169: Two little enemies

Liu Xiaolin grabbed a few dishes casually and started eating. By the time he was almost finished, Hong Tongtong sat down next to him, carrying a large plate piled high with delicacies.

"Can you eat this much?" Liu Xiaolin asked with a frown. "It's not good to waste food."

"How could I waste it? This isn't even enough; I'll need another plate. Since you're treating, I should eat more." Hong Tongtong said, eating heartily as she spoke.

"Well, take your time eating. I'm full and heading back to the dorm," Liu Xiaolin said, standing up to leave.

"You can't go, you haven't paid the bill yet," Hong Tongtong said anxiously, her words muffled by food in her mouth.

"Pay the bill? Don't you know the cafeteria is free? Everyone here is a high-level talent; why would we be charged for food?" Liu Xiaolin rolled his eyes at Hong Tongtong.

"Fine, you actually tricked me! Hmph!" Hong Tongtong was a little angry.

"How did I trick you? This company is mine. The reason the cafeteria doesn't charge for meals is because I provided the funding to ensure every meal is this abundant. So, yes, I did treat everyone to this meal, but not just you; I treated all the company staff," Liu Xiaolin said righteously.

Hong Tongtong listened, dumbfounded. "What you said... it seems to make some sense."

"It doesn't just make *some* sense, it makes *a lot* of sense!" Liu Xiaolin finished, stood up, and left.

Watching Liu Xiaolin's retreating figure, Hong Tongtong snorted indifferently and continued to eat heartily.

After Liu Xiaolin returned to his dorm, he quickly practiced with his hands while recalling what he had learned during the day, not wanting to have a poor score on the final exam.

After practicing for a while, he felt he had completely mastered it and was ready to rest.

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from next door. Hong Tongtong's voice? What happened?

Liu Xiaolin was startled and rushed over. He saw Hong Tongtong clinging to the dorm door, screaming with her eyes closed. He asked what was wrong, but she didn't answer.

Liu Xiaolin had no choice but to reach out and pull Hong Tongtong outside the door. "Stop screaming, what did you find?"

"A gecko, a big gecko just fell on my head, it fell down the moment I opened the door," Hong Tongtong said, slowly calming down after seeing Liu Xiaolin, patting her chest with lingering fear.

"What's there to be afraid of with a gecko? It's not going to eat you," Liu Xiaolin said, rolling his eyes.

This dorm hadn't been lived in for a long time, and it was probably occupied by geckos for a while. Although it had been cleaned, it was inevitable that small animals would still appear.

"No, I can't stay in this dorm anymore, I'm scared," Hong Tongtong said.

"Then are you driving home now?" Liu Xiaolin was surprised.

"No, I'm not going home. If I go home, I'll be late tomorrow," Hong Tongtong said.

"Then where will you stay?" Liu Xiaolin was very confused.

"Let's swap dorms! I'll stay in your dorm, and you stay in this one," Hong Tongtong's mind worked quickly.

"Why? Give me a reason," Liu Xiaolin said, looking at the flushed face of Hong Tongtong, feeling both annoyed and amused.

"Because I'm a girl, you have a responsibility to protect a girl's safety," Hong Tongtong said righteously.

"You're the top in rock climbing, what are you still afraid of small animals for?" Liu Xiaolin said.

"Being afraid of small animals doesn't mean I can't rock climb, does it? Don't say so much, just tell me if you'll swap or not!" Hong Tongtong said.

"Asking for a favor, and your tone is still so tough, I'm a bit stuck," Liu Xiaolin said, lifting his chin.

"General Manager Liu, please, just give in to me! Please, please," Hong Tongtong said immediately in a soft, murmuring voice after hearing Liu Xiaolin's words.

Liu Xiaolin was amused by this. "Alright, alright, then I agree to swap dorms with you."

Hong Tongtong thought to herself that this man was really easy to trick; one sentence was enough. At the same time, she felt that this man was genuinely very kind and very cute.

Since it was a company dorm, swapping rooms was simple as long as you took your personal belongings. Liu Xiaolin took his toiletries and a change of clothes and moved next door.

Lying on the bed, he recalled Hong Tongtong's scream and her flushed face, finding it very funny, but also thinking she was very beautiful and very cute.

These two young people had a good impression of each other, but neither of them spoke it aloud.

During the training on the second day, Wang Taomin divided the trainees into groups of two for cooperative operation training. Liu Xiaolin and Hong Tongtong were assigned to the same group. Their level of tacit understanding was quite high; with just a look or a gesture, they understood what the other wanted to express.

Wang Taomin gave a high evaluation of this: "General Manager Liu and Hong Tongtong's cooperative operation is excellent. When we encounter sudden situations, we need this kind of tacit cooperation to resolve the situation quickly."

Liu Xiaolin and Hong Tongtong exchanged glances, both very happy.

They still went to the cafeteria for dinner. This time, the two chatted very happily and had already become good friends who could talk about anything.

When Niu De went to eat in the cafeteria, he saw the two young people chatting cheerfully and felt puzzled. "How are you two sworn enemies chatting so happily?"

"When were we sworn enemies?" The two of them retorted in unison.

"From what I see, you two aren't enemies now, you're a pair of sweethearts," Niu De said, implying something.

"What sweethearts?" Liu Xiaolin was a bit confused.

"Listen, I'll sing you a song, 'My little sweetheart, what are you doing, like a silly fool...'" Niu De hummed a song and walked away.

Hong Tongtong's face turned flushed again. Her large eyes were watery with shyness, making Liu Xiaolin's eyes go wide.

"When did Engineer Niu become so gossipy?" Liu Xiaolin couldn't believe his good feelings for Hong Tongtong were that obvious.

"Hmph, then let's really become a pair of sweethearts and make him mad!" Hong Tongtong blurted out.

"Really? Are you willing?" Liu Xiaolin's eyes lit up.

"If you're willing, I'm willing..." Hong Tongtong's previous boldness suddenly became gentle.

"Of course I'm willing." Liu Xiaolin didn't dare tell her that he had been willing just by looking at her photo, but he hadn't dared to speak up. It was the first time in his life he liked someone, so how could he easily speak his mind?

In the training room the next day, the trainees saw Liu Xiaolin and Hong Tongtong come to class holding hands, and surprisingly, no one showed any surprise.

This reaction, on the contrary, surprised Liu Xiaolin even more. "Did they... think we were already together?"

"Maybe so. When did we start giving them that impression?" Hong Tongtong was also puzzled.

In the subsequent training, everyone studied very seriously, and the week-long training period quickly passed.

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