Chapter 011 It’s Time to Get Off Work

“Ding ding ding—”

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the bell for the end of get off work at the machinery factory rang on time. Shi Yue closed the newspaper in his hand and was about to leave when Zhao Hui stood up and clapped his hands.

"Hey, guys, don't go yet. Well, today is your deputy section chief Shi Yue's first day at work. How about I treat you all to a drink at a small restaurant outside the factory? Think of it as a welcome party for Shi Yue."

"I'm busy today, so I'm leaving first." Sun Guodong said this, stood up and left without looking back.

When Shi Yue heard this, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an expression that seemed to be a smile.

He said that Sun Guodong would definitely not be easily persuaded by Zhao Hui to stop targeting him.

Zhao Hui also realized that his persuasion to Sun Guodong had just been wasted. He rubbed his forehead, a headache raging. During the first two days when Shi Yue hadn't come to work, Sun Guodong had complained in the office about the paratroopers taking his position as deputy section chief. He hadn't taken it personally. After all, he had always believed that if he were promoted, the deputy section chief position would definitely go to Sun Guodong. Now, Shi Yue, the paratrooper, had come and taken the position, so Sun Guodong's complaints were nothing to vent his anger.

Who would have thought that Sun Guodong would get so stuck in a dead end. Now that Shi Yue has come to work, the position of deputy section chief can no longer be changed, but he is still throwing a tantrum and refusing to listen to advice. What is he trying to do? Is he going to rebel?

Zhao Hui was unhappy, and his face showed some emotion. He said, "If Old Sun has something to do, then he can go. What about you? You don't have something to do, do you?"

The others in the office looked at each other, and finally, Zhang Lei, Sun Guodong's apprentice, stood up. He said to Zhao Hui with an embarrassed look on his face, "Well, Brother Zhao, I have something to worry about at home. My mother sprained her ankle, and I have to go back to take care of her. I won't be able to go to dinner."

Everyone present knew that Zhang Lei's family matters were just an excuse, he just didn't want to attend Shi Yue's welcome party, but no one present exposed him.

Zhao Hui's face was dark. Although he was angry in his heart, he also knew that Zhang Lei was different from others. He had been working under Sun Guodong since he entered the factory, so it was normal for him not to attend Shi Yue's welcome party for Sun Guodong.

Alas, it’s Lao Sun’s fault in the final analysis.

Zhao Hui sighed, pretending not to hear Zhang Lei's words as an excuse, and said, "If you have something to do at home, you should leave first."

Zhang Lei had just picked up his bag and was about to leave when Wang Wu stepped out again. He bowed to Shi Yue and said, "Well, Brother Shi, I'm sorry, I can't go to dinner with you either. My dad has a sprained back, and I have to go back to take care of him."

Wang Wu's words seemed to turn on an invisible switch, and others began to speak as well.

"And me, Brother Shi, my girlfriend made an appointment with me to have dinner at my house today, I have to pick her up..."

"I have something to do too. My mother-in-law asked me to go to her house to repair her roof..."

"I can't either. My brother-in-law has a fever. I have to go to the hospital..."

"I, I, my aunt's neighbor's daughter's uncle's son is going on a blind date today, and I have to go and help scout it out..."

Everyone in the office finished talking at once, and before Shi Yue could do anything, Zhao Hui's face turned dark.

His face was extremely ugly. If it was just Sun Guodong and Zhang Lei, he could still hold back his anger, but now it was everyone in the office, and everyone was finding excuses not to attend Shi Yue's welcome party.

No matter what their reasons were, he just felt that this group of people were clearly not giving him face.

Besides, even if you don't want to go to Shi Yue's welcome party, you have to find a suitable excuse, right?

Listen to what these people are saying. They are helping the son of the uncle of my aunt's neighbor's daughter to choose the items, but they can't even make up excuses carefully. This is just a lack of face for him!

Although Zhao Hui was angry, he couldn't force these people to go to the welcome banquet together. He could only say in a firm voice: "Alright, since you all have things to do, forget it."

Feeling the stiffness in Zhao Hui's tone, everyone present realized that he was angry. Only then did they react and realize that their actions just now seemed to be somewhat disrespectful to Zhao Hui.

But the words were already said, and now there was no way to take them back, so he could only say goodbye to Zhao Hui awkwardly: "Okay, Brother Zhao, we'll leave first..."

Shi Yue followed the crowd and walked out. Zhao Hui quickly caught up with him and came to Shi Yue's side: "Shi Yue, don't mind it. They are not targeting you. It just happened that they all have things to do today, so..."

Shi Yue nodded: "It's okay, I know, I know they are not deliberately targeting me or ostracizing me."

Zhao Hui was extremely embarrassed and sighed silently in his heart. After all, Shi Yue was not a fool. They had shown it so obviously. It would be strange if Shi Yue still couldn't see it.

He rubbed his brows and thought: I have to talk to other people in Corey tomorrow.

No matter what Sun Guodong thinks or how he treats Shi Yue, the other people in the department cannot follow Sun Guodong in forming cliques and excluding Shi Yue.

They are a group of grown men with an average age of nearly 30 years old, yet they still use elementary school tactics like squeezing people in a row. If other people in the factory knew about this, they would definitely laugh at the security department!

Besides, if the factory leaders knew that the employees of the Security Department were excluding Shi Yue, they would definitely think that they were dissatisfied with the leaders' arrangements. How could the leaders not have opinions about their Security Department and him as the head of the Security Department?

Shi Yue didn't care what Zhao Hui thought and walked out on his own. After walking out of the machinery factory gate, he saw Zhao Hui still following him and finally couldn't help but say, "Brother Zhao, I have to go first. I have to pick up my daughter from the kindergarten."

Zhao Hui: "Ah, well, I have to go to kindergarten too. I'm going to pick up my son."

He explained: "My wife teaches at a junior high school. Junior high school kids finish school late, and she also gets off work late, so either I pick up my kids, or my mom or dad does. We're not going out for dinner today, so I'll pick them up on the way."

"Oh, so that's it." Shi Yue thought Zhao Hui was following him, but he didn't expect that he was also going to pick up the child.

Zhao Hui ignored Shi Yue's misunderstanding and asked, "Shi Yue, your child also attends kindergarten? Is your child in the senior class or the middle class?"

Shi Yue: "My daughter is in the senior class, senior (2) class."

Zhao Hui: "Hey, what a coincidence! My son is also in the senior (2) class."

Shi Yue was stunned and said, "What a coincidence."

He knew that Zhao Hui's son Zhao Ran was also in the senior class, but he didn't know that Zhao Ran was in the same class as Shi Qiu Shui.

Zhao Hui said with a smile on his face, "This shows that we are destined to be together. Look, we live in the same compound, we both work in the same security department, and our children are in the same class. It really is fate."

He took Shi Yue's arm and said, "Look, we are so destined to be together. When you are free in the future, you must bring your daughter to our house often to play."

Shi Yue knew that Zhao Hui was trying to show his affection for him. Thinking about how Zhao Hui had taken care of him that day, he could sense Zhao Hui's sincerity to some extent. So he smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay. I'll definitely go when I'm free. Just don't find us father and daughter annoying."

"It's not annoying, it's not annoying. How could I possibly find you annoying?" Zhao Hui waved his hand and said with a smile.

Shi Yue looked at Zhao Hui's clueless expression and warned him in advance, "Brother Zhao, don't take it lightly. Let me tell you, my daughter has nothing but a talkative mouth. She chatters away all day long."

"Dad! What did you say to me?"

Shi Qiu Shui walked out of the kindergarten happily with her schoolbag on her back. As soon as she reached the door, she heard Shi Yue muttering about her behind her back. She immediately put her hands on her hips and complained unhappily.

When Shi Yue heard the sound, he looked down and saw that his daughter was out.

He touched his nose and said, "Ah, Xiaoqiu, you're out. Daddy said he would go in to pick you up, but I didn't expect you to come out on your own."

"Yes, well, let me introduce him to you." He pointed at Zhao Hui beside him and said, "This is Dad's colleague, the Uncle Zhao Hui I told you about before."

Seeing that there were outsiders around, Qiu Shui no longer bothered about what her father had said about her before, but instead called out crisply, "Hello, Uncle Zhao!"

Zhao Hui couldn't help but like Shi Qiushui, who was as cute as a dough ball. He smiled and said, "Hello, Xiaoqiu. By the way, Xiaoqiu, you may not know this, but my son Zhao Ran is in the same class as you."

Shi Qiushui nodded: "Uncle Zhao, I know Zhao Ran is your son. I even told him about this."

Zhao Hui exclaimed, a little surprised: "You and Zhao Ran already know each other?"

Shi Qiushui: "Yes, he is my deskmate."

Speaking of which, it was purely a coincidence that Shi Qiu Shui recognized Zhao Ran. During the lunch break in kindergarten, students needed to cover themselves with small quilts. It just so happened that Shi Qiu Shui and Zhao Ran had the same quilt with the same pattern, so the teacher gave them the wrong quilts. When Shi Qiu Shui saw Zhao Ran's name embroidered on the corner of the quilt, she quickly raised her hand, and the little boy at her desk who she bumped into also raised his hand at the same time.

Only then did Shi Qiu Shui discover that her deskmate was the son of the colleague her father had mentioned.

Shi Qiushui blabbered about this to the two adults, and Zhao Hui laughed out loud after hearing it: "It's fate, it's really fate!"

He had always felt that he and Shi Yue had a strong connection, and after listening to what Shi Qiushui said, he felt even more that his family was also connected to Shi Yue and his daughter. He enthusiastically suggested, "Hey, Shi Yue, since our two families are so connected, why don't you have a drink with me tonight?"

Shi Yue looked at Shi Qiushui and said, "No, I still have to take care of the child."

"Well, what's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Hui waved his hand. "Let's not go out to drink. Let's just come to my house, let my mom and the others take the kids, and we can have a drink together. How about that?"

Zhao Hui had said this much, and Shi Yue couldn't refuse, so he could only nod and say, "Okay, then I'll go to your house. But I can't go there empty-handed and eat and drink for free. Wait a minute, and when we pass by the vegetable market, I'll buy some cooked food to bring over."

Zhao Hui: "Well, we have all kinds of vegetables at home, why are you buying cooked food...Okay, okay, go ahead and buy it, but I'm telling you, buy less, otherwise you won't be able to finish it."

Zhao Hui and Shi Yue were talking as they were about to head to the vegetable market. After walking a distance, he suddenly felt something was amiss: "Hiss—why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

When the father-in-law and daughter heard this, they stopped in their tracks. Zhao Hui slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, my son! I forgot to pick up Zhao Ran!"

It was only at this time that the father and daughter remembered that they had indeed forgotten about Zhao Ran.

At this time, Zhao Ran, who finished his duty and came out of the classroom slowly: ...Strange, why hasn't his father come to pick him up yet?