Chapter 310: Chapter 310: Lying

The thought of moving their base startled even Xue Can himself.

He never mixed his personal life with work, yet now he had actually made an exception.

’Even if it’s just a thought, one I haven’t acted on, it’s still wrong.’

Xue Can closed the chat window. He rested his right hand behind his head, leaning against the headboard as Mo Bei walked in with a glass of water.

"Boss, it’s time for your medicine," Mo Bei rambled. "This stuff actually has to be heated. I had someone warm it up, so it should be okay to drink now."

Xue Can acted as if he hadn’t heard, making no move to take the medicine.

Mo Bei plopped down on the edge of the bed. "Boss, you’re not going to throw a tantrum like a kid and refuse to take your medicine, are you?"

Xue Can shot him an icy glance. "I feel like beating you up."

"Huh? What did I do wrong now?" Mo Bei looked aggrieved. "I’ve been waiting on you hand and foot. During that huge sandstorm yesterday, I still went to the hospital to pick up your medicine. Boss, who in the whole group is more loyal than me?"

Mo Bei’s superpower was Magnetic Manipulation. He could generate magnetic chains to latch onto buildings along his path, ensuring he wouldn’t be blown away by the wind.

However, his Superpower Level was only four, meaning he could withstand a Level 8 gale at most. In weather like today’s, the magnetic chains wouldn’t be able to hold him.

Xue Can snatched the bowl and downed the medicine in one go. "Alright, now get the hell out."

Mo Bei pouted and retreated from the room, looking thoroughly dejected.

Outside, he ran into Qi Lian, who was passing by. Seeing his expression, Qi Lian mocked him mercilessly, "Got yelled at for sucking up again?"

Mo Bei’s expression froze, and he sneered back coldly, "Got kicked out by Sun Yong again? Little Qi, the man has already told you he doesn’t like men. It doesn’t matter how long you grow your hair."

"None of your damn business!" Qi Lian snapped.

Mo Bei shrugged. "I just feel sorry for Sun Yong, having to get harassed by you all the time. Can’t you do the guy a favor and just let him be?"

"Mo Bei! You’re talking nonsense! Brother Yong has feelings for me!"

"If lying to yourself makes you feel better, then go right ahead."

Mo Bei sneered and walked away with the bowl.

Qi Lian flipped his long hair and stomped back to his dorm, fuming.

It was a four-person dorm. Before he went in, the other three were on the lower bunks playing cards. The sounds of their laughter stopped abruptly the moment Qi Lian entered. The ostracism was blatant.

Qi Lian was used to it. He climbed onto his top bunk and lay down, still fully clothed.

’He refused to believe Sun Yong hated him as much as he acted. If he really did, there was no reason for Sun Yong to have saved him on their last mission.’

’If I had died, wouldn’t he be free of my harassment for good?’

’Sun Yong,’ Qi Lian thought, ’just hasn’t figured out his own feelings yet.’

...

The movie ended, but Shen Lu was still asleep. She shifted, snuggling her cheek against the pillow and falling into an even deeper slumber.

Everyone instinctively moved more quietly and turned the TV volume down a bit.

Xiao Lang blinked curiously. "Sister Shen looks so cute when she’s sleeping."

’Just like a little kid.’

Cai Su whispered, "Actually, Boss Shen is the one among us who works the hardest and has the most to worry about."

As employees, all they had to do was complete the tasks Shen Lu assigned. She, on the other hand, had to deal with all sorts of unexpected problems and also plan the store’s future.

Newer employees might not know much about it, but as one of the original staff, Cai Su knew it all too well.

Xin Yu took a careful sip of his tea. "With the weather like this, we can’t open for business anyway. Boss can finally get a couple of days of rest."

"Knowing her, she’ll never be able to sit still."

Cai Su sighed.

’The timing for opening the shop had been a little unlucky.’

’First, they’d been closed for over ten days because of heavy rain. It had only been clear for a few days before the sandstorm season arrived.’

’The sandstorm season was far more terrifying than the rainy season. The wind wouldn’t stop until next spring; unlike the heavy rain, which would simply end, the wind only varied in intensity from strong to light.’

Fu Cheng overheard their conversation. The man’s gaze was profound, his thoughts unreadable.

Shen Lu only opened her eyes once she’d slept her fill. She gave a comfortable stretch, feeling languid and not at all wanting to get up.

"I’ll make dinner," Cai Su said, patting some crumbs off her clothes as she stood up.

Shen Lu nodded. "Sure. Let’s not waste the charcoal. We can have hot pot tonight."

’Hot pot was simpler, anyway. You just put the ingredients in to cook and eat. It was easier to manage.’

After asking everyone what kind of hot pot broth they wanted, Cai Su jotted down their answers and went to the kitchen to get busy. Xin Yu followed to lend a hand.

After a wonderful hot pot dinner, Shen Lu felt completely refreshed. She did a lap around the store before heading to the greenhouse in the backyard.

Yang Jing was watering the plants. Her movements were gentle, as if she were afraid of hurting the seeds in the soil.

"Little Deer, you’re here." Yang Jing finished pouring the last scoop of water. "Can you take a look? Is this how they’re supposed to be planted?"

The method for planting most seeds was similar: scatter them evenly on the soil, cover them with a thin layer of dirt, and then give them enough water.

"Yep, that’s exactly right."

"That’s good."

Yang Jing breathed a sigh of relief. It was her first time planting vegetables, and she had no idea if they would actually grow.

’I hope so. Otherwise, all this effort and all these seeds would be wasted.’

Shen Lu looked around the greenhouse and, seeing nothing amiss, prepared to head back.

Yang Jing stopped her. "Little Deer, aren’t you going to check on your brother and your dad?"

Shen Lu gave her a strange look. "Why would I go see them? They haven’t done any work today."

"They... they did! They both worked."

"Then tell me, what did they do?"

Yang Jing opened her mouth, stammering, "Your dad... he... he scattered seeds."

"Oh, really? And what about Liu Yaozu?"

"Yaozu... Yaozu..."

Yang Jing mumbled his name for a while but couldn’t manage to fabricate a decent lie.

After all, Liu Qiang had only injured one thigh and could just about manage to get out of bed. But Liu Yaozu had injured both an arm and a leg; on a normal day, he had to call for her help just to roll over, let alone do any work.

"Mom, there’s something you might not know. All the public areas in the store have security cameras." Shen Lu coldly exposed her lie. "The boss doesn’t like employees who lie. Since this is your first offense, I’ll let it go with a warning. If you lie again, you’d better be prepared to be thrown out."

Yang Jing’s face went pale. She always just kept her head down and worked, so she hadn’t noticed the security cameras in the greenhouse at all.

"You did your work very well today. But you lied. So, tomorrow, the three of you will get no reward. Think about it."

With that, Shen Lu turned and left without a backward glance.

Yang Jing returned to the tin house, dejected. The moment Liu Yaozu saw her, he immediately asked why it was so late and Shen Lu still hadn’t come.

"Little Deer... she’s not coming today," Yang Jing said weakly.

"Why not?"

Yang Jing didn’t know how to answer, a troubled look on her face.

"It’s fine if she doesn’t come, as long as we still get lunch tomorrow. That barbecued meat and rice we had for lunch today was amazing!" Liu Yaozu licked his lips. "I wonder what kind of good stuff we’ll get tomorrow."

"..." Yang Jing bit her lip. "Tomorrow... tomorrow’s lunch..."

"What about tomorrow’s lunch?" A heavy feeling settled in Liu Yaozu’s chest. "Don’t tell me there’s no lunch tomorrow?!"

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