Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

Chapter 11 Cold reception

The bus bumped along the dusty dirt road for six hours before finally stopping at Shenyang Bus Station in the evening.

Jiang Cheng got off the bus carrying his luggage and took a deep breath of the familiar air. Three months had passed, and he was finally back.

Outside the station, he glanced around subconsciously, but didn't see the figure he was expecting. He smiled; Zheng Yanxi had to go to work, how could she possibly come to pick him up? Besides, their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.

He carried his luggage and walked into the factory. Along the way, the familiar streets, buildings, and smells gave him a feeling of coming home. Although he had only been here for a few months, this era and this factory had already taken root in his heart.

As he reached the factory gate, Old Liu, the gatekeeper, saw him and paused for a moment: "Chengzi? You're back?"

"Uncle Liu, I'm back," Jiang Cheng greeted with a smile.

Old Liu sized him up, his eyes a little strange: "I heard you went to the provincial capital to study? How's it going?"

"It's alright," Jiang Cheng said. "Uncle Liu, I'll head back now. Let's chat another day."

He walked towards the dormitory area, encountering several coworkers along the way. Strangely, when these people saw him, they either pretended not to see him or greeted him briefly before hurrying away, their eyes darting around furtively. Jiang Cheng felt a vague unease, but didn't think much of it.

When he arrived at his new apartment building, he looked up at the fourth-floor window. The window was open, and light was shining through. Zheng Yanxi was home.

He went upstairs and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Zheng Yanxi stood there, stunned when she saw him.

"I'm back," Jiang Cheng said with a smile.

Zheng Yanxi paused for a few seconds, then stepped aside to let him in: "Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I could have come to pick you up."

"I wanted to give you a surprise." Jiang Cheng entered the room, put down his luggage, and looked around. The room was very clean, even tidier than when he left. On the table was an open book, "Popular Medicine".

"Have you eaten?" Zheng Yanxi asked.

"not yet."

"I'll go make it." Zheng Yanxi turned and went into the kitchen.

Jiang Cheng followed behind and saw several new items in the kitchen: an enamel basin, a new cutting board, and a new kitchen knife. There was also a dish of stir-fried vegetables on the stove, which looked surprisingly good.

"Did you make this?" Jiang Cheng asked, pointing to the dish.

Zheng Yanxi nodded, her face slightly flushed: "After you left, I practiced every day. Now I can cook a few simple dishes."

Jiang Cheng felt a warmth in his heart, reached out and picked up a piece with his chopsticks, putting it in his mouth. Although the taste was just average, he could tell it was made with care.

"It's delicious," he said.

Zheng Yanxi's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"real."

That evening, Zheng Yanxi cooked two dishes and boiled noodles. The two sat at the table eating, chatting idly. Jiang Cheng talked about the training course, about Li Jianguo, Wang Tiezhu, and Engineer Chen. Zheng Yanxi listened attentively, occasionally asking a question.

But Jiang Cheng always sensed that she had something on her mind. When she spoke, her eyes always darted away, and her smile seemed somewhat forced.

"Is something the matter?" Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks.

Zheng Yanxi paused for a moment, then shook her head: "No."

"Yanxi, we're husband and wife now." Jiang Cheng looked at her. "You can tell me anything."

Zheng Yanxi was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "There have been some changes at the factory in the three months you were gone."

"What changes?"

"Your master...Master Huang, was transferred to logistics last month."

Jiang Cheng was stunned: "What? Master was transferred to logistics? How is that possible?"

Zheng Yanxi looked at him: "I heard it was Section Chief Meng from the Technical Department who suggested that Master Huang is too old and not suitable to continue working on the front line. Director Zhou agreed."

Jiang Cheng's mind went blank. His master had been transferred? How could that be? Huang Deqing was a level six fitter, the most skilled master craftsman in the factory. How could he just be transferred like that?

"And..." Zheng Yanxi hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What else?"

"Your position is taken now," Zheng Yanxi said. "Sun Jianguo has been transferred to the machine repair workshop and has taken over Master Huang's position."

"Sun Jianguo?" Jiang Cheng could hardly believe his ears. "Isn't he from the technical department? What's he doing in the machine repair workshop?"

"I heard he applied for it himself," Zheng Yanxi said. "He said he wanted to work on the front line of forging, and Director Zhou approved it. Now he's the acting deputy director of the machine repair workshop, in charge of technology."

Jiang Cheng's mind was in complete chaos. His master had been transferred, and Sun Jianguo had gone to the machine repair workshop. If there had been no contact between them, he would have written his name backwards.

"When did this happen?"

"Last month. You had only been gone for half a month when rumors started circulating. The official document was issued a month ago."

Jiang Cheng stood up and paced around the room twice. He wanted to find Director Zhou to get some answers, and he wanted to confront Sun Jianguo, but he knew it was pointless. He had no evidence; going would only alert the enemy.

"How is Master now?" he asked.

Zheng Yanxi shook her head: "I'm not too sure. I heard that after Master Huang went to the logistics department, he became less talkative and lost weight."

Jiang Cheng felt as if something was blocking his heart. His master had been kind to him, taking him under his wing and teaching him step by step from the moment he entered the factory. Although the original owner of this body was a good-for-nothing hoodlum, Huang Deqing had never given up on him. Now that he was gone, and his master had been framed, how could he sit still?

"I'll go see my master tomorrow," he said.

Zheng Yanxi nodded, and after a while, said softly, "Jiang Cheng, be careful. Sun Jianguo... is not a simple man."

Jiang Cheng looked at her: "What do you know?"

Zheng Yanxi hesitated for a moment and said, "He came to see me."

Jiang Cheng's heart tightened: "What do you want?"

"He said you weren't here and asked if I needed any help," Zheng Yanxi said. "He also said that he recommended you to the factory for this training."

"He recommended him?" Jiang Cheng sneered. "That's what he said?"

Zheng Yanxi nodded: "I know it's not true. After you left, my dad came to the factory and told me that Director Wang had specifically requested it, and that it had nothing to do with Sun Jianguo. But Sun Jianguo is telling everyone that it was him who helped."

Jiang Cheng understood. Sun Jianguo was trying to embellish his own image while also testing him. He came to Zheng Yanxi ostensibly to help, but in reality, he wanted to see if he could get any information from Zheng Yanxi.

"He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

Zheng Yanxi shook her head: "No. It's just... the way your eyes looked when you were talking made me uncomfortable."

Jiang Cheng held her hand: "Next time he comes, don't see him alone. Wait for me to come back if anything happens."

Zheng Yanxi looked at him and softly hummed in agreement.

That night, Jiang Cheng didn't sleep well. His mind kept replaying his mentor's situation, Sun Jianguo's situation, and the factory's situation. He remembered what Engineer Chen had said: "In our system, ability alone isn't enough; you also need connections. Without someone to back you up, no matter how capable you are, you can easily be trampled on."

He didn't fully understand it then, but he does now.

The next morning, Jiang Cheng went to the logistics department.