Chapter 155: High-End Cheap Labor

"I remember that bulletin board didn't have any Chinese on it, right?" Li Shizhen asked.

Shi Lezhi nodded and said, "No, only the one at the entrance has both Chinese and English."

"Let's go take a closer look." Li Shizhen didn't want to give up this potential opportunity.

"Dragon Man... Aviation Co., Ltd." Chen Fan stumbled slightly, but read it out completely. "Why do these African Union brothers love giving themselves such Sinicized names..."

Chen Fan raised his head and saw the two guys who had been arguing just moments ago standing right in front of him with benevolent expressions and full smiles on their faces.

"Uh... I'm just a visiting college student, not a staff member. Was I speaking too loudly just now? Did I interrupt your business talk? I'm so sorry." Chen Fan's face stiffened slightly, his eyes darting across the two of them in a fluster, looking like he wanted to turn tail and run.

Li Shizhen returned a good-natured smile, then pulled a business card from his breast pocket and respectfully presented it with both hands.

"Not at all. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Li Shizhen, sales manager of Maple Leaf Group. May I ask, young man, do you know Swahili?"

Chen Fan weighed the business card in his hand. It even felt significantly heavier than an ordinary one. Upon closer inspection, its finish resembled the black gold card of an exclusive club, exuding a high-end vibe.

Even more frightening was the other party's background: Maple Leaf Group, a renowned multinational corporation and Fortune 500 company. Word had it that the current chairman was someone around his own age.

"Oh? You said Swahili-what? Silk stockings?" Chen Fan finally reined in his wandering thoughts, but he could no longer clearly remember what the other person had said.

"It's Swahili."

Chen Fan blinked and blurted out, "Schwarzenegger? That bodybuilder? I know him."

Li Shizhen frowned and took two steps back. Could it be that he had heard wrong?

"Come over here." Shi Lezhi was anxious. He grabbed Chen Fan by the arm, dragged him over to the bulletin board, pointed at the various languages on it, and asked, "Can you tell which ones are Swahili?"

"Huh?" Chen Fan looked startled, then briskly pointed his finger at all the relevant spots, reading out the company names one by one.

Shi Lezhi said excitedly, "Manager, he really knows Swahili!"

"What? What gas language? I'm not a foreign language major; I study finance and accounting." Chen Fan still didn't understand the situation.

"That's great, and he studies economics too! Manager, why don't we just go with him?" Shi Lezhi had finally caught a straw to clutch at and was determined to find a way to trick Chen Fan into coming aboard.

"Economics and accounting are not the same thing. Finance, accounting, economics, and business administration are four completely different subjects."

Chen Fan was just about to argue when Li Shizhen interrupted him, "Young man, would you be willing to do us a favor? We are willing to pay corresponding compensation."

"Compensation?!" Chen Fan didn't care what kind of favor it was; the moment he heard there was money to be made, his entire outlook brightened.

However, after listening to the other party's request, Chen Fan began to hesitate again. This was a business negotiation between major corporations; having an amateur translator bumbling about might ruin their image.

Seeing Chen Fan's worried expression, Li Shizhen reassured him, "Don't feel too much pressure. Actually, the major issues in the details will mainly be handled through English communication. You just need to chat with them about everyday things and minor details in Swahili."

Chen Fan pondered, preparing to take on the job. "It should at least pay a few hundred bucks, right? I've heard people say translation pays really well."

"No problem, leave it to me. I won't charge any compensation." Chen Fan said with a wry smile as he took on the task.

Li Shizhen beamed with joy, instantly saving himself over ten thousand bucks. He politely asked, "Do you have any requests? I'll do my best to satisfy them."

Chen Fan held back his tears. Since the words were already out of his mouth, asking for money now wouldn't be quite appropriate, so he could only say, "Can you issue me an internship certificate?"

"Of course! What's your name? I'll go notify someone at the company to stamp it and bring it over."

Li Shizhen agreed without hesitation. Compared to a translation fee of over ten thousand, an internship certificate was no big deal. Maple Leaf Group trained thousands of interns every year; one more for Chen Fan wouldn't hurt.

"My name is Chen Fan, a student at Yuanyu University. This is my cell phone number. When will you have time? I'll bring a printed template over to your place." Chen Fan finally managed to squeeze out a smile. An internship certificate from a major corporation still held some weight, after all.

"No problem, but... your outfit seems... not quite suitable for this kind of occasion."

Li Shizhen looked Chen Fan up and down. Dressed entirely in casual wear, he looked nothing like a proper translator.

"Let's go inside the main hall first. There should be some spare suits in there," Shi Lezhi suggested.

Led by Li Shizhen, Chen Fan smoothly entered the inner room, but the spare formal wear was either too small or too tight—none of them were the right size.

"Shi Lezhi, you and Student Chen are about the same build. You won't need to attend later. Take off what you're wearing and let Student Chen use it for now," Li Shizhen commanded with a flash of inspiration, using his authority as a superior.

Shi Lezhi was stunned. He pointed at himself and said, "Huh? Then what am I going to wear... The suits here don't fit either."

"You... you wear..." Li Shizhen looked around. There wasn't even a curtain big enough to wrap oneself in. His gaze shifted back to Chen Fan, and he smiled as he said, "How about you wear Student Chen's casual clothes?"

Chen Fan shook his head. "I disagree. I don't like other people wearing my clothes..."

"Student Chen, how about this? Shi Lezhi's suit is yours to keep, and we'll buy you an identical new set, or you can name a price and we can pay you in cash."

Li Shizhen didn't hesitate. Solving the problem quickly was what mattered most, and besides, this small sum of money was nothing compared to the translation fee he had saved.

"A manager is a manager indeed—got all kinds of business tricks up your sleeve." Chen Fan was still young and easily fooled. He cheerfully began taking off his jacket.

"Manager, then what about me..."

"Stop talking, I know. You'll also get money afterward to buy a new set of a suit. Stop dawdling, be quick about it." Li Shizhen waved his hand. After all this tossing about, the matter was finally resolved.

"Alrighty, perfect."

The two men helped the clumsy Chen Fan fasten his belt and button his shirt, finally tying a neat necktie for him.

"This... feels a bit tight around the neck," Chen Fan coughed, reaching up to loosen his collar slightly.

"I'm so sorry. This is a habit of mine; I always tie my collar a bit tight so it constantly keeps me under pressure." Li Shizhen smiled, then led Chen Fan over to a full-length mirror. "Not bad at all, a very spirited young man. Are you ready?"

"More or less... Um, I'm ready."