Chapter 34
"Let me show you a different experience."
This summer vacation was very fulfilling for Chen Zhiyu.
Although he and Josh had a lukewarm relationship for the previous month, his injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise, giving them the opportunity to advance their relationship.
In the first month, Chen Zhiyu felt that the days were too long and difficult to endure, but in the second month, he was surprised by how quickly time had passed.
However, by the time school started, Chen Zhiyu's arm injury had not fully healed.
Josh had already gotten a note for him from the hospital a few days earlier, and the school was only able to allow Chen Zhiyu to stay aside and watch his classmates' military training.
His injury didn't fully heal until mid-September, and after that, Liu Weifeng ruthlessly took him back to the company to do manual labor.
I had planned to use the two months of summer vacation to get my driver's license, but my injury delayed it.
However, being able to get together with Josh was an unexpected surprise.
With the return to work and daily classes, Chen Zhiyu had even less free time, and the two of them could no longer find time to rest.
For a long time, Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi barely saw each other and had very little daily communication.
When the two finally met, it was already the National Day holiday.
On Josh's workstation, the curled-edge calendar pages were turned to September, and every date was marked with a red cross.
Finally, it was afternoon. My colleague Xiao Yao, who was sitting next to me, leaned over and whispered, "Have you decided where to go for the holiday?"
"I haven't decided yet."
Josh leaned back in his chair to relax his stiff shoulders and neck for a moment before reaching for his phone, which was lying face down on the table. The screen displayed a message from Chen Zhiyu sent half an hour earlier: 'Can you leave work on time today?'
University management was strict at the beginning, and Chen Zhiyu had to go to the company even when he didn't have classes. As the holidays approached, Qiao Xi's department was also very busy. The two of them could hardly meet, and even chatted by squeezing in time.
"I've realized that work has really drained my energy. When I was in school, I was willing to squeeze in time to travel around during holidays, but now all I want to do is go home and sleep all day," Xiao Yao sighed helplessly, slumped over the table.
Josh remembered that Xiao Yao was from out of town. "Aren't you going home for the holidays? It's a seven-day holiday."
"Go back," Xiao Yao said weakly.
Josh laughed, "Why does this answer sound so indignant, like it's about to heroically sacrifice itself?"
"Don't even mention it. My parents are forcing me to go home for a blind date this time, and I just couldn't stop them." Just thinking about it gives Xiao Yao a headache. "Stop talking about me, aren't you planning to go on vacation?"
Josh thought for a moment, then replied to Chen Zhiyu's message while answering Xiao Yao, "There are too many tourists at this time of year, so I don't really want to go anywhere."
Speaking of which, Hengcheng is a tourist city. During holidays, it attracts a large number of tourists. During peak season, let alone traveling, even just going out for a stroll is a headache.
However, she and Chen Zhiyu haven't reached a consensus on how to arrange their holiday yet.
As the end of the workday approaches, every employee at their workstation is lost in thought, eagerly anticipating their wonderful holiday and wishing they could take off the moment the workday ends.
Things didn't go as planned.
In the last half hour, the department manager called an impromptu meeting with all employees. Fortunately, the leader announced the meeting was adjourned just before the end of the workday, otherwise the room would have been filled with resentful faces.
As soon as it was time to leave work, Chen Zhiyu called right on time. "I'll wait for you at the intersection ahead. I won't go any further because I'm afraid there will be a traffic jam and you won't be able to turn around there."
Hearing the sound of traffic coming from the other end, Josh exclaimed in surprise, "Don't tell me you drove here?"
"You got it right."
"Where did you get the car?" Josh thought for a moment, then realized something was off. "You got your driver's license?"
"I've had it for a few days now," Chen Zhiyu replied with a smile. "Liu Weifeng lent me the car to practice driving."
After hanging up the phone, Josh left work on time and walked to the next intersection as Chen Zhiyu had instructed. Not far away, he saw a white SUV parked on the side of the road.
Chen Zhiyu was leaning against the passenger side door, glancing in the direction she came from. Upon seeing Qiao Xi, he immediately opened the passenger side door.
Without saying a word, Josh got in and, after looking at the interior, commented, "It looks pretty good."
Chen Zhiyu got into the driver's seat and fastened her seatbelt before replying, "Since the company was on holiday, I used it to practice driving."
Chen Zhiyu was driving back when he encountered the evening rush hour, with people on holiday and going home all crowded together.
This trip home will take a little longer than usual, so Josh took the opportunity to talk to Chen Zhiyu about his future work arrangements.
"Business trip?" Chen Zhiyu gripped the steering wheel with both hands, glancing at Qiao Xi sitting in the passenger seat. "How long will you be gone this time?"
Josh is going on a business trip after his vacation, and it will last for months.
This was also a decision the company had just made. The department held a meeting before the end of the workday to discuss the business trip arrangements.
The city I'm going to this time is quite far away, "It will take at least three months. But I promise I'll be back for the Chinese New Year."
Chen Zhiyu thought for a moment. It was only October now, and it would be about four months until after the Spring Festival. "When do you plan to set off?"
"The holiday is over."
"So rushed." Chen Zhiyu gripped the steering wheel tighter and said "Oh."
"This is an urgent job. If we hadn't been caught off guard, the company would probably have made us leave during the holiday."
Chen Zhiyu did not reply.
The car couldn't enter the residential area, so he found a spot to park it at the entrance and unbuckled Josh's seatbelt, then pulled her to the driver's seat. "I feel bad thinking about you having to leave right away again."
"Is it really necessary? It hasn't been that long." Josh sat steadily on Chen Zhiyu's lap, his hands on his chest, staring at him.
"That's too much, almost half a year." Chen Zhiyu grabbed the back of her neck, pinched it, and then brought his lips to her neck, gently biting it.
Josh hissed softly, trying to struggle free from his embrace. "Then let's wait until we get home. What's the rush? Are you a monkey?"
Chen Zhiyu held her tightly with both arms to prevent her from moving, and pressed down on her without saying a word, saying, "Let me show you a different experience."
......
*
The roar of the plane engine tormented his ears for hours, and when he landed, Josh felt like his feet were still floating.
Although it was past the golden autumn of September, as soon as I stepped out of the cabin, a wave of steam carrying a huge heat rushed towards me, making it difficult to breathe.
"How did you do on your certification exams?" Feng Zhao grabbed Qiao Xi and asked as soon as he got off the plane, still feeling a bit groggy.
"Can't you stop being such a spoilsport?" Hearing this, Josh felt even more annoyed. "There's still a long way to go. In our line of work, there are endless certifications to take and endless studies to complete."
"Let's encourage each other." Seeing that Josh was also worried about studying for the certification exam, Feng Zhao felt relieved.
Exhausted from the long journey, everyone was worn out on the plane. They followed the flow of people to the exit and immediately saw a car parked not far from the exit.
The car window rolled down, revealing a chubby, smiling face, every wrinkle a carefully calculated curve.
Feng Zhao, with her sharp eyes, spotted them first and whispered a reminder, "Why is Factory Director Zhou here?"
After his reminder, everyone in the department turned their attention to that direction.
Over here, Director Zhou, who had been in the car, hurriedly got out. His chubby body was wrapped in a tight shirt, and his shiny forehead gleamed in the sunlight. He trotted towards them with eager steps.
The department members exchanged quick glances for a few seconds, their expressions a mix of emotions. Josh, puzzled, deliberately lowered his voice, "How did he know we'd arrive at this time?"
"I guess they found it online. When I bought the ticket, it said there was only one bus from Hengcheng to here today," another colleague whispered back.
From the very beginning, the minister who came along had been frowning the whole time. "Let's just have to adapt to the situation."
Seeing Director Zhou's fleshy face and his grinning appearance, it was really hard to like him. Although they were not going to conduct their inspection in secret, they were afraid of encountering this kind of situation.
They're so clingy, I can't shake them off.
If a poor assessment is made at that time, it is easy to be subjected to frequent harassment.
If Director Zhou acts this way, the subsequent evaluation will easily raise suspicions of unfairness.
In the past, when faced with this situation, Josh and his team would usually avoid it if possible, and if all else failed, they would have to act according to the circumstances.
The minister led Josh and the others to greet Director Zhou. "Director, you're too kind." But his tone was flat and lacked any warmth. "Let's take us back to our accommodations first. We can proceed with the tour tomorrow according to the established procedure."
The words had a hidden meaning.
"Oh, no rush, no rush," Director Zhou rubbed his hands together, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces.
In the past, people who encountered them would stop insisting after a few refusals, but Director Zhou seemed not to understand their unspoken meaning and just kept laughing it off.
"You've had a long journey. I've made all the arrangements. Let's go eat first." After saying that, she turned around and called out to the people behind her, "Xiao Gu, hurry up and help the leaders with their luggage."
Following Director Zhou's gaze, everyone realized there were other people in the car.
The driver's side door opened, and the person whom Director Zhou called 'Xiao Gu' got out of the car.
Although he was called Xiao Gu, the man looked to be around forty years old. He was thin, of average height, and had dark skin. He wore a faded old work uniform that was loosely draped over his body.
Taking advantage of the minister's momentary lapse in attention, Director Zhou snatched his luggage, strode to the car, and opened the van's sliding door. "People need to eat, so we should show them hospitality. We'll take everyone to rest later; there's still time."
Crowding at the exit wasn't a solution, and with no other option, they eventually had to agree.
Left with no other choice, the group followed Factory Director Zhou into the car.
The van drove away from the airport and merged into the sparse traffic. Inside, it was quiet; each person was lost in their own thoughts. Feng Zhao was chatting privately with Qiao Xi online: 'I have a feeling something's not right?'
In general, when this happens, people are trying to achieve their goals through unconventional means, and the actual quality of the products from the factory is not very good.
Actually, encountering this situation saved them more time. Josh didn't mind, saying, "That's perfect, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home."
Factory Director Zhou took the people to a local restaurant.
Inside the private room, a huge round table was filled with large plates and dishes, and the greasy aroma mixed with the smell of smoke filled the room.
Factory Director Zhou was very enthusiastic, constantly getting up to offer drinks and serve food. He talked non-stop, and during this time, he boasted about his factory and assured them that it absolutely met the standards.
Minister Feng Zhaohe barely managed to keep up the act, a forced smile on his face, his eyes brimming with doubt, yet he barely touched the wine in his glass.
Josh gripped his chopsticks, struggling to keep up, and only symbolically picked up a little bit of greens.
The long drive had left her exhausted, and the throbbing in her ears was making her feel irritable. Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Using this excuse, she quickly got up and left her seat, avoiding the noise.
In this situation, Josh would rather talk to the harassing phone caller for a bit than stay inside any longer.
Josh followed the signs to the restroom area at the end of the corridor.
At the far end was a narrow window, closed, with the boundless night outside, like a pitch-black mirror, reflecting the brilliant lights inside.
The temperature difference between day and night is significant here. Josh walked down the corridor to the window at the end, where the air was finally a bit cooler.
A bit of a cold wind blew in through the cracks in the window, and Josh moved a little further away.
The call was from the delivery guy; he had a package that required cash on delivery, and no one was home. Josh hung up after finishing the call, but didn't rush back to the private room. She glanced up casually and saw a dark figure reflected in the glass, standing right behind her.
Upon seeing the figure, Josh's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly turned around to get a better look.
It's that driver, Xiao Gu.
She didn't know when he had followed her out. He stood behind her like a silent statue, his dark face expressionless, only his eyes appearing deep under the light.
I don't know how long I've been standing here.
Josh suppressed the sudden surge of alertness, kept a straight face, and gave him a polite nod.
Xiao Gu's lips seemed to move slightly, her Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and her eyes were fixed on Josh, as if she had something to say.
“Josh”.
Feng Zhao's voice suddenly came from around the corner behind them.
The two people standing by the window looked toward the source of the sound. Feng Zhao, her face flushed, ran over and asked, "What are you doing here?"
But his eyes were fixed on Josh.
"I got a phone call," Josh replied casually.
Xiao Gu nodded to the two of them, said nothing more, turned and left, quickly disappearing into the dim corner.
"What's going on?" Feng Zhao asked in a low voice as he watched him leave. "I saw him staring at you from a distance, acting suspiciously. It was a bit creepy."
"I don't know either." Hearing Feng Zhao's words, Qiao Xi's heart jumped again, and she frowned slightly as she asked, "Is something wrong?"
Seeing that Josh didn't say anything, Feng Zhao stopped thinking about it and got down to business. "The minister told me that we'll be splitting up tomorrow. Being led around like this all the time means we won't get to see what we want to see. You and I will be in the same group."
Josh nodded, indicating that he understood. At the moment, they had no idea what Director Zhou was up to.
Thinking of this, Josh's expression darkened slightly. "We really can't let him follow us like this. If Director Zhou is always so close, how much of the real stuff can we actually see?"
To truly see what you want to see, you must avoid this group of people.
Josh wasn't feeling well as soon as he got off the plane, compounded by Director Zhou's overly attentive attitude and the eccentric driver.
Everything left a bad impression.
I just hope they can find out the problem soon so I can go home sooner.
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