Chapter 116 Wei Ning's temporary assignment under Ming Xi's watchful gaze...

Under Mingxi's gaze, the office door was slowly pushed open, and a familiar face appeared in front of Mingxi.

"Wei Ning?!" Ming Xi exclaimed in surprise.

Director Shen immediately looked over: "Xiao Ming, do you know Comrade Wei?"

"Ah, this..."

Mingxi scratched his head and said honestly, "Wei Ning and I live in the same alley, so we can be considered neighbors."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ning glanced at Ming Xi, who was completely bewildered by his gaze.

What's wrong? She didn't say anything wrong. Wei Ning is just her neighbor who lives in the same alley. Why is Wei Ning looking at her with such a strange gaze, as if she were a heartless man?

Upon hearing Mingxi's words, Director Shen happily said, "That's perfect. You two already know each other, which saves you the trouble of getting to know each other. I'm confident in entrusting the hosting of this social gathering to the two of you."

Director Shen felt more and more that choosing Mingxi and Weining as the hosts of the social event was appropriate. Besides being eloquent and quick-witted, the most important thing was that they were good-looking. Standing together, they looked like a perfect couple, pleasing to the eye.

Sure enough, it was a good idea to borrow Wei Ning from the steel rolling mill.

Director Shen smiled and said, "I was originally thinking of introducing you two to each other so you could get to know each other, but I didn't expect you two already know each other. Well, that saves me the trouble."

After Director Shen finished speaking, he assigned the task of writing the script to two people.

Mingxi, holding the documents given to her by Director Shen, walked out of Director Shen's office with Wei Ning.

The women in the Women's Federation office were all very curious when they saw Wei Ning.

Seeing Wei Ning and Ming Xi come out together, Sister Wang leaned over and asked, "Xiao Ming, who is this young man...?"

Mingxi gestured to Wei Ning, signaling him to introduce himself.

Wei Ning: "Hello comrade, I am Wei Ning from the Publicity Department of the Steel Rolling Mill. I was seconded here by Director Shen to be in charge of hosting this fraternity meeting."

Sister Wang: "Oh, I remember now, weren't you the one who hosted the last social gathering?"

Wei Ning laughed heartily and nodded, saying, "That's right."

Sister Wang: "I knew you looked familiar!"

Knowing that Wei Ning had been temporarily transferred to work here, everyone was curious but stopped bothering him while he was working.

Mingxi and Weining sat down, ready to begin their work.

Although the last time she met Wei Ning was when he came to her house to ask Mingxi to introduce her to someone, business is business and personal is personal. Mingxi had clearly rejected Wei Ning last time, so she didn't feel awkward this time and spoke directly.

"Since Director Shen asked the two of us to write the script, let's divide it up first, then each of us write our own part, and then we'll write both of our parts together?"

Wei Ning: "Okay."

Seeing that Wei Ning agreed so readily, Mingxi buried herself in her work.

Although she had never eaten pork, she had at least seen pigs run.

Although I have no hosting experience, I have a lot of experience watching others host, so writing the script for the event wasn't too difficult.

Wei Ning is experienced in hosting and has no problem writing scripts. The two of them sat in their seats, engrossed in writing, their pens flying across the page. By the time they were about to leave work, the basic outline of the script was finalized.

There are only a few details that need to be polished. Once that's done, it can be submitted to Director Shen for her review.

Mingxi stretched languidly, glancing sideways at Wei Ning, who sat upright beside her, still engrossed in writing and drawing on the paper in front of him. The clock on the wall was striking five, and the setting sun streamed into the room, casting an orange-red hue onto Wei Ning's face. His eyelashes were lowered, and the setting sun cast a fan-shaped shadow on his face, making Wei Ning's originally gentle features appear somewhat sharp in the interplay of light and shadow.

Mingxi couldn't help but sigh once again, "Wei Ning's face is really good-looking."

It's no wonder that so many women in the steel mill liked him; he was good-looking, capable, eloquent, and knew how to handle situations, which made him very popular.

It's no wonder that Ms. Zhao Sulan likes Wei Ning so much; she probably wants to bring him home as her son-in-law.

While Mingxi was lost in thought, Wei Ning raised his head and looked directly at Mingxi's face: "Are you looking at me?"

His opening line was an offbeat, teasing question: "Is it good-looking?"

Mingxi regained her senses.

When Mingxi was caught peeping, she wasn't embarrassed at all. She stared at Wei Ning's face for a while and said, "It's alright, not bad."

"Oh"

Wei Ning was so angry that he almost laughed. Ming Xi stared at him for a long time, and in the end, she gave him a mediocre evaluation.

Wei Ning gritted his teeth: "Then it seems I'm not good-looking enough, I need to take better care of myself."

Mingxi: "That's not necessary. Didn't I already say it's worth looking at, it's presentable?"

Wei Ning: "...Okay."

Mingxi and Weining had a verbal sparring session, and it was time to leave work. Mingxi packed her things and got up. Weining looked at her and asked, "I came by bicycle today. Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

Mingxi thought for a moment, and decided that she might as well sit down. Since Wei Ning was going that way anyway, she could have him take her back instead of walking.

She nodded: "Okay."

Hearing Mingxi agree so readily, Wei Ning was taken aback; he had thought Mingxi would refuse.

After Mingxi finished packing her things, she slung her bag over her shoulder and looked at Wei Ning, who was still standing there without making a move: "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Wei Ning snapped out of his daze: "Oh, let's go."

Mingxi and Weining walked out of the office together. At lunchtime, Mingxi had already introduced Weining to the people in the office that they were neighbors living in the same alley, so when everyone saw them walking together, they didn't think there was anything inappropriate about it.

We live close by, so it's convenient for us to go home together!

As Sister Wang watched the two of them leave together, she stroked her chin and whispered, "Xiao Ming and Comrade Wei are quite a good match."

Sister Wang's voice was so soft that no one else in the office could hear her except herself.

Wei Ning, who had already gone downstairs to the bicycle shed, unlocked his bike. Ming Xi then unceremoniously sat on the back seat. She showed no embarrassment at being a free rider and instead patted the seat, saying, "Get on."

Wei Ning: "..."

He remembered that this looked like his car.

He didn't say anything, got on the bike, pedaled, and the bicycle slowly drove off. Mingxi, holding the seat, said, "By the way, if you see a stall selling roasted chestnuts after you turn the corner, stop the bike there. I bought two pounds of roasted chestnuts there yesterday, and I thought they were really delicious. I'd like to buy some more."

Without hesitation, Wei Ning agreed: "Okay."

Wei Ning rode his bike around the corner and actually saw a stall selling roasted chestnuts. Ming Xi couldn't resist the sweet aroma of the roasted chestnuts and jumped off the bike before Wei Ning had even stopped.

The business of roasted chestnuts was much better today than yesterday. When Mingxi got off the bus, she saw two or three people standing in front of the stall, each of whom had bought two catties of roasted chestnuts.

Mingxi stepped forward and said to the stall owner, "Give me two jin of roasted chestnuts."

"Alright, two jin of roasted chestnuts, right?" the stall owner replied, quickly wrapping the two jin of roasted chestnuts in paper. He used paper wrapping, one paper wrapping for one jin, and two jin used two paper wrappings. After wrapping, he tied the two bags of chestnuts together with a piece of hemp rope and handed them to Mingxi.

"Two jin of chestnuts for two yuan and forty cents, comrade... Hey!" When the stall owner looked up to collect the money, he recognized Mingxi: "Comrade, it's you!"

Seeing that the other person recognized her, Mingxi chuckled twice and said, "Boss, you still remember me?"

Stall owner: "Of course I remember, you were my first customer!"

The stall owner was impressed by Mingxi not only because Mingxi opened his shop for him, but also because his business improved after Mingxi opened his shop for him yesterday.

He had been setting up his stall for an hour and hadn't sold a single pound of roasted chestnuts, but after Mingxi left, a steady stream of customers started coming to his stall. Finally, just as it was getting dark, he discovered that both of his batches of roasted chestnuts were sold out.

The stall owner secretly felt that it was Mingxi's successful start that brought him good luck, so he had a deep impression of Mingxi.

Upon seeing Mingxi, who had brought him good luck, the stall owner was so excited that he refused to accept Mingxi's money.

People open businesses to make a living, so how could Mingxi accept free food from them? She insisted on paying, but the stall owner just wouldn't accept it.

After a long struggle, Mingxi finally gave in and had no choice but to accept the gifts.

Seeing that Mingxi had accepted the goods, the stall owner happily explained the reason. Mingxi couldn't help but laugh when she heard the stall owner attribute the good business to her.

"Boss, you're flattering me. Your business is good because of your excellent skills and high-quality ingredients. Even if the prices aren't cheap, people are willing to buy from you. It's not because of me."

The stall owner didn't refute it, but he felt in his heart that it was Mingxi, the "Goddess of Wealth," who brought him good fortune. Otherwise, how come he hadn't made a single sale after setting up his stall for over an hour, but his business improved as soon as Mingxi arrived?

In other words, Mingxi didn't know what the other person was thinking, otherwise she would definitely have laughed out loud. The good business had nothing to do with her; it was purely because it was time to leave work and all the employees from various units had gone home.

To be honest, 1.2 yuan for a pound of roasted chestnuts is really not cheap. Chestnuts aren't anything rare; they're everywhere in the mountains, and you can pick up a whole bunch for free. The only slightly expensive parts are the sugar and oil used in roasting, and the slightly more troublesome process. But honestly, everyone knows how to make them; the only problem is that they don't taste as good as the ones sold at the stalls.

However, it depends on the person. For older housewives with extensive experience in managing the household, 1.2 yuan per pound of roasted chestnuts isn't cheap; they could buy a pound of pork for the same price. But for young workers with no family burdens, money, and jobs, 1.2 yuan is nothing; their monthly salary is for food and drink, isn't it?

Let alone 1.2 yuan, if you really want to spend that much, you can even afford 12 yuan.

To be honest, Mingxi just happened to be lucky enough to be the first customer to place an order before the rush hour. Even without Mingxi, business would still be good when workers from other factories passed by on their way home from get off work.

Regardless, the boss now considers Mingxi his lucky charm who brings him good business, and refuses to accept her money. Mingxi tries to force it on him but can't, so she has no choice but to leave.

Mingxi, carrying roasted chestnuts, sat back in Weining's car. Weining joked, "I'd never heard of that before. You're supposed to be a lucky charm?"

Mingxi rolled her eyes: "What do you mean by 'money-attracting constitution'?"

Wei Ning: "I heard what the stall owner said just now. Every time you go and buy something, the stall owner's business improves. Isn't that a lucky charm?"

He laughed and said, "You have such good luck, how can you not make use of it? How about this, one of our days we both quit our jobs, I'll set up a stall, and you come and bring me good fortune. We'll split the profits equally."

“If I really had that kind of constitution, why would I partner with you?” Mingxi rolled her eyes again: “I would just ask my mom to set up a stall, and then I wouldn’t have to share the money we make.”

Wei Ning: "Oh no, you've seen through my little scheme."

He said that, but his expression clearly indicated that he was joking unintentionally.

Mingxi straddled the back of his bicycle, patted him on the back, and said, "Stop joking around, let's go home."

"Okay, let's head home!"

Wei Ning rode his bicycle briskly and quickly returned to the alley. He stopped the bicycle in front of courtyard number 68, and Ming Xi jumped off: "I'm home, bye-bye!"

Wei Ning: "Wow, I took you all the way home, and you didn't even invite me in for a drink of water?"

Mingxi: "Your house is less than 100 meters from mine. Why don't you go home? Why are you coming to my house to drink water? Are you that thirsty?"

Wei Ning thought to himself, "Is this a matter of thirst?"

Before he could even speak, Mingxi handed him a warm paper package.

Mingxi: "Don't say I hitched a ride with you for free. Consider this bag of roasted chestnuts a thank you. Bye-bye!"

Mingxi stuffed the things into Wei Ning's arms, then turned and left.

Wei Ning wanted to say something more, but when he looked up, he couldn't even see Ming Xi's back anymore.

Wei Ning gritted his teeth, unwrapped the paper package, peeled off a roasted chestnut, and stuffed it into his mouth. He looked like he was gritting his teeth, as if he wasn't eating a soft, fluffy chestnut, but some kind of juicy bean that wouldn't lose out at all.

"Mom, I'm home!"

Mingxi returned home, opened the door, and called for her mother.

Zhao Sulan came out of the house after changing her clothes: "Why are you back so quickly today?"

Although Mingxi's home wasn't far from the Women's Federation, it was still some distance away. Usually, when Mingxi came home, Zhao Sulan would have already changed her clothes and started cooking. But today, Zhao Sulan had only been back for a short while when she heard Mingxi's voice and immediately sensed something was wrong. She glanced at the time on the wall and, sure enough, saw that Mingxi had returned more than ten minutes earlier than usual.

Mingxi: "Oh, I didn't walk back today, I hitched a ride with Weining."

Zhao Sulan: "Wei Ning?"

Mingxi: "Oh, right, I forgot to mention, Wei Ning was seconded to our Women's Federation by Director Shen, and Director Shen arranged for me to partner with him and host the Women's Federation Friendship Meeting for a few days."

"Your director chose you to be the host of the social gathering? That's great news!" Zhao Sulan's face lit up with surprise.

Being a host is a great opportunity to shine in front of the leaders. Director Shen is indeed a leader who has high hopes for Mingxi. Giving such an opportunity to Mingxi, who has only been working for a short time, truly shows that he has high hopes for Mingxi.

Thinking of this, Zhao Sulan couldn't help but add a few more words of advice: "The fact that your Director Shen is giving you this opportunity to shine shows that she has high hopes for you, so you must do your best. But don't be too nervous. You have a good speaking voice; you started talking early when you were little. When you were in preschool, the teachers there all said that you had a very clear and crisp mouth, and you never stopped talking. Whoever you sat with during class, you would talk to them. Even if you were sitting alone, you could talk to yourself endlessly. You'll definitely have no problem being a host!"

Mingxi: ...

Why did she feel like her mother wasn't praising her?

Zhao Sulan was quite excited, but she had never been a host before and couldn't give Mingxi any advice. She was just very grateful to Director Shen and said, "Director Shen has taken such good care of you at work, shouldn't we give her a gift?"

Mingxi: "It's not a holiday yet, why bother with gifts? Let's wait until the New Year."

She had just been assigned by Director Shen to be the host of the social event, and then she gave Director Shen a gift. If others saw this, they might have some doubts.

Let's wait until the Chinese New Year to talk about it.

Director Shen was the one who recruited her into the Women's Federation. It wasn't that she was being overly solicitous when she sent a New Year's gift, but she still had to think carefully about what to send.

But there's no rush, after all, the Lunar New Year is still a long way off.

Mingxi shared her thoughts with Zhao Sulan, who agreed with them.

The matter of giving gifts was settled. Only then did Zhao Sulan remember that Mingxi had mentioned that Wei Ning had been temporarily transferred to the Women's Federation to be Mingxi's partner. She asked, "Why do your leaders need to borrow someone from outside to be a host when there are so many people in your unit?"

Mingxi: "There are many people in our unit, but few men. Our Women's Federation only has one man, and he blushes and stutters as soon as he gets on stage. How can he be a host?"

Zhao Sulan nodded: "That's true..."

Mingxi: "From what Director Shen said, she originally wanted to find a colleague from the organization to be her partner, but the colleagues were too busy and didn't have time, so Director Shen thought of Wei Ning. It just so happens that Wei Ning hosted our last social gathering. He has experience and his hosting skills are also good, so he was chosen."

“I see.” Zhao Sulan nodded, noticing that Mingxi’s tone when talking about Wei Ning this time was not as resistant as last time, and her heart stirred slightly.

She tentatively said, "Actually, Wei Ning is a pretty good guy."

Mingxi nodded.

Wei Ning is good-looking, has a good job, and is indeed quite well-off in all aspects.

Mingxi: "However, he has a heart condition and his health is not very good."

If Wei Ning goes on blind dates, this is a disadvantage, since no one wants to marry someone with health problems who might force them to become a widow at any time.

Moreover, Wei Ning has congenital heart disease, which has a fairly high probability of being inherited. For the sake of the next generation, women should also be cautious.

Zhao Sulan: "It's okay. I asked Ding Hongmei. Wei Ning had surgery when he was a child, but his body is basically unaffected now. He's just like a normal person. When you see him now, he can run and jump, right? I even asked Ding Hongmei, and she said that his condition is not hereditary. Dr. Zhang from the medical room also said that Wei Ning has a ventricular septal defect or something, but it's not hereditary."

Mingxi stared with dead fish eyes: "...Mom, why are you asking about this?"

Zhao Sulan: "..."

She blinked guiltily.

Oops, I let it slip.

She had previously thought Mingxi and Weining were a good match, but she was worried about Weining's illness, so she secretly inquired about him.

However, Zhao Sulan still remembered that she had talked to Mingxi about finding a boyfriend last time, which made Mingxi angry. So she quickly changed the subject: "Oh, well, it's getting late. Xibao, what do you want to eat? I'll make you some food."

Mingxi: "..."

The Ming family on one side were talking about Wei Ning, while the Wei family on the other side were talking about Ming Xi.

Wei Ning carried a bag of roasted chestnuts into the house. As soon as he entered, Wu Yue, who had sharp eyes, saw him. She couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation, so she asked for them directly: "Third brother bought some roasted chestnuts? I haven't had much of an appetite these past few days because I'm pregnant, so I'm craving some. Why don't you let me have this bag of roasted chestnuts for now, and I'll return it to you when I buy some more."

Wei Ning dodged Wu Yue's outstretched hand and said, "No."

Wu Yue's expression changed, and she said, "It's just a bag of roasted chestnuts. It's not a rare thing. Third brother, why are you fighting with a pregnant woman for this? Aren't you being a bit stingy?"

Wu Yue was displeased and deliberately brought up the baby in her belly: "Besides, it's not that I'm craving it, it's that my baby wants it. The baby in my belly is your own nephew. You wouldn't even let him have a bite of roasted chestnuts, would you?"

Wei Ning gave a mocking smile, looking at Wu Yue with a cold gaze, and said without any mercy, "If you're out of your mind, go get it treated. You're not even two months pregnant, and the baby in your belly is still an embryo. You want to eat roasted chestnuts? If you're craving them, just say so. Don't wrongly accuse the baby."

Wu Yue blushed immediately after hearing Wei Ning's words.

Wei Ning's mouth hadn't stopped yet, and he continued, "Also, is the child you're carrying my child? If you're craving something sweet, go ask your second brother to buy you some roasted chestnuts. What's the point of coming here to show off? You keep talking about my nephew, but what about his real father? If even his real father doesn't care, why should I?"

Wei Ning's words were overheard by Wei Lao Er, who was returning home from get off work, and his expression immediately turned sour.

Although Wei Ning was referring to Wu Yue, to Wei Lao Er's ears, it sounded like he was being scolded for being incompetent, unable to even satisfy his own woman's cravings.

His face was extremely pale, and even the way he looked at Wu Yue became unpleasant.

Wu Yue hadn't expected Wei Ning to say such harsh words, and she didn't know how to respond.

Finally, Wei Lao Er spoke first. He swallowed his anger and asked Wei Ning with pursed lips, "Lao San, don't be angry with your sister-in-law. She keeps saying the wrong thing after she got pregnant. Don't hold it against her. I'll talk to her nicely next time, and she definitely won't ask you for food anymore. By the way, where do you buy your roasted chestnuts? I'll go buy two pounds for your sister-in-law right now."

Wei Ning: "It's right outside the government building..."

After Wei Ning told Wei Lao Er the address, Wei Lao Er led Wu Yue out.

Wei Ning, holding the roasted chestnuts, turned to go back to his room, but as soon as he turned around, he met his mother's probing gaze.