The Pasture Grass Is Growing Well

Huh? Feng Jun froze for a moment, sniffed, then raised his arm and smelled it again. Bewildered, he answered, "There's no smell."

"It's a stink!" The boss raised a hand decisively and fanned the air in front of his nose. "You're so used to your own stink you don't notice it... Ahem, I'm warning you out of kindness. Other people might not remind you."

He did not want to offend one of his customers.

Yet Feng Jun's reaction took him by surprise. The kid blanked out at first, then burst into loud laughter. "Then I really have to thank you for reminding me. Otherwise, how embarrassing would that have been?"

Watching the guy leave with a smile, the boss also shook his head with a smile. "That stinking brat has quite a good temper... Mm, he really is one stinking brat. Stinks enough."

Naturally, Feng Jun had a reason to be happy. His body had started to stink—wasn't that the legendary what-was-it... marrow cleansing and tendon transformation?

As expected of a fortuitous encounter. It had every reaction it was supposed to have. It was no fake encounter.

At Hongjie Club, taking a shower could not have been easier. Most fitness clubs had shower facilities.

Considering that his clothes might have picked up the smell too, Feng Jun returned to the dormitory to get a change of clothes. By chance, he spotted a phone charger on Zhao Qi's desk.

I'll borrow it first! He did not want the charger he had just bought to explode right away.

This time, he used his right hand and completed the charging process without a hitch.

His guess had been correct. The old-fashioned phone began charging, slowly but steadily.

Feng Jun looked around, plugged the charger into the outlet beneath his bed, switched off the phone, and hid it beneath the bed as well. Only then did he pick up his clean clothes and hurry out.

Once he stood beneath the showerhead, he realized that he was filthy beyond belief. It was just that the layer of grime on his skin was extremely close to his skin tone and fairly breathable, so he had not noticed it.

As for the odor? Maybe there had been one, but evidently it had not been especially bad. Otherwise, the restaurant owner would probably have refused to serve him long ago.

Clearly, webnovels did not describe marrow cleansing and tendon transformation very accurately. The grime was not black, nor was it that smelly.

Feng Jun used soap no fewer than three times before he finally washed himself clean. This only strengthened his resolve to stay at Hongjie—showering outside cost money, and besides... the club's soap was free.

By the time he finished showering, it was nearly one in the afternoon, the quietest time of day for a fitness club.

Feng Jun left the club, took out his transit card, rented a public bicycle, and rode to a phone shop five li away. He spent fifteen yuan on a cheap charger. Seeing several newly released smartphones in the display case, he truly felt the urge to buy one.

He had already come across a fortuitous encounter, so why was he still saving money?

In the end, though, he restrained the impulse. It was not only because he had yet to find a way to cash in on his encounter, but also because the dormitory was far too unsafe. He worried that even his old-fashioned phone might be stolen, let alone those new smartphones.

After returning to the dormitory, he replaced Zhao Qi's charger, left the phone beneath the bed as before, then climbed into bed and fell fast asleep. Tragically, however, he forgot to turn the phone on.

When he woke from his nap and switched on the phone, he was shocked to discover that it was already four in the afternoon.

The old-fashioned phone's battery had reached eighty-three percent.

That was enough power for the day. He unplugged the charger, and just as he was wondering what to do next, Zhao Qi ran in from outside.

The little fat man was drenched in sweat and shouted between gasps, "What's wrong with you? Your phone was off? Manager Guo wants you over there, now."

Feng Jun frowned and asked in confusion, "What's so urgent?"

"Isn't it about yesterday?" Zhao Qi answered with a grin, unable to conceal his schadenfreude. "The company kept losing power, so Manager Guo didn't have time to deal with you. Now that the transformer's been fixed, of course this has to be handled... You skipped work yesterday afternoon, too."

Feng Jun gave him a strange look. "I'm in trouble, and you seem pretty happy about it?"

"What do I have to be happy about?" Zhao Qi firmly concealed his delight at Feng Jun's misfortune and spoke with a solemn face. "But you violated company rules. The company can't just ignore it, can it?"

Feng Jun looked at him speechlessly, then headed for the door.

The fitness club was beginning to get a little busy at this hour, but most of those arriving were members, and they were all people who held government jobs—after working hard in the morning, they could spend the afternoon resting on the company dime.

With so many members around, the attendants had it easy. Seasoned drivers did not need them to show the way.

Manager Guo had gathered the idle trainers and attendants together and was lecturing them with spittle flying everywhere. When she saw Feng Jun walk in from outside, she glared at him fiercely. "You've got the nerve to show your face?"

Feng Jun's temper flared at once, but he forcibly suppressed his anger. "I overslept today. Count it as me being late."

But how could Guo Yueling possibly let him off so easily? "You were late today—what about yesterday? Not only did you fail to uphold the club's image, you even skipped work in the afternoon. I really have to wonder: how can someone so young be so high-minded and low-skilled? Who gave you such enormous confidence?"

"The company feeds you and houses you, yet it turns out we raised an ungrateful wolf... What gives you the nerve? Your dual degrees? I'm not trying to mock you, but they're nothing more than two sheets of wastepaper. University students are more common than dogs these days!"

Hearing that, Feng Jun grew even angrier. As a university graduate, he himself could say that university students were more common than dogs—it was self-mockery. Other university students could say it too. But Manager Guo was only a vocational school graduate. When she said it, it was simply an insult!

His heart hardened, and he shot back directly, "I earned my food and lodging through my labor. The company did not provide them out of charity, so get that straight. And as for yesterday, I don't think I did anything wrong... Why should Liu Shuming's mistake be pinned on me?"

He was in a foul mood. He would probably have to leave after all. What a shame—free showers, free soap.

"Why?" Guo Yueling laughed in fury, her voice growing sharper and harsher. "Because Liu Shuming is a trainer, so you're the only one who can be wrong. What, do you object?"

That logic was truly naked, utterly naked, and enough to shatter one's worldview. Yet this was real life. Trainers naturally ranked above attendants—there were only so many certified people, while strong laborers without certificates could be found anywhere.

Feng Jun was in no mood to be polite, so he answered tit for tat, "Of course I object. Right is right, and wrong is wrong... A trainer's certificate? In my eyes, it's nothing but a sheet of wastepaper!"

The other trainers' faces all darkened at once. Damn it... was this kid looking for trouble?

The moment the words left his mouth, Feng Jun realized he had made a mistake. But... so what if he had? He had already said it. Why regret it?

Manager Guo, however, gave a disdainful laugh. "A trainer's certificate? It really is useful. Let me make this clear: in my eyes, in this industry, a trainer's certificate is far more important than your shitty dual degrees!"

Feng Jun's hands at his sides slowly clenched into fists. His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth and asked, "Are you insulting me?"

"Insulting you is giving you too much credit," Guo Yueling replied with a cold, contemptuous smile. "What, do you want to hit me?"

Feng Jun had not intended to hit anyone. Unless forced to, he did not want to lay hands on a woman.

He only wanted to resign. His fortuitous encounter had nothing to do with the dormitory, and if he left now, at worst his expenses would increase a little.

However, just as he was about to speak, a crisp, bell-like voice rang out coldly behind him. "What's going on?"

Everyone turned their heads and was immediately stunned. The company's general manager had arrived.

Today, Sister Hong wore a white short-sleeved blouse with a small collar and a light-gray pencil skirt.

On any other woman, that outfit would have been the standard look of an urban white-collar beauty. Yet on her, it somehow radiated endless authority and an aggressive, pressing presence.

Without stockings, a woman seemed to have shed much of her concealment and pretense, displaying the bearing of the one in charge.

Manager Guo had only just noticed the leader's arrival and hurriedly explained, "Sister Hong, I was making an example of someone and didn't see you come over... The company's atmosphere has been poor lately. These youngsters are all loafing around, so we have to ruthlessly stamp out this crooked trend."

"Mm." Sister Hong nodded noncommittally.

Guo Yueling knew that she had to give the boss an explanation, so she pointed at Feng Jun. "This kid is one of the examples. He doesn't get along with his coworkers, skipped work yesterday, and was late today..."

After a pause, she recalled something else. "Some members think highly of him, yet he doesn't know how to appreciate the favor."

"Oh?" Sister Hong looked Feng Jun up and down twice, and a vague impression surfaced in her mind. She understood very well what "members think highly of him" implied. There really were a few unusual cases like that at the club. "This is that graduate student, right?"

Feng Jun's mouth twitched. Dual degrees, not graduate school!

"Yes." Guo Yueling nodded. "His name is Feng Jun. He's never been much of a team player."

"Mm." Sister Hong nodded again, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Feng Jun... You're 'Luohua Shijie'?"

"Cough, cough." Feng Jun coughed awkwardly twice. At a time like this, Sister Hong, was it really appropriate to talk about games in front of the employees?

"That's right! His Liaoliao username is Luohua Shijie," Zhao Qi cried out. "He says it means, 'When flowers fall, I meet you again'... Pretentious as hell."

Sister Hong looked at him speechlessly. "Shehui Ni Hongjie" is pretty pretentious too. What, are you going to bite me?

In truth, she had not come over on a whim. There was a reason for it.

After understanding what had happened, Sister Hong swept a cold glance at Liu Shuming. "We'll let it go this time. But if you dare harass the club's customers again, don't blame me for being merciless."

That look sent chills down Liu Shuming's spine. Without a second thought, he nodded repeatedly. "S-Sister Hong, I know I was wrong."

No one dared disregard Sister Hong's warnings. Since the club opened, it had not been without troublemakers. But soon afterward, those who caused trouble would always find themselves facing even greater trouble.

Whether those rumors were true or not, Hongjie's employees knew better than anyone.

Liu Shuming felt the muscles in his calves beginning to cramp.

Sister Hong looked at Feng Jun again and nodded slightly. "You... mm, the pasture grass is growing well."