Chapter 573 - Boss Barbie and the Middle Finger
Xia Lei and Sylvia handed over their respective precision-processed parts which they had processed to a research worker upon entering the Strategy Lab. That research worker first put Sylvia’s processed part into the testing instrument and conducted a scan test.
Based on the results of the scan, the testing instrument’s computer terminal quickly calculated the precision of the part which Sylvia had processed. It was 0.0039 microns!
The machinists watching from outside the window at a precision processing workshop immediately burst into cheers.
“She really broke the record!”
“Her old record was 0.004 microns. Goodness, this is a miracle!”
0.005 microns was an extreme, so 0.0039 microns was definitely a miracle because few mechanics in this world could process parts so precisely.
Sylvia looked at Xia Lei and laughed. “Mr Xia, do you think the part that you processed manually can surpass mine? I’ll give you a chance. Admit defeat now and buy me socks and a shirt made in China from the supermarket. If you do this, I’ll guarantee that my people won’t jeer at you.”
Xia Lei replied indifferently, “Miss Sylvia, you should be thinking about how you’ll honour your promise instead.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see.” Sylvia was very confident.
The test apparatus scanned the part which Xia Lei had processed, over and over. It took almost double the time to scan his, compared to Sylvia’s.
There were new voices from outside the window.
“What is going on? Shouldn’t it be calculated really quickly?”
“Yeah, could something be wrong with that measurement tool?”
“I bet that the Chinese guy is going to use the malfunction as an excuse to back out on the bet.”
“Aren’t all Chinese people like that? They are full of pride and won’t admit it even if they are wrong.”
“If he dares go back on his bet, I’ll give it to him!”
Sylvia watched the testing instrument closely in the laboratory. She was beginning to feel a little nervous for some reason.
Right at that moment, the testing instrument stopped. The computer terminal had finished calculating the results.
Sylvia’s gaze fell upon the computer terminal’s display screen, and her jaw fell immediately, almost smashing into small pieces all over the floor.
The researcher worker in charge of the testing was also rooted to the spot in shock. After a period of time, he adjusted his spectacles and said, “The part that Mr Xia processed has a precision of… of… 0.001 microns.”
Everyone was silent. It was absolutely silent around the laboratory, outside and in.
“No! That’s impossible!” Sylvia rushed up to Xia Lei and shrieked emotionally, “This is impossible! You processed it manually!”
Xia Lei spoke casually, “I wouldn’t have to switch to manual processing if I had used my Thunder Dragon intelligent lathe. I’ve said it before, but your lathes are lacking so I had no better choice other than the manual method.”
This sentence made all faces of the people of Rheinmetall AG go dark. What humiliation!
In the past, China had been willing to pay ten times, or even a hundred times the price to buy the most advanced lathes from Germany, but Germany had not been willing to sell them. This was why China had to even import simple precision-processed parts from Germany. Chinese manufacturing had been a joke back then, and only meant socks and shirts to the Germans.
Now, a young Chinese man was standing here, in the most advanced laboratory, at the most formidable military enterprise, Rheinmetall AG and telling the Germans that “your lathes are lacking”! He could manually process a part with a precision of 0.001 microns, but if he wouldn’t have had to do this if he had his Chinese lathe.
These words, and this result, was a resounding slap to the face of the Germans who looked down on Chinese manufacturing.
All of the Germans’ eyes fell upon Xia Lei’s body. Their expressions had already quietly become filled with astonishment and reverence. Perhaps there were some among them who weren’t convinced, but these people made no fuss when they recalled that Xia Lei had manually processed a part with the precision of 0.001 microns.
Xia Lei spoke casually with all those German eyes on him, “Please give me the part that I processed. I need it to build the lathe and I don’t want to have to process another one.”
The research worker then came to his senses and took out the pure titanium part from the testing instrument. He handed it respectfully to Xia Lei with both hands.
Xia Lei took the part, then turned, and left the laboratory.
“Wait!” Sylvia chased after him, out of the laboratory.
Xia Lei stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Sylvia. “What else do you want?”
Sylvia bit her lip. “You won. I said that I’ll do whatever you want if you win.”
The people around them were in uproar immediately. Nobody said a word of criticism of Xia Lei now, nor look down on China’s manufacturing. Instead, they were discussing Sylvia’s figure and whether or not the Chinese guy would climb into bed with her.
“I’ll open up another wager. We’ll be placing our bets on whether Boss Barbie will get in bed with the Chinese guy. Odds for them getting it on is 1.5, and the odds that they don’t is 2. Lay down your bets, lay down your bets…” The guy who had earned a huge profit from the previous round of betting started the bets again. He was probably the person who liked Xia Lei the most in the German group.
On the other side, Tang Yuyan jabbed Liu Zhengnan’s elbow and asked suspiciously, “What are those Germans jabbering about? And what did that little German slut say to Xia Lei?”
“Uh...” Liu Zhengnan braced himself and said, “That German girl went after him and said she would fulfil her end of the bet. As for those Germans, they’re discussing… if Director Xia woud bed her.”
“What?” Tang Yuyan’s furrowed her brows right away, and walked towards Xia Lei.
Long Bing suddenly reached out to grab her. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to teach that little German slut a lesson, of course! Let go of me,” said Tang Yuyan in annoyance.
Long Bing did not let go of Tang Yuyan’s hand. She said, “Calm down. That girl is Rheinmetall’s chief machinist. She is going to work together with Xia Lei and help him complete his task. She is a very important person, so you’d better not direct your anger at her. Plus, even if Xia Lei does bed her, the person who should be teaching her a lesson is Shentu Tianyin, and not you.”
Tang Yuyan had no words of retort.
Long Bing seemed to have something else that she hadn’t said yet — I didn’t even step in to interfere, so why are you trying to liven things up?
After all the clamor, Xia Lei laughed and said, “There’s no need.”
“Why?” Sylvia looked at Xia Lei, and her gaze held a little bit of anger. “Us Germans are true to our word. I made a promise and you accepted it; this could be considered a verbal agreement. I am trying to uphold the agreement between us, but you want to go against it. Excuse me, but may I ask if all Chinese people exhibit the same lack of trust, and if you are allowed to just casually back out of an agreement which both parties have signed?”
This European version of Szlamy didn’t just have exquisite skills, but a smart little mouth too. Her words didn’t allow Xia Lei to agree or disagree. Plus, she even connected this matter to how Chinese people weren’t very trustworthy. If he went ahead and backed out, wouldn’t he just be confirming her words?
“Take her to a room!” yelled the machinist who had started the bet.
“Haha…” There was a rumbling of laughter.
“Ignore them, Mr Xia.” Sylvia’s gaze was hot, and she wore a smile on her face. “Say it. What do you want to do?”
Xia Lei came up with something right then. He said, “How about this? You do a dance for them.”
Sylvia stared blankly.
Someone yelled, “Undress! Boss Barbie, dance!”
“That’s all. Goodbye.” Xia Lei turned and left.
“Are you going to watch?” asked Sylvia.
Xia Lei didn’t turn around.
Sylvia loudly called, “You really want me to take off my clothes?”
“Whatever you want.” Xia Lei still didn't turn around.
“I’ll take off my clothes if you stay and watch.” Sylvia’s voice was very loud.
Xia Lei’s footsteps paused for a moment, but only a moment. Then, he put his hand up and gave Sylvia the middle finger.
That was his response.
Sylvia had just been a little over the top, especially her insulting remarks about Chinese manufacturing. He didn’t have any affection for her. To him, he’d put a full-stop to this farce now that he’d won, but this Sylvia was nagging him about fulfilling some promise, and even asking him to stay to watch her strip and dance. This was too much, and that was why he gave her the middle finger.
Xia Lei continued to walk away.
The scene in which he had given Sylvia the middle finger seemed to freeze, and stay in the minds of the Germans.
“Hahaha! I like this Chinese guy!”
“This Chinese guy has some personality. He even rejected a woman like Boss Barbie. Has he come out of the closet? Oh Lordy, how do I get his phone number?”
Sylvia’s gaze lingered still on Xia Lei’s back. The middle finger that Xia Lei had just given her didn’t make her angry — it seemed to have prodded her in her soft and slick spot, and it excited her for some reason.
“What an interesting man.” The corners of Sylvia’s mouth tugged upward in a smile.
“Strip, Boss Barbie!” said someone provocatively.
“That’s right, you promised. That Chinese guy told you to dance here so hurry up and dance.”
“Strip, strip! I won’t grind against you, I promise!”
Sylvia looked away from Xia Lei’s back and laughed. “I’ve said that I am a German who keeps my word. When I make a promise, I will keep it.”
“That’s right. Boss Barbie has always followed through with what she says.”
“Dance, dance.”
They made a din.
Sylvia swayed her sexy body slowly, She twisted her hips and shook her butt, dancing like a snake swaying to music.
Applause rang out, as well as voices encouraging her to take off her clothes.
Sylvia suddenly stuck out her middle finger in the midst of all the noise and she kept it pointing up as she turned in a 360-degree circle, basically telling everyone around her to fuck off.
The clapping stopped.
“How could you, Boss Barbie?”
“Where’s the striptease you promised?”
Sylvia straightened up and looked in the direction in which Xia Lei had walked off. “My striptease is for just one person. You guys don’t have the right to see it.”