With some time to kill, Wu Jun browsed online for information related to the rice industry.
He stayed at the company for lunch, ordering takeout on his phone. He spent over a thousand yuan treating all the employees to a luxurious meal.
A few of the newly hired girls saw that not only was Wu Jun young and handsome, but he also didn’t have the slightest air of a CEO and was incredibly generous. They grew even more satisfied with their jobs.
"Boss Wu, do you have a girlfriend?" one of the bolder, more extroverted girls asked him directly.
All the girls stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Wu Jun, waiting for his answer.
’If Boss Wu doesn’t have a girlfriend, then it’s every woman for herself!’
Wu Jun joked, "If I had a girlfriend, would I dare treat a group of beautiful women like you to a meal? She’d beat me to death when I got home."
’So what he’s saying is... he doesn’t have a girlfriend!’
Hearing Wu Jun’s reply, the girls looked at him with eyes that seemed to want to devour him in one bite, just like the food in their hands.
Dong Lizhu laughed. "Can’t even food stop your mouths? It looks like you want to eat Boss Wu right along with it."
As his aunt, Dong Lizhu was happy to see her nephew so popular with the girls.
’When I was hiring, I made sure to pick the pretty ones with good figures. My dear nephew isn’t getting any younger, but he’s in no hurry to get married. This is the most I can do to help.’
After lunch, Wu Jun didn’t linger with the bevy of beauties downstairs. He turned and went upstairs to continue reviewing his documents.
’Since I’ve entered this industry, it can’t hurt to learn more about it.’
Wu Jun became absorbed in the documents and lost track of time. He spent the entire afternoon in his office, not stepping out once.
Just as he was deeply engrossed, he heard a knock on his office door.
Wu Jun called out, "Come in," and Dong Lizhu pushed the door open.
"Boss Wu, it’s quitting time. It looks like it’s about to rain, so you should head home early if you’re free." Dong Lizhu was holding two umbrellas. She placed one against the office wall. "I saw you didn’t have an umbrella when you came in, so I brought one up for you."
"Auntie, there’s no one else here. You can just call me by my name," Wu Jun said, then stretched and stood up from his seat. "Let’s go. We can leave together."
The two of them went downstairs with their umbrellas. All the girls in the company had already left. After stepping outside, Dong Lizhu turned back to lock the door.
Standing at the entrance of the villa, Wu Jun glanced at the sky. A thick, dark cloud was drifting over from the northwest, and the wind was picking up.
After Dong Lizhu locked the door, the two walked side-by-side out of the villa complex. Just as they exited the main gate, heavy drops of rain began to fall, and they hurriedly opened their umbrellas.
Pedestrians hurried along the road. Under a nearby bus stop sign, a group of passengers was huddled together like little chicks, shivering beneath the narrow advertising board.
"Jun, I’m heading over. The bus is here." Dong Lizhu saw the bus pulling into the station and started to walk towards it, but Wu Jun reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Just take a taxi. With so many people, you probably won’t be able to squeeze on." Wu Jun hailed a taxi for Dong Lizhu and handed the driver a hundred-yuan bill.
After seeing Dong Lizhu off, Wu Jun waited for ten minutes or so before he was able to hail a second taxi.
The villa complex wasn’t far from the small supermarket; the ride didn’t even go over the base fare before arriving in front of the supermarket building.
The rain poured down, getting heavier and heavier.
After paying, Wu Jun pushed open the car door, opened his umbrella, and dashed into the curtain of rain.
The taxi had stopped less than twenty meters from the building entrance, but by the time Wu Jun dashed into the hallway, his clothes were completely soaked.
"Little Wu, you got caught in the rain, didn’t you? Quick, dry yourself off before you catch a cold. Hurry inside and change your clothes." Seeing Wu Jun enter, Xu Minli handed him a towel.
"Thanks, Big Sister. This rain today is no joke." Wu Jun thanked her, took the towel, and started drying his hair as he walked into the bedroom Xu Fei used.
Once inside, he kicked off his water-filled shoes. He stripped off his wet clothes, tossing them carelessly onto the floor. After toweling off, he went to the closet, bare-chested, and rummaged for a set of dry clothes to change into.
After changing, Wu Jun came out and asked Xu Minli, "Big Sister, is Xu Fei back yet?"
Xu Minli’s face was etched with anxiety. "Not yet. I just called to ask where she was, but the call didn’t go through. I’m sick with worry."
"Let me try." Wu Jun took his phone out of his pocket, found Xu Fei’s number, and dialed. He was met with a message that the number was unreachable.
"Old Xu, it’s terrible! Something’s happened! Has your Little Wu come back yet?" Before the person was even inside, a voice rang out from the doorway as an older woman rushed into the supermarket.
Xu Minli asked blankly, "What is it, Sister Wang? Little Wu is right here."
Sister Wang was stunned for a moment seeing Wu Jun standing in the room. She patted her chest a few times. "Oh, Little Wu is here. That’s a relief. I must have seen things wrong."
Wu Jun asked with a smile, "Sister Wang, don’t you always say it’s a shame your vision is too good for you not to be a pilot? I’m surprised you could misjudge something. What’s wrong? You seem to be in a panic."
Sister Wang said, her voice still laced with fear, "I just saw it on Moments—there was a car accident on the main road outside our neighborhood. A container truck seems to have crushed a manhole cover and flipped, pinning a pickup truck underneath. They said the driver is trapped and hasn’t been rescued. I’ve been seeing you drive a pickup around lately, so I thought it was you. Seeing you here is a huge relief."
Hearing Sister Wang’s words, the smile on Wu Jun’s face froze.
Xu Minli’s vision went black. She swayed, nearly collapsing, but luckily Wu Jun was quick enough to catch and support her.
"Little Wu, Old Xu, what’s wrong?" Sister Wang was startled by Xu Minli’s reaction, her face a mask of confusion.
"Feifei..." Xu Minli cried out Xu Fei’s name as tears streamed down her face. She felt all the strength leave her body and collapsed against Wu Jun.
"There are lots of pickup trucks in the neighborhood. It might not be Feifei. Big Sister, don’t panic yet. I’ll go check," Wu Jun comforted Xu Minli. He then turned to Sister Wang, his own face anxious. "Sister Wang, please take care of Sister Xu for me. I’m going to go take a look."
"I’m going too." Xu Minli struggled to stand, but her legs felt as weak as noodles, completely devoid of strength.
"Sister Wang, I’m leaving her with you!" Wu Jun handed Xu Minli over to Sister Wang and bolted out of the room.
When Wu Jun got outside the supermarket, he saw the rain was even heavier than before. What had been a downpour was now like a flash flood. The area had turned into a small river, with cardboard boxes floating on the water like little boats.
Wu Jun didn’t bother going back inside for an umbrella or rain gear. With a SPLASH, he jumped off the steps. The water immediately surged past his knees, and the dry clothes he had just changed into were instantly soaked.
’Please don’t let it be Xu Fei... Faster, faster!’ Wu Jun chanted in his mind, stumbling through the deep water as he hurried toward the neighborhood exit.
’I wonder what the status of the accident is.’
’Have the traffic police arrived yet?’
’Are there any good Samaritans helping to lift the truck?’
’Please, don’t let it be Xu Fei!’
"Hold on, buddy, hold on! We’re almost through! Don’t stall! Come on, you can do it!" Halfway there, Wu Jun saw a minivan not far ahead, moving slowly through the water like a small boat. A man’s desperate shouts came from inside.
’Thank God! A car, finally!’
Wu Jun splashed through the water to catch up with the van, yanked the door open, and jumped in. The driver whipped his head around, and their eyes met. The driver’s face was a mask of utter confusion.
"Buddy, your car is being commandeered! If it gets waterlogged, it’s on me—I’ll buy you a new one. Full speed ahead, as fast as you can possibly go!"