46: On the eve of the victory celebration banquet, undercurrents were brewing. (revised)

The day Wang Fugui was discharged from the hospital, the atmosphere in the casting workshop was as strange as a spider's den.

As soon as he set one foot inside the workshop door, dozens of eyes snapped onto him. It wasn't the look colleagues give each other; it was more like hungry wolves eyeing a fresh, steaming pork hock.

"Oh, our big hero is back!"

The Fat Big Sister's voice shattered the muggy air. She threw down the work in her hands and rushed over, her hips swaying.

Immediately after, the group of female workers who usually did nothing but gather to eat sunflower seeds and gossip swarmed him. One reached out to pinch Wang Fugui's rock-hard arm, while another took the chance to stroke his back amidst the chaos, clicking their tongues in wonder.

"I heard the doctor say his skin didn't even break? Is this body even made of flesh?"

"That collision yesterday, that block... I'm all wet... my eyes are wet."

"Fugui, if you have any heavy lifting in the future, just say the word. Big Sis will buy you Red Bulls to drink."

Squeezed into the crowd of women, Wang Fugui's nose was filled with the scent of cheap powder mixed with sweat, making him want to sneeze. He retreated with a simple smile while protecting his waistband.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just thick-skinned and tough-fleshed."

Before, these people looked at him as a laborer with nothing but brute strength, feeling at most a bit of sympathy. Now, their eyes held a naked heat, as if they wanted to strip him bare and study him. It was a primitive worship of absolute masculine power.

Li Fried Dough Stick's vacant supervisor position was currently one that no one dared to sit in, but Wang Fugui's broken chair had been polished to a shine, and a soft embroidered cushion had even been placed on it.

"Alright, alright! What are you all crowding around for? Aren't you going to work?"

The Workshop Director walked over with his hands behind his back, but there wasn't a hint of anger on his face; he was smiling like a blooming old chrysanthemum.

"Fugui, hurry back to the dorm and pack up. Tonight, the factory is holding a victory banquet at the Da Fu Hao Restaurant. The Factory Director specifically instructed that you must wear formal attire. You're the protagonist, so don't be late."

...In the temporary dormitory converted from a utility room, the air was heavy.

Lin Xiaocao sat cross-legged on the only wooden bed, clutching Wang Fugui's worn leather shoes and scrubbing them desperately with a shoe brush.

Her posture didn't look like she was polishing shoes; it looked like she had a blood feud with the cowhide on the surface.

"You don't need to polish them so bright, I still have to walk in them tonight," Wang Fugui said as he pulled on the cheap suit the factory had just issued.

"Shut up." Lin Xiaocao didn't even look up as she threw the shoe brush into the basin with a loud clang.

She was fuming. An occasion like a victory banquet was for officials and those who had performed great deeds. A lowly assembly line worker like her wasn't even qualified to go in and serve plates.

Moreover, Chen Yun would be there.

Whenever she thought of that woman touching Wang Fugui's pectoral muscles in the hospital, Lin Xiaocao felt as if a jar of Shanxi aged vinegar had been overturned in her heart, making her teeth ache with jealousy.

*Riiiip—*

A mournful sound of straining fabric rang out.

Lin Xiaocao looked up and almost couldn't hold back her laughter.

Wang Fugui was wrestling with the suit jacket. The one the factory issued was already the largest size, XL, but on his muscular frame, it looked exactly like a skin-tight bodysuit. The buttons at his chest wouldn't close, the sleeves were stretched to the limit, and with even a slight bend of his arm, the edges of his biceps could be seen straining against the fabric.

The pants were especially tight around the thighs, outlining the lines of his legs perfectly, and they were stretched taut and round over his buttocks.

"Did this suit shrink?" Wang Fugui tugged at the collar, looking uncomfortable. "It's strangling me."

Lin Xiaocao jumped off the bed and kicked the polished leather shoes to his feet.

"It's because you're built like a bear."

Though she insulted him, she reached out to help him smooth the upturned shirt collar and stood on her tiptoes to tie the crooked necktie.

The two were very close.

Wang Fugui could see the playful cowlick on the top of her head just by looking down, and he could smell the faint scent of soap on her. It wasn't as overwhelmingly fragrant as Chen Yun's perfume, but it was comforting to smell.

Lin Xiaocao tied it very seriously, her fingers fluttering nimbly, her warm fingertips occasionally brushing against Wang Fugui's Adam's apple.

Wang Fugui subconsciously swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down right against Lin Xiaocao's finger.

Lin Xiaocao felt as if she had been burned; she jerked her hand back, her cheeks flushing red instantly. She pushed the tie knot up forcefully, nearly making Wang Fugui's eyes roll back.

"Cough, cough... Are you trying to murder your own brother?" Wang Fugui gasped, clutching the tie.

"I might as well strangle you! It'll save you from going out and attracting bees and butterflies!"

Lin Xiaocao took a step back and looked him up and down. Although the suit didn't fit, his tall stature, broad shoulders, and that honest but sharp-featured face gave him an indescribable wild handsomeness.

This stupid bear actually looked quite decent when dressed up.

She felt even more sour inside.

"Stick your foot out," Lin Xiaocao commanded crossly.

Wang Fugui obediently stuck his foot out.

Lin Xiaocao bent down, wiped away a non-existent speck of dust from the shoe's surface with her finger, then stood straight, lifted her foot, and stomped hard on the polished leather shoe.

A dusty footprint was instantly stamped onto it.

"Remember!" Lin Xiaocao stood with her hands on her hips like a little tiger declaring her territory. "You're not allowed to stare at the legs of those flashy sluts! Especially that Chen Yun! And you're not allowed to drink too much and let people take advantage of you! If you come back smelling like perfume, you're sleeping in the hallway!"

Wang Fugui looked down at the footprint and gave a silly grin. "Got it. I'm just going to eat. I heard they have braised pork and I can eat my fill."

...Meanwhile, on the third floor of the office building.

Chen Yun stood before a full-length mirror, her palms drenched in sweat.

The woman in the mirror was so foreign that she almost didn't recognize herself.

The uniform that was usually buttoned to the very top was gone, replaced by a deep purple velvet qipao.

This color was difficult to pull off; if one wasn't careful, it could look old-fashioned. But on her, it made her skin look luminously white. The qipao's cut was extremely form-fitting, outlining a breathtaking S-curve from her full chest to her slender waist and rounded hips.

The most lethal part was the slit.

It went all the way up to the base of her thigh.

With even a slight step, her thigh, encased in thin nude silk stockings, would flicker in and out of view between the purple fabric. That kind of half-hidden temptation was more deadly than being directly bare-legged.

This was a piece of clothing she had kept at the bottom of her trunk; she had bought it three years ago but never dared to wear it out. She feared people's gossip and her husband's sarcastic, weird mockery.

But today, she had inexplicably dug it out.

Her mind was full of the image of Wang Fugui shirtless in the steam, and that wild look in his eyes on the hospital bed.

"Crazy, I've truly gone crazy."

Chen Yun murmured to herself, her fingers trembling as she applied bright red lipstick.

She didn't want to be that cold supervisor anymore. Tonight, she wanted him to see that she wasn't just a boss who gave orders, but also a woman.

A woman fully ripe and longing to be plucked... In the back kitchen of the Da Fu Hao Restaurant.

It was the peak time for serving dishes, and the inside was as chaotic as a pot of porridge. Steam rose everywhere, and shouts echoed one after another.

A man wearing a mask and a food runner's uniform huddled in a corner of the prep room. The small eyes exposed outside glinted with a poisonous light.

It was Li Fried Dough Stick.

He had spent a large sum of money to bribe a fellow townsman here to sneak in. For this moment, he had even sacrificed his meager severance pay.

"Bastard... and that slutty woman..."

Li Fried Dough Stick cursed under his breath, staring fixedly at a bottle of high-end red wine on a tray being prepared for the "Fugui Hall." That was for the main table, specifically the decanter for pouring Chen Yun's wine.

He looked left and right; no one was paying attention.

A trembling hand reached into his shirt and pulled out a small glass vial.

The thug who sold him the drug said that one drop could make someone lost in passion, and three drops could make them strip in public.

Li Fried Dough Stick unscrewed the cap, his hand shaking, and he failed to control the amount.

*Glug.*

The entire small vial of liquid was poured into the red wine.

The transparent liquid quickly mixed into the deep red wine and disappeared without even a bubble.

Li Fried Dough Stick was startled for a moment, but then a crazed, twisted sneer appeared on his face.

"It's just as well that it's all in there... Hehe, I want to see how you'll play the chaste martyr tonight! I'll let the whole factory see how you look when you're in heat!"

He stuffed the empty bottle back into his pocket, stirred the wine with a chopstick, and then, pretending nothing was wrong, picked up the tray and walked out of the kitchen... Inside the "Fugui Hall," the lights were brilliant and the air conditioning was blasting.

The round table was already covered with cold appetizers.

Wang Fugui sat in the second seat of the main table, which was the most prominent position besides the Factory Director's.

But he didn't care at all about who was looking at him; his entire attention was on the plate of spiced beef in front of him.

*Grumble...*

His stomach let out a loud roar, which was exceptionally clear in the quiet private room.

The side effect of his Golden Finger was hunger. That kind of hunger, which felt like it was grinding through his stomach wall, made his eyes glow with a green light. If it weren't for the fact that no one had started eating yet, he would have dumped that plate of beef into his mouth long ago.

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open.

The originally noisy chatter vanished instantly, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Every man's gaze was glued to the doorway. Even the Factory Director, who was about to pick up a peanut, had his chopsticks frozen in mid-air.

Chen Yun walked in.

Her high heels clicked crisply against the marble floor.

The deep purple qipao shimmered under the lights, and with every step she took, the flash of snowy white thigh at the slit made people's heads spin. She had pinned up her long hair, revealing her slender neck; she looked like a fully ripe peach, radiating a sweet and seductive aura.

She ignored the men around her whose eyes were practically popping out, and walked straight to Wang Fugui's side, pulling out a chair to sit down.

A rich orchid fragrance, mixed with a deeper body scent, instantly wafted into Wang Fugui's nose.

Wang Fugui was staring at the pig trotters, but when this scent hit him, he turned his head.

His gaze fell right on the large section of thigh exposed by the qipao's slit as Chen Yun sat down. The nude silk stockings had a lustrous sheen, and the flesh of her thigh was pressed by the edge of the chair into a wonderful curve.

*Gulp.*

This time it wasn't his stomach; it was the sound of Wang Fugui swallowing.

Chen Yun heard it. She turned her head and gave Wang Fugui a captivating smile, her eyes full of charm.

"deputy supervisor, you must eat plenty tonight."

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a hook. Under the table, a foot wearing a high-heeled shoe brushed against Wang Fugui's calf, seemingly by accident.

Wang Fugui's whole body stiffened, and he almost fell off his chair. Why was this woman scarier than a demoness?

"Come, come, come! Everyone is here!"

The Factory Director snapped out of it and hurried to smooth things over, picking up his wine glass and standing up. "This round of drinks today is, first, to celebrate our factory escaping disaster, and second, to thank our great hero, Wang Fugui!"

Everyone stood up.

A waiter carrying a decanter walked over; it was none other than the disguised Li Fried Dough Stick. He pulled his hat brim down, his palms soaked in cold sweat, his heart pounding wildly.

Following protocol, he first poured wine for the Factory Director, then moved toward Chen Yun.

The red liquid poured out, filling the goblet in front of Chen Yun.

Li Fried Dough Stick stared fixedly at the glass, screaming in his head: Drink! Drink it!

"Supervisor Chen," the Factory Director said, his face glowing with joy, "this crisis was averted thanks to your talent-spotting and proper command. I toast you with this glass!"

Chen Yun was somewhat flattered. Her alcohol tolerance wasn't great, but on such an occasion, with the Factory Director personally toasting her, it was a huge honor that she couldn't refuse.

She extended her delicate hand and picked up the glass of red wine laced with the "heavy dose."

"Thank you, Director."

She raised the glass, her red lips parting slightly as she prepared to bring it to her mouth.

Li Fried Dough Stick, hiding in the shadows, could no longer control his mouth from stretching into a grin that reached his ears.

At the very moment the red liquid was about to touch Chen Yun's lips.

A hand as large as a cattail leaf fan swept out from nowhere!

Wang Fugui didn't know what he was thinking either.

Perhaps Lin Xiaocao's warning to "not let people take advantage of you" had taken effect, or perhaps his beast-like intuition had smelled something wrong with the wine, or perhaps... he was simply thirsty.

He snatched the glass from Chen Yun's hand.

The movement was so fast that a few drops of wine splashed out, landing on Chen Yun's snowy white hand like drops of blood.

The entire room was stunned.

The Factory Director was stunned.

Chen Yun's eyes widened even further as she looked at this man who had suddenly intervened.

Wang Fugui stood tall, his suit buttons nearly popping. He gave a simple grin, his voice booming so loudly it made the ceiling hum.

"Director! Supervisor Chen is a female comrade with a shallow tolerance for alcohol. I'm her deputy and a grown man, so... I'll drink this for her!"

With that, he didn't give anyone a chance to react.

Under Li Fried Dough Stick's horrified, ghost-seeing gaze.

Wang Fugui tilted his head back.

*Glug!*

That glass of red wine, containing an entire bottle's worth of drugs—enough to make an elephant go into heat—was downed by Wang Fugui in one go!

"Ha—good wine! It's a bit sweet!"