LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 17
Wang Mazi was a little upset.
It hadn’t been easy getting into the good graces of Uncle Hu and Aunt Zhang, living a life where he had meat at every meal without having to sleep on the streets.
Who would have thought that in just two days, someone would come along and take away his and his brothers’ jobs?
A man who was eloquent could become brothers with them in just half a day.
The most disgusting thing was that Xu Zhaoxin was also giving instructions on their work, acting like a big leader.
The other person was even more outrageous. One man could do the work of five, and only food and accommodation were provided, with no wages.
Was transportation work so complicated these days?
Wang Mazi, not wanting to be compared, approached his three most loyal brothers to discuss how to drive Xu Zhaoxin and Yang Shu out.
Just when Liu Jin’an came to inspect the warehouse, Wang Mazi rolled his eyes and approached him with a smile on his face.
“Boss, you’re here. Are you tired? Let me give you a shoulder rub?” Wang Mazi said flatteringly.
Liu Jin’an waved his hand and asked, “How is the storage of the materials going?”
Wang Mazi said seriously, “Most of the materials have been loaded into the warehouse. The warehouse is currently full. We’re trying to find ways to organize the materials and free up as much space as possible.”
Liu Jin’an nodded with satisfaction. “Well done, keep up the hard work.”
Wang Mazi chuckled and scratched his head while hesitating to speak.
“What’s wrong? What’s the problem?”
Hearing this, Wang Mazi rubbed his hands in embarrassment. “It’s nothing. It’s just that the new guy surnamed Xu always comes to the warehouse to cause trouble. All the brothers under me have been fooled into not recognizing me as the eldest brother.”
It seemed Xu Zhaoxin was exactly as described in the novel—sharp-eyed and good at social interaction.
In just one day, he had become familiar with this group of people and even posed a threat to Wang Mazi’s status.
Liu Jin’an was about to speak when Xu Zhaoxin’s rather proud voice came from outside the door. “You’ve brought your brothers to surrender to Liu Jin’an. Why do you still think you’re the eldest brother? It seems you don’t regard Liu Jin’an as your boss at all and are still thinking about fishing in troubled waters.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Wang Mazi was furious. “If I really think that, I’ll be struck by lightning!”
Xu Zhaoxin sneered. “Only you know what you think in your heart. If it were me, I wouldn’t form a small gang.”
Liu Jin’an couldn’t help but admire Xu Zhaoxin’s skill with words. Almost every sentence contained a hidden meaning, and in just a few words, he had accused Wang Mazi of forming a clique.
No wonder he became one of Duan Haiping’s confidants.
Wang Mazi’s teeth itched with anger, and the three brothers behind him also looked furious.
The atmosphere became tense, and Liu Jin’an had no doubt that if he hadn’t been there, a fight would have already broken out.
“Okay, that’s enough for now,” he said calmly. “Wang Mazi, the four of you go and do your work first.”
Wang Mazi hesitated. “Boss, I really don’t…”
Liu Jin’an nodded slightly. “Go ahead, I know what’s going on.”
Wang Mazi had no choice but to lead his brothers out of the warehouse angrily.
Before leaving, he glared at Xu Zhaoxin fiercely, wishing he could have a fight to vent his anger.
After the others left, Xu Zhaoxin put away his cynical smile. “Wang Mazi is a sinister and cunning person. He hasn’t found a chance yet, but if he does, he’ll definitely try to become the boss.”
Liu Jin’an simply said “oh” and continued counting the supplies.
Xu Zhaoxin almost couldn’t hold back his expression. “Hey, please take it seriously, I’m very good at judging people. If you want to learn, you might as well add Mr. Duan and me as WeChat friends, and we’ll teach you slowly.”
Liu Jin’an glanced at him with a half-smile. “I don’t know fortune telling, so why should I learn to read fortune?”
Xu Zhaoxin choked. “Who said I want to teach you fortune telling? I meant, I can teach you how to control your subordinates, teach you how to manage your employees!”
Liu Jin’an shrugged nonchalantly. “The employees come to me to make money, not to be enslaved by me. I don’t need to learn how to control them. If they don’t want to stay, they just leave. It’s easy to get together and break up, and the encounter is not in vain.”
Xu Zhaoxin: “… ”
Such a sincere answer left him speechless.
He had no choice but to find another way: “Yang Shu has worked very hard. For his sake, please add Duan Haiping’s WeChat account!”
“You reminded me, I need to add Yang Shu’s WeChat account,” someone replied.
Liu Jin’an had been very optimistic about the other party: “He works so quickly. I’m thinking of asking him if he’s interested in changing jobs.”
Xu Zhaoxin couldn’t help but think: ‘Why don’t you ask me if I want to change jobs? Aren’t I much better Yang Shu?’
.
By dusk, it was time for dinner. Everyone gathered on the first floor of the hotel. Liu Jin’an looked around and saw only Yang Shu, but not Xu Zhaoxin.
After all, Xu Zhaoxin had been Duan Haiping’s confidant, and Liu Jin’an was genuinely worried that Xu Zhaoxin might attract too much attention and get into trouble with Wang Mazi.
“Yang Shu, have you seen Xu Zhaoxin?”
Before Yang Shu could answer, Xu Zhaoxin pushed a trolley through the hotel door and enthusiastically greeted everyone: “Authentic Yuncheng snacks, delicious food—no need to pay a cent! Just scan the code to add me as a friend and enjoy free snacks!”
Liu Jin’an was stunned.
Xu Zhaoxin waved a cattail leaf fan, sending the rich aroma of food into the air, making everyone’s mouths water.
Hu Jianye swallowed hard. “Brother Xu, you really mean we can eat without paying?”
“Of course! No one will be deceived!” Xu Zhaoxin replied confidently.
Hu Jianye couldn’t resist and immediately ran to the cart to grab his favourite food.
Xu Zhaoxin seized the moment, holding out a WeChat QR code. “Add me as a friend.”
Hu Jianye quickly added him, but with a curious nickname: “Who is Duan Haiping?”
“My other account, haha,” Xu Zhaoxin explained with a grin.
He wasn’t lying; it was indeed his other account, using Duan Haiping’s avatar and nickname. So, when people added him, they were actually adding his alternate account.
Liu Jin’an had come over and noticed the change.
When Xu Zhaoxin saw Yang Shu approaching, he asked with a forced smile, “Why are you joining in the fun? Aren’t you here just to watch?”
Yang Shu had such an appetite that even if he bought a cart of food, it wouldn’t be enough for him!
At that moment, Liu Jin’an mocked Xu Zhaoxin: “What’s wrong? Are you too scared to serve Mr. Yang the food in case there’s something wrong with it?”
Hu Jianye, who had been eating, froze and almost spit out the food in his mouth. After swallowing it with difficulty, he shot Xu Zhaoxin a suspicious look and said angrily, “Brother Xu, you’ve got a poisonous heart! Hand over the antidote!”
Xu Zhaoxin quickly reassured everyone, “I didn’t put anything in the food! If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it!”
To show he was innocent, he took a bite of every dish, one by one.
“Since it’s safe, Old Hu, please take some more and share with everyone,” Liu Jin’an said, handing Hu Jianye a large bowl.
Hu Jianye eagerly filled his bowl with Yuncheng delicacies.
Xu Zhaoxin, noticing his speed, panicked and shouted, “Stop! You can’t take food without adding me as a friend first!”
Liu Jin’an, with a grin, picked up the stuffed bowl. “You didn’t say anything about that earlier.”
Xu Zhaoxin, realizing his mistake, protested, “Fine, I said it now, okay?”
“Okay, of course,” Liu Jin’an said kindly. “But you’d better leave quickly.”
Xu Zhaoxin, unwilling to give up, insisted, “You add me as a friend, and I’ll leave!”
Liu Jin’an gave him a sympathetic look. “Forget it if you won’t leave.”
Just then, Liu Jin’an added, “Haven’t you heard? The chefs in Yuncheng are the most difficult to mess with.”
Before Xu Zhaoxin could respond, a loud voice shouted from behind: “Who’s trying to ruin my old Wu’s business?”
A kitchen knife was embedded deep into the cart. Xu Zhaoxin slowly looked up, his face pale as he met the chef’s furious gaze.
His life was about to come to an end.