MM Racing Chapter 1151 He Yuzhu Begins to Be Arrogant
Chapter 1151 He Yuzhu Begins to Be Arrogant
Seeing their distraught state, Liu Haizhong and his wife felt both heartbroken and angry, inevitably leading to another argument. "Say something! This will break us!" the second aunt cried, slapping her thigh. Liu Haizhong squatted on the doorstep, smoking his pipe, his brows furrowed. After a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "What's the use of crying? Am I supposed to kidnap them?"
But Gu Nan paid no attention to this commotion. Standing at the gate of his own courtyard, listening to the sounds coming from next door, a faint smile played on his lips. This courtyard used to be so lifeless, each household hiding their thoughts behind their doors, polite to each other but turning away with disdain. It wasn't as vibrant as it was now. Isn't life more like a lively, bustling place?
He turned to look at Ran Qiuye, who was sitting at the table organizing books. The morning light shone through the window and fell on her hair, giving it a soft golden edge. "Things haven't been peaceful in the courtyard lately," Gu Nan said with a hint of caution. "Everyone's gossiping about this family and that family. If you don't have anything to do, try not to go out too much, so you don't get bothered—especially Qin Huairu, who might come to you to complain again."
Ran Qiuye looked up, a knowing smile in her eyes. Three kids from the same courtyard were suddenly being sent to the countryside—Bang Geng, Yan Jiefang, and Liu Guangtian, those restless teenagers who were bound to cause trouble. It would be strange if they didn't throw a tantrum. She put the copy of *Dream of the Red Chamber* back on the shelf, dusting her hands off. "I know," she said, "you can go to work without worry. I know what's going on in the courtyard; you don't need to worry about it. If you really can't avoid it, just say you said you had to prepare lessons, and I guarantee no one will bother you again."
Gu Nan responded and turned to push open the door to go out. Just as he reached the central courtyard, he bumped into He Yuzhu, who was on his way to work.
In the past, whenever they met, He Yuzhu would always greet Gu Nan warmly with a smile, even if it was insincere, and would at least offer a few polite words like "Good morning" and "You look good today." But today, he acted as if he didn't see Gu Nan at all. His neck was stiff, his chin held high, and he walked past without looking at him, his steps quick and hurried. The hem of his blue overalls was lifted by the wind, making him look like a victorious rooster. Clearly, he felt he no longer needed to give Gu Nan face, having gotten on the good side of the newly arrived Factory Director Zhu.
Gu Nan watched his retreating figure and smiled indifferently—such a petty trick was beneath his notice. If he were truly capable, he wouldn't need to curry favor with the new factory director to gain recognition.
He was about to walk forward when he caught sight of Lu Jia standing behind the screen wall, carrying an aluminum lunchbox. The red string at the end of her braid swayed, clearly indicating she wanted to come over and say hello. But after glancing at He Yuzhu's hurried departure and then at Gu Nan, she frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately didn't go forward. With her head down, she quickly walked out of the courtyard gate, the red string at the end of her braid swaying gently as it disappeared around the corner.
Gu Nan raised an eyebrow, not taking it to heart. The people in this compound were mostly opportunists, few truly sincere. Like grass on a wall, they swayed whichever way the wind blew—it was perfectly normal. He straightened his clothes and strode outside—compared to these petty squabbles in the compound, the factory's production scheduling meeting, the installation blueprints for the new equipment, and Director Zhu's hidden thoughts were things that truly deserved his attention.
Lu Jia rushed out of the courtyard house, her cloth shoes clicking on the bluestone pavement. The wind ruffled her bangs, a few strands clinging to her sweaty forehead. She spotted He Yuzhu heading towards the canteen and quickly caught up, grabbing his arm. Her voice was urgent: "Zhuzi, what's wrong with you these past few days? Why are you being so reckless? You know Gu Nan is now the deputy director of the steel rolling mill, holding real power over production scheduling. What good will it do you to go head-to-head with him?"
She didn't truly care about He Yuzhu's life or death; her mind was preoccupied with her own affairs—her brother had been framed by Gu Nan, resulting in his dismissal from the factory and disgrace. She was working undercover as a statistician at the factory, patiently greeting everyone with a smile, all to find an opportunity to get close to Gu Nan, gather evidence against him, and seek revenge. But He Yuzhu had been acting like he was on fire lately, constantly clashing with Gu Nan. If this fool ruined her plans, that would be a real problem.
He Yuzhu was pulled to a stop, looking down at Lu Jia's slightly protruding belly, a smug and mysterious look on his face, as if he were hiding some huge secret: "You, you're always stuck in the workshop, fiddling with the abacus, so of course you don't know what's going on in the factory. Let me tell you, we have a new factory manager now, not Gu Nan at all, it's Zhu Tao, he was transferred from the main factory, and in terms of rank, he's way higher up than Gu Nan!"
After listening, Lu Jia glanced at him as if he were an idiot, her lips pursed—even if Gu Nan wasn't the new factory director, he was still a real deputy factory director, in charge of production, logistics, and a whole host of other things. The attendance and bonuses of hundreds of workers in the workshop were all in his hands. How could a mere canteen chef like him be someone to mess with? She frowned and patiently advised, "Even if a new factory director comes, Gu Nan's power hasn't decreased much. You're just a cook; going to fight him is like throwing an egg against a rock, asking for trouble."
But in He Yuzhu's eyes, the situation was quite different. He straightened his back, his chest puffed out, and his tone was full of undisguised excitement, as if he had already become the factory director's favorite: "Lu Jia, you don't know, Director Zhu trusts me now! I brought him some stir-fries the other day, one braised pork and one stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. He praised my cooking skills highly, saying it was even better than what his wife makes at home! And I can tell that his relationship with Gu Nan isn't good. Yesterday at the meeting, he rejected Gu Nan's production plan in just a few words, openly and secretly picking on Gu Nan. This is our opportunity. Once Director Zhu deals with Gu Nan, who in the factory will dare to give me a hard time? With my skills, I might even become the canteen manager!"
Looking at his smug expression, Lu Jia sighed inwardly—what a brainless idiot, being used as a pawn and still thinking he'd gotten a good deal. But she was too lazy to argue; there was no point in getting angry with a clueless pregnant woman. She simply nodded perfunctorily, "Okay, I understand. Don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing. I'm going to work now. I need to prepare some special dishes for Director Zhu this afternoon. He mentioned yesterday that he wanted to eat braised fish slices, so I need to go to the seafood market to pick out a fresh one. Don't overwork yourself; you're carrying the baby, so walk slowly."