Chapter 541 - 350: Li Wei is My God

Chapter 541: Chapter 350: Li Wei is My God

"Um..." Lewis hesitated. "Because... you’ve been coming in late and leaving early for years. The internal attendance system flagged your work attitude as problematic."

"Fuck! Fuck! Goddammit!" Jason Miller retorted. "This is ridiculous!"

"I’m a line producer, Lewis!" he growled, glaring at Lewis. "My job is to be out in the field. How the hell am I supposed to not come in late and leave early?"

"If you’re going to fire me, then tell me the truth," he said. "What’s the real reason?"

Lewis looked at the heavily breathing Jason Miller, feeling a little intimidated.

"Fine, fine, I’ll tell you," he said, finally relenting. "You’re too old."

Jason Miller froze.

"You’re 34, Jason," Lewis said. "The TV industry isn’t doing well. There aren’t that many positions anymore, and there are far too many ambitious young go-getters."

’You’re too old.’ Jason Miller understood what he meant.

"What good is being young in this business?" he roared. "Since when is the standard for judging someone not whether they can get the job done, but whether they’re young enough?"

"Alright, stop arguing with me," Lewis said, waving his hand dismissively. "Take your coupon and go."

"You bastard!"

Jason Miller threw a punch, knocking Lewis straight to the ground.

Before Lewis could react, Jason Miller straddled him, raining punch after punch down on his face.

"You just have a dad who’s a VP," he roared as he punched. "Your performance is absolute garbage, but you’re a real pro at using your position to pick up actresses—"

Before he could land more than a few punches, Lewis was spitting up blood, collapsing in a pool of it.

Jason Miller looked at the scene, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face—

"Hey!" Lewis said. "Jason? Are you listening?"

Jason snapped back to reality. He was still standing in the same spot, and Lewis was looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" Lewis hesitated. "Do you want to go... see the company counselor? Your access is valid until the end of business today."

Jason Miller really wanted to curse Lewis out—something like "go fuck yourself," or some old saying about fortunes turning and not to bully a middle-aged man who’s down on his luck.

But maybe Lewis was right. He was a middle-aged man now, with a family, a wife, and a kid. He couldn’t really bring himself to say such harsh things anymore.

"No need," he said.

"Good luck," Lewis said, patting his shoulder. "Close the door on your way out."

’It’s not that I absolutely had to fire Jason Miller,’ Lewis thought.

’It’s just that the new hires’ salaries and benefits are a tier below a 10-year veteran like him. They’re also willing to work themselves to the bone with overtime. All in all, they’re just a better value. For the department’s growth, firing Jason was the better choice.’

Hearing Lewis’s words, Jason Miller turned and walked away. Before leaving, he threw the 100 USD coupon on the floor and left Lewis’s office.

Lewis was stunned, staring at the coupon on the floor for a few seconds.

Before he could say anything, Jason Miller walked back in, picked up the 100 USD coupon, and took it with him.

"..."

...

Jason Miller didn’t know how he’d driven home.

By the time he came to his senses, he had already turned past the last intersection. He was less than 300 meters from home.

He suddenly felt at a loss for words. His mind was a mess. All he could think about was having a smoke to calm down.

He drove around the block three times, still unable to figure out how to tell Megan and Jack.

’What could he possibly say? That he’d been laid off on his 10-year work anniversary?’

God, his life lately felt like a roller coaster. Every time it was about to reach the top, it would take a sharp, violent dive.

’Sorry, Megan. I didn’t get the promotion, and I also lost my job...’

He didn’t even want to imagine the catastrophic breakdown that would ensue if he said those words in front of Megan and Jack.

"God," he said, pulling the car over to the side of the road and resting his head on the steering wheel. "Save me..."

Suddenly, someone knocked on his car window.

"Sorry," Jason Miller said reflexively, pulling himself up from the steering wheel. "I’ll move the car right now—"

He turned his head and saw Li Wei standing next to the car door.

"Mr. Li... Mr. Li Wei?"

Li Wei stood in front, a Cadillac Escalade parked behind him.

...

"I see," Li Wei nodded. "What happened today is certainly upsetting."

"Yeah..." Jason Miller picked up his coffee cup and gave a bitter laugh. "I wanted to say something, but then I suddenly felt like there was nothing left to say. I threw that 100 USD coupon on the floor, but I regretted it the moment I did."

He said with self-deprecation, "It is a 100 USD coupon, after all."

"My offer still stands," Li Wei said suddenly. "How about you come work for me?"

"Your job will be to manage that outsourced financial oversight company. Make sure they do their work properly and don’t make any mistakes," he said. "Don’t let them pull a fast one on me. We’re both outsiders in that field, and I trust your skills and experience."

"Is... is this for real?" Jason Miller swallowed hard. "Can I really do it?"

"Of course, Mr. Jason Miller," Li Wei said, extending his hand. "If you’re not up to the task, then I don’t think anyone in all of Hollywood is."

’Li Wei is my god.’

Jason Miller instinctively took Li Wei’s hand.