When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 42: Chapter 35: The Jilted Wife of the 50s (35)

Chu Shenyu was that white cloud.

Gradually, no one remembered his real name. Everyone just called him Pig Feifei!

When children give each other nicknames, it’s just simple, boisterous fun. But when adults do it, it’s filled with a dark malevolence.

Director Wang paused for a moment, then said with a smile, ”Alright, alright, Director Yun.”

”Come on now. I’ve only been your superior for about two months, but I’m not a petty person. Does leaving out the word ’Deputy’ when people address you suddenly make you the real director?”

”From now on, I’ll make sure to correct them. No more Chef Zhu, it’s Director Yun. When you go deliver the refreshments later, have them all call you that.”

Zhu Yun’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. ’Tsk, it’s so nice talking to smart people.’

’She had only given him a hint, and he immediately understood her true meaning.’

The truth was, the men in the factory were all very conscious of their pride. Whether they were a deputy director or a deputy factory manager, they hated hearing the word ”deputy.” It made them feel like they were eternally second best.

As long as it wasn’t a formal occasion, anyone with a bit of social awareness would drop the ”deputy,” and the person being addressed would just vaguely accept it.

It was already an unwritten rule in informal settings.

Director Wang really did make a point to mention it during his address before the lunch service began.

Everyone was surprised by how fast Chef Zhu had been promoted. But on second thought, she’d had a high starting point to begin with. She was the most popular chef on the second floor, and just today, she had established a whole new department for the cafeteria, with its own office space already designated. Her promotion to deputy director was bound to happen sooner or later!

They all chuckled and congratulated her one by one, readily calling her Director Yun.

Zhu Yun beamed as she replied, then brought out a whole tray of egg tarts she had baked while making a cake. She gave four to each person, packed in small square cardboard boxes. ”I paid for the ingredients myself and had the folks in the purchasing department buy them. Thank you all for your support and care over the past two months!”

The egg tarts had a rich, milky aroma. The filling was smooth and tender, while the flaky crust was crisp and delicious. Sprinkled with raisins, they had a sweet and sour fruitiness that was hard for anyone, young or old, to resist. They were both tasty and nutritious.

Everyone accepted them without hesitation, and compliments flowed as if they were free.

’Being colleagues with Chef Zhu—no, with Director Yun—is the best! She can pelt us with delicious food anytime!’

The sun was already high in the sky, and with about an hour to go before lunch, it was the perfect time for workers to slack off.

Zhu Yun picked two of her diligent young apprentices.

The two apprentices were so excited that their fair faces flushed an unnatural red. They puffed out their chests and proudly went to move the boxes and push the cart in front of their peers.

Zhu Yun got the red silk ribbon used for the cafeteria’s opening ceremonies from the warehouse manager, fashioned it into a beautiful bow, and tied it to the pushcart. Only then did she lead the way towards the engineering department.

The engineering department was the factory’s core, the very thing that set it apart from other machinery plants. Its technicians were among the best in the industry, working diligently to optimize the machinery.

Anyone who could get into the engineering department, even a junior logistics clerk, had the right to be arrogant. They were the ones fawned over by the crowd in the main office building.

The engineering department wasn’t small. Although the building was five stories tall, many of the rooms were laboratories that had to house large equipment, so it was more than twice the width of the main factory office building. It also had two attached three-story experimental workshops.

”Huh, isn’t that Chef Zhu?” A young intern, having just managed to solve a tricky problem, stood by the window gazing out with his tea mug in hand.

The cafeteria’s delivery cart let out a sharp, rattling noise, one of the most common sounds in the factory complex. Still, it was the first thing that caught people’s attention.

”What, did Chef Zhu bring her knives? I heard Mr. Chu left with the new belle from the art troupe yesterday...”

Who says engineering types don’t love to gossip? Their dull work lives desperately needed a splash of romantic scandal to liven things up.

WHOOSH! A crowd of apprentices and newly assigned university graduates swarmed over, packing the window completely.

One particularly energetic young man even shouted in a strange, sing-song voice all the way to the experimental workshop, ”Mr. Chu, you better hide! Chef Zhu is coming to kill you!”

”I saw her! She brought backup, and their clothes are covered in blood! I bet she already finished off your little sweetheart...”

This...

The news was so explosive that the men, who had been tormented all morning by the drone of summer cicadas and machinery and were drenched in sweat, all snapped out of their drowsy stupor.

Mr. Chu leaped down from the machine. Expressionless, he handed his wrench and gloves to his assistant. He lifted his gaze and scoffed at the grinning, gossiping crowd. ”No wonder you guys can’t find wives. If you put even ten percent of the brains you use on these machines toward finding a partner, your sons would be old enough to run errands by now.”