After Divorce, I Can Hear the Future

Chapter 50: Learning English

"Tang Jie, the 'Charlotte' filming starts tomorrow in Dalian. I need you to handle it for me."

Lu Liang assigned work to Tang Caidie before turning to the wide-eyed and somewhat naive Chen Jinchun. "Xiao Chen, I need you to recruit someone for me."

Chen Jinchun's eyes widened further, thinking she must have misheard. She was still an intern who hadn’t even passed her probation period.

“Is there a problem?” Lu Liang asked.

“N-no, no problem at all. Who would you like me to recruit?” she stammered.

“An English tutor with at least an advanced certification, level eight or above. One class per weekday, and pay them at the highest market rate.”

Having suffered setbacks due to his lack of English proficiency, Lu Liang was determined to master the language, at least to a level where reading would no longer be a struggle.

"Got it, Mr. Lu," Chen Jinchun replied, feeling a wave of relief. At least it was just finding an English tutor.

She had passed her level-four English exam herself, and with online resources at her disposal, interviewing candidates with level-eight certification shouldn’t be a problem—or so she thought.

But imagining the task was one thing; actually doing it was another.

Watching Lu Liang retreat to his office, Chen Jinchun looked helplessly at Tang Caidie. “Jie, you have to help me!”

She had only ever been on the interviewee's side and had no idea how to act as the interviewer. Should she act aloof or down-to-earth? Maybe she should tie up her hair and wear a black OL-style outfit to appear more mature?

"Don’t stress about it so much. I think Mr. Lu just wants to learn English," Tang said, barely suppressing a laugh. "The teaching approach is important, but so is the chemistry between teacher and student. Just bring in a few candidates for Mr. Lu to choose from—one of them is bound to be a good fit."

“What if none of them meet Mr. Lu’s standards? Do I just tell them to leave?”

Tang nodded. “Usually, there’s a trial session—half a class. If Mr. Lu isn’t satisfied, you replace the tutor until he is.”

“Shouldn’t we at least cover their travel expenses? Wouldn’t that be more polite?”

The thought of rejecting a tutor after a trial session left her feeling guilty, like she was taking advantage of their effort for free.

"Did anyone ever reimburse your travel expenses when you didn’t pass an interview? That’s just how the world works."

Tang chuckled and lightly patted Chen’s head. “This could also be an opportunity for you.”

“An opportunity?” Chen blinked, looking utterly confused.

Tang glanced toward Lu Liang’s office. “I think Mr. Lu still needs an assistant, but he hasn’t realized it yet.”

“Anyone can sit at the reception desk, but being an assistant is different. That’s a trusted position, and the pay and benefits will be much better."

She had a keen eye for these dynamics but didn’t feel the need to spell it out to Lu Liang. Such realizations should come from him. If she raised the issue, it might seem self-serving.

"Jie, then why don’t you…?"

Chen hesitated, not naive enough to miss the opportunity's value. Why wouldn’t Tang want it herself?

Tang smiled wryly, her expression calm. “Because it’s different for me. I’m older, and loyalty can’t be cultivated in someone like me.”

At 37, Tang considered herself lucky to have found a job aligned with her expertise that offered decent pay.

But Chen was different—22 and fresh out of university, brimming with youthful potential. Even though her degree was from a second-tier school, it was sufficient.

After working for over a decade, Tang knew well that a diploma was merely a stepping stone. For non-technical roles, its value diminished rapidly. Moreover, as a blank slate, Chen was ideal for a boss who wanted to mold someone to their liking.

“Thank you, Tang Jie,” Chen said, full of gratitude.

Ever since they’d met, Tang had been incredibly kind to her, patiently teaching her the rules of the workplace.

“Start by looking up information online. It shouldn’t be hard to find English tutors. Then invite them for interviews. If you think they’re suitable, let them meet Mr. Lu,” Tang advised, returning to her desk to organize materials and prepare for her trip to Dalian.

Back in her days at Sequoia, Tang had been intensely goal-driven. She never did anything without a clear purpose and wouldn’t dream of mentoring a newcomer for free.

But those years had ended in chaos—her husband spent her money and cheated on her, and her career and life fell into disarray.

Running a guesthouse in Cainan for a few years had mellowed her. Now, she was happy to help Chen simply because she liked her.

---

At 1 PM, the stock market reopened.

Lu Liang resumed his morning strategy.

Though the trading process was identical, the small variations each time kept him engaged.

The market was inherently dynamic, its movement driven by countless investors. No matter how carefully the big players controlled the market, uncertainty was always present.

As the autobiographical novel Reminiscences of a Stock Operator put it: One must always approach the market with reverence, for it is shaped by millions of individual investors. Even Jesus himself couldn’t predict the thoughts of millions.

The book's protagonist, Livermore, was a legendary speculator who once single-handedly took on Wall Street.

By 3 PM, when the market closed, Lu Liang's position had grown to 4.11 million yuan, holding 4,272 lots.

Compared to the morning, his purchases were fewer.

Afternoon trading was less active than the morning, so he spent more time observing than acting.

Feeling a bit thirsty, he considered calling someone but then remembered he was at work, not home.

Taking his cup, he stepped out of his office, just in time to see Chen Jinchun talking to someone in the conference room.

The other party, a young woman in her early twenties, wore heavy black-rimmed glasses and seemed slightly nervous—clearly there for an interview.

But Chen didn’t look much more confident. Her gaze darted around, her movements awkward, and her questions repetitive, leaving a rather unreliable impression.

Lu Liang couldn’t help but laugh. For a moment, he couldn’t tell who was the interviewer and who was the interviewee.

Hearing the laughter, Chen turned toward the door, her face lighting up as if she'd found a lifeline.

She hurriedly picked up a resume. “Mr. Lu, this is Miss Su Wanyu. She’s here to interview for the English tutor position.”

“Mr. Lu, nice to meet you,” Su said, quickly standing up.

"Graduated from Shanghai International Studies University, English level eight, Japanese N2, French C1..."

Lu Liang nodded slightly, impressed by her linguistic prowess. She was a polyglot, even achieving B1 in German.

Pouring himself a glass of ice water in the breakroom, he returned to his office and gestured for her to follow. “Let’s give it a try.”

He opened the office blinds so everything inside was visible from outside.

He was genuinely determined to learn English and learn it well.

Relieved by his casual demeanor, Su exchanged a quick greeting with Chen before following him.

“Mr. Lu, do you have any prior foundation? It’ll help me design a study plan for you.”

Su’s confidence grew as she shifted into professional mode, seeming like a completely different person.

“I took the level-four English exam about ten years ago but didn’t pass. I have a bit of a foundation, but not much.”

“Let me play a short English dialogue. Try to see how much you can understand.”

Su exhaled in relief. Having some foundation was better than starting from scratch.

The 90-second conversation was simple—about food and casual plans.

Guessing here and there, Lu Liang managed to grasp about 70-80% of it.

Su was pleasantly surprised. “Mr. Lu, if you understood that, your daily conversation skills should be fine.”

Lu Liang smiled, turning his laptop screen toward her. “But reading professional articles is still difficult.”

Su felt the pressure mount. Fluently reading The Wall Street Journal required more than conversational fluency—it demanded expertise.

“Mr. Lu, to read professional English seamlessly, you’ll need a massive vocabulary,” she cautioned.

“This will be a long process, and my classes cost 400 yuan per session. They’re not cheap.”

“That’s fine. I’m ready for it,” Lu Liang replied, assuming her concern was his commitment rather than the cost.

“Alright then, Mr. Lu. I’ll say a sentence, and you repeat after me. I’ll also explain the meaning…”

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