Chapter 82: Occasionally Tasting the Flavors of the Mortal World

“Nini, this place is such a mess. You’d better head back to the office—”
“A mess? What mess?” Chen Ni cut He Kai off with a retort.

She wanted to go even further.
No matter how messy it is, isn’t this still the factory our fathers built together?
It’s our own family’s business, and yet you’re already complaining. No wonder the factory’s run the way it is under your management.
Can you really expect to tend a field and keep your shoes spotless? Impossible.
A vague irritation at He Kai welled up inside her. She’d never felt it before, always thinking of him as her older brother.
He always tried to act so mature around her, but now she saw it was just childishness.
She held her tongue out of consideration for the many factory staff present; she’d let him keep his dignity.

He Kai was left awkwardly dangling, unable to come down from the ceiling he’d been hoisted onto.
A nearby executive quickly tried to smooth things over. “Young Master He, let me show you something on the other side. Your guidance is much needed there.”
“The young lady has only just arrived at the factory. It’s perfectly normal for her to want to understand our production process,” another executive chimed in, catching on and beginning a torrent of flattery, each offering He Kai an easy way out.

He Kai chalked up all of Chen Ni’s behavior to youthful ignorance.
In the end, he said, “Head back to the office early. We’ll have lunch together at noon.”
Then he shot a venomous look at Chai Jin before striding off with his entourage of sycophantic managers.

Once they’d gone, Chen Ni, curiosity piqued, sat down beside Chai Jin.
She picked up some components. “So you just insert it like this? What’s this part called?”
Chai Jin gazed at her calmly. “You’re not planning to ‘experience life’ here, are you?”
Chen Ni, her attention caught by the jumble of objects on the table, examined them one after another as she replied, “You’re right. If I don’t even understand the products my factory makes, how can I hope to manage it?”

Chai Jin glanced at the motionless workers nearby. “You should probably return to your office. With you here, how can they dare get on with their work?”
Only then did Chen Ni realize that the people around her seemed restless and out of sorts.
She spoke up. “What are you all standing around for? Get back to work, don’t mind me.”

Old Huang looked embarrassed. “Miss, this isn’t really the place for you.”
Chen Ni’s expression soured. “And what do you mean by that?”
“Get on with your jobs and stop worrying about me.”
“Uh, alright.” Old Huang, still ill at ease, pulled Liu Shan down to sit with him.
The others returned to their stations.

For the rest of the time, Chen Ni was like a curious child, firing off questions one after another.
This was how their conversation went:

“What’s this?”
“A capacitor.”
“And this?”
“A diode.”
“Oh, and this?”
“That’s a wire, Miss.”
“Oh. What’s your name?”
“A transformer.”
“Huh?”
…

Yesterday, Old Huang had checked his reflection in the stainless steel in front of him at least every three to five minutes, tossing a flirtatious glance at the lady opposite each time.
Today, with the young lady sitting right there, he’d spent the whole morning unable to look at himself even once—he was suffering.
So, as soon as Chai Jin and Chen Ni left at noon, Old Huang resumed his preening in the steel.
He was just taming a few rebellious strands of hair when Liu Shan suddenly dashed over, clutching his stomach in laughter.
With his usual careless air, he ruffled Old Huang’s hair with one hand.

Old Huang was ready to explode. “What’s wrong with you? What’s so funny you have to mess up my hair to celebrate? What did my hair ever do to you?”
Liu Shan, still holding his belly and lowering his voice, said, “Know what the new supervisor was doing all morning?”
“That guy was so scared the young lady would see him, he spent the whole morning in the bathroom, breathing in the stink, too afraid to come out.”
“I just saw him in there—he’s reeking so bad the smell could bring down the heavens!”
Old Huang gagged. “Do you have to bring up the stench when it’s lunchtime? Are you trying to ruin my appetite?”

He had no interest in continuing the banter and strode toward the main gate.
But as he reached the entrance, Guo Minghao, reeking of the latrine, came up beside him.
With a sinister undertone, Guo Minghao said, “You two, stop right there. Who said you could leave work now?”

Old Huang, a seasoned hand, could see right through him.
To put it plainly, back when he was navigating the factory’s intrigues, this kid was still running around in split pants for the neighborhood aunties to gawk at.
He knew Guo Minghao was just looking for someone to vent his frustration on, having been unable to take it out on Chai Jin.

He looked back at him. “The young lady told us to finish up. It’s the factory’s policy to break for lunch at noon. Got a problem with that?”
“You! Can’t you show a little more respect?” Guo Minghao fumed.

Old Huang replied coolly, “You really do stink.”
“Oh, I almost forgot—the young lady also said she’ll be staying in the factory this afternoon, wants to learn about the production process.”
“Come on, Liu, let’s eat.”
“Alright, Old Huang, you’re the man.”
The two of them walked right past, ignoring anything else Guo Minghao said.

With the confidence that came from knowing their roommate was about to win the boss’s daughter, they had nothing to fear from a mere supervisor.
Behind them, Guo Minghao was so angry he could spit blood.

Outside the cafeteria,
Chen Ni and Chai Jin sat together, each with a tray of factory food, eating quietly.
What was most surprising was how much Chen Ni seemed to enjoy her meal.
Raised on the finest delicacies, she now found the simple country fare a rare treat.

Halfway through lunch, Chen Ni suddenly remembered something. “Oh, Transformer, I almost forgot—this is the person you were looking for.”
“Go see if it’s him.”
Chai Jin straightened, accepting the note.
“The administrator of Warehouse Five?”
“Yes, I asked HR to check the records yesterday. There’s only one person named Su Wenbin in the whole factory.”
Chai Jin’s breathing quickened, a storm of emotions churning within him as he recalled the scene of Su Wenbin’s death in his previous life.

Noticing his silence, Chen Ni asked, “What’s wrong? Is this person important to you?”
Chai Jin composed himself and slipped the note into his pocket. “An old friend I haven’t seen in a long time. I just happened to learn he’s here.”
“Oh.” Chen Ni paused, then added, “I think you’re a very strange person.”

“You’re not like the other workers.”
“In what way?” Chai Jin looked up.

Chen Ni glanced at the people nearby. “Most employees show two traits.
“One, they settle for comfort, just wanting the day to end and to collect their pay so they can go drinking after work.
“Two, they’re ambitious, either working hard to climb the ladder or currying favor with the higher-ups.
“You don’t seem to fit either category. You’re neither striving nor scheming. It’s as if you’re not even from this world.”