Chapter 1 It's time to end this relationship

"Comrade, please hurry up, we are all waiting for the call."

Outside the hospital's mail room, Lu Mingze put down the red landline receiver in his hand and said to the man in a blue factory uniform and a dusty face behind him, "Sorry!"

Just three hours ago, a boiler explosion occurred at Jiangcheng Iron and Steel Plant, injuring numerous workers at the plant and sending a large number of injured people to the hospital.

Lu Mingze was also among them.

He was not seriously injured, but his ribs were slightly damaged by the aftermath of the explosion.

The doctor suggested that he stay in the hospital for a few days for observation, but he didn't want to take up a bed, so he suggested going home to rest.

So the doctor told him to ask his family to come over and sign the document before he could leave.

Lu Mingze laughed at himself. Not to mention his family, he was afraid that no one would know if he died here today.

He was an orphan who grew up in the brigade eating at many families' homes. Later, relying on his relatively smart mind, he was admitted to a cannery.

In the factory, he was considered to be of good appearance and character. The aunts in the factory saw that he came from a simple family and had a decent job, so they all wanted to introduce him to girls.

He had met several lesbians, and they loved him to death, but he didn't feel anything.

Outsiders say that he has high demands, but only he himself knows that he is an outlier.

He likes men.

He thought he would be alone for the rest of his life until he met Qin Zhang.

At just one glance, he knew that Qin Zhang was the same type of person as him.

Sure enough, after getting drunk one time, he got together with Qin Zhang.

But he also knew that Qin Zhang would not be able to stay with him for long, as Qin Zhang was the son of the cannery director and would definitely have to marry and have children in the future.

If the nurse hadn't urged him to ask his family to come and sign before he could leave, he would not have gone to find Qin Zhang.

But he was delusional.

Lu Mingze hesitated for a moment and was about to go find the nurse who was urging him to explain the situation, when he saw two people passing by gossiping.

"Have you heard? The boiler at the steel plant exploded, and the girlfriend of our factory director's son happened to be passing by and was also affected. Comrade Xiao Qin was terrified and immediately brought the person to the hospital for examination."

"Ah? Really? Comrade Xiao Qin has a girlfriend? Where is she from?"

"I heard that she is the daughter of a city leader. She is pretty and has a good job. She is a perfect match for Comrade Xiao Qin."

"Then won't we be able to attend the factory director's wedding banquet soon?"

"Maybe soon!"

The two walked away talking and laughing.

After standing there in a daze for a moment, Lu Mingze was about to turn around when he saw Qin Zhang's tall figure walking out of a ward.

Subconsciously, Lu Mingze dodged to the side.

After he left, Lu Mingze walked towards the ward as if possessed by a ghost and looked inside through the half-open door.

A beautiful woman with fashionable hair was lying on the outermost bed.

She was holding a photo and admiring it silently, with a shy smile on her lips.

Although Lu Mingze couldn't see the person in the photo clearly, he could guess that it was Qin Zhang.

Lu Mingze curled his lips and turned to leave.

"Sorry, my family members are busy and can't come. Can I sign myself?" Lu Mingze found the nurse who was urging him and asked.

The nurse found his information and read it for a moment before hesitating and saying, "Your rib injury is no small matter."

"It's best to stay in bed and rest during this time."

"Our suggestion is that if you don't have a family member's signature, you should be hospitalized for two days for observation."

"But if you insist on leaving, then write a letter of guarantee here."

The nurse handed him the torn letter paper and a pen.

After expressing his gratitude, Lu Mingze wrote a letter of guarantee on a piece of letter paper, stating that he would not hold the hospital responsible.

After taking the hospital's diagnosis certificate to the factory to ask for leave, Lu Mingze returned to his rental house.

The factory allocated housing to newlyweds first, and he couldn't get used to living in the dormitory. He was worried that others would find out he was an oddball, so he simply rented a house outside.

This house also made it convenient for him and Qin Zhang to hang out occasionally.

Not long after he came back, there was a knock on the door.

Lu Mingze opened the door and Jiang Cheng walked in carrying a bag of fruit.

"Engineer Lu, I just heard someone saw you in the hospital. Then I heard you asked for leave. Is it related to the boiler explosion in the steel plant? Are you okay?"

Jiang Cheng looked him up and down with concern in his eyes.

Lu Mingze smiled and shook his head: "I'm fine, thank you for your concern!"

As he said this, he asked Jiang Cheng to sit down and went to pour some water.

"I'm glad you're okay!" Jiang Cheng sat down on the bench and looked around the furnishings in the room.

"Engineer Lu, our factory's performance is getting worse every year."

Jiang Cheng took the cup from Lu Mingze and sighed, "What's the saying that supply exceeds demand now? I heard that the factory won't be able to pay our wages next month, and they want us to take the canned food and sell it outside to pay our wages."

"It's okay for us temporary workers, but you are the backbone of the factory."

"It's not decent to ask you to sell canned goods."

Lu Mingze smiled and said, "If it really comes to that, I will go."

Jiang Cheng shook his head: "Engineer Lu, have you ever thought about developing somewhere else?"

"The coastal areas are more developed than ours now. If you have the technology, you can find a factory there that is better than the one we have now."

"How about we go together?"

"I have a friend who has settled there. We can go directly to him."

Jiang Cheng had mentioned this matter before.

Lu Mingze thought for a moment and said, "I don't have any plans in that regard for now. Thank you."

Jiang Cheng was very sorry: "Engineer Lu, what I said is true, you should think about it carefully! The salary there is not only paid on time, but also at least twice as high as your current salary. You will get more if you have a professional title."

Lu Mingze nodded: "Okay! I'll think about it."

Seeing that he promised to consider it, Jiang Cheng did not stay any longer and put down the cup: "Then I won't disturb you, you have a good rest."

After seeing Jiang Cheng off, Lu Mingze went to bed early. At night, he heard the sound of the door lock turning and knew that Qin Zhang had come.

Sure enough, Qin Zhang consciously fetched water and took a shower outside, then went into the bedroom and lay down next to Lu Mingze.

Feeling him squeeze in, Qin Zhang asked, "I heard that you called me several times during the day, but I was busy at the time and didn't know. What's wrong? Is there something urgent?"

Lu Mingze chuckled and said, "It's all right now!"

"If you need anything from now on, just come to my office. No need to call." Qin Zhang's voice was calm, without any emotion.

He is always like this, giving people a feeling of being kept a thousand miles away.

"What have you been busy with today?" Lu Mingze couldn't help but ask.

Qin Zhang was a little impatient: "Of course I have to work, what else can I do?"

"What needs to be done at the hospital?"

Qin Zhang stood up suddenly and stared at him: "Are you following me?"

"No!" Lu Mingze said lightly, "I heard it from someone."

His hand seemed to casually climb up Qin Zhang's waist, but was blocked: "I'm not in the mood today, maybe next time."

Lu Mingze felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. In the dark night, he tried his best to sound normal: "Oh!"

"I remembered that there are some things I haven't dealt with yet! I'll go outside and do it. You go to sleep first!" Qin Zhang said as he got out of bed.

The door was closed, and Lu Mingze was suddenly surrounded by emptiness.

In the dark night, he raised his hands and pressed them against his eyes.

It's time to end this relationship.