AWDC Chapter 12
by VolareThe workstation where Lin Xi sat was separated from the three women’s assembly line by a pillar, allowing them to “supervise” each other during work hours.
Mu Chuang, however, was completely unaware of the drama they would create behind the scenes. He simply regarded Lin Xi as a younger brother and the three women as friends, never imagining any sparks would fly even with them facing each other all day.
After arranging Lin Xi’s job and teaching him how to do it, he took advantage of his free time to help the three women clear their backlog.
Liu Jingjing deliberately worked slowly, accumulating the most backlog, as if knowing that Mu Chuang would definitely help her. She wasn’t worried, no matter how much piled up.
The truth was, Mu Chuang wouldn’t necessarily help them every day because he had his own things to do, unless he was free.
Even though the three women constantly revolved around him, he remained clear-headed and wouldn’t disregard everything for the sake of romance.
As a man, he, like most others, believed that money and status were the most important things. If he lacked these, the women around him might all disappear.
He wouldn’t be a fool in matters of the heart.
“Why is there so much piled up again?” Mu Chuang walked to Liu Jingjing’s side, using a serious tone that outsiders would perceive as such, deliberately adding a hint of reproach. “If you don’t finish it, you’re not allowed to leave work at noon, and you can’t leave it for the afternoon either, let alone pile it up until the evening. It will affect the production progress.”
Liu Jingjing was very surprised, feeling that this man was acting strangely today. Usually, even if she piled up a lot, he wouldn’t use such a tone. But today…
She stole a glance at Lin Xi by the table, and when she saw him looking over, she instantly understood. Last night during the hotpot, it was because of him that Mu Chuang didn’t kiss her, and Mu Chuang was really taking his feelings into consideration by not being intimate with her in front of him.
“What is this all about? Can a brother be compared to a ‘girlfriend’? He’s willing to alienate his ‘girlfriend’ to consider his brother’s feelings. What kind of man does that?” Liu Jingjing cursed inwardly. “Is he willing to remain single for such a damn brother?”
Mu Chuang didn’t know she was thinking so much. He only thought she wasn’t arguing back, and was willing to obediently accept his scolding to save his face. Suddenly, his heart warmed, and he picked up a QC pen and an extra rack, and started helping her clear the backlog.
“Thank you, Manager Mu,” Liu Jingjing said politely in front of all the workers, directly ignoring what he had said earlier, and speeding up her work.
Liang Ting and Fu Xiaoling, seeing that Mu Chuang’s expression wasn’t right today, also quickly sped up their work. After finishing what came down the assembly line, they would occasionally clear some of the backlog to avoid being criticized in public.
In just half an hour, the backlog around them was completely cleared.
After Mu Chuang left, the workers on the same assembly line began to whisper.
“I thought they really couldn’t handle it, but it turns out they were just trying to win a man’s sympathy.”
“Don’t you know? Those three have been having an affair with Manager Mu for a long time, but they’re just being discreet during work hours and not showing it.”
“What do you mean not showing it? It’s just that you’re careless and didn’t notice. If there wasn’t something going on, which supervisor would be willing to clear the backlog for the workers?”
“That’s right, that’s right. Only a fool like you wouldn’t see it.”
The workers muttered to each other. Although they spoke in low voices, the three women still heard them.
After work that day, Liu Jingjing was the first to complain to Mu Chuang. “Brother Chuang, those women who paste stickers were gossiping about you this morning.”
At this time, Mu Chuang had just come back from buying groceries, and Lin Xi was peeling preserved eggs, while this woman couldn’t wait to tattle on them.
The other two followed closely behind, almost all with the same purpose.
“What did they say?” Mu Chuang asked with interest, wanting to see what the workers were saying about him behind his back.
“They’re unhappy that you and I have something going on, saying that I pile up deliberately, but sometimes I really can’t handle it, so I have to trouble Brother Chuang,” she said, excluding the other two women’s relationship with Mu Chuang, only mentioning herself. Her desire for exclusive possession was as obvious as Sima Zhao’s ambition.
“They also said it about me and you,” Liang Ting said, unwilling to be left out, quickly adding a sentence.
Only Fu Xiaoling said the correct thing, “They said it about the three of us and you.”
The other two felt disdain for her “generosity”, almost rolling their eyes to the sky.
“That’s the truth, they didn’t make anything up,” Mu Chuang said casually. “I thought they were spreading rumors.”
Liu Jingjing was unconvinced. “Are you sure you’re focusing on the main point? The main point isn’t spreading rumors, but that they were talking during work hours. Shouldn’t they be fined?”
“That’s right,” Liang Ting echoed.
Mu Chuang cut the chili peppers and put them in a bowl. “They often complain about you too. Haven’t I not fined you either?”
They were all working hard, so there was no need to make things difficult for others. As long as he didn’t see it himself, he would pretend not to know.
That’s what Mu Chuang thought.
Liu Jingjing failed to complain successfully, and felt a lump in her throat. Did that mean that she could only turn a blind eye and close an ear to those people’s comments in the future?
She originally thought that she should be different from others in his heart, but she didn’t expect that Mu Chuang would protect ordinary workers like that.
“Brother Chuang, are you just going to let them keep talking like that?” Liu Jingjing asked, unconvinced, determined to prove that she was different from the average worker in Mu Chuang’s heart.
“I’ll fine them if I catch them,” he replied in the same tone he used when answering other workers’ complaints about them, making Liu Jingjing stomp her feet in anger.
Liang Ting kept silent when she saw this.
Fu Xiaoling had a clearer understanding.
Lin Xi peeled the preserved eggs, watching the interactions of the group. He concluded that his Brother Chuang wasn’t infatuated with these women, and a hint of joy suddenly rose in his heart—
Perhaps he really hadn’t noticed that he wasn’t that interested in women.
“Brother Chuang, I’ve peeled them. Do you want me to try to cook a meal for you?” Lin Xi said with a smile, putting two Q-bomb preserved eggs on the stove in front of Mu Chuang. The sleeves rolled up, revealing a fair wrist, which made Mu Chuang couldn’t help but take another look.
“Sure,” he said with a comforting smile, “I haven’t eaten a meal made by Lin Xi yet. No matter how you cook it, Brother Chuang will eat it all.”
Lin Xi responded with a smile. Careful observers would notice that he was shy, because Mu Chuang’s words made him taste the sweetness.
He kept the smile on his face and obediently went to prepare the dishes.
The three women watched this scene, and a sense of crisis suddenly arose. They felt that if they didn’t intervene soon, the man they admired would be snatched away by this young boy sooner or later.
“Hmph!” Liu Jingjing sat down on the edge of the bed with a pout, looking like a spoiled, unloved concubine, her face full of grievance.