Chapter 42: Ideas

This small building was noticeably neater than the surrounding drab factory buildings.

The windows were sparkling clean, standing out somewhat incongruously in this rough and primitive environment.

A middle-aged man in a clean blue work uniform was already waiting at the office door.

He was Chen Ming's subordinate, and also a distant relative of the Chen family, named Chen Yu.

Chen Yu was currently in charge of managing all the warehouse supplies within the slaughterhouse.

At this moment, he wore a respectful expression, but a barely perceptible tension and caution seemed to linger deep within his eyes.

Seeing Li Qiang and Li Yaqin approach, the man immediately greeted them with a beaming smile.

His deliberate enthusiasm and eagerness were palpable.

"Excuse me, are you Comrade Li Qiang and Comrade Li Yaqin?"

The man asked first, his voice tinged with caution.

His gaze lingered briefly on Li Yaqin's excessively refined and striking face.

Then, as if burned, he quickly lowered his eyes, unable to look any longer.

Li Yaqin's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained calm and composed.

She had clearly seen Chen Yu's brief moment of amazement and the almost obsequious attitude that followed.

It seemed that Zhao Chengyu, that domineering and scoundrel, had indeed arranged everything in advance.

Hmph, this appearance, optimized to the extreme by the beauty-enhancing pill, was indeed a double-edged sword.

It could attract attention, but it also made it easier to attract trouble like Zhao Chengyu!

Like Zhao Chengyu, a guy who believed in force and wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted!

Thinking of the humiliation she suffered in the car last night, and the irresistible domineering aura emanating from that man...

Li Yaqin's fingers, hidden in her sleeve, involuntarily tightened slightly.

He had gone to such lengths to arrange such an unbelievably leisurely job for her.

It was practically a retirement job; it couldn't possibly be out of kindness.

He probably wanted to keep her like a caged canary, so he could control her at any time.

However… a barely perceptible glint of shrewdness flashed in Li Yaqin's clear eyes.

This job was indeed exceptionally easy, meaning she would have a lot of free time, and it was so close to the heart of the slaughterhouse…

The unwritten employee benefits within the slaughterhouse, and the convenience of purchasing fresh meat at extremely low prices…

Her magical space desperately needed to be filled with supplies, especially meat.

In this era of scarcity, meat was a harder currency than gold.

This place was practically tailor-made for her, the ideal "supply point"!

Did Zhao Chengyu intend to trap her with comfort and ease?

Let her become addicted to it, forgetting to resist?

We'll see, then! Let's see who laughs last!

She'll first make good use of this convenience to accumulate enough capital for herself.

Zhao Chengyu wants to trap her with comfort?

Let's see who laughs last!

First, she'll use this convenience to fill the space, then find a way to make money and build up her strength.

As for Zhao Chengyu…

We'll see!

Right now, however, she needed this job—a relaxed, respectable job, far removed from the dirty and tiring work.

Getting the job was the most important thing.

This was the first step towards a life free from financial worries.

Li Qiang carefully handed over the slightly damp letter of introduction.

The man respectfully extended both hands, solemnly accepting the thin piece of paper.

His fingertips deliberately avoided the writing and seal on the paper, as if it were something extremely precious and fragile.

Li Yaqin's gaze was sharp as a knife, silently fixed on the man, observing his every subtle movement.

The man lowered his eyes, carefully reading every printed Chinese character on the letter.

His gaze lingered for an unusually long time on the bright red seal at the signature.

Then, as if searching for something, he double-checked that there were no additional handwritten annotations on the paper.

After confirming everything was correct, his tense nerves seemed to relax slightly, but his expression instantly became even more warm and ingratiating.

His already slightly bowed back seemed to unconsciously hunch even lower, his posture appearing even more humble.

“All the formalities have been prepared in advance.”

“Factory Director Chen specifically instructed that your onboarding procedures be completed as soon as possible, Comrade Li Yaqin.”

The man's tone was full of caution, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible flattery.

Factory Director Chen.

Li Yaqin silently pondered this title in her mind, almost certain that this person must have been connected to Zhao Chengyu through connections.

It seemed that the people Zhao Chengyu knew held positions and wielded considerable power in this slaughterhouse.

Or more accurately, Zhao Chengyu's own influence had grown to the point that Factory Director Chen was acting with such seriousness.

This realization brought a slight sense of peace to her constantly anxious heart.

Her choice for survival and convenience seemed to have been correct.

Saving Zhao Chengyu and He Chengyang was indeed a shortcut to a comfortable life.

Once she completed the onboarding process, she could settle down temporarily.

Next, she needed to observe the work environment and see if it was truly as easy as she hoped.

Chen Yu led the two into the office, which was clean and tidy.

The furnishings were simple.

A table, a few chairs, and a filing cabinet.

He took out several brand-new forms from a drawer, a formulaic smile on his face.

“Comrade Li Yaqin, according to the superiors' arrangements, considering you are a new comrade, you have been assigned to a management position in the meat warehouse.”

He pushed the forms in front of Li Yaqin, pointing to the signature area.

“The specific work… is relatively simple,”

Chen Yu paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, his eyes unconsciously glancing at Li Qiang before quickly looking away.

“Your main responsibility is the daily opening and closing of the warehouse door and registration.”

He coughed lightly and added, “The inventory and moving inside are handled by specialized workers. You just need to make sure the door is opened and closed on time and keep good records.”

“Very… um… very routine work.”

He deliberately avoided using the word “easy,” but how could Li Yaqin not understand the meaning in his tone and eyes?

This wasn’t work; it was clearly being fawned over.

This was practically a nominal position.

It was unbelievably easy.

It was like a windfall.

Li Yaqin lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the glint of shrewdness in them.

Sure enough, it was Zhao Chengyu's doing—domineering, yet terrifyingly thorough.

Warehouse manager?

Opening and locking the doors every day?

This leisure was tailor-made for her!

She needed time to familiarize herself with this era, time to use the pills in her spatial storage to pave her way.

Even more importantly, she needed a safe, inconspicuous way to collect resources.

This slaughterhouse warehouse manager position perfectly met all the requirements!

Being close to the meat source made it easy for her to secretly stockpile meat into her spatial storage.

This job, requiring almost no brainpower, gave her the ample free time she had always dreamed of.

She could single-mindedly ponder how to quietly transform those magical pills in her spatial storage into real money.

She even secretly cultivated her own reliable network of connections using these resources.

Li Yaqin's mind was crystal clear.

That arrogant man, Zhao Chengyu, probably thought that with such a seemingly lucrative job, he could keep her firmly by his side like a pet on a leash.

Did he think this would make her obedient and subservient to his control?

Her slender, pale fingers gently picked up the ordinary dip pen on the table.

The cool touch of the metal pen was clearly felt at her fingertips.

Without hesitation, she carefully wrote "Li Yaqin" in the signature section at the bottom of the form.

The ink left delicate, clear handwriting on the paper, contrasting sharply with her current calculations.

She, Li Yaqin, temporarily accepted this seemingly unequal deal.

Once this employment was completed, her most pressing survival problem would be temporarily solved.

This meant a stable source of income and a legitimate place to settle down.

More importantly, this excessively leisurely job gave her ample free time.

It was practically a tailor-made convenience, allowing her to access the treasures in her spatial storage more easily and discreetly at any time.

Guarding the meat warehouse, collecting the meat resources she desperately needed was a piece of cake, and it wouldn't easily arouse anyone's suspicion.

Zhao Chengyu's meticulousness was frightening; behind this thorough arrangement lay an invisible chain of his desire to firmly control her.

But so what?

The most important thing right now was to make good use of this opportunity and settle down completely.

She held cards that others couldn't imagine; how the future would unfold was far from certain.

At least for now, accepting this "gift" was a very worthwhile deal for her.