Straight man Zhang Biao
After the engineering director revealed his secret, Zhang Biao felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, brimming with strength. His simple, crude mind grasped one truth: Mr. Mo supports my pursuit of Engineer Lan! So what am I waiting for?
So, the next morning, Zhang Biao began his "straight ball" operation. He changed into a clean (but still ill-fitting) work suit, combed his hair with tap water, and walked into the library with a proud and confident look.
In the data room, Lan Tongtong and Lao Chen were checking the inspection forms for a batch of incoming materials. Seeing Zhang Biao come in, she thought there was something going on at the beam yard again, so she looked up and asked, "Brother Biao, what's up?"
Zhang Biao didn't say anything, but walked straight to the opposite side of Lan Tongtong's desk, pulled over a chair, sat down with his legs crossed, put his hands on his knees, straightened his back, and stared at Lan Tongtong with burning eyes.
Lan Tongtong was stunned by his attitude: "Brother Biao? You...?"
Zhang Biao cleared his throat and spoke in a loud, solemn voice, as if announcing something important: "Mr. Lan! I've made my decision!"
Lan Tongtong and Lao Chen looked at him in confusion.
Zhang Biao continued his declaration: "I will treat you better in the future!"
Lan Tongtong: “…?” (Thinking: You were pretty nice to me before, weren’t you?)
Seeing Lan Tongtong's lack of reaction, Zhang Biao assumed she didn't understand, so he continued to explain, his tone so sincere it bordered on honesty: "It's just... just like Mr. Mo said! I must respect you! I must love you! I must not let you suffer any injustice! From now on, if there's any heavy work in the beam yard, just say the word, and I'll take care of it all! If anyone dares to gossip about you, I'll be the first to disagree!"
Lan Tongtong's face flushed instantly, half embarrassed, half amused. She quickly glanced at Old Chen, who was pretending to read a document but actually perking up his ears, and said in a low voice, "Brother Biao! What nonsense are you talking about! We're in the office!"
Zhang Biao, however, completely failed to grasp her embarrassment. Instead, he felt that his statement wasn't clear enough, so he dropped another bombshell: "Mr. Lan, I know my family's financial situation is okay! In the future... in the future, if we... um... well... our family's relocation house, you can choose any one of them! My parents are very nice people!"
"Pfft——" Old Chen, who had been pretending to be calm, finally couldn't help laughing out loud and quickly pretended to cough to cover it up.
Lan Tongtong simply wanted to find a hole to crawl into. She looked at Zhang Biao's dark red face, which was filled with sincerity and expectation, and felt a mixture of emotions. What was going on? Why did he suddenly jump to the demolition house? She could only frown and say seriously: "Comrade Zhang Biao! Please pay attention to the impact! It's working hours now, don't talk about things that are not related to work! Please go back to the beam yard immediately!"
Zhang Biao was a little panicked when he saw that Lan Tongtong seemed angry, but he understood it as "girls are shy", so he quickly stood up, but still did not forget to express his determination: "Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go! Mr. Lan, don't be angry! I... I'll come to you after get off work in the evening!" After that, as if he had completed an important task, he turned around and strode away, leaving Lan Tongtong standing there, facing Lao Chen's meaningful gaze, wishing she could evaporate on the spot.
This is not the end. In the following days, Zhang Biao's "straight man operation" intensified:
Whenever Lan Tongtong went to the cafeteria to eat, he would squeeze over with his plate, stuffing meat and vegetables into her bowl, and shouting, "Eat more! Look how thin you are!"
When Lan Tongtong returned to the dormitory after get off work, he appeared out of nowhere, holding a bag of fruit (probably brought back from the town by the workers) and forced it on her: "Supplement vitamins!"
Even at a project department meeting, when the leader allowed everyone to speak freely, Zhang Biao suddenly stood up and said in a muffled voice: "I suggest that the leader pay more attention to the personal problems of young female comrades like Engineer Lan!" This attracted the attention of everyone in the audience, and Lan Tongtong wanted to bury her head under the table.
Zhang Biao's pursuit was passionate, direct, and unsophisticated, driven entirely by emotion. He interpreted Mo Zhichi's "hints" and the engineering director's "instructions" as a call to action, launching a series of hilarious "offensives." Lan Tongtong was utterly annoyed, unable to explain herself, unable to refuse, and was left speechless.
They were at the corner of the document room corridor. Lan Tongtong couldn't stand Zhang Biao's unbridled "concern" for her and the strange looks from her colleagues. She stopped him and spoke in a serious and clear tone, as never before:
"Zhang Biao! Please listen carefully, and remember: I'm very grateful for your previous help and current concern, but I only have the friendship of a colleague and comrade-in-arms towards you, and I have no other thoughts! Your behavior has seriously affected my work and life, and has also caused unnecessary misunderstandings. Please maintain a normal distance from colleagues in the future, and don't do these disturbing things again! Thank you for your cooperation!"
After saying that, Lan Tongtong turned around and left without even looking at Zhang Biao's instantly frozen expression, leaving him standing there alone.
This time, Lan Tongtong had left no room for reversal. Even if Zhang Biao was slow to react, he understood completely—Lan Tongtong truly disliked him and was deeply disgusted by his current actions.
A deep sense of loss and defeat washed over Zhang Biao. He wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant, unable to muster any energy on the construction site, even his voice dropping considerably when yelling at the workers. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved and confused he became: Didn't Mr. Mo support me? Why was Engineer Lan reacting so strongly? Did I misunderstand? Or was there something I was doing wrong?
After a whole day of struggling, Zhang Biao finally mustered up the courage to seek out Mo Zhichi, his guiding light, for clarification. He timidly approached the director's office, poked his head in, and after a long hesitation, he finally knocked.
"Please come in." Mo Zhichi's steady voice came from inside.
Zhang Biao pushed the door open, head hung, and moved in like a child who had done something wrong. His voice was not much louder than a mosquito's hum: "Mo... Mr. Mo..."
Mo Zhichi looked up from his papers and saw Zhang Biao's expression. He had guessed what was going on. He put down his pen and asked calmly, "What's going on?"
Zhang Biao stood in front of his desk, rubbing his hands nervously. After a long pause, he said with a sad face, feeling aggrieved and confused, "Boss Mo... I... I think I messed up... Engineer Lan... she... she might not like me. I confessed my feelings to her today, and she... she was very angry and told me to stay away from her in the future..."
He raised his head and looked at Mo Zhichi eagerly, hoping to get some guidance or comfort from this "supporter": "Mr. Mo, tell me... am I doing something wrong? I've always done what you said and wanted to treat her well..."
Mo Zhichi looked at Zhang Biao's honest and pitiful expression, feeling both angry and amused. He had indeed hinted at Zhang Biao, but he hadn't expected him to interpret "being nice to her" as such a crude, suffocating act. He hadn't expected Lan Tongtong's reaction to be so intense and decisive.
This actually made the vague suspicion in Mo Zhichi's mind clearer. Tongtong probably didn't have any romantic feelings for Zhang Biao. Her previous statement of "I could consider it" was completely unfounded.
Mo Zhichi pondered for a moment, then didn't blame Zhang Biao. Instead, he said in a soothing tone, "You can't force relationships. When you're nice to someone, you have to be considerate of their methods and take their feelings into account. Since Lan Gong has made her stance clear, you should respect her and keep your distance. That's what it means to truly be nice to her. Do you understand?"
Zhang Biao nodded, seeming to understand, but still a little unwilling: "Then... Mr. Mo, do I have no chance?"
Mo Zhichi looked at him with a deep gaze: "Opportunities are not acquired by brute force. Do your job well first and make yourself a better and more stable person. As for the rest, let nature take its course."
Although Zhang Biao didn't fully grasp the deeper meaning behind Mo Zhichi's words, he understood the importance of "doing the job well." He nodded vigorously, as if receiving an order. "Yes! Mr. Mo! I understand! I'll go back and get back to work!"
Watching Zhang Biao leave, relieved yet a little bewildered, Mo Zhichi gently shook his head. This episode, while somewhat ridiculous, wasn't entirely without value. At the very least, it made some things clearer.
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