Chapter 540 - 349: There Are Only 2 Happy Days When People Work

Chapter 540: Chapter 349: There Are Only 2 Happy Days When People Work

At noon the next day, on an unremarkable street in the Los Angeles Arts District.

"Boss," Chen Haisheng said, pulling the car over to the side of the road, "why the sudden decision to eat here?"

"You don’t know?" Li Wei looked out the car window. "This place, Guerrilla Tacos, is said to be the best taco shop in all of Los Angeles. It started as a small street-side stand and eventually opened a brick-and-mortar store."

"Our time in Mexico was too short last time," Chen Haisheng said, smacking his lips. "And we happened to run into that cartel shootout. Otherwise, we could have gone somewhere like Cancún to taste some authentic tacos."

’You guys didn’t get to eat any,’ Li Wei thought. ’But I’ve had them before.’

The storefront was small, with a line of about ten people at the door. The air was filled with the smell of grilled meat and cilantro.

Li Wei, wearing a baseball cap, went unrecognized. Chen Haisheng went to order a few of their signature items and some horchata, then returned.

After taking a bite of a beef rib taco, Chen Haisheng’s eyes immediately lit up. "This is really good."

"It is," Li Wei nodded. "It’s not bad." ’Not as good as the free ones I had last time.’

"By the way, Boss," Chen Haisheng asked, "how come we haven’t seen Jason Miller today? He’s been following us every day, but it’s quiet today."

"I gave him the day off," Li Wei said with a smile. "Today is his 10-year anniversary at NBC."

Chen Haisheng just said, "Oh."

"Get two orders to go for Uncle later," Li Wei said, taking a sip of his horchata. "He should be almost done with the move over there."

"You got it," said Chen Haisheng. "I’ll go right now."

Daniel Brody, the agent Jason Miller had introduced, was indeed a professional. He had shown Li Wei seven or eight houses in total, in places like Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, and the Bird Streets, with prices ranging from 30 million to 150 million USD.

The houses were genuinely nice, each one boasting top-tier West Coast amenities: infinity pools, private theaters, and smart garages were all standard.

But as Li Wei looked at them, he felt something was missing.

He wasn’t interested in the smaller villas, but he felt that spending tens of millions on the larger ones was still a bit too expensive. Besides, after the purchase, factoring in taxes and subsequent maintenance costs, it would amount to over a million USD a year.

After all, his home base was in New York. He was only in Los Angeles for a three-month shoot, and he still had to go back to school. Anya, Liz, and Jin Heon were all there. Buying a house in Los Angeles just seemed like a losing proposition no matter how he looked at it.

So he had Daniel change direction: no buying, just renting for now.

Daniel’s efficiency was impressive. Within two days, he had found a mega-villa on a Bel Air hilltop. The original owner was a petroleum family from the Middle East. The house was valued at 70 million USD, but the owner lived in Dubai year-round and only came to Los Angeles a few times a year, so they were looking for a long-term tenant.

The annual rent was 3.1 million USD, which included a full set of furniture, pool maintenance, and gardening services.

When calculated, the daily cost was not much different from what they had been paying for their villa at the Bel Air Hotel.

Don Quixote had gone ahead to sign the contract and get the keys.

After Li Wei and Chen Haisheng finished eating, Chen Haisheng drove the Cadillac Escalade to their new home.

"The house is signed for," Don Quixote said. "Also, there’s something I need to talk to you about."

"Hm?" Li Wei was standing by the infinity pool, looking out at the Los Angeles skyline. "What is it?"

"I previously found a local financial oversight company in Hollywood to help us monitor the film crew’s cash flow," Don Quixote said, choosing his words carefully. "They’re competent, but their level of dedication is just average. It would be best to find a trustworthy local to keep an eye on things for us."

"Uncle, you might as well just say we should poach Jason Miller," Li Wei said, shaking his head with a smile. "But I mentioned it to him last time, and he said he might be getting a promotion soon, so he’s still considering it."

"Just ask again," Don Quixote said. "I think Jason is a good candidate. I had someone run a background check on him. His record is clean, no criminal history or bad habits."

"He is a good choice," Li Wei mused. "How about we go find him this afternoon after we finish moving in?"

...

"ACHOO!" Jason Miller sneezed and rubbed his nose.

"Are you catching a cold, dear?" Megan poked her head out of the kitchen. "Do you want to take some medicine or something?"

"I’m fine," Jason Miller said. "My resistance might just be a little low lately."

"Today’s your big day, right?" Megan said as she cooked. "Happy 10th anniversary at work."

"Thanks," Jason Miller said while picking out a tie.

He paused, then couldn’t help but add, "You know what? I ran into Jeremy this morning."

"Oh?" Megan said without turning around. "Jeremy? That annoying guy from your company? What did he say?"

"Yeah, that annoying guy Jeremy. He said my position might be changing," Jason Miller said, having selected a tie he liked and holding it up to the mirror again and again. "I think he must have heard the news about my promotion."

"If you’re so sure," Megan said, placing a dish of Italian pasta with sausage and stewed beef on the table and wiping her hands on her apron, "then why didn’t you get dressed this morning?"

"Because my supervisor was in a meeting all morning and is only coming back this afternoon," Jason Miller smiled. "You know, I don’t want to strut around the office all morning in a new suit like a peacock."

"But if I get promoted this time," he said, spearing a piece of pasta with his fork, "I think I’ll be promoted to on-set producer."

Megan took off her apron, pulled out a chair to sit in front of him, and rested her head on her elbow, smiling as she watched him animatedly describe the future.

"Oh?" she said. "Is there a difference between an on-set producer and an outreach producer?"

Jason said, "Oh, a huge one."

The salary would jump, he wouldn’t have to work out in the elements, he’d have more stable connections and a better network, better health insurance, more vacation time...

"In short," he concluded, "it’s the fully upgraded version of an outreach producer."

"Sounds nice," Megan shrugged.

"Of course," Jason said after he finished eating, putting down his fork. "When I get back this afternoon, I’ll be Jason Miller, On-Set Producer for NBC."

"Then Jack and I will be waiting for the on-set producer to come home," Megan smiled.

Jason Miller took his suit jacket from the hanger and gave Megan a wink as he left.

Ever since NBC sold its office location to Catherine Worth Real Estate in 2008, their offices had moved from Burbank to a building across from Universal Studios.

The iconic peacock logo hung above the main entrance. The sight of those six colorful feathers used to fill Jason Miller with pain.

But it was different now. They looked particularly striking against the blue California sky.

A few company vans with parking passes were stopped in the driveway. A group of production assistants holding coffee cups was streaming out of a side door. Jason Miller knew at a glance that they were kids who had just been hired, because only new recruits had that kind of energy.

People say there are only two happy days at a job: the day you’re hired and the day you quit. Jason Miller felt that deeply.

But today, he planned to add a third day to that list: the day he got promoted.

After parking his car, Jason Miller instinctively adjusted his rearview mirror to check his tie.

Dark blue tie, light blue shirt, a suit pressed perfectly straight. Jason Miller nodded, then opened the door and got out.

As he swiped his card to enter, the receptionist, Diana, was the first to see him.

"Good afternoon, Jason!" Diana gave him a thumbs-up. "Ten years! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Jason said with a smile and a wave.

As he walked into the outreach department’s open-plan workspace, people gradually looked up to greet him.

"Hey, Jason, man! Happy 10th anniversary!" The sycophantic young production assistant from the next desk came over with his coffee. "Heard you’re getting promoted? Jeremy’s been saying since yesterday that your position is about to change."

"It’s not official yet," Jason said, beaming as he clipped on his ID badge. "Don’t spread rumors."

"It’s a sure thing," the production assistant said. "Everyone in the outreach department knows you’re the most reliable guy here. This promotion to the on-set team is well-deserved. Who knows, maybe I’ll be working under you in the future."

Jason was about to say something polite in return when the phone in his pocket buzzed.

He took it out and saw it was a text message from his supervisor’s office.

[Jason, I’m back. Come to my office.]

"My supervisor’s calling for me," Jason said, straightening his tie. "I’m heading over."

"Waiting for the good news," the production assistant said with a smile, sliding away on his office chair.

Jason Miller walked through the open-plan office and down the hallway toward his supervisor’s office.

The walls on both sides were lined with posters of NBC’s flagship shows over the years, from *Grey’s Anatomy* to *Friends*. As one of the three major television networks in the United States of America, NBC was definitely a legacy institution.

He arrived at his supervisor’s office door and knocked.

"Come in," a voice, a few years younger than Jason’s, replied.

"Good afternoon, Lewis," Jason said, looking at the supervisor who was five years his junior. "You wanted to see me?"

Lewis turned around, a very enthusiastic smile on his face.

"That’s right," Lewis said. "Of course, uh..."

He searched for his words, then opened his arms and gave Jason a hug.

"Happy 10-year anniversary," he said. "It’s not easy to work at one company for ten full years, right?"

"As long as you get something out of it and have something to look forward to, you can stick with it, right?" Jason Miller smiled.

"Right, something to look forward to, uh..." Lewis scanned his desk. "Right, happy 10-year anniversary. This is a little something from me personally. Here, take it."

He picked up a card from his desk and handed it to Jason Miller.

Jason took it and saw that it was a 100 USD gift certificate for a Thai restaurant in the Silver Lake District.

He looked up at Lewis as if he were looking at a transgender black Harry Potter.

"What... what is this?" His voice went up an octave. "Is that it?"

Lewis sighed and spread his hands. "It seems you already know."

"Of course I know," Jason Miller said, relieved. "You’re joking with me, right, Lewis? Come on, just tell me. Stop beating around the bush."

Lewis nodded hesitantly. "Alright, Jason Miller," he said,

"You’re fired."

"Wha... what? What the fuck?"

Jason Miller couldn’t believe his ears. At that moment, he would have preferred if a transgender, gay Harry Potter was standing in front of him and had cast a Confundus Charm, making him mishear Lewis’s words.

"That’s right, Jason Miller, you’re fired." Lewis spread his hands. "Buddy, I know this is tough. I tried to fight for you, but this was management’s decision."

"But... you’re not kidding, are you?" Jason Miller stammered. "On what grounds?"