Chapter 74

This is nothing.

Just after noon, a series of events left the car wash workers and Buck speechless.

First was the meeting. Both the hair salon and the real estate agency next to the car wash had a peculiar habit of conducting their affairs publicly on the street.

The hair salon was full of young men and women with dyed hair and bizarre hairstyles, yet they all lined up to run on the street every morning!

This was no longer a strange sight in major and medium-sized cities in the country. When Buck first saw it, he found it quite disharmonious, seeing such unconventional young people engaging in activities that resembled military training. In the end, he could only conclude that the hair salon was trying to attract attention, much like their flashy hairstyles.

The real estate agency, on the other hand, might be aiming to cultivate an outgoing personality among its employees. Dozens of people would line up neatly on the sidewalk, taking turns to loudly proclaim the sales slogans that emphasized marketing. It was indeed a test and cultivation of confidence and communication skills.

So in the afternoon, the car wash workers saw the salespeople from next door all come out and stand beside a large billboard, followed by Zhou Xiaoli, wearing a baseball cap, standing tall and giving a speech!

The distance was a bit far, and no one went over, but they could still hear the powerful voice of the beautiful woman: "Diligence can make up for clumsiness! In the past, our Garden Road branch's performance was just average, and the previous manager's character affected all of our colleagues' performance. From now on, I hope we can have a completely new look..."

Buck felt that his original idea of taking Zhou Xiaoli to start a small car wash might have been a hindrance to her career.

The workers teased him with grins: "Brother Ba, Zhou Sister is now the store manager. You're practically a manager's family member!"

"That depends on who Brother Ba is! Now, isn't it the manager sister who's the one with the upper hand?!"

"Brother Ba! You're truly a winner in life!"

"Exactly! If you were some big boss with a pretty sister, that wouldn't be so special. But Brother Ba, even as a car washer, you're still with a manager sister, right?!"

"Xiao Ba, you've already hooked the manager next door. Are you planning to acquire our car wash at some point? Too bad I don't have a daughter!"

Buck spat at the car wash boss who was joining in the teasing.

But even a man like Buck felt a bit proud when Zhou Xiaoli, after her speech, came over with a smile and handed out cigarettes to the workers.

Especially when Zhou Xiaoli formally told the car wash boss: "Zhi Ming is still very reliable. Since our two stores are neighbors, we should help each other more, work together, and do more business..."

This made everyone at the car wash laugh and mimic her tone: "Zhi Ming... Brother Ba, your sister-in-law is really good at handling things!"

She was indeed good at handling things. Just before closing time, two minivans pulled up, and a group of men, women, and children jumped out, unfurled a banner, and started cursing and throwing eggs at the real estate agency. Zhou Xiaoli decisively opened the glass door of the agency and faced them head-on, her voice like a rapid-fire barrage: "You're being shameless! Don't you know what Chen Kangqing did? You're still causing trouble at the company?!"

"I suggest you look up at the glass window. Several phones are recording your disgraceful behavior! I'll post these online, send them to newspapers and TV stations. Chen Kangqing has cut himself off from the people. Look at the injury on my head. He tried to rob and kill me, and even tried to take advantage of me. No way!"

"I'm telling you, I was acting in self-defense. I wanted to kill that scumbag, that bastard who made me drink a hallucinogenic drug. You dare to come to my house and cause trouble? Who gave you the nerve? You're all despicable, with your faces on your butts and your balls on your heads. I wonder why the World Expo didn't take you freaks as exhibits..."

"Man is born good! But your family produced a big villain! Do you know that? People need faces, trees need bark. Without a face, you all stick together!" Her curses were rhythmic and didn't include a single dirty word, yet they left the troublemakers, who had just gotten out of the cars with some momentum, speechless.

If they tried to attack, a dozen or so real estate salespeople quickly surrounded the manager, ensuring that no one could get close to Zhou Xiaoli. This gave the black beauty plenty of room to perform, leaving the car wash workers and Buck staring in amazement: "Manager sister..."

Many people, who had previously envied Buck, now sympathetically patted his shoulder: "Zhou Sister is too strong, Brother Ba. You're probably going to be a henpecked husband in the future!"

"Brother Ba, you have my condolences. In the future, we won't dare to invite you to join our activities with the hair salon girls. Sister Xiao Li would probably skin you alive!"

Buck's face twitched as he listened.

Zhou Xiaoli's mouth was as powerful as his fists the night before. She cursed the troublemakers so thoroughly that they didn't know whether to stay or leave. Arguing with her only attracted more onlookers, almost blocking the street, but she remained unharmed and in high spirits, cursing even more energetically: "Our Garden Road branch has produced a scumbag like Chen Kangqing. All the neighbors here can witness it. I, Zhou Xiaoli, am just a poor girl. I act with a clear conscience, relying on my own efforts. That shameless thing even tried to drug me and do despicable things. I would rather die than let him get away with it. I was acting in self-defense! If you dare to smash our branch, I've already called the police. You've all been photographed. If anything happens to our branch in the future, it will definitely be your doing... You won't get away with it!"

Indeed, the police arrived, recorded the IDs of everyone present, and took the two leading troublemakers to the police station for questioning. Zhou Xiaoli stood with her hands on her hips, her demeanor... well, it couldn't be described as graceful, because her aura was really fierce. Even the OL skirt that showcased a woman's professionalism didn't make her look as professional as she did!

It wasn't until the end of the workday, when the real estate agency pulled down its roller shutters, that Zhou Xiaoli stood at the door of the car wash.

Still in her black suit, still with a white shirt underneath, and still carrying her black briefcase, but the gentle smile on her face was completely at odds with the fierce store manager from the afternoon: "Tonight, Zhi Ming will take you to help me move. We'll treat everyone to spicy hot pot afterward!"

Indeed, the workers' feelings toward Buck were a mix of envy, jealousy, and sympathy, rolling back and forth!

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