The worst casserole porridge
As Chen Xueping's car drove out of the project office gate and merged into the sparse night traffic, Lan Tongtong's phone rang. "Chief Engineer Zhang Xiao" appeared on the screen. Her heart leaped into her throat, as if grasping at a lifeline, and she immediately looked at Chen Xueping.
Chen Xueping also saw the caller ID. He frowned slightly, then winked at Lan Tongtong and said in a low voice, "Answer it, put it on speakerphone."
Lan Tongtong hesitated for a moment, but still pressed the answer button and the hands-free button.
"Xiao Lan! I've finished my work here and will go to the beam yard right away! How's the situation on site? Have the people from the laboratory arrived?" Zhang Xiao's voice, hurried and concerned, came out clearly from the receiver.
Before Lan Tongtong could speak, Chen Xueping immediately leaned over to the phone and spoke in a relieved tone, even with a hint of a smile: "Mr. Zhang! It's me, Xueping! Oh, I was just about to call you! The matter has been resolved, resolved! It was just a false alarm, a false alarm!"
There was silence on the other end of the line for a second. Zhang Xiao was clearly surprised. "Manager Chen? You were there too? Did you solve it? How did you solve it?"
"Hi!" Chen Xueping said in a very natural tone. "There's just a small problem with that truckload of material. Xiao Lan is inexperienced and a bit nervous. I've asked the mixing station to return the truckload of segregated material and have them strictly adjust the mix ratio! I've also contacted the people in the laboratory directly and asked them to go to the mixing station to monitor it and control it from the source! Everything is fine here at the beam yard. I've arranged for the workers to continue pouring. We can't delay the construction schedule!"
Lan Tongtong was stunned listening to this, her heart practically pounding out of her chest! Chen Xueping hadn't batted an eyelid, telling such a monstrous lie! The segregated concrete was clearly still piled in the beam yard, the workers were on standby, and the lab staff were on their way! How could he... How could he do this?!
She opened her mouth, wanting to expose the lie immediately, but Chen Xueping stared at her with a stern look, which was full of warnings and oppression, making her words stuck in her throat and unable to utter a word.
"Continue pouring?" Zhang Xiao's tone was filled with obvious suspicion. "Manager Chen, this is no small matter. Segregated material must not be put into the mold! Are you sure it's clean?"
"Oh my, Mr. Zhang, don't you trust me?" Chen Xueping laughed. "Do you think I'd dare to touch the quality red line? Don't worry, it's foolproof! By the way, you must have been hard-pressed to come here so late at night. Don't go to the beam yard, come straight to our old place, Clay Pot Porridge, downtown. Xiao Lan and I are just about to grab a midnight snack there. Come along, we can chat while we eat. I'll also be reporting on the progress of the recent milestones!"
Chen Xueping tried to divert Zhang Xiao's attention and lead him away from the scene by inviting him to a casual dinner.
Zhang Xiao was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the line. This brief silence almost froze the air in the car. Lan Tongtong held her breath, hoping that Zhang would detect the flaw and insist on going to the scene.
However, Zhang Xiao finally said, "...Well, since you said so. I'll go straight to you. Let Xiaolan answer the phone."
Lan Tongtong's heart tightened, and she looked at Chen Xueping. Chen Xueping winked at her, signaling her to cooperate.
"Mr. Zhang..." Lan Tongtong's voice was a little dry.
"Xiao Lan, is what Manager Chen said true? Is there really no problem at the scene?" Zhang Xiao's tone was serious, as if he wanted to get confirmation from her.
Lan Tongtong felt Chen Xueping's gaze piercing her like a knife. If she exposed the truth now, it would mean a complete break with Chen Xueping, with disastrous consequences. But if she kept silent, it would be collusion in the fraud, a crime against the project!
Under tremendous pressure, she reluctantly chose a vague response: "Mr. Zhang... Manager Chen... has arranged to deal with it..." She did not directly admit that "the problem has been solved", but she did not deny it either.
This answer obviously did not satisfy Zhang Xiao, but he seemed to have noticed something from Lan Tongtong's tone, and just said lightly: "Okay, I got it. Let's talk about it when we meet." Then he hung up the phone.
The moment the phone was hung up, the atmosphere in the car dropped to freezing point.
Chen Xueping breathed a long sigh of relief, then his expression darkened. As he sped toward the city, he said coldly to Lan Tongtong, "Xiao Lan, you're very smart. You did the right thing just now. Some things don't need to be made into a big deal. We can't afford to delay the project, and we have to save our boss's face. When you see Mr. Zhang later, you know what to say, right?"
Lan Tongtong didn't answer, but just turned her head to look at the neon lights flying past outside the window, feeling cold all over.
The car stopped in front of a brightly lit, bustling casserole porridge shop. Chen Xueping got out first, his usual affable smile restored, as if the thrilling conversation in the car had never happened.
"Xiao Lan, we're here. Order whatever you want. Don't be polite." He invited Lan Tongtong into the store, found a relatively quiet booth to sit down, and pushed the menu in front of Lan Tongtong.
Lan Tongtong had no time to think about ordering. Her stomach felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it uncomfortable. She mechanically flipped through the menu, her eyes empty.
"Manager Chen, you order. I'm happy with anything." She pushed the menu back.
"Okay, I'll take care of it." Chen Xueping didn't hesitate, skillfully ordering a few signature dishes and a pot of seafood porridge. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he pulled out his phone and said, "I'm going to make a call to urge Mr. Zhang and arrange some things. Please sit down for a while."
After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the store. Through the glass window, Lan Tongtong could see him standing under the streetlight, holding his cell phone, making calls with a serious expression, one after another, obviously dealing with the "aftermath" at the beam yard.
Lan Tongtong sat alone in her seat, feeling uneasy. The shop was hot and bustling, but she felt cold all over.
About ten minutes later, Chen Xueping returned from his phone call, a barely perceptible look of relief on his face. Not long after he sat down, Chief Engineer Zhang Xiao arrived, dusty and exhausted.
"Mr. Zhang, this way!" Chen Xueping waved enthusiastically.
Zhang Xiao walked over quickly, his face showing the fatigue of staying up all night, but when he saw Lan Tongtong, his eyes showed more concern than suspicion. He naturally sat down in the seat next to Lan Tongtong.
"Xiao Lan, are you okay? I heard there was a situation at the scene. Has it been handled?" Zhang Xiao's tone was very calm, even with a hint of the comfort of an elder to a younger one. "Manager Chen said on the phone that it's been resolved, so I'm relieved. You have a strong sense of responsibility and tend to get nervous when encountering things. It's good to have Manager Chen on the scene to control it."
His words were based on his complete trust that Chen Xueping had "already resolved the issue," and he subconsciously assumed that Lan Tongtong's previous nervousness was due to the newcomer's excessive responsibility. This unconditional trust, like a needle, gently pierced Lan Tongtong's heart, making her even more uncomfortable.
"Mr. Zhang..." Lan Tongtong opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she saw Chen Xueping looking at her with a smile, the meaning of his eyes self-evident. She swallowed her words back, lowered her head, and uttered a vague "hmm."
"See, I told you Xiao Lan was fine." Chen Xueping immediately took over the conversation, smiling as he poured tea for Zhang Xiao. "Mr. Zhang, you're incredible! You even made a special trip. I told you it was just a minor incident, and I've already taken care of it. Come on, try this tea, it's quite good."
Zhang Xiao didn't suspect anything. He took a sip from his teacup and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that it's resolved. Xiaolan encountered something like this on her first independent night shift, so it must be very stressful. Manager Chen, please be more tolerant and teach her more." He turned to Lan Tongtong and said gently, "Xiaolan, if you encounter something you are unsure of in the future, it's right to report it promptly, but you must also learn to trust your leaders and colleagues and not be too stressed out."
These considerate words, however, sounded full of irony to Lan Tongtong. She felt like a child lying behind an adult, while this "adult" who trusted her was still comforting her without knowing anything.
At this time, the waiter began to serve the dishes, and the table was filled with steaming hot casserole porridge and several side dishes.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's eat it while it's hot!" Chen Xueping enthusiastically prepared, as if everything had really disappeared. "Xiao Lan, eat more to calm your nerves. Mr. Zhang, you've worked hard too. I'll treat you tonight!"
This late-night meal unfolded in an atmosphere that appeared harmonious on the surface, yet turbulent beneath. Chen Xueping was cheerful and engaged in conversation, dominating the conversation. Zhang Xiao, relieved that her problem had been "solved," occasionally engaged in a small talk with Lan Tongtong, attempting to relax her.
However, Lan Tongtong couldn't fit in. She felt like chewing wax. Every expression of concern from Zhang Xiao, every joke from Chen Xueping, seemed like a reminder of the ongoing lie. She didn't dare meet Zhang Xiao's eyes, and could only nod and agree mechanically.
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