After the pleasantries, Eleanor Parker had essentially completed his task—he maintained proper etiquette without offending anyone, but in reality, did nothing at all. After that, he treated Brian Carter as if he were invisible. The other colleagues understood his attitude and followed suit, all keeping a respectful distance from Brian Carter.

Brian Carter didn’t mind; he just wanted to do his own work.

But the problem was, there was no work for him to do.

Project teams, various meetings, plan discussions, client communications—even errands to the print room had nothing to do with him. Everyone else was busy, people coming and going around him, but he alone had nothing to do.

He was completely isolated.

Brian Carter couldn’t break through, couldn’t fit in, because this barrier was formed from the top down, authorized by the department director, and tacitly approved by Samuel Bennett above him.

Everyone was speculating how long Brian Carter could endure.

Three or four days passed. Brian Carter remained calm and focused, arriving at the office on time every day. With nothing to do, he brought books and study materials to read, and never left early.

He observed carefully, learned about the daily work of each position, mapped out the interpersonal relationships among colleagues, and discovered that sales and pre-sales occupied four floors in total, with those two departments being the core.

Currently, there were four projects running simultaneously. One was in the final stage, and the client was a top company in the financial industry.

When others saw him, they were inwardly amazed—why hasn’t he left yet?

In Brian Carter’s mind—Once I earn my first paycheck, I’m going to buy a hoverboard too.

In the afternoon, the sunlight was intense. Brian Carter’s desk was at the edge of the office area, close to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the semi-corner. He went to the window to lower the blinds and saw a business van parked downstairs.

Assistant Green entered the office to remind, “Mr. Bennett, it’s time to go.”

Samuel Bennett stood up, buttoned his suit, and got ready to head out.

At the beginning of the year, Henry Bennett had signed a contract with a long-term partner in the financial sector to do custom development based on an existing project. The plan was ready, but there were some minor issues in the first round of communication. Today was the second meeting—if all went well, the deal would be finalized.

This company had recently brought in Japanese investment, and representatives from Tokyo were attending as well, so it was a high-priority meeting.

Samuel Bennett planned to bring a solution sales rep and a technical lead. Suddenly, he thought of something: the client had a Japanese interpreter, so if they had one on their side too, communication would be smoother and post-meeting reviews more thorough.

Walking out of the office, Samuel Bennett casually asked, “Does anyone here speak Japanese fluently?”

The KA manager who had studied in Japan was on a business trip, and the rest of the colleagues fell silent.

This kind of meeting was intense and required full concentration. If nothing went wrong, fine, but any mistake could affect communication and carry huge responsibility.

Besides, Samuel Bennett was always strict, and he’d asked for “fluency”—no one dared to guarantee that.

In the silence, Brian Carter raised his hand slightly and said, “I speak Japanese.”

Samuel Bennett remembered that Mrs. Chu had said he wouldn’t last three days, so he’d placed Brian Carter under Henry Bennett’s supervision, keeping him close to see if this spoiled young man was really serious.

After leaving him hanging for nearly a week, Brian Carter still hadn’t quit, and Samuel Bennett’s impression of him changed a bit—after all, waiting five hours just makes you thirsty, but being ignored for five days is truly hard on the mind.

At this moment, Brian Carter seemed emotionally stable and composed, as if everyone was waiting to see him snap, but he insisted on playing the part of a refined gentleman.

Samuel Bennett asked, “Are you sure?”

Brian Carter had been forced to learn it in the past and never showed off, but now that he finally had a chance to do something, he wasn’t about to let it slip by.

“Sure.”

Samuel Bennett said, “Then let’s go.”

Brian Carter gathered his things and followed. In the elevator, the other two colleagues stood at the back, and he slowed his pace to walk alongside Samuel Bennett at the front.

As they descended, Samuel Bennett recalled the resume—under “Languages,” it seemed only English was listed. He glanced at Brian Carter through the elevator doors, his gaze playful.

Brian Carter noticed—what does this guy mean by staring at me like that?

The last time he’d seen that teasing look was when he was ordered to pick out golf clubs. Could it be…

Brian Carter frowned slightly, then shifted to take the briefcase from Samuel Bennett’s hand, saying knowingly, “Mr. Bennett, let me.”

Samuel Bennett’s hand instantly felt lighter, and he was momentarily taken aback.

He suddenly remembered that Brian Carter didn’t have an official position, which would make introductions awkward.

That move just now reminded him.

“If anyone asks,” Samuel Bennett said, “just say you’re my secretary.”

Chapter 6

The meeting was held at a five-star hotel. The client’s team was large, taking up more than half the conference room. The Japanese representative was over forty, accompanied by two interpreters and an assistant.

Both sides’ time was extremely valuable. There were no unnecessary greetings—just a handshake before getting straight to business.

The company’s CRM system had been developed by Henry Bennett. In the financial industry, Henry Bennett held an absolute market share, which made future business upgrades or expansions and further cooperation much easier.

The moment the projector lit up, Brian Carter opened his eyes wide in quiet amazement.

Every day, he marveled at the advanced gadgets of modern society. He couldn’t help but imagine—if they’d had computers back then, the efficiency at Fuhua Bank would have soared; if there had been mobile phones, he wouldn’t have had to wait months for a letter to cross the ocean.

Up front, the technical lead began the presentation.