This was not surprising. Recently, the original owner had devoted all her attention to seducing Director Zhou and had no interest in working at all.
In her previous life, the original owner’s mistakes had caused a huge discrepancy in the factory’s accounting. The workshop bonuses were delayed, and the workers complained bitterly.
The original owner was publicly criticized at a factory wide meeting, and her entire salary for that month was deducted. When she returned home, her mother in law, Wang Cuihua, used the matter to berate her. The two of them went from arguing to fighting, and during the struggle, the original owner accidentally fell and broke a bone. She had to recuperate in the factory hospital for three months before she recovered.
The factory had originally intended to fire her, but Wang Cuihua went to the factory and made a huge scene, even bringing up her deceased son. The factory leaders were completely unable to endure the old woman’s unruly behavior, so they had no choice but to let the original owner return to work.
Thinking about this completely avoidable disaster, Lin Tingwan shook her head and began correcting the data.
Su Guilan and Chen Chunyan chatted while they worked.
“You know, Comrade Qiao has been in the factory director’s office for so long and still hasn’t come back. Could it be that the factory director cannot bear to let her leave?”
“Of course. Maybe the two of them are all sweet and affectionate right now.”
“What do you think Director Zhou is like when he is in a relationship?”
“He must spoil his wife.”
As they chatted, the two deliberately glanced toward Lin Tingwan.
They wanted to provoke her and drive her into becoming a shrew.
Unfortunately, their calculations were completely wrong. At that moment, Lin Tingwan was entirely focused on correcting the data.
As far as she was concerned, correcting report data was child’s play. Her real job should have been in the workshop, dealing with internal combustion engines and large machine tools. Taking apart engines, troubleshooting equipment failures, and improving mechanical processes were what she should have been doing.
【Beep! Temporary side mission triggered. In order to change the original plot in which Host suffers a broken bone and spends three months recuperating in the hospital, Host is now required to moderately flirt with Zhou Huaijin in front of Qiao Shuran. Please remain appropriate and do not cross any boundaries. The goal is to make the male lead’s heart itch with curiosity.】
【Mission rewards: five yuan in cash, three jin of meat coupons, a skin care clam oil gift set, and two affection points from the male lead.】
【Mission failure penalty: confiscation of five jin of currently held grain coupons, forced physical hunger for twenty four hours, and the original plot will proceed unchanged.】
“Wait, System, are you messing with me?”
She had only sworn last night that she would stay away from the male lead, and now she had to go flirt with him first thing in the morning. What would that look like? At least give her some time to adjust!
【Host, the female lead is still in the male lead’s office. If you hurry over now, you can complete the mission perfectly. System wishes you good luck!】
Good luck with my foot!
But she certainly did not want to spend three months lying in a hospital bed!
Lin Tingwan gathered the pile of incorrect reports.
When she arrived outside the office, she happened to hear Zhou Huaijin say that the wedding would take place after his younger brother came home for the end of the term.
Fortunately, that meant there were still more than four months.
She had no idea whether she could successfully win Zhou Huaijin over by then.
If the male lead married the female lead, she would be finished.
After Qiao Shuran finished speaking, Lin Tingwan gently knocked on the door.
When Zhou Huaijin saw her, his expression changed slightly.
Qiao Shuran was even more furious.
Last night, she had clearly said she would stop pestering Director Zhou. What was she trying to do now?
She could not lose her temper in front of Zhou Huaijin.
“Comrade Lin, are you looking for me?” Qiao Shuran quickly recovered and walked toward her.
Lin Tingwan smiled. “No, I’m looking for Director Zhou.”
Qiao Shuran’s expression changed dramatically.
Why was she looking for Director Zhou?
Did she want to talk about that night?
Zhou Huaijin studied Lin Tingwan carefully.
This woman really was shameless. So all the things she had said last night had been nothing but empty words?
“Since Comrade Qiao is here, you can stay too. There are some things that are better said openly.”
What did he mean?
Qiao Shuran clenched her fingers.
If Lin Tingwan dared to spout nonsense, she would be finished!
Lin Tingwan walked up to Zhou Huaijin’s desk.
Zhou Huaijin said coldly, “I remember that your position does not allow you to report matters directly to me.”
Lin Tingwan explained, “That is true, but there is an exception when a major error occurs and the data has to be corrected. In that case, the factory director needs to review and sign off on it. Am I right?”
Wait, she actually knew this?
Not only was Zhou Huaijin shocked, even Qiao Shuran was stunned.
Lin Tingwan spoke in a strictly businesslike tone.
“Director Zhou, the original data in last week’s workshop reports contained serious errors. I admit that I was not focused on my work before, which caused them. I have now recalculated and corrected everything. There are quite a lot of changes, so please check them and sign off.”
Zhou Huaijin suspected that she was using this as an excuse to seduce him. After all, she had made such a big declaration last night, so perhaps she had simply changed tactics.
Sure enough, when he reached for the reports in her hand, she quickly brushed her fingers over his hand.
A strange current instantly shot through his entire body from the place she had touched.
Zhou Huaijin glared at her angrily.
She raised her brows with a smile and then cast him a flirtatious glance.
Her eyes were full of emotion, and the ambiguity was unmistakable.
Zhou Huaijin immediately felt both embarrassed and annoyed, and the tips of his ears gradually turned red.
To hide his awkwardness, he could only lower his head and look at the reports.
Lin Tingwan, she was simply too much!
Qiao Shuran saw every little interaction between them clearly.
This widow Lin was absolutely shameless!
She clenched her fingers tightly. Fierce anger surged through her eyes, but she could only bite her lower lip and force herself to endure it.
Zhou Huaijin discovered that Lin Tingwan had indeed changed many parts of the report, and every figure she had corrected was accurate.
If the original data had been submitted, the factory’s losses would have been enormous.
How had she managed to correct all of this?
He raised his head in confusion.
Lin Tingwan smiled at him with deep affection.
It was as though she were deeply in love with him.
His heart began beating faster, and his face felt hot.
Damn it.
Had he not hated her before, to the point where he had wanted to dig out her eyes and feed them to the dogs?
How had things suddenly become like this?
“There are quite a few errors in the report. I need to check them one by one. You and Comrade Qiao can return to work first. Once I have signed it, I will have someone deliver it to you.”
Zhou Huaijin used his cold tone to conceal the turmoil inside him.
Lin Tingwan gave him a mischievous smile and cast him another flirtatious glance.
Her voice was soft and sweet.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Director Zhou.”
After saying this, she lightly licked her red lips.
Zhou Huaijin’s face turned even redder.
Lin Tingwan had done it deliberately!
She had deliberately come here to seduce him!
But why did she look so familiar like this?
It was as though she had bitten her lip in exactly the same way the night before last.
When Zhou Huaijin thought of that night, Lin Tingwan filled his mind.
He felt as though he were going crazy.
He desperately reminded himself that the person that night had been Comrade Qiao, not Lin Tingwan.
Lin Tingwan was a vicious woman!
But why was his heart beating so fast right now?
【Beep! Side mission completed! Mission rewards: five yuan in cash, three jin of meat coupons, a skin care clam oil gift set, and two affection points from the male lead. The rewards have been deposited into the system backpack and can be withdrawn at any time. Current male lead affection level: negative seventy eight, extreme hatred.】
【Additional hidden feedback: Male lead’s resistance is loosening, emotional confusion level seventy five percent. Qiao Shuran’s jealousy and frustration level ninety one percent.】
Lin Tingwan had achieved her goal and was overjoyed.
Wonderful!
Now she did not have to break a bone, and she even got meat to eat!
Life was beautiful!
She smiled and hooked her arm through Qiao Shuran’s.
“Comrade Qiao, let’s go.”
Qiao Shuran wanted to pull away, but she could not do so with Zhou Huaijin present.
The moment they left the office, Qiao Shuran immediately pulled her arm free.
“Comrade Lin, Director Zhou and I are getting married soon. I advise you to put away those crooked ideas.”
I want to as well, but the system won’t let me.
Since she really was in the wrong, Lin Tingwan lacked some confidence.
“Comrade Qiao, I only went there to deliver a report. Don’t let your imagination run wild.”
Delivering a report while conveniently displaying her seductive charms?
Qiao Shuran thought about how she had stayed in that office for so long, yet Director Zhou had only looked at her twice.
But the moment this vixen arrived, Director Zhou had kept looking at her!
How infuriating!
Qiao Shuran’s expression darkened.
“The report data is incorrect. Shouldn’t you have shown it to me first? Haven’t I always adjusted your data for you? What, are you trying to bypass me now?”
Lin Tingwan smiled.
“I made too many mistakes this time. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to fix them.”
“If I can’t fix them, then you can?”
It was nothing more than an excuse to appear in front of Director Zhou.
Thinking about it, this time in her previous life, Comrade Lin was about to make a major mistake with the data. Not only would she be severely punished, she would also end up lying in the hospital for three months.
Let’s see how long she could keep acting so arrogantly!
Qiao Shuran glared fiercely at her.
“Don’t go looking for Director Zhou when you have nothing to do in the future. Pay attention to your image.”
Lin Tingwan gave an awkward smile.
…
Zhou Huaijin finally finished checking all the data Lin Tingwan had corrected.
Every single corrected figure was accurate.
This made him even more suspicious.
Lin Tingwan had only graduated from middle school. Her knowledge and abilities were limited. There was no way she could have corrected the data so perfectly.
Could someone knowledgeable have been guiding her behind the scenes?
Who could it be?
As he was thinking, hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.
Vice Factory Director Li Jianguo came running over in a panic.
“Huai Jin, something’s wrong! The C6140 ordinary lathe in No. 2 metalworking workshop has seized up, and the transmission gears have also lost teeth. The entire production line has stopped! Three veteran technicians have taken turns dismantling and inspecting the machine for a long time, but they haven’t found the slightest clue. There are more than a hundred unfinished workpieces piled up in the workshop. If this continues, it will delay the entire factory’s monthly production target.”
The No. 2 lathe at the state owned machinery factory was one of the factory’s core precision processing machines, responsible for processing transmission shafts for internal combustion engines. Once it stopped operating, all subsequent workshop processes would be affected, making the impact enormous.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Huaijin casually picked up the blue work uniform hanging over the back of his chair and put it on.
“Let’s go to the workshop.”
The two hurried through the factory passageways. By then, a circle of workers had already gathered outside Workshop No. 2, while three workshop technicians with more than ten years of experience each were sweating profusely around the lathe.
As luck would have it, Lin Tingwan had just come to the workshop to collect the daily machine production report.
When she saw that there was a problem with the machine, she immediately stopped in her tracks.
She did not push her way into the crowd. Instead, she leaned against a pillar at the back and coldly examined the malfunctioning lathe.
Inside the workshop, someone had removed the main spindle end cover, someone else was checking the tension of the belt, and another person was lying on the floor listening to the strange noise from the gears meshing.
Everyone was completely at a loss.
“The clearance between the shaft sleeve looks fine, and the lubricating oil was only added three days ago. How could it suddenly seize up?”
“The gear teeth also look normal. There is no reason they should have suddenly lost teeth.”
If Lin Tingwan took the initiative to offer help, everyone would probably throw her out.
After all, the original owner was completely incompetent. She could not even copy data without making mistakes.
Amid the discussions, Zhou Huaijin arrived.
He walked directly to the lathe’s control panel.
He had studied mechanical engineering at university and had worked his way up from a frontline workshop technician to factory director. He knew the structure and transmission logic of every machine in the factory like the back of his hand.
He did not rush to dismantle the machine. First, he manually turned the hand feed wheel to feel the resistance as it caught. Then he bent down and pressed his ear close to the spindle housing to listen carefully to the faint noises inside. He lightly rubbed his fingertips against the outside of the housing to sense its vibration frequency.
The entire process took less than a minute.
“It isn’t a gear tooth failure. The balls inside the thrust bearing have shattered, and the broken pieces are lodged in the radial clearance between the spindle and the shaft sleeve, causing the spindle to seize. The low temperature grease added previously has too high a viscosity. At low temperatures, it clumped and carried the broken bearing pieces with it, making the seizure worse.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the socket wrench handed to him by a technician.
First, he removed the bolts. Then he separated the spindle housing, removed the shattered bearing balls, polished the burrs on the shaft sleeve, replaced the spare bearing, and finally added grease suitable for normal temperatures.
The entire operation was smooth and effortless.
After the machine was powered on for a test run, the spindle no longer seized, but there was still an extremely faint low frequency vibration in the housing. The rotational speed fluctuation was beyond the acceptable tolerance range, making it nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye.
None of the technicians noticed it. They all assumed the machine had been repaired.
Zhou Huaijin frowned slightly and repeatedly adjusted the handle, but he still could not eliminate the vibration. For the moment, he could not determine the root cause.
Without realizing it, Lin Tingwan had already come up behind him.
She could see the problem clearly.
Apart from the shattered bearing balls, the spindle’s alignment had shifted slightly. In addition, the grease had only been added to the bottom of the housing, while an air pocket remained in the upper oil passage. Together, these factors were causing the hidden vibration.
While everyone’s attention was fixed on the control panel, she subtly raised her fingers and lightly tapped twice toward the vent hole above the spindle.
She then made a tiny gesture indicating that the oil container should be tilted to release trapped air.
She kept the movement as small as possible so that no one would notice.
But Zhou Huaijin still caught the movement from the corner of his eye.
He thought Lin Tingwan was deliberately trying to seduce him again, and instinctively felt resistant.
But then it was as though he suddenly realized something.
He immediately unscrewed the vent plug at the top of the spindle and released the trapped air from the oil passage. Then he fine tuned the spindle’s fixing shims to correct its alignment.
Less than half a minute later, the lathe started again.
The housing became completely stable, and even the slightest vibration disappeared. The rotational speed returned completely to the factory standard.
The workshop workers and technicians watching nearby applauded enthusiastically.
“Director Zhou really is incredible! We spent half the day taking it apart and could not even find the root of the problem, while Director Zhou found it in a minute.”
“He really came up from the frontline. Even after becoming factory director, he never lost his skills with machine tools.”
“Our factory director is a genuine technical expert.”
The praise continued one after another.
Zhou Huaijin noticed that Lin Tingwan was not applauding. She had followed Team Leader Zhao Changshan instead.
He did not know what she was saying to Zhao Changshan, but there was always a smile on her face.
In the past, she had never shown Zhao Changshan a pleasant expression.
Several times, she had even called him ugly and made him so angry that he had wanted to hit her.
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of discomfort rose in Zhou Huaijin’s heart.
“Comrade Lin, I have marked some defective workpieces separately in red.
Pay attention when you file them and make sure they are not included in the same summary as the qualified products.”
“All right. I’ll pay more attention. Team Leader Zhao, I’ll be going now.”
It was the first time Zhao Changshan had seen Lin Tingwan being so polite, and for a moment, he did not know how to react.
When Lin Tingwan left, she did not even glance at Zhou Huaijin.
Zhou Huaijin, however, kept watching her.
Only after she had gone far away did he silently curse himself for being so pathetic.
She was such a vicious woman.
Why was he paying attention to her?