The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 242 The Negative Effects of Full Automated System

Under the scorching sun, Ou Xiaokui hugged her helmet and did not answer Zhao Xiaochui's question immediately.

She simply pulled the top document from a stack of files and handed it to him, her tone flat and devoid of any emotion: "Boss, if you don't want to sign this, then sign the others first."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaochui paused, his pen stilling, and looked up at her. His gaze held a hint of scrutiny.

Ou Xiaokui's gaze remained calm and unwavering. After a moment of eye contact, Zhao Xiaochui finally looked away and continued signing his name.

Ou Xiaokui stood to the side, her gaze fixed on Zhao Xiaochui's pen tip, a complex expression on her face.

There was confusion and bewilderment, but more than anything, there was a deep sense of worry. She looked at him; the document, which she had only glanced at before, was now being meticulously reviewed by him, word by word, until he confirmed it was correct before solemnly signing his name.

"Boss~" Ou Xiaokui hesitated for a moment, then called out softly, her voice tinged with a hint of caution.

"What?" Zhao Xiaochui asked casually without looking up, his pen scratching across the document.

“It’s just that…” Ou Xiaokui tilted her head and thought for a moment, organizing her thoughts, “Why do you always have such different ideas from those…those bosses and businessmen?”

Zhao Xiaochui finally raised his head, his gaze falling on Ou Xiaokui's face before quickly lowering again to continue signing, his tone calm:

"Different? Is it wrong for me to treat people as human beings? You shouldn't ask me why I'm different from those people. You should ask those people. We are all compatriots and of the same origin, so why can't we treat each other as human beings?"

“But…” Ou Xiaokui’s fingers tightened unconsciously as she held the helmet, and her voice became urgent.

“If you do this, they will exclude you from their circle. To them, you are a heretic!” She paused, her tone becoming heavy. “Boss, do you know what happened to heretics throughout history?”

Zhao Xiaochui did not answer immediately.

He calmly signed the last document, capped his pen, tidied himself up meticulously, and handed it to Ou Xiaokui.

At the same time, he took his helmet from her, along with the document that was specifically marked 'loan, payment period'.

He took the document, flicked it lightly with his fingertips, and said calmly, "There is nothing in this world that can burn me alive!"

The ambiguous words did not dispel Ou Xiaokui's worries. Watching Zhao Xiaochui put away the document without any intention of signing it, she sighed, "Boss, everyone in the office is very grateful to you and understands your abilities. But we have a consensus..."

"What consensus?"

Ou Xiaokui looked at Zhao Xiaochui seriously: "If you encounter difficulties with the relaxed and slow pace, people won't be able to keep being supported by you and will only add to your burden."

Zhao Xiaochui was taken aback, then smiled sarcastically: "When disaster strikes, everyone flies away?"

Ou Xiaokui chuckled: "With your abilities, boss, what great calamity could you possibly encounter?"

Zhao Xiaochui: "..."

"The big guys are just afraid of being used as leverage against you, to be dragged into this quagmire and worn down!"

"A quagmire? You're calling a leisurely stroll a quagmire?" Zhao Xiaochui laughed angrily. "Can't you guys wish me something good?"

Ou Xiaokui sighed again, a hint of helpless clarity in her eyes: "In this society, how can ordinary people 'walk slowly and easily'? Boss, walking slowly in the mud isn't easy at all." "..." Zhao Xiaochui glared at Ou Xiaokui, then shook his head helplessly, turned and walked towards the door, his tone carrying an undeniable command, "Alright, this morning's technician assessment will be changed to listening to your work report, but you need to hurry. Also, don't overthink it, I have connections!"

He held the helmet up, a slight smile on his face.

"Pfft~" Ou Xiaokui was amused and followed behind Zhao Xiaochui with the documents in her arms, while complaining in a low voice: "People are causing trouble every few days, it doesn't seem like they have connections at the top."

Her words made Zhao Xiaochui suddenly stop at the gate, politely respond to the salute of the security guard, then look up and ask in confusion, "Is no one on the second floor?"

Ou Xiaokui stomped her foot: "Boss~"

“You were the one who started this joke,” Zhao Xiaochui glanced at her. “Isn’t walking time enough? Why don’t you get started already?”

"You'll find out soon enough whether I'm joking or not," Ou Xiaokui muttered to herself, took a deep breath, and quickly caught up with Zhao Xiaochui, reporting rapidly.

"With half a sack of old, dilapidated property certificates, we easily completed the exchange of talent apartments and office buildings. Currently, Gao Ya and a group of suppliers are inspecting the site. However, boss, you should be prepared that the renovation and delivery time may be very long."

Zhao Xiaochui: "The reason?"

"Payment terms!" Ou Xiaokui hurried after Zhao Xiaochui, her voice tinged with helplessness. "Many big clients in the Beijing market have told their outsourced construction teams that if you take on a high-end project, you can forget about getting any more of their work!"

Zhao Xiaochui suddenly stopped, causing his assistant to bump into him from behind. He steadied her, his brows furrowing slightly: "Why? I remember the economic situation isn't very good right now. A relaxed, convenient, cash-on-delivery payment system should be quite popular."

Ou Xiaokui stared at him and said, word by word, "That's true for the contractors, but they have no say. If they do business that's easy and slow, it means losing countless major engineering projects in the future. Paying on demand isn't that attractive."

Zhao Xiaochui lowered his eyes, lost in thought: "What about the client?"

Ou Xiaokui replied with a half-smile, "In the words of the official association, 'relaxing and slowing down' disregards social rules, damages the market environment, and causes great trouble for the industry."

Zhao Xiaochui was silent for a moment, then turned and continued walking: "Continue."

Ou Xiaokui and the other bosses took a few extra steps to catch up: "Affected by this, the construction and delivery of several large-scale dormitory units in OCT will be delayed."

"continue."

"As a result, the renovation project of the three-story building of the subdistrict office will also be delayed."

"continue."

"For the same reason, the equipment procurement for the basement linen washing center also cannot proceed as planned." At this point, Ou Xiaokui paused, and said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Boss, your good intentions in seeking domestic alternatives are going to be wasted by those people."

Zhao Xiaochui shook his head: "They have no good intentions. A small laundry center is trying to replace domestic products. Then tell the store manager to focus on purchasing second-hand equipment from top imported brands."

By this time, the two had arrived at Zhao Xiaochui's office in the office area. They encountered many colleagues along the way, but seeing that Ou Xiaokui was giving a report, no one disturbed them.

"Understood." Ou Xiaokui quickly jotted down her boss's instructions in her notebook, looked up, and calmly continued her report: "For the same reason, EasyCar's two OEM factories in Nantong have started to face raw material procurement problems. I'm reminding the boss that there might be bigger troubles in the future!"

(End of this chapter)