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Chapter 170: A Few Workplace Matters

Zhou Yuwen didn’t deliberately hide his identity. After all, running a labor company and a courier station wasn’t something to brag about. These businesses barely made any money and were mostly propped up by Liu Shuo’s chaotic operations. Zhou Yuwen wasn’t a child who needed to notify everyone of his every move.Both ventures were labor-intensive with low margins and high hassle. Take, for example, You Changjin, who had already asked Zhou Yuwen for favors to get someone into the station. If people knew Zhou Yuwen owned these businesses, such troubles would multiply.

Zhou Yuwen’s plan was to let Liu Shuo handle any disputes that might arise—whether it was labor conflicts or brawls among workers. Zhou Yuwen himself had no intention of arguing with anyone. Liu Shuo was more suited for this kind of thing anyway.

However, when Zhou Yuwen introduced himself to Lu Hui previously, it was only in passing. Who could have guessed Lu Hui misunderstood him as merely a helper at the station? Seeing his scholarly demeanor, she thought he was easy to push around. She casually called him “Xiao Zhou” without a second thought.

The moment those words left her mouth, Liu Shuo’s face turned dark.

“Who are you calling?” he snapped.

Lu Hui, caught off guard, pointed to Zhou Yuwen. “Isn’t his name Zhou Yuwen?”

She had only met Zhou Yuwen once before and thought she might have mistaken his name.

“You think you can call my brother by his name? Who do you think you are? And now you’re asking my brother to do your chores?!” Liu Shuo bellowed. His fiery temper, coupled with his smooth sailing since college under Zhou Yuwen’s support, left him with little patience for anyone.

Lu Hui was stunned, her nose stinging with the urge to cry. Being publicly berated like this in front of the younger part-time workers, some of whom were still teenagers, was humiliating. She quickly ran out, visibly upset.

As someone introduced by Gao Yang, Lu Hui’s treatment left him in an awkward position. Trying to mediate, Gao Yang stepped forward.

“Brother Zhou, Brother Shuo, this is my fault. I didn’t explain the situation to Sister Hui. She didn’t know Brother Zhou’s identity. Please don’t be upset.”

“Upset? She made my brother do her work in front of me! Who does she think I am? Go explain it to her. Either she can work properly or leave. No wonder she can’t find a decent job—she’s blind as a bat!” Liu Shuo fumed.

His words left Jiang Xinyi, who had been silently observing, feeling awkward.

“Can’t find a job? Blind?” she thought. Was he taking a jab at her too?

Jiang Xinyi glanced at Zhou Yuwen, who seemed unfazed. To her, mutual assistance in the workplace was natural. She had assumed Liu Shuo, introduced as the boss, was a sharp and capable leader. Seeing this tantrum made her question that assumption.

Zhou Yuwen, noticing the tension, lightly kicked Liu Shuo to signal him to calm down. “Enough. It’s just a small matter. In any workplace, it’s normal to help each other out.”

He then instructed Gao Yang to check on Lu Hui and apologize on behalf of the station. The rightful source is NoveIＦire.net

“Tell her the boss has a temper. If it’s too much for her, we’ll pay her 200 yuan for her time and let her go.”

Gao Yang nodded and left.

Once Gao Yang was gone, Zhou Yuwen gave Jiang Xinyi an apologetic smile.

“Sorry you had to see that right after joining. Liu Shuo has a bit of a temper, but he doesn’t mean any harm. Don’t let it bother you.”

Jiang Xinyi, however, wasn’t entirely convinced. She chuckled and asked, “Didn’t you tell your advisor this was your friend’s company? How come it feels like you’re the actual boss here?”

Zhou Yuwen shrugged. “I’m just helping out.”

“Just helping out?” Jiang Xinyi wasn’t easily fooled. “Come on, Zhou Yuwen. It’s obvious what’s going on here.”

Zhou Yuwen smiled, then changed the subject. “Why don’t you sit here for now? Once Lu Hui comes back, she’ll show you the ropes. I’ll add you to the workgroup chat in the meantime.”

The two exchanged WeChat details before Zhou Yuwen directed Jiang Xinyi to the third red brick office building to rest. He himself headed to the central building, where Liu Shuo was idly drinking tea.

After some back-and-forth between Gao Yang and Lu Hui, the situation was finally smoothed over. Although Lu Hui had been offended, she reluctantly accepted the apology. Gao Yang reminded her to clarify work procedures with Jiang Xinyi.

Later that afternoon, Lu Hui and Jiang Xinyi took a trip to the logistics warehouse to handle the day’s settlement. On the ride, they chatted casually.

Lu Hui glanced at Jiang Xinyi’s bag and asked, “Your bag’s nice. Where’d you get it?”

Jiang Xinyi replied, “Oh, it was a gift from a friend.”

Lu Hui raised an eyebrow. “Must be a knockoff, huh?”

“What? Why do you say that?” Jiang Xinyi asked, puzzled.

“That style costs tens of thousands of yuan. It has to be fake,” Lu Hui said with a knowing smile. “But it’s well-made. Can I take a look?”

Jiang Xinyi handed her the bag without comment. Lu Hui examined it with admiration, but her words carried a hint of condescension. “Even though it’s fake, it’s really pretty. It’s hard to find ones like this.”

Jiang Xinyi simply smiled and didn’t argue.

The two women chatted about work and life, gradually finding common ground despite their different backgrounds. By the time they reached the warehouse, they had already begun sharing laughs.

But amidst the lighthearted chatter, Lu Hui couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, how much are they paying you?”

“1,500 a month. Isn’t it the same for you?” Jiang Xinyi replied, blinking innocently.