Lin Mu's company cafeteria really did serve good food.
He hurried back to the company as fast as he could and rushed into the cafeteria, only to find it already packed with people.
This little state-owned company had over two hundred employees. They usually slacked off in the workshops and offices, and you could walk around without seeing a soul. The place was like a ghost town.
But when lunchtime came, they poured out like a rushing tide and charged into the cafeteria to grab the food.
The cafeteria was outsourced, and the cook was an old man. They said he'd once been head chef at a big restaurant, and had come here for a second career after retiring.
He really was skilled, especially when it came to Dongpo pork, steamed pork with rice flour, and mapo tofu. They were so delicious you could practically swallow your own tongue.
So lunchtime was when the employees of this little state-owned company were at their most enthusiastic.
Lin Mu stood in line with his tray for quite a while. By the time he reached the serving counter, there was only one portion of steamed pork with rice flour left.
He swiped his meal card and was just about to pick up the bowl when a sweet, coquettish voice came from behind him:
"Brother Lin, could you let me have that serving of steamed pork? I haven't had any meat in days."
Lin Mu turned around. A woman in a miniskirt and tight T-shirt, with her chest pushed up to show off her cleavage, was smiling at him seductively.
He knew her. She was the factory's beauty, Chi Yuting. She was pretty, with long legs and a large chest, and knew how to dress. At least nine out of every ten men in the factory had fantasized about her.
But Lin Mu also knew Chi Yuting had a private nickname: "Birth Control Pill."
She wasn't just the factory beauty; she was also a player.
She'd flirted with Lin Mu more than once, trying to reel him into her pond.
Lin Mu smiled warmly at Chi Yuting. "You've already got plenty of meat."
With that, he picked up the bowl of steamed pork, grabbed a bowl of rice, and turned to look for an empty table.
"Little Lin, over here."
At a table up ahead, Chen Xian waved at him, his bald head gleaming with oil.
Lin Mu walked over. His coworkers from the department were all sitting together.
"Weren't you going to the preliminary round of Pure Voice? How come you're back so soon?"
Chen Xian asked. The others also looked at Lin Mu curiously.
"It's over." Lin Mu shrugged and put a piece of steamed pork in his mouth. It melted instantly, tender and fragrant. That was the stuff!
His coworkers exchanged glances. Chen Xian chuckled and patted Lin Mu on the shoulder.
"It's fine. You have to try before you know where your limits are. Then you can get on with your life and work with your feet on the ground. It's not a bad thing!"
Lin Mu nodded. "You've got a point, Uncle Chen."
The two women who'd been surprised yesterday when Lin Mu said he was entering a singing competition also tried to console him.
"Lin Mu, you don't really need to sing. With a face like yours, you could find a rich older woman to support you. If she's a little older and doesn't have much of a sex drive, you could even save some bullets."
The petite, round-faced woman with big eyes spoke. Her name was Li Xiaoyun, and she was from Sichuan. She was blunt and outspoken, and loved making dirty jokes.
"Then can I have the bullets you save?" A woman beside her burst out laughing.
Her name was Xu Li. She was a local from Jiangrong, married, and even more outrageous with her jokes.
The coworkers around them all roared with laughter. Lin Mu ate his food and calmly said, "Li Xiaoyun isn't married yet. Her barrel's too narrow to take them. How about you, Sister Xu?"
"Get lost!"
Everyone burst into laughter again. The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
Lin Mu couldn't help laughing too. These people might have been slackers, but they seemed to enjoy life every day.
Maybe that was the joy of lying flat.
But Lin Mu had an older sister and three younger sisters, not to mention parents who were still working hard. He couldn't afford to lie flat.
Just then, the phone on the table chimed. Lin Mu picked it up casually, but his expression changed at once.
He quickly stuffed the phone into his pocket, wolfed down the rest of his food, said a few words to his coworkers, and hurried out of the cafeteria.
"What happened to Lin Mu?"
"Who messaged him? He looked terrified!"
"Could he have gotten himself a girlfriend?"
After a brief discussion, his coworkers went back to eating. Li Xiaoyun, however, turned to watch Lin Mu leave, looking thoughtful.
Lin Mu left the cafeteria and headed to a secluded corner. Only then did he pull his phone from his pocket.
On WeChat, Feng Bingbing had sent him another photo.
This time it had been taken from above, from her head down. You still couldn't see her feet, since her breasts covered everything.
This Junior is too busty.
Lin Mu shook his head. The point wasn't how big they were. The point was—
Are you ever going to stop?!
You sent me your legs this morning and your boobs at noon. What are you going to send me tonight?
Keep this up and I'll report you for harassment!
Then Feng Bingbing sent another message.
Candied Hawthorn Skewers: "Senior, I'm carsick. I took motion sickness pills, but they didn't help. I feel awful. Poor-me.jpg."
Only then did Lin Mu realize that the photo hadn't been about her breasts. It was about the motion sickness pills in Feng Bingbing's hand.
So she was trying to show him the pills.
Ahem. The misunderstanding was cleared up.
Lin Mu felt a little bad, so he replied, "Weren't you filming an ad for Defu? Why are you riding in a car again?"
Feng Bingbing seemed delighted that Lin Mu had replied so quickly, and answered at once:
"We finished filming! I'm heading to the airport now. I'm recording a show for Shennan Satellite TV tomorrow. I ate too much at lunch, and now I feel like throwing up."
Lin Mu was getting a little impatient. "Do you feel like throwing up because you ate too much or because you're carsick?"
Candied Hawthorn Skewers: "I get carsick when I ride after eating too much. What should I do? I feel awful, Senior. Do you know any way to cure carsickness?"
Mumu Mu: "Yes."
Candied Hawthorn Skewers: "Really? Tell me!"
Mumu Mu: "Don't ride in a car."
"Lin Mu, what are you doing here?"
A crisp voice sounded behind him.
Lin Mu turned around and saw Li Xiaoyun standing behind him with her hands behind her back. She leaned forward, looking curious.
"I ate too much and feel like throwing up a little, so I'm taking a walk."
Lin Mu smiled as he answered.
"Not feeling well? You didn't really go service some rich woman last night, did you? Come back to the office. I've got Hui Ren Shen Bao in my drawer."
Li Xiaoyun added with a grin, "I'm kidding. If your stomach's upset, you need stomach medicine. I've got some. Come on."
As she spoke, she reached out to take Lin Mu's hand, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Just then, Lin Mu's phone rang. He immediately said to Li Xiaoyun, "Go back to the office first. I've got to take this call."
He quickly picked up the phone and walked away. When he answered, A Hen's voice came through:
"Brother Mu, Liu Qiang just contacted me. He said he wants to buy the song you sang."
Lin Mu had used Zhang Hen's personal details and contact information to enter Pure Voice.
But the show had rules: to keep things fair, the judges and contestants couldn't have any private contact.
He hadn't expected Liu Qiang to be so bold. Lin Mu had barely finished singing, and Liu Qiang had already come looking for him.
He wanted the rights to Quiet?
Lin Mu sneered. "How much is he offering?"
A Hen: "A hundred thousand."
"Heh."
"Brother Mu, I already turned him down. But Liu Qiang said that if I don't sell it to him, he'll take back that S Card."
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