substance to his introduction.
Looking at Zhang Yue, he seemed to be under thirty.
Being a department manager at a major firm like Sunac Investment at that age was already considered young and successful.
More importantly, those words had laid out his income situation nakedly right in front of Jiang Cheng.
Clearly, he felt very confident that revealing such an income in front of a student like Jiang Cheng would easily crush him.
Generally speaking, girls were usually better at this kind of indirect prodding.
This was the first time Jiang Cheng had heard such passive-aggressive remarks from a man; he truly was someone seasoned in the corporate world.
In truth, if he had said this to an ordinary freshman, he would have undoubtedly succeeded.
However, Zhang Yue's attempt at showing off was clearly backfiring here.
Especially in front of Zhao Linger.
A year-end bonus of nearly a million already proved that Zhang Yue was very capable.
But he still emphasized that his performance wasn't good.
That meant he earned even more in previous years.
Between this nearly million-yuan bonus and his regular salary, one could roughly infer that Zhang Yue's annual income was around 1.5 million yuan.
This level of income had indeed surpassed more than half of the population living in Shanghai.
Zhang Yue did indeed have the capital to act superior.
But his mistake was trying to act superior in front of Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng was not only Zhao Linger's boss but also the person who gave her those bonuses.
So at this moment, Zhang Yue's superior-sounding speech only made Zhao Linger feel embarrassed.
After all, his year-end bonus plus his regular salary combined wasn't as much as her single bonus.
Zhang Yue was so focused on showing off that he didn't notice the fleeting look of embarrassment on Zhao Linger's face.
He then turned his sights toward Jiang Cheng: "Student Jiang, what's your major?"
Jiang Cheng replied expressionlessly, "Finance."
Upon hearing this answer, the corners of Zhang Yue's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hint of disdain.
He slowly reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a business card with gold-embossed lettering, then handed it to Jiang Cheng with a posture that seemed casual but was actually deliberate.
"The School of Finance is good. Shanghai is the financial center of our country, so it'll be easy for you to find a job after graduation. But currently, the environment is quite competitive. As it happens, I also studied finance. I've already introduced myself—I'm a department manager."
Jiang Cheng did not take the business card.
He merely glanced indifferently at the text on it.
He looked up at Zhang Yue and then asked in a calm, slightly confused tone, "So??"
Those two simple words were like a heavy hammer slamming into Zhang Yue's chest.
According to his original plan, Jiang Cheng should have been dumbstruck upon learning his identity and position, with an undeniable look of surprise on his face.
Or perhaps he would feel envious and look at him with admiration.
He might even have shown a hint of an inferiority complex because he felt inadequate by comparison.
However, the current reality was vastly different from what he had imagined.
Faced with such a huge gap, Zhang Yue's expression instantly turned sour, becoming so gloomy it looked as if it could drip water.
Zhang Yue's face took on a look that suggested Jiang Cheng didn't know what was good for him.
Suppressing his inner resentment, he maintained his haughty posture and continued, "If you need help after graduation, I can help introduce you to some jobs."
Hearing Zhang Yue's overconfident words, Zhao Linger couldn't help herself; she covered her mouth and let out a chuckle.