The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

The office of the deputy director of the Third Steel Rolling Mill.

Liu Hao sat in the chair opposite Li Huaide's desk and said very tactfully, "Factory Director, I'm checking our factory's accounts for this year. What do you think...?"

Li Huaide was shrewd enough to understand Liu Hao's meaning.

He remained silent, pondering whether or not he should investigate.

He knew perfectly well whether Yang Xingguo had any problems or not; he definitely did.

But he has it too!

After pondering for a long time, he opened the drawer and took out two large packs of finely packaged cigarettes. Then, after thinking for a moment, he took out the Sunflower Brand Goldfish Enamel Kerosene Lighter that the deputy head of the logistics department had given him a couple of days ago and handed it to Liu Hao, saying with a smile, "Little Liu, here are two packs of cigarettes for you. They're not very good, but don't mind them."

Liu Hao understood, and without any formalities, he reached out and took the cigarette and lighter.

As for whether or not to audit the accounts, the answer is definitely yes.

Recalling the last time Yang Xingguo tried to recruit him by treating him like a beggar, attempting to make him Yang Weimin's lackey, and after he refused, Yang Xingguo angrily threatened to make things difficult for him, while maintaining an arrogant attitude, he was still furious.

His principle is: I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they do offend me, then I'm sorry, I will take revenge and never engage in internal strife.

Li Huaide is not a big problem, so let's give Li Huaide a suggestion: just get rid of Yang Xingguo and make Li Huaide the factory director, so that we can be comfortable too.

"How could I possibly complain? I only buy a pack of these cigarettes during the Lunar New Year to indulge myself. Thank you for your concern, factory manager."

Li Huaide genuinely enjoys chatting with intelligent people like Liu Hao, but he still can't help but offer a word of advice.

"Little Liu, some things are nothing without weighing them, but once you put them on the scale, they're worth a thousand pounds. This... well, you know what I mean."

Good heavens, are you Li Jinshui from the Directorate of Ceremonial?

Liu Hao made a sarcastic remark and then began praising Li Huaide.

"The factory manager is overthinking it. I just checked the accounts carefully, and there isn't a single mistake."

"Although I've only been at the steel rolling mill for a few days, I can tell from the accounts that the mill's current prosperity is all thanks to your skillful leadership. You've guided everyone towards a brighter future. No one else could have generated this kind of success!"

Li Huaide was delighted; those words sounded really good.

He waved his hand with a smile and said modestly, "Hey, that's too much. The factory's success is thanks to everyone working together with one mind and one goal. I was just setting up the framework and giving a helping hand."

"If we're really talking about merit, it's young talents like you, Xiao Liu, who bury yourself in practical work and are the true pillars of the factory!"

Liu Hao was pleased, after all, humans love to hear compliments; it's a fundamental, instinctive need.

Mutual flattery is his forte. I had a roommate from Shandong in college whose dream was to take the civil service exam after graduation. Maybe it was an innate talent, but he was incredibly good at talking.

I learned a lot from this guy.

"Factory manager, you're being too modest. You're the backbone of our steel rolling mill. Without you at the helm, even if we're motivated, we wouldn't know where to start!"

Li Huaide laughed and said, "You're such a smooth talker. Alright, as long as the accounts are fine, go ahead and get busy. If you have any problems, come and report to me."

"Okay, factory manager, you're busy!"

……

Finance Department.

Liu Hao put the cigarettes into his storage space, tucked the lighter into his pocket, and hummed a little tune as he returned to his office.

I had only been sitting down for two minutes when Ye Juan arrived.

"Liu Hao, let's go eat."

Liu Hao glanced at the time: 11:28. He opened a drawer, took out a lunchbox, stood up, turned to the table, and asked, "Xiao Meng, are you coming with us?"

He Xiaomeng shook her head, blushing, and said, "I ate too many steamed buns this morning, and my stomach is still bloated and uncomfortable. I don't want to eat."

"How many did you eat?"

"Uh... six!"

Liu Hao was shocked, and his voice rose an octave.

"The two steamed buns you gave me this morning were enough to fill me up, but you ate six!"

After saying that, Liu Hao burst out laughing, and Yan Kai, Lei Zheng, Yu Lanfen, Zhang Qin, and Ye Juan at the door also laughed heartily.

He Xiaomeng wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground; she should have known better than to say anything.

Liu Hao quickly comforted her, "Being able to eat is a blessing, my Juan'er..."

"Oh, what's wrong with me?"

Ye Juan was still smiling, her smile still very bright, but Liu Hao felt a chill run down his spine and quickly changed his words.

"My Juan'er also has a small appetite. Sometimes when she eats too much, she does the same as you, Xiaomeng, by going out for a walk to help digest!"

Is Sister Juan small-appetite?

He Xiaomeng stole a glance at Ye Juan and almost burst out laughing.

"Okay, Hao-ge, you guys go eat."

"Okay, Master Yan, Brother Lei, Sister Lan, Sister Zhang, let's go, let's go eat."

Liu Hao called out to everyone, and he and Ye Juan walked out of the office building and headed straight for the third canteen.

The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature actually rose to around 5 degrees Celsius. The snow piled up on the roadside melted quickly, and there was a refreshing dampness in the air, with less of the biting cold.

Ye Juan dodged a puddle and complained, "This weather is so strange. It was freezing cold yesterday, but it's suddenly warm today."

"I don't think it will stay warm for more than a few days. Tomorrow I'm going to tidy up the yard and plant some flowers and plants next spring."

"Sure, how about we raise some more chickens so we can easily get eggs!"

"If you don't raise it, will you feed it?"

"Haha, you're so lazy!"

Ye Juan rolled her eyes and smiled mischievously: "Of course, I don't want to feed them either, so let's not raise them."

Liu Hao smiled and said seriously, "Well, I'm not raising chickens, I'm raising pigs."

Pig farming?

Ye Juan was stunned for a moment, her mind racing, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.

Soon, she remembered their bickering conversation from noon yesterday and realized that Liu Hao was teasing her again.

But she wasn't angry at all. She glanced at Liu Hao and said calmly, "Oh? Sure, I support you keeping me as a mistress, but if you don't actually do it, I'll get angry. If I get angry, don't even think about getting on my bed, and don't even think about touching me!"

"..."

Liu Hao was exasperated; this was something they used to threaten him at the drop of a hat.

What's even more infuriating is that it's incredibly effective!

Alas, I'm so pathetic; I couldn't resist the little queen's charm.

"Wrong, I'm a pig!"

Hahahaha

Ye Juan smiled smugly, tilting her chin slightly, her eyes full of amusement. She thought, "You're so cocky, I can't put you down." She poked Liu Hao's hand and teased, "Will you dare to be so cheeky next time?"

Liu Hao was furious. "Just because I'm not showing my teeth doesn't mean I'm a pushover!"

"Don't be so arrogant. If you push me too far, we'll sleep in separate beds and see who can outlast whom!"

"..."

Ye Juan stopped laughing, because she realized that ever since they got their marriage certificate and started sleeping together, she seemed to have fallen in love with that feeling too.

Liu Hao lusted after her body, but she also lusted after Liu Hao.

Moreover, it's an uncontrollable craving. Just having it nearby or touching it makes me feel very comfortable and at ease, and then I want to do *that*.

In Liu Hao's words, this is called physiological liking, and only physiological liking plus psychological liking constitutes true liking.

Are you ashamed?

Not at all!

She only felt this way about Liu Hao; she felt incredibly uncomfortable with any other man who got close.

"I was wrong, I'm a pig too, we're both pigs!"

Ye Juan decisively backed down, turned her head to look around, leaned close to Liu Hao's ear, and softly called out, "Brother Yudi~"

Hiss... Liu Hao seemed to have been electrocuted; his whole body stiffened, and his eyes instantly turned red.

"Hahaha~"

Ye Juan covered her mouth and chuckled, then took off running and dashed into the cafeteria...