26: Chapter 26 Genuine Nike Sports Shoes!

The Jinkai Factory started its workday at eight in the morning.

Around 7:45 or 7:50, the production workers began pouring into the factory in an endless stream.

The captain of the security team, Captain Tiao Zi, had also arrived.

As the captain, he was considered a leader of some standing, so naturally, he didn't have to rotate shifts like the other security guards and always worked the day shift.

Logically speaking, since it was still over two hours away from ten o'clock, he could have easily stayed in the dormitory to sleep.

Yet, at this very moment, he was standing at the factory gate with his head held high, dressed in a crisp, upright uniform.

This was where his cunning lay.

During official working hours, no one could find a trace of him.

But whenever it was time to clock in or out, or when any leaders of any rank passed by, you were guaranteed to see him.

In Captain Tiao Zi's own words, this was called "being strategic about how you do things."

Then again, otherwise how could he have become the captain?

The other night-shift security guards, having stayed up all night, found it hard to keep their eyes open once the morning sun hit them.

In contrast, Captain Tiao Zi had slept soundly all night.

Standing at the gate at this time.

Whenever a recognizable factory leader passed by, he would snap into a salute.

"Good morning, General Manager Zhang!"

"Good morning, General Manager Li!"

"It's no trouble at all, protecting Jinkai Factory is our duty!"

Although Captain Tiao Zi's posture wasn't very standard.

But his energy, set against the backdrop of the drowsy security guards around him, immediately made him stand out.

He was practically the only one in the squad who looked like he was actually doing his job.

The passing leaders all smiled at him with satisfaction.

Hu Gualing, however, didn't care about any of this.

He was leaving at the end of the month anyway, so these leaders had nothing to do with him.

But just then, he noticed Captain Tiao Zi stick his backside out, as if a handbag could be hung from it.

His arms were pressed tightly against his pant seams, and because he was exerting too much force, they were trembling slightly—clearly, he was coiled and ready to salute.

Trying so hard, it was unclear which general manager was coming this time.

Hu Gualing followed Captain Tiao Zi's gaze.

He saw a beautiful woman walking over from not far away.

She had big wavy hair and wore brown sunglasses.

A pair of large earrings hung from her ears.

She was dressed very fashionably and didn't look like she was coming into the factory to work at all.

Hu Gualing hadn't even finished looking when Captain Tiao Zi let out a voice-cracking "Good morning, General Manager Wu," which gave him quite a start.

Although he was laid-back, he knew that the owner of the factory he was working at was named General Manager Wu Jinkai.

For a moment, he didn't dare to look for who General Manager Wu was, so he just stared straight ahead and shouted along, "Good morning, General Manager Wu!"

The woman with the wavy hair stopped and said with a faint smile, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all, protecting Jinkai Factory is our duty!" Captain Tiao Zi roared reflexively.

The woman with the wavy hair nodded and was about to leave.

But as she lowered her head, she noticed the pair of white Nadi shoes on Hu Gualing's feet.

And it just so happened that she was also wearing a pair of little white shoes today.

She subconsciously compared them.

The woman with the wavy hair discovered that the shoes a security guard was wearing were actually whiter than hers.

She couldn't help but look up to see the owner of these shoes.

Hu Gualing was, after all, a proper Student Athlete, standing 1.8 meters tall with a sturdy build; while he couldn't be called imposing or majestic, he looked decent enough.

At least his appearance gave her a good first impression.

"Are you new?" the woman asked.

"I've been here for half a month," Hu Gualing replied honestly, unsure of her identity.

"That's good, you've got spirit. Keep up the good work."

The woman offered a casual word of encouragement.

Captain Tiao Zi felt something was amiss.

How did she notice this kid?

You have to know, this Wu Yingying was not only the deputy general manager of human resources in the factory but also President Wu's beloved daughter; her words were often more effective than the human resources general manager's.

If this kid Hu Gualing left even a bit of a good impression on her, it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of him.

So, Captain Tiao Zi's mind raced, and he immediately began to slander Hu Gualing.

"General Manager Wu, please don't be deceived by this kid's appearance!"

"He usually throws his underwear next to his pillow!"

"Every day he's too lazy to go to the cafeteria to eat, so he sits on his bed and eats takeout!"

"And today, you see him looking very energetic, but that's only because he was slacking off and sleeping during work hours!"

Listening to the list of charges Captain Tiao Zi reeled off.

Hu Gualing found it hard to refute the first two points.

But he couldn't tolerate this last one!

What do you mean by slacking off and sleeping during work hours?

He didn't even yawn once last night, alright!

"What proof do you have that I was sleeping last night?" Hu Gualing demanded righteously.

"Still trying to argue?" Captain Tiao Zi laughed. "Then do you dare to go check the surveillance footage with me? If we see you sleeping last night, you're fired immediately!"

"Check it then, who's afraid of whom!" Hu Gualing was full of confidence; the place where he sat to play games was a carefully selected blind spot in the surveillance, so he wasn't afraid of being recorded at all.

Furthermore, he really hadn't slept for a single second last night!

Captain Tiao Zi and Hu Gualing refused to give an inch.

However, the expression on Wu Yingying's Face was somewhat impatient, and she even felt a bit embarrassed and annoyed.

Was it just a casual word of encouragement that made this security captain jealous?

To think he would talk about things like underwear and pillows right in front of her.

This made her feel offended.

But she couldn't say much; after all, the factory was full of rough men with straightforward personalities, and the security captain doing this was just to let her know the truth.

She looked at the other security guards around her and found that everyone looked lethargic.

Looking back at Hu Gualing's energetic appearance, it really did look like what the security captain said—that he had been slacking off and sleeping at night.

So the throwing underwear around and sitting on the bed eating takeout must be true as well.

"So you're just a rotten apple on the inside." Wu Yingying gave Hu Gualing a disdainful look and walked toward the Office Building.

Facing the sense of disparity brought about by the change in Wu Yingying's attitude, Hu Gualing was momentarily dejected.

Captain Tiao Zi, however, was in a great mood. He eyed Hu Gualing's white Nadi shoes sideways and gloatingly threw out a remark: "Did you really think that by wearing a pair of fake Nadi, Young Miss Wu would look at you with high regard?"

Hearing Captain Tiao Zi question that he was wearing fake shoes, Hu Gualing hurriedly retorted.

"What fake Nadi! These are authentic ones I bought from the official flagship store!"

"You?" Captain Tiao Zi just sneered.

He said nothing else.

Clearly, he didn't believe Hu Gualing could afford real Nadi shoes.

Although Hu Gualing was indignant, Captain Tiao Zi had already continued to stare at the passing leaders, waving and saluting, and ignored him further.

He could only suppress this dissatisfaction in his heart.

After eight o'clock, everyone who needed to work was at work.

Apart from the security guards, there was no one else at the factory gate.

Everyone relaxed and started chatting.

"I remember Wu Yingying hasn't been here for half a month, why did she suddenly come today?" one security guard asked gossipy.

"Why are you worrying about nothing? It's her business, can we even do anything about it!" Another old security guard, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, said as if he didn't care at all, but couldn't help but say sourly, "Who told her to have a good father? She can be a deputy general manager right after graduation, and no one dares to say anything even if she doesn't come to work for half a month."

"Deputy general manager? I think President Wu is just letting her get some experience; this Jinkai Factory of ours will sooner or later be handed over to her."

"How is that possible! Look at how Wu Yingying dresses, with that Demonic Qi; if the factory is handed over to her, who knows if it'll be ruined in a few years? President Wu isn't senile yet!"

"I think so too. Handing such a big factory over to a woman, isn't that just messing around? Even if Wu Yingying is President Wu's only daughter, it's not possible. I reckon President Wu will eventually have to recruit a capable son-in-law and train him well to be the successor."

Everyone discussed it, one after another.

Hu Gualing also understood.

The woman Captain Tiao Zi just called "General Manager Wu" was General Manager Wu Jinkai's only daughter, Wu Yingying.

After graduation, she came to Jinkai Factory and became the deputy general manager of human resources.

But she was inconsistent, often not coming in to clock in.

This time, she even went out to have fun for half a month before coming back.

Damn it, damn it all, why isn't General Manager Wu Jinkai my father!

Hu Gualing thought, gritting his teeth.

The topic, however, unknowingly shifted to him.

"It's a pity that us old timers are already married, otherwise... tsk tsk."

"Are you daydreaming? Even if you were twenty years younger, as a security guard, could you be noticed by Young Miss Wu?"

"Why couldn't Young Miss Wu take a fancy to a security guard?" That old security guard looked at Hu Gualing and smiled teasingly, "Didn't Young Miss Wu just pass by and look at Gualing, this blockhead, differently?"

The other security guards were stunned when they heard this, and then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, right, right, right, I heard it just now. Young Miss Wu praised him for having spirit and told him to keep up the good work."

"Yeah, I think Gualing is quite suitable to be that live-in son-in-law. Always settling down, who knows, maybe one day he'll transform from a security guard to the factory manager, hahahaha."

"Gualing, don't forget to give us a raise when that happens."

Everyone was joking happily.

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Hu Gualing didn't think he was trying to climb the social ladder; he just simply believed that he and Wu Yingying were destined for each other.

First, Wu Yingying was a woman, and he was a man; in terms of gender, they matched.

Second, Wu Yingying had just graduated; although he didn't know if it was college or graduate school, it was a graduation nonetheless.

And he, after graduating from high school, served two years in the military, which could be considered receiving two years of different education; on this point, he was also a match.

Most importantly, Wu Yingying was wearing white shoes, and he was wearing white shoes too, and they were authentic Nadi.

What did this mean?

It meant that in this murky, unbearable world, they both held fast to a pure heart!

If this isn't destiny, what is!?

Unfortunately, Wu Yingying's first impression of him had been quite good, but it was ruined by that idiot captain's meddling.

Thinking of this, Hu Gualing looked at Captain Tiao Zi with hatred.

Captain Tiao Zi was stunned by the look, and after a while, he figured out the meaning in Hu Gualing's eyes. "No way, you aren't an idiot, are you?"

"They're just having fun at your expense, and you actually took it seriously?"

"Do you really think you can be that live-in son-in-law?"

Hu Gualing wanted to retort, "Why not?" but having spent his whole life "settling down" until now, he hadn't had any romantic experience and was too embarrassed to reveal his heart in public, so he had to remain silent.

When the other security guards saw his expression, they were all stunned.

For these old hands who had experienced so much in life, a young person's thoughts were practically written on their Face.

They immediately saw through Hu Gualing's thoughts almost entirely.

So everyone was very confused.

How could this kid take such a joke seriously?

After a moment of silence, the scene suddenly erupted into uproarious laughter.

"Hahaha, this silly kid!"

"Not to be mean, but where does your confidence come from?"

"I didn't expect this, I really didn't, he actually took it seriously."

"Hahaha!"

The security guards laughed until they were bent over, and even the fatigue of working the night shift was dispelled.

Captain Tiao Zi was also infected by this extremely happy atmosphere and didn't hesitate to add fuel to the fire: "This kid has truly lost his mind. He just said that the pair he's wearing on his feet is authentic Nadi. Do you guys believe it?"

"Authentic Nadi?" Everyone looked at the shoes on Hu Gualing's feet.

They all knew that Hu Gualing had always treated these white sneakers like a treasure, but no one had ever thought they were authentic Nadi shoes.

Because the style of these shoes, if they were real, would cost at least two or three thousand.

And how much was a security guard's basic salary?

Two thousand eight hundred!

"If these can be real, I'll lick them clean on the spot!" The old security guard said first with certainty.

"They are authentic Nadi," Hu Gualing said sullenly.

"Hahaha, what's so great about Nadi? The pair I'm wearing is also Nadi, twenty-five for a pair at a street stall." Another security guard lifted his foot and shook it; the trademark on the shoe was clearly a swoosh!

"There's nothing wrong with fake Nadi, at least it was bought with real money. The key is, if you wear fakes, you have to have the awareness of wearing fakes; how can you insist they're real and fool yourself?"

"It's fine for young people to care about Face, but you can't be dishonest."

Listening to the preaching around his ears, Hu Gualing couldn't take it anymore.

He took out his Dami Phone, opened the order record from when he bought the shoes, and said, "Come on, take a look and see if these are real!"

"What is this?"

"Nadi Official Flagship Store?"

"Come look quickly!"

"Men's Sneakers, Student Athlete Special Edition for Settling Down?"

"2499!?!"

"Am I seeing things? Two thousand four hundred and ninety-nine??"

"It really is authentic Nadi!"

Everyone crowded around, saw the order details on Hu Gualing's phone clearly, and were stunned.

Hu Gualing snorted and put his phone away.

As a Student Athlete, Nadi shoes were not just a pair of shoes, but a partner he fought alongside!

Therefore, he endured the pain of spending the money to buy these Nadi shoes.

No matter when, no matter where.

As long as he was wearing Nadi on his feet.

He was still that Student Athlete on the playground from back then, freely pouring out his youth and sweat!

"Old man, what do you have to say now?" Hu Gualing gave the old security guard a wink, showing off.

Just a moment ago, it was he who least believed these shoes were real.

Now that he'd been slapped in the Face, his reaction should be quite spectacular.

Hu Gualing was secretly pleased, but unexpectedly, the atmosphere at the scene was not what he had imagined.

The old security guard didn't feel ashamed after losing the bet; instead, his eyes were full of pity.

The other security guards were also looking at him as if he were a fool.

How could it be like this?

I showed the order details, shouldn't they be envious and jealous?

Hu Gualing looked around at everyone frantically, wanting to find the hidden jealousy on everyone's Faces.

But he couldn't find even the slightest bit.

Why?

Hu Gualing gradually began to panic.

"What a sin."

"Spending two thousand five hundred on a pair of shoes, if you said he was a rich second generation, that would be one thing, but he..."

"Young people these days, sigh!"

"It's just like Captain Tiao Zi said, his brain already has some problems."

Everyone shook their heads and sighed.

Listening, Hu Gualing couldn't quite understand, but he also seemed to understand something.

He lowered his head and stared at the pair of white Nadi on his feet.

Silent.