Lin Jin rushed to cover her mouth. "How can you say whatever you want? Have you forgotten what era this is? You should forget all those old sayings. If the wrong person hears you, you'll see what's coming to you!"
Guo Meiyun smiled and pulled her hand down. "I know what I'm doing. It's just because I can relax around you. In front of others, I always think very carefully before I speak."
Lin Jin let out a breath of relief, though she still looked at her friend with some concern. She gestured with her chin toward the apartment across from them. "Are you really set on him? You won't consider anyone else?"
"No. Who would prefer a pebble after seeing a pearl? Mr. Chu is such a wonderful man. If he already had a wife and was truly happy with her, then I might consider what to do with the rest of my life."
"But he *is* single, isn't he? I only have eyes for him," Guo Meiyun said firmly. Then, she grinned and sidled up to Lin Jin. "Come on, Lin Jin, my dear Sister Jin, you have to help me think of a plan."
"You were always full of clever ideas. You even managed to win over someone as unattainable as Wang Xianbing. Mr. Chu shouldn't be that hard, right?"
Lin Jin pursed her lips. College graduates at the factory were few and far between, and those with talent, looks, and technical skills were even rarer.
Wang Xianbing was one, and Chu Shenyu was another.
It was just that Chu Shenyu had an air of noble, cold arrogance—a common trait among the children of the Kyoto Mansion compounds.
Lin Jin's family was rather wealthy and had some connections, but it was all built on money. To put it nicely, they were "red capitalists," but they could never break into that inner circle.
She herself was proud, so she didn't try to get close to Chu Shenyu, choosing instead Wang Xianbing, a man from a humble background. In her eyes, the times had changed; ability was what mattered most.
But she was no saint, and her feelings toward the man across the hall were complicated. 'Maybe I'm not good enough for you, and you're out of my league, but that doesn't mean I want to see you happy. Causing a little trouble for you is the only way to make my days more pleasant.'
"Meiyun, Mr. Chu is a tough nut to crack. So many women want to be his partner, but not a single one has managed to move him," Lin Jin whispered with a light laugh into her ear.
"That's why I think he must not care much about looks. And maybe something happened in his past, so he doesn't have the typical desire a man has to get married and have children."
"Winning over a man like that... it's difficult in one sense, but simple in another."
Guo Meiyun's eyes lit up. She grabbed Lin Jin's arms and shook them excitedly. "Sister, my dear sister, stop keeping me in suspense! Hurry up and tell me."
"If things work out with Mr. Chu, we'll be living right across from each other. It'll be so lively! I'll definitely give you, my matchmaker, a huge red envelope. I'll be grateful to you for the rest of my life!"
Lin Jin pursed her lips in a smile. "You talk a good game now. But once you get your man, you'll be one of those people who ditches their friends for their lover. You won't remember me then."
However, she didn't wait for Guo Meiyun to urge her, continuing, "We need to try something different. What if... what if we create an irreversible situation in front of everyone? Do you think he'd be able to deny it?"
Guo Meiyun's face, which wasn't naturally fair, flushed bright red, yet her eyes were sparkling with eager excitement.
"Feelings can be cultivated. In the old days, people rarely met before their wedding day, and didn't they still manage to get through life together, bumps and all? You're both good people. Once you're married, as a young couple, you can learn to love and be considerate of each other. Why wouldn't you be able to build a wonderful life together?"
"What man doesn't want a nice, simple life with a wife, kids, and a warm home?"
"Men are just like little boys. Coax them a bit in bed, and what conflict is there that can't be resolved?"
Guo Meiyun nodded nonstop. "But, Lin Jin, Mr. Chu is an incredibly self-disciplined man. How can we... how can we actually make that happen?"
Lin Jin leaned close to her ear. "A lot of the employees' family members work at the factory, right? One of them raises livestock—pigs, sheep, cows, that sort of thing. I overheard her talking once. When they need to breed the animals, they use a certain drug. It's incredibly potent. No one, no matter who, can resist it."
"You'd only use it once, it's not like it's a regular thing, and there are no side effects."
"But the drug has to be injected. So, the best way is to get Mr. Chu drunk first, then give him the shot when he's not paying attention. After that, everything else will fall into place!"
Guo Meiyun's cheeks were burning hot. "I'll arrange a dinner party." As she said this, she couldn't help but add, "We'll have someone ask Zhu Yun to be the chef. Mr. Chu will definitely be willing to come then."
"And once he's there, we'll all take turns plying him with alcohol..."
The two of them schemed for a long time, making sure to consider every single step. They aimed to create the illusion that Mr. Chu, in a drunken stupor, had lost control, while the frail Guo Meiyun had been forced to submit.
***
When Zhu Yun got to work, she saw the director making his rounds. She smiled and quietly asked him about getting a refrigerator.
"Director, I've honed my cooking skills through constant practice. To make sure I don't bring you any embarrassment, I practice hard at home even after my shift ends. But as you know, the weather is getting hotter, and a lot of ingredients spoil quickly..."
Director Wang listened patiently, nodding in approval from time to time before furrowing his brow in shared concern.
"You know I got some money from my divorce settlement, right? So I was thinking... since you have so many connections, Director, I was wondering if you could help me get a refrigerator?"
Director Wang was taken aback. In those days, all major appliances had to be bought through connections. The most common purchases were bicycles, sewing machines, and tape recorders. A television set was considered an even bigger luxury.
This was the first time anyone had asked for his help to buy a refrigerator.
"Xiao Zhu, your dedication to your work is truly commendable. But you live by yourself; what do you need a refrigerator for? We have them in the cafeteria. You can just use one of ours!"
"Director, that's actually what I wanted to talk about. It's not just for me; it would be best if our cafeteria bought one or two more as well. You see, I'm not just a good cook; I can also make pastries and other small snacks."
"Summer is coming, so the cafeteria should make some changes. Why don't we start serving some cold drinks and treats?"
Director Wang grew interested. "Tell me the details."
"All the kids love popsicles and ice cream bars. Buying them outside is expensive and not always sanitary, so it's better if we make them ourselves. Plus, they aren't hard to make and don't cost much. We could deliver them to the various workshops as an employee perk. That's a more tangible benefit than anything!"
"What can you make?" Following her train of thought, Director Wang became thrilled. Even simple popsicles would earn them plenty of goodwill.
"Popsicles, ice cream bars, iced red bean slush... depending on the ingredients we add, we can make quite a few things."
"The bigger the freezer you buy, the bigger the splash I'll make for you!"
"Done. You start working on a plan, and I'll go ask the higher-ups," Director Wang said, heading straight for the administration building without missing a beat.
The cold drinks operation was a small-scale affair. The factory wasn't about to acquire a beverage plant over Zhu Yun's idea. It was merely a matter of investing in a few freezers and having the cafeteria staff put in some overtime.
Therefore, the higher-ups approved the plan readily.
With the approval slip in hand, Director Wang went to find Chu Shenyu.