dkrc Chapter 71 She's Giving Up the Chase
Chapter 71 She's Giving Up the Chase
Gao Jie listened to Zhang Mei's opinion and agreed that it made sense. The only solution now was to get her son married as soon as possible.
But the thought of introducing someone to me makes me anxious.
In the past, many people would introduce potential partners to their son, but he wouldn't even go to a meeting with one.
If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be 26 now and still not married.
"What if Ah Zheng doesn't want to go through with the matchmaking?"
Zhang Mei: "What's there to worry about? You, as a mother, can't be controlled by your own son! If he doesn't go on blind dates, try lying to him first. If that doesn't work, then cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide—just stay home and cause trouble. Let me tell you, these three moves are a woman's weapons. If you use them well, you can be in charge of everything in this family!"
"If you're always hesitant and timid in everything you do, always worrying about this and that, then you deserve to suffer for the rest of your life!"
Gao Jie nodded as if she understood, "Then I'll give it a try and find a few suitable candidates first."
Zhang Mei: "Okay, I'll take a look here too, and I'll introduce you to some suitable ones."
……
With Director Zhao personally overseeing the case, the robbery and harassment of Lin Shuyao progressed rapidly.
Zhou Dayong was dismissed from his post and is under investigation.
What they found was shocking: in the years since Zhou Dayong married into the Zhao family, he had been using Director Zhao's name to illegally interfere in multiple cases, seriously interfering with judicial fairness and causing injustice in the handling of cases.
He also accepted bribes and embezzled public property...
Their crimes are too numerous to list.
In any case, each of these points alone would be enough to give him a hard time.
In Lin Shuyao's case, the two thugs who directly committed the crime were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Zhao Dazhu and his apprentice, who instigated the two to commit crimes, were sentenced to five years in prison.
After the verdict was handed down, Factory 306 also set up an investigation team to conduct a detailed investigation into the daily work situation of Zhao Dazhu and his two apprentices.
It was discovered that the three individuals had embezzled a significant amount of canteen supplies by abusing their positions.
After the investigation, the factory office posted a notice on the bulletin board stating that the three people had been arrested for illegal and criminal activities, and that they had seriously violated regulations during work hours. The factory dismissed the three people and would never hire them again.
The three individuals' immediate family members were also not hired.
State-owned factories originally had regulations allowing parents to transfer their jobs to their children or relatives. This outcome effectively blocked the possibility of job succession for the three individuals.
The iron rice bowl has been completely smashed.
When the families of the three learned of the news, they were so angry that they almost fainted. They were not satisfied at all and gathered together to cause trouble at the factory, and also to cause trouble for Lin Shuyao. They were determined to get revenge no matter what.
When they arrived, they didn't even see Lin Shuyao.
As soon as a group of people appeared at the factory gate, the security personnel immediately called the police.
Director Zhao's capable henchmen arrived with more than a dozen uniformed police officers, surrounded the troublemakers, and declared that anyone who retaliated against the victims, provoked trouble, or disturbed public order would face up to three years in prison.
The family members were also bullies who preyed on the weak. Seeing this situation, they knew that Lin Shuyao had someone protecting her, so they didn't dare to say a word and dispersed as soon as they gathered together.
We wouldn't dare mess with them.
This incident also served as a warning to the people in the factory: although Lin Shuyao is from out of town, she is not alone in the capital; she has powerful backers and cannot be bullied easily.
As a result, the people in the factory have been looking at Lin Shuyao with a bit of caution lately.
I was afraid of offending her.
Lin Shuyao didn't explain; it's better to be feared than to be looked down upon.
However, she knew in her heart that the case was handled so cleanly thanks to Cheng Zheng.
If he hadn't intervened, she would have gotten into a lot of trouble.
The trouble caused by those family members was enough to upset her.
Zhou Dayong's advice was very true: as an outsider on someone else's turf, she would inevitably be alone at times. If someone was determined to retaliate against her, they would have no trouble finding an opportunity.
But it's different when the police are protecting you.
People know she has connections, so even if they want to take action, they'll have to think twice before doing anything. They'll consider whether it's worth it to provoke someone protected by the police just to vent their anger.
Anyway, the case is completely over.
But for Lin Shuyao, the real crisis is yet to be resolved.
She's been trying for almost a month, but she still hasn't won Cheng Zheng over.
Every time I feel like I'm about to succeed, I always fall just short.
Just like yesterday, the two of them were hugging and gazing deeply into each other's eyes in front of the pool. She felt that she had it all figured out. She thought that if she went back and increased the intensity, they could kiss and cuddle, and then she could successfully start dating Cheng Zheng.
If she occasionally uses some little tricks to make him think about romance all the time, with a sweet and soft woman in his arms, he will naturally stop doubting her and stop thinking about having someone investigate her.
But Su Wan's appearance yesterday completely shattered her plans.
Although he knew that Su Wan was the wife of his former comrade-in-arms and that she had a child, and that there was probably no chance for the two of them, who can say for sure about matters of the heart?
Maybe Cheng Zheng just has a thing for married women?
Moreover, Su Wan got into the factory through Cheng Zheng's connections. Cheng Zheng took good care of her. When she reported to the dormitory, he carried her things and personally escorted her to the door. He also prevented her from participating in military training and arranged an easy job for her in the data room.
Every time Su Wan appears, he has to step aside.
Just like the time before last, after the two of them finished watching a movie, Cheng Zheng took her back to her dormitory. On the way, they ran into Su Wan. He was going to take her to the dormitory building, but he decided not to go any further.
Last time when Su Wan came to eat roast duck, Cheng Zheng had to send her away.
Lin Shuyao was initially very confident, believing that he was definitely interested in her. However, after being manipulated several times, she became confused and began to doubt her life.
She even started to feel inferior.
She's such a beautiful woman, yet she's so insecure about pursuing men. Who would believe that?
If the suitors who were rejected by Lin Shuyao in later generations knew her current state, they would most likely laugh heartily and shout the words: "What goes around comes around, and no one escapes the wrath of Heaven!"
In later generations, she was arrogant and demanding, choosing boyfriends who were handsome, rich, of good character, and could provide emotional support. Her requirements were so high that they were not just one in a hundred, but one in ten thousand!
With such high standards and discerning taste, she only had two real relationships by the age of 25.
Both times the relationship was short-lived, and both times the other person failed to meet her requirements during the relationship, so she simply dumped them.
A super handsome, rich guy who's 188cm tall cried and begged her not to break up with him, but she didn't even look at him. After saying goodbye, she deleted him on WeChat and blocked all his contact methods.
Because she was afraid of bothering people.
Well, now karma has come back to bite you.
She traveled back to the 50s and experienced a love tribulation.
She was forced to recall those seductive courses she had seen on a certain short video app before.
How do I win over my crush?
Lin Shuyao sat at her desk in the dormitory, cupping her face in her hands, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, biting her red lips with her pearly teeth, thinking with a mix of coquettishness and distress...
Forget it, I can't think of anything.
Let it cool and solidify first.
I'm not taking the initiative anymore.
Let's see how he reacts first.
In later generations, Lin Shuyao was portrayed as a cold and aloof goddess who neither took the initiative nor paid attention to others.
From the moment she decided to ignore Cheng Zheng, her attitude towards him turned completely cold.
Before, she would find several excuses a day to try and make her presence known to him, but now, apart from normal work-related contact, she no longer appears in front of him.
When they met for work, her small face was as cold as ice. She looked at him without any change in expression, her lips didn't curve into a smile, and her dimples were nowhere to be seen. She only spoke the facts and never said a word more than necessary. When asked, she would just say "okay" or "received." After reporting her work, she would turn around and leave without giving him another glance.
She was gone and no one could see her, but Cheng Zheng stared at her departing figure from behind, his face as dark as a shadow.
For the next few days, the atmosphere in the office was like that of the Ice Age; it was incredibly cold.
In this atmosphere, Assistant Zheng was always cautious, not daring to say much when entering the office, trying to minimize his presence, and carefully checking his work three to five times before reporting, for fear of making a mistake that would be used against him.
It must be said that, as an assistant, he was quite adept at understanding his boss's mood.
Although Factory 306 was large, its technical department was small. Lin Shuyao and Cheng Zheng were in the same department, so they saw each other all the time.
Cheng Zheng has been running around to different departments more often these past few days.
I have to go there four or five times a day.
Sometimes when he bumped into Lin Shuyao, the two of them would pass by face to face. Lin Shuyao's upturned lips would immediately flatten, and she would give him a polite nod as a greeting.
"You..." Cheng Zheng called out to her, as if to say something, but she raised an eyebrow, her expression cold yet polite, "Does that mean there's something else?"
Cheng Zheng didn't know what to say.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Lin Shuyao said, turning away without a backward glance, her demeanor cold and distant.
This noon, Lin Shuyao finished cooking in the expert kitchen and went to the window to get her food.
After finishing her meal, she turned around to look for a seat. The cafeteria was crowded and all the seats were taken. Gao Tingting had taken the day off and hadn't come to work, so no one was saving a seat for Lin Shuyao.
Lin Shuyao looked around with her plate in hand, and finally spotted a table with a few empty seats. She walked over with her plate, only to find Cheng Zheng and several male colleagues from the department were there.
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Li Wei and Wang Qiang waved and said, "Comrade Shen, please sit down, there won't be any seats left soon."
Lin Shuyao then realized what was happening, hesitated for two seconds at the empty seats, one next to Cheng Zheng and the other next to Li Wei.
Lin Shuyao sat down next to Li Wei without hesitation.
She was facing Cheng Zheng.
In that instant, Cheng Zheng's knuckles, which were gripping the chopsticks, turned white.
His aura instantly plummeted to freezing point.
The people sitting around felt a chill, but they didn't know where the cold was coming from.
Lin Shuyao only made eye contact with Cheng Zheng when she sat down. She nodded slightly and then looked away without glancing at him again.
During the meal, Li Wei and Wang Qiang joked around, while Lin Shuyao focused on picking at the food on her plate, occasionally responding to them with a smile and a playful expression.
Her skin was fair, and it looked even more dazzling in her navy blue overalls. She had a long, graceful swan neck, a small face, and eyes that were as big and watery as black grapes. Her cherry-colored lips were full and moist, and when she smiled, she revealed her neat and beautiful teeth. She truly had red lips and white teeth, and was both pure and beautiful.
When eating, she habitually rolls up her sleeves neatly to her elbows, revealing her fair and delicate arms. Her hands are exceptionally beautiful, with slender fingers like freshly peeled scallions, so tender that they seem to release their juice. Even the chopsticks in her hands are transformed into works of art.
Just by looking at her exposed skin, you can tell how fair and delicate she is inside.
They just sat there casually eating, the drab crowd around them becoming mere background figures.
When she walked over carrying the plate, half the people in the cafeteria were watching her.
Now that she's seated, the men at the table can't take their eyes off her. Before she came over, they were all wolfing down their food, finishing in no time. But now that she's at the table, Wang Qiang, Li Wei, and the others are all eating slowly and politely, just like the Soviets.
After taking a couple of bites, I'd tease her with a few jokes. Seeing her smile made me feel incredibly happy, like I'd eaten honey. I'd feel a surge of accomplishment, and a wide smile would spread across my face, making my eyes disappear from my teeth.
Seeing that she was late and hadn't gotten any braised pork, Wang Qiang and Li Wei pushed their plates towards her, saying, "Comrade Shen, eat mine, eat mine! I got some meat, it's all yours!"
Since Lin Shuyao started cooking for the experts, she has never skimped on her food.
That's one of the advantages of being a chef; you can eat some of the food while they're cooking.
Sometimes, when he would grill steak or pork chops, Ivanov would make her take a portion home to eat, as a special perk.
So Lin Shuyao doesn't crave meat much anymore.
Of course, she wasn't a big fan of braised pork either. Seeing everyone scrambling to give it to her, she smiled slightly and said, "No need, everyone's short of oil and fat, you should keep it for yourselves."
With just a casual, polite remark, the men immediately imagined she was concerned about them because they were lacking in food and oil. Instantly, they felt as sweet as if they had eaten honey, their faces beaming with joy.
Except for Cheng Zheng.
He had a blank face throughout the meal, his back ramrod straight, sitting there like a cold, hard stone sculpture.
Especially when he saw her smiling at the men around her, and the love that naturally flowed in their eyes, the shy expression on their faces, Cheng Zheng couldn't help but tighten his grip on the chopsticks, his knuckles turning white, and the veins on the back of his hand becoming very prominent.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the plate in front of him.
His aura was cold and oppressive, as if he were shrouded in an invisible layer of ice.
After finishing her meal, Lin Shuyao said goodbye to the men she had eaten with and then left.
With a wave of his sleeve, he left without taking away a single cloud.
I plan to go back to my dorm for a nap.
Even after she had walked quite a distance, their eyes remained fixed on her retreating figure.
She didn't even glance at Cheng Zheng when she left.
As soon as she left the cafeteria, Cheng Zheng also got up from his seat, said "You guys take your time eating" to Wang Qiang and the others, and then hurriedly left.
Lin Shuyao was intercepted by Cheng Zheng on her way back to the dormitory.
His tall figure loomed over her, an aluminum lunchbox in his hand, his deep black eyes fixed on hers, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
Lin Shuyao spoke first: "What's up?"
Cheng Zheng lowered his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing, and handed over the aluminum lunchbox in his hand. His voice was low and a little hoarse: "Here, take this. It's a fried chicken leg specially provided at the expert window. I just went there and there was only one left."