Bloody Romance: I, the big troublemaker, Zhong Yuemin!

After the ceremony, it was almost lunchtime. As is customary, we had to treat the leaders who had come from afar to a simple meal. Instead of going to a restaurant, we set up a table in a private room specially prepared in the factory canteen.

Zhong Yuemin didn't join in the fun. Instead, he sat down with his old buddies Cao Gang, Zhao Dayong, and Qian Zhimin in the regular staff dining area.

"How's work going? Are you settling in?" he asked casually, picking up a bite of food.

"Good! Very good!"

Cao Gang nodded quickly, his face showing genuine satisfaction.

“In the workshop, you’re protected from the wind and rain. It’s so much better than when we were setting up utility poles in the fields of northern Shaanxi. The work isn’t too strenuous, and we can still get such a high salary… Yuemin, to be honest, I’m a little uneasy. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you too much.”

Qian Zhimin also chimed in:

“Yes, Yuemin, how about… we reduce your salary a bit? Otherwise, we’ll feel bad about it, like we’re taking advantage of you.”

"You've taken advantage of me enough already, haven't you?"

Zhong Yuemin chuckled and cursed in an annoyed tone, then said seriously,

“Brothers, if you really feel bad about it, then put more effort into the machines. Although we’ve already spent a lot of money to import this production line, machines are bound to break down after a while. If they break down at a critical moment and delay production, the losses will be substantial. I’ve put you in the maintenance department because I’m counting on you to take charge of this.”

Cao Gang and his friends had worked in northern Shaanxi, erecting utility poles outdoors. They had some mechanical background, so they had a foundation for learning maintenance. He arranged this for them so that they could learn a solid skill and make a living with their skills even if they didn't work for him anymore.

Zhao Dayong asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Yuemin, I remember the contract says this equipment comes with a ten-year warranty. If the machine really breaks down, won't the Japanese send someone to fix it?"

Zhong Yuemin listened, shook his head, and smiled.

"No business is without its tricks, let alone those Japanese. Just listen to what's in the contract and don't take it too seriously."

"Do they dare to deny it?" Cao Gang glared.

"That wouldn't warrant such a blatant breach of contract,"

Zhong Yuemin put down his chopsticks, his tone carrying a hint of worldly-wise sarcasm. Having lived two lives, how could he not know?

"But they have plenty of ways to trick you in a roundabout way. Take after-sales service, for example. They come and fix it for you, so on the surface it seems like they've fulfilled the contract, right?"

But they can easily tell you that a critical component is broken and needs to be replaced. It's a tiny thing, barely the size of your palm, but the price they'll quote could be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands. If you don't pay, you'll have to figure it out yourself. If the machine breaks down, what can you do? At that point, will you pay or not?

They blatantly cheated you, and you couldn't even say a word against it!

He glanced at his old comrades:

"If someone wants to control you, they'll have plenty of excuses; that's what we call a technological barrier."

"Isn't this just hypocrisy? Those Japanese devils are really cunning!"

Zhao Dayong cursed and then asked,

"Yuemin, since you thought of this a long time ago, why didn't you write it clearly in the contract and plug these loopholes?"

“Yes!” The others also looked at him.

Zhong Yuemin sighed, his tone calm yet revealing a clear-headed helplessness:

"Can you reason with someone who is far stronger than you and talk about fairness? A weak country has no diplomacy, and backwardness invites aggression. This is an undeniable truth."

Our country doesn't have this technology; only they do. From the very beginning, the cooperation wasn't on an equal footing. They can hold us hostage at any time. There's nothing we can do. This advanced production line cost tens of millions of yuan, and we had to beg and plead to bring it in. Who told us we didn't have it?

Why can the US act so arrogantly and unreasonably around the world? It's not that others submit to it, it's that it has guns, cannons, and airplanes...

You dare disagree? It's the same principle.

He glanced at them, and spoke earnestly:

"So, you should pay more attention in the workshop and study the structure and principles of the machines. When the Japanese engineers come to do maintenance, be smart and learn as much as you can."

This isn't just for the company, it's for yourselves. To put it bluntly, even if something happens to my factory and it goes bankrupt in the future, you'll have real skills and you won't go hungry anywhere. In the machinery industry, many principles are interconnected. With the right tools, you'll be able to find suitable work.

After listening, the group nodded thoughtfully.

After lunch, Liu Jing indeed drank too much. She was walking unsteadily, her cheeks were as red as ripe tomatoes, and her eyes were glazed over. In fact, she looked even more feminine. She definitely wouldn't be able to work in the afternoon, so we had to take her home to rest.

Zhong Yuemin and Gao Yue helped her up on either side, and it was quite a struggle to get her into the passenger seat.

"You drank so much..."

As Gao Yue fastened her seatbelt, she couldn't help but complain, "Those leaders are really something, making a woman drink like this, how can they be so shameless!"

She glanced at Zhong Yuemin, her words laced with sarcasm:

"Mr. Zhong, if you truly care about Manager Liu, you should step up and shield her from the drinks yourself, instead of letting a woman take the lead... I don't think you're any better than those people."

This girl is increasingly disregarding her boss's authority.

Zhong Yuemin didn't bother to argue and opened the car door:

"Then you can drive her home."

"I can't,"

Gao Yue immediately shook her head.

"I also had two drinks. Besides, there are still some things to wrap up at the company this afternoon, so I have to keep an eye on them."

He paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Since you're 'dispensable' at the company anyway, why don't you personally escort Manager Liu home? It would be a good way for the boss to show his 'care' for his employees."

What does "dispensable" mean?

Zhong Yuemin was taken aback by her words, but what she said seemed to make sense, so he didn't bother to argue and turned to get into the driver's seat.

After driving for about half an hour, they arrived at the upscale residential area where Liu Jing lived. Liu Jing had worked for him for more than ten years, so her income was naturally considerable; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to afford that imported Audi worth hundreds of thousands of yuan.

He had been to this place once before. Relying on his vague memory, he found the building where she lived and slowly parked the car at the entrance of the building.

The woman in the passenger seat was completely drunk and unconscious. "Hey, we're here, wake up, wake up, we're getting out of the car..." Zhong Yuemin nudged her.

Liu Jing only mumbled "hmm... ah..." twice, then tilted her head to the side and fell silent again, fast asleep.

No way!

Since he wanted to be a good Samaritan to the end, Zhong Yuemin had no choice but to get out of the car himself, walk around to the front of the car, open the passenger door, and with some effort, drag the limp, alcohol-smelling woman out of the seat. He then turned around and carried her on his back.

We entered the building.