Chapter 5
Before anyone could react and ask questions, Tang Ruxin had already dialed Yu Lei's number and turned on the speakerphone.
For a moment, the cheerful "Onion Song" sounded in the conference room, sweeping away the originally tense and heavy atmosphere.
“…”
Tang Ruxin felt that the reversal drama she had painstakingly created was completely ruined by this ringtone.
What's with that door god? Why would he use that ringtone? He's the captain of the criminal investigation team! He's at least a regular section chief, right? Don't he have any leadership baggage?
Tang Ruxin tried hard to maintain a gentle smile and manage her expression.
More than a dozen people listened to half of "Onion Song" together. The tense and heavy atmosphere was about to disappear before the other party answered the phone.
"Who is this?" The hands-free speaker clearly conveyed Yu Lei's impatient tone. It was obvious that he had not had time to note the number.
"Hello, Captain Yu. I'm Tang Ruxin, the safety director of Donghe Refining. I just talked to you about our company's case."
The sound of wind in the receiver speaker suddenly became quieter, as if a window was closed.
"What's up?"
"Yes. Our leader wants to know why the police left without signing the accident confirmation letter? Are they in a hurry?" Tang Ruxin asked gently, as if she was concerned about whether the other party had missed any work and was giving a kind reminder.
There was silence on the other end of the phone, which lasted for about five seconds.
Even if they were in a hurry, they wouldn't be too late to sign, Tang Ruxin asked knowingly. Yu Lei took the phone away from his ear, stared at her number, and then rolled his eyes.
This woman made her words sound sarcastic.
"Because we still need to investigate." Yu Lei was too lazy to argue with her and said perfunctorily, "I'll hang up if there's nothing else..."
"Can I understand what you mean by this that the police have already obtained certain clues, and the reliability of the clues is sufficient to support the police in mobilizing manpower and material resources to conduct investigations?" Tang Ruxin said immediately, enunciating each word as if she was afraid that the other party might not hear clearly.
Silence fell on the other end of the line, and Yu Lei glanced at his phone again, this time with a hint of gritted teeth. While her question was legitimate, it was clear she wasn't the only one on Tang Ruxin's side. She was deliberately asking so rigorously, leaving no room for error, precisely to use him as a pretext for endorsement.
This time the silence seemed longer, but not too long. It was just that everyone was holding their breath and waiting, which made the silence seem particularly long.
"right."
As soon as he finished speaking, the phone was hung up.
Tang Ruxin was worried, she only needed this one word.
*
It was already early morning when Tang Ruxin returned home. She dragged her heavy steps up the stairs. Before she could enter the door lock code, the door opened with a click.
"Xin Mama!"
A slightly hoarse cheer was heard, followed by a slightly round figure rushing towards Tang Ruxin.
As if she had anticipated this, Tang Ruxin opened her arms in time to catch the man, and even pinched the flesh on his back twice.
"You've lost so much weight." Tang Ruxin said in surprise.
Being pinched and feeling itchy, Tong Jiayu immediately jumped back, then raised her head and said proudly:
"Of course, I'll keep my word!"
Tong Jiayu took Tang Ruxin's suitcase, closed the entrance door, helped her hang up her coat, took out her slippers and put them on the floor, then rushed into the kitchen like a gust of wind.
"Oatmeal porridge, white fungus and lotus seed soup, fruit and vegetable salad?"
From the kitchen came the clinking of dishes, the slight hum of the microwave starting up, and Tong Jiayu's shouts.
"No need. I'm very tired today. I'm going to sleep." Tang Ruxin changed into slippers and came back weakly.
"Oatmeal, huh? Okay."
“…”
Forget it, Tang Ruxin collapsed on the sofa and closed her eyes for a nap. If she wanted to rest as soon as possible, the only way was to go along with Tong Jiayu. She had eaten all the time she had to fight with her.
This girl is like a perpetual motion machine, with endless energy every day, and half of this energy is exerted on herself.
Ever since Tang Ruxin was admitted to university and moved near campus, Tong Jiayu had taken care of nearly every aspect of her life, from food, clothing, housing, and transportation. From small tasks like laundry and cooking to big ones like booking flights and planning itineraries, Tong Jiayu handled everything perfectly. As long as it wasn't related to her professional expertise, Tong Jiayu could handle it.
She was always smiling, diligent and cheerful, quick and efficient, and had no set limits on work hours or scope. Even if she arrived home in the wee hours, Tong Jiayu would always have food ready for her. When things got tough, she would actively offer emotional value. She was never there when she wasn't needed, but when she was, she was there without Tang Ruxin even asking.
Such a perfect little nanny, if it weren’t for her gender, Tang Ruxin would have married her home.
Of course, there were drawbacks. This girl was incredibly unmotivated. A year younger than Tang Ruxin, she was already prepared to be a lifelong nanny. Later, at Tang Ruxin's persuasion, she finally resigned from the housekeeping company. Tong Jiayu was happy not to have the housekeeping company take the lion's share of her income.
This is another shortcoming of Tong Jiayu. She believes everything Tang Ruxin says.
Without the housekeeping company, her contract with Tang Ruxin became a personal labor contract, which carried a different risk than a formal labor contract and depended entirely on the employer's conscience. Tong Jiayu didn't consider these things. She resigned when Tang Ruxin asked her to, and signed a new contract without even reading it.
Tang Ruxin felt that Tong Jiayu must be a very lucky person since she had not been sold to the mountains to give birth to a child.
Although you don't have to have children, you can't be a nanny all your life.
Tong Jiayu attended high school, but her family lost its breadwinner before she graduated. She needed support from her younger siblings, which is why she started working as a housekeeper. Now that her siblings have jobs and don't earn much, they no longer need her to pay them regularly, so she should make plans for her future.
Tang Ruxin first tricked her into quitting her job at the housekeeping company and saving all the money she earned. Then, she enrolled her in a general vocational training course. She had originally thought that with a doctorate from a prestigious university, she could prop up even the lumpiest of pieces of mud.
However, what was unexpected was that it took three training courses before Tong Jiayu graduated.
Tang Ruxin was stunned. It was just a general vocational training class, teaching common office software, basic data management, and practical English. Graduating students could easily become clerks. Did all that take a year and a half?! Undergraduate courses typically took about that much time.
The original plan was to find her a job in a small company as a transition, and then slowly look for a suitable direction for her after she gained professional experience. After finding it, she could specialize in a field for further study. Obviously, this plan was not suitable for Tong Jiayu's learning ability.
Two years ago, Tang Ruxin brought Tong Jiayu to Donghe Refining.
Due to her limited education, Tong Jiayu had to start from the bottom. She didn't mind and even said she wanted to do industrial cleaning, which was a related field to her major.
Cleaning refineries isn't just about doing laundry and cooking. Industrial cleaning requires entering the facility to clean floors and platforms, scrubbing pumps and compressors. The oil stains on these pieces of equipment are far more severe than those from kitchen fumes. Furthermore, the income is several notches lower than that of production plant operators, making this a typical high-work, low-pay position.
If you just want to do this, why bother taking those three vocational and technical training courses?
Tang Ruxin assigned her to the main production facility. While production was more challenging than cleaning oil stains, the pay was high, and as long as Donghe didn't go bankrupt, there was no risk of layoffs. After obtaining her work permit, she could gradually improve her skills. The highest-level operators earned more than those in professional management positions. And with her skills certificate, even if Donghe Refining went bankrupt, she could still find work at another refinery. It was a worthwhile path.
Tang Ruxin is like a stubborn navigator, who persistently guides Tong Jiayu towards a stable and wealthy life. Even if Tong Jiayu's learning ability has made her hit a wall, she will still turn around and keep hitting it.
It takes an average person three months to become a regular employee, but Tong Jiayu took one year; it took an average person two years to complete all the bonuses for the coefficients; an average person can get an intermediate operating skill level certificate in two years, but Tong Jiayu has not yet obtained a basic one after two years.
Tang Ruxin could no longer bear it, so she called the training group of the Human Resources Department and asked them how they did the training, why the training results were so poor, whether the interns' workload was too full and they had no time to study, whether they provided sufficient teaching support, and whether the rewards and punishments were strong enough.
The training team leader was instantly in a cold sweat after being bombarded with questions from the security director, who had no definitive answers. He hung up the phone and scrambled to find the HR director to inquire about the situation. Why was she asking these questions? What did it have to do with her? Was the HR department going to merge with the security department?
The HR director was also puzzled, and then he remembered that there seemed to be a small tail when Tang Ruxin took office.
Half a month later, Tong Jiayu obtained the basic skill level qualification certificate.
With Tong Jiayu as a strong barrier, Tang Ruxin knew she could never have children. If she gave birth to a child like Tong Jiayu, she might commit a crime.
Ever since she told Tong Jiayu about this idea as a joke, Tong Jiayu started calling her "Xin Ma" and threatened to take care of her until the end of her life. Although Tong Jiayu was one year younger than her, it was hard to say who would die first.
Tang Ruxin rolled her eyes but was in a good mood. Wasn't this another kind of private life commitment? Anyway, for both public and private reasons, Tong Jiayu would not leave her.
Tang Ruxin yawned three times while she was halfway through her oatmeal porridge.
"Why don't you eat the lean meat cubes and go to sleep?" Tong Jiayu supported her cheeks with both hands while watching her eat. Her slightly plump cheeks were deformed by her palms, like round apples.
Tang Ruxin blinked and asked, "Are there any apples?"
Tong Jiayu went to the refrigerator to get an apple, peeled it, cut it into cubes, put it on a plate, and handed it to Tang Ruxin in less than a minute.
"With your quick wit, you can succeed in anything you do." Tang Ruxin was used to pushing her child, happily eating an apple with a fork in her hand.
"Except for the exam." Tong Jiayu curled her lips, "Are you not going to eat the porridge? I'll take it."
"good."
The sound of running water washing dishes emanated from the kitchen, accompanied by Tong Jiayu's humming of a Jiangnan folk tune, a vivid reminder of everyday life. No wonder men love to get married. If she could marry such a caring wife, Tang Ruxin felt that a sex change wouldn't be a problem.
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