Chapter 141, Chapter 138: The Milkmaid

The next morning, the sun rose over the horizon, a golden disk slowly ascending. It pierced through the clouds, the mountains, and all obstacles, bestowing life upon the earth and humanity. Ye Chen sprang up from his bedside, glanced at the morning sun outside the window, and smiled, “The day’s plan starts with the morning. Time for an update—exercise well!”

Morning exercise was a habit Ye Chen had long cultivated, though not every day, but he tried to maintain it as consistently as possible.

He slipped on a tracksuit, the same cheap Adidas set as always. Although Ye Chen now had plenty of money, he held no high demands on his lifestyle; as long as he could eat his fill and live happily each day, that was enough.

A half-hour jog invigorated Ye Chen’s body. Morning runs were crucial; exercising at dawn could fuel one’s energy for the entire day. After returning home, he washed up simply, then changed into the uniform of Tianya Group. From today onward, he would return to his position, joining the first business team to take charge of a new project on a plot of land in the northern district of the city.

Driving his little Alto, he stopped at the residential gate to buy five meat buns, clutching a box of milk. The car belched thick smoke all along the way; such a battered vehicle was bound to be seized by the traffic police sooner or later. Strangely, this old clunker had managed to run in Jianghuai City for so long. The last time it was stopped by the police, Ye Chen cleverly dodged them. He never worried about the future; with a sharp mind, a quick thought was always enough.

The car pulled into the Tianya Group parking lot. The security guard immediately greeted him, “Brother Chen, you’re here!”

“Heh heh, yeah. Where’s Iron Bull?” Ye Chen chuckled.

“Iron Bull’s on patrol!” replied the guard. Ye Chen’s rapport with the security team was far better than with the bodyguards, who all looked down on him. The security guards were friendlier, especially after Ye Chen once treated them to a lavish feast, which greatly improved their attitude toward him.

After parking, Ye Chen held the buns and milk, striding into the building. Many employees were already at work; upon seeing Ye Chen, they all avoided him as if he were a harbinger of misfortune. Everyone knew Ye Chen had offended Deputy Director Qian, who had declared that anyone associating with Ye Chen was opposing him, effectively branding Ye Chen as a pariah. After all, Ye Chen was just a junior supervisor, while Qian was a deputy director—there was a vast hierarchy gap between them.

“Good morning, Ye Chen!” Xiao Mei greeted him, dressed in a sleek black uniform. She was stunning, with soft, alluring curves and legs as translucent as polished jade, captivating anyone’s gaze. Ye Chen grinned, “Xiao Mei, have you eaten breakfast?”

“Ah? Y-Yes, I have!” Xiao Mei hesitated, then nodded quickly, like a woodpecker, fearful that Ye Chen might suddenly shove a meat bun at her with a teasing comment on eating well to grow strong. She had been embarrassed by him last time and had learned her lesson. Ye Chen laughed, “Xiao Mei, you better eat plenty of those buns. Otherwise, poor development won’t be a good look!”

Flushing, Xiao Mei fell silent, thinking to herself how Ye Chen spoke whatever came to mind without any restraint. Just then, a young woman carrying a shoulder bag hurried into the lobby, holding a box of milk and calling out, “Xiao Mei sister, I forgot your red bean bun! Sorry!”

Xiao Mei’s face darkened instantly.

“Oh, Milkmaid, is that you?” Ye Chen turned and teased the long-haired girl, pointing at the milk box in her hand. “Is this the fruit of last night’s hard work?”

Milkmaid immediately sprayed a mouthful of white milk, accidentally splattering it squarely onto Ye Chen’s pants. The white stain formed a striking pattern on his trousers. Flustered, she blushed deeply and pulled out a tissue, apologizing hurriedly, “Ye Chen, I—I didn’t mean to!”

Under the astonished eyes of Xiao Mei and others, Milkmaid squatted down in front of Ye Chen and began dabbing at the milk stain on his pants. Just then, Li Ruo entered, carrying a small wallet and dressed in a dark gray professional suit. Her gaze immediately fixed on Ye Chen, and her eyes widened in shock. From her angle, Ye Chen’s back faced her, while Milkmaid was crouching with her mouth precisely at the level of Ye Chen’s crotch.

“Sorry! I really didn’t mean it!” Milkmaid hurriedly wiped the spot. Ye Chen, distracted, suddenly felt something hard under his hand as Xiao Mei’s hand brushed over him. Milkmaid’s face flushed crimson as she screamed and darted behind the front desk. Ye Chen was stunned, gazing at her in disbelief.

“What are you doing here, Ye Chen?” Li Ruo’s expression turned icy.

“You’re here, President Li?!” Ye Chen blinked in surprise.

When Li Ruo noticed the white stain on Ye Chen’s pants and recalled Milkmaid’s awkward crouching and sudden scream, inappropriate and unspeakable images formed in her mind. She gasped sharply and blushed deeply. Xiao Mei’s eyes widened as well. The coincidence was unbelievable.

Noticing Li Ruo’s cold stare, Ye Chen quickly shouted, “President Li, it’s not what you think! Please don’t misunderstand!”

“Ears may lie, but eyes don’t. Ye Chen, you’re such a dirty person!” Li Ruo scoffed, then turned and headed toward the elevator. Ye Chen’s face flushed with embarrassment. Xiao Mei covered her mouth to laugh, while Milkmaid, hiding behind the front desk, stood up and angrily shouted, “Ye Chen, you bastard! Believe it or not, I’ll cut off your thing!”

Startled, Ye Chen clutched his crotch and hurried after Li Ruo. Everyone entered the elevator, cautious in her presence, lining up patiently. Suddenly, Ye Chen pushed his way in and squeezed to the back, shouting, “President Li, you’re misunderstanding! It’s not what you think!”

Everyone stared in confusion, unsure of what was happening. Li Ruo’s face burned red; she thought bitterly, “This bastard wants to make me look bad with him?”

Ye Chen persisted. Suddenly, a hefty figure stepped out from the elevator and coldly said, “Ye Chen, I need to talk to you!”

“Fatty?” Ye Chen blurted. The crowd was stunned. This man had just dared to call Deputy Director Qian by her nickname right in front of her face. Although everyone in the company referred to her that way behind her back, no one else dared say it out loud besides Ye Chen. Even Li Ruo smiled subtly, curious to see how Ye Chen would handle this crisis.

“Hmph, Ye Chen, you’re impressive!” Deputy Director Qian sneered coldly.

Everyone was shocked once more. Just as they expected Qian to use her bulky frame to pounce on Ye Chen, she instead smiled maliciously, her expression sinister. She looked at Ye Chen and said, “Ye Chen, your salary for this month is zero.”

“What the hell, why?” Ye Chen was stunned. After working hard for a whole month, the plump woman in charge of performance and payroll just told him his salary was zero. Damn it! Although he had millions in hand, this ten thousand yuan was hard-earned money earned by taking the bullet for others. How could she just say it’s gone?

Seething, Ye Chen gritted his teeth and pushed the elevator doors apart. He glared fiercely at the woman and growled, “If you don’t give me an explanation, I swear I’ll beat you to death.”

“Want me to explain?” the woman sneered coldly.

“Give me a reason!” Ye Chen demanded.

Deputy Director Qian opened her bag and took out a thick performance evaluation book, recording every employee’s late arrivals, early departures, and attendance. She flipped through the pages swiftly and found Ye Chen’s record. She smiled coldly, “Ye Chen, you’ve worked at Tianya Group for forty-three days, been late twenty-five times, left early thirty-six times, and skipped work without reason six days. According to company rules, your salary this month is zero. Moreover, your salary next month will likely be docked as well.”

Her words shocked everyone. Indeed, Ye Chen was notorious: so short a time yet late, leaving early, and skipping work so frequently. Company policy stated that each tardy deducted fifty yuan; leaving more than an hour early forfeited the day's pay; skipping work was penalized at triple salary. By this calculation, Ye Chen owed the company money instead of receiving pay.

“You’re deliberately targeting me, you fat cow!” Ye Chen glared at her.

“Ye Chen, you’re wrong!” Deputy Director Qian grinned righteously. “Everyone knows I, Qian Haiyan, am just and never single anyone out. Everything I do follows company regulations!”

“Fine, then tell me—how much is deducted for being one minute late?” Ye Chen sneered.

“Fifty yuan per lateness. More than half an hour late costs half a day’s pay. More than one hour late costs a full day’s pay!” Qian Haiyan said coldly.

“Good!” Ye Chen nodded. “Now, there are eighteen people in this elevator, including President Li. Everyone is docked fifty yuan each today. It’s already past nine o’clock!”

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