About half an hour later, Chen Xiao saw Xu Wu emerge, looking as proud as ever, like a peacock in full display. He could faintly hear her mutter, "Take me to dinner? As if you're worthy."
It seemed the meeting hadn't gone well. When she saw Chen Xiao, her eyes shifted, and she said with deliberate intent, "Chen Xiao, we should grab a meal sometime!"
'Damn it, she's trying to set me up!' Chen Xiao realized in an instant. She was just passing by him, so in retaliation, he smacked her on her round bottom. "You bet! I'm at your beck and call!"
SMACK! The sound was surprisingly crisp and the target surprisingly bouncy. Chen Xiao hadn't expected that. Xu Wu was clearly stunned. She froze for a moment, then, fuming, she looked ready to blow her top, but Chen Xiao had already darted to the door of President Yang's office.
Before he entered, Xu Wu saw him seem to lift his hand to his nose for a sniff. Her face flushed beet red as she cursed inwardly, 'Bastard! I've fended off wolves my whole life, only to get nipped by a damned cub!'
As soon as Chen Xiao entered the office, he knew today was a lost cause. The man, President Yang, whose full name was Yang Ming, was the VP of Sales for the China Inspection Equipment Company. When Chen Xiao walked in, he didn't even rise, remaining nonchalantly in the main seat on the sofa, puffing out clouds of smoke. Seeing Chen Xiao, he simply pointed to the sofa, gesturing for him to sit.
"Xiao Chen, you know President Xu well?" Yang Ming was in his forties, with half his hair already gone.
'Like hell I know her well. I don't even know her job title,' Chen Xiao thought. He smiled and said, "You could say that. We touch base from time to time."
"Oh? And how exactly do you two 'touch base'?"
'Damn, what a lech.' From Yang Ming's sleazy grin, Chen Xiao knew his thoughts were getting quite "in-depth."
"President Yang, I'm here today mainly to introduce the products from Dr. Feng's Robot and see if there are any opportunities for collaboration."
"Not at the moment!" Yang Ming said, not even glancing at the materials Chen Xiao had brought.
Chen Xiao said, "In that case, I'll leave our product information and my contact details. If you have any needs in the future, please feel free to reach out. We'll be over to assist you immediately."
Yang Ming nodded. Chen Xiao stood up, and as he was leaving, he noticed Yang Ming had already thrown his product brochure into the trash.
Chen Xiao's expression darkened, but he knew that in sales, things like this were bound to happen again. He'd face even more humiliating situations. It was all par for the course.
But he was a man with a system. How could his journey as a humble laborer be measured by common logic? He would change everything, starting by crushing every stumbling block in his path!
"DING! Emotional fluctuation detected in Host. Activating hidden mission: Laborer's Counterattack!"
[Mission Description: On the path to becoming the greatest laborer in history, there will always be small setbacks. Just crush them!]
[Mission Objective: Steal the girl he desires, slap his bald head, and show him who's boss!]
[Stage One Reward: Successfully have a meal with the woman Yang Ming desires. Reward: One (1) Cash-Back Card (Dining Only), with a random cash-back multiplier between 10x and 100x.]
[Stage Two Reward: Successfully perform an intimate action with the woman Yang Ming desires. Reward: One (1) real estate property.]
[Stage Three Reward: Successfully slap Yang Ming's bald head three times. Reward: Diligence Point +4, Endurance +10!]
'Holy crap, the rewards are insane! The system must be pissed off too, otherwise, why would it give me such a dirty mission!'
"Hmph! Despicable!" Just as Chen Xiao reached the front desk, he saw Xu Wu. Her face was a mask of fury, making her look like a rose covered in thorns. When she saw him, she looked ready to pounce and claw his face off. 'I don't even dare to touch that spot myself... How could he...'
But Chen Xiao wasn't about to coddle her. She had started it. If it weren't for the system's mission, he couldn't be bothered to deal with her, but things were different now.
He called out loudly, "President Xu, you were waiting for me? Let's go! We'll eat at our usual spot!"
He said it loud enough for Yang Ming to hear, which left Xu Wu completely bewildered. He was an even better actor than she was.
"Come on, don't just stand there. Pick whatever you want to eat today. My treat, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Xu Wu's eyes darted as she thought, 'You said it, so don't blame me for taking you to the cleaners! Just don't come crying to me when the bill arrives!'
"Fine, Chen Xiao. Let's go downstairs!"
Chen Xiao extended his arm. Xu Wu was confused for a second before realizing he wanted her to take it. She immediately shot him a furious glare, warning him not to push his luck.
Chen Xiao didn't yield. Thinking that she had to teach him a lesson and couldn't back out now, she grit her teeth, extended her delicate arm, and very awkwardly linked it through his.
With each lost in their own schemes, their steps were out of sync. Suddenly, Chen Xiao yelped as if he had tripped. His arm flew out and accidentally brushed against something soft and supple... and bouncy. 'Damn, how is every part of this woman so springy!'
"You bastard!" Xu Wu shrieked, swinging her purse at him. 'This asshole just "developed" two parts of my body in a matter of minutes! I'm going to take you down with me!'
Chen Xiao scrambled to dodge her attack, yelling, "It was an accident! I swear, it was an accident! It's so small, I didn't even notice!"
'Argh, I'm going to kill you!' Xu Wu completely snapped. 'Small? Where is it small? Are you blind?!'
Chen Xiao scrambled into the elevator and said, "Hey, stop, stop! It's all a misunderstanding!"
Xu Wu was slightly out of breath, glaring daggers at him as she waited for an explanation.
"Sigh. I guess I couldn't wash my name clean even if I jumped into the Yellow River," he said. "How about this? For lunch, order the most expensive things on the menu, and we'll call it my apology. Deal?"
"Fine! You said it. If you don't have the money to pay, you can stay and wash dishes!"
As the elevator descended to the parking garage on level B1, a system notification popped up. Chen Xiao had the sudden urge to grab Xu Wu and plant a kiss on her—not to take advantage, but to thank her for her cooperation. She'd helped him complete two stages of the mission in one fell swoop.
[Stage One Mission Complete: Reward: One (1) Spending Cash-Back Card with a random 10-100x multiplier.]
[Stage Two Mission Complete: Reward: The entire 22nd floor (1,000 sq. meters) of office space in Yunfeng Building.]
'Holy crap, this is amazing! The first reward is whatever, but the second one is the entire 22nd floor of Yunfeng Building! And isn't the 22nd floor where the China Inspection Equipment Company's office is? Did I just become their landlord in an instant?'
When they reached the parking garage, Xu Wu got into her Volkswagen Golf and said to Chen Xiao, who was standing beside her, "Sorry, my car doesn't transport men."
Chen Xiao wasn't having any of it. He pulled open the passenger door, plopped himself down inside, and completely ignored the murderous glint in Xu Wu's eyes.
"I'm not a man. I'm a wholesome, sunny boy!"
Xu Wu was so mad her teeth ached. 'How disgusting! A "wholesome, sunny boy"? He's obviously a complete pervert!'
She gripped the steering wheel so tightly it was as if she were strangling Chen Xiao's neck. She genuinely felt the urge to kill him. When had she, Xu Wu, ever suffered such a loss!
Chen Xiao paid her no mind and began searching online for information about "Zhi Fei Aerospace." It turned out they also developed drone applications, but with a focus on hardware. In contrast, Dr. Feng's Robot was more oriented toward artificial intelligence and software.
The problem with a hardware focus was that the technology was already mature, leaving little room for a competitive edge. Dr. Feng's Robot, however, could endow drones with more human-like capabilities, which opened up much greater possibilities.