Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Pretty Good-looking
Chapter 182: Pretty Good-looking
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Changhe Machinery Manufacturing Factory was busy. The sales of bicycles were better than expected. The factory was working overtime. It had been a long time since the workers in the workshop had been so busy, but when they thought of their bulging wallets and the newly set overtime bonus, their hearts were filled with a sense of fulfillment and happiness that they had never felt before.
The boss was a good person.
Although young, he was strong, courageous, and generous. The former tactory manager could not be compared to him at all. The factory’s privatization initially caused some unease, with many fearing their lives would take a turn for the worse. Now, who would not envy them?
Those relatives who used to look down on them and refused to help them when they could not make ends meet were now desperately trying to get a job in the factory through their connections.
Unfortunately for those hoping to jump on the bandwagon, the boss did not hire any of them.
It gave the employees the confidence to work with their backs straight, proud that they had done the right thing by staying in the factory’s employ.
Unlike his workers, who worked with newfound zeal, however, Zhou Hengyang, the boss, was not in the mood for work.
“Hengyang, what’s on your mind?” Liu Chun put down the report in his hand, a sly glint in his eyes. “Ever since you returned home, you’ve been acting strangely. Why is that?”
“How have I been acting strangely?” Zhou Hengyang’s expression did not change. His gaze calmly swept across the report in front of him. His left hand, holding a pen, quickly ticked, made notes, and wrote down various details that needed attention. He was not left-handed but ambidextrous, a trait he had picked up in his career as an ace pilot for the military.
“I’m talking about your emotions!” Liu Chun rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking every bit the charlatan he was.
“Shut up!” Zhou Hengyang flung the document he had perused at Liu Chun, who scrambled to catch it. Meanwhile, he picked up another document and continued working as if it were the usual. Hengyang worked quickly, sometimes using both hands to write and sign documents where needed. Yet, despite his multi-tasking, the quality of his handwriting remained superb.
Soon, he had the factory’s operational data, income, expenses, expected investment, employee salaries, and so on for a month.
Liu Chun was impressed by Zhou Hengyang’s efficiency, but it was not enough to distract him from his real goal.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to admit it. But I must know, how did you deal with the situation when you returned? What did my sister-in-law say?” Liu Chun was dying from curiosity. Since Hengyang returned from his trip to the countryside, Liu Chun felt like his friend’s heart was not with him.
Once something piqued his curiosity, he would pursue it relentlessly until he uncovered everything there was to know.
Zhou Hengyang looked up, putting his pen aside. He tapped on the document he was reading and smiled at Liu Chun.
It was certainly photogenic, but something about it caused alarm bells to ring in Liu Chun’s head. It was dangerous.
“Don’t smile like that.”
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Hengyang pretended not to understand what Liu Chun was talking about.
“It’s scary.”
Zhou Hengyang’s expression instantly changed. He picked up the document and slapped it against Liu Chun’s forehead. “You must be feeling bored. Perhaps you have a little too much time on your hands.”
“Hehe… Don’t you know that I only have this small hobby?” Liu Chun laughed shamelessly.
He had always been a curious child growing up, or, as his teachers used to say, he was a shameless busybody, showing an unhealthy interest in other people’s affairs. Liu Chun was a bonafide gossip through and through. Nothing that caught his interest would remain a secret for long, whether it was the latest rumors in school or the juicy gossip he overheard from his neighbor’s place. He knew them all.
At one point, the village elders advised Liu Chun’s father to change his name to Liu Yan, a homonym for ‘rumors.’
Liu Chun’s father beat his son black and blue with a broom, hoping he would change his ways, but to no avail. Liu Chun had developed an acquired taste. By then, he no longer indulged in the common words of irrelevant people. He had learned how to filter and channel his nosiness toward those who would provide him with prime material.
Liu Chun’s first targets were those closest to him.
Because of this, he was beaten up by his old man again. Even his mother took action and put up a mixed doubles performance behind closed doors. Yet, nothing they did could cure Liu Chun’s abominable curiosity.
Knowing Liu Chun’s personality, Zhou Hengyang held his forehead, feeling helpless.
“Tell me, tell me.”
“I will. Once you pay up, that is..”