Chapter 141: Resuming the War

Cui Yue knew that Zhang Hu had his best interests at heart, so he nodded repeatedly with an expression so sincere that even Zhang Hao covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Uncle Zhang, I've really taken it all to heart. I promise that from now on, my heart will remain entirely devoted to the factory, and I will be a bolt that never loses its color, radiating a unique brilliance at my ordinary post!"

Zhang Hu was just about to pull his hand back, but hearing the kid spout such nonsense again, a fresh wave of irritation washed over him, and he gave the ear another fierce twist.

"You brat, if you talk back to me again, I'll tear it right off. Alright, get going."

Cui Yue clutched his burning red ear and stamped his feet. Zhang Hu really didn't know his own strength; that pinch had been brutal.

Zhang Hu lit a cigarette and was about to step into the security office when, through the collar of Cui Yue's shirt, he suddenly spotted a purplish-blue scar.

Zhang Hu's brow furrowed, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. He stared fixedly at the mark, a sinister smile creeping onto the corner of his mouth.

It vanished in a split second, unnoticed by anyone.

Cui Yue strode away, his retreating figure weaving an air of eerie mystery.

In the first production workshop, workers were toiling away with fervent enthusiasm. The sweltering heat of the plant could not dampen their zeal; the sweat of their hard labor rained down upon the machinery, turning into wisps of steam.

Cui Yue tiptoed into the mechanical repair room. Peering through the crack in the door and seeing no one inside, he quickly slipped in.

Taking advantage of the empty room, he hurried to change into his work uniform, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"If old man Qin catches me, there's no telling how he'll lecture me. Some ideological education is definitely on the menu."

Before Cui Yue's self-muttering could fade away, he sensed something amiss behind him.

With a turn of his head, Old Qin stood with his hands on his hips, his face dark and gloomy.

"You finally know how to come back!"

Cui Yue felt like a mouse meeting a cat, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Master Qin, I know I was wrong."

"Where did you go?"

"Master Qin, I really had an urgent matter, there wasn't time..."

Cui Yue lowered his head even further, his words interrupted before he could finish.

"Alright, just remember to give me a heads-up in advance next time. That way, if anyone asks, I'll have an answer ready."

Old Qin glanced out the door and lowered his voice.

"And another thing, you should know that Feng Tao that little bastard has the upper hand right now and is riding high. Don't let him catch you by the tail."

Hearing Old Qin's mild tone, devoid of any reproach, Cui Yue instantly felt a wave of gratitude.

"Yes, Master Qin, I'll remember that. I definitely won't cause you any trouble in the future."

"What trouble could you possibly cause me? I'm just afraid you'll fall into that little bastard's trap. The way I see it, the first workshop will soon belong to the Feng family; old Zhang is nothing more than a figurehead these days."

At the thought of the workshop's future, Old Qin couldn't help but look deeply worried.

"It shouldn't come to that, right? Feng Tao is just relying on his old man's influence. Director Zhang has been a workshop director for over a decade; he won't let that grandson run amok."

Cui Yue comforted him.

"You can't say for sure these days. That kid is too full of himself now, throwing his weight around the workshop. Old Zhang, from what I can see, has the heart but lacks the strength, so he just lets him do as he pleases."

Whenever Feng Tao crossed his mind, it always felt like a thorn stuck in Cui Yue's heart. It wasn't that he was afraid of him; rather, laying eyes on him was as nauseating as swallowing a hundred flies.

In the past, no matter what, they belonged to different departments. Now that they were stuck in the same workshop, they ran into each other constantly, and there was nothing to be done about it.

It seemed the workshop's road ahead would not be smooth sailing. Between the two of them, one would eventually have to be forced out.

A barefoot person isn't afraid of someone wearing shoes; Cui Yue had never truly feared anything. Now, with his hands and feet completely untied, watching that grandson weep within a limited timeframe might even be a kind of amusement.

"Alright, stop overthinking it. Hurry up and get to work."

Master Qin urged him.

"Got it!"

Cui Yue acknowledged, grabbed his toolbox, and vanished in a flash.

Though the roaring of the machinery was monotonous and dull, it managed to ground his heart considerably.

"Well, well, look who it is playing the model worker here?"

Feng Tao emerged from behind with a few lackeys in tow, fixing Cui Yue with a malicious stare.

Cui Yue had long anticipated that this brat would come looking for trouble. During the past few days, while waiting for his father to firmly secure his position, Feng Tao had managed to tuck his tail between his legs for a brief spell.

Clearly, those days were over, and he had reverted to his true, arrogant, and insufferable self.

Cui Yue couldn't be bothered to reply, continuing to busy himself with his work as if the other was merely passing gas.

"Watchdog, are you deaf or dumb?"

Feng Tao wore a wicked smile, deliberately planting one foot squarely onto the work clothes Cui Yue had just taken off.

Two large, grimy footprints instantly stained the brand-new uniform.

Cui Yue forcefully suppressed the anger rising in his chest and reached out to grab a corner of the garment.

"Get your foot off!"

"Oh, what did you say? Daddy here couldn't quite hear you."

"I said, move your stinking foot away."

The rage in Cui Yue's heart was no longer containable, hovering right on the brink of eruption.

He gave the uniform a fierce jerk, nearly sending Feng Tao sprawling face-first into the dirt.

His lackeys quickly rushed in to steady Feng Tao, pointing at Cui Yue's nose and cursing wildly.

"Screw your ancestors!"

A lackey named Liu Cheng threw a vicious slap straight at him.

Without even raising his eyelids, Cui Yue flicked his hand forward and caught Liu Cheng's wrist in a flash.

Ah! Ah!

Liu Cheng let out a miserable scream. All his previous arrogance vanished instantly as he collapsed to his knees, howling in agony.

Seeing this, the other two lackeys rushed forward to help.

Slap! Slap!

Cui Yue let out a cold snort, releasing Liu Cheng's wrist and swinging his hands in a swift, alternating backhand motion.

He slapped both men so hard they stood dazed and bewildered—the movement was simply too fast.

Feng Tao's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost. How was it that after just a few days apart, this kid had suddenly become so formidable?

None of the men present dared to make a reckless move. To fight him meant risking a beating, but backing down would mean losing face; they could only stand there frozen, feeling more dead than alive.

"Hmph, kid, you've grown some tricks after a few days!"

Feng Tao glared viciously at Cui Yue.

"Hmph, remember my words: next time, I won't hold back. If you're looking to die, bring it on!"

"You..."

Feng Tao's face flushed crimson, his pride taking a severe blow.

Liu Cheng clutched his wrist and hobbled over to whisper in Feng Tao's ear.

"Boss, this kid has some skills. It might not be convenient to fight him right inside the workshop."

Feng Tao had never suffered such a massive loss of face before. Since he had no idea what kind of miracle drug this kid had taken, trying to fight him now would likely end in a beating.

"Fine, we'll see about this!"

Feng Tao forced the words out from between his teeth.

Cui Yue didn't waste a single extra syllable, returning entirely to his work and completely ignoring the group.

"Let's go!"

Though his belly was full of unvented rage, Feng Tao had no choice but to storm off in exasperation.

Cui Yue felt a sudden surge of secret satisfaction. Although this practically meant restarting the war with that grandson, watching him get thwarted brought an immense sense of ease to his heart.

Cui Yue turned his palm over and examined the meridians across it. For some reason, he could distinctly feel the surging current of raw strength within.

Perhaps this was the only mildly beneficial side effect of surviving the ghost-corpses' purge.