Chapter 29 (1/2)

Just Classmates

“Morning, Big Brother Lei.” Zhou Xiao-Hong, dressed in blue work clothes, stood at the door to greet Xia Lei who was just arriving. Her apple-shaped face, nice body and new clothes made her seem like she was aglow.

Xia Lei smiled, “Morning to you too. Do you like the clothes?”

“Yes,” Zhou Xiao-Hong gave a little twirl and smiled, “I feel it’s a bit of a shame to wear them. Heehee.”

“Work clothes are for you to work in, so why not wear them?” said Xia Lei.

He walked into the workshop and found that the floor had already been mopped, desks wiped, the tools arranged neatly and even wiped clean. Xia Lei was strangely moved by this – She must have been up very early to have already done so much.

“Xiao-Hong, I’ll teach you how to use the lathe,” said Xia Lei. He understood her actions; she must want to have more time to learn metalworking so she woke up early to clean up.

“Yes!” Zhou Xiao-Hong was excited at hearing Xia Lei say he was going to teach her to use the lathe, as expected.

Xia Lei set the lathe in motion and put a piece of scrap metal under the drill, then let Zhou Xiao-Hong try processing it. “Let’s try processing a nut this time.”

“Okay.” Zhou Xiao-Hong stood in front of the lathe as instructed but did not know where to begin.

Xia Lei stood behind her, held her hands and showed her the steps of how the processing should be done.

Xia Lei, as teacher, was teaching seriously and his student was absorbed in the task. Then came a part when they had to observe the nut closely and Zhou Xiao-Hong naturally leaned forward. Her buttocks went up, coming into contact with Xia Lei behind her. An embarrassing rubbing happened just like that and she reacted like she had touched something she shouldn’t have. Xia Lei was also jolted by the contact and hurriedly moved backwards.

The contact made them sensitive and their faces turned pink.

At that moment, Ma Xiao-An walked in. What he saw was not the embarrassing scene but the sparkling clean desks. His sounded depressed as he said, “Xiao-Hong, you… Why did you wipe the desks so early?”

Watching Zhou Xiao-Hong wipe the desks was a sort of entertainment and joy for him. Her wiping the desks before he even got there meant no more of that for him.

Zhou Xiao-Hong giggled and her giggle tinkled like bells.

And so, a new day begun.

It was hectic in the morning and the three of them only had time to rest close to noon.

Ning Jing arrived at Thunder Horse Workshop with her car and as soon as she saw Xia Lei, she said, “Let’s go, Master Xia.”

“Go where?” asked Xia Lei.

“Did you forget what I told you? My uncle has time today. He called and told me to bring you over for the two of you to meet and have a chat.”

Xia Lei slapped himself lightly on the forehead, and laughed as he said, “I’ve been so busy these days I forgot. Hold on, I’ll change into a set of fresh clothes before I go. I’m all dirty now so it wouldn’t be respectful to meet your uncle like this.”

Ning Jing smiled, “Yep, I’ll wait for you.”

Xia Lei wiped his face, washed his hands and went in the back to change. Thunder Horse Workshop had no changing room so the space Zhou Xiao-Hong slept in became his changing place. Xia Lei walked in and saw that Zhou Xiao-Hong had hung up her red underwear, white underwear, purple bra and other things around the space. He was suddenly reminded of their accidental contact that morning – it seemed like it had happened a minute ago, so clear and detailed. Xia Lei smiled wryly and shook his head, “I really ought to get myself a woman. It’s not good if I’m this sensitive.”

After getting changed, he got into Ning Jing’s car and they set off.

“What is your uncle’s name, Big Sister Ning?” Xia Lei asked, “If I want to talk about doing business with him, it would be insincere of me if I don’t even know his name.”

“Master Xia, are you always so thoughtful about everything you do?” Ning Jing said laughingly.

Xia Lei smiled but said nothing.

“His name is Ning Yuan-Shan, Chairman of East Wind Heavy Industries.”

Xia Lei was secretly shocked. He knew the name – East Wind Heavy Industries was a government-owned multi-billion-yuan enterprise. The chairman of such a large enterprise coming to a small roadside business like his to talk about doing business? No one would believe him if he told them about it. However, he was sure that this was due to Ning Jing’s help. Ning Yuan-Shan would not even be interested in seeing him, let alone have a business meeting if it were not for Ning Jing.

“Thank you. I know you want to help me and I appreciate it,” said Xia Lei.

“Why so formal with me? My uncle is not the bigwig you think he is. He’s quite easygoing and loves his country; a total straight arrow. He is facing some difficulties now and you are the person who could help him solve his problem so of course he’d want to meet you. He actually agreed right away when I told him about it. You also know that people of his station are very busy so he could only have time to meet today, and he called to tell me to bring you over,” said Ning Jing.

“I’ll try my best,” said Xia Lei.

“Don’t be so humble. I know very well how skilled you are and I’m 100% confident in you,” said Ning Jing. She seemed to suddenly remember something and added, “One more thing – I went to the hospital for a check-up and it was as you said. I really had gallbladder stones. It was a good thing it was discovered early so I didn’t have to have surgery. I have to thank you for that, no matter what.”