Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 473 Torchbearer

"How did you two meet Shen Fei?" Chen Luyang asked.

The moment Shen Fei was mentioned, the expressions of the group became subtle.

Fadi said sincerely, "When we first came to China, our Chinese wasn't very good. Many people... um, were a little hesitant to talk to us."

Pierre nodded, his French accent thick: "Oui. Most people are very polite, but they don't chat with us."

“But Shen Fei is different!” Alexander added with a laugh. “He’s incredibly talkative! The first time we met, he said ‘Hey Poland!’”

"Then he asked me if I wanted dumplings," Hans said, rolling his eyes. "He even wrote me a little note that said, 'Dumplings, make friends.'"

"So you two became friends?" Chen Luyang was both amused and exasperated.

“Yes!” Park Sung-ho said earnestly, “He took us to see movies, treated us to steamed buns, and even helped us with our Chinese homework.”

"Wait a minute." Chen Luyang raised an eyebrow. "He even does your homework?"

“Yes,” Pierre raised his hand to testify. “He said that’s called ‘solidarity and mutual assistance,’ and that friendship is ‘internationalism.’”

Damn it!

Chen Luyang was completely incredulous!

Shen Fei is a good person,
But there's absolutely no way I could do such a good deed without expecting anything in return, just to make the old man happy—that would be such a noble act of traditional culture!
Not to mention doing homework!

But looking at these five international brothers in front of him, they didn't seem like they were lying.

It shouldn't be...

Just as Chen Luyang was wondering, Alexander spoke up.

“But he made me help him move things twice, and I also stood in line for him once,” Fadi recalled, gesturing as he spoke. “I even ripped my pants that day.”

“I carried the table for him,” Park Sung-ho added.

"I helped him copy a promotional material," Hans said, raising his hand as well.

“I lent him a radio from Poland,” Alexander retorted.

“I was dragged into singing ‘Jasmine Flower’ with him.” Pierre shrugged helplessly. “I’d never even heard of that song before.”

Chen Luyang remained silent for a moment.

Good guy.

Isn't this a case of the Minister of External Relations engaging in "disguised outsourcing" combined with "humanitarian exploitation"?
It also involves cultural export?
"Then why are you helping him with the work?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Help!" the international students shouted in unison.

Chen Luyang was slightly stunned by the shouts from all sides.

Did Shen Fei brainwash or drug these people?
They're all so devoted.

“He was our first friend in China,” Pierre said earnestly, his pronunciation not quite standard.

"I'm willing to help him!"

Looking at the group of international brothers in front of him, whose expressions were sincere, whose tones were strange, and whose expressions were rich, Chen Luyang suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.

He thought for a moment, then couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath:
"This Minister Shen is quite capable."

No sooner had he finished cursing than familiar footsteps came from outside the door.
Immediately afterwards, an angry female voice boomed in like thunder:

"Shen Fei, you're really something!"

"We're rehearsing for our gala here! And what do you do?! You drag people over to work for you?!"

"I'm definitely going to tell the teacher later!"

Then, Shen Fei's shrill voice rang out:

"Don't pull! Don't pull! Tie Li will see this and she'll have to stand up for me!"

"Tie Li? Beauty can't save you today!"

Amidst a commotion, a short-haired girl grabbed Shen Fei by the collar with one hand and put her other hand on her hip, forcefully "escorting" him inside.

Shen Fei continued to explain, "Well... I just needed to help out with a small favor, so I let them come over and experience some manual labor!"

"Labor my foot!" The short-haired girl was so angry her face turned blue.

“These are all key actors for the program. Fadi is going to recite poetry, Alexander is going to perform a skit, and Pierre even has to do sound mixing! You brought them here to print materials?! Are you using them as liaison volunteers?”

The two entered the room one after the other, and immediately came face to face with Chen Luyang and the "mimeograph warriors" inside.

Six people, twelve eyes versus four eyes.

at once!

Minister Shen, who is always extremely conscious of his image, did a somersault and went from being grabbed by the collar like a little boy to having a solemn and dignified expression in the blink of an eye!

"Um... Xiao Chen, you're back!"

"Yeah, I just got back. I was working with some friends." Chen Luyang suppressed a laugh.

Seeing that the short-haired girl was about to explode again, Shen Fei quickly spoke up first, waving to the international students:

"Comrades, our work here is done. Now let's move on to the 'artistic battlefield'! Get ready for rehearsal!"

Alexander and his men truly exemplified the phrase "come when called, go when dismissed" to the extreme!
Upon receiving Shen Fei's new command, they immediately lined up and walked out of the office.

As they were leaving, the group was quite reluctant to part with Chen Luyang.

Goodbye, Chen!

"goodbye!!!"

Chen Luyang waved to them with a cheerful smile.

……

I watched as several international students were being "escorted" away by the short-haired girl.

The door slammed shut, leaving only Shen Fei and Chen Luyang inside.

There was silence for a moment.

Shen Fei patted his chest lightly, as if he had survived a close call.

Then, as if remembering something happy, he punched Chen Luyang hard on the shoulder.

"Good lad! You've got some skills!"

"I knew it! You could definitely handle the funding situation perfectly."

"These past few days, the Youth League Committee has been praising our External Relations Department at every meeting, saying that the speed at which we secured funding this year has provided strong support for the development of school activities."

"do not worry!"

"I've already written the materials for your commendation. After the event, I'll go to the Youth League Committee to recommend you for commendation!"

"I can't guarantee anything else, but I'll do everything I can to get you a commemorative wooden plaque for this event!"

Chen Luyang asked in surprise, "This event even has small wooden signs?!"

Shen Fei, concealing his true intentions, replied, "Of course!"

"I made a special trip to the arts and crafts factory in Fengtai to have their master craftsmen carve them on the spot. They only made about a hundred pieces in total."

"I'm specifically asking you to get one back!"

Chen Luyang said earnestly, "It's a deal then, you must bring me back a small wooden sign!"

"Hey Shen, what's with this formation diagram? Why am I in it?!"

"Isn't it only natural that you're around?" Shen Fei said matter-of-factly.

"You're a torchbearer, where else would you stand?"

what? !

Chen Luyang was stunned, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Torchbearer? When was this decided?"

"How come you don't know anything?" Shen Fei looked at him with disdain.

"On the day of the parade, our school will hold a torch relay ceremony, and several representatives will carry torches and walk in formation."

"You're the seventh batter."

Chen Luyang looked at Shen Fei with her big eyes and blinked blankly.

Shen Fei said somewhat sourly, "Only outstanding student cadres, advanced individual students, outstanding students in arts and sports, international students, and worker-peasant-soldier students are qualified to be torchbearers."

"You were selected because of the school's arrangements."

Oh oh oh~~~
Chen Luyang understood.

It must be because the standardized parts project was selected as a municipal-level university student engineering practice base that I became a torchbearer as an outstanding student representative.

Chen Luyang blushed shyly, her face turning slightly red.

"But no one notified me!"

Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss...! !!! !!! !
Even someone as outstanding as Shen Fei was completely chilled by Chen Luyang's deathly appearance.

"Be normal!"

Shen Fei couldn't help but rub his arms, which were covered in goosebumps, and said irritably:

"You're never at school, how are we supposed to notify you?!"

"Anyway, the Youth League Committee will contact you for rehearsals on its own initiative. Just wait for their message."

"Okay!" Chen Luyang nodded happily. "By the way, Brother Shen, where are Sister Ma and Xiao Zhongwen?"

"Tie Li went to coordinate with the school's security department, and Xiao Zhongwen went to the newspaper office."

Chen Luyang asked in confusion, "Isn't the newspaper's publicity department and arts and literature department supposed to work together? Why did Xiao Zhongwen go there?"

Shen Fei picked up the thermos and poured himself a glass of water: "I told him to go out with the students from the Youth League Committee and broaden his horizons."

"Speaking of which, what they're busy with at the newspaper office is still your business!"

"My business???" Chen Luyang asked in confusion.

“That’s your problem!” Shen Fei said.

“You’re a big celebrity at school now. The Youth League Committee is going to send your story to the Youth Daily for a report.”

"But you haven't been to school these past two days, and the Youth League Committee is urging you to come back."

"There was no other way, so the Youth League Committee just edited up the interview transcript from the school radio station last time and sent it out today."

Upon hearing the words "Youth Daily,"
Chen Luyang's eyes lit up instantly.

Although Peking University's school magazine is already quite good, it is, after all, an internal publication of the university.

Being featured in the Youth Daily means getting national exposure!
If I send this home...

no!!!!!

Absolutely not!

Chen Luyang abruptly nipped the idea in the bud.

He usually attends school in Pian'ercheng, and he can put whatever he wants on the gate of his family's courtyard, but he can't see it.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, less than two months away.

If we deliver the newspaper back now, is that really delivering the newspaper?

That's because he went to deliver the door gods that we put up on the front door for the Chinese New Year!
Just thinking about how the whole factory gathered around the gate of the compound last year makes Chen Luyang shudder.

So be it……

There will be plenty of opportunities to be in the newspaper, so one more won't make a difference!
Chen Luyang was thinking about the New Year's arrangements.
Shen Fei was already standing next to the mimeograph machine, rolled up his sleeves, and started the machine up again with a click, the red ink gurgling over the paper.

"Hey Chen, can you do me a favor?"

"I need to print these out tonight; I need to show them to the Youth League committee teacher tomorrow."

"okay!"

Chen Luyang rubbed his hands together and sat down to work hard.

As they worked,

Suddenly, Chen Luyang's face revealed a smug look:
"Minister~"

"Ok?"

"You just said that Sister Ma can stand up for you???"

Shen Fei glanced at Chen Luyang with a long, brooding look.

Chen Luyang gave him a cheeky smile.

Shen Fei has feelings for Ma Tieli; anyone with eyes can see that.

Otherwise, the short-haired girl from the Youth League Committee wouldn't have been able to talk about Tie Li's affairs.

However, Tie Li was no ordinary woman, and Shen Fei was still a bit short of the skill to subdue her.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Shen Fei said seriously.

"If Tie Li hears this, she'll teach you a lesson!"

Chen Luyang grinned and said, "How could I dare to talk nonsense? I'm just concerned about my classmates' love lives!"

Saying,

Chen Luyang nudged Shen Fei's shoulder: "What's up? You two have made great progress while I was gone?"

Shen Fei rolled his eyes at him and let out a long sigh.

"Who would dare! With her temper, if you take even the slightest step, she could kick you back into your mother's womb on the spot."

"Well, you didn't back down either~" Chen Luyang teased. "I think you're getting more energetic the more you kick."

"That's right!" Shen Fei said, shamelessly feigning composure.

"With so many people in the whole school, why did she kick me and not someone else? It's because I'm different from everyone else!"

Tut tut...

Impressed.

From childhood to adulthood, Chen Luyang has never respected anyone except that brat Song Liaosha.

Today, he was completely convinced by Shen Fei.

If this guy can even say such things, what else is he incapable of doing!

Awesome.

That's really awesome!
However, based on her own experience, Chen Luyang offered some advice:
"Old Shen, I'm not trying to advise you as a brother, but if you want to date a girl, you can't be too stingy!"

"We should buy the canned yellow peaches we usually need!"

"My sister Ma likes dumplings, steamed buns, and big meat pies. You can buy some every now and then."

"Since we like her, let's be open and generous and express our love in a meaningful way."

Shen Fei rolled his eyes at him: "Do you think we're all like you, throwing away hundreds of dollars at a time?"

Chen Luyang said modestly, "I admit it! It's rare to find a young man as outstanding as me in this age group!"

"And you shouldn't compare yourself to me."

"My standards are too high; most people simply can't meet them."

Shen Fei's gaze slowly drifted over, and he gave a cold smile:
"Hey Chen, if you keep showing off like that, you might not get any more foreign trade coupons!"

Chen Luyang's arrogance immediately vanished, and he said with a fawning expression:

"Brother, look at you! You're always saying that!"

What I mean is, if we can't afford the expensive ones, can't we at least afford the smaller ones?

"When girls look at us guys, they're just looking at our attitude."

"How is attitude shown? It's shown in the little things of daily life!"

Shen Fei hesitated for a moment, then shook his head:

"Let's see their attitude next year."

Chen Luyang gasped!
Hey!
Shen Fei is usually as cunning as a devil when dealing with outsiders, but when it comes to Ma Tieli, his head is as hard as a block of wood!
No matter how much I try to persuade him, he just won't get it!

Just as Chen Luyang decided to try to persuade Shen Fei again,
Shen Fei said quietly, "I've saved all my money this year to buy her perfume."

"I'll buy her dumplings, steamed buns, and big meat pies next year."

Chen Luyang looked at Shen Fei in shock.

Good guy!
I didn't expect Minister Shen to be so decisive!

A bottle of perfume costs 38 yuan, which is not cheap!

The fact that Shen Fei was willing to save up money to buy this for Ma Tieli shows that he really went all out.

such a pity……

"Brother Shen, I feel like you can forget about having any attitude for the next four years of university."

Chen Luyang looked at Shen Fei with a pang of heartache.

"Why?" Shen Fei asked, puzzled.

"Why...human nature!!! Don't you understand?"

Chen Luyang looked at Shen Fei with the air of a life mentor.

"This year, you buy a young girl a bottle of perfume that costs 38 yuan, but next year you'll buy her steamed buns, dumplings, and pies. How do you expect the young girl to feel about that?"

Shen Fei immediately gasped.

Makes sense!
Chen Luyang continued to persuade him, "That's why I'm saying this!"

"Why don't you use the money you've saved to buy her something else first? Take it slow and steady."

"That way, you won't feel too much pressure. Sister Ma is happy to receive small gifts every day."

Shen Fei hesitated for a moment, then said firmly:
"She likes perfume, so I bought her some!"

"We'll save up money to buy her something else next year!"

歘!
Chen Luyang suddenly pulled out a thumbs up and gave Shen Fei a big thumbs up!
Man!
A real man!

"If you don't have enough money, just say so, I'll lend you some, brother."

"Get lost! I'm buying things for Tie Li, why are you getting involved? This is between us!"

"Hahaha, okay, it's your business~ it's your business~"

(End of this chapter)